GUWAHATI: The World Bank has approved a $68 million project to enhance the governance of schools across Nagaland as well as to improve teaching practices and learning environments in select schools.
Nagaland faces challenges of weak school infrastructure, lack of opportunities for the professional development of teachers and limited capacity on the part of communities to partner effectively with the school system.
The Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project will improve classroom instruction; create opportunities for the professional development of teachers; and build technology systems to provide students and teachers with more access to blended and online learning as well as allow better monitoring of policies and programmes. Such an integrated approach will complement conventional delivery models and help mitigate the challenges posed by COVID-19.
“Even as the number of children attending school in India has increased over the last few years, there is a growing need to significantly improve learning outcomes to meet the demands of the labour market and fuel future growth. This project is designed to support the Government of Nagaland’s ongoing efforts to improve and develop a more resilient education system in the state,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India.
About 150,000 students and 20,000 teachers in the government education system in Nagaland will benefit from the state-wide reforms in schools.
Strengthening Nagaland’s Education Management and Information System (EMIS) will enable wider access to education resources; support professional development and performance evaluation systems for teachers and education managers; facilitate school leadership and better management; and support examination reforms.
“The project will support the state’s efforts to reform and improve the learning environment in schools so that they are child-centred; supportive of modern, technology-enabled teaching and learning approaches; and resilient to future shocks,” said Kumar Vivek, Education Specialist and the World Bank’s Task Team Leader for the project.
As part of that strategy, approximately 15 out of Nagaland’s 44 higher secondary schools will be developed into school complexes that operationalize the envisioned learning environment during the project period.
The $68 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a final maturity of 14.5 years including a grace period of five years.
