PEP

PRIMARY EDUCATION PROJECT

Project Goal:

The Primary Education Project (PEP) is a five-year initiative targeting all public primary schools in Macedonia. PEP seeks to improve the quality of instruction and increase employment skills in youth. This project is a continuation of a cluster of USAID-funded projects to strengthen education in Macedonia and support decentralization efforts, as Macedonia seeks entrance to the European Union.

Timeframe:

Start Date: 1 October 2006 / Completion Date: 30 September 2011

Funding: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - www.usaid.org.mk

Project management:

The Academy for Educational Development (AED), a US-based non-profit organization, is implementing PEP on behalf of USAID in partnership with the University of Indiana, the Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) and other local NGOs and private companies. In addition, AED has partnerships with a variety of national and multi-national corporations that have strong education programs, an interest in increasing the effective use of information technology in schools and a desire to promote the quality of education, economic growth, and stability in this dynamic region. Through these partnerships, AED aims to provide significant additional resources to the project.

Please follow the Primary Education Project link for more info and project updates: http://www.pep.org.mk/

Project components:

	Renovate selected schools and improve energy efficiency.
	Increase access to and improve use of information technology.
	Improve math and science education.
	Improve student assessment.
	Increasing Workforce Skills in Students.

Under this project MCEC is responsible for management of the Component: Improve School-based Assessment - http://www.pep.org.mk/en/assessment/assessment_index.html and also for providing local support to Indiana University which is responsible for management of the component: Improve Math and Science Education - http://www.pep.org.mk/en/math/math_index.html.

PEP’s main objectives are to:

	improve teaching and learning to enable students to acquire critical thinking skills;
	increase access to and use of modern computer and Internet technologies to help students succeed in the job market;
	help schools improve their learning environments while renovating their buildings to stimulate learning and creativity;
	work with educators and the Ministry to develop quality digital learning materials to enable active inquiry-based learning;
	improve math and science education by improving curricula and teaching methods;
	improve school-based assessment to stimulate and reinforce quality learning.