Current Projects

New Generation School (NGS)

The New Generation School (NGS) initiative is being implemented jointly by KAPE and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). This is the first time a civil society partner has been funded directly by MoEYS for a major reform initiative. The Ministry has committed to total funding of almost $1 million for this initiative.

 

The New Generation School initiative is one of 15 national reforms being implemented by MoEYS. The NGS reform focuses on creating the conditions for successful investment by creating a special accreditation process that ensures high standards of internal governance. This particular reform seeks to create schools that will prepare Cambodian youth to compete in the 21st Century marketplace by strengthening learning in the STEM subjects.

 

New Generation Schools are like Charter Schools, which will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in exchange for outstanding performance and innovation. Investments will promote a major role for technology in teaching and learning, constructivist learning, professional learning communities among teachers, modernised learning environments. KAPE is working closely with Ministry to both facilitate actual implementation on the ground as well as create a policy guideline structure that will facilitate replication by other donors. 

The goals and outputs of the project are as follows:

Long Term Goal: To create educational development models with ‘maximal’ (as opposed to ‘minimum’) learning standards that lead to the emergence of a new generation of Cambodian public schools which exemplify good governance, high professional standards, and high quality learning standards.

Immediate Objective: To identify and introduce effective governance principles used in the private sector to the public school system by using a public-private partnership management model involving a high degree of local autonomy as the implementing vehicle that will in turn promote sustainable child friendly learning environments of exceptional quality to the rural and urban poor.

Outputs: The project envisions the completion of a number of discrete outputs during two phases of implementation that will help inform efforts to replicate an evolving model in other locations. Stage 1 will focus on planning, mapping potential NGS sites, consultations with stakeholders, and the development of implementation manuals and investment plans in selected schools. Stage 2 will focus on the implementation of the manuals and investment plans developed as part of Output 1. Proposed outputs include the following:

• Output 1a: Development of an Implementation Manual defining what is needed to set up a New Generation School, leading to a clear Project Support Framework and Investment Plan that can be implemented at Sisovath High School.

 

• Output 1b: The Implementation of an NGS Investment Plan developed for Sisovath HS will focus on the design of study spaces including (i) science labs; (ii) library; (iii)computer lab; (iv) selected classrooms; and (v) the canteen. In addition, there will be investments in leadership training linked to the creation of an Oversight Board for the school (headed by the Ministry), teacher career path development (including intensive training in ICT and the possibility of scholarships), the parameters of the ‘school within a school’ model, as well as the enhanced use of ICT in education to increase efficiencies in the way subject matter is taught as well as opportunities for self-study among students.

 

• Output 2: Completion of a National Survey that will identify potential sites for successful replication of a New Generation School model, based on agreed selection criteria developed as part of the current project.

 

• Output 3: Development of Policy Guidelines to guide the allocation of Ministry resources that will be allocated as part of a Social Equity Fund. This fund will be administered in a way that is similar to a Social Equity Fund that has been established in the Health Sector and which seeks to ensure access of the poor to high quality services. Only schools that meet the highest educational standards will be able to access this fund.  This will ensure sustainability of New Generation Schools under conditions of rigorous accountability and governance.