Kh.Batjargal, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education

Dear distinguished guests,

On behalf of the Ministry of Education and myself, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Save the Children, who are celebrating 30 years of dedicated work, invaluable experience, and significant achievements for the well-being of children in Mongolia. I would also like to extend my warm welcome to all the guests present here today.

Save the Children has been working for 30 years to protect children and uphold their rights, particularly their right to education, in response to the shifting social and political environment in Mongolia, all while implementing this long-term development strategy.

Since 1994, Save the Children has been one of the first international organizations to actively support the government’s policy on universal education, which aims to align the education system with international standards and ensure that no child is excluded from educational opportunities. For example, between 2006 and 2013, the education sector received $197.7 million in investments from international organizations and donors. This accounted for 7.3% of the education sector’s budget, demonstrating that the involvement of international organizations has made a significant contribution to easing the burden on the state budget and enhancing educational services.

Since 1995, the Mongolian government has been supporting the “National Preschool Education Development Programs 1 and 2” with the goals of safeguarding the education sector from the challenges of the transition period and expanding access to services. By 2005, the sector had recovered from its decline, reaching 62% coverage in preschool education. Save the Children also played an active role as a member of the working group that drafted the Law on Preschool Education, contributing to the creation of a legal framework that ensures all children have equal access to quality preschool education.

As a result of Save the Children’s active involvement in legal reform related to children’s rights since 2005, the Law on Education was amended in 2006 to prohibit teachers from physically punishing students, subjecting them to emotional distress, disclosing their personal information, or charging illegal fees. Additionally, as part of this effort, a significant achievement was the increase in funding for non-formal education and education for children with disabilities.

In addition, Save the Children has made a significant contribution to achieving the goals of expanding access to and improving the quality of preschool, primary, and basic education, as outlined in the “Master Plan for the Development of the Education Sector,” which was implemented by the Government of Mongolia from 2006 to 2015. Save the Children has also initiated and carried out numerous projects and programs to support these objectives.

For example, from 2006 to 2009, Save the Children managed a project titled “Improving the Quality of Pre-School and Primary Education,” which included 12 subprojects and was funded by the European Union and Save the Children UK with a budget of €1.3 million. The project was successfully implemented on time through collaboration with both government and non-governmental organizations. As part of this national initiative, a range of activities were carried out to improve the quality of preschool and primary education, including the construction and opening of five kindergartens, each with a capacity of 75 children, in three target aimags and two districts.

From 2012 to 2017, Save the Children implemented the “Improving Primary Education Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable Children in Rural Mongolia” project, with $2.5 million in funding from the World Bank and the Japan Social Development Fund. The project supported the transition to a 12-year general education system and benefited more than 8,000 children across 30 remote soums in Arkhangai, Dornod, Sukhbaatar, and Uvurkhangai aimags.

To uphold the rights of children with disabilities, Save the Children has made significant contributions by creating educational opportunities for them and helping to establish a supportive legal framework through its projects and programs.

At that time, Save the Children played a key role in establishing the Inclusive Education Unit within the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This initiative created opportunities for children with disabilities to study alongside their peers in regular schools and kindergartens, influenced relevant policy documents, and helped shape government policy.

In 2003, Mongolia developed a program for the “Equal Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Schools,” which was approved by the Minister of Social Security and Labor, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science. The program was successfully implemented until 2008, benefiting approximately 8,000 children directly.

The “Promoting Inclusive Education for Every Last Child in Mongolia 1 and 2” projects, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, were implemented from 2018 to 2024 across 16 general education schools in Bayanzurkh, Chingeltei, and Songinokhairkhan districts of Ulaanbaatar, as well as in Khovd and Uvurkhangai aimags. A total of 6,823 children benefited from the projects, while 743 teachers gained knowledge of and practical skills for working with children with special needs, learning teaching methodologies tailored to each child’s developmental characteristics.

To summarize Save the Children’s overall involvement in education: significant progress has been made in partnership with our ministry to improve basic education policies at both the national and local levels. Key achievements include enhancing learning outcomes for socially vulnerable children and school dropouts, ensuring children’s safety by improving the living conditions in schools and dormitories, fostering effective training and community participation, and improving the curriculum and quality of education for children with disabilities and ethnic minorities. These efforts have been supported through the implementation of model programs and advocacy initiatives.

Since 2022, the “Enabling Equity to Advance Learning” project, funded by a $5 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), has been successfully implemented in collaboration with Save the Children Japan. The project focuses on three key education priorities: Inclusive Education, School Feeding Programs, and Blended Learning. As a result, over 180,000 children from 148 targeted schools— including 1,120 children with disabilities—along with 5,700 teachers and more than 3,000 parents, have benefited from the project.

In the future, the Ministry of Education expresses its readiness to collaborate with Save the Children to promote the well-being of children and to implement new initiatives and projects in the education sector.