Specialists from the General Authority for Education work in Gobisumber province to learn about the ESEL training program
Save the Children Japan, Mongolia has been implementing the project “Entrepreneurship-focused socioemotional skills for the most vulnerable youth in rural Mongolia” project with the financial support from the Japan Social Development Fund and the management of the World Bank since 2019 in Gobisumber, Khovd, Sukbaatar, Uvurkhangai and Zavkhan provinces.
On 24-25 October 2024, specialists from the Teacher, Staff and Organizational Development Department of the General Authority for Education paid a visit to Gobisumber province to oversee the progress and results of project implementation and learn about the Entrepreneurship-focused Socioemotional Learning (ESEL) training program in depth.
In the framework of this activity, in addition to the ESEL training program, the specialists had a chance to get acquainted with the sub-grant funded projects by children and youth, and “Borjigon Development Center” School-Based Enterprise /SBE/ operated at the First Secondary School. The visit covered meetings and discussions with the project beneficiaries and local stakeholders including the members of Aimag and Soum-level Councils, Business coach, Mentors and other community members.
The visit in Gobisumber province was opened with the welcoming remarks and aimag-level updates on the project implementation by Zurgaanjin Amgaa, Head of the Education Department, who highlighted the importance of project and its impact on youth and teachers. The opening was followed by visits to target schools, LLEC and TVET in the province wherein the visitors from the GAE conducted real time observation on ESEL training delivery, met with students and ESEL teachers/counsellors to clarify more about the training and exchange insights. The sessions at schools also incorporate the showcase of products and services by the youth teams who were awarded sub-grant to implement their business ideas upon the completion of their training. Moreover, during their visit to target schools, the GAE specialists provided professional support to the school management, teachers and the staff of the provincial Department of Education.
At the end of the visit to Gobisumber province, the GAE specialists concluded their learnings from the visit and provided recommendations on the project sustainability. The concluding session was led by Enkhtulga Dondov, Head of Teachers, Staff and Organizational Development Department of GAE using the Gibbs Reflective Method to collect opinions from the specialists. At this session, the GAE specialists highlighted the outcomes of ESEL training, improvements in teachers’ pedagogical skills and positive changes in students, the importance of SBE initiative and the impact of sub-grant funded project implemented by youth teams on their further development.
In connection with sustaining the project results on a wider scope, the participants emphasized that the ESEL training program is consistent with the objectives of education policies, teacher development, and cooperative partnership. Their recommendations included the integration of ESEL training program into the key educational activities, adopting the teaching methods in main lesson pedagogy, and adjusting the program to the specifics of each school.