Step By Step - Mongolia

Program Image

Program

  • Type of Program: Education Methodology Reform
  • Age Served: 0 to 8 years
  • Funding Sources: Matching fund OSI-MFOS
  • Presenter: Enkhbaatar Demchig (Country Director)
  • Address: Center for Science & Technology Information, Room 306, BagaToiruu- 49
    Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 46
  • Telephone: (976) 11-313207
  • Fax: (976) 11-324857
  • Email: [email protected]

Program Purpose

To support development of child-centered, individualized teaching methodology in Mongolian preschool education, increase parent and community involvement in their children's education and establish high quality, self-sustaining Step by Step training programs that are officially accredited as an alternative teaching methodology and are available to all teachers or schools.

Program Description

In 1995, the Mongolian Government adopted a National Pre-school Strengthening Program. One of the main objectives of the Government policy is to improve current preschool education content and methodology and to increase parental roles and responsibilities for preschool child development; promote home pre-school education. Begun in September 1998, the Step-by-Step program is a 3-5 year reform program for children birth through ten, which introduces child-centered, individualized teaching methodologies and supports family and community involvement in preschools and primary schools. In Mongolia, the Step-by-Step program focuses on the preschool system for children ages 0-7.

The Step-by-Step program in Mongolia has a unique opportunity to reform the teaching methodology not only in selected Step-by-Step classrooms, but to positively influence the entire pre-school system. It can encourage improvements in the classroom environment, in teaching methodology, and in community involvement by working collaboratively with existing teacher training institutions and to transform teacher training, standards and curricula that guide these institutions. Over the past year and a half, Step-by-Step has established 21 model classrooms, provided training to the teachers and the parents of the students, and translated and adapted methodology handbooks for the teachers. From the perspective of government officials, the program has been a great success in these individual schools. Now the challenge is to introduce the model to the broader kindergarten and pre-school community, and make it possible for the key institutions and people that run the Mongolian kindergarten and pre-school system to incorporate aspects of Step-by-Step into the official curriculum, as well as pre-service and in-service training. The foundation also works with the Ministry of Education to consider expansion of Step-by-Step to the primary school system.

Most Unique Program Feature

Almost one quarter of the population of Mongolia is children under 8; they enter school too late at the age of 8. Because of nomadism and poverty, only 28 percent attend kindergartens. The Step By Step program in Mongolia focuses on increasing the attendance of preschool age children at kindergartens through different types of classroom arrangements: shift-groups, moving classes, weekend classes and summer classes etc, and on educational materials for children and their parents. With this purpose Step by Step program granted and funded 12 different proposals submitted from kindergartens, summer schools, and weekend classes.

Edited by Michael Kalinowski