USAID/Macedonia Primary Education Project

Macedonia is a republic located in southeast Europe bounded by Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania. Skopje is the capital of this country that gained its independence in 1991. USAID’s five-year Primary Education Project will provide a portion of the funding needed to renovate up to 100 primary schools to upgrade their energy efficiency; boost the use and maintenance of computers; improve the teaching of mathematics and science; and strengthen school-based assessment. The project also supports the decentralization process through which primary education will increasingly become the responsibility of municipalities.

For its part, the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) has committed to provide up to $600,000 to renovate schools; adopt a strategic “maintenance and sustainability plan” to maintain computers; and collaboratively implement continuing math and science training for teachers.

Indiana University's Center for Social Studies and International Education is taking the lead to improve the teaching of mathematics and science in Macedonian primary schools.  The goals for this project are to:

• Build networks of support through the national mathematics, science, and information technology associations to create permanent capacity for ongoing professional development;

• Enhance the curriculum and strengthen staff capacity of the Bureau for Development Education to implement standards;

• Train teachers to make the curriculum succeed in the classroom through active, inquiry-based teaching and learning; and

• Develop digital resources to improve teaching and learning mathematics in association with seminars and Web-based science materials.

Dr. Terrence Mason, director of the Center for Social Studies and International Education and Associate Professor of Education, heads the Project. Faculty members from three Indiana University campuses provide professional development training in Macedonia to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science.

Dr. Frank Lester and Dr. Diana Lambdin, professors of mathematics education at Indiana University-Bloomington, presented seminars about mathematics education. Dr. Charles Barman, professor of science and environmental education, and Natalie Barman, clinical lecturer of science and environmental education, directed seminars on science education. Professor Barman and Mrs. Barman teach at the Indianapolis campus. Dr. Robert Helfenbein, assistant professor of teacher education at Indianapolis, lectured about physical geography and demography education. Dr. Jeffery Nowak, assistant professor of education at the Fort Wayne campus, delivered presentations about the use of technology in science and mathematics education.

URL for the USAID Macedonian Project  http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/press/success/2007-06-01.html