NEWTON, MA | December 21, 2010
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), has expanded its work to Lebanon, announcing a new education improvement project at kickoff ceremonies in Beirut. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded EDC $75 million for a five-year project to be known as D-RASATI (“my studies” in Arabic) that will include thousands of students and teachers in more than 1,300 public schools throughout Lebanon.
Specifically, EDC aims to improve children’s learning environments by repairing and equipping schools, enhance the skills of Lebanon’s public school teachers through in-service training, engage Lebanese students in extracurricular activities, and stimulate increased involvement by communities and parents in local schools.
The award ceremony was held at the government palace known as the Grand Serail. Minister of Education and Higher Education Hassan Mneimneh and USAID Director in Lebanon Jim Barnhart signed the award, as U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and other Ministry and U.S. government officials looked on.
“There is much to commend about Lebanon’s education system, including the creativity of many of its teachers, their interest in change, the inherent entrepreneurship and resilience of its institutions, and the parental and community support for education,” said Helen Boyle, who directs EDC’s Middle East and North Africa programs. “This program will incorporate and build on those successes.”
D-RASATI will begin with a nationwide assessment of the needs of each public school, which will be incorporated into a comprehensive action plan. The program will also establish a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure high-quality performance.
EDC will lead the effort in partnership with the American University of Beirut, AMIDEAST, the Cooperative Housing Foundation, the International Orthodox Christian Charities, and the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), is a global nonprofit organization that addresses some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC manages 350 projects in 35 countries. Visit edc.org.
