Quality instruction towards access and basic education improvement (QITABI-2)

Context

Since 2019, Lebanon has endured multiple crises, including a nationwide uprising, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion, socio-political unrest, and a severe economic crisis, leading to hyperinflation, currency devaluation, power outages, and fuel shortages. These events have severely impacted life, particularly the education system.

COVID-19 school closures lasted 35 weeks in 2020-2021, with additional closures the previous year. The transition to distance learning was hampered by poor infrastructure, lack of teacher training, limited device access, high connectivity costs, and frequent power outages, reducing school enrollment and achievement.

Teacher salaries dropped from $1,000/month in 2019 to $60-$90/month by January 2023, causing financial hardship, low morale, and frequent strikes. Efforts to recover from COVID-19 learning loss were thwarted by ongoing school closures, with only 59 out of 104 teaching days completed in 2021-2022.

Solution

QITABI-2 supports primary school teachers and principals in 887 public schools across Lebanon, including first and second-shift schools. The program provides teacher training, educational materials, e-content, classroom libraries, math tools, and learning recovery support. It also develops social-emotional learning (SEL) frameworks and strengthens the capacity of MEHE and the Center for Educational Research and Development. The program aims to enhance literacy, numeracy, and SEL outcomes, with assessments planned for April 2024. QITABI-2 has adapted its activities to address the changing needs due to ongoing crises

Impact

QITABI-2 has achieved most of its targets, although its impact has been limited by COVID-19, teacher strikes, and other crises, making it difficult to measure student performance. Feedback from schools indicates successes such as adopting active learning methods, a stronger focus on social-emotional learning, and improvements in service delivery. The financial crisis and the economic conditions were critical contributing factors to reducing the program's overall effectiveness.

QITABI-2's collaboration with MEHE and CRDP to design and integrate its interventions into existing systems has aimed to ensure the sustainability of its programs. However, the public education sector in Lebanon heavily relies on foreign aid, and the current economic and financial crisis poses a significant threat to the sustainability of QITABI-2’s activities. This crisis risks undermining the achievements made by QITABI-2 and other donor-funded projects, highlighting the critical need for ongoing international support to maintain and build on these gains.