According to representatives of the Ministry of Education, the project "Additional Financing for the 'Education for the Future' Project" amounting to $6.36 million (of which $4.36 million is a loan and $2 million is a grant) is aimed at supporting the preschool education system in the country. The main focus will be on increasing the number of children covered by preschool education, as well as implementing public-private partnership models in this area.
The project plans to carry out the following activities:
1. Conducting repairs and equipping nine existing buildings (returned kindergartens and public facilities) to create full-day kindergartens.
2. Reorganizing and equipping spaces in existing kindergartens for effective use of space (128 rooms) by transforming sleeping and play areas to increase the number of groups.
3. Pilot implementation of a public-private partnership (PPP) model using vouchers in preschool education.
The pilot project will be developed based on an analysis of existing models of care for young children to identify the most effective solutions, including PPPs, for the rapid expansion of access to preschool education for children aged one to five years.
4. Organizing five-day training sessions for 397 participants (staff of preschool education in project-supported centers, as well as women entrepreneurs) from new and additional groups of preschool educational institutions on modern preschool education technologies and the organization of various types of kindergartens.
The main objective of the additional financing for the "Education for the Future" project is to improve families' access to quality preschool education and full-day child care.
The loan conditions are as follows:
— repayment period — 50 years, including a 10-year grace period;
— grace period: 10 years from the date of approval by the Board of Directors;
— interest rate: 0 percent, with no service fee;
— principal repayment: 1.25 percent every six months (the first payments start from the 11th year to the 50th);
— the maximum commitment fee is half a percent (the commitment fees of the IDA are set annually, currently they are equal to 0 percent).
