EVALUATION OF IFES CIVIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZ REPUBLIC AND TAJIKISTAN Prepared for USAID/Central Asia Regional Mission Prepared by Gina Gilbreath Holdar David B. Ogle Checchi and Company Consulting, Inc./The Louis Berger Group, Inc. Joint Venture 1899 L Street, NW Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20036 Contract No. AEP-I-820-00-00022-00 June 2003 2 Acknowledgements The authors could not have completed this assignment without a great deal of assistance from many individuals and organizations. Several deserve special mention. First and foremost are the Chiefs of Party of the IFES-CAR country programs--Bradley Austin in Kazakhstan, Chedomir Flego in Kyrgyzstan, and Christopher Shields in Tajikistan. They did not just permit us to disrupt their respective office operations for a week each but bent over backward to place their staffs at our disposal and to respond promptly to every one of the many requests that we made of them. Each member of their dedicated and highly competent staffs was similarly helpful and cooperative. Simon Jenkins, the IFES education methodology consultant in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, was particularly valuable in helping us to understand the IFES textbook development process in those two countries. Susan Fritz and Igor Tupitsyn of the USAID mission office in Kazakhstan, Tracy Atwood and Sean Roberts in Kyrgyzstan and Randall Olsen and Abdurahim Muhidov in Tajikistan all were extremely helpful in enabling us to focus on the most important issues and aspects of the IFES-CAR program. In Washington, Anthony Bowyer, Jill Quinn and Irina Volchansky of IFES and Catherine Stratos and Sundaa Bridgette of USAID thoroughly briefed us on all aspects of the IFES￾CAR civic education program prior to our departure to Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, Inessa Frants, Director of the Institute of Development Cooperation, and her capable assistants Ludmila Kiktenko and Evgeniya Novikova, who provided valuable and necessary administrative and translation assistance. Throughout our consultancy, our individual contract officers--Edward Crowley at Checchi and Company Consulting, Inc. and Renata Frenzen at The Louis Berger Group, Inc.--remained on call for helpful advice and support. Finally, our deep appreciation is expressed to the many dedicated and committed citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan who willingly and enthusiastically responded to our myriad of questions and patiently provided clarifications when requested. We endeavored to carefully and accurately record all of their comments and observations. However, any inaccuracies that may have occurred and are reflected in this report are completely unintentional and remain the sole responsibility of the authors. Gina Gilbreath Holdar David B. Ogle 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY-------------------------------------------------------------- 4 BACKGROUND TO THE IFES-CAR CIVIC EDUCATION PROGRAM-- 6 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: THE IFES-CAR REGIONAL PROGRAM-------------------------------------------- 7 THE IFES-KAZAKHSTAN PROGRAM---------------------------------------------- 18 THE IFES-KYRGYZSTAN PROGRAM---------------------------------------------- 24 THE IFES-TAJIKISTAN PROGRAM------------------------------------------------- 30 CONCLUSIONS------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS----------------------------------------- 38 APPENDICES: Appendix A1: Statement of Work------------------------------------------------------ 44 Appendix A2: Evaluation Methodology and Sampling Process-------------------- 51 Appendix B1: Work Plan---------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Appendix B2: Work Plan-Appendix A: Potential List of Interviews-------------- 56 Appendix B3: Work Plan-Appendix B: Interview Questions----------------------- 58 Appendix C1: List of Documents Reviewed – General------------------------------ 66 Appendix C2: List of Documents Reviewed – Kazakhstan------------------------- 67 Appendix C3: List of Documents Reviewed – Kyrgyzstan------------------------- 70 Appendix C4: List of Documents Reviewed – Tajikistan--------------------------- 72 Appendix D1: List of Interviewees - Washington, D.C.----------------------------- 75 Appendix D2: List of Interviewees – Kazakhstan------------------------------------ 76 Appendix D3: List of Interviewees – Kyrgyzstan------------------------------------ 77 Appendix D4: List of Interviewees – Tajikistan-------------------------------------- 79 Appendix E1: Success Stories – Kazakhstan------------------------------------------ 81 Appendix E2: Success Stories – Kyrgyzstan------------------------------------------ 85 Appendix E3: Success Stories – Tajikistan-------------------------------------------- 89 Appendix F1: Classroom Observations – Kazakhstan------------------------------- 91 Appendix F2: Classroom Observations – Kyrgyzstan------------------------------- 92 Appendix F3: Classroom Observations – Tajikistan--------------------------------- 93 Appendix F4: SAC Observations – Kyrgyzstan-------------------------------------- 94 Appendix F5: SAC Observations – Tajikistan---------------------------------------- 95 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Beginning in 2000, the primary focus of the USAID-funded Central Asia activities of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) shifted away from the organization’s traditional mission of political party development and election reform to civic education. Today, IFES has an active civic education program in the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The program consists of seven activities--almost all of them directed at high school students--with four of the activities operational in all three countries. The four basic activities consist of a civic education textbook for use in a high school civics course, democracy summer camps in which students learn to apply the principles of democracy in a practical way, Student Action Committees (SACs) formed for the purpose of addressing school and community problems through a democratic process, and Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) in which students “shadow” a local government official for a day. The three other activities, each operational in one or two of the country programs, consist of a national Civic Education Tournament, a university and adult civic education program, and the maintenance of a Central Asia Democracy Website. The Cooperative Agreement between USAID and IFES to conduct the Central Asia program is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2003. The purpose of this consultancy was to conduct an evaluation of the IFES-Central Asia (IFES-CAR) civic education program to assist USAID in the decision that it must make on whether the Cooperative Agreement should be extended. The two-person team assigned to make this evaluation examined the program over a five-week period, with the first week spent in Washington, DC, one week spent in each of the three countries in the IFES-CAR program, and the final week in on-site compilation of data and preparation of a final report. During the country visits to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, each component of each program activity in that country was closely analyzed and, in most instances, observed in action. Extensive interviews were also conducted with teachers, students, government officials, donor-partners, NGO leaders, and parents. It is the conclusion of the evaluation team from interviews, activity site visits, classroom observations, and document examination that the IFES-CAR civic education program is making a significant and meaningful contribution to the construction of strong foundations on which Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan can build true and sustainable democratic systems. The program has been, and is, highly successful in increasing understanding of the principles of democracy and in encouraging and creating activism in civil society among students who participate in its various activities. There is every reason to believe that continued success can be anticipated, probably on an incrementally greater basis, if the USAID-IFES Cooperative Agreement is extended. In each of the countries involved in the IFES-CAR program, the young people participating in its activities demonstrate that they are not just grasping the basic principles of democracy, but actively putting those principles to work to help those in need in their schools and communities. Many of the things they are accomplishing are 5 quite extraordinary. Sitting on the threshold of adulthood, these young people exhibit a powerful determination to improve their countries. They are striving to build real democratic political systems, eradicate corruption, improve the quality of education, ease the burdens of the needy, and eliminate gender inequality. Given the success that IFES appears to have achieved--and that it gives every appearance of continuing to achieve--with its Central Asian Republic civic education program, none of the recommendations that are offered in this report call for the elimination or curtailment of an activity. Where change is recommended, it is either for a revision in the manner in which an activity is conducted or administered or for the enlargement or expansion of an activity. Nevertheless, the reality of the constant competition for USAID’s limited funds and resources makes it is impossible to ignore the possibility that other priorities may, at some point in the future, force a reduction in the size of the IFES program. It is extremely difficult to prioritize among seven program activities when each appears to be so successful in achieving its goals, and it would be hoped that this matter would not have to be addressed before such time as the local ownership and sustainability of each activity has been established to the complete satisfaction of USAID and IFES. If a situation should develop where it becomes necessary to prioritize among the seven activities of the IFES-CAR program, the civic education textbook and the IFES civics course in which it is used must be considered as the program’s core activity, and the one with the greatest potential for significant long-term impact. The Student Action Committee program, which is intended to translate the lessons of the textbook into community action, should rank second. Beyond these two activities, the summer camp program would be the only one that could produce significant savings. But the summer camp program has been extremely popular and is seen as a highly effective motivational and training activity by every past participant interviewed during this evaluation. It is very hard, therefore, to suggest even the possibility of eliminating the camp program. Of the other activities--Student Local Government Days, the Central Asia Democracy Website, the university CD in Kyrgyzstan, and the civic education tournament in Kazakhstan--all appear to be effective and achieving their goals. But more importantly, none cost much to operate. To eliminate any of them would end an effective program without freeing up any significant funding. 6 BACKGROUND TO THE IFES-CAR CIVIC EDUCATION PROGRAM In November 1994, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) established an office in Almaty, Kazakhstan to provide democracy assistance to the newly established republics of Central Asia. Additional country offices were opened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in late 1997 and in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan in early 1998. In accord with the organization’s primary mission since its creation in 1987, IFES’s Central Asian activities have focused on political party development, election monitoring and other election-related activities through 1999, at which time a lack of clear commitments by the Central Asian governments led to a decision to severely scale back its election-related assistance. It was at this time that IFES’s activities underwent a shift in focus to the promotion of civic education through a curriculum development project to improve instruction and information on democracy in secondary schools. The office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan was closed in 2001, but the Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan offices have remained open, with the first two focusing on all but a very small portion of their time on the civic education programs. The Tajikistan office continues to operate an active political party development program that involves an estimated forty percent of its activity. IFES’s shift in focus to civic education programs in the three CAR countries has marked a significant departure from the organization’s work in developing countries, virtually all of which has involved political party and election-related activities. The current Cooperative Agreement between USAID and IFES for the operation of USAID’s Central Asian Republic (CAR) assistance program is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2003. The purpose of this consultancy is to assess successes and failures in the IFES program, to offer suggestions on those existing activities that should be discontinued or expanded, and to make recommendations on possible new initiatives or complementary assistance to be undertaken in the future to ensure sustainability of project accomplishments. 7 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: THE IFES-CAR REGIONAL PROGRAM The IFES-CAR Regional Program: Overview While the IFES-CAR civic education program is treated as a single entity, it is really three separate programs, each managed by its own Chief of Party (COP). Overall program coordination is provided out of IFES’s headquarters office in Washington, D.C. The same core activities are conducted in each country, but each IFES country office has tailored them to its country’s particular unique circumstances and conditions. While the three programs operate independent of one another, there have been some limited staff exchanges, and the COPs maintain regular contact with each other and hold periodic meetings, usually in Almaty. There are unique circumstances and conditions in Kazakhstan, which include its size (the ninth largest country in the world in land area, more than ten times the size of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan combined), its population (slightly more than double the combined population of the other two countries), and its sizable oil reserves that offers it the greatest potential of the three countries for significant economic growth. Kyrgyzstan is more developed economically than Tajikistan, but less so than Kazakhstan, and has probably the strongest sense of national identity of the three countries. Tajikistan-- probably the most geographically artificial of the five Central Asian Republics, and clearly the poorest and least economically developed of the three countries in the IFES program--went through a devastating and debilitating civil war in the 1990s. However, one positive legacy of this recent history appears to be that the country has the most developed and competitive political party system of the three IFES countries. Given that IFES’s prior work in developing countries has focused on election reform and political party development, the primary backgrounds and experiences of the COPs in Almaty, Bishkek and Dushanbe fall much more in these areas than in civic education. To their credit, each of the COPs (as well, apparently, as their predecessors) have recognized this and recruited outstanding local staffs to coordinate and manage their respective programs. They have also undertaken some limited efforts to augment staff support through the use of student interns. The various program activities appear to have been developed by IFES-Washington and its country COPs, with little opportunity provided for consultation with, or input from, USAID-funded civic education programs and personnel in other developing countries. A review of a 2002 report of the USAID Office of Democracy and Governance on the design and implementation of civic education programs in developing countries (Approaches To Civic Education: Lessons Learned, Document Identification Number PN-ACP-331) shows that IFES’s Central Asian program, as well as each individual country program, have closely mirrored the report’s suggestions and recommendations. The report states that civic education programs are most effective when: a) sessions are frequent, with the likelihood of significant change increasing as the number of sessions 8 increases; b) methods are participatory, involving such interactive activities as role￾plays, group problem-solving, and mock simulations of real-life situations; and, c) teachers are knowledgeable and inspiring. Each of these elements is an integral component of all IFES activities in each country. The USAID/Democracy and Governance report offers the following recommendations for the design of effective civic education programs: • Be aware of, and try to design around obstacles to frequent participation • Use as many participatory methods as possible • Build opportunities for participation directly into the program • Focus on themes that are immediately relevant to people’s daily lives • Invest in the training of trainers • Target voluntary associations • Pay attention to gender issues • Avoid inflating expectations • Bring parents, teachers and school administrators into school-based programs Even though almost all of the IFES Central Asian civic education activities were initiated prior to the release of the Office of Democracy and Governance report, each of the report’s recommendations is clearly being applied--to varying degrees, depending on their relevance--in each IFES activity in each of the three countries. The IFES-CAR Regional Program: Findings The IFES-CAR civic education program consists of seven activities, four of which are operational in all three countries. The extent of each activity, and the degree of success that it has achieved, varies in each country Civic Education Textbook IFES has overseen local input in the writing and editing of a civic education textbook in each of its three CAR countries. The textbook covers all aspects of civic education and is designed for use in the 10th and 11th grades in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and in the 9th and 10th grades in Tajikistan. The textbook package for each country, which includes the student textbook, a teachers’ manual and a supplementary documents volume for teachers, is designed for use in a civic education course using an interactive teaching methodology that has, heretofore, been foreign to the education systems of the former Soviet Union. Particularly because the methods required to teach the book are so new to the three countries, each IFES country office conducts extensive teacher training sessions in the interactive methodology for all teachers who use the textbook in their classrooms. The textbook has been translated into Russian and Kazakh in Kazakhstan, into Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek in Kyrgyzstan, and into Russian in Tajikistan (with a Tajik translation scheduled for use beginning in the 2003-04 school year). The Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Russian-language versions of the textbook have already been revised and 9 updated. All other versions, including the Russian-language version of the Tajikistan book, are in their first editions. While the basic civic education subject matter is similar for all translations of the textbook in the three countries, each IFES country office has devoted a great deal of time and effort to utilizing local experts as advisers, consultants and editors to assure that its individual book will also be country-specific. IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan have also made extensive use of a highly skilled education methodology consultant from New Zealand that has resulted in a great deal more activities, tables, charts and pictures in their respective textbooks than those that are found in the Kazakhstan version, which consists almost exclusively of text. During the 2002-03 school year, the IFES textbook is being used in 577 schools and by 36,000 students in Kazakhstan. Of the 577 schools, 390 use the Russian language book and 187 use the Kazakh version. The Kyrgyzstan textbook is used in 167 schools and by 7,300 students. Of the 167 schools, 69 are taught in the Kyrgyz language, 60 in Russian, and 38 in Uzbek. In Tajikistan, the book is used in 13 Russian-language schools encompassing 32 classes and 715 students. IFES-Kazakhstan and IFES-Kyrgyzstan hope to double the number of schools and students using their textbooks in the 2003-04 school year. IFES-Tajikistan anticipates at least a three-fold increase in the number of schools and students (and potentially more) during this time as the Tajik version of its textbook becomes available for use for the first time. Funding to cover the cost of printing the textbooks appears to have been an obstacle to their more widespread dissemination in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan where the Chiefs of Party have had to seek outside funding sources to cover significant portions of their printing costs. IFES-Kazakhstan has raised a large portion of its printing funds, and IFES-Kyrgyzstan has also raised some of its funding. This does not appear to have been a problem for IFES-Tajikistan where most of its printing costs have been included in its operating budget because of an apparent recognition of the almost total lack of outside funding sources in the country. IFES’s basic objective with regard to the civic education course and its textbook is to have each national Ministry of Education approve the course and textbook as an official and required part of its country’s national school curriculum, beginning no later than the 5th grade and possibly for the entire eleven-grade system. The first step toward accomplishment of this objective will be to get each Ministry to officially approve the civic education course based on the current IFES textbooks for the 10th and 11th grade curriculum in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and for the 9th and 10th grade curriculum in Tajikistan. The next logical step would be the development of textbooks for use in the 8th and 9th grades in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and the 7th and 8th grades in Tajikistan. Democracy Summer Camps The IFES democracy summer camp program is operational in all three countries and provides students entering the 10th or 11th grades in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and the 9th and 10th grades in Tajikistan an opportunity to attend a nine- or ten-day session in a 10 rural camp setting. Almost all of the students who have had an opportunity to attend an IFES summer camp describe their experience as one of the most rewarding and fun things they have ever done. Between 60 and 75 students attend each summer camp. While the camp program, including the participant selection process, is coordinated and funded by IFES, the camps themselves are run by local NGOs selected by IFES. In the summer of 2003, two camps are scheduled for Kazakhstan, three for Kyrgyzstan and six for Tajikistan. While each camp program is intra-country, many students who have attended them have suggested that future camps have some international participation. While the specific camp curriculum and focus varies somewhat from country to country, they all place emphasis on practical application of the principles of democracy to everyday life, how civil societies function, and how students can become a more integral part of their societies. Camp participation and selection processes also differ slightly in each country. Participation in Kazakhstan is limited to students who have used or will, in the next school year, be using the civic education textbook. Perhaps because the country is so much larger and so many more schools are already offering the civic education course to their students, IFES-Kazakhstan also limits attendance to one or two students from any individual school and generally does not take students from the same school in consecutive years. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have no restrictions on participation in their camp programs. In 2003, the summer camp program in Kazakhstan has been only partially funded through the IFES program budget, and the IFES-Kazakhstan office has been required to devote time to seeking private funding to keep its camp program operational at its 2001-2002 level. Efforts to locate private funding support have been made more difficult because there are a number of other donor organizations also running summer camp programs, although none of them have the same focus as the IFES camps. IFES-Kyrgyzstan received supplemental funding from USAID in 2002 that enabled it to conduct seven summer camps in that year. Because it received no similar funding in 2003 and, further, found it necessary to divert some of its potential summer camp funds to cover unanticipated expenditures for other program activities during late 2002 and early 2003, it will be reducing the number of its summer camps to its benchmark-level of three in 2003. IFES-Tajikistan did receive some supplemental USAID-funding in 2003 and will, therefore, be able to conduct six camps in the summer of 2003, four more than in 2002. Student Action Committees (SACs) The IFES Student Action Committee (SAC) program focuses on the establishment of student committees within individual high schools for the purpose of addressing school or community issues that have the potential for resolution through student activism. As one NGO leader familiar with all aspects of the IFES civic education program described them: “SACs translate the interactive teaching methodology used in the IFES civic education course to concrete activity in the community”. 11 IFES provides assistance in setting up an SAC, and each country program has produced a manual that provides guidance on how to organize a committee and a manual for teacher mentors who assist them in their creation and operations. SACs are self-governing organizations, based on the fundamental democratic principles of free and fair election of their own officers, and determination of their own charters or constitutions and rules of operation. Membership in an SAC provides a student with an opportunity for hands-on involvement in the tackling of school and community problems and for working cooperatively with peers in finding solutions to those problems. IFES-sponsored SACs are accomplishing some truly remarkable things in their schools and in their communities, most notably in Tajikistan (see, The IFES-Tajikistan Program). But, in all three countries, the SACs operate as individual entities, with no linkage to other SACs, even those in near-by schools. While the purpose of the SAC program is to focus on local community action and not to have SACs merge into regional or national organizations, a number of SACs and SAC-members have expressed an interest in developing computer and Internet communication links with other SACs to exchange information on their experiences and explore the possibility of cooperative activities. Because few schools in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan have Internet access, a public facility that will offer such access would, in most cases, be required to achieve this linkage. Perhaps the most promising possibility at this time would be the use of the USIS-funded local Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) centers that operate in 15 urban areas in Kazakhstan, 11 in Kyrgyzstan, and the three large urban centers of Tajikistan. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) The IFES Student Local Government Day (SLGD) program provides high school students with an opportunity to learn about their local government by spending a day with a local government official, observing the official as he or she engages in daily activities and asking specific questions about their jobs and responsibilities. Students interested in participating in an SLGD are usually selected through a competitive essay-writing process. After participating in the SLGD, students must give an oral report on their experience to their class and, in some cases, to a school assembly. To help structure SLGDs in a way that will maximize the experience for participating students, IFES has prepared orientation manuals for students, their teachers, and the government officials participating in the program. Not unexpectedly, while SLGD participants almost always express appreciation for the opportunity to have “shadowed” one of their local government officials and many suggest that the activity be extended beyond a single day, their perceptions of the government officials to whom they were assigned has occasionally been less than fully positive. Those expressing negative impressions have cited a perceived lack of candor on the part 12 of the officials to whom they were assigned or being generally unimpressed with the way the officials conducted themselves in the performance of their duties. A number of the government officials who have participated in an SLGD have been so impressed with the program, and/or with the student assigned to them, that they have asked to come to the student’s school to meet and speak with other students. University and Adult Civic Education IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan have extended their civic education activities into their respective countries’ university systems. IFES-Kyrgyzstan has prepared a CD-ROM in the Russian language that includes a wide variety of documents and information on all aspects of civil society, law, government and politics. A number of university faculty use the CD as a supplementary resource in courses that they teach, while students use it in civics-related class or in their research. During February 2003, a political party development consultant to IFES-Tajikistan began what has quickly become a highly popular English conversation club for university students in Dushanbe. The club meets on Saturday mornings and is open to all university students in the city. Each session has either a speaker or a facilitator who leads an open discussion on a pre-announced topic. A virtually unanimous, often very vocally, wish expressed in all three countries by student textbook-users, teachers, and school officials, textbook writers, editors and translators, NGO officers and Ministry of Education officials, is for an IFES civic education program for the adult population. Many suggested an adult-oriented book patterned after the student textbook. Others suggest adult-education classes or seminars. Some students taking the IFES civic education course have even indicated an interest in conducting such classes for their parents. The only adult civic education activities that have been attempted by IFES have been a one-time experimental seminar conducted by the IFES-Kyrgyzstan staff and use of the IFES textbook in regional political party training seminars by IFES-Tajikistan. While the focus of the IFES-CAR civic education program is exclusively on high school students, the strong and widespread support that the high school program has generated for adult civic education, coupled with the obvious benefits that could be realized through it, provide sound reasons for an IFES effort to assist local citizens who are willing to make a long-term commitment to the concept of adult civic education in the start-up and development of such a program in each country. Civic Education Tournament Since 2000, IFES-Kazakhstan has sponsored an annual Russian-language Civic Education Tournament to assess the civic education knowledge of students who take the IFES civic education course. The tournament is held with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education Competition and is patterned after Ministry-sponsored annual student 13 Olympiads. It is conducted in the Russian language, but participants who wish to make their presentations in Kazakh are permitted to do so. The IFES Civic Education Tournament begins at the individual school level and progresses on to regional- and oblast-level competitions. Tournament administration is handled at the local levels until the national finals, which are run by IFES with assistance from one or more local NGOs. The tournament finals involve sixteen student-finalists, one from each of the 14 oblasts and one each from Almaty and Astana (the two largest cities) and have received considerable exposure in the national media. Central Asian Democracy Website The IFES Central Asia Democracy Website offers a wide range of worthwhile information about the IFES-CAR activities to anyone who has Internet access. Each country office is responsible for providing its own information for the website, but all information is input by a member of the IFES-Kyrgyzstan staff, with all server space costs paid by IFES-Kyrgyzstan. Given this arrangement, it is not surprising that the website contains considerably more information about the IFES programs in Kyrgyzstan than those in Kazakhstan or Tajikistan. Despite the fact that Kazakhstan has more than double the population of Kyrgyzstan, and very likely more widespread Internet access among its population, approximately eighty percent of the website’s “hits” over the past year have come from Kyrgyzstan. Most of the remaining “hits” come from Kazakhstan, since Internet access is extremely limited in Tajikistan. The IFES-CAR Regional Program: Analysis From interviews with both IFES/Washington and IFES country office staff, it was clear that IFES understands that its primary goal is to achieve USAID-CAR’s strategic objective of “strengthened democratic culture among citizens and target institutions’ (SO 2.1) by establishing sustainable programs that will eventually be operated under local management. The directors and staffs of the IFES country offices further appear to understand that there is a threefold path to achievement of this objective: a) the development of strong working relationships with key government officials at both the national and local levels, with particular focus on the national Ministries of Education; b) the development of a group of local school teachers, NGO leaders and other volunteers who have a deep and abiding commitment to institutionalizing the concept of civic education in their respective countries; and, c) effective programs and activities that will inspire the youth of the three nations to become active and vocal proponents and practitioners of the principles of democracy as they move into young adulthood. A review of the benchmarks and objectives of all IFES civic education activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan shows that IFES has met or exceeded the stated goals in almost every instance. Those few instances in which benchmarks have not been 14 achieved are not due to the shortcomings of IFES, but rather have been related to in￾country obstacles beyond the organization’s control. While the IFES program is only now approaching the point where it will be possible to begin to measure its long-term sustainable impact, all indications from interviews, activity site visits, classroom observations, and document examination are that the IFES Central Asia civic education program has been, and is, highly successful in increasing understanding of the principles of democracy and in encouraging and creating a sustainable commitment to activism in civil society among students who participate in its various activities. Continued success can be anticipated, probably on an incrementally greater basis, if the Cooperative Agreement between USAID and IFES is extended. Given the success that IFES appears to have achieved--and that it gives every appearance of continuing to achieve--with its CAR civic education program, it is impossible to reach an informed conclusion that any one of the program’s seven activities be eliminated, or even curtailed. Where a change would appear to be in order, it should involve either a revision in the manner in which a particular activity is conducted or administered or an enlargement or expansion of an activity. Nevertheless, the reality of the constant competition for USAID’s limited funds and resources makes it is impossible to ignore the possibility that other priorities may, at some point in the future, force a reduction in the size of the IFES program. It is extremely difficult to prioritize among seven program activities when each appears to be so successful in achieving its goals, and it would be hoped that this matter would not have to be addressed before such time as the local ownership and sustainability of each activity has been established to the complete satisfaction of USAID and IFES. If a situation should develop where it becomes necessary to prioritize among the IFES￾CAR program activities, the civic education textbook and the IFES civics course in which it is used must be considered as the program’s core activity, and the one with the greatest potential for significant long-term impact. The Student Action Committee program, which is intended to translate the lessons of the textbook into community action, should rank second. Beyond these two activities, the summer camp program would be the only one that could produce some really significant savings. But the summer camp program has been extremely popular and is seen as a highly effective motivational and training activity by every past participant interviewed during this evaluation. It is very difficult, therefore, to suggest even the possibility of eliminating the camp program. Of the other activities--Student Local Government Days, the Central Asia Democracy Website, the university CD in Kyrgyzstan, and the civic education tournament in Kazakhstan--all appear to be effective and achieving their goals. But more importantly, none require a great deal of funding to operate. To eliminate any of them would end a good program without freeing up any significant financial resources. The IFES-CAR Regional Program: Recommendations The following are recommendations that have regional application to the IFES-CAR program in all three countries in which it operates: 15 General IFES-CAR Regional Program ¾ If the IFES-CAR civic education program is extended beyond September 30, 2003, IFES and USAID should review: a) the adequacy of the levels of staffing in each country office as they relate to the effective implementation of each activity in that country; and, b) current situations and circumstances, and recent experience, insofar as they impact on the ability of each IFES country office to secure in-country funding to support the printing of textbooks and any other activities not fully funded through the operating budget. ¾ There should be more exchange of personnel, resources and information among the three IFES country offices. ¾ A primary long-term objective of the IFES-CAR civic education program should be to have all three countries begin civic education training as early as the first grade, but no later than the fifth grade. The first steps toward accomplishment of this objective should be for IFES to: a) assist in in-country development of a civic education textbook for use in the 7th and 8th grades; b) encourage Student Action Committees to extend their memberships to lower grades; c) encourage participating schools to expand Student Local Government Day participation to the 7th, 8th and 9th grades; and, d) if funding can be made available, begin a program of democracy summer camps for 7th and 8th and 9th grades. ¾ USAID should consider helping IFES-CAR civic education staff to draw upon and share their experiences and ideas with USAID-funded civic education programs in other developing countries. ¾ Each IFES country office should make more extensive use of university interns, particularly from the pedagogical institutes in their respective countries where student-internships could have a residual benefit of serving as a recruiting ground for future civic education course teachers, teacher trainers, and Student Action Committee mentors. ¾ IFES should begin to track the long-term sustainable impact of its civic education program by continuing to monitor the future involvement in civil society and public affairs of previous program participants as they proceed through their university years and enter adulthood. Civic Education Textbook ¾ IFES should continue to actively pursue its efforts in each country to expand use of the IFES civic education textbook in schools, with the primary objective of getting each country’s Ministry of Education to approve the IFES civic education courses as an official part of the country’s national school curriculum. ¾ IFES should focus on creating within each country an understanding of the need for regular updates of the civic education textbooks to assure that they will 16 remain up-to-date with changing conditions and will have local ownership as revisions are made. ¾ IFES should continue to augment its expertise in the democratic processes and activism in civil society by seeking input from education methodology consultants in the development of its civic education course. ¾ IFES should remain vigilant in implementing teacher training, especially as it relates to sessions devoted to interactive teaching methods. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES should set as a primary objective the development of NGO and other local partner capacities to operate the summer camps on an independent basis in the future, in order to assure the long-term sustainability of the summer camp program. ¾ IFES should work to assure the possibility of summer camp participation by students from all areas of each country. ¾ If funding permits, IFES should develop a plan for limited inter-country exchanges of summer camp participants, particularly in border areas. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES should coordinate the establishment of information-exchange networks of established Student Action Committees, with such networks to include: a) intra￾and inter-country SAC information exchange networks, possibly through use of the USIS-funded local Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) centers; b) intra-country IFES-assisted monthly newsletters circulated to all established SACs; and, c) possible national and international SAC information-exchange conferences. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ Students who participate in Student Local Government Days should be encouraged to recruit the local government officials, to whom they are assigned, to make reciprocal visits to the students’ schools. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES should assist in the start-up and development of a sustainable adult civic education program in each country, with the exact nature of the program to be determined by each IFES country office. Central Asian Democracy Website ¾ Each IFES country office should be responsible for determining and inputting its own country-specific information onto the IFES Central Asian Democracy Website. 17 ¾ Each IFES country office should be responsible for the purchase of the server space required to hold the information that it places on the IFES Central Asian Democracy Website. 18 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: THE IFES-KAZAKHSTAN PROGRAM IFES-Kazakhstan: Findings Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, with three time zones covering its vast and varied geography. It has the largest population of the three countries in the IFES￾CAR program--more than double that of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan combined. It also has the most advanced economy and, with its vast oil reserves, almost certainly has the greatest long-term economic potential of the three countries. Despite the obvious geographical and population differences between Kazakhstan and the two other countries in the IFES Central Asian program, IFES-Kazakhstan has the smallest number of core staff implementing its activities, the least amount of physical office space, and no office in the country’s capitol city (Astana). Although the IFES-Kazakhstan program has achieved the largest textbook distribution of the three countries, further dissemination of the textbook and the extension of extra￾curricular activities are closely tied to staff resources and their ability to cope with the size of the country and sheer numbers of schools and students. Currently, the country program office is comprised of the Chief of Party, one full-time Project Coordinator charged primarily with the IFES-textbook portfolio and two part-time Project Coordinators responsible for SACs, SLGDs and summer camps. Two full-time Project Coordinators left their positions within the last year and will not be replaced until the IFES-Kazakhstan program knows whether or not the Cooperative Agreement will be extended. With such a small level of staffing, IFES-Kazakhstan does not have the personnel resources of IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan to enable it to adequately implement its civic education program--especially the extra-curricular activities. The expectation appears to be that the IFES-Kazakhstan office should be able to tap more corporate donors for civic education program financial support than the two other IFES countries in Central Asia. But a program such as the IFES civic education program, with its focus on providing high school students with information and training that they can carry into their adult years, requires a longer-than-normal period to demonstrate a clear and sustainable impact. Only three years into the program, it is still difficult to fully demonstrate its sustainable impact. Given these circumstances, it appears that expectations for finding outside financial support within Kazakhstan may have been too high. If the IFES-Kazakhstan civic education program is extended, its ability to demonstrate a concrete and long-term sustainable impact in all of its programmatic areas may make potential corporate sponsors more receptive to providing financial support. During the current fiscal year, USAID has, according to IFES-Kazakhstan, provided approximately one-third of the summer camp budget and none of the printing costs for the civics textbook. These realities place an inordinate time burden on the limited staff resources of the IFES-Kazakhstan program to raise outside money to top up its programmatic budget. 19 The following are the evaluation team’s findings with regard to IFES-Kazakhstan’s individual program activities: Civic Education Textbook (see Appendix E1, F1) The civic education textbook was launched in Kazakhstan in 2000. It has been distributed widely and is currently used in 577 schools in 1,397 classes by 35,948 students. IFES-Kazakhstan received a $15,000 supplemental appropriation from USAID during the 2001-02 school year to help cover some of the printing costs of these volumes. All other funds for printing have been raised from outside sources, with Exxon-Mobil and UNDP being among the most significant contributors. Since its inception, the Kazakhstan textbook has gone through considerable review and editing by several members of the IFES staff, including a former Vice-President of IFES and the two Chiefs of Party. With their respective education and experience in government, politics and civil society, all of these individuals have contributed greatly to the content of the IFES-Kazakhstan textbook. However, none of these individuals have had the training and experience to adequately undertake the task of creating a high school civics textbook that includes the appropriate corresponding education methodologies and approaches in the student edition. During the evaluation, students and teachers who were interviewed stated that, while the textbook is very useful in content, there is a lack of graphs, photos, tables and activities in the student edition. Such revisions could be most effectively made in future editions by an education methodology consultant such as the one employed by both IFES￾Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan. Revisions of this sort would greatly improve the students’ learning experience in using the textbook and would also bring the student textbook more in line with the teacher’s manual. With the IFES civic education textbook being used in approximately eight percent of Kazakhstan’s schools in the 2002-03 school year (it hopes to double this to around 15 percent in 2003-04), its usage has reached a level where it should be possible to get a statistically accurate measurement of its impact in increasing student-user understanding of basic democratic principles and of their increased activism in civil society. The most statistically accurate measurement would be achieved through a randomized field survey in which the knowledge and activism of a randomly selected target group of textbook users would be measured against that of a randomly selected control group of non-users. Such an analysis could be undertaken at minimal cost, and the results could be highly beneficial to IFES and USAID in helping to chart the future course and long-term impact of their Central Asian civic education program. Democracy Summer Camps (see Appendix E1) Partly because of insufficient staff support and partly because it has had to raise part of its 2003 summer camp budget through outside contributions, IFES-Kazakhstan has been 20 unable to operate as many summer camps as have IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan. This is particularly unfortunate because Kazakhstan’s student population exceeds that of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan combined. The Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan summer camp programs have experienced full-time personnel who are responsible for their organization and coordination. IFES-Kazakhstan has been forced to assign this responsibility to a part-time university student staff member who is also employed by an NGO that has supported the program. An experienced full-time staff person is needed to organize and coordinate IFES￾Kazakhstan’s summer camp program as one of his or her primary responsibilities. In large part because of the staff limitations, IFES-Kazakhstan has found it necessary to restrict participation in its summer camp program to students who use the IFES civic education textbook. Neither IFES-Kyrgyzstan and nor IFES-Tajikistan place such a restriction on their summer camp participation. With only eight percent of Kazakhstan’s schools currently using its civics textbook, this restriction eliminates more than 90 percent of Kazakhstan’s high school students from participation in the summer camp program. Student Action Committees (SACs) (see Appendix E1) Due in large part to its lack of staff resources, and an apparent insufficiency in funding for staff travel, IFES-Kazakhstan has been forced to tie most of the development of its SAC program to its summer camp curriculum, teacher textbook training sessions, and regional training sessions conducted by local coordinators. This appears to have prevented it from achieving the level of success with this activity that has been achieved in Kyrgyzstan, and especially in Tajikistan, both of which have been able to commit significantly greater staff support to their respective SAC programs. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) (see Appendix E1) The lack of staff resources and funding to support necessary staff travel have forced IFES-Kazakhstan to also tie development of its SLGD program to its summer camp curriculum, teacher textbook training sessions and regional training sessions conducted by local coordinators. As a result, the potential for more widespread dissemination of the SLGD program has been inhibited. Civic Education Tournament (see Appendix E1) IFES-Kazakhstan’s Civic Education Tournament involves grass-roots participation by all students who use the IFES civics textbook. Its structure is patterned after similar competitions conducted by the National Debate Center and the annual Ministry of Education-sponsored student Olympiads. Administration of the program is handled locally until the yearly national finals, which are run by IFES. The national finals have received considerable exposure in the national media, which has helped to publicize the entire IFES-Kazakhstan civic education program. The tournament is conducted only in 21 Russian, with Kazakh-speaking students permitted to make their oral presentations in their preferred language. With the number of Kazakh-language schools who use the IFES textbook growing faster than the number of Russian-language schools, IFES￾Kazakhstan is pursuing the possibility of holding separate Russian and Kazakh competitions in the future. IFES-Kazakhstan: Analysis Despite having a larger population and being many times larger than the size of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan combined, IFES-Kazakhstan has had to conduct its civic education program with a smaller staff than either of the other two countries. This situation has been made all the more difficult during 2003 because of the loss of two full￾time program staff members whose positions are being left unfilled until a decision is made concerning renewal of the Cooperative Agreement. This leaves the IFES￾Kazakhstan office with only the Chief of Party, Project Coordinator, and two part-time university students to operate all of its activities. The difficulties are compounded by the IFES-Kazakhstan office not having an office in the nation’s capitol city, where most key Ministry of Education officials are located. There appears to be an assumption that Kazakhstan’s stronger economic situation and its much greater number of potential corporate supporters should make it easier for IFES￾Kazakhstan to secure corporate funding to support the printing of its textbooks and, during 2003, part of its summer camp program. While considerable funding has been received from outside sources, it appears to have fallen significantly short of hopes and expectations, and the level of expectation should be re-evaluated. Perhaps one reason for this has been that private funders often want demonstrable assurances that programs they are considering funding are accomplishing their objectives. A program like that of the IFES civic education can only really demonstrate a concrete impact of its activities over a longer-term period. Only now is the program approaching a point where it can develop statistically accurate measurements to show the positive impact, which are currently very apparent to an observer, of its activities in Kazakhstan. IFES-Kazakhstan could also benefit greatly from a satellite office in Astana. The likelihood of sharing office space with other donors of NGOs could help to minimize the cost of maintaining an office in the capitol. And the savings in travel costs coupled with an anticipated closer relationship with the Ministry of Education could make the value of such an office highly worthwhile on a cost-benefit basis. Additional satellite offices, particularly in the western parts of the country, might prove similarly beneficial to the long-term impact of the program. IFES-Kazakhstan has achieved the deepest penetration of the three IFES-CAR countries with its civic education textbook. In the 2003-04 school year, it hopes to have its textbook used in approximately 15 percent of the nation’s schools. This has been accomplished despite its not having had the benefit that IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES￾Tajikistan have had of an education methodology consultant who has made the formats of their respective textbooks more compatible than that of the IFES-Kazakhstan version with interactive teaching methods. IFES-Kazakhstan could greatly benefit from a similar 22 consultant. IFES-Kazakhstan’s objective is to double the number of schools each year that use its textbook to teach a civic education course. If this ambitious goal can be achieved, the book would be used in all of the nation’s more than 8,000 schools by 2008. This also happens to be the year that the Ministry of Education is scheduled to approve a new curriculum and textbooks for the country’s 10th and 11th grades. Because of its lack of staff resources, IFES-Kazakhstan has been forced to limit participation in its summer camp, SAC and SLGD activities to students from schools that use its textbook. As a consequence, it has been unable to achieve as widespread a participation in these activities as have IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan who have not been forced to operate under such a constraint. IFES-Kazakhstan has developed an impressive list of new project initiatives that it would propose to undertake if the Cooperative Agreement is extended. But, without additional staff and financial support, it will likely prove difficult to successfully launch these initiatives or even to realize the program’s full potential with its existing activities. IFES-Kazakhstan: Recommendations General Program ¾ Consideration should be given to the need for a substantially larger travel budget for IFES-Kazakhstan because of the size of the country and the necessity for staff travel to enable the fullest dissemination of the program into all regions of the country. ¾ Consideration should be given to the establishment of an IFES-Kazakhstan satellite office in the capitol city of Astana to enable better coordination of program activities with the Ministry of Education. The establishment of additional satellite offices in other locations, where the potential benefit of an on￾site presence is apparent, should also be considered. ¾ The staff of the IFES-Kazakhstan office should be brought up to a size at least equal to the levels of the IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan offices to enable fuller development and dissemination of its extra-curricular activities. ¾ If IFES-Kazakhstan is expected to continue to raise substantial outside funding to support the printing of its textbook and other activities in Kazakhstan, it should be provided with additional staff resources to help it accomplish this. Civic Education Textbook ¾ The Chief of Party and other core IFES-Kazakhstan program staff should not be expected to revise and edit the civic education textbook. Instead, an education methodology consultant, similar to the one used in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, should be retained to address inadequacies of the IFES-Kazakhstan textbook, as identified by teachers and students currently using it. Items that should be addressed by the consultant should include: a) inclusion of more interactive exercises, graphs, charts, photos and local examples in the student textbook; 23 b) inclusion of the student text in the teachers’ manual; and, c) improved and expanded methods of teacher training to accompany the revised editions. ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should undertake a randomized field survey to get a statistically accurate measurement of the impact of its civic education textbook in increasing understanding of democratic principles and activism in civil society among student users. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should set as a goal to open participation in its summer camp program to students who are non-users of the IFES civic education textbook. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ Sufficient staff resources should be provided to the IFES-Kazakhstan office to enable it to undertake development of its SAC program to include non-users of the IFES textbook. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ Sufficient staff resources should be provided to the IFES-Kazakhstan office to enable it to undertake development of its SLGD program independent of those students who use the IFES textbook. Civic Education Tournament ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should set as an objective to conduct separate Civic Education Tournaments in Russian and Kazakh. ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should pursue efforts to integrate its Civic Education Tournament with those of the National Debate Center and Olympiads that are broadcast on national television and receive even wider public exposure than the IFES tournament. 24 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: THE IFES-KYRGYZSTAN PROGRAM IFES-Kyrgyzstan: Findings Kyrgyzstan lacks the economic resources and potential of Kazakhstan, but it is far better situated in this regard than is Tajikistan. Kyrgyzstan has probably the most progressive government of the three countries in the IFES-CAR civic education program. Not surprisingly, the government also appears to have been the most receptive of the three country governments to IFES’s civic education activities and, in particular, to the use of its civics textbook in the nation’s high schools. With the largest and most professionally experienced staff among the three country programs, IFES-Kyrgyzstan has accomplished a great deal with its civic education program since it began to shift the primary focus of its activities away from election reform to civic education following the country’s 2000 election cycle. In conducting its civic education program, the IFES-Kyrgyzstan staff has undertaken a serious effort and commitment to extend its program activities into all regions of the country, including the remote, sparsely populated mountainous areas. While IFES-Kyrgyzstan does not appear to have been expected to generate as large a portion of its funds for the printing of its textbooks from private sources as has IFES￾Kazakhstan, it has been expected to seek out such funding and, like IFES-Kazakhstan, appears to have fallen somewhat short of expectations in what it has been able to raise. In addition to the development and dissemination of the civics textbook and its summer camps, Student Action Committee, and Student Local Government Day activities, IFES￾Kyrgyzstan has developed and distributed a CD-ROM of civic education materials, which are flexible for use by professors in various civics-related courses, or by students for use as supplementary materials. The following are the evaluation team’s findings with regard to IFES-Kyrgyzstan’s individual program activities: Civic Education Textbook (see Appendix E2, F2) The IFES civic education textbook has been well received by teachers, students, school administrators, civic education specialists and education officials throughout Kyrgyzstan. This support has been generated through the grass-roots involvement of civic education experts in the writing and editing of the textbook in all three languages (Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek). The interactive methods employed in the IFES civics course, developed with the assistance of the IFES civic education consultant (not funded in the IFES￾Kyrgyzstan budget, but made available to it on a cost-reimbursed loan basis by the IFES￾Tajikistan office), have been enthusiastically adopted by almost all teachers and students using the textbook. 25 During the course of the textbook development and Ministry-approval process, a number of competing civic education textbook projects in Kyrgyzstan were seen as potentially threatening to the process. These textbooks and their corresponding courses were competing for the Person and Society curriculum time slot, where the Ministry of Education sets aside hours in the curriculum for the teaching of civics. The most notable threat was a USIS-funded project implemented by the Institute for Regional Studies to train Kyrgyz educators on how to write civics textbooks. It would appear that USIS may have awarded its grant without undertaking sufficient (or any) cost-benefit analysis of the value of committing funding to a program so similar to one already being successfully conducted by IFES. It also was alleged that the International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent (ICRC) provided funding to the Ministry of Education to assure use of its textbook on human rights during half of the hours of the Person and Society curriculum time slot. Despite the obstacles of competing textbooks, the IFES textbook has alone received endorsement from the Kyrgyzstan National Academy of Education, which is the body responsible for making recommendations to the Ministry of Education on curriculum standards. Because of the Academy of Education’s endorsement, the potential for use of the textbook in the Person and Society curriculum slot in the schools of Kyrgyzstan is almost limitless. This offers the prospect for IFES to penetrate the most remote areas of the country, while also increasing levels of penetration in regions where the textbook is currently being used. The major obstacle that IFES must overcome to accomplish this possibility is to secure funding to cover the cost of printing the textbooks. With the exception of a $7,500 supplemental appropriation from USAID during the 2001-02 school year, IFES-Kyrgyzstan has had to raise all of its printing funds from outside sources. IFES-Kyrgyzstan also benefited for more than a year from being able to work with an extremely progressive Minister of Education. The level of support and cooperation from the Minister allowed the IFES textbook project to be developed and approved in a relatively free environment with full support during every step of textbook development. Although the Minister who worked with IFES during this time has been replaced, the current Minister of Education and Ministry officials continue to be supportive of IFES￾Kyrgyzstan’s civic education efforts. Democracy Summer Camps (see Appendix E2) Summer camps in Kyrgyzstan are open to all high school students and provide a relaxed yet practical learning experience in the areas of human rights, elections, gender equality and other socio-political issues. From their inception in 2000, IFES-Kyrgyzstan’s summer camps have increased in number from one in 2000 to two in 2001 to seven in 2002. The summer camps are indeed a practical and time-focused tool for civic education in Kyrgyzstan. They also fill a void in summer civic education activities that other donors 26 are not addressing programmatically. The differences between those students who attended the summer camps and those who did not are clearly evident. The summer camps, therefore, provide an apparent opportunity for leadership development of students. Through some special supplemental funding from USAID in 2002, IFES-Kyrgyzstan was able to increase the number of its summer camps from two in 2001 to seven in 2002. With no similar funding available in 2003, and because it also apparently diverted some funds that could have been used for the camp program to cover the cost of the education methodology consultant that it borrowed from IFES-Tajikistan to help in its textbook development, IFES-Kyrgyzstan has had to scale back its camp program to three in 2003. While this reduction in the number of summer camps is unavoidable, and does meet IFES-Kyrgyzstan’s 2003 benchmark, it may nevertheless impede the momentum of the camp program by reducing the number of student-participants and potentially losing some local in-kind and organizational support that is invaluable for establishing sustainability. Student Action Committees (SACs) (see Appendix E2, F4) In Kyrgyzstan, the SAC program has been operational for three years. Initially the program was closely integrated with election efforts, with the SACs establishing student representative councils. But the program has developed to where SACs now take on various structures and are tackling a broad range of issues in their schools and communities. IFES-Kyrgyzstan provides strong support for the initiation of new SAC activities by providing training and organizational assistance for both teachers and students. The IFES-Kyrgyzstan SAC program clearly provides an opportunity for student civic activity, both within the schools and in the communities. SAC participants indicate that they learned about SACs from their teachers or from fellow students who attended an IFES summer camp and received training in how to initiate and organize an SAC. Student-members of SACs acknowledge that their SAC participation allows them to put their knowledge of civics to work in volunteerism, civic issues and defense of children’s rights while, at the same time, providing them with a positive and constructive extra￾curricular activity. IFES is currently partnering with the AED/START program to conduct SAC training sessions for students and teachers, but in the future IFES will likely have to assume full responsibility for such training as it is unlikely that AED/START will be in a position to continue the partnership over an extended period. Because of the limitless potential for dissemination of its textbook, IFES-Kyrgyzstan is provided with a special opportunity to pursue a complementary expansion of its SAC program. 27 Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) (see Appendix E2) The Student Local Government Day program has been carried out in the nine major urban areas of Kyrgyzstan. Students, teachers and officials all agree on the benefits of the SLGD experience in teaching students about the everyday function and practicalities of local government. Many students felt, however, that the SLGD experience was too short and did not allow them a sufficient glimpse into the inner-workings of their local governments. A number of students and officials who were interviewed commented that the manual and training session for the SLGDs did not adequately prepare them for the experience. Students said that they often felt confused about the questions that they were permitted to ask the officials to whom they were assigned. And some officials expressed uncertainty about the purpose of the SLGD program and about what they were expected to do on the Student Local Government Day. There are a number of donor-funded projects in Kyrgyzstan that are engaged in local government development (e.g. The Urban Institute, Chemonics, and LARC). There is an obvious synergy that exists between these projects and the SLGD program. Partnering with these projects for the SLGD program could contribute to its improved quality and to the sustainability of the program in Kyrgyzstan. University and Adult Civic Education IFES-Kyrgyzstan has developed a university civic education product that is a compilation of Russian-language civic education materials used by university students and professors on a CD-ROM format. Compilation of these materials on a CD-ROM fits well with a donor-assisted government effort to equip all universities in the country with computers and other information technology. While the university civic education CD-ROM has been developed at minimal cost, its impact has been quite high. It is utilized by professors to develop civics-related courses and by students as supplementary materials in their classes and for research. Currently, the CD-ROM is being used in seven universities throughout Kyrgyzstan, mostly by social science faculties. However, IFES hopes to create wider distribution and usage by introducing it into more pedagogical institutes throughout the country. The CD-ROM could also be used as a catalyst and resource for creation of university-student discussion clubs similar to the Saturday conversation club that has been started by IFES-Tajikistan. IFES-Kyrgyzstan: Analysis IFES-Kyrgyzstan has achieved the greatest degree of support of the three IFES-CAR country programs for use and dissemination of its civic education textbook in the nation’s 10th and 11th grades. The textbook has received the official endorsement of the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry has authorized IFES to seek out as many schools as it can to use the textbook and teach the IFES civic education course in the 2003-04 school year. With this open-ended invitation, and the textbook already available in Russian, Kyrgyz 28 and Uzbek, the only obstacle that IFES-Kyrgyzstan would appear to face to an extension of its textbook into all areas of the country is to find funding to cover the cost of printing the books. The expectation that IFES-Kyrgyzstan will be able to raise some of the funds to support the printing of its textbooks, while not as great as in Kazakhstan, appears nevertheless to be fairly significant. As has been the case in Kazakhstan, these expectations have not been realized and probably require re-evaluation. IFES-Kyrgyzstan faces a potential loss of momentum in its summer camp program due to some unavoidable funding limitations. While seven camps were operated in 2002, only three will be held during the summer of 2003. While the three camps do meet IFES￾Kyrgyzstan’s benchmark for 2003, the number of students who will be able to participate in this successful and highly popular activity will be reduced by more than half from 2002 to 2003. IFES-Kyrgyzstan has achieved a number of notable successes in both its SAC and SLGD activities. It appears to have made a special effort to assure that these activities, as well as participation in its summer camp program, are extended into all areas of the country, even the remote sparsely populated mountain regions. The civic education CD-ROM that IFES-Kyrgyzstan has developed for use in the country’s Russian-language universities was created at minimal cost. It is already being used extensively by professors and students as a supplementary classroom and research tool and has great potential for much wider distribution. IFES-Kyrgyzstan: Recommendations Civic Education Textbook ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan, with assistance from USAID, should work aggressively to secure funding for printing of the civic education textbook so as not to inhibit the momentum that has developed for its wide dissemination and use in the schools of Kyrgyzstan. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should continue to seek financial assistance, in-kind contributions and organizational support from donors and local organizations to ensure the continuation and long-term sustainability of its summer camp program. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should utilize the potential for widespread usage of its civic education textbook to expand its SAC program by encouraging those schools that use its textbook to initiate Student Action Committees, and by providing them with the necessary SAC training and support. 29 Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should seek to increase the benefit of the SLGD experience for students by making the event longer than one day. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should evaluate the effectiveness of its preparatory training for all SLGD participants. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should seek to partner with other donor projects working with local government to improve the quality and build sustainability of the SLGD program. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should continue to make translation revisions to the Russian version of the CD-ROM. It should also translate the CD-ROM into the Kyrgyz and Uzbek languages to make it available to a wider audience. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should regularly update the CD-ROM to reflect the changing political, legal and social environments in Kyrgyzstan. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should actively publicize and distribute the CD-ROM to institutions of higher education, with particular focus on Kyrgyzstan’s pedagogical institutes. 30 FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: THE IFES-TAJIKISTAN PROGRAM IFES-Tajikistan: Findings Tajikistan is the poorest and most backward of all the Central Asian republics. By all accounts, it has never recovered from the Soviet era when almost 90 percent of its budget reportedly came from Moscow. Today, it appears to operate primarily on an aid-based economy. The country’s impoverished situation was exacerbated by a civil war during the 1990s. Because of these circumstances, IFES-Tajikistan conducts its civic education program within a considerably different environment from those in which the Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan programs operate. A feature of the IFES-Tajikistan, unique to the overall IFES-CAR program, is that it alone continues to conduct an active political party development program, with two full￾time staff and a temporary consultant focused on this activity. The Chief of Party has encouraged both the civic education and party development staffs to look to coordinate their activities whenever they feel this may be synergetic. This cooperative arrangement appears to work to the benefit of both parts of the IFES-Tajikistan program. USAID and IFES-Washington appear to have taken into consideration that Tajikistan’s economic situation makes it almost impossible for IFES-Tajikistan to raise any significant program-funding support from within the country. As a result, the Tajikistan program appears to be able to operate under many fewer funding constraints than do the Kyrgyzstan, and especially, the Kazakhstan programs. The following are the evaluation team’s findings with regard to IFES-Tajikistan’s individual program activities: Civic Education Textbook (see Appendix F3) Because there is a tradition still followed in Tajikistan, particularly in the country’s rural areas, that girls only attend school through the 9th grade, IFES-Tajikistan has chosen to develop its civic education textbook for use in a civic education course taught in the 9th and 10th grades. Unlike the IFES-Kazakhstan and IFES-Kyrgyzstan programs, the civic education textbook does not, at this time, constitute the core activity of the IFES￾Tajikistan program. This is, first, because the Tajikistan textbook was the last to be completed in the three countries and is still only available in Russian, which is used in less than one-third of the nation’s schools. And secondly, the Tajikistan Ministry of Education, while not uncooperative, appears to be more mired in bureaucratic bungling and fear of making decisions than its Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan counterparts. One example serves to demonstrate the difficulties and obstacles with which IFES￾Tajikistan has to cope in trying to secure cooperation from the Ministry of Education. During the 2002-03 school year, the IFES textbook was “piloted” in only 13 Tajikistan schools rather than the 30 that had been targeted and bench-marked. This was not the 31 fault of IFES, but rather of the Ministry, which provided IFES with a list of only Tajik￾speaking schools in which to pilot the textbook in 2002-03, even though it was clearly aware that only the Russian-language version of the book was completed and available for use during the school year. On its own, IFES-Tajikistan then found 13 Russian language schools in the Dushanbe area that used the textbook during 2002-03. During evaluation interviews and meetings, students and teachers who have used the textbook, academics who have written or edited parts of it, and Ministry of Education officials all commented very positively and enthusiastically about the textbook and about the prospect of its use on a more expanded basis in the future. The only suggestion that was regularly offered was for the inclusion in future updates of more examples that directly relate to Tajikistan. With the Tajik version of the textbook ready for use in the 2003-04 school year, the textbook will be used in at least 43 schools (the 13 Russian schools in which it was used in 2002-03 and 30 Tajik schools who will pilot it in 2003-04). This will place the number of schools using the book far above the 30 pilot-school benchmark set for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years. And, because the Ministry has authorized IFES on its own, to find other Russian and Tajik schools to teach the civic education course and use the IFES textbook, the number of 2003-04 schools is expected to be considerably larger than 43. A problem that has apparently occurred in a number of instances concerns teachers who either teach or are willing to teach the civic education course but either are receiving no compensation or are told that they will receive no compensation for doing so. One such teacher who taught the course in School # 75 in Tursunzade was interviewed along with several of her students, all of whom were bright, informed and extremely enthusiastic about their experience with the textbook. Despite this, the teacher said that she has received no compensation from her school for teaching the course that she had, with the encouragement of her school director, elected to take on as a responsibility above and beyond her assigned teaching load. She said that, without additional compensation, she will not be able to teach the course in the 2003-04 school year. According to the IFES-Tajikistan office, the problem of teachers teaching the IFES civics course, but not being paid for it, has been experienced by a number of teachers. This situation emphasizes the need for IFES to develop a closer relationship with the Ministry of Education to assure its commitment to inclusion of a permanent civic education curriculum in Tajikistan’s schools after IFES has completed its work in the country. Securing cooperation from the Ministry of Education in addressing the problem of teachers being authorized by the Ministry to teach the IFES civics course, but not being paid for doing so, could serve as a first step in securing Ministry approval for inclusion of the IFES textbook in the country’s official school curriculum. In the meantime, the issue of retaining enthusiastic and interested teachers would be resolved and would contribute to the positive momentum of the course being spread throughout the country. 32 Democracy Summer Camps (see Appendix E3) In large part because IFES-Tajikistan is not expected to raise substantial in-country funding to support its summer camp program, IFES-Tajikistan has not found itself in the positions of IFES-Kazakhstan which has not been able to increase the number of its summer camps or of IFES-Kyrgyzstan which has been forced to significantly reduce the number of its camps from 2002 to 2003. Through supplemental funding provided by USAID, IFES-Tajikistan will be able to operate six summer camps in 2003, a threefold increase from the two camps that it operated in 2002. Unlike IFES-Kazakhstan which rotates school participation among textbook-using schools from year to year and limits individual school participation to one or two students, IFES-Tajikistan has no specific restrictions on repeat school participation or on the number of students who can attend from a single school. Because of a lack of camp facilities in the country, three of the scheduled 2003 summer camps will be held in the Dushanbe area and three will be held in the Khojand area. But attendance is open to students from throughout Tajikistan, and IFES has made an effort to assure participation by students from all areas of the country. Every summer camp participant who was interviewed in Tajikistan rated his or her experience as outstanding. Many expressed the hope that IFES could expand its camp program to university students so that they might be able to attend another camp in the future Student Action Committees (SACs) (see Appendix E3, F5) IFES-Tajikistan’s Student Action Committee program is the single most successful extra￾curricular activity in the IFES-CAR civic education program. The number of students in Tajikistan who are members of SACs is almost four times greater than the benchmark number set for 2003. The founders of each of each SAC that was visited said that the impetus for the creation of their Committee came through their attendance at an IFES democracy summer camp. In each instance, several students from the same school attended the camp, thereby providing a core group of organizers in each school. Both students and mentors said that the IFES manuals on formation of SACs were of considerable help to them in this effort. Two SAC mentors who participated in an IFES teacher study tour (conducted with the support of USAID and AED/Global) to the Czech Republic in 2002 reported that they picked up a number of good ideas for SAC activities on the study tour. The mentors said that they passed these ideas on to their SAC officers at the beginning of the 2002-03 school year and that several of them have been successfully incorporated into their respective SAC programs. 33 All SAC leaders who were interviewed urged IFES to try to coordinate establishment of local, regional, national and even international SAC networks. Among the many positive results of the IFES-Tajikistan SAC program is the large number of leadership positions and roles filled by young women. This is particularly impressive and heartening in a country that has a long history of gender discrimination and of discouraging girls from even attending school after the age of 14. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) (see Appendix E3) The Student Local Government Day program in Tajikistan has expanded significantly over the past three years. The number of students who have participated in an SLGD during the 2002-03 school year has almost doubled the benchmark figure established for the year. The greatest SLGD success has been achieved in Khojand, the country’s second largest city, where the city administration appears to have thoroughly bought into the program and is encouraging officials to visit the schools of participating students. The biggest disappointment has been Dushanbe where the city’s Deputy Mayor has declined to participate in the program and appears fearful of it. University and Adult Civic Education (see Appendix E3) The Chief of Party of IFES-Tajikistan has taken advantage of opportunities, whenever they present themselves, to utilize IFES’s political party development activities in Tajikistan as a vehicle to improve and expand civic education and the understanding of basic principles of democracy among the country’s adult population. The most successful of these efforts has involved use of the civic education textbook in its regional political party training seminars. Almost all political party officials who participated in past IFES party training seminars have strongly endorsed the expanded use of the textbook as a tool to increase adult understanding and appreciation of democracy and to encourage their active involvement in civil society. Through the voluntary efforts of a short-term IFES political party development consultant, IFES-Tajikistan recently launched what has become a very successful and highly popular university civic education activity directed at university students. Acting with the support and encouragement of the COP, the consultant began a Saturday democracy conversation club for university students in Dushanbe in February 2003. About 20 students attended the first session. By early May, the average attendance had reached 80 and was reportedly increasing with each session. While each conversation club has had a specific topic, there has been virtually no pattern to them, with topics ranging from the very serious to the considerably lighter. Sometimes, a guest speaker was brought in and on other occasions, a facilitator led what reportedly have sometimes become very spirited discussions. Students who have been regularly attending the conversation clubs have indicated that they intend to keep the 34 program going throughout the summer of 2003 and look to further expand it during the 2003-04 academic year. Although there has been much participation and interest from students, much of the momentum that carried the activity of the conversation club program during the first half of 2003 was largely due to the initiative of the IFES political party development consultant, who left Tajikistan in May 2003. During the 2003-2004 academic year, IFES should commit some limited staff support and resources to assist the students who have indicated their intent to keep the conversation club program going. This will ensure that the program will continue, start to expand to other parts of the country, and begin to sustain itself. IFES-Tajikistan: Analysis The very fact of Tajikistan’s impoverished condition appears to have worked to the benefit of the IFES-Tajikistan program by not forcing it to rely upon its ability to raise substantial funds to support its activities--as have IFES-Kyrgyzstan and, to a greater extent, IFS-Kazakhstan. With more than 90 percent of the nation’s population located in a narrow corridor on the far western side of the country extending from Khojand in the north through Dushanbe in the center to Khurgon Teppa in the south, the temptation exists for IFES to focus all of its efforts in these urban centers and ignore the rest of the country. But this has not been the case. While the greatest activity successes have been achieved in Dushanbe and Khojand, serious efforts are being undertaken to select summer camp participants, and to extend the SAC and SLGD programs into the vast mountainous and rural areas of the country. The SAC program is clearly the brightest star of the IFES-Tajikistan program--and the most successful extra-curricular activity in the IFES-CAR program. The accomplishments of Tajikistan’s SACs, particularly in Dushanbe and Khojand, have been extraordinary. The SACs are providing meaningful assistance to some of the country’s most needy citizens, turning SAC student-members, even at their young ages, into real leaders of their communities, and demonstrating the long-ignored leadership potential of the women of Tajikistan. While lagging well behind the IFES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Kazakhstan programs in getting the civic education course and IFES textbook into the Tajikistan school system, it can be expected that IFES-Tajikistan will begin making significant inroads in this area in the 2003-04 school year with the availability of the Tajik-language version of the textbook and a hoped-for increase in assistance and cooperation from the Ministry of Education. IFES-Tajikistan is also effectively utilizing its political party development program to enhance civic education in the adult community and, at virtually no cost, has launched a popular democracy discussion program for university students in Dushanbe. 35 IFES-Tajikistan: Recommendations Civic Education Textbook ¾ In accord with the authorization granted by the Ministry of Education, IFES￾Tajikistan should undertake an aggressive effort to recruit additional schools, beyond the 43 currently targeted, to teach the IFES civic education course and use the IFES textbook during the 2003-04 school year. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should seek assistance from USAID in helping it to strengthen its relationship with the Ministry of Education, particularly as it relates to teachers who teach the IFES civic education course but are not compensated for doing so. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should work with international partners as well as with local NGOs to increase the number of summer camps and also assure participation by students from all areas of the country. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue to expand its SAC program into as many schools as possible to all regions of the country. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should help its SACs to expand their activities through partnerships with complementary donor activities. ¾ The IFES-Tajikistan SAC program should serve as a model for the implementation and expansion of the SAC programs of IFES-Kazakhstan and IFES-Kyrgyzstan. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue to expand its SLGD program to all areas of the country, and should continue to focus on establishing an opening for the program with the Dushanbe city government. IFES-Tajikistan should continue to expand its SLGD program to all areas of the country, and should continue to focus on establishing an opening for the program with the Dushanbe city government. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue its effort to coordinate the activities of its political party development and civic education programs to help improve civic education among the adult population of Tajikistan. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should provide staff and resource support to assure that the Saturday democracy conversation clubs for university students are continued in Dushanbe and extended to other parts of the country. 36 CONCLUSIONS It would seem impossible for any objective observer to examine the IFES-Central Asian civic education program and not come away deeply impressed with what the program is accomplishing in educating the young people of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the principles of democracy and in preparing them to become the leaders of tomorrow in their respective countries. All indications from interviews, activity site visits, classroom observations, and document examination are that the IFES Central Asian civic education program has been, and is, highly successful in increasing understanding of the principles of democracy and in encouraging and creating activism in civil society among students who participate in its various activities. Continued success can be anticipated, probably on an incrementally greater basis, if the USAID-IFES Cooperative Agreement is extended. Given the success that IFES appears to have achieved--and that it gives every appearance of continuing to achieve--with its CAR civic education program, none of the recommendations that are offered in this report call for the elimination or curtailment of an activity. Where change is recommended, it is either for a revision in the manner in which an activity is conducted or administered or for the enlargement or expansion of an activity. Nevertheless, the reality of the constant competition for USAID’s limited funds and resources makes it is impossible to ignore the possibility that other priorities may, at some point in the future, force a reduction in the size of the IFES program. It is extremely difficult to prioritize among seven program activities when each appears to be so successful in achieving its goals, and it would be hoped that this matter would not have to be addressed before such time as the local ownership and sustainability of each activity has been established to the complete satisfaction of USAID and IFES. If a situation should develop where it becomes necessary to prioritize among the seven activities of the IFES-CAR program, the civic education textbook and the IFES civics course in which it is used must be considered as the program’s core activity, and the one with the greatest potential for significant long-term impact. The Student Action Committee program, which is intended to translate the lessons of the textbook into community action, should rank second. Beyond these two activities, the summer camp program would be the only one that could produce some really significant savings. But the summer camp program has been extremely popular and is seen as a highly effective motivational and training activity by every past participant interviewed during this evaluation. It is very hard, therefore, to suggest even the possibility of eliminating the camp program. Of the other activities--Student Local Government Days, the Central Asia Democracy Website, the university CD in Kyrgyzstan, and the civic education tournament in Kazakhstan--all appear to be effective and achieving their goals. But more importantly, none cost much to operate. To eliminate any of them would end an effective set of programs without freeing up any significant funding. The IFES-CAR civic education program is making a significant and meaningful contribution to the construction of strong foundations on which Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan can build true and sustainable democratic systems. Democracy only truly 37 takes hold and works for people when people work at it. It requires a commitment by citizens to take time to understand issues, to learn which political parties and which candidates embrace the views they hold, and a willingness on their part to actively contribute to finding solutions to problems in civil society. The young people participating in IFES's civic education activities demonstrate that they are not just grasping this basic principle of democracy, but actively putting it to work to help those in need in their schools and communities. Many of the things they are accomplishing are quite extraordinary. Sitting on the threshold of adulthood, these young people exhibit a powerful determination to improve their countries. They are striving to build real democratic political systems, eradicate corruption, improve the quality of education, ease the burdens of the needy, and eliminate gender inequality. In the words of an IFES civic education course teacher in Kyrgyzstan: “If this program can be continued and extended to more young people, its impact could just explode in a really wonderful way within the next ten to fifteen years”. Time and again, history has shown that, if given a chance to work, democracy produces, stability, freedom, development, and an improved quality of life. It is the only alternative to violence for the expression of discontent and for the promotion of change. Through their participation in the IFES-CAR civic education program, more and more young people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are developing a full appreciation of this truth. As their numbers increase, the prospect of brighter futures for all three countries will increase correspondingly. 38 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS IFES-CAR Regional Program Recommendations General Program ¾ If the IFES-CAR civic education program is extended beyond September 30, 2003, IFES and USAID should review: a) the adequacy of the levels of staffing in each country office as they relate to the effective implementation of each activity in that country; and, b) current situations and circumstances, and recent experience, insofar as they impact on the ability of each IFES country office to secure in-country funding to support the printing of textbooks and any other activities not fully funded through the operating budget. ¾ There should be more exchange of personnel, resources and information among the three IFES country offices. ¾ A primary long-term objective of the IFES-CAR civic education program should be to have all three countries begin civic education training as early as the first grade, but no later than the fifth grade. The first steps toward accomplishment of this objective should be for IFES to: a) assist in beginning in-country development of a civic education textbook for use in the 7th and 8th grades; b) encourage Student Action Committees to extend their memberships to lower grades; c) encourage participating schools to expand Student Local Government Day participation to the 7th, 8th and 9th grades; and, d) if funding can be made available, begin a program of democracy summer camps for 7th and 8th and 9th grades. ¾ USAID should consider helping IFES-CAR civic education staff to draw upon and share their experiences and ideas with USAID-funded civic education programs in other developing countries. ¾ Each IFES country office should make more extensive use of university interns, particularly from the pedagogical institutes in their respective countries where student-internships could have a residual benefit of serving as a recruiting ground for future civic education course teachers, teacher trainers, and Student Action Committee mentors. ¾ IFES should begin to track the long-term sustainable impact of its civic education program by continuing to monitor the future involvement in civil society and public affairs of previous program participants as they proceed through their university years and enter adulthood. Civic Education Textbook ¾ IFES should continue to actively pursue its efforts in each country to expand use of the IFES civic education textbook in schools, with the primary objective of getting each country’s Ministry of Education to approve the IFES civic education course as an official part of the country’s national school curriculum. 39 ¾ IFES should focus on creating within each country an understanding of the need for regular updates of the civic education textbooks to assure that they will remain up-to-date with changing conditions and will have local ownership as revisions are made. ¾ IFES should continue to augment its expertise in the democratic processes and activism in civil society by seeking input from education methodology consultants in the development of its civic education course. ¾ IFES should remain vigilant in implementing teacher training, especially as it relates to sessions devoted to interactive teaching methods. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES should set as a primary objective the development of NGO and other local partner capacities to operate the summer camps on an independent basis in the future, in order to assure the long-term sustainability of the summer camp program. ¾ IFES should work to assure the possibility of summer camp participation by students from all areas of each country. ¾ If funding permits, the IFES should develop a plan for limited inter-country exchanges of summer camp participants, particularly in border areas. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES should coordinate the establishment of information-exchange networks of established Student Action Committees, with such networks to include: a) intra￾and inter-country SAC information exchange networks, possibly through use of the USIS-funded local Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) centers; b) intra-country IFES-assisted monthly newsletters circulated to all established SACs; and, c) possible national and international SAC information-exchange conferences. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ Students who participate in Student Local Government Days should be encouraged to recruit the local government officials to whom they are assigned to make reciprocal visits to the students’ schools. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES should assist in the start-up and development of a sustainable adult civic education program in each country, with the exact nature of the program to be determined by each IFES country office. 40 Central Asian Democracy Website ¾ Each IFES country office should be responsible for determining and inputting its own country-specific information onto the IFES Central Asian Democracy Website. ¾ Each IFES country office should be responsible for the purchase of the server space required to hold the information that it places on the IFES Central Asian Democracy Website. IFES-Kazakhstan Recommendations General Program: ¾ Consideration should be given to the need for a substantially larger travel budget for IFES-Kazakhstan because of the size of the country and the necessity for staff travel to enable the fullest dissemination of the program into all regions of the country. ¾ Consideration should be given to the establishment of an IFES-Kazakhstan satellite office in the capitol city of Astana to enable better coordination of program activities with the Ministry of Education. The establishment of additional satellite offices in other locations where the potential benefit of an on￾site presence is apparent should also be considered. ¾ The staff of the IFES-Kazakhstan office should be brought up to a size at least equal to the levels of the IES-Kyrgyzstan and IFES-Tajikistan offices to enable fuller development and dissemination of its extra-curricular activities. Civic Education Textbook ¾ If IFES-Kazakhstan is expected to continue to raise substantial outside funding to support the printing of its textbook and other activities in Kazakhstan, it should be provided with additional staff resources to help it accomplish this. ¾ The Chief of Party and other core IFES-Kazakhstan program staff should not be expected to revise and edit the civic education textbook. Instead, an education methodology consultant, similar to the one used in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, should be retained to address inadequacies of the IFES-Kazakhstan textbook, as identified by teachers and students currently using it. Items that should be addressed by the consultant should include: a) inclusion in the student textbook of more interactive exercises, graphs, charts, photos and local examples; b) inclusion of the student text in the teachers’ manual; and, c) improved and expanded methods of teacher training to accompany the revised editions. ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should undertake a randomized field survey to get a statistically accurate measurement of the impact of its civic education textbook in increasing understanding of democratic principles and activism in civil society among student-users. 41 Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should set as a goal to open participation in its summer camp program to students who are non-users of the IFES civic education textbook. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ Sufficient staff resources should be provided to the IFES-Kazakhstan office to enable it to undertake development of its SAC program to include non-users of the IFES textbook. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ Sufficient staff resources should be provided to the IFES-Kazakhstan office to enable it to undertake development of its SLGD program independent of those students who use the IFES textbook. Civic Education Tournament ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should set as an objective to conduct separate Civic Education Tournaments in Russian and Kazakh. ¾ IFES-Kazakhstan should pursue efforts to integrate its Civic Education Tournament with those of the National Debate Center and student Olympiads that are broadcast on national television and receive even wider public exposure than the IFES tournament. IFES-Kyrgyzstan Recommendations Civic Education Textbook ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan, with assistance from USAID, should work aggressively to secure funding for printing of the civic education textbook so as not to inhibit the momentum that has developed for its wide dissemination and use in the schools of Kyrgyzstan. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should continue to seek financial assistance, in-kind contributions and organizational support from donors and local organizations to ensure the continuation and long-term sustainability of its summer camp program. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should utilize the potential for widespread usage of the civic education textbook in Kyrgyzstan to expand its SAC program by encouraging those schools that use its textbook to initiate Student Action Committees, and by providing them with the necessary SAC training and support. Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should seek to increase the benefit of the SLGD experience for students by making the event longer than one day. 42 ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should evaluate the effectiveness of its preparatory training for all SLGD participants. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should seek to partner with other donor projects working with local government to improve the quality and build sustainability of the SLGD program. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should continue to make translation revisions to the Russian version of the CD-ROM and should translate the CD-ROM into the Kyrgyz and Uzbek languages to make it available to a wider audience. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should regularly update the CD-ROM to reflect the changing political, legal and social environments in Kyrgyzstan. ¾ IFES-Kyrgyzstan should actively publicize and distribute the CD-ROM to institutions of higher education, with particular focus on Kyrgyzstan’s pedagogical institutes. IFES-Tajikistan Recommendations Civic Education Textbook ¾ In accord with the authorization granted by the Ministry of Education, IFES￾Tajikistan should undertake an aggressive effort to recruit additional schools, beyond the 43 currently targeted, to teach the IFES civic education course and use the IFES textbook during the 2003-04 school year. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should seek assistance from USAID in helping it to strengthen its relationship with the Ministry of Education, particularly as it relates to teachers who teach the IFES civic education course, but are not compensated for doing so. Democracy Summer Camps ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should work with international partners as well as with local NGOs to increase the number of summer camps and also assure participation by students from all areas of the country. Student Action Committees (SACs) ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue to expand its SAC program into as many schools as possible in all regions of the country. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should assist its SACs to expand their activities through partnerships with complementary donor activities. ¾ The IFES-Tajikistan SAC program should serve as a model for the implementation and expansion of the SAC programs of IFES-Kazakhstan and IFES-Kyrgyzstan. 43 Student Local Government Days (SLGDs) ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue to expand its SLGD program to all areas of the country, and should continue to focus on establishing an opening for the program with the Dushanbe city government. University and Adult Civic Education ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should continue its effort to coordinate the activities of its political party development and civic education programs to help improve civic education among the adult population of Tajikistan. ¾ IFES-Tajikistan should provide staff and resource support to assure that the Saturday democracy conversation clubs for university students are continued in Dushanbe and extended to other parts of the country. 44 Appendix A1: Statement of Work STATEMENT OF WORK IFES EVALUATION I. BACKGROUND The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) established a regional office1 in Almaty, Kazakhstan in November 1994 to foster a long-term commitment in providing democracy assistance in Central Asian countries. Formal country offices were opened in Bishkek in the Fall of 1997, and Dushanbe and Tashkent in January 1998. In line with its mission, IFES became involved in election monitoring projects. From 1994 till 1999, IFES Kazakhstan conducted analyses of the election law, held conferences on election redistricting, conducted voter education events, held a region-wide conference on election administration and conducted numerous liaison missions with the Central Election Commission (CEC). IFES worked with local partners to increase the amount of information available to the electorate on the election process by producing a series of public service announcements and televised debates. In Kyrgyzstan, IFES worked with the CEC and a number of local civic advocacy organizations to promote positive change in the system of elections and contribute to the development of civil society and a more active and informed electorate. In Tajikistan, IFES, in collaboration with other international organizations, sponsored a seminar on constitutional development with members of the Committee on National Reconciliation (CNR), which provided the first opportunity for members of the CNR to engage in serious dialogue on constitutional and structural issues. In addition, IFES initiated political party development and voter outreach projects, as well as a political party development initiative designed to assist all parties in platform and message development, constituent outreach, and organizational issues in advance of parliamentary elections in February 2000. In Uzbekistan, IFES presented the CEC, Parliament, and the Uzbek Institute for strategic and Regional Studies with a written comprehensive technical review of the election law to provide electoral authorities with a critical, objective analysis of the electoral code with respect to international standards, and offered recommendations for possible improvements to the code. IFES mobilized several election observation missions and presented technical analyses and reports thereof. In addition, in 1995 and 1996, IFES conducted nationwide public opinion surveys of attitudes toward democracy, civil society, institution building, and multi-party elections in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Due to a lack of commitment from the Central Asian governments to promote free and fair elections, a decision was made to stop all election-related assistance, and limit it only to contacts with the CEC and small-scale activities on an ad hoc basis, until an indication of political will to implement reforms is displayed. IFES is currently working in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to promote civic education through a curriculum 1 Currently operates as a Kazakhstan country office. 45 development project designed to improve instruction and information on democracy in secondary schools. The program in Uzbekistan was closed in 2001 for several reasons, the most important of which were poor office management, duplication with other activities implemented by other civic education organizations, and the government’s unwillingness to implement the programs as they were designed by IFES. In 1999, IFES produced a Civic Education textbook for Kazakhstan along with a teacher’s manual and supplementary materials for its curriculum on democracy and citizenship, which was supported by the Ministry of Education. The curriculum, beginning with a student mock election project, was initiated in 34 pilot schools across Kazakhstan in time for the Fall 1999-Winter 2000 school year. Several Student Olympiads and Teachers Evaluation Conferences were held with the teachers and students from the pilot schools. At the moment, there are over 500 schools and 36,000 students in Kazakhstan engaged in the IFES civic education project. In Kyrgyzstan, the civic education textbook and a teacher’s manual was split into two parts and part by part introduced into the high schools. The textbook includes specific chapters pertinent to democratic development, including women in politics, local government in Kyrgyzstan, the nature of state corruption and the process and methodology of conflict resolution. At present, there are 60 Russian, 69 Kyrgyz and 38 Uzbek schools utilizing the IFES developed textbook and civics course in Kyrgyzstan. In Tajikistan, an agreement between the Ministry of Education and IFES was recently signed, which allowed IFES to start a civic education curriculum project in 10 Russian schools to be followed by 30 Tajik schools in Spring 2003. IFES has also been involved in extra-curricular education activities. They include: • Student Action Committees (SACs), where groups of students from pilot schools form committees mentored by a teacher to address community problems identified by the Committee; • Democracy Summer Camps, where students gather for one week to ten days to participate in intense study and hands-on experience with the democratic model of government. Students learn the rights and responsibilities of citizens living in a democracy, and engage in a number of activities designed to challenge and broaden their understanding of democratic governance; and • Student-Local Government Days, where students are matched with local public officials for one day each year to see and experience the workings of government at the local level. In the 2001-2002 academic year, over 1800 students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan participated in these extra-curricular activities. All of the programs enjoyed support from the Ministries of Education, as well as teachers and students. In Tajikistan, IFES is also involved in a political party development program, which is focused on organizational development, fostering public outreach, especially at the regional level, political party and election law reform, improving communications both 46 within the parliament and between the parliament and political parties, and publication of Political Party Development Manual. The IFES/Central Asia Regional Resource Center in Almaty provides a continuous supply of information on comparative electoral legislation to election commissions, members of parliamentary legislative committees, and domestic watchdog NGOs. In addition, in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, IFES is involved in a small-scale University Civic Education program by promoting the study of civic education at the university level including such topics as political parties, elections, and gender issues in college courses. Existing materials developed by IFES and others will be used to achieve this. II. SCOPE OF WORK A. Purpose: The purpose of this evaluation is to assess how the IFES programs fit and contributed to the USAID/CAR's assistance strategy, and specifically SO 2.1 “Strengthened democratic culture among citizens and target institutions”, as well as IR 2.1.2 “Increased availability of information on civic rights and domestic public issues” and IR 2.1.3 “Enhanced opportunities for citizen participation in governance.” This will be an objective and external assessment of the assistance provided under Cooperative Agreements #EE-A-00- 97-00034 (October 1, 1997 – September 30, 2002) and #119-A-00-00-00039 (October 1, 2000 – September 30, 2003) with IFES. Assessment analysis and recommendations will be used by the Democracy and Media Office to evaluate the effectiveness of IFES’s programs, and will help DM develop its strategy regarding future civic education programming. B. The Evaluation The objectives of the evaluation are: • To assess how successful IFES’s civic education programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have been in terms of achieving USAID’s strategic objective results. There is no intention to assess the IFES’s programs related to political party building and election assistance under this IQC task order; • To document the effectiveness and contribution of IFES's programs in strengthening the democratic process in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan; • To assess whether or not citizens and students who participated in IFES’s programs have undertaken actions that either directly or indirectly resulted in political or social improvements; if not, why not; and to what extent IFES's programs contribute to these successes or failures; • To assess how well the IFES programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are coordinated with and complement programs of other civic education donors and USAID/CAR’s partners in the region, such as Soros, the Embassy’s Public Affairs Office, and others; • To come to a conclusion whether or not USAID should continue to support civic education programs in Central Asia, and if so, what changes should be made in 47 the approach, if any, to improve the impact. C. Proposed Recommendations As a result of the assessment, recommendations shall be made: • On those existing activities that should be discontinued or expanded; • On new initiatives or complementary assistance to be undertaken in the future to ensure broader and more effective civic education programs in Central Asia. III. TEAM COMPOSITION A. The contractor will propose a team of two people, possessing collectively the following skills and background: • Civic education development experience and understanding of the role that civic education plays in democratization processes; • At least 8 years combined experience working directly with the civic education sector, civic education curriculum projects, and extra-curricular activities; • Knowledge of the particular challenges that civic education faces in the former Soviet Union; • Significant experience with issues related to democracy programs. B. Both team members should possess: • Russian language skills; • Experience in carrying out evaluations of USAID grant programs and/or project design activities; • Superior written and verbal communication skills. The team will work together with USAID/CAR/Democracy and Media Office, and report to Igor Tupitsyn, a Project Management Specialist in USAID/CAR/Democracy and Media Office. IV. METHODOLOGY A. Prior to departure from the U.S. the contractors shall: 1. Conduct a careful review of background documents, including: ¾ Core project documents • project authorizations and proposals; • cooperative agreements and amendments; • workplans, quarterly reports and final reports; • performance indicators developed by USAID/CAR and IFES. ¾ Materials developed for/during the implementation of the cooperative agreement(s), including but not limited to success stories, program descriptions, impact indicators discussion documents, etc. 48 2. Conduct interviews with the IFES/Washington and USAID/Washington staff. 3. Prepare a draft list of: a. Interview questions b. Proposed list of interviewees c. Interviews scheduled B. Once in the field, the contractor shall: 1. Review grantee’s narrative reports, reporting forms developed for staff and project participants as well as all relevant documents; 2. Conduct an extensive field program reviews in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The field reviews shall include brief meetings with USAID Mission officials, IFES in-country staff, and donor representatives. More in￾depth meetings should be held with the students, teachers, and NGOs who participated in the IFES programs. The contractor shall attend at least one civic education lesson in each country, and one of the extra-curricular activities, if schedule permits. A list of contacts in the U.S. and Central Asia will be provided as Attachment A. Prior to departure from Central Asia, the contractor will discuss the field interview results with USAID/CAR/ Democracy and Media Office and/or the Front Office. V. SCHEDULE The evaluation will start in April 2003, with the entire assignment taking place over a seven-week period. The Contractor is authorized to work 6 days a week. A. Washington, Pre-Field Work Five days will be spent conducting interviews and holding briefings in the U.S. During the course of this time period, the contractor will review with USAID/Washington (E&E and DCHA) and IFES/Washington staff the proposed interview schedule and list of people to be interviewed, as well as all appropriate program documents. IFES's help may be solicited to schedule appointments for interviews and meetings as well as for collection and review of documents. B. Field Work Three weeks will be spent in Central Asia for data collection and preliminary analysis (one week in Kazakhstan, one week in Kyrgyzstan, and one week in Tajikistan). One week to ten days will then be spent in Kazakhstan to prepare and submit a draft report to 49 USAID/CAR before their departure. The team will provide a debrief at the end of this time period with USAID/CAR staff in Almaty. During the field work, the evaluation team will make short trips to the regional sites where IFES’s programs are implemented. Decision on the number of trips and destinations, and whether both members or only one member of the team will go will be made after consultations with IFES and USAID/CAR. C. Washington, Post-Field Work One day will be spent in Washington for debriefing, and up to one week may be used for revision and submission of the final report after receipt of USAID’s comments, which will be provided within three weeks or earlier of receipt of the draft report. VI. DELIVERABLES All deliverables shall be submitted to USAID/Washington, USAID/CAR and IFES. The following deliverables shall be submitted and receive input/comments from USAID and IFES prior to the team's departure for field work: • Draft questionnaire for students and teachers working under the IFES’s programs; and • Draft list of interviewees and itinerary. The following list of deliverables shall be submitted for USAID and IFES comments/input prior to departure from Almaty: • Draft report that includes at least the following: ¾ An executive summary; ¾ An assessment of successes and failures in IFES's programs; ¾ Recommendations on those existing activities that should be discontinued or expanded; ¾ Recommendations on new possible initiatives or complementary assistance to be undertaken in the future to ensure the sustainability of project accomplishments; ¾ A description of ten (or more) success stories of impact attributable to IFES civic education programs; and ¾ Summary of findings and conclusions. • Oral presentations to IFES and USAID of draft final report, findings and conclusions, to be scheduled with USAID/Washington Project Officer in DC, and with DM in Almaty. The final deliverable(s) shall be submitted no later than one week after receipt of comments from IFES and USAID on the draft final report and the oral presentation: • Final report, incorporating IFES and USAID comments on draft report and presentation to be submitted within one week of oral presentations. Final report should not exceed 40 pages and shall be presented to USAID/CAR, 50 USAID/Washington and IFES in hard copy and electronic format. Additional material may be submitted in Annexes, as appropriate, e.g. bibliography of documents analyzed, list of agencies and persons interviewed, and list of sites visited. • Based on the results from the completed evaluation and all other pertinent data, the contractor will prepare a project evaluation summary. The summary will include evaluation abstract, purpose of activity, purpose of evaluation and methodology used, findings and conclusions, and recommendations. The summary will be submitted at the time of final report submission and will be presented both in hard and electronic copies as above. VII. TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS A. The Cognizant technical Officer (CTO) shall provide technical direction during the performance of the order. The CTO for this Task Order is: Igor Tupitsyn USAID/CAR/DM Almaty, Kazakhstan. B. Key personnel. The Contractor must obtain CTO approval before making any changes in the key personnel stated in the Order. Additionally, the contractor must obtain the written approval of the CTO if any key person under this order will be out of the country or working in other projects at any time during the project being implemented during this task order. C. For the duration of the task order, the Contractor shall provide the personnel to work on-site. Travel off-site must be limited to essential trips related to the task order, and must be approved in advance, in writing, by the CTO. D. Documentation and guidelines produced for this order shall be instructive, streamlined, and adaptable. Local national expertise shall be used in creating these materials as much as possible. E. Any changes in the work plan must be approved by the CTO. F. CTO will carry out the day-to-day management and implementation of this work plan. Periodic consultations regarding implementation will take place with the CTO. IX. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA 1. Experience in civic education development programs. 2. Experience in democracy-related assistance programs. 3. Experience in evaluations. 4. Language Skills. 51 Appendix A2: Evaluation Methodology and Sampling Process Methodology The methodology employed for this evaluation consisted of three phases: Phase 1 – Pre-Field Work (Washington, D.C.): Dates Pre-Field Work Activities April 7-10, 2003 • Reviewed background IFES project documents and USAID/CAR documents (e.g. project authorizations, proposals, cooperative agreement and amendments, program descriptions, impact indicators, work plans, quarterly reports, final reports, and IFES/USAID performance indicators—see Appendix C1, C2, C3, C4) April 9, 2003 • Held a meeting with IFES-Washington (see Appendix D1) April 9-10, 2003 • Prepared the work plan (Appendix B1), list of potential interviews (Appendix B2), and list of interview questions (Appendix B3) April 11, 2003 • Held a meeting with the USAID-Washington office (see Appendix D1) Phase 2 – Field Work (one week each in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan): Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Field Work Activities April 14-19, 2003 April 21-26, 2003 April 28 – May 3, 2003 • Reviewed relevant on-site country program documents (see Appendix C1, C2, C3, C4) • Met with USAID mission officials, IFES in-country staff, donor representatives (Appendix D2, D3, D4) • In-depth interviews conducted with students, teachers, officials and NGOs who have participated in the IFES programs (Appendix D2, D3, D4) • Attended and observed IFES civic education lessons and/or extra-curricular activities (see Appendix F1, F2, F3, F4, F5) Phase 3 – Analysis, Report Writing and Debriefing (Almaty, Kazakhstan): Dates Analysis, Report Writing and Debriefing Activities May 5-10, 2003 • Analysis of documents collected, interviews conducted and other data gathered during field work in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan • Report Writing May 12, 2003 • USAID/CAR Debriefing at USAID Mission in Almaty, Kazakhstan 52 Sampling Process During the evaluation team’s week of pre-field work in Washington, D.C. (Phase 1), the two-person team utilized its document examination time and its meetings with IFES￾Washington and USAID-Washington staff to focus on acquiring as full an understanding as possible of each activity in the IFES-CAR program before departing Washington for Central Asia. As this understanding developed, the team compiled lists of specific key individuals, unspecified individuals associated with specific organizations, and unspecified individuals involved in specific program activities with whom it wanted to conduct individual or small-group interviews in each country. These lists of key informants were forwarded to each of the IFES country offices before departure, with requests that appropriate interviews be scheduled. All staff members of each IFES country office were fully cooperative in making sure that every requested interview was scheduled, including those not requested by the evaluation team until after they were in-country. Furthermore, once in Central Asia, the team contacted the USAID mission representatives to secure further names of key informants whom they felt would provide a balanced representation in evaluating IFES’s activities. Where an interview request did not indicate a specific individual, the team made cooperative decisions with the IFES country office to select the appropriate person or persons. The team recognized that this unavoidable sampling circumstance allowed IFES to suggest individuals that it knew to be supportive of its program. The evaluation team further tried to minimize the impact of this bias by carefully crafting the questions that it asked the interviewees (see Appendix B3) and by holding all interview meetings without the presence of any IFES representative. Every interviewee was asked about the programs that they participated in, or that s/he was knowledgeable about from their personal experience, and were always encouraged to give full disclosure and assured of confidentiality of their responses. Because the evaluation team’s schedule allowed it to spend only one week in each country, there was no opportunity for travel to locales more than a couple of hours outside of Almaty (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), and Dushanbe (Tajikistan). The team recognized that this limitation did not allow for a full national perspective of each country program, as would have been possible had it had time to travel and meet with and observe activities and participants from rural areas, or even from other urban locales. Despite this obstacle, the evaluation team requested meetings with certain individuals from distant locations in the countries who happened to be in Almaty, Bishkek, or Dushanbe while the evaluation team was there. Some of these include the winner of the 2002 civic education tournament and an NGO/SLGD coordinator from Pavlodar in Kazakhstan, SAC trainers, teachers and democracy summer camp alumni in Kyrgyzstan, and the Khojand SAC, SLGD, and summer camp coordinators in Tajikistan. Because of these unavoidable time constraints, the sampling process can be described as restrictive and non-probability, making the results of the sample limited in generalizing to the population. However, the sample employed aimed high to be representative of the 53 population that was affected by the IFES-CAR civic education program, and included individuals impacted by all activities of the program. The evaluation team feels that the limited number of meetings and interviews that it was able to have with program participants from areas distant from the cities in which the team was based, coupled with what it believes was a good cross section of urban/suburban/rural classroom and SAC observations in the Almaty, Bishkek and Dushanbe areas, provided it with a reliable, albeit time-limited perspective, on which to make an accurate evaluation of the IFES regional program and of each country program. 54 Appendix B1: Work Plan IFES CENTRAL ASIA ACTIVITIES EVALUATION Submitted by Gina Gilbreath Holdar Ph.D., and David B. Ogle 11 April 2003 Purpose The purpose of this evaluation is to assess how the International Foundation For Election Systems (IFES) civic education programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan fit and contributed to USAID’s Central Asian Republics assistance strategy, and specifically S.O. 2.1 (“Strengthened democratic culture among citizens and target institutions”) and I.R 2.1.2 (“Increased availability of information on civic rights and domestic public issues”) and I.R. 2.1.3 (“Enhanced opportunities for citizen participation in governance”). This will be an objective and external assessment of the assistance provided under Cooperative Agreements #EE-A-00-97-0034 (October 1, 1997 – September 30, 2002) and #119-A-00-00-0039 (October 1, 2000 – September 30, 2003) with IFES. Objectives The objectives of the evaluation are: a) to assess how successful IFES’s civic education programs have been in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in terms of achieving USAID’s strategic objective results (the evaluation will be limited to IFES’s civic education programs in the three countries and will not include any of IFES’s programs related to political party building and election assistance); b) to document the effectiveness and contribution of IFES’s programs in strengthening the democratic process in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan; c) to assess whether or not citizens or students who participated in IFES’s programs have undertaken actions that either directly or indirectly resulted in political and social improvements, and to what extent IFES’s programs have contributed to such improvements; d) to assess how well the IFES programs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are coordinated with and complement programs of other civic education donors and USAID/CAR’s partners in the region; and, e) to recommend whether USAID should continue to support civic education programs in Central Asia and, if so, what changes, if any, should be made to improve their impact. Methodology Prior To Departure From US: • Consultants reviewed background IFES project documents and USAID/CAR documents 7-10 April 2003. • Consultants held meeting with IFES/Washington 9 April 2003 • Consultants held meeting with the USAID/Washington office 11 April 2003. 55 • Consultants prepared a draft list of interview questions (Appendix B) and of proposed interviewees (Appendix A) and a work plan 9-10 April 2003. In The Field: (see Appendix A and B for details) • Consultants will review all relevant on-site documents. • Consultants will conduct extensive field program reviews in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with such reviews to include meetings with USAID mission officials, IFES in-country staff, and donor representatives. In depth meetings will be held with students, teachers, officials and NGOs who have participated in the IFES programs. • Consultants will make an effort to attend and observe at least one civic education lesson and one extra-curricular activity in each country. Schedule 7-11 April - Washington, D.C. • Review of background materials and develop evaluation plan • Hold interviews with IFES and USAID/CAR Washington staff and other key informants • Prepared a draft list of interview questions, proposed interviewees and a work plan 12-13 April – Travel to Almaty 14 April – Almaty • Meet with USAID/CAR staff 15-19 April – Fieldwork Kazakhstan 20 April – Travel to Bishkek 21-25 April – Fieldwork Kyrgyzstan 26 April – Travel to Almaty 27 April – Travel to Dushanbe 28 April – 3 May – Fieldwork Tajikistan 4 May – Travel to Almaty 5-16 May – Almaty • Report drafting/oral presentation of findings to USAID • Submission of draft report 19 May – 5 June – US/Republic of Georgia • Final report editing/review after USAID comments, submitted by 6 June 56 Appendix B2: Work Plan – Appendix A: Potential List of Interviews ACTIVITY Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan TEXTBOOK -MoE official -Teacher(s)- (possibly 1-3 in a group) -students (possibly a group of 3-5) -Simon Jenkins (IFES textbook consultant) -MoE official -Teacher(s)- (possibly 1-3 in a group) -students (possibly a group of 3-5) -Simon Jenkins (IFES textbook consultant) -MoE official -Teacher(s)- (possibly 1-3 in a group) -students (possibly a group of 3-5) STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEES (SAC) -1 SAC (students & teacher) -1 official who worked with the SAC -1 NGO representative who worked with the SAC -1 SAC (students & teacher) -1 official who worked with the SAC -1 NGO representative who worked with the SAC -1 SAC (students & teacher) -1 official who worked with the SAC -1 NGO representative who worked with the SAC STUDENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT DAYS (SLGD) -1 student -1 teacher -1 official -1 student -1 teacher -1 official -1 student -1 teacher -1 official SUMMER CAMPS -students from 2 camps (3-5 as a group) -1-2 camp counselors -1-2 NGOs working with the camp -students from 2 camps (3-5 as a group) -1-2 camp counselors -1-2 NGOs working with the camp -students from 2 camps (3-5 as a group) -1-2 camp counselors -1-2 NGOs working with the camp CIVIC EDUCATION TOURNAMENT -1 student participant -1 teacher -1 judge NA NA UNIVERSITY CIVIC EDUCATION NA -2-4 students -2 professor -1 student -1 professor 57 CENTRAL ASIA DEMOCRACY WEBSITE NA -webmaster NA IFES -key civic education staff -key civic education staff -key civic education staff PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS -Street Law (partner on summer camps) -Mark Hanifen, World Bank￾Tashkent (formerly worked with ICMA in Kazakhstan on civic education issues) -Soros/Eurasia (summer camps) -German Embassy/Soros (partners on textbook) -Mercy Corps (partner on teacher training) -Counterpart International/NDI (partners on resource centers) -OSCE (partner on summer camps) -Junior Achievement (partner on SAC & SLGD) -Soros/Eurasia (summer camps) USAID & US EMBASSY PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE -USAID key civic education staff (Igor Tupitsyn and Susan Fritz) -Public Affairs Office key staff knowledgeable about civic education (those who can provide contacts with students and teachers) -Greg Koldys, USAID-Armenia (former USAID/CAR Project Management Specialist for Democracy and Media) -USAID key staff knowledgeable of civic education -Public Affairs Office key staff knowledgeable about civic education (those who can provide contacts with students and teachers) -USAID key staff knowledgeable of civic education -Public Affairs Office key staff knowledgeable about civic education (those who can provide contacts with students and teachers) **ALL TO BE DONE IN KAZAKHSTAN** 58 Appendix B3: Work Plan - Appendix B: Interview Questions Interview Questions –Textbook Activity (KZ, KG, TJ) Teachers/MoE Officials Do the textbook and the corresponding activities generate enthusiasm about civil society and the democratic process amongst your students? Why or why not? Do you feel that the teacher’s manual adequately prepared you to utilize the textbook in your classroom? In addition to the teacher’s manual, do you feel that more person-to-person training should be provided to teachers? Why or why not? Would you recommend that the Ministry of Education make the IFES textbook the standard curriculum for civics for your country? Why or why not? Do you feel that your students are more informed about civic rights and domestic public issues from using the textbook? Why or why not? Has the textbook motivated your students to becoming more aware of civic issues in your society? Why or why not? Are there subject areas that are not covered in the current textbook that you would suggest for inclusion in a revised edition? Is it relevant or useful to have the textbook translated into the Kazakh language? Why or why not? Do you think there would be any benefit to creating a similar document addressing civil society issues covering the same areas as the textbook, but geared to the adult population? Why or why not? Would you like to see the textbook updated and revised on a continual basis? If so, please explain. Do you think there are other ways that the textbook could be utilized to help create broader and more effective civic education? Would you recommend the textbook for use in other schools not currently using it? Why or why not? How would you rate the textbook as a tool for helping you understand the workings of the democratic process? Excellent Good Fair Poor 59 Students How much did you enjoy reading the textbook? How much did you enjoy doing the activities related to the textbook? Do you feel that you are more informed about civic rights and domestic public issues from using the textbook? Why or why not? Has the textbook motivated you to become more aware of civic issues in your society? Why or why not? Did members of your family ever find interest in the textbook? If so, please describe the situation. Would you recommend the textbook for use in other schools not currently using it? Why or why not? How would you rate the textbook as a tool for helping you understand the workings of the democratic process? Excellent Good Fair Poor 60 Interview Questions-Student Action Committees (KZ, KG, TJ) SAC Group/Teachers/NGO Volunteers Please describe the structure and function of your SAC (including the problem, action plan, etc.). Did the manual on “How to Organize SACs” provide you with all the assistance and information that you needed to enable you to implement your SAC? Why or why not? How would you rate the SAC training conducted by IFES (or its partners)? Excellent Good Fair Poor Are there other things that you suggest IFES to do to make it easier for additional SACs to be formed? Did you feel that the participation in the SAC increased your interest in working on other (i.e. additional) problems in your community? Why or why not? Do you feel that your participation in the SAC directly or indirectly result in political or social improvements in your community? Please elaborate. Official Working with the SAC Do you feel that the SAC students gained a better understanding of the administrative and political problem-solving process through their experience? Please elaborate. How effectively do you feel the SACs work contributed to solving problems within the community? Did your find your experience working with the SAC personally beneficial? Why or why not? Would you like to see more SACs working in your community? Why or why not? 61 Interview Questions-Student Local Government Day (KZ, KG, TJ) Students/Teachers/Officials Please describe your SLGD experience. Did the SLGD training manual provide you with all the assistance and information that you needed to enable you conduct your SLGD experience? Why or why not? How would you rate the SLGD training session conducted by IFES (or its partners)? Excellent Good Fair Poor Did your find your experience during the SLGD to be personally beneficial? Why or why not? Were there any long-term benefits resulting from the SLGD experience? Do you have any suggestion for how IFES could expand the SLDG program? Students/Teachers: Do you feel that your participation in the SLGD increased understanding of the administrative and political process among those who were involved in the day? Please elaborate. How did your SLGD experience differ from what you had learned using the IFES civics textbook? Did your SLGD experience increase your interest in being involved in either administrative or political public service? 62 Interview Questions-Summer Camps (KZ, KG, TJ) Counselors/NGOs Please describe the summer camp that you attended. What camp activities did you find most beneficial/enjoyable for the students? Please elaborate. What camp activities did you find least beneficial/enjoyable for the students? Please elaborate. Do you feel that your camp experience increased your understanding and appreciation for the democratic process? Do you feel the duration of the camp was about right/too long/too short? Please elaborate. Are there specific activities/programs that you feel should be added in future camps? Do you feel as if your NGO would be capable of running the summer camp on its own? If so, would you be willing to do it if IFES provided the funding? Students Please describe the summer camp that you attended. What camp activities did you find most beneficial/enjoyable? Please elaborate. What camp activities did you find least beneficial/enjoyable? Please elaborate. Do you feel that your camp experience increased your understanding and appreciation for the democratic process? Have you applied your camp experience in a practical way to become more politically or socially active in your community? If you had the opportunity to attend another camp, would you do so? If so, what would you like the activities to be? Do you feel the duration of the camp was about right/too long/too short? Please elaborate. 63 Interview Questions-Civic Education Tournament (KZ) Students/Teachers Please describe your experience as a participant in the civic education tournament. Was the IFES textbook helpful to you in your preparation for your/your student’s participation in the tournament? In your opinion, was the essay competition designed in such a way as to enable the judges to clearly choose the winner? In your opinion, was the oral presentation competition designed in such a way as to enable the judges to clearly choose the winner? Do you feel that the tournament experience increased your/your student’s skills in public speaking, communication, interaction with peers, analyzing, etc.? Please describe. Have you applied your tournament experience in a practical way to become more politically or socially active in your community? Do you feel that the tournament is a worthwhile activity in promoting civic education? Judges In your opinion, was the essay competition designed in such a way as to enable the judges to clearly choose the winner? In your opinion, was the oral presentation competition designed in such a way as to enable the judges to clearly choose the winner? How would you evaluate the students’ experience in allowing them to increase their political/social/analytical/communication/etc. skills? Do you feel that the tournament is a worthwhile activity in promoting civic education? 64 Interview Questions-Central Asia Democracy Website (KZ, KG, TJ) Webmaster/IFES Staff Have you been able to determine whether there has been a steady increase in the number of people accessing the website since its inception? If so, please describe the users, if possible, and their country of origin. How often is the website updated? Do you have unilateral authority in making decisions on the content/changes to the website? What areas of expansion do you feel the website needs? Are you able to determine which website sections are most used. If so, what are they? 65 Interview Questions-University Civic Education Activity (KG, TJ) Students/Professors-KG Do you feel that the decision to make the university civic education program a CD project was the correct approach to take? Would you like to see the program developed as full civic education course? Do you use the CD as part of a course or as supplemental readings? In which faculty/course is do you use the CD? Do you feel that the CD has significantly enhanced your access to information on civic rights and domestic public issues? Are students/professors at your university aware of the existence and availability of the CD? Does the CD replicate existing materials on civil society issues? Students/Professors-TJ Would you like to see the civic education materials program developed as full civic education course? Do you use the materials as part of a course or as supplemental readings? In which faculty/course is do you use the materials? Do you feel that the materials have significantly enhanced your access to information on civic rights and domestic public issues? Are students/professors at your university aware of the existence and availability of the materials? Do the materials replicate existing materials on civil society issues? 66 Appendix C1: List of Documents Reviewed - General IFES Central Asia Democracy Website, www.ifescentralasia.kg. USAID Website, www.usaid.gov. Approaches to Civic Education: Lessons Learned, USAID Office of Democracy and Governance, June 2002. 67 Appendix C2: List of Documents Reviewed - Kazakhstan An Introduction to Civics: A Textbook for Secondary Schools in the Republic of Kazakhstan, textbook for 10th-11th grades, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2002. An Introduction to Civics: Manual for High School Teachers in the Republic of Kazakhstan, for 10th-11th grades, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2002. Articles about the Summer Camps from Russian Language Newspapers in Kazakhstan, “Are Children Drawn Into Political Games?,” “Democracy Camp,” 2002. Benchmarks of Civic Education Activities-Kazakhstan-Years 1, 2 & 3, spreadsheets, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001-2003. Civic Education Projects: Civic Education Courses, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. Civic Education Projects: Democracy Summer Camps, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. Civic Education Projects: Student Action Committees, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. Civic Education Projects: Student Local Government Days, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. “Civics Tournament Completed,” newspaper article from Panorama, April 4, 2003. Developing Democracy in Kazakhstan: Project Program Profiles, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2002. “From the Point of View of School Students,” newspaper article from Ore Altai, April 25, 2002. IFES Civic Education Course Survey: Graduates’ Questionnaire, Report Version 1, IFES￾Kazakhstan, March 25, 2003. IFES Civic Education Course Survey: Students’ Questionnaire, Report Version 1, IFES￾Kazakhstan, March 25, 2003. IFES Civic Education Course Survey: Teachers’ Questionnaire, Report Version 1, IFES￾Kazakhstan, March 25, 2003. IFES Civics Tournament Program, March 28, 2003. IFES Kazakhstan Civic Education Program Data, chart data, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. 68 IFES-Kazakhstan Civic Education Program Statistics for Academic Year 2002-2003, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES-Kazakhstan Newsletter: Olympiad/Seminar on Civic Education in the Republic of Kazakhstan March 30-31 Almaty, Spring 2000. IFES Kazakhstan Overview, IFES, 2003. IFES Kazakhstan Quarterly Reports, (Q2 & Q4) 2001, (Q2 & Q4) 2002. IFES Kazakhstan Work Plans for 2001, 2002, 2003. IFES-Kazakhstan Year End Benchmark Analysis, 2001-2002. IFES-MoE Republican Student Tournament and Teachers’ Seminar: US Ambassador to Present Awards at IFES Civics Tournament in Almaty, press release, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Report: Civic Education Courses, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Report: Civic Education Tournament, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003 IFES Report: Democracy Summer Camps, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Report: Regional Resource Centers, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Report: Student Action Committees, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Report: Student Local Government Days, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. IFES Republican Student Tournament and Teachers Seminar on Civic Education, March 27-28, 2003, brochure. IFES Schools in the Republic of Kazakhstan, IFES-Kazakhstan, January 22, 2003. IFES Schools in the Republic of Kazakhstan, IFES-Kazakhstan, April 2003. Letter of Support from the Ministry of Education to IFES-Kazakhstan. Local Government Departments/Offices Participating in SLGDs (2001-2003), IFES￾Kazakhstan. Manual: How to Organize Student Action Committees, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. “One Day of Officials and Students,” newspaper article from Voice of Ekibaztuz, 2003. 69 Regulation on Preparation and Conducting the Fourth IFES Republican Tournament on Civic Education (instructive letter), IFES-Kazakhstan, 2002. Regulations on Student Olympiad and Teacher’s Seminar on Civic Education, IFES￾Kazakhstan, 2002. Rules of the Olympiad, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. Rules for the Republican Civic Education Tournament, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. SAC List, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. SAC Newsletter, published by Russian School #38 in Otegen Batyr. SLGD Participants List 2001-2003, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. SLGD Pavlodar Essay Highlights, public relations document, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. SLGD Statistics 2001-2003, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. “Students Administered the City,” newspaper article from Ust-Kamenogorsk Today, April 20, 2002. Summer Camp Daily Schedules, IFES-Kazakhstan, Summers 2001 and 2002. Summer Camp Programs of Activities, IFES-Kazakhstan, Summers 2001 and 2002. Summer Camp Statistics 2001-2002, IFES-Kazakhstan. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Officials: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Students: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Teachers: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2001. Tournament Statistics, IFES-Kazakhstan, 2003. 70 Appendix C3: List of Documents Reviewed - Kyrgyzstan Assessment of Costs for Textbook Project in Kyrgyzstan, spreadsheet, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Benchmarks of Civic Education Activities-Kyrgyzstan-Years 1,2 & 3, spreadsheets, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2001-2003. Briefing Papers for Kyrgyzstan: Glossary of Terms for the IFES Civic Education Textbook Project, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Citizenship, Governance & Participation: Teachers’ Guide, Volumes One and Two, IFES-Kyrgyzstan. Citizenship, Governance & Participation: Your Role as a Kyrgyz Citizen in the 21st Century, Volumes One and Two, textbook for 10th and 11th grades, IFES Kyrgyzstan. Citizenship, Governance & Participation: Your Role as a Kyrgyz Citizen in the 21st Century: Supplemental Materials for Teachers, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2002. Comments to the Summer Camp Program in 2003: “Democracy and Mass Media”, camps to be held in the three provinces of Talas, Naryn and Osh, IFES-Krygyzstan, 2003. Cost of Extending the Textbook Project into Grades 10 & 11 to All Schools in Kyrgyzstan, spreadsheet, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Democracy Summer Camps!, public relations materials for the summer camps, IFES￾Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Evaluation of IFES Democracy Camp(s) in Central Asia: Summer 2003, IFES￾Kyrgyzstan. Final Report on Democracy Summer Camps: Kyrgyz Republic, Summer 2002, IFES￾Kyrgyzstan. IFES Civic Education Program Statistics 2001-2003 (for Civic Education Textbook, Summer Camps, SACs, SLGDs and University Civic Education CD-ROM), IFES￾Kyrgyzstan, 2003. IFES Extending the Reach of Democracy, public relations materials for IFES civic education activities, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. IFES Kyrgyzstan Overview, IFES, 2003. IFES Kyrgyzstan Quarterly Reports, (Q2 & Q4) 2001, (Q1, Q2 & Q4) 2002. 71 IFES Kyrgyzstan Work Plans for 2001, 2002, 2003. IFES-Kyrgyzstan Year End Benchmark Analysis, 2001-2002. Institute for Regional Studies-Kyrgyzstan, public relations brochure, IRS-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Location of IFES Pilot Schools and SACs in Kyrgyzstan, map, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2003. Manual for Organizing Student Action Committees, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2001. Primary Objectives of the Civic Education Textbook Project in Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan, IFES-Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, 2003. Report on the IFES Pilot School Teachers Conference, May 15-17, 2002, Osh, IFES￾Kyrgyzstan, 2002. School Visit Questionnaires and Reports, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2001-2003. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Officials: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2001. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Students: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2001. Student Local Government Day: Manual for Teachers: Building Bridges for Future Leaders of Civil Society, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2002. University Civic Education CD-ROM, in Russian, IFES-Kyrgyzstan, 2002. 72 Appendix C4: List of Documents Reviewed –Tajikistan Agreement Between the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan and the International Foundation for Election Systems, November 1, 2002. Average Scores by Region and Gender for Pre-Test of the Textbook in Tajikistan, bar chart, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. Benchmarks of Civic Education Activities-Tajikistan-Years 1, 2 & 3, spreadsheets, IFES￾Tajikistan, 2001-2003. Citizenship, Governance & Participation: Teachers’ Guide, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. Citizenship, Governance & Participation: Your Role as a Kyrgyz Citizen in the 21st Century, textbook for 9th and 10th grades, IFES Tajikistan. Constitution of the School-Country “Orion”, SAC in School # 60 in Dushanbe. Democracy Summer Camp Dushanbe/ARS 2001 and 2002, spreadsheets, IFES￾Tajikistan. Democracy Summer Camp Sughd Oblast 2001 and 2002, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. IFES Tajikistan: Civic Education Textbook, public relations materials, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan: Democracy Summer Camps, public relations materials, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Overview, IFES, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Précis, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Program Data, spreadsheets and chart data, IFES-Tajikistan, April 25, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Quarterly Reports, (Q2 & Q4) 2001, (Q2) 2002. IFES Tajikistan Sponsors “Conversation Club” for University Students in Dushanbe, public relations materials, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Sponsors Tajik Educators Civic Education Study Tour to Czech Republic, public relations materials, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan: Student Action Committees, public relations materials, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. 73 IFES Tajikistan: Student Local Government Days, public relations materials, IFES￾Tajikistan, 2003. IFES Tajikistan Work Plans for 2001, 2002, 2003. List of English University Conversation Club Events, IFES-Tajikistan, 2003. Manual: How to Organize Student Action Committees, IFES-Tajikistan, 2001. Manual: How to Organize Student Local Government Days, IFES-Tajikistan, 2001. Memo from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tajikistan, approving “the textbook for utilization in secondary schools as additional educational and methodological resource”, November 22, 2002. Number of Students Achieving Scores in Pre-Test by Gender Tajikistan, bar chart, IFES￾Tajikistan, 2003. “Orion” SAC Newsletter, SAC in School #60 in Dushanbe. “Orion” SAC Organizational Structure Chart, SAC in School #60 in Dushanbe. Pilot Schools for Program Year 2003, spreadsheet, IFES-Tajikistan, April 15, 2003. Primary Objectives of the Civic Education Textbook Project in Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan, IFES-Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, 2003. SACs Operating in Dushanbe 2002 and 2003, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. SACs Operating in Khojand 2002 and 2003, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. SACs Operating in Khurgon Teppa 2002 and 2003, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. SACs Operating in Kulyab 2003, spreadsheet, IFES-Tajikistan. SACs Operating in Sogd 2003, spreadsheet, IFES-Tajikistan. SLGDs Khojand 2001 and 2002, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. SLGDs Khurgon Teppa 2001 and 2002, spreadsheets, IFES-Tajikistan. SLGD Participants Lists 2003 (Chkalovsk, Gafurov, Garm, Hisor, Kairakkum, Khurgon Teppa, Kulyab Konibodom, Leninskii, Penjakent and Shaartuz), spreadsheet, IFES￾Tajikistan. 74 SLGD Participants List 2001 (Khurgon Teppa Leninskii), spreadsheet, IFES-Tajikistan. SLGD Participants List 2002 (Leninskii and Kulyab), spreadsheet, IFES-Tajikistan. SLGD Questionnaire Surveys and Analyses for Students, Officials and Teachers, IFES￾Tajikistan, 2003. Tajikistan: A Roadmap for Development, International Crisis Group, April 24, 2003. Tajikistan: Human Development Report 2001-2002, United Nations Development Programme, 2002. Thank You Letters to IFES-Tajikistan from SACs: Schools #60, #42 and #53 in Dushanbe. 75 Appendix D1: List of Interviewees – Washington, D.C. Anthony Bowyer, IFES Senior Program Officer, Central Asian Republics Jill Quinn, IFES Program Officer, Central Asian Republics Irina Volchansky, IFES Program Officer, Central Asian Republics Catherine Stratos, USAID, Program Officer, Central Asian Republics Sundaa Bridgette, USAID, Program Officer, Central Asian Republics Thomas Ward, Information Analyst, Europe and Central Asian Region, The World Bank 76 Appendix D2: List of Interviewees – Kazakhstan Bradley Austin, IFES Project Manager Marat Bigaliev, IFES Project Coordinator Oleg Bakhmutov, Project Coordinator Aidar Botagarov, Program Assistant Susan Fritz, Director of Democracy and Mass Media, USAID Igor Tupitsyn, Project Management Specialist, USAID Natalia Bakhmutova, NGO Director, Summer Camp Coordinator and SAC Trainer Dos Kashim, NGO Director, civic education textbook writer/editor, tournament judge Julia Sovinykh, Civic education textbook teacher Arman Argynov NGO Director, civic education textbook editor, tournament judge Ardak Akmanov Public Affairs Officer Exxon Mobil, civic education textbook financial support Baizhanov Kaskelen School #3, interviews with school director, teachers, students, observation of civic education textbook instruction in Kazakh James Kenny, Public Affairs Officer, Public Affairs Section, United States Embassy Amina Turgulova, Grant Program Coordinator, Public Affairs Section, US Embassy Almaty International School, Interviews with school director, teachers, students, observation of civic education textbook instruction in Russian. Otegen Batyr School #38, Interviews with school director, teachers, students, observation of civic education textbook instruction in Russian Inna Bandurina, Urban Institute, former SLGD Coordinator Lidya Rybakova, civic education textbook teacher, specialist Kanagat Zhukeshev, Kazakh Academy of Education, civic education textbook writer / editor, former civic education tournament judge Assel Akhmetova, civic education tournament winner (2002) 77 Appendix D3: List of Interviewees – Kyrgyzstan Chedomir Flego, IFES Project Director Dmitry Shevkun, IFES Program Officer and Webmaster Simon Jenkins, IFES Civic Education Curriculum Consultant Chinara Kumenova, IFES Assistant Translator Kenesh Sainazarov, IFES Local Civic Education Consultant Daniyar Ibrogimov, IFES Program Assistant, Interpreter Alfiya Fattahova, IFES Textbook Editor Gulnura Abutalieva, IFES Volunteer Tracy Atwood, USAID Country Representative Sean Roberts, USAID Democracy and Media Specialist Nona Kubanychbek, USAID Project Management Assistant (Democracy and Media) Murat Imankulov, Head of Civic Education Department, Academy of Education, Ministry of Education, IFES civic education textbook consultant and contact on curriculum standards Elena Chernichova and IFES civics class students, Tokmak School, IFES civic education class, textbook revision, teacher conference and SAC Gulayim Idaralieva and IFES civics class students, Gorno Maevka School, IFES civic education class and SAC Will Melara, Program Director AED/START and former USAID Democracy and Media Specialist (Kyrgyzstan), IFES civic education textbook, summer camps, SACs, teacher conference and Kiev study tour Ambassador Aydin Idil, OSCE Mission, IFES civic education textbook donor Ambassador Klaus Achenbach, German Embassy, IFES civic education textbook donor Atyrkul Alisheva, Institute for Regional Studies, civic education specialist and director of USIS-funded Civic Education Program 78 Ashot Egizarian, Alibek Mukanbaev, Nurlan Abdaliev and Ilya Tolstyh, 2002 IFES summer camp participants Professor Synaru Alymkulova, Arabayev State University History Lecturer, utilizes IFES university compact disk Ilya Tolstyh, Eralieva Aisulu, Mukambaev Alibek, SLGD student participants Olga Melnik, Liliana Fadeeva and Bektashev Kubanychbek, SLGD officials-participants from Bishkek city regional administrations Boobican Jusupova, Anatoliy Romashko, Svetlana Sharhenova, IFES civic education teachers (Bishkek and Koi-Tash) Camilla Sharshekeeva, American University-Central Asia Provost and former Minister of Education, IFES civic education textbook Ilya Yakemchuk, Local NGO “Biom”, trainer/counselor for IFES summer camps 79 Appendix D4: List of Interviewees – Tajikistan Christopher Shields, IFES Project Manager Simon Jenkins, IFES textbook Consultant Farangis Asisova, IFES Project Coordinator Salohiddin Shamsiddinov, IFES School Based Consultant Sayora Grezova, IFES textbook Coordinator Bahriddin Sharpirov, Deputy Project Manager Moukim Mallaev, IFES Khojand Field Representative Foster Tucker, IFES Political Party Development Consultant Lyceum #1, Tursunzade, Interviews with school director, teachers, students, observation of civic education textbook instruction in Russian School #75, Tursunzade, Interviews with school director, teachers, students, observation of civic education textbook instruction in Russian Randall Olson, USAID Development Assistance Specialist Abdurahim Muhidov, USAID Project Management Specialist / Democracy and Media School #60, Dushanbe, Interviews with school director, teachers, students, members of student action committee Saodat Olimova, Tajik State Law Faculty, civic education textbook author / editor Munavaar Mullochaev, Director of International Relations, Tajikistan Ministry of Education Bihojal Rahimova, NGO Director, farmer Democracy Summer Camp Coordinator Moulim Sadullo, Tajikistan University, civic education textbook writer / editor / reviewer Shorkhrijon Hakimov, Tajik Academy of Science, civic education textbook writer / editor / reviewer Harpreet Singh, Project Officer, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture 80 Kabiri Yakosh, IFES regional political party development participant (Islamic Revival Party) Naimov Safarali, IFES regional political party development participant (Democratic Party) Shodibekov Shodibek, IFES regional political party development participant (Communist Party) Tabarov Jamshed, IFES regional political party development participant (Communist Party) Gulov Korbonali, IFES regional political party development participant (People’s Democratic Party) Latif Hadayev, NGO Director, Democracy Summer Camp Director and Student Action Committee Trainer School #95, Dushanbe, interviews with school director, teachers, students, members of Student Action Committee 81 Appendix E1: Success Stories – Kazakhstan Civic Education Textbook Excerpts of a Review by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the IFES Textbook The Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan has reviewed the IFES textbook being used in the 10th and 11th grades in secondary schools, which it confirms corresponds with the state educational standards” in the country. In its review, the Ministry made numerous positive comments about the textbook, which it says has “timeliness and importance beyond doubt.” The Ministry has said that “this course of civic education will help the students of senior grades to understand the issues concerning citizenship, state and power and help orient them in complex situations appearing in civic society.” It believes that the textbook “contains broad educational information on urgent civic aspects, including nation building, its functions, the constitution, electoral rights, human rights, etc.” Furthermore, the Ministry is impressed with the interactive methodology that helps high school students “to understand the main concepts and definitions of a political system of the society, legislation and the economy.” Ministry officials commented that the structure of the textbook is different from similar state textbooks used in Kazakhstan. Because of this, they say that the IFES textbook could be used as the alternative civics course for students. Furthermore, the Ministry recommends that “the course be can be taught as an additional educational subject in secondary schools, lyceums and gymnasiums.” New Pilot Schools Every Year – and Exceptional Cases When the new school year opens on Knowledge Day every September 1, a new group of pilot schools begin to teach the optional IFES course, Introduction to Civics. Since 2001 IFES has aimed to introduce the course in more and more schools, focusing its efforts on increasing the percentage of Kazakh-speaking and rural schools. With cooperation from UNDP and USIS, IFES has been able to provide textbooks to 187 Kazakh language schools, increasing the percentage participating in the program to one-third. Each year, the Republican Teachers Institute works with the regional Departments of Education to identify new schools, and to provide logistical and organizational support for the teacher training seminars and textbook distribution. The trainings are taking place all around Kazakhstan. The teachers are briefed on the Civic Education course by an IFES trained coordinator at a central regional location. IFES and the trainers have in turn trained more than 700 teachers over the last four years. Not all the schools are using this “traditional” method for joining the IFES civic education pilot program. Some, like School # 8 in Tougher, are contacting IFES directly, asking to be part of the program. Due to several special circumstances, IFES provided the training directly to the teachers at the school. IFES also made sure that other schools were invited to the training to help build interest in the program and provide advance 82 training should the invited schools later choose to offer the IFES civics course to their students. Sadykova Raikhan, the Director at School # 8 in Tougher reports that her school has three IFES civics classes. She reports that 72 students are taking the course (19 eleventh graders and 53 tenth graders). The students and teachers are very interested in the course and have already expressed an interest in expanding their involvement by establishing their own Student Action Committee. Democracy Summer Camps Aktau Camp 2001 At the 2001 Aktau summer camp, one student in particular, Zaur Baimuratov, typified the success of the program. When the camp started, he was very critical of the concept. He raised several points such as that an SAC would only duplicate the work that the student government does in the schools. He said that SACs would waste the students’ time and energy, at times even working against the interest of the student government by taking vital energy away from it or distracting them from their work. As the camp continued, the other students, the instructors and participating teachers listened to and discussed Zaur’s arguments and, after considering them, made relevant changes in the program based on his arguments. They also explained the differences in the SAC program to him. Specifically, they pointed out how an SAC is a self-initiating organization for 10th and 11th grade students who are both civic minded and concerned and active enough to find, examine, and attempt to solve local community problems. Zaur was convinced that where school governments already exist, the SAC does not duplicate their work since they focus their efforts on one issue at a time that may manifest itself inside or outside the school. He agreed that SACs act the same way that the non￾governmental community works in conjunction with, but not as part of the local government structure. Student Action Committees Karaganda One student in particular has taken the SAC experience and put it to use in her community. Julia Baranova lives in Karaganda, where she and her teacher have instituted an SAC focused on providing assistance to both a local orphanage and World War II veterans. Even before the SAC had an official name, it began organizing assistance activities. IFES provided Julia’s school with guidance to make sure that the SAC is learning all that it can about local civil society from its experience. The following is a letter from Julia Baranova (translated from Russian) that explains the SAC in her own words: 83 I want to write you a little bit about the activities in Karaganda. We have already established a SAC in our gymnasium. We haven’t come up with a name yet, but soon we will have our own name, emblem and anthem. Right now the SAC is based on a school level, meaning that we don’t work with any organizations. We do everything that is possible. Now we are having 2 events: DGD (Do Good Deeds) and “Care”. The DGD activity is about helping the orphanage. The students collect clothes, stationary, study books and then we donate all of it to the orphanage. And “Care” activity is about helping the veterans of the Great Patriotic War (Second World War) and the elderly people. Everything is resulting in success. We share the knowledge that we have gained at the Democracy Summer Camp, and I see that it is interesting for other kids, but our teachers are particularly interested in these activities. One teacher, Nadezhda Nikolaevna Ushakova (you probably know her as the director of our civics studies) evaluates our suggestions. She agrees with some points, but some things we have to work over again. In general, we are working and there is so much of everything that it is impossible to write about all of it. Student Local Government Days Atyrau and Pavlodar IFES initiated SLGDs in Atyrau and Pavlodar through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The program design facilitates its impact and should contribute to its sustainability in the two cities. Using the IFES-produced training manuals, all participants received instruction on the basics of local governance and the aims of the SLGD. This prepared the students, teachers and officials to spend a day together, experiencing and learning from one another. In the more than twelve SLGDs that have been held, students have mentored in a variety of city government departments, including Environment, Health, Legal, and even directly with the Akim. To share their experience, the students write essays about their mentorship (some of which have been printed in local newspapers). On several occasions, local government officials have visited their student’s school to provide first￾information and interaction with their student’s class. Civic Education Tournaments Female and Kazakh Language Students Win Recognition After competing in local, city or oblast competitions, student-finalists from all regions of Kazakhstan advance to the Republic level Tournament held in Almaty during the March school recess. Students have the option of using either the Russian or Kazakh language. Since the Tournament began, female students have comprised more than 55% of the competitors. And in each of the last three years, the number of Kazakh-speaking students 84 has doubled. Of the four finalists from the 2001, 2002, and 2003 tournaments, eight of the 12 have been girls. And in 2002, a Kazakh-speaking student won the tournament. 85 Appendix E2: Success Stories – Kyrgyzstan Civic Education Textbook IFES-Kyrgyzstan retained a teaching methodology and classroom management consultant to help write and design its civics textbook. The consultant immediately set out to revise and edit the content of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz textbooks and added a substantial section of student activities, charts, tables and pictures. He also designed a teacher methodological guide and a teacher training program. Although the local Kyrgyzstan authors were happy with their version of the civics textbook, the Kyrgyz Academy of Education, the teachers, and the students were extremely impressed with the new learning and teaching styles introduced into Kyrgyzstan classrooms for the first time. For them, this new approach was a revolutionary change in an educational system bogged down for a decade with old Soviet books and no effective teacher training. For the teachers, the change brought new and effective training in methodological design, interactive learning techniques and classroom management that they had never seen before. They were eager to be invited to train in “critical thinking” techniques for themselves, and to support the new concept of student learning. As a result of their interest, IFES-Kyrgyzstan added specific teacher trainings, supplementary reading materials for teachers, a teacher newsletter, IFES staff school visits, teacher meetings and teacher conferences to help design curriculum standards for civics education in Kyrgyzstan. All of the civics course teacher support has been designed to change the teachers’ ways of thinking about classroom learning habits. Invariably the teachers appreciate the upgrade in their skills, while the students are offered a new learning approach that addresses their daily lifestyle. At the same time, students are given an opportunity to express their point of view (and to hear others point of view) in a classroom setting. The teaching methodology has been so well received that the Ministry of Education reprinted parts of the IFES teachers’ guide in national teachers’ publications, which outlines interactive classroom management. The program information, although spread by IFES-run workshops, extensive teaching notes in the teachers’ guide, the supplementary readings and simply by teachers’ “word of mouth” has led to teachers calling for “more of the same, please!” The IFES￾Kyrgyzstan office is receiving an increasing number of teacher requests to join the limited pilot project. The teachers have often said the textbook is interesting, simple to follow, easy to understand, contains a unique methodology, and is realistic and practical. Moreover, they say that the teachers’ guide has introduced them to new methods of teaching. Even older teachers say that the teaching guide is easier to follow than many of the old ways of teaching. 86 The teachers do not feel pressured by the IFES course, but rather feel included almost as authors of the textbook. With this textbook they can choose activities and reflected and utilize their own perspectives on how to conduct the course. With the benefit of hindsight IFES-Kyrgyz Stan staff admits that the first ten months of the program was a learning period, which considerably benefited its staff in learning from their mistakes. During the two most recent school years, IFES staff has had the freedom, knowledge and ability to better develop a team capable of addressing the needs of teachers and students, and to assist in the establishment of new standards for the Kyrgyz school curriculum. Democracy Summer Camps 2002 Summer Camp Participant Letter from Reno Mamadjanova This (summer) camp has become a very good friend for me since it provided me with an opportunity to realize that I, as well any other human being, can improve the life of our country. In order to achieve this, we just have to believe and strive to achieve the set goals. I would like to express my big thanks to the International Foundation on Election Systems (IFES) and to our excellent and favorite trainers who created for us all necessary conditions. During the course of the Camp, all of the trainers became kind of next of kin to me who showed us the right way to their children, that is, to us. In the end, I would like to express my special thanks to Dmitry, who sometimes differed from the others by his kindness but at some times by his strictness as well, but there was a general understanding that this was all for our common good. He is indeed a person with an excellent soul. 2002 Summer Camp Participant Letter from Kasymbekova Jargul This is a response letter with regard to the past Democracy Summer Camp activities. First, I need to mention that I had a vague idea about what we were going to do before coming to the summer camp. Shortly after our arrival to the camp, the hosts warmly welcomed us. Very interesting sessions pertaining to such topics as mass media, NGO’s, local bodies of self-governance, gender equality, planning, conflict resolution and so on were held during the summer camp. A very serious game conducted by the camp trainers was hailed as a culmination of our stay in the camp. It made every student work in his or her respective elements and interact with each other. Also, I need to say that everything went well with regard to housing, meals and organization of the camp’s structure. At the end, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the camp hosts for the nine days of my stay in the summer camp. 2002 Summer Camp Participant Letter from Jyrgalbek Zakirov I, Jyrgalbek Zakirov, have recently transferred to the 10th grade in the secondary school named after T. Otunchiev located in the Alai district of Osh province. I acted as president in the summer camp. I have pleasant memories about the camp; however, I think that we 87 should stay more days in the camp and have less of general sessions and other lessons. The camp should be organized in a way that the student will have a chance to engage in comprehensive learning and processing of information but the amount of information that the students get per day should be lessened. In general, I think that this project was useful for us in all respects. I think that projects of this kind should be supported in the future as well, since we were able to gain much theoretical knowledge and had a chance to apply the knowledge that we had learned in practice. For instance, we established such bodies as the government, Supreme Court, Prosecution, Parliament, local bodies of self-governance, NGO’s and mass media. We also elected the president and we had enough leisure time. In general, I am confident that all of the summer camp activities were good and useful and should be supported in the future. My thanks to all the trainers, namely Ulanbek, Yakub, Kostya, Abdunazar, Kenesh, Dmitry, Nargiza, Elvira, Kanykei and Alena as well as to IFES and USAID. Again, many thanks to everyone! Student Action Committees Chui Oblast Secondary School The students of the Chui Oblast Secondary School have created their own Student Action Committee, with the goal of helping elderly people and other needy residents of their village. Through their SAC activities, they have managed to collect 50 soms to use for various projects. Reflecting upon their efforts, the SAC members said: “We hope that we have done a good thing for the people of our community.” The SAC has also collected herbs that grow in the countryside of their community and sold them to local drug stores. One SAC representative commented: “This is how we collected 500 soms that eventually was used for the benefit of community residents in need.” Gorno-Maevka Secondary School The Gorno-Maevka Secondary School is located on the outskirts of Bishkek. Last year the school established a Student Action Committee (SAC). The students have carried out fundraising activities and used the money to purchase warm clothes for the elderly people of their village. One of the leaders of the SAC commented “we believe that this is a very good initiative, and its establishment was made feasible through the training conducted by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).” Kerben School SAC The Kerben School SAC was established in 2002 and, since that time, has been engaged in several projects. SAC members have tutored students to help them increase their academic performance and improve their grades. In addition, the students stated that they “helped elderly people in their village and helped to clean public gardens and squares in their community.” The students are satisfied with their work and the results, the training they have received, and the ongoing guidance provided by the IFES training manual. Inspired by other initiatives of IFES, one member said: “We also used some materials related to the study of democratic processes in our SAC work.” 88 Student Local Government Days Nooken District, Osh Province The SLGD program was implemented for secondary school students in the Nooken village in the southern region of Osh province. At the conclusion of the SLGD, participating students were asked to write essays about their experience of spending a day with a local official. According to the students, young people of their age are just about to enter young adulthood and, in this regard, the SLGD activity was a very valuable and worthwhile experience. According to one student, he and his peers had sometimes discussed prior to the SLGD what tasks local officials were charged with and how their offices functioned. They were then given the opportunity to spend a working day in the office of a local official, and for the whole day they assisted the official in the implementation of his regular daily tasks. When the students arrived at the office, they were given explanations on what their responsibilities would be during the day. They then became involved in the daily workings of the office. By the end of the day, they were able to keep up with the officials themselves. They said that the day was very interesting and conducted in direct accord with the schedule. The students said that they appreciated that they were able to obtain hands-on experience and directly witness what local government officials do for the residents of their municipality. Students said that they were proud to feel that they were making a small but meaningful contribution to the local community in which they live. Many project participants requested that the SLGD be prolonged by one more day. They said that this would allow them more time to get absorbed into community affairs and unite their efforts with the local officials in order to make things better in their respective communities. 89 Appendix E3: Success Stories - Tajikistan Democracy Summer Camps Summer Camps Spawn SAC Leadership The 2002 democracy summer camps spawned a new generation of student leaders in Tajikistan. All seven Khojand SAC presidents for the 2003–04 school year are summer camp alumni. Most of the incoming Dushanbe SAC presidents also are former summer camp participants. Additionally, a number of schools whose first participation in the IFES program came through student attendance at a summer camp are now initiating SACs on their own volition. Summer camp alumni from School #93 in Dushanbe asked IFES to provide the necessary advice and training to formally create an SAC as a follow￾up to projects they had already created, including a nationally recognized anti-drug seminar. Student Action Committees Turkish-Tajik Lyceum SAC The Turkish-Tajik Lyceum Student Action Committee (SAC) has successfully developed an operating plan to allow it to become self-sustaining. This would allow the SAC to provide funds and goods for a Khojand Orphanage as well as assist its school with clean￾up days to help maintain the school grounds and preserve precious school resources. Setting up a canteen in its school, the 153-member SAC, which has an Executive Committee of nine members, has also set up a school radio station to develop aspiring journalists. Young Women in SAC Leadership Roles The involvement of young women in the IFES-Tajikistan civic education program is a key success. The incoming presidents of seven SACs in Khojand are all young women. The overall number of young women participants in the SLGD program further amplifies this success. Of 174 participating students, 90 were young women, a participation rate of 52 percent. Student Local Government Days Khojand Education Department Assumes Coordination of SLGD Program in Khojand City The popularity of the SLGD project in Khojand encouraged the Khojand Education Department Deputy Director Akram Aslonov to suggest that individual schools organize SLGD programs with the city government to broaden the impact of the project. Having garnered much praise among city officials in the first two years of the SLGD program, Khojand high school students are now a regular sight in the Khojand Hukumat Office (City Hall). This is generating increasing interest among students on things that they can do to enhance the quality of life in their communities. 90 University Civic Education University Conversation Club IFES Tajikistan has established a unique and highly successful conversation club program for English-speaking university students in Dushanbe who want to interact with native speakers and discuss events in Tajikistan and around the world. The first conversation club saw some 45 eager and interested students listen to a presentation on a special summer study program offered by the Fund for American Studies. Next, there were presentations on various educational exchange programs offered in New Zealand, and on the important role youth in Tajikistan can play in democracy-building and economic development. The first club meeting lasted over one hour. When asked if they wanted more such meetings, the response from the students was a resounding “yes!” It was agreed that the club would meet at least twice a month and that speakers should include English￾speaking members of the international NGO, diplomatic and business communities. Of special interest were representatives from the US Embassy, World Bank and mass media. The idea of an IFES-sponsored conversation club for English-speaking students was developed by an IFES consultant and four IFES student interns. The interns were instrumental in spreading word about the meeting on the various campuses in Dushanbe. The interns also took an active role in one program by conducting a short presentation on the importance of other students doing internships. They asked all those interested to prepare their CVs and to bring them to the next conversation club. It is hoped that these CVs can then be forwarded to the next NGO Forum, an inter-agency group comprised of the heads of various international NGOs operating in Tajikistan. As one participant stated, “After all, if you don’t ask, you’ll never get. Whether or not we get paid, we have to gain experience in order to help our future and the future of our country. We must show we are serious.” Conversation Club topics have included: • The Search for National Identity in Tajikistan • How to Write a CV or Resume • Introduction to Salsa Dancing • Labor Migration: What You Need to Know Before You Go • UNICEF’s New Program to Improve Access to Safe Water and Sanitation Facilities in Rural Areas of Tajikistan • Interested in Studying in Europe? • America’s Relationship with Tajikistan • United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building • The Banking System of Tajikistan from the National Bank’s Perspective 91 Appendix F1: Classroom Observations – Kazakhstan Otegen Batyr School #38 (Russian) • The subject of the lesson was the United Nations and its role in the world • The 26 students in the class of 11th graders engaged in an activity where they were asked to divide up into groups representing various bodies of the UN (e.g. the General Assembly, Security Council, etc.). • They were then tasked to solve problems that their organization must deal with and discuss the consequences of their action. The groups were then asked to give brief presentations about each body. • After this activity, individual students selected questions at random from the teacher about the lessons they had learned about the UN in the class that day. They were then asked to provide their answers to the class. • At the conclusion of the class, the students put their classroom training to practical use through some pointed questioning of the evaluation team and the IFES￾Kazakhstan staff on matters relating to American politics and foreign policy and world history. International School of Almaty (Russian and English) • The subject of the lesson for the 10th grade students was the components of civil society. • The teacher presented a problem or issue in civil society and the students broke up into two groups representing competing opinions. The students were able to choose themselves the group in which they participated. • A great deal of interaction between students and teacher was witnessed. • An excessive amount of debate took place between the students representing opposing positions. • The students then gave presentations of their homework assignment which was to learn more about NGOs operating in Kazakhstan. School Named for Baizhanov Kaskelen (Kazakh) • The subject of the lesson for the 27, 9th grade students was the family and private ownership. • The students discussed the structure and role of family in civil society. • The students, moderated by the teacher, had an open and lively debate about traditions of polygamy (in Muslim culture) and the laws against this in democratic Kazakhstan. • The students then discussed the history of private ownership and the economic relationships among individuals. • The teacher then asked the students a series of questions related to ownership issues, where students responded and openly debated their answers. 92 Appendix F2: Classroom Observations – Kyrgyzstan Tokmok School #2 (Russian) • The subject of the lesson was different forms of government (theocracy and democracy) and media. • The 10th grade class was broken up into groups representing democracy and theocracy. A third group of 10th graders represented the public who would later choose which form of government they preferred. The 11th grade class was broken up into various media representatives (from TV, print, radio, etc.). The evaluation consultants participated as members of the theocracy and print media groups. • The groups representing democracy and theocracy discussed their positions and made presentations and answered questions from the media. • The media made presentations explaining democracy and theocracy to the public who then voted and chose their preferred form of government. • The democracy group prevailed. Gorno Maekva School #30 (Kyrgyz) • The subject of the lesson was women in Kyrgyzstan. • The students and teacher then established “golden rules” (e.g. raise hand before talking, listen, etc.) before the activity began. • The classroom was laid out in a horseshoe design, using the suggestions in the IFES teachers’ manual. • An activity was selected from the teacher’s manual whereby students gathered in pairs, discussed the issues and made presentations of to the class. • Lots of participation, debate and discussion was witnessed. 93 Appendix F3: Classroom Observations – Tajikistan Tursunzade Lyceum #1 (Russian) • The subject of the lesson was the various branches of government. • The “golden rules” (e.g. listen, tolerance for others’ opinions, etc.) are displayed in the front of the classroom. • The teacher asked a lot of questions related to the lesson and the students actively answer. • The class breaks up into groups for an activity. They are given a hypothetical situation where the president can take state money at any time. The students are asked to write six laws that prohibit the president from abusing his power. • The class engages in another activity whereby they work in groups to work out how the president can be abolished from his post since he is making these abuses of state funds. The students use the Tajikistan constitution as a resource to answer this question. • The students engage in a final activity where they are to find, in groups, several differences between parliamentary and presidential forms of government. The students make presentations based on their group work. 94 Appendix F4: Student Action Committee Observations – Kyrgyzstan Gorno Maekva School #30 Gorno Maekva School #30 is a rural school with 1200 students in grades 1-11. The IFES civics teacher, Gulaim Aidaralieva, introduced the assessment team to the assembled SAC members to discuss their projects. She also invited some of the elderly people of the village, to whom SAC members provided assistance. The SAC in this school, with financial assistance from the school administration (a loan of 500 soms, or about $11.50), opened a small shop where they sell pens, paper and stationery to local students. The enterprise has successfully made a profit and repaid their loan to the school administration. Currently, with the small profit they gain, the SAC members purchase items such as sugar, tea-bags, soap, etc. to donate and distribute to elderly and needy people in their community. Throughout the year, the SAC members also help the elderly and needy by clearing snow from walkways, gathering firewood and mowing yards. 95 Appendix F5: Student Action Committee Observations – Tajikistan Dushanbe School #53 The Dushanbe School #53 SAC includes 60 members from the school’s 10th and 11th grades. Its activities include having written its own charter and song, forming and electing a complete governmental structure patterned after the country’s national government, addressing drug abuse issues in the community, providing assistance to veterans and the disabled, and identifying and locating children who are not attending school, encouraging them to come back to return, and providing those who do with special tutoring to bring them up to necessary academic thresholds. The day of the school visit was one of the monthly Student Self Governance days in which SAC members actually teach the younger classes with no teachers present in the classrooms. Dushanbe School #60 The SAC in Dushanbe School #60 has more than 80 members. Its activities include conducting school round table discussions on democracy for non-SAC member students, anti-drug programs, support for veterans and the disabled, and conducting a “Children to Children” campaign directed at children (and even their parents) who are not attending school. Dushanbe School #95 In Dushanbe School #95, the SAC has 134 members, with membership eligibility beginning with the 8th grade. It engages in many of the same activities as do the SACs in school #53 and school #60. It too was having Student Self Governance Day on the day the school was visited. The SAC has undertaken AIDS prevention and anti-drug campaigns, tutors weaker students, raises funds to buy athletic and other equipment for their school and toys for children in orphanages, and writes democracy pamphlets for distribution in their community.