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Lesson
No new lessons

Project Number: 36008-013
Project Name: Lower Secondary Education for the Most Disadvantaged Regions Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Vocational schools were not familiar with the new way of operating that the project supported. They needed support to build their knowledge of and information on local labor market conditions, including skills standards and emerging employment opportunities. Projects which focus on the interface between education and employment need to be underpinned by regular implementation supervision as the conditions on the ground can be different across the country.

Project Number: 33409-013
Project Name: Vocational Education Strengthening Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The project needed to provide additional support to those schools that needed it, particularly in more remote areas.

Project Number: 33409-013
Project Name: Vocational Education Strengthening Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Innovation needs champions. Effective champions are critical for the success of any new initiative. This is even more true for innovative projects, where strong commitment to the project on the part of both the government and ADB are critical to success. The failure to locate the DEMP within a government agency with strong ownership of the project was one of the factors that led ultimately to its failure.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Allocate significant resources for preparation of innovative projects. For innovative projects, significant resources are needed up front. This can include resources for assessing the feasibility of, and demand for, the project objectives and approaches for achieving them, as well as to lay the groundwork for ensuring their acceptability among different interest groups. Resistance to the innovations proposed cannot be overcome at the same time as project implementation is proceeding. The same applies to demand for the project outputs and outcomes.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure that the project performance indicators are appropriate for the time frame. In most education projects, and the DEMP was no exception, the focus of project implementation is on the development of facilities, teacher training, and programs that are only completed near the end of the project. The final achievement measures, however, are generally framed in terms of the number of students intended to benefit from the program. Again, the DEMP was no exception.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure projects have a clear and achievable focus. Apart from its innovative nature, the DEMP was also very broad, with the project inputs spread very thinly. The project included the construction of a national broadband network; mobilization of non-traditional partners including private institutions; capacity building and institution strengthening within the OUSL; development of online courses, which is notoriously difficult and slow; and implementation of these courses with the expectation of rapid, high enrolments.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A sound strategy for sustainability must be agreed. The experience of the DEMP provides a good lesson on the importance of developing and operationalizing sound sustainability strategies. The project paved the way for the establishment of an innovative national online learning system, but the lack of a clear long-term plan was one reason why the concept eventually failed.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure that the investment will be sustained. Fundamental change to education systems is complex and does not happen quickly. When an entirely new system is being created, as it was under the DEMP, it is critical that a commitment for sustained investment is made. Neither the government nor ADB had any interest in a follow-on project. Even a 1-year extension to allow enrolments to continue their upward trend at the end of the project was viewed unfavorably. Innovation and reform require more long-term commitment to be successful.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure adequate ADB support for project implementation. By definition, the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to guide and embed innovative change are likely to be scarce in both the borrowing countries and in ADB. It is evident that additional time and resources are required to support implementation, which did not happen in the case of the DEMP.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Future potential of distance education. The DEMP failed to expand tertiary education opportunities and increase the employability of graduates to the extent intended. The question of how to achieve both of these objectives remains. A central issue in this regard is how to improve external degrees. One of the lessons of the DEMP is that Sri Lankan students may not yet be ready for fully online courses, at least for the longer degree courses.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Require expanded risk matrixes for all innovative projects. Considerable time, effort, and emphasis must be placed on the development and monitoring of the risk matrix for innovative projects. This applies particularly to risk identification and potential risk mitigation strategies. A range of alternative strategies should be developed in detail for every identified risk. The risk matrix and mitigation strategies for innovative projects should be discussed extensively by ADB and the government to ensure a common understanding and commitment.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Successful activities need to be institutionalized and scaled up. The effectiveness of upgrading 100 secondary schools is a good example that school-based management builds ownership and accountability, and increases the quality of schooling as a result. The need for more good quality secondary schools is urgent for the country. The success of school grants is another example of small pilot activities. Such intervention yielded great returns and it needs to be sustained in order to receive greater benefits in the long run.

Project Number: 39293-013
Project Name: Education for Knowledge Society Project
Report Date:
Lesson
In addition, a more systematic design would give more scope to the executing agency to develop synergies among outputs and to make systematic changes. For instance, the EKSP offered many ad-hoc teacher training courses through different project activities. But there was no systematic approach to integrate these activities into a comprehensive and structured professional development plan. The core issue that influences the quality of teaching in Sri Lanka is the lack of clear career progression paths with proper professional development opportunities for both teachers and principals.

Project Number: 39293-013
Project Name: Education for Knowledge Society Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The need for further scaling up of the Education Sector Development Program (ESDP) became clear. The Education for Knowledge Society Project (EKSP) upgraded 100 secondary schools and one post-secondary school among many. At the end of the project, there is a clear need to strengthen capacity in more secondary schools, which should be done using a program approach. Specifically, it is necessary to ensure that students in disadvantaged and rural areas have equitable access to quality secondary education, sufficient training is given to teachers, and the needed resources are provided.

Project Number: 39293-013
Project Name: Education for Knowledge Society Project
Report Date: