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E-school.Mk: Improving ICT Quality and Promoting Tolerance in Macedonia The E-school.Mk activity is a product of the current focus by the Macedonian government to alleviate ethnic tensions and to create economic opportunities for young people. Using ICT-informed education programs, this USAID/Macedonia funded project is preparing Macedonian youth for employment and improving quality and relevance of instruction at the secondary level. President Boris Trajkovski of Macedonia announced his support for the goals of this activiy, commmenting, The youth have a need of continuing their education for open communication, for tolerant exchange and critical analysis of [different] standpoints and opinions. Computer Labs in Every Secondary School in Macedonia 2,000 computers have been donated to the Macedonian School System from the Government of China, creating a national opportunity to significantly upgrade Macedonia's ICT capacity in its schools. One top priority is to use these machines to fully equip computer labs in every secondary school in the country. E-school.MK is working with the Government and school systems to ensure that these labs receive the other substantial technological inputs needed, such as software, peripherals and additional hardware. dot-EDU and its partners, the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and World Links, are also working with Macedonian school administrators on how to manage and use these labs effectively and sustainably. Introducing a New Way of Teaching A core objective of this activity is to improve learning through ICT-informed education programs while effectively building student skills in using ICTs that prepare them for university, entrepreneurship, and new job opportunies. dot-EDU is also helping to develop an educational ICT strategy to ensure that the participating educators are building capacity in integrating ICTs across the curriculum, rather than treating ICT as a distinct and separate subject. They will also learn how to use ICTs to help shift from traditional teaching methods to more student-centered learning, work-based learning. In addition, several secondary schools that specialize in vocational education will integrate Internet connectivity and local business competitiveness clusters to develop skills that are of value to local businesses. E-Schools.Mk Chief of Party Luis Rodriguez stated, The bottom-line is that the use of technology in local communities is showing immense promise to provide innovative types of activities that will create new business ventures, generate jobs in new fields and most importantly, provide new venues for economic development. |
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