[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1134, 233], "category": "Text", "text": "education, VET and digital education – and to promote synergies between education systems and the labour market. The Action abides by the logic of the EU Gender Action Plan III aimed at improving women’s access to education and training and contributing to increased women employability and empowerment."}, {"bbox": [97, 243, 1134, 352], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action is built on the QESP I, which ended in December 2021 and PFM TA to the MoF, which ended in mid-2020. Implementation of QESP I was carried-out through realisation of three TA projects to the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) and the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment (MoLME), and supply of equipment for the general secondary education and VET Teacher Training Centres."}, {"bbox": [97, 362, 1134, 418], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will be reinforced by QESP II (CRIS number: ACA/2020/039-948) financed under the Development Cooperation Instrument, and is linked to the following top initiatives and respective projects:"}, {"bbox": [97, 429, 1134, 564], "category": "List-item", "text": "* QESP II Component 2: Strengthening competency-based and Information and Communications Technologies-enabled Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and VET and teacher-training in Tajikistan, which is implemented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), supporting the development of learning materials and facilities as well as capacity building of teachers in delivering STEM subjects in secondary general education."}, {"bbox": [97, 564, 1134, 645], "category": "List-item", "text": "* Investment component of QESP II implemented by Germany's Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), aiming at constructing and rehabilitating education institutions with particular emphasis on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)."}, {"bbox": [97, 645, 1134, 912], "category": "List-item", "text": "* European Training Foundation (ETF) has implemented its 3-year Torino Process programme (2018-2020) to deliver an update of developments of the vocational education and training policies in Tajikistan and is closely engaged in the sector. Synergy will be sought with the Torino Process and its successor programme also implemented by ETF. In addition, ETF has been closely collaborating with the EU Delegation (EUD) on previous and currently ongoing actions in the TVET sector under QESP I and II and is assuring EUD with quality control and advisory functions. Active collaboration between the regional programme *Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia* (DARYA, AAP2021), for which implementation has been entrusted to ETF and the EUD is taking place. It should not only assure maximum synergies and complementarities but an effective division of labour by means of which DARYA will cover important aspects in relation to this Budget Support action, such as capacity building of the Tajikistan Office of Statistics."}, {"bbox": [97, 922, 1134, 1269], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed Action intends to contribute to the Specific objective 4 ‘To improve the relevance and the quality of the general secondary education and the vocational education and training for better employability and labour market integration of Tajik women and men’ under the Priority Area 2. Human Development of the Multi-annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027 for the Republic of Tajikistan, and particularly to the Result 4.1. Improved governance, evidence-based policy-making and PFM of the education sector; R 4.2. Improved learning outcomes in general secondary and vocational education and access to education for female learners and persons with disabilities; R 4.3. Improved labour market integration with a focus on youth, women and returnees through innovation and digitalisation. The Action also contributes to Specific Objective 2. Create a business environment conducive to the development of MSMEs and innovation, in selected sectors, with a particular focus on green economy and digitalisation and particularly R 2.2: Enhanced role of the private sector (in particular MSMEs) in the development of the business environment in Tajikistan and R 2.3: Tajik MSMEs are positioned at local and international level to develop value chains in selected sectors, with particular emphasis on digitalisation and green economy."}, {"bbox": [97, 1279, 1134, 1387], "category": "Text", "text": "In addition, it is in line with the principles identified in the new European Consensus on Development⁴, the EU Strategy for Central Asia⁵, and will contribute to achieving the SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 5: Gender Equality and partly to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; and SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries"}, {"bbox": [97, 1412, 327, 1440], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 1465, 1134, 1548], "category": "Text", "text": "The NDS⁶ for the period until 2030 (approved by the Parliament in December 2016) states that the key problems of the education system relate specifically to its incapability to fully function as a key resource of social-economic development and improvement of the welfare of citizens. There are also other factors hindering the progress in"}, {"bbox": [85, 1574, 1121, 1601], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/european-development-policy/european-consensus-development_en"}, {"bbox": [85, 1599, 1078, 1625], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/joint-communication-eu-and-central-asia-new-opportunities-stronger-partnership_en"}, {"bbox": [85, 1623, 547, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ https://nafaka.tj/images/zakoni/new/strategiya_2030_en.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 36"}]