The presentation of the evaluation results of the programs implemented in the general, vocational and higher education sectors in 2013-2019 under the Millennium Challenge Corporation II Compact Georgia was held for wider public in Tbilisi.
The evaluations demonstrated that the second Compact with Georgia was highly successful and showed promising impacts on the development of human capital in Georgia. According to the representatives of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Second Compact in Georgia is considered an example of the achievements of the strong partnership between the US Government and the Government of Georgia.
"The successful implementation of the Compact is due to great contribution provided by both the governments of the USA and Georgia and by all local partner organizations that actively worked in the training of highly qualified workforce necessary for the economic growth of Georgia", - said Magda Magradze, Executive Director of the Millennium Foundation.
The MCC Compact investment made it possible to fully rehabilitate and equip over 91 public schools in the regions of Georgia and improve learning environment for more than 45 thousand Georgian students. Infrastructural improvements had a positive impact on learning outcomes, comfort and safety have been significantly increased in schools.
The Compact provided professional development opportunities to 20,000 STEM teachers and school principals in Georgia. Two years after training, trained teachers report that they are confident in applying the student-centered instruction practices and skills to promote students' critical thinking and collaboration.
Over 70 new TVET (technical, vocational, education, and training) programs were launched in collaboration with industry partners helping build a workforce that is meeting industry demands. The employment rate of these graduates was 15% higher than the national benchmark, and their income was 12-13% higher than the average rate of other graduates of similar programs. It's noteworthy the public-private partnership model introduced in the vocational and higher education sector by the MCC Compact.
For the first time in Georgia's history, a U.S. university - the San Diego State University launched its STEM bachelor degree programs in Tbilisi in partnership with three partner universities (Tbilisi State University, Ilia State University, Georgian Technical University), which already has 525 graduates.
As a result of MCC Compact, four undergraduate STEM programs at three partner universities of Georgia obtained the accreditation of the American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the American Chemical Society (ACS) certification. Additionally, the partner universities plan to obtain international accreditation for seven undergraduate programs launched in collaboration with San Diego State University as part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact.
Three years after the end of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Georgia Compact, the American research organizations (Mathematica Policy Research and Rand Corporation) are finishing the evaluations of US Government investments in general, vocational, and higher education sectors in Georgia.
The presentations were attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia, the US Embassy, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as higher, vocational and general educational institutions and international donor organizations involved in the implementation of the Compact.
