environment suitable for municipal school management,"said Director of the USAID Decentralisation ProjectWilliam Althouse. "We are happy to providemunicipalities with the financial aid for restoration of schools in this transitional period."This is not the only activity USAID has been implementing to assist schools. The agency also has beenintroducing new teaching methods, drawn from the USAID Creative Teaching and Learning (CTL) programme. The curriculum, introduced after the sophomore year, is now in 18 secondary and 45 primary schools.A total of 1,025 teachers participated and, following intensive training, are now implementing newinteractive teaching methods in their classrooms. Teachers now have e-access to international issues,literature, newspapers and magazines. It is expected that the project will enhance the quality of educational services, facilities and resources for students -- some of them future teachers themselves.Another USAID programme is the $3m Roma Education Project that has been implemented for the pastthree years, in collaboration with USAID, FOSIM, theSwiss Pestalozzi Foundation, and the OSCE. The programme focuses on preparing pre-school children for entering primary education; increasingenrolment and transition rates, lowering drop-out rates, and improving the school performance andattendance of Roma students in primary and secondary schools.It also helps Roma students at universities to gain equal opportunities and achieve more academically.USAID also implemented a project related to improving computer infrastructure. The project helpedcreate 460 computer labs in primary and secondary schools through networking and the use of 5,300computers donated by China. A series of training programmes were conducted for 180 secondary schoolteachers, focusing on the use of ICT through project-based learning strategies and networking. Thiscohort of 180 teachers will disseminate the training to 2,500 high school teachers.The activities do not stop there. Around 550 elementary and secondary schools, research institutes,universities and dorms now have broadband internet connectivity via the three-year activity of USAID'sMacedonia Connects Project.
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Trial of alleged Mladic helpers kicks off in Belgrade 28/09/2006Eleven people are standing trial in Belgrade on charges of helping war crimes fugitiveRatko Mladic evade capture.USAID has been helping bring computers toMacedonian classrooms. [Getty Images]12345
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Page 2of 4USAID helps reconstruct schools in Macedonia (SETimes.com)9/28/2006http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2006/09/2...
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