The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) awarded a Project Management Consulting (PMC) contract to PRIMEX in joint venture with the Asian Management and Development Institute (AMDI) for the implementation of the ADB loan-funded Second Lower Secondary Education for the Most Disadvantaged Areas Project (LSEMDAP2)(ADB Loan 3201-VIE).
The project, which will end in November 2020, aims to provide a more equitable access and retention of ethnic minorities, girls, and disadvantaged children in lower secondary schools in northern midland and mountainous areas, central highlands, the Mekong River Delta, and north central and central coastal areas, which are frequently affected by typhoons. It has four expected outputs, namely:
- access to lower secondary education (LSE) and LSE equivalency programs increased;
- decentralization of teaching and learning tools developed;
- new school clustering established; and
- project implementation and monitoring and evaluation capacity enhanced.
Mr. Dao Ngoc Nam, Project Director of the Central Project Management Unit (CPMU), led contract negotiations with PRIMEX President and CEO Elvira C. Ablaza on 30 August 2016 in Hanoi, and the contract was signed on 28 September 2016. The Consultant Team, led by Dr. Colman Patrick Ross, started work on 24 October 2016, and a Project Scoping, Visioning, and Teambuilding (PSVT) Workshop was held in Hanoi on 11 November 2016.
Some 56 participants from the CPMU and the Consultant Team joined the PSVT Workshop, which aimed to help CPMU and the Consultant Team to reach a common understanding of the project goals, objectives, strategies, and scope, as well as current status of interventions and activities related to LSEMDAP2. A key output of the workshop was the drafting of a consolidated work plan that will guide the Team in achieving the project’s objectives during implementation.
“I am very happy that PRIMEX has now made a mark in the education sector and the high quality of its work is being recognized and appreciated by our clients, both government agencies and funding institutions like ADB. This certainly opens up many opportunities for PRIMEX in the future.”
Ms. Elvira C. Ablaza, PRIMEX President and CEO
The PRIMEX education portfolio has expanded significantly in the last five years. In September 2016, the Cambodia Upper Secondary Education Sector Development Program (USESDP), which PRIMEX prepared starting in September 2015, was approved by the ADB Board of Directors. On 8 December 2016, the Viet Nam Second Secondary Education Development Program (SESDP II), where PRIMEX was an associate firm during PPTA implementation, was approved by the ADB Board.
cover photo: The PSVT workshop participants in a group photo taken after the opening session. Seated (L to R): Ms. Le Thi Hoang Anh, Deputy Manager for Project Development of AMDI; Dr. Colm Ross, Team Leader; Dr. Dao Ngoc Nam, Project Director, MOET; Ms. Elvira Ablaza, PRIMEX President and CEO; and Ms. Lê Thị Bích Nguyệt, Division Head, Instructional Materials and Staff Development.