Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., August 3, 2006 —The Academy for Educational Development today announced a generous donation by the Hess Corporation to create a public-private partnership that will support a five-year nationwide education-improvement plan in Equatorial Guinea.

“The people and government of Equatorial Guinea are placing a high priority on improving education to accommodate the nation’s need for a skilled workforce as its economy continues to grow,” said AED President Stephen F. Moseley. “This $20 million corporate investment reflects Hess Corporation’s commitment to improving the quality of education in the countries in which it operates, and AED is proud to be its partner in this nationwide effort.”

Hess Corporation selected AED to design and implement the education improvement plan for Equatorial Guinea based on AED’s 40-year history of working in the U.S., Africa, Latin America, and other regions on systemic education reform and its record of sustainable results.

The program, Action Plan for Education Development, grew out of a cooperative planning process sponsored by Hess and conducted by AED with the full participation of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport. The plan reflects input from administrators and teachers and covers the first five years of a ten-year educational improvement strategy.

An approach called “active learning” that engages students in their education through hands-on activities, small-group instruction, and community involvement is the cornerstone of the plan. AED will work closely with Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport to:

• Train half of the country’s teaching workforce on how to instruct students using active learning;
  
• Refurbish and update model schools in the country so they are properly equipped for active learning instruction; and
  
• Reorganize the teacher-training programs so that all future teachers in the country are skilled in active learning practices.
  

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