Report on the 2009-10 Dzud Disaster Impact on Schools, Kindergartens, Children and Teachers in Mongolia

The goal of the research is to understand and reveal the impact of Dzud on Preschool, Primary and Secondary education in order to provide short- and long-term recommendations for education stakeholders in Mongolia. The research methods used include three interrelated components: (1)  Case study research in 10 schools (including 6 that were “Extremely Affected” according to NEMA’s classification, February 8, 2010) and 6 kindergartens (including 4 that were “Extremely Affected”); (2)  A survey for School Directors (these included schools and kindergartens in rural soums, aimag centres and in UB city), to which 116 School and Kindergarten Directors responded; and (3)  A survey for educational authorities, to which Education and Culture Departments in 16 aimags and 6 city districts responded. Children in schools and kindergartens continued their studies throughout the Dzud period: classrooms remained open, teachers were present and there were no changes in the availability of teaching and learning materials. However, 26 percent of School and Kindergarten Directors report that their schools/kindergartens were not functioning as normal during the Dzud period.