More Room to Learn: ADB Backs Mongolia’s Schools With $130 Million

The funding represents the second additional financing for an ongoing project, with new capacity expected to accommodate 11,000 more students and preschoolers.

For children sharing overcrowded classrooms or attending schools that operate in multiple shifts, access to a suitable learning space remains a daily challenge in Mongolia. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $130 million loan to help ease those pressures, supporting the construction and expansion of schools and kindergartens alongside improvements in teaching materials and education management. The funding represents the second additional financing for an ongoing project, with new capacity expected to accommodate 11,000 more students and preschoolers.

More Space for Children to Learn

Rapid population growth and urbanization have placed increasing pressure on Mongolia's education system, leaving fast-growing urban neighbourhoods and underserved rural communities short of school and kindergarten places. Overcrowded classrooms and multi-shift schooling reflect the gap between the number of children needing education and the facilities available to serve them, making additional learning spaces a central part of the investment.

The project will construct, expand and equip 33 education facilities, including 12 in Ulaanbaatar and 21 across rural Mongolia. Their design will account for the needs of boys and girls of different ages, incorporating energy efficiency and disaster resilience measures to create safer, more suitable places to learn. The investment connects the need for additional classroom space with the practical demands of operating education facilities and protecting the children who use them.

Updated Textbooks and Support for Teachers

The changes extend into what children learn and how teachers support them, with funding for teaching and learning materials that match Mongolia's updated competency-based curriculum. These resources will be developed and distributed nationally, including 50 interactive digital textbooks for primary education and materials tailored for children with disabilities, helping schools respond to a wider range of learning needs.

Teachers and education managers will receive support to strengthen classroom instruction, student assessment and overall education quality. Better facilities can provide room for more children, and the investment in teaching addresses the learning experience inside those classrooms. ADB Country Director for Mongolia John Juhyun Jeong described education spending as an investment in the country's future, saying the support would help provide safe, modern facilities and give more children the opportunity to reach their potential.

Better Information to Guide Education Spending

Mongolia's Education Sector Information System will be upgraded into a modern Education Management Information System, giving education authorities stronger tools to analyse data and plan services using evidence. Improved information can help decision-makers understand pressures across the system and make more informed choices about education provision, connecting nationwide planning with the needs of schools and communities.

ADB's financing consists of a $63 million regular loan and a $67 million concessional loan from its ordinary capital resources, with the Government of Mongolia providing another $34 million in counterpart financing. The combined support brings together classroom construction, updated learning resources, staff development and stronger planning systems to address both the shortage of education places and the quality of learning available to children.