This report is intended to assist the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia by making recommendations for elaborating a conceptual framework for new specialized senior secondary school models. The broader context for this report is the ongoing, vibrant reform of the entire Mongolian education sector, from preschool through university. The report targets the high-level skills, which will be required in the coming global economy, to enable the greatest contributions to the Mongolian economy. The goal of the report is to contribute to policy and planning for the eventual establishment of approximately 30 specialized senior secondary schools in Mongolia.

A number of recommendations are made with regard to the establishment of specialized senior secondary education in Mongolia. Many of them relate directly to specialized senior secondary education. But, since primary and junior secondary education provide the background preparation for the students who will enter specialized senior secondary education, there are also recommendations about those educational levels, so as better to prepare students for admission into and success in specialized senior secondary education.

While the subject of this report is a conceptual framework, it also provides some guidance on implementation of specialized senior secondary education. In particular, the following elements of implementation are covered: required legislation, curriculum development, pilot programs, teacher capacity, development of the national entrance examination and application, and provision for specialized infrastructure.

Mongolia is at an exciting moment, both in the improvement of its educational system and in the development of the country as a whole. The former is inextricably linked to the latter, a point well recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and one to which it is wholeheartedly devoted. This report is a contribution and vote of confidence to its success.