Announcement of Twenty-Five Million US Dollars Loan for Textbook and Curricula Development on March 18, 1976

•world Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. • Telephone: (202) 393-6360 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 76/24 March 18, 1976 $25 MILLION LOAN FOR TEXTBOOK AND CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT A World Bank loan of $25 mill ion will help to increase the institutional capacity for the continuous development and supply of relevant textbook material in the Philippines. Approximately 27 mill ion textbooks will be produced and distributed in the first phase of a program to introduce 98 mill ion new textbooks into public, primary and secondary schools by 1984. The project being assisted by the Bank will provide technical assistance, equipment and facilities~ It is designed: (a) to expand the functions of the Textbook Board for management of textbook development at all stages; (b) to establish or extend five curriculum development centers to develop curricula and to write, test and revise textbooks; (c) to establish 14 staff development • centers and 34 development high schools as a network for testing books and training 250,000 teachers in the use of the new textbooks; and (d) to establish a distribution system consisting of one national and 107 provincial and sub- provincial warehouses for transporting books from printers to schools. In addition to the textbook component, the project will help to establish an educational management information system to provide a regular flow of up-to-date information, and finance a pre-investment study on use of educational mass media, particularly satel 1 ite communication. The project is in 1 ine with the priority being given by the Government of the Philippines to improve educational quality, to strengthen educational administration and to redress imbalances in educational opportunities between the rural and urban areas. The project is the third World Bank operation in the field of education in the Philippines. In 1964, the Bank made a $6 million loan to help finance the expansion of the College of Agriculture of the University of the Philippines. An International Development Association credit of $12.7 mill ion, made in 1972, is helping to finance the development of technical and vocational and the improvement of curriculum development and teacher training. The loan being made to the Republic of the Philippines is on Third Window terms; it will have a repayment period of 25 years, including 7 years of grace, with interest at 4! percent per annum. An additional 4 percent will • be paid to the Bank by the Interest Subsidy Fund, representing the difference between the Bank's standard rate and the charge to the borrower. Note: Honey figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents.  T E CHN I CA L DAT A PROJECT: COUNTRY: TOTAL COST: Third Education Philippines $51.6 million • BANK Fl NANCI NG: $25 mi 11 ion, Thi rd Wind~, terms OTHER FINANCING: Government budgetary allocations IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Project implementation unit estab1 ished in the Department of Education and Culture, Manila, for the second education project will be responsible generally for overall administration, financial control and 1 iaison with the World Bank and for the technical assistance components of the project. The Textbook Board of the Department of Educaticn and Culture will be responsible for curricula development, teacher training, and textbook production and distribution to schools. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Consists of: (1) procuring furniture and equipment for the Textbook Board; (2) constructing 1 furnishing and equipping two new and, furnishing and equipping three existing curriculum development centers; (3) curriculum development, writing, testing and revising textbooks (about 71 titles) for five primary and five secondary school subjects; (4) training of about 250,000 public elementary and secondary teachers in the use of the new textbooks; (5) equipping 14 staff. development centers and 34 development. high schools for testing textbooks and teacher training; (6) purchasing paper for, and printing and binding of 27 million textbooks and their distribution to public elementary and secondary schools; (7) constructing, furnishing and equipping one national and 107 provincial and sub-provincial warehouses; and (8) evaluation of the textbook program. The project will also provide for (i) the introduction of a management information system in the Department of Education and Culture; (ii) a mass media pre-investment study, and (iii) technical assistance in the form of training, fellowship and specialist services. PROCUREMENT: Contracts will be grouped to the maximum extent possible. Civil works contracts exceeding $500,000, contracts for supply of paper above $100,000, and for equipment and furniture contracts exceeding $50,000 wi11 be awarded following international competitive bidding. Contracts below these amounts and those for printing will ~e awarded on the basis of competitive bidding advertised locally and in accordance with Government procedures which are acceptable. Foreign firms will be allowed to participate. Local equipment, furniture and paper manufacturer will be allowed a margin of preference of 15 percent or actual customs duty, whichever is lower. In addition, miscellaneous items, under contracts not exceeding $10,000 equivalent, up to an aggregate amount of $250,000, will be purchased locally on the basis of at least three price quotations. CONSULTANTS: The project includes local and expatriate specialist services for textbook production and distribution, evaluation, the management information system and the mass media pre-investment study. 4lt ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1980 - 0 -