Announcement of Financing of Consultants to Study Secondary School Building Designs in Tunisia on July 8, 1963

... ...J FOR IMMEDl,AT~ RELEAs~· ' • INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION Al'~D DEVELOPMENT 1818 H STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON 25, D. C. TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE3-6360 July 8, 1963 S~bject: Technical Assistance for Tunisia The Government of Tunisia and the World Bank have agreed to join in financing the cost of engaging qualified consultants to make a study of secondary school building designs, standards and proceduxes and to design three prototype secondary schools. Tne work is intended to assist the Government to improve the functional suitability of school buildings and reduce school building costs. The Bank's con- tribution to the cost of the work is estimated at the equivalent of $375,000 and • that of the Tunisian Government at about $180,000 • Tunisia's development planning lays great stress on education. The country has few naturaJ. resources; although it has almost the same land area as England or New York State, ab01ut two-thirds is infertile or desert. In these circum- stances, improvement of the living standards of the four million inhabitants is particularly dependent on the development of human skills to form the basis for more productive agriculture and the expansion of industry and services. There has already been a substantial increase in the number of children, both girls and. boys, in schools in recent years and the need for new schools is growing. To help Tunisia meet immediate requirements, the International Development Association, an affiliate of the Bank, extended a credit of $5 million to Tunisia in September 1962 for secondary and technical school construction. With assistance from UNESCO, the Tunisian Government is now engaged in formulating a long-term plan for the develop- • ment of edllcation. Construction of the new schools that will be needed to imple- ment the plan will place a hea:vy financial burden on Tunisia, and the Bank's • - 2 - assistance is designed to keep this burden as light as possible, while maintaining satisfactory standards. A team of archite~ts, engineers and quantity surveyors will be provided. by the London Group of Project Consultants, a British firm which has been retained by the~ Bank. In addition, the Bank has retained tw French school administrators to parti- cipate in -the work. The team will work in close cooperation with the Tunisian authorities and. under the general supervision of the Bank. A Coordinating Committee representing the Tunisian Ministries of Plan and Finance, Education and Public Works will be established in connection with the work of the consultant$~ The London Group of Project Consultants will study secondary and middle school building requirements, design standards, contracting procedures and building methods in Tunisia. They will review the status of the building industry and • school building costs. In the course of designing the prototype schools they will be able to test their observations in practice. The school administrators will contribute expert advice regarding the educational aspects involved and the characteristics and particular requirements of the Tunisian education system. The consultants will prepare a report containing a compilation of standards and pro- cedures for the design and construction of secondary schools -- general and tech- nical. The study will be completed in about a year's time • •