Turkey - Industrial Schools Project

 Industrial schools project Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Turkey; Region: Europe And Central Asia; Sector: Education Adjustment; Major Sector: Education; ProjectID: P008958 Turkey: Industrial Schools Project (Loan 2536-TU) The Turkey Industrial Schools project, supported by Loan 2536-TU for US$57.7 million, was approved in FY85. The loan was closed on December 31, 1994, after two one-year extensions, at which time the balance of US$1.98 million was canceled. (The balance was partly a result of cost savings.) The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) was prepared by the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office. The borrower's full report on the implementation and achievements of the project is appended to the ICR. The project was designed to support government vocational programs to improve industrial productivity and promote overall economic growth through: (a) enhancing the quality of training programs, (b) increasing the quantity of trained industrial manpower, and (c) improving the planning and management capacity of the Directorate of Technical and Vocational Education in the Ministry of National Education (MNE). To achieve these objectives, the project financed equipment, curriculum development, textbook production, teacher training, and studies. The project's objectives were partially fulfilled. Targets for equipping schools were surpassed, and enrollments in the industrial schools were considerably higher than expected. However, since most students of these schools were eligible for entry to higher education, few actually entered the market as technical workers in their specialty. Objectives intended to improve instructional quality proved difficult to implement. Partly because of incorrect advice by the Bank, curriculum development focused on old rather than emerging technologies. Specializations were narrowly defined and focused excessively on vocational skills training, and did not give students the basic skills needed for effective work performance in any vocation. Establishing linkages with industry also proved to be difficult, in part because project management was too centralized. The management improvement (institutional development) objective proved difficult, due to the moderate technical assistance resources provided under the project in proportion to MNE needs. The Operations Evaluation Department (OED) rates project outcome as satisfactory because training targets were accomplished despite methodological design problems. Bank performance is rated unsatisfactory (satisfactory in the ICR). During preparation, the Bank paid insufficient attention to methodological issues, management requirements, scheduling of project activities, terms of reference for consultants, and budget monitoring. Ownership by stakeholders was also neglected. According to borrower statements, advice during implementation was not very effective in providing solutions to problems. In accordance with the ICR, OED rates institutional development as moderate. However, OED rates sustainability as uncertain (likely in the ICR), given the lack of training and funds to make equipment operational as well as the out-of-date curricula that were developed. The project shows that vocational education is best implemented when the responsible agency is strong and well prepared to forge linkages with industry and develop curricula that offer students and employers information on state- of-the art technology. Provision of equipment without training and support may be insufficient to improve the quality of instruction. To increase trained manpower in a country, graduates must be willing to enter the labor market rather than pursue higher studies. The ICR is satisfactory, providing a clear and comprehensive account of project implementation. It also provides a detailed set of actions the government plans to carry out in order to overcome project weaknesses. The ICR includes borrower comments which provide a candid criticism of project performance. An audit is planned.