Nepal - Earthquake Emergency Schools

 Earthquake Emergency Schools Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Nepal; Region: South Asia; Sector: Other Education; Major Sector: Education; ProjectID: P010335 The Nepal Earthquake Schools Rehabilitation project, supported by Credit 2047-NEP in the amount of US$22.8 million, was approved in FY89. The project was closed in FY96, three years later than planned. US$1.6 million was canceled. Technical Assistance Support was provided by UNDP. The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) was prepared by the Bank’s field office in Nepal for the South Asia Regional Office. The borrower provided comments and also prepared its own evaluation, a summary of which is appended to the ICR. On August 21, 1988, an earthquake caused substantial damage in parts of eastern and central Nepal. In response this project was formulated with two objectives: (i) to provide immediate assistance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 2,350 schools (13,300 classrooms), and (ii) to introduce earthquake-resistant design features in the new buildings. Local community involvement in the construction of schools, by providing local construction materials and labor for construction and porterage, was an essential element in project design. The project made a promising start. Comprehensive planning was completed, an organizational structure established and staffed, procedures established, pilot designs tested and manpower skills developed. However, this could not be sustained due to a number of problems: trade problems with India that caused supply shortages, political unrest that led Government to freeze contracts, initial weak community response, and disputes about procurement regulations. By the original closing date (February 1993) only 35 percent of the project’s physical objectives had been completed. But at that time future prospects seemed bright: the school design had been further improved, communities showed much greater interest, logistical systems had been further streamlined, and substantial procurement was underway. Taking this into account, and the need of Nepalese children for schools, the project was extended by a total of three years and during this period was refocused on the mountainous districts where results had been most difficult to achieve. At project closing 15,300 classrooms had been constructed, 15 percent over the original target. But the final completion of the project’s basic shell structures with community resources proved much more difficult and time- consuming, especially in poor areas. More than half the classrooms still need some works to be completed, but this is expected to be achieved. However, since in many areas shell structures can already be used, an estimated 85 percent of the buildings are used as schools. This was not a timely emergency operation, but as a school reconstruction program it was quite successful. The Operations Evaluation Department agrees with the ICR ratings. Project outcome is rated as satisfactory, and sustainability as likely. Substantial institutional and logistical capacity was created, but coordination between the construction and education ministries remained weak. Institutional development is rated as modest, and Bank performance as satisfactory. A project on this scale had never been attempted before in Nepal. Project success can largely be explained by a functional inter-ministerial project board, a decentralized management structure, use of a simple uniform technical design, and the use of contract staff and grant-based technical assistance. However, while it might have complicated matters, the introduction of design variants from the beginning to deal with geographic, climatic, and population- density differences would have improved the overall quality of the schools. This project also confirms that, even in a country with a tradition of community participation, such participation can be difficult to achieve and requires very considerable, sustained effort. The ICR is satisfactory, although it lacks a concise plan for the operational phase. No audit is planned.