Zambia - Education Rehabilitation

 ICRR 10343 Report Number : ICRR10343 ICR Review Operations Evaluation Department 1. Project Data : OEDID: OEDID : C2429 Project ID : P003200 Project Name : Education Rehabilitation Country : Zambia Sector : Primary Education L/C Number : Cr. 2429-ZA Partners involved : Netherlands (Dutch Trust Fund), other bilaterals and UNESCO Prepared by : Rebecca Macina Reviewed by : Linda A. Dove Group Manager : G. Ingram Date Posted : 06/30/1999 2. Project Objectives, Financing, Costs and Components : To reverse the deterioration of the education system and sustain education revitalization in a context of severe fiscal austerity. Objectives: a. To arrest further decline in education quality by supporting a series of interventions . b. To improve access to primary education through the rehabilitation and construction of physical facilities . c. To increase the capacity of the education sector to manage within a context of greatly circumscribed resources through: (1) the strengthening of education management and planning and (2) improvements in the Ministry of Education's capacity for policy formulation and analysis . Components: a. Quality : (1) Supply and distribute instructional and learning materials . (2) Improve the quality of examinations and the management of the Zambian Examinations Council . b. Rehabilitation and Construction : (1) Increase the number of new primary school classrooms by 1,000. (2) Reduce walking distances by improving the geographical distribution of school places in peri -urban areas. (3) Reduce incidence of school closures due to cholera in schools by improving water and sanitation facilities and by strengthening hygiene education . (4) Reduce the number of students in each class to 50 or less and increase the number of hours of instruction through the elimination of triple and quadruple shifts . (5) Finance the construction and furnishings of a total of 20 new primary schools in low-income peri-urban areas of Lusaka. c. Planning and Management : (1) Train 4,000 head teachers and 22 college tutors. (2) Train 20 inspectors and 20 education officers each year . (3) Supply the UNZA School of Education with reprographic facilities and some relevant journals and books . (4) Supply nine minibuses and additional vehicles for district inspectors . d. Management of Information : (1) Finance the improvement of the Ministry of Education database . (2) Develop a system for collecting, processing, utilizing and maintaining teachers' records as a basis for increasing efficiency in teacher management . (3) Support the creation of a documentation center in collaboration with UNESCO . e. Policy Studies : (1) Support 10 major studies in planning and policy analysis including the management of education, strategies to increase access to secondary education and the impact of basic schools, financing of education, teacher training and utilization, gender issues, etc . Costs: Costs Appraisal Estimate: $42.8 m. Actual: $40.4 m. Financing : Estimate IDA $32 m.; Dutch Trust Funds $3.1m.; Other Bilateral $1.9 m; Government $5.9m. Actual IDA $32 m.; Dutch Trust Funds $6.2m.; Other Bilateral $0.0 m.; Government $1.8m. Dutch Trust Funds were increased during implementation . Other bilaterals failed to deliver anticipated funding . 3. Achievement of Relevant Objectives : During the macroeconomic adjustment period and despite extremely parlous economic and financial circumstances, the project was able to achieve most of its physical and qualitative targets and to strengthen sector institutions through TA and training: 93% of the textbooks, 50% of the estimated teachers' guides, and 21% of the estimated reference books were procured and distributed; 78% of classrooms were rehabilitated or constructed, adding 32,000 additional places; and water and sanitation facilities were improved, especially for women . The Region has updated the ICR with information about the new MOE documentation center which became operational 9 months after the credit closed, once it was linked to the electrical mains and furniture was provided. The administration of examinations was strengthened and universal competency testing at grade 4 was developed; 10 examination officers were trained; Other training targets were substantially achieved . Nearly all of 4,000 headteachers were trained, and 45% of the inspectors and education officers . The management device avoiding the MOE was a reasonable strategy to ensure the project used the funds effectively and met its targets . At the design stage, the Bank decided that the newly -constituted MOE was incapable of managing the project in a timely manner, was too burdened by complex bureaucracy, and should be provided with substantial resources for strengthening under the project . Responsibility for oversight of project implementation was placed with an experienced project implementation unit (ZEPIU) that was not under the MOE. Coordination and oversight was to be provided through a steering committee under an MOE Deputy Secretary and with representation from participating sector agencies (exams., inspectorate, teacher training, and so on ). Primary education budgets were maintained and increased for the life of the project, though project financing from the budget was severely constrained below the commitment made by the borrower . The MOE budget rose substantially, though it declined to below pre -project levels in 1997. 4. Significant Achievements : The project prevented primary education from what the Bank and the Government believed was imminent collapse by providing significant physical and qualitative inputs at a difficult period when education was under pressure from the economic adjustment program. The ICR states that the new schools and places had very positive effects on the learning environment and reduced vandalism. Class sizes have been reduced to a maximum of 40--50, and triple shifts have been eliminated except in Lusaka. The improved physical environment, including the toilets for girls, contributed to an equal gender balance in project schools. Cholera, a major problem, has not reappeared and health improvements are attributed in part to school health inspections. 5. Significant Shortcomings : Institutional development achievements did not fully meet expectations in a key area affecting the prospects for sustainability. The project management arrangement proved incompatible in practice with the objective of enhancing the MOE's capacity to manage projects and play an effective part in sustaining education revitalization . The steering committee proved weak, the MOE remained at a distance and the borrower and the Bank failed to attend to the problems. The benefits to the MOE were below expectations as a result . The development of plans for the re-integration of ZEPIU into the Ministry were delayed . Many problems are attributable to funding shortages and weak administrative capacity . Poor distribution capacity and storage facilities for textbooks and materials, particularly for the rural areas, remained a problem at completion and puts at risk the sustainability of benefits from the new instructional materials . Only the funding intended for the first phase of the studies materialized . They were undertaken by a project Policy Study Unit and not by relevant department of the University of Zambia, as had been envisioned . This arrangement resulted in the "isolation of the policy studies ", as noted in the mid-term review by the University and the MOE . The completed studies were only a beginning because their quality varied though they did provide inputs into a developing sector program. At the start, the prospects for donor partnership were good . Although the Netherlands was the only other cofinancier, bilaterals such as DfID were funding complementary activities . SIDA initially agreed to contribute but withdrew . The Unesco-assisted component was not smoothly implemented . Partnership apparently proved more difficult that anticipated, though the ICR does not comment . 6. Ratings : ICR OED Review Reason for Disagreement /Comments Outcome : Satisfactory Marginally Satisfactory For a fully satisfactory outcome rating, the project would need to have fulfilled all of its objectives efficiently, with only minor shortcomings. The ICR shows that the project was fully satisfactory in providing immediate inputs to prevent collapse of primary education but failed to strengthen the MOE's capacities. Since project objectives gave importance to this institutional strengthening because of the long-term benefits for subsector policy, planning and management, they weigh heavily in OED's outcome rating For this reason, the overall outcome is rated as satisfactory, though marginally so . Institutional Dev .: Partial Modest The Region and OED agree that some institutional developments in sector agencies were achieved but there were also significant shortcomings . In particular, the project's failure to involve the MOE suggests that primary education development continues to suffer from fragmented policy, planning, management and oversight even though the ICR states that ownership of the follow-up operation has improved. Sustainability : Likely Uncertain Despite the enormous challenges, the project is technically sustainable but less certainly so on other grounds . The Bank's and other donor's commitment to a follow-on operation are likely to support project benefits for some years, though the ICR does not indicate precisely how the investments will be maintained under severe resource constraints . Sustainability in terms of political, budgetary and institutional sustainability in an unstable economic and political environment remains uncertain. Bank Performance : Satisfactory Satisfactory Bank performance was satisfactory overall in an extremely difficult context, and though significant shortcomings render this rating somewhat generous . The Bank identified a project that was highly relevant to country needs and Bank strategy and supported preparation well . The main shortcomings were the complexity of design; the unrealistic expectations for developing sectoral capacities at the same time as addressing  huge, immediate needs viewed a needing urgent attention; and the failure to forestall problems of MOE coordination during implementation despite the known risks. This last issue may well have been beyond the control of the Bank to influence, though the ICR specifically state this. Borrower Perf .: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The Borrower owns and has prime responsibility for the project, not the Bank . The unsatisfactory rating reflects should not detract from the satisfactory efforts made by many sector agencies to implement the project and meet targets . However, all government agencies involved did not meet standards for a fully satisfactory performance because project coordination was poor, efficiency was patchy and there were failures in meeting legal requirements for monitoring and oversight and the provision of counterpart funds. Thus, the borrower's performance overall does not meet OED standards for a fully satisfactory performance . Quality of ICR : Satisfactory 7. Lessons of Broad Applicability : OED The project illustrates a dilemma in reconstruction projects . Immediate inputs can stem collapse but do not assure sustainability. On the other hand, managers are ill -equipped in emergency situations to address long -term funding and institutional capacity issues which determine the prospects for sustainability and the maintenance of the investments made in physical and human capacities . Under normal circumstances, capacity and ownership can be strengthened through training and assigning clear responsibilities and accountabilities for implementation and results . The project experience shows that building ownership warrants high priority, even where this means some cost to the speed and timeliness of implementation . In this case, the project aimed to achieve both emergency and longer -term objectives. The experience shows that meeting both objectives in the project period was not feasible because the basic requirements of ownership, adequate institutional capacity and counterpart budgets were absent . ICR Assembling the appropriate project team is a key factor in successful supervision . Bank staff should provide technical advice to Government and sufficient support for this exercise . Expertise in education and in other technical fields such as construction and financial management is required . 8. Audit Recommended? Yes No Why? To re-assess sustainability after the follow -up operations and the Bank's development effectiveness in the education sector in Zambia . 9. Comments on Quality of ICR : The ICR is clear, rich and well-organized. It is fair and objective in identifying the project's successes and shortcomings but leaves gaps in evaluating issues affecting the rating of Bank and borrower performance, and on partnership issues. The individual rating of each project component with rationale for the rating is both effective and informative. This excellent feature is marred, however, because some ratings are not supported fully by evidence provided and appear inflated .