Dominican Republic - Education Project

c. :36 FILE COPY RESTRICTED F ILE COPY Report No. PE-20a This report was prepared for use within the Bank and its affiliated organizations. They do not accept responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The report may not be published nor may it be quoted as representi-ng their views. INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION APPRAISAL OF AN EDUCATION PROJECT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC November 12, 1970 Education Projects Department  CURRUf EUIWAMrS 1 U.S. dollar * 1 R.D. peso MEASURES i 2 - 1.20 sq. yd. or 10.76 sq. ft. 1 kK2 - 0.38 sq. mlues 1 hectare - 2.47 acres  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF AN EDUCATIION PRO.hECT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. BASIC DATA SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................................... i I. IINTRODUCTION ................ I1 The Request. 1 Socio-economic Background ...........1 ................. 1 The Education System and the Recent Reform. 2 II. M{ANPOWER-EDUCATION NEEDS AND EDUCATION FINANCE 4 Labor Force and Labor Market .......................... 4 Manpower Requirements and Shortages-General .4 Employment for Secondary School Leavers. 5 Teachers for Primary Schools. 5 Need for Structural Changes and Quality Improvement 6 Education Finance ................. ........ 6 III. TIE PROJECT. 8 General. 8 Lower Secondary Schools. 8 Multilateral Secondary Schools. 9 Primary Teacher Training Colleges. 9 Technical Assistance .................... I , 10 Cost of the Project . 10 IV. IMPLEMENTATION AND DISBURSEMENT .13 Administration-Project Unit .13 Professional Services ................................. 13 Land ............................ ................ 13 Procurement .13 Disbursements .13 V. RECOMMENDATIONS .14 This report is based on the findings of an appraisal mission which visited the Dominican Republic during Aprill-May 1970. The mission consisted of Messrs. D. Th. I<oulourianos (economist), R. Byron (technical educator), N. Fisher (general educator, consultant) and L. 6ecco Larravide (architect, consultant).  -2- Table of Contents (Conttd) APPENDIX I - EDUCATION AND TRAINING APPENDIX II - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE LIST OF ANNEXES AND CHARTS ANNEX 1. Primary School Enrollment and Teacher Needs 2. Basic Economic Data 3. Education Expenditures 4. Project School Details 5. Contingencv Allowances 6. Capital Unit Costs in New Project Institutions 7. Estimated Schedule of Disbursements CHART 1. Organization of the Secretariat for Education 2. Structure of the Education System, 1969-70 3. Enrollment and Population Pyramids, 1968-69 4. Primary and Secondary Enrollments 5. Project Implementation Schedule MAP  JOM%INICiAN tl-UBlC BASIC DATA General Total Area 418,700 km.2 Total Population (1969) 4.17 million Urban Population (1969) 1.38 million Population Growth (1960-69): Total 3.6% p.a. Urban 4.6% p.a. 2 Population Density 85.6 per knr. Gross National Product (1969) US$1,248 million (at current market prices) GNP per capita (1969) W$299 GNP growth rate: 1964-69 2.0% p.a. (at constant prices) 1966-69 4.6% p.a. L;ectoral Distribution of GDP (1969): (at current prices) Agriculture 2h4.2% industry 16,0% Government 8. 5V Transport and Communications 6.8% Con,,truction 4.6% Mining 1.3% (ther 38.4% Government revenue as a percentage of GNEP (1969) 17.2% Education, 1968/69 Primary school enrollment as a percentage of age group 7-12 103.2% Percentage of age group 7-12 enrolled in primary schools 80.2% Secondary school enrollment as a percentage of age group 13-18 17% Literacy rate 55% Government expenditure devoted to education 16.9% Total expenditure on education as a percentage of GNP 3.7%   DOMINICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF AN EDUCATION PROJECT SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS i. The proposed project concentrates on the secondary level of the educational system and is designed to assist the Government of the Domini- can Republic in its efforts to: (a) implement its recent education reform; (b) improve the quality and relevance of secondary education; and (c) meet specific manpower needs. ii. The new structure of secondary education provides for a conumion four-year lower secondary program with emphasis on mathematics, sciences, pre-vocational subjects and career guidance followed by a two-year diver- sified upper secondary program with emphasis on pre-vocational education in industrial arts, commerce and home economics. Primary teacher training would also he offered at the upper secondary level in separate colleges. iii. The acute shortage of qualified primary school teachers is ex- pected to continue through the 1970's even if primary enrollmenL expansion slows from the 7.4% p.a. of the recent years. Employment for th3e graduates of the old academic secondary schiool will become increasingly difficult and thle need for schools that prepare more readily employable graduates is urgent. iv. The project would finance: (a) Construction and equipment for: - tlhree new lower secondary schools and equipment only for three existing; - six new multilateral upper secondary schools; - two new primary teacher colleges and extension of tlhree others. (b) Technical assistance for the preparation of a comprehiensive long term education plan, strengthening the administration of the educational system, and guidance on teaching methods and school organization. (c) A unit for the implementation and overall supervision of tilt} project. v. In accordance with the government's policy of decentralization, 14 of the 17 project schiools would be appropriately located in the provinces. Adequate numbers of qualified students and teachiing staff would be avaiLa-- ble for all project sciioois.  - ii - vi. A project implementation unit is being established within the Ministry of Education to supervise the iniplementation of the project. Thie buildings would be designed by consulting architectural firms and construct- ed by private construction firms. Contracts for civil works and procurement of materials, furniture and equipment would conforr. to the Batik/'DA gl~ LeU- lines on international competitive bidding. Domestic nmanufaccurers ot furniture would be accorded a preferential margin equal to 15%' of the s costs of competing imports or the exiztiiur rate of import dutv, whichever ;s lower. vii. Construction is expected to be completed within three vears of th[e credit agreenment signiLg. vili . 'rhe government should be able to provide its snare of the capital cost of the project and meet the recurrent costs it will generate without compromising other h,igh priority needs ei rhcr in education or in other government activities. ix. The project is suitable for al IDA credit of US$4.() million, about 50%. of the estimated total project cost of US$8.1 million anid equal to the estimated foreLign exchange component.  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Appraisal of an Education Project I. INTRODUCTION The Request 1.01 Following an IBRD/UNESCO reconnaissance-identification mission in June 1969, the Government of the Dominican Republic approached the Association in January 1970 with a request for financial assistance for an education project it had prepared with help from UNESCO. In April/May 1970 a Bank mission comprising Messrs. D. Th. Koulourianos (economist), R. Byron (technical educator), N. Fisher (general educator, consultant) and L. Secco Larravide (architect, consultant) visited the Dominican Republic to appraise the project. 1.02 During appraisal the proposed project was modified: (i) to take into account the future prospects and capacities of the institutions in- volved, and (ii) to conform better with educational priorities and estimated manpower needs. The project as modified would consist of: a) construction and equipment for: - three new lower secondary schools and equipment only for three existing; - six new multilateral upper secondary schools, - two new primary teacher colleges and extension of three others. b) 13 man-years of specialists' services and 8 man-years of fellow- ships for the preparation of a comprehensive long term education plan, strengthening the administration at the educational system, and guidance on teaching methods and school organization. c) A unit for the implementation and supervision of the project. Tlie total cost of the project is estimated at US$8.15 million and the foreign exchiange component at US$4.04 million. Socio-economic Background 1.03 The Dominican Republic, covering two-thirds of the island of Ilis- paniola, is one of the most densely populated countries in the Western lIemisphere - 86 inhabitants per km,. The population of the country has doubled in the last 20 years and is growing at the rate of 3.6% p.a. Urban population accounts for one-third of the total and is growing at 4.6% p.a. Santo Domingo, with 660,000 inhabitants, is the main economic and administrative center, and receives most of the rural population outflow; 14 cities have populations in excess of 15,000. The rural population is scattered in small villages, and this makes it difficult to provide equal educational opportunities and to improve living conditions. With 47% of the  -2- population under 15 years of age, the demand for school places is very high. Spanish is the spoken language and the language of instruction in all schools. TThe Education System and the Recent Reform (Appendix I) 1.04 The failures and needs of the education system were stated in broad terms by the government in its 1968 "Platform for Economic and Social Development of the Dominican Republic". In pursuance of the ob- jectives of the Platform the government first turned its attention to the problems of primary and secondary education, identifying two mutually rein- forcing needs: i) to expand and improve the quality of secondary education, and ii) to provide teacher training colleges, post-secondary institutions, and the economy with better qualified secondary school leavers; in their turn, better trained teachers would improve primary and secondary educa- tion. 1 05 To achieve these goals the government has given legal effect (Decree 2/69, Dec. 28, 1968) to the secondary education reforms proposed by the Ministry of Education and the National Council on Education. From the academic year 1969-70, secondary education will change from the 2 + 4 pattern to a new common four-year lower cycle (grades 7-10), followed by a new two-year (grades 11-12) diversified course. Revision of curricula for secondary education will ensure for the lower cycle an intensification of mathematics and science, an introduction to pre-vocational education in the fields of industrial arts, commerce and agriculture, and a guidance pro- gram. At the upper cycle, emphasis will be placed upon pre-vocational education in industrial arts, home economics, and commerce. The subdivision of academic courses into philosophy, natural science and mathematics would be replaced by a basic common course and electives. Primary teacher training will be offered, as before, in separate colleges, and will consist of a two year (grades 11-12) instead of a three year (grades 10-12) course. 1.06 A Certificate of Secondary Studies will be awarded upon comple- tion of the lower cycle and will qualify the student for admission to the upper cycle of secondary education or to a primary teacher college. The upper cycle courses will lead to a Iligh School Diploma, academic or tech- nical, either of which will qualify the holder for university admission. The reform is now being gradually implemented in both secondary general education and teacher training. The government intends to extend the reform to cover all types and levels of education. 1.07 Primary Education, consisting of a six-year cycle starting at age seven is provided free in public schools and is compulsory between the ages of 7-14; in practice, however, the law is not enforced. Since 1965, primary enrollment has grown at 7.4% per year to reach 686,500 in 1969. This represents 103% of the age group 7-12 but if overage pupils are excluded, the ratio is 80%. Expansion has not been matched by a quali- tative improvement, especially in the rural areas where standards are low. Fewer than half of the pupils complete primary education without repetition, while late starters and repeaters boost enrollment in the first two grades.  - 3 - 1.08 The most striking feature of priimary educationi is rLue sub-SLaildcitk level of teaching. Almost half of the teacliers lhave hlad eight years or less of education and only 18% are trained teachiers. Physical facilities are sub-standard, and the average pupil-teacher ratio is a high 56 to 1. 1.09 Secondary Education enrollment doubled in the last five years to reach 91,400 in 1968/69, equivalent to 17% of the relevant age group. In rural areas, only the lower grades are available and enrollment accounts for only 8% of the total. Vocational secondary education developed out- side the public system through the initiative of religious orders and business organizations and accounts for only 3% of total secondary en- rollment. Primary teacher training is offered at grades 11-12 in five small colleges with a total enrollment of 530 in 1968/69. The supply of qualified secondary school teachers, the construction of new facilities and the provision of equipment lhave not kept pace with enrollment expan- sion, and the quality of instruction has suffered as a result. About 60% of the teaching staff is not qualified and there are serious shortages of teachers in mathematics, sciences and practical subjects. Efficiency is low, as repeaters and overage students comprise 53% of total enrollment while only 48% of first year entrants complete the six-year course. Pri- vate and aided schools, concentrated in the urban areas, are an important part of secondary education, and enroll 27% of all secondary students. 1 10 Hligher Education is the aspiration of all secondary school stu- dents in the country. The university system comprises two private univer- sities established in the 1960's, and one public university whose effective- ness has been impaired in recent years by internal political dissension. About ten other private institutions offer post-secondary vocational courses of 1-2 years; along with the private universities, they are heavily subsidized by tihe government. iiigher education enrollment more than doubled in the last four years to about 12,000 in 1969; it is estimated that another 3,000 Dominicans are studying abroad. Almost nine-tenths of all ihigher education is offered by institutions located in Santo Domingo. A marked feature of university education is the "university college", common in many Latin American countries, designed to prepare secondary school graduates to meet university entrance standards. Enrollment in this "college" often accounts for more than one-third of the university's total; repetition is highi, and unrealistic expectations, followed by bitter frustrations, are created there. Most of the students follow courses in humanities, social sciences, law and medicine, and only 27% are enrolled in science and technical faculties.  II. MANPOWER - EDUCATION NEEDS AND EDUCATION FINANCE Labor Force and Labor Market 2.01 The economically active population of the Dominican Republic Ln- creased by 3.5, p.a. in the 1960's to reach 1.1 million in 1969, approxi- miately one-quarter of the total population. Agriculture accounts for 55% of enmployment, industry for 13% and construction and services for the ba- lance. TI-ie continuous outflow from rural areas converts disguised under- employment in agriculture into identifiable urban unemployment. Due to the economic adversities of the 1960's and the government's "austerity law", the creation of neiw jobs did not keep pace with the expansion of the urban labor force. hlard core unemployment, petty jobs and underemployment are common phenomena in the cities; the government's figure for unemploymeLnt at 7.6% of the economically active population is probably an underestimate. School enrollments in the fifties and sixties and the 1960 population census suggest a low but improving educational background of the labor force. 2.02 The labor market is not well organized and widespread unemploy- ment makes it a buyers' market, particularly for unskilled workers. More- over, price stability has helped private employers and the government to resist wage increase demands. Wages for unskilled labor, about $2 per day, have not changed in the last four years; skilled workers and tech- nicians lhave enjoyed modest wage increases. Qualified primary school teachers receive modest but competitive salaries beginning at $1,625 per year, about five times the per capita income. Professional fees are relatively high, while the shortage of managers has pushed salaries to levels comparable with those in developed countries. Manpower Requirements and Shortages - General 2.03 Since a comprehensive manpower survey is lacking, only scanty manpower information is available. The draft Development Plan estimates the new jobs to be created during the period 1970-74 to be 212,000 - about 50% in agriculture, 11% in industry and mines, and the rest in construction and services. If this goal is realized, it will increase the 1969 employ- ment level by 21% and reduce unemployment to 5.4% by 1974. Considering the present underemployment in agriculture, however, the number of expected new jobs in that sector appears an overestimate. At the end of the plan period, services will remain the main sector of wage employment. In general, during the plan years, employment is expected to increase more slowly (4% p.a.) than national income (6.6% p.a.) as the economy becomes more capital intensive. 2.04 During the next five years no substantial shortage of higher level manpower is anticipated, except for experienced managers, adminis- trators and qualified secondary school teachers. At the middle level, the need for an estimated 5,000 technicians during the plan years is ex- pected to be met by the output of the existing schools. The supply of qua- lified primary teachers, however, will fall below needs. The role of the  -5- education system in increasing the supply of high level managers is limited because of the importance of experience in this field. The universities of the country were not geared to provide the fast expanding secondary education with qualified teachers in the 1960's; lack of a comprehensive plan, together with administrative and organizational inefficiencies, still keep the output of the faculties of education at unacceptably low levels. The authorities recognize the magnitude of the problem and the need for action in this area. The UNDP is considering the possibility of providing technical assistance to help the country in formulating a secondary teacher training plan. Employment for Secondary School Leavers 2.05 In the past, almost all secondary school leavers could either en- roll in post-secondary institutions or find jobs in the civil service where general education is usually the only requirement. Since the number of secondary school leavers has been increasing much faster than university places and government service jobs, a greater number of them are now seek- ing employment outside public administration in the sectors of production and especially in private firms. 2.06 The graduate of the academic general secondary school is ill- prepared for most of the jobs in the sectors of production, because he has only basic general education. The service and industrial sectors, where most secondary school leavers seek employment, are becoming more sophisticate and expect applicants to have a pre-vocational background on which to build experience and on-the-job training. To provide the economic system with more trainable graduates, the secondary school curriculum should be revised to include pre-vocational courses. Teachers for Priniary Schools 2.07 Together with administrative and financial shortcomings, the ab- sence of a comprehensive education plan to relate teacher training to proj- ected primarv school enrollments is responsible for the present acute short- age of qualifi ed primary school teachers. The output of the teacher training colleges has remained almost constant despite a 33% increase in primary school enrollmentt between 1965 and 1969. Teachers trained during the period were less than one-fifth of the required number, but the colleges are still operating below capacity. As a stop-gap measure, unqualified teachers have been hired. 2.08 Even if the increase in primary school enrollments slows from the 7.4% p.a. of the last four years to an annual rate of 3.J% in the 1970.s - a reasonable estimate if one considers the great number of over- age pupils now in school - about 18,600 teachers will be required by 1980. Withour allowing for desperately needed quality improvement and assuml).n,., thtal the capacity of the teacher training colleges will be fuiLly ut1fi eZt..,