Jordan - Education Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 2494 PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT JORDAN FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) May 7, 1979 Operations Evaluation Department This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT JORDAN FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. GLOSSARY PREFACE PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET 11 HIGHLIGHTS vi PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT MEMORANDUM I. PROJECT SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND 1 II. MAIN ISSUES 2 Project Generation and Composition 2 Physical Implementation 3 Technical Assistance and Fellowships 3 Costs and Disbursements 4 Supervision by IDA 4 III. PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACT 5 IV. CONCLUSIONS 6 ATTACHMENT: PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT 7 SUMMARY 8 I. INTRODUCTION 10 II. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES 10 Socio-Economic Setting 10 Education and Training Development 11 Project Formulation 12 Project Design and Objectives 14 III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 15 Project Evolution and Management 15 Physical Implementation and Maintenance 17 Sites 17 Civil Works 17 Furniture and Equipment 19 Maintenance of Project Facilities 21 Implementation of Software Inputs 22 General 22 Curricula 22 Teachers 24 Technical Assistance 25 Covenants and Conditions 27 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Conz'd.) Page No. IV. PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCING 28 Disbursements 29 V. PROJECT OPERATING OUTCOMES 30 External Productivity 30 Effectiveness 31 Internal Efficiency 32 VI. IDA PERFORMANCE 34 VII. CONCLUSIONS 34 ANNEXES 1. Completion Report Methodology 37 2. Planned, Revised and Actual Implementation Schedule 38 3. Supervision Missions 39 4. Project Physical Facilities 40 5. Planned and Actual Enrollment in Project Institutions by Type of Program 41 6. Teacher Training: Room Use Ratio Summary 44 7. Fulfillment of Covenants and Conditions 45 8. Project Costs 46 9. Disbursements 47 GLOSSARY NPC National Planning Council MOE Ministry of Education MPW Ministry of Public Works PIU Project Implementation Unit CSS Comprehensive Secondary School TTI Teacher Training Institute PTTC Polytechnic and Trade Training Center ASS Agricultural Secondary School ATT Agricultural Teacher Training UKODM United Kingdom Ministry of Overseas Development  PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT JORDAN FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) PREFACE This is a performance audit of the First Education Project in Jordan (Credit 285-JO) for which a credit of US$5.4 million was approved in January 1972. The amount of the credit had been disbursed by February 2, 1979 with the exception of the sum of US$30,613.67 that was cancelled on that date. The audit report consists of a Project Performance Audit Memoran- dum prepared by the Operations Evaluation Department and a Project Comple- tion Report (PCR), dated September 25, 1978, prepared by the EMENA Regional Office. The audit is based on a review of the Government's credit application, the Appraisal Report (No. PE-36a), dated January 13, 1972, the Project Completion Report and material available in the Bank Group's files relating to this project. Discussions have been held with Bank Group staff currently and formerly associated with the project. In addition, the draft Project Performance Audit Report was sent to the Borrower who has indicated that it is complete and thus offered no comments. The audit memorandum concurs in the findings of the generally balanced PCR which makes as detailed an assessment of the pro- ject outcomes as is possible at this stage. The memorandum adds brief supplementary points on the project experience in order to emphasize some of its lessons. e - ii - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET JORDAN: FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) KEY PROJECT DATA Appraisal Item Expectation Actual Total project cost (US$ Million) 8.6 13.1 Overrun (%) -- 51/ Credit amount (US$ Million) 5.4 5.4 Disbursed as at )2/02/79 5.41 Cancelled ) Repaid to ) Outstanding as at)2/02/79 5.4 Date physical components completed 2/75 (36 months) 9/762/ (55 months) Proportion completed by above date (%) 50 90 Proportion of time overrun (%) -- 53 Institutional performance Good Good OTHER PROJECT DATA Actual or Original Plan Revisions Estimated Actual First mention in files -- -- 12/65 Government's application -- -- 4/4/70 Negotiations 11/71 -- 12/71 Board approval 1/72 -- 1/25/72 Credit agreement date 2/72 -- 2/11/72 Effectiveness date 5/11/72 7/11/72 7/27/72 Closing date 4/30/76 4/30/77 2/02/79 12/31/77 4/30/78 10/31/78 Borrower The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Executing Agency Ministry of Education Fiscal year of Borrower January 1 - December 31 Follow-on Project Name Second Education Project Credit number 534-JO Amount (US$ Million) 6.0 Credit agreement date 3/12/75 1/ 52% in US$ terms, but 37% in local currency terms. 2/ A small undisbursed balance of US$30,613.67 was cancelled on February 2, 1979. 3/ 90Z completed; however, project schools were in use from this date. - iii - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET (Cont'd.) MISSION DATA Month/ No. of No. of Man- Date of Item Sentby Year Weeks Persons Weeks Retort Reconnaissancel Bank GrouD/UNESCO Dec 68 1.6 2 2.6 1/2/69 Identification UNESCO Mar/Apr 69 4.0 4 14.0 August 69 Reconnaissance II Bank Group/UNESCO Jan/Feb 70 1.2 3 3.6 3/11/70 Preparation UNESCO Mar 70 2.8 5 13.0 4/4/70 Appraisal IDA June 70 1.0 4 4.0 6/29/70 Preappraisal IDA Apr 71 .8 1 .8 4/22/71 Appraisal IDA May/June 71 4.0 5 18.0 1/13/72 Total 56.0 Supervision I IDA Mar 72 1.2 1 1.2 4/6/72 II IDA Aug 72 1.2 1 1.2 9/11/72 III IDA Jan 73 1.0 2 2.0 3/1/73 IV IDA Aug 73 1.2 1 1.2 10/8/73 V./ IDA May/June 74 1.4 2 1.4 6/28/74 VI IDA Feb 75 1.0 1 0.5 3/21/75 VII IDA Nov/Dec 75 2.5 3 3.5 12/31/75 VIII IDA Aug 76 1.6 2 1.6 10/13/76 IX IDA July 77 1.5 2 1.5 8/25/77 X IDA Apr 78 .8 1 .2 5/4/78 Total 14.3 Completion IDA June/July 78 4.0 2 6.0 8/25/78 1/ Supervision Missions Nos. V - X devoted some time to reconnaissance, appraisal and supervision regarding other education projects. Thus a rough estimate has been made of the man-weeks attributable to this project. COUNTRY EXCHANGE RATES Name of currency Jordanian dinar (JD) Exchange rate: Appraisal year average US$1 - JD 0.357 Intervening years average US$1 = JD 0.324 Completion year average US$1 = JD 0.305 - iv - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET (Cont'd.) ALLOCATION OF CREDIT PROCEEDS (In US$) Original Actual Allocation Disbursement I. Civil Works 1,860,000 2,320,308.00 II. Consultant Services 300,000 269,907.22 III. Locally procured 140,000 69,152.68 furniture, equipment and books IV. Imported furniture, 1,800,000 2,541,248.34 equipment and books V. Technical assistance; 310,000 168,770.09 specialists, fellowships VI. Unallocated 990.000 -- Total disbursed 5,369,386.33 Cancelled (2/2/79) 30,613.67 Total 5,400,000 5,400,000.00 - v - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET (Cont'd.) SCHEDULE OF DISBURSENENTS (US$ millions) Actual as Appraisal % of Appraisal FY Semester Estimate Actual Estimate 73 1st 0.12 2nd 0.31 0.07 22.6 74 1st 1.29 0.13 10.1 2nd 2.29 0.16 7.0 75 1st 4.06 1.00 24.6 2nd 4.73 1.70 35.9 76 1st 5.07 3.20 63.1 2nd 5.40 4.50 83.3 77 1st 5.20 96.3 2nd 5.21 96.5 78 1st 5.23 96.9 2nd 5.31 98.3 79 1st 2nd 5.37 99.4 - vi - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT JORDAN FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) HIGHLIGHTS The first IDA credit for education in Jordan was signed in February 1972. It provided US$5.4 million to assist the Borrower in (a) the introduction of secondary comprehensive schooling and technician training, (b) the expansion of trade training facilities and (c) the improvement of general and agricultural teacher training. The project also financed technical assistance and fellowships to assist in the achievement of project objectives. The credit was eloesed in February, 1979 when US$30,000 remaining in the Credit Account was cancelled. The First Education Project in Jordan was justified and worth- while. It has been catalytic in that it stimulated educational planning, the concept of diversification of secondary education and the better integration of technical/vocational programs with the needs of the labor market. It has helped to develop project implementation capabilities and procedures. The Ministry of Education has strongly supported the new educational concepts introduced under the project. Implementation of the project was good, with the major delays being more attributable to an un- realistic appraisal schedule than to deficiencies in project administra- tion. This schedule was modified following the first supervision mission (para. 11, PCR para. 3.01). There were delays in recruiting technical assistance experts because of cumbersome UNESCO procedures (para. 9) and, as in several other education projects, the technical assistance expert component was not fully utilized while fellowship training was increased (para. 9, PCR paras. 3.28-3.30). A considerable amount of unsuitable furniture was procured because of deficiencies in design, workmanship and inspection before acceptance (para. 7, PCR paras. 3.17, 3.30). IDA adopted a commendably flexible approach in dealing with educational pro- grams during project implementation (para. 13, PCR para. 6.02). Other points of special interest are: (i) the greater than expected enrollment of women and girls in some of the project institutions (para. 12, PCR para. 5.05) and (ii) the need for improved procurement arrangements (para. 7, PCR para. 7.06).  PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT -EMORANDUM JORDAN FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) I. Project Summary and Background 1. The first formal indication of interest in educational borrowing was communicated by Jordan to UNESCO in November 1965 and relayed to the Bank Group in December. Because of a shortage of IDA funds, a Bank Group reconnaissance mission did not visit Jordan until December 1968. The Bank Group then decided to await the findings of an on-going USAID financed study of school building development in Jordan. This report was produced in December 1969 and was followed by project identification and preparation missions. After the abortion of an appraisal mission in June 1970 and the postponement of another in October 1970 -- because of the unsettled state of the country -- a proposed project was finally appraised in May/June 1971. 2. The UNESCO identification mission (March/April 1969) had pro- posed a project comprising a polytechnic, a trade training center, a vocational school for girls and an educational research and development center for curriculum development, in-service teacher training, audio visual aids, textbook production, educational broadcasting and science equipment development. The Government then presented a Bank Group/ UNESCO reconnaissance mission of January/February 1970 with a proposal containing these items in addition to two teacher training colleges, 15 senior high schools, two comprehensive secondary schools, 44 prepa- ratory (lower cycle secondary) schools, and two farm institutes. The mission regarded this project -- estimated to cost US$43 million -- as being too large and proposed (1) to reduce the size of the polytechnic from 900 to 500 places, and (2) to delete (a) the in-service teacher training from the research and development center leaving, as lowest priority items, only a science equipment workshop and a printing press, (b) the preparatory schools and 13 of the senior high schools, and (c) the farm institutes except for the extension of one to provide teacher training facilities. This reduced project was estimated to cost approximately US$9.8 million and formed the basis for project preparation which was undertaken with UNESCO assistance. 3. At appraisal, the proposed polytechnic, trade training center and science equipment workshop were merged into one complex and technical teacher training was included within the proposed polytechnic; the senior secondary schools and printing press were deleted as being of relatively low priority in the mission's esti- mation. Technical assistance was also included -- 10 man-years of specialists for comprehensive schools, educational planning and procurement and 11 man-years of fellowships for educational planning and comprehensive schools. Thus, the agreed project com- prised the elements listed in the completion report (para. 2.10); it was approved in January 1972. - 2 - 4. Under the terms of the Credit Agreement signed in February 1972, the Borrower was expected to establish (a) a Project Unit to implement the project, (b) a tracer system for project schools to follow up students during and after their training or education, (c) a National Vocational Council comprising representatives of public and private industry, trade unions and educational institutions, (d) an Advisory Council for the polytechnic and trade training cencer comprising representatives of public and private industries, (e) a Coordinating Committee for agricultural education, (f) a Teacher Training Committee under the Jordan Board of Education and (g) an Educational Planning Committee under the Minister of Education. Annual reviews of the plans and program of expansion of enrollments in the school system were expected to be undertaken by the Borrower and the results communicated to IDA. 5. This project, with only minor subsequent and agreed adjust- ments to the science equipment production unit and the technical assistance component, has been implemented and the special covenants have been fulfilled. The credit was finally closed on February 2, 1979, 33 months later than the originally established closing date. II. MAIN ISSUES 1. Project Generation and Composition 6. Not all of the factors accounting for the long period of project generation -- 1965-1971 -- were under the control of the Bank Group. Educational development policy in Jordan over the period 1965-68 was uncertain because of the inadequacy both of manpower planning data and of educational planning. In addition, the war of 1967 had resulted not only in a loss of territory and, with it, vital education and training institutions, but also in a loss of momentum in project gene- ration. Some Bank Group initiatives in sector work during this period, even though credit funds were not immediately available, might have been helpful to policy evolution, but such sector work was not under- taken. The Ford Foundation and ILO both conducted manpower surveys in 1970 that were expected to help fill gaps; the USAID-financed study of school building development (para. 1) was also useful. However, given the uncertainties regarding policy and planning, it was not surprising that the discussions among the Bank Group, UNESCO and Jordan produced some significant fluctuations in proposed project content for technical and agricultural training as well as for secondary education as project processing progressed. The Bank Group was consistently concerned to keep the proposed expansion in line with employment possibilities for graduates, hence its greater caution -- in contrast to the Government's wishes -- on expanding secondary education, particularly general secondary education. The Bank Group's eventual exclusion of the educational research and development center and particularly the printing press -- items of high priority within the country -- was - 3 - in keeping with the low priority accorded such items by the Bank Group prior to 1972.1/ However, the project that emerged fell within the country's needs and priorities and paid adequate attention to the necessary strengthening of educational planning and institutional arrangements for strengthening the management of technical/vocational education and training and their relationship to the needs of the labor market. 2. Physical Implementation 7. The completion report notes the deficiencies in design, materials, workmanship and supervision regarding the project buildings (paras. 3.12-3.13), inappropriateness of some of the designs and quality of furniture (paras. 3.03, 3.17, 5.04), difficulties experienced in the receipt, storage, distribution and installation of instructional equipment (paras. 3.15-3.18) and some problems of maintenance of phy- sical plant (para. 3.19). These are similar to problems experienced in the majority of education projects reviewed so far. However, the overall achievements were satisfactory -- functional physical plant has been provided, the quantities of furniture and equipment are adequate (paras. 3.17-3.18, 5.04) and the proposed Third Education Project is expected to provide eight mobile units to help with maintenance of buildings (para. 3.20). 8. In two respects there were departures during implementation from the originally agreed concept. First, the proposed science equipment workshop was converted into a glass blowing section to com- plement a larger audio visual and equipment production center for which the Government received assistance outside of the project. This center more nearly approached the size that had been sought from the Bank Group originally. Secondly, additional facilities were provided at some schools, at the Borrower's expense, for additional subjects and ancillary services, the need for which arose from increases in enrollment (PCR, para. 3.11). The schools are variously fully enrolled, over-enrolled or slightly below appraisal targets (PCR, para. 5.07). 3. Technical Assistance and Fellowships 9. The project provision for expert man-years was underutilized -- 3 persons for 58 man-months instead of the planned 5 persons for 120 man-months (PCR, para. 3.29). The objectives of the program were, therefore, only partly realized. Attempts to recruit specialists through UNESCO proved difficult -- the cumbersome and protracted pro- cedures yielding principally candidates below the standard set by the Borrower. UNESCO eventually recruited two of the three specialists; 1/ The Bank has subsequently come to recognize the importance of such items and to attach much higher priority to them. -4- the,e s,-ved the comprehensive schools. Local arrangements were made to fill the needs in educational planning. The procurement specialist (recruited directly by the Borrower) proved less than satisfactory although the difficulty arose partly because he was utilized outside of his field of specialization (PCR, para. 3.30). By comparison, the fellowship component was utilized to a greater extent than originally planned -- the 11 fellows utilizing 180 instead of 132 man-months -- and the likelihood was that even this amount was inadequate (PCR, paras. 3.28, 3.29), especially in the light of the considerable internal brain drain which has occurred. This underutilization of the provision of experts and greater utilization of provision for fellowships, followed the pattern established in many other education projects reviewed to date. 4. Costs and Disbursements 10. The completion report adequately discusses the project per- formance on disbursements and on costs (on which there was an overrun of 52% in US dollar terms or 37% in local currency terms), noting particularly the reasons for the increases that occurred in civil works and furniture/equipment costs -- exceptional inflation, the purchase of better and more specialized technician training equipment than envisaged originally, increased construction areas, shortages of construction labor and materials -- and for decreases that took place in technical assistance costs -- for experts, because of reduced utilization and for fellowships, because actual costs per man-year were lower than estimated (PCR, paras. 4.01-4.04). 5. Supervision by IDA 11. In terms of fieldwork, some 14 man-weeks were spent in supervi- sing this project and 6 man-weeks in project completion work. The average for supervision missions was one visit eve-y eight months and 1.5 man- weeks per visit. The first visit was particularly valuable, leading to a revision of the implementation schedule for construction, furnishing and equipping from 33 months to 44 months ,PCR, para. 3.01). The third mission looked into educational aspects. However, in its earlier phase -- up to 1975 -- supervision tended to be too little devoted to educational aspects of implementation, especially in the (--text of so innovative a project for the country in educational respects (see also PCR, para. 6.01). Ever, with IDA's concentration on physical aspects of the project, the shortcomings (paras. 7-8) noted by the Completion Mission -- in design and construction of buildings, the quality of furniture and the delays in nreparing equipment lists -- still occurred. Toward the end of 1975, some changes in strategy were made that strengthened supervision -- more intensive work was undertaken in Washington in preparation for field -sits, closer attention was paid to the Borrower's fulfillment of covenants and to coordination with other aid agencies, points raised in the field were more systematically followed up, an educator participated in each supervision mission and some aspects of the educational programs were actively discussed with the Borrower. - 5 - III. PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACT 12. The project has been too recently implemented for its full educational impact to be assessed. An evaluation of this would need to be attempted at a later stage when the educational institutions have had some more time to operate. However, project performance on educational aspects can be reviewed in some degree at this stage. In general terms, the project is meeting urgent needs and serving students from a broad socio-economic background, including even more women and girls than originally planned. The recent tide of immigration of persons from Lebanon has swelled an already strong demand for school places. The project has already begun to contribute to the supply of graduates of technical/vocational programs -- a critical need in the wake of the unexpected rapid industrialization of various parts of the Middle East and emigration of Jordanian workers to these areas. 13. Programs. There have been departures from the programs originally envisaged at appraisal, with a view to meeting changing needs. For example, the ILO modular approach to trade training 1/ has been adopted in the vocational training activities at the Polytechnic and Trade Training Center and this appears to be efficiently meeting training needs (PCR, para. 3.25). The comprehensive school programs have been modified in length and some of the planned courses have been deleted and others added -- adjustments which appear to be meeting essential needs (PCR, para. 3.22). The project has made a significant contribution in piloting the concept of a diversified secondary level program, even though adjustments will need to be made on a continuing basis. The diversified secondary level program is being widely applied in Jordan. The teacher training programs have so far followed the appraisal outlines but are experiencing difficulty in attracting students of high caliber especially, for example, those with a science background, as these prefer to enter university programs (PCR, paras. 3.23-3.24). Some internal remedial programs within the teacher training institutes may be needed. 14. Institutional arrangements. The covenants requiring the establishment of committees and councils (para. 4) have been fulfilled; however, these have met only infrequently and appear unlikely to con- tribute significantly to the operation of institutions. The educational planning unit is functioning. The tracer system was put in place only in 1977, hence results are not yet available (PCR, para. 3.34). The completion report notes evidence suggesting that (a) in terms of internal efficiency, the project schools are better than the average in the country as a whole (para. 5.09) and (b) the idea of co-education is gaining acceptance (para. 5.05). While the Borrower has not formally 1/ This approach seeks to identify "modules" of specific employable skills and to concentrate the training efforts on these. It provides advantages of flexibility in training schedules. - 6 - transm. ted to IDA the results of reviews of plans and programs of enrollmeat expansion in the school system (as required by one covenant - para. 4), the Borrower has been engaged in reviewing such expansion plans in the context of overall educational planning. The annual collated picture of actual enrollments has been sent to IDA (PCR, para. 3.34) and dialogue has been maintained between the Borrower and IDA on the growth of the school system in the context of subsequent lending operations. IV. CONCLUSIONS 15. The First Education Project in Jordan was justified and worthwhile. It has been catalytic in that it stimulated educational planning, the concept of diversification of secondary education and the better integration of technical/vocational programs with the needs of the labor market. It has helped to develop project implementation capabilities and procedures. The project experience emphasizes the importance of: (a) establishing realistic implementation schedules (para. 11, PCR, para. 3.01); (b) establishing expeditious procedures for recruiting technical assistance specialists (para. 9); and (c) adopting a flexible approach to adaptation of the design of educational programs during implementation (para. 13, PCR, para. 6.02). -7- ATTACHMENT THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN Credit 285-JO First Education Project PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT September 1978 Education & Manpower Development Division Europe, Middle East & North Africa Region -8- SUMMARY i. An IDA credit for US$5.4 million was extended in February 1972 to Jordan Lo introduce technician level training, to initiate comprehensive- type secondary schooling, to expand trade training facilities and to improve teacher training. The project provided for (a) the construction, furnishing and equipping of a polytechnic institute and trade training center, a co- educational training institute for primary and preparatory teachers and two comprehensive upper secondary schools, (b) the extension, furnishing and equipping of an agricultural secondary school to provide facilities and programs for agricultural teacher training, and (c) specialist services and fellowship training. No significant changes occurred during implementation to the project objectives and content as appraised. ii. The completion mission visited all project institutions. Physical facilities and statistical records were examined. Through discussions with administrators, teachers and project unit personnel a qualitative assessment was made of the outcomes of the project. Meetings were held with senior staff in the Ministry of Education to discuss the mission's preliminary findings. A draft report prepared by the Project Unit and records available in the Bank were studied in formulating the report. iii. Execution of the project was satisfactory. Construction was sub- stantially completed by May, 1976, about five months behind estimates as revised immediately after credit signing, although incomplete buildings had been occupied from October 1975. While the overall appearance of the build- ings is good with good functional spaces, there are many internal defects, mainly due to some poor detailing by the consultant architects and inadequate supervision because of a high turnover of supervisory staff, coupled with poor workmanship. These have not seriously affected the operation of the institutions, however, and remedying of defects is continuing. iv. Furniture and equipment were supplied in adequate quantities. The equipment is suitable and of good quality. Some difficulties and bottlenecks in procurement arose which could have been remedied through better packaging and more detailed itemizing of equipment, the availability of suitable storage, and better distribution arrangements. As a result procurement was delayed for about 15% of the equipment. However, the delay caused only minor problems. Furthermore, installation of equipment and utilities was poorly coordinated resulting in some unsatisfactory finishings which have not yet been rectified. The quality of furniture is uniformly poor due to poor design and workmanship. The design was left to the expatriate procurement officer who was not quali- fied for this work. Arrangements for inspection of furniture before accep- tance were not adequate. v. Satisfactory curricula have been developed and are in operation in all institutions. These represent some changes from appraisal intentions, but overall the project educational objectives are being met. The structure of the CSS is on the basis of diversified secondary education for all, with some specific vocational programs, rather than multilateral with four distinct streams. This is considered acceptable at this evolutionary stage. A very satisfactory form of modular training was introduced into the trade training center by the ILO technical assistance team. The project was well supported through the technical assistance component though better organization and assignment of responsibility would have improved the technical assistance inputs in the early stages. The project would also have benefitted from more systematic arrangements to ensure timely inputs of educators on equipment list preparation and room layouts. vi. Staffing in all project institutions is adequate. If account is taken of the vocational nature of the training, about 90% of staff appear to have qualifications and experience appropriate to their instructional fields. In most instances morale is high. Administrators and staff are enthusiastic although the complexities of administering the new types of institutions often pose difficulties for which more specialized training and internship expe- riences would have been valuable. vii. In general, project management was very satisfactory. The PIU in the MOE suffered from frequent personnel changes which affected performance to a degree. Despite this and some deficiencies in the performance of the consul- tant architects, the project was completed without undue delays. While there are ongoing problems with building finishes and furniture, all project institu- tions are working satisfactorily. Demand for places is high and enrollment targets have been met. The project is considered to have responded well to the government's educational priorities and to have played a significant role in the re-orientation of education and training in accordance with the project objectives. - 10 - I. INTRODUCTION 1.01 In February 1972, IDA extended its first credit for an education project in Jordan (Credit 285-JO) to introduce technician level and trade training and comprehensive type secondary schooling and to expand teacher training; the credit (US$5.4 million) provided for the construction and equip- ping of five institutions. The project was 90% completed in September 1976 about one year behind scheduled project completion and was fully completed in September 1978. 1.02 An IDA completion mission 1/ visited the country between June 14 and July 5, 1978. The mission examined relevant documents in Washington and Amman including a draft completion report prepared by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). Visits were made to all project institutions where physical facilities and records were examined and discussions held with senior staff. Discussions were also held with senior Ministry of Education (MOE) officials and PIU staff including previous PIU directors, as well as with bilateral aid and UNDP officials. Details of the mission's approach to assessment of the project are contained in Annex 1. 1.03 This report focuses on the achievements in meeting the objectives of the project to the extent that they could be assessed at this early stage and on the lessons learned from delays and problems encountered during project implementation. II. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Socio-Economic Setting 2.01 In 1966, the latest year for which figures were available at the time of appraisal, agriculture accounted for 18% and mining, manufacturing and construction for 18% of the GDP. The remaining 64% was contributed by private and public services. An important source of income before the 1967 war was tourism. However, because most of the tourism was in the West Bank this source had by then been lost. Income from Jordanians working abroad also contributed significantly to the economy. There was a preponderance of small-size enter- prises with generally low standards of managey-ent and production techniques. The few major industries included oil refining, phosphate mining, cement mandfacturing and vegetable oil production. These industries employed modern production techniques and had relatively high productivity. 2.02 The total labor force was estimated at 500,000 of whom only 6% were women. In 1966, agriculture accounted for 48% of those employed, mining, manufacturing and construction 19%, and private and public services 33%. Un- employment was estimated at 20%. Since the war, the civil service and work in neighboring Arab countries had been the main employment outlets for new 1' The mission consisted of B. L. Masters (educator/mission leader) and R. Montague (architect) and was combined with supervision and reconnaissanc- of other education projects. - 11 - entrants into the labor force. At the same time the supply of technical and non-technical personnel was clearly unbalanced, the former group continuing to be short in supply. This was due partly to the migration of trained per- sonnel and partly to the deficiencies in the education system. On the one hand there were chronic shortages of well-trained middle level technicians and skilled craftsmen while, on the other, an increasing number of graduates from general secondary schools were unemployed. 2.03 During the period of project implementation (1972 to 1978), Jordan has undergone profound changes. Manpower development plans have been generated which emphasize the service-oriented role of manpower in serving Jordan and neighboring Arab states. The increased outflow of manpower to other countries, particularly since 1975, has resulted in burgeoning remittances which have permitted considerable growth in private sector enterprises and personal affluence. A further influx of migrants, especially from Lebanon, has contri- buted to this increased wealth which is reflected in the growth of per capita GNP from US$270 in 1972 to US$560 in 1976. The rate of open unemployment has fallen from over 8% in 1970 to 2% in 1977. Labor participation rates, how- ever, particularly for women, remain low. During the 1973-75 three year plan period, GDP grew at about 5% per year despite a stagnation in agriculture. Increasing emphasis has been given to education, particularly to vocational training, and to a broad range of social services. Education and Training Development 2.04 By the late 1960s schooling in Jordan was already quantitatively well-developed in comparison with neighboring Arab states with enrollment in the compulsory cycle (grades 1 to 9) having nearly doubled during the decade. By 1970, virtually automatic promotion, low dropout rates and a rela- tively broad distribution of schools in rural areas accounted for high enroll- ment ratios of 90% and 67% for primary (grades 1 to 6) and preparatory (grades 7 to 9) age-groups respectively. A particularly high transition rate (70%) from the preparatory level resulted in a quadrupling of secondary education enrollments during the decade with 35% of secondary school age children (grades 10 to 12) enrolled by 1970. Because primary and secondary enrollments had been permitted to expand without a corresponding increase in physical facili- ties and teaching staff, deficiencies in the quality of education were most noticeable in (i) a shortage of adequately trained primary and preparatory teachers, (ii) a high ratio (over 60%) of rented classrooms most of which are poorly maintained, (iii) insufficient science and vocational teachers and teaching facilities with only 20% of the 31,000 secondary students in the East Bank studying science and only 9% enrolled in commercial, industrial, agricul- tural and nursing programs combined, (iv) a lack of training opportunities for skilled craftsmen and technicians, and (v) insufficient post-secondary level places for the nearly 6,000 annual secondary graduates. With enroll- ments at the University of Jordan limited to 2,900, some 24,000 post-secondary students were studying abroad. 2.05 The Ministry of Education was responsible for all public primary, preparatory and secondary education and training and together with other - 12 - mi,nist. as, private organizations, UNRWA and the University of Jordan pro- vid,ed -:struction for over 390,000 students in the East Bank. Also, although by L1en separated geographically and politically from the West Bank, Jordan continued to provide teachers and textbooks for the additional estimated 220,000 students living there. The management of the pJ:lic system of edu- cation was relatively well-organized, with effective regional as well as central administration. 2.06 The Government's education development strategy in the early 1970s accorded top priority to improving the quality of education by correcting imbalances and deficiencies in the system through: (i) limiting enrollment expansion to a rate substantially below the growth rate of the previous decade; (ii) increasing the supply of qualified teachers and upgrading teachers in service; and (iii) diversifying the curricula of both preparatory and secondary schools to include vocationally-oriented courses, and thereby to assist in redressing the imbalance between academic and technical secondary education. In addition, urgent attention was to be given to meeting defi- ciencies in the training of skilled industrial craftsmen and technicians. 2.07 This strategy has, overall, been pursued successfully by the Gov- ernment. The rate of expansion of secondary education has been reduced con- siderably though not to the extent anticipated. Conversely, enrollments in vocational education have increased significantly though anticipated growth rates have not been achieved - 7,500 students enrolled in vocational education programsin 1976/77 as against anticipated enrollments of 12,170. Based on the results of initial experimentation, the Government has recently taken a deci- sion to introduce diversified secondary education generally and is considering the provision of workshops and laboratory units attached to centrally located secondary schools. These units would permit a practical orientation to secondary education while also providing more extensively for vocational and pre-vocational training; they would serve as trade training centers outside the main city areas. Enrollments of teachers in training for the compulsory cycle have quadrupled and an extensive system of in-serUice teacher training has been developed. Overall, the supply of teachers has kept pace with demand, though the need remains for upgrading on a major scale. Project Formulation 2.08 In November 1965, the Government requested Unesco to send a project identification mission to Jordan under the Unesco/IBRD cooperative program to identify sound planning priorities for educational financing. As Jordan was then considered by the Bank to have already received a relatively high per capita amount of its scarce IDA funds and with Bank funds available only for revenue-producing projects, this and a subsequent request in December 1967 were deferred. A year later, following an IDA zeplenishment, a Unesco/IDA reconnaissance mission visited Jordan. This was followed by three further Unesco and/or IDA identification and preparation missions in March 1969, - 13 - February 1970 and March 1970 which resulted in the Credit Application. 1/ The IDA appraisal mission scheduled first for June 1970 and then for September 1970 was cancelled due to further civil disorder. Subsequently, a pre-appraisal mission visited the country in April 1971 and the project was finally appraised in May/June 1971. 2.09 Following the appraisal, the project was slightly modified. In view of the limited employment opportunities for general secondary school graduates, the original request for four secondary schools was reduced to two comprehen- sive schools; the establishment of a printing press was deleted as a rela- tively low priority item at that time; and the science equipment production unit was integrated as part of the polytechnic. 2.10 The project, as modified, consisted of: (a) Construction, furniture and equipment for: - two comprehensive secondary schools; 2,000 places - one polytechnic and trade training center (including a science equipment production unit); 715 places - a special section in the proposed poly- technic for the training of technical teachers for preparatory schools; 40 places - one college for the training of primary and preparatory school teachers; 700 places (b) extension of an existing agricultural secondary school to facilitate the training of agricultural teachers for preparatory schools; and 60 places (c) ten man-years of technical assistance and eleven man-years of fellowships, for coor- dinating the development of comprehensive schools, providing advanced training for teacher trainers, strengthening educational planning and establishing the Project Imple- mentation Unit. During implementation no significant modification of the project items occurred. 1/ Government of Jordan, Ministry of Education, Educational Development Projects, March 1970, which changed significantly the project items recommended by Unesco in their PIM Report, Priority Projects for Educa- tional Development, August 1969. - 14 - Proje.i: Design and Objectives 2.11 The project, with attendant conditions and agreements, was aimed at correcting deficiencies and imbalances in the educational system in accordance with Government priorities (para. 2.06). It was designed to provide suitable facilities for a re-orientation of education and training. The project was innovative. It introduced diversified secondary education, post-secondary technician training, new forms of trade training, technical teacher training and agricultural teacher training in the East Bank. In all cases new curri- cula were developed during project preparation or were scheduled to be devel- oped during project implementation. 2.12 The comprehensive secondary schools were designed to initiate vocationally-oriented education in secondary schools as a first step towards remedying the bias towards academic and literary education. The structure proposed was basically multilateral with enrollments to be about equally divided among arts, science and vocational subjects. A particular theme was the stress on vocational training for women to improve their employment potential; as a corollary, the support for education and training of girls was seen as having a longer term impact through the influence of women in the better preparation of the new generations. Finally, the schools were also expected to contribute to replacing unsatisfactory existing rented buildings. 2.13 The polytechnic and trade training center at Marka with a planned annual output of 190 technicians and 167 skilled craftsmen, was intended to meet known but unquantified shortages of technical personnel in Jordan. It also formed part of the government's national effort to stress and expand vocational training; the measures being taken included the establishment of a National Vocational Council with a Vocational Training Department as its executive arm. The establishment of the Council was included as a Credit condition. The location of the Marka center was expected to favor the devel- opment of evening courses covering a wide range of subjects appropriate to the needs of those employed in the area. Provision was also included in the center for (i) the training of technical instructors (20 per year) and labo- ratory technicians (30 per year) related to the development of vocationally oriented courses in the educational system; and (ii) a small manufacturing unit for the production of prototype scientific equipment for use in the schools. 2,14 The teacher training institute was designed to meet the shortage of teachers at the primary and preparatory levels. The proposed annual out- put of 320 teachers would double the existing supply of teachers in the East Bank and was expected to enable the government to meet teacher requirements. It was intended that 265 of the annual intake of 350 trainees would emphasize mathematics and science in their training programs, with the rest divided between literary, home economics, physical education and fine arts. Residen- tial facilities were provided as the large proportion of teacher trainees were recruited from other provinces. 2.15 To meet the shortage of teachers in other specialized areas, the project included an extension to an existing agricultural school to tra r - 15 - teachers for agricultural programs in the preparatory schools. The teachers were intended to assist in agricultural extension work and thus to bridge the gap between agricultural education and the extension service. 2.16 On a norp Qeneral level, as an expression of Bank concern at the excessive raLe of expansion of the general education system, a Credit covenant was included under which the government agreed to review periodically its plans for expanding school enrollments in the light of prevailing budgetary and other constraints and the need to improve the quality of education. III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Project Evolution and Management 3.01 The Credit became effective on July 27, 1972, following a two-month delay in legal ratification by the Government. In accordance with the imple- mentation schedule in the appraisal report, construction, furnishing and equipping were scheduled to be completed in a very optimistic 2 years and 9 months after Credit effectiveness, and project completion was set for October 1975. In March 1972, however, immediately following Credit signing, an IDA supervision mission agreed on a revised implementation schedule, in accordance with which construction, furnishing and equipping would be completed in December 1975. 3.02 The MOE was charged with implementing the project and it established, during appraisal, a Project Implementation Unit within the Ministry. The reasons for establishing the PlU are not articulated in the available docu- ments or reports, but its establishment indicates the importance the MOE attached to the project goals and to being directly involved in achieving those goals. 3.03 The original PIU consisted of a full-time director, architect, accountant and expatriate procurement officer, supported by architectural staff of the MPW and educational staff of the MOE. This team was later supplemented by the appointment of a counterpart procurement officer, a chief clerk and two typists. In common with public service employment generally, the PIU was plagued by frequent changes in personnel, particularly of architects and accountants, who were attracted by more lucrative private employment. Imple- mentation in the earlier stages would have gained from better coordination with MOE educators in providing specialist inputs, though arrangements in this respect showed progressive improvement in the later stages. The PIU also lacked suitable personnel in some areas. The development of furniture designs and specifications and of room layouts was left to the expatriate procurement officer, who had not the necessary qualifications and experience for this work. In addition, staff were not available, nor did suitable arrangements exist, for the inspection and rejection of unsuitable furniture which resulted from poor design and workmanship. It must be added, however, that there was pressure - 16 - for : eptance of furniture so that classes could commence in the school yea 197/ /. Furthermore, implementation of the large technical assistance ccmponent would have benefitted from the assignment of an officer in the PIU with responsibility for this item. 3.04 The MOE recruited an architectural firm to design end supervise construction of all project institutions. Recruitment began early in 1971 before appraisal, with advertisements in various publications calling for proposals from interested local or foreign/local joint venture firms. Expa- triate consultants were preferred by the MOE due to reservations about the capability of MPW and then existing local architectural firms. Out of a total of 74 responses to the advertisements, 7 firms were finally placed on a short list. The contract was signed in April 1972, with the first-ranked joint venture firm and was payable on a lump sum basis for the design phase and on an hourly basis for the supervision phase. Early preliminary design work by this joint venture firm done in the local Amman office was found by both the PIU and IDA to be unsatisfactory; as a result, the firm relocated a design staff from its overseas office to Amman where the construction documents were also prepared. Apart from this problem, some of the design detailing was unsatisfactory (para. 3.12). Otherwise, the firm performed satisfactorily and in a timely manner during the design phase. 3.05 The firm was also responsible for hiring resident engineers, site engineers and supporting staff for overall and on-site supervision of the construction but was plagued by frequent turnover of this staff. The con- sultants' contract ended in May 1976 when the institutions were substantially constructed except for completion of site works at two of the schools and the second floor, not a part of the original contract, which was then being added onto the administration wing at the teacher training institute. From May 1976 the PIU undertook the remaining site supervision. 3.06 Deficiencies in performance by the consultant architects aggravated by the staffing turnover in the PIUJ contributed to a 1-wering of the quality of construction (para. 3.12). In addition, the quality of furniture was uniformly poor (para. 3.17). Despite the staffing problems, however, the project was implemented without due delay. Preparation of the construction drawings was delayed by two months due to the early unsatisfactory work by the consultant architects and the construction period was 23 months as against the 20 months included in the original and reviL-d implementation schedules. However, in order to have facilities available for the 1975/76 school year, the PIU had included very tight construction periods of 10 to 17 months in the civil works contracts. The failure of the contractors to meet these timings was a cause of considerable friction between the PIU and the contractors. Some causes of delay were shortages of building materials, equipment and workers on site, a large turnover of supervisory staff, severe weather condi- tions at one site and discovery of subsurface rock at another. In the event, construction was substantially completed in May 1976, about five months behind the revised estimates as agreed in March 1972, though some siteworks continued to Hovewher 1976. The furniture was substantially delivered by August 1976, while at that time about 85% of the equipment had been delivered and about "0% installed. The remainder of the equipment was procured in stages and - 17 - procurement was not completed until September 1978. However, the latter caused only a relatively minor problem. 3.07 Students were enrolled at all institutions beginning in October 1975, in spite of the incomplete construction and of objections from IDA; some classrooms were in use at the polytechnic and trade training center even though furniture and equipment had not been installed. The remaining institu- tions were physically occupied during February 1976, while construction was still taking place. After an extension by the PIU of the maintenance period, final acceptance of all institutions was due to occur by September 1, 1978. 3.08 The decision to establish a special implementation unit within the Ministry of Education appears to have been well justified. Overall, despite the problems mentioned, it effectively fulfilled the objectives envisaged during appraisal of (a) project implementation; (b) coordination within the Ministry and with other government agencies; and (c) liaison with IDA. It has also assumed the more comprehensive role of initiating and advising on the implementation of new education projects within the MOE, including implementation of a second IDA education project and preparation of a proposed third project. Physical Implementation and Maintenance Sites 3.09 All sites had been selected at the time of appraisal and legal titles, required within six months of signing, were forwarded to IDA within four months. The sites are adequately located in terms of catchment areas except for the girls' comprehensive secondary school (CSS) in Amman, which maintains two buses for transporting the students, almost none of whom lives in the surrounding neighborhood. The school's location is not served by public transport. It would have been desirable to have located it either closer to the students or near public transportation. Although the boys' comprehensive school site is minimal, all sites are adequate for the academic and boarding facilities and all include at least one sports field. Problems that arose during construction and even after the schools were in operation in obtaining adequate utilities and services to the sites from the municipalities have since been adequately solved. Water reservoirs and stand-by generators have been provided by the Government as necessary to prevent any recurrences. Civil Works 3.10 Civil works were tendered on the basis of international competitive bidding. Fourteen local, all of them in the Ministry of Public Works highest classification category, two foreign and one foreign/local joint venture firms were pre-qualified and of those, seven local firms submitted bids. Four firms were awarded the contracts for the five institutions. No problems were encountered with the bidding or award procedures. 3.11 The original schedules of accommodation prepared by the IDA appraisal mission were used with little variation, except in gross area, as the basis - 18 - for the preparation of the construction drawings. The buildings are used today for the most part as envisaged at appraisal. 1/ The total gross area of the buildings was increased in the construction drawings approximately 12% over the area planned at appraisal, partly because of some underestimation of circulation area. During the course of construction, however, further additions to the project were ordered by the PIU to be paid fo- by the Govern- ment although approval of these additions was in no case sought from IDA; the actual total gross area is currently about 16% over that planned at appraisal (Annex 4). 2/ These additions have been or will be made for the most part because of projected growth in enrollments and to provide for additional specializations at the institutions, such as watch repairing for women at the PTTC, and reflect the success of the institutions and the support for them by the MOE. 3.12 The overall visual design of the buildings is pleasing with local materials such as stone, concrete and stucco used in a simple straight-forward manner resulting in spaces that, for the most part, function well and are pleasant and bright. Various defects in the construction, detailing and design of all the buildings are evident, however. Some of these may be attri- buted to deficiencies in the consultant architects' construction documents such as poor detailing of site works, utilities, and expansion joints, poor orientation of some spaces, and various minor faulty details such as high inoperable windows and doors that swing into lavatories in ablution areas. On the other hand, the consultant architects, during the design phase, several times requested guidance from the PIU on the proposed location of equipment and furniture items in the laboratories and workshops to allow the various required service and mechanical outlets to be correctly located in the drawings. The layouts were not prepared, however, until after the arrival of the expa- triate procurement officer and were not made available to the consultant until after construction had commenced. As a result, most of the connections and outlets had to be physically cut in at a very late stage in the construction. 3.13 Compounding these problems was the very unever and sometimes very poor quality of construction. The stone and stucco work is excellent while 1/ One notable exception is the new library at the ASS which is now used as a lecture hall. The library books are currently in the recreation room of the bachelor teachers' dormitory. A second new library financed by the Government is now under construction at the school. Also although spaces were provided for the science equipment production center at the PTTC, they are being put to other uses and the center is, therefore, not yet in operation. The Government, however, plans to finance a new wing to house the center. 2/ These further additions have included an increased area for administration at the teachers' training college, an additional art workshop at both comprehensive schools, additional storage areas at three of the schools, a small mosque at the polytechnic and miscellaneous transformer rooms, water reservoirs, guards' houses, etc. - 19 - all concrete work, whether in floors, roofs, columns, beams, paving or benches, etc., due to a lack of skilled craftsmen, is for the most part noticeably inadequate. Because of the combination of poor concrete work and the faulty design of the expansion joints, the PIU has found it necessary to have extra columns poured in several of the buildings where the structural situation seemed dangerous. The inadequate concrete work has led to other evident deficiencies such as leaking roofs, unevenly laid and broken floor tiles, broken sanitary fixtures, cracking plaster, rough and loose concrete floor finishes and so on. These deficiencies were caused in part by a lack of continuity of supervision during construction due to the very high turnover of site engineers and their supporting staffs hired by the consultant architects and of technical personnel in the PIU. 1/ One further result of this turnover was that the supervisory personnel and the PIU, because of their unfamiliarity with the project, frequently accepted inferior materials when proposed by the contractors in substitution for the specified materials. 3.14 The Government has taken steps to have as many as possible of these deficiencies corrected after they were either noticed by the PIU or pointed out by IDA missions. However, a number of deficiencies remain to be remedied. Furniture and Equipment 3.15 Procurement of furniture and equipment was carried out through international competitive bidding. Because of the 15% preference specified in the Credit Agreement for local manufacturers and suppliers most of the furniture bids were won by local suppliers. No major difficulties were encountered with the procedures for advertising, registering of suppliers, bidding or evaluation and approval of awards except that insufficient time was scheduled for evaluation and for obtaining IDA approval. In a few instances, on the advice of teachers and specialists, master lists were amended causing delays in bidding. Also, a limited amount of equipment items were inappro- priately specified and required re-bidding. Delays in the actual procurement were caused by the cumbersome procedures for processing letters of credit which involved sending the shipping documents and the subsequent withdrawal applications through both the NPC and the Central Bank of Jordan. Other causes of delay in the procurement included (i) slow receipt of shipping documents from the suppliers, (ii) extreme congestion at the port of Aqaba, (iii) a complete lack of storage, and (iv) not enough PIU personnel in Amman for receiving and checking the equipment and re-packaging of the items for distribution to the appropriate institutions. IDA supervision missions drew attention to these difficulties and, although too late to improve action for the first project, the second project should benefit from a newly constructed warehouse for this purpose at the PTTC site in Amman and increased staff in the PIU procurement section. 1/ The PIU had four different architects during implementation and each institution had a least four or five site engineers over the course of its construction. - 20 - 3.16 The total value of furniture and equipment obtained for the projec was approximately US$4.5 million equivalent of which about US$2.7 million was purchased through the Credit. The following analysis shows the distribution of furniture and equipment by size of contracts: Furniture and Equipment Contracts Size of Contract No. of % of Total Approx. Value % of Total in US$ Contracts No. of Contracts (US$000s) Value 5,000 - 10,000 /a 46 32.0 380 8.5 10,000 - 30,000 61 42.0 1,280 28.5 30,000 - 50,000 17 12.0 870 19.5 50,000 - 150,000 18 12.5 1,520 34.0 150,000+ 2 1.5 430 9.5 144 100.0 4,480 100.0 /a Disbursements for contracts for less than US$5,000 were paid by the Government. 3.17 Furniture and equipment have been provided in adequate quantities although the quality 1/ and the design 2/ of the furniture are both poor and about 20% is currently unusable with some even unrepairable and another 20% usable but in need of repair. The total usable quantities available, however, seem to be adequate to allow full use of the classroom. The problems with the furniture design and quality were caused by faulty specifications (para. 3.03), 1/ Desks and tables are small and flimsy with shelves that fall off; teachers' desks, laboratory tables and kitchen counters have tops that are warping and drawers and doors whose handles have fallen off; metal storage cabinets and filing cabinets are flimsy and easily bent; legs have fallen off and holes have been punched in many student chairs; wall blackboards have peeling paint and are cracked, rolling blackboards are torn; and cots and wooden closets in the boarding facilities are flimsy. 2/ The writing arms on the student chairs are too small, and the chair does not include a bookshelf; chairs are very noisy when moved across the concrete tile floors and some have metal legs protruding out the front at a slant over which people continually trip; kitchen counters in the home economics rooms are much too low; typing tables are too high for comfortable typing; the lecture demonstration room furniture which was designed to be supported by being screwed into the wood riser behind has all come loose and the drafting tables are too small as are the chemistry work tables. - 21 - poor workmanship by the local suppliers and inadequate arrangements for inspection by the PIU before acceptance. Also various items have never been properly installed such as the fume cupboards which are not vented to the outdoors and the laboratory tables which in many cases have not yet received adequate connections to water, gas and/or compressed air. The appliances such as ranges and refrigerators are adequate, as are the sinks. The Government is taking what steps it can to correct these deficiencies. 3.18 The general quality of the equipment provided to the institutions is good. Technical and vocational equipment is adequate and, following initial difficulties in installation, 1/ is working satisfactorily. Ample science equipment of good quality and range was procured; in all institutions evidence was found of its use. The poor basic furniture fittings in labora- tories and limited utilities supply must make student laboratory work diffi- cult at times. Equipment storage facilities within the institutions were good but lacked order, neatness, and cataloging. The commercial and craft supplies were of good quality as was the home economics and beautician equipment. Libraries were well stocked with approximately one-third of the volumes in English in all but the polytechnic where, due to the nature of the studies, more than two-thirds of the 11,000 volumes are in English. In all libraries, periodicals were available and adequate reading space was provided. The provision of such equipment and generally acceptable working conditions are reflected in staff and student enthusiasm. Maintenance of Project Facilities 3.19 Proper maintenance of the project institutions continues to be a problem. Although the schools are clean with regular municipal refuse collection (except for the agricultural school which has its own dump), any maintenance beyond the most routine is difficult to achieve. The institu- tions without exception are in need of maintenance. 2/ The PIU has attempted to force the original contractors to repair some of the items under the main- tenance clause of the contracts but the contractors are naturally reluctant to work free of charge on any problem that may have been caused by normal wear-and- tear or vandalism. 3.20 The TTI and the ASS/ATT each has a staff of three whose duties are to maintain the buildings, but all are inexperienced. Usually it is necessary 1/ The more specialized and heavy equipment often required special founda- tions, placement and checking before operation. This was normally accomplished under the direction of expatriate specialists. 2/ For example, there are cracks and holes in the plaster, broken glass, rusted metal, loose window gaskets, unconnected fire hoses, very sloppy painting, and broken ceiling lights, door locks, doors, clocks, laundry equipment and furniture. The playing fields are covered with loose rocks and the courtyards and entrance areas are just beginning to be planted. - 22 - to call in outside repairmen either by requesting the District headquarters to engage someone or to advance the funds necessary so that the school can arrange for its own repair. If the school has workshops, some of the repair, especially of furniture and some equipment, is done by the teachers. The Ministry's School Buildings and Housing Department which is responsible for school maintenance is proposing the purchase of eight mobile workshop units, one for each District, to be staffed with experienced electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc., to visit all schools as necessary for maintenance. These units are proposed for inclusion in a third education project. Implementation of Software Inputs General 3.21 These critical years of operation have inevitably been a period of evolution and development. The period has been used effectively by the institutions to establish course outlines and program objectives. Some changes in curricula have taken place in the process but overall the educa- tional objectives envisaged during appraisal are being fulfilled. Curricula 3.22 The curricula envisaged for the CSS have been modified during imple- mentation. The original curricula were multilateral in concept with four dis- tinct streams covering each of the three years. As both institutions absorbed students from existing schools in 1975/76, it was necessary to continue the Jordanian secondary school curriculum for those in the second and third years: thus the initial period of operation has been a transition in which old cur- ricula are being phased out and new curricula introduced. The new curricula currently in operation for the project CSS provide some specifically voca- tional programs (commerce, nursing) but otherwise provide diversified second- ary education for all. A preliminary year (grade 9) was also introduced to extend the program to four years; thus students tranpfer to the CSS after grade 8 so as to have the benefit of a transitional year in the new environ- ment. The proposed separate industrial stream for boys and the home economics stream for girls have not been introduced (Annex 5). In partial compensation, all students study vocational training and culture for about 20% of the time in each of the first two years of general studies; for students selecting science/arts streams in the last two years, --out 16% of their time was required in studying one of four possible vocational specializations. In the event, such options are achieving the more practical and vocational oriented secondary schooling desired by the MOE. The courses are popular and workshops in both schools are utilized beyond normal school hours. French is offered as an additional option for all students in both schools. In the girls' CSS, the two post-secondary vocational programs (secretarial studies and institutional food and nutrition management) follow the originally envis- aged curricula and provide advanced level job-oriented courses for girls. Thus although the objectives originally envisaged for specific multilateral programs have not been fully applied, the presently introduced curricula allow flexibility and yet retain both academic and vocational programs. - 23 - 3.23 During the first two years of operation the TTI followed the general curricula proposal outlined during appraisal. Methodology is, wherever pos- sible, integrated with subject content: other aspects of pedagogical train- ing, however, are given minimal attention. A common first year preparation is followed by specialization in one of six fields in the second year. Students, however, have not entered the scientific and math specialization as antic- ipated, partly due to the limited availability of effective science teaching in secondary schools and to the attractions of medicine, engineering and scientific studies at universities for those who have a science background (Annex 5). The position is aggravated by the increased proportion of girl trainees (now about 66%) for whom science programs were not always available in secondary schools. As a result, the utilization of laboratories in the TTI is only 25% although the demonstration science rooms are well used (87%). This reflects the general lecture method approach. The staff appear confident in their use of equipment in specialized subject fields with the exception of the English language laboratory where little effective training has so far been undertaken. The curricula for all teacher training institutes in Jordan is currently being reviewed. The TTI has initiated a move towards semester organization and the credit-hour system. The TTI is also seeking to extend the range of programs offered but to reduce the number of subjects available within some course specializations. These modifications are being introduced gradually in an effort to take full advantage of the physical facilities available and thus fulfill the intended outcomes for the TTI of preparing better qualified teachers. The general application of secondary comprehen- sive education, including practical science teaching, may be expected to improve significantly the demand for science subjects in the future. Although teaching observation is undertaken in both years in nearby schools, the only concentrated teaching practice block of five weeks during the second year is minimal. Modifications in this pattern are also being considered. 3.24 The ATT curriculum follows the same proportion of time for general studies, professional education and agricultural studies allocated during appraisal although the latter are divided into eight fields of specialization with appropriate practical activity. The two-year program also extends over two summer vacation periods and requires extensive practice on the school farm. The semester system proposed during appraisal is operating satisfac- torily. However, the school staff consider that the standard of the agricul- tural teacher trainee is low in comparison to other secondary school graduates proceeding to university. The curriculum is sufficiently comprehensive, however, to be able to provide a sound training for teachers of agriculture who are obtaining employment in MOE schools and as extension agents and officers in MOA. 3.25 The concept of training in the trade training center is different to that outlined during appraisal due to the extensive modular training scheme prepared by the expatriate ILO team and is a very welcome development. This has required extensive in-service training of instructors in new methodology to teach this new format. The mission's discussions indicated that all pro- grams, worked out in consultation with industry, are appropriate to the level of training required and the needs of the labor market. Eight specialized training programs are offered and all trainees are placed concurrently in - 24 - part-time jobs. Trainee enthusiasm is reported by the center's administratc. s to be high. All graduates have been successfully placed in employment. In addition to those offered to full-time students, about 20 evening courses are taught to students in the polytechnic and universities and to workers in industries, thus achieving one of the appraisal object ves of developing part-time evening courses. The emphasis in each program is un obtaining specific skill levels for each training task through the maximum utilization of appropriate equipment. However, some difficulty has been experienced in implementing this curriculum due to the turnover of experienced and specially trained staff. A new in-service training program for chief instructors is expected to rectify the situation for 1978/79. 3.26 At the polytechnic, the programs of technican training envisaged at appraisal are now being implemented. However, the delayed and staggered arrival of the expatriate advisory team delayed comprehensive curriculum planning oriented for technician training. At the same time considerable turnover in local staff made detailed syllabi preparation difficult. Thus, while the subjects and time allotments were commensurate with the general proposals the content was largely engineering theory in the initial two years. Delays in the arrival of some experts contributed to late development of detailed syllabi and the procurement of supplementary equipment required in some fields for the more practically-oriented programs. The situation has now been rectified due to the development work of the UKODM advisory team and the extensive laboratory modifications proposed recently by UKODM short-term consultants. As a result, new curricula, utilizing a credit-house and semester system and with part-time extension courses,are being introduced in 1978/79 with greatly increased emphasis on practical and applied training. Chemical engineering was added with IDA agreement. It is now proposed to extend the range of training into telecommunications, mining and aviation which, as courses have not yet been developed, may cause some difficulties if these are introduced before the current courses are stabilizied. In general, however, greater flexibility and appropriateness is likely to be achieved through this evolution of curricula and the changes in structure of the programs. The PTTC is also being utilized for in-service teacher training programs during summer vacations. 3.27 The science equipment production prototype unit has been modified with IDA agreement to a glass blowing section for which equipment has been procured and technicians trained. In view of the complex nature of such a unit this was a necessary delay as no provision had been made for more varied staff training or equipment purchase. It is still the intention of MOE to construct a separate wing to house a more comprehensive equipment prototype unit. Teachers 3.28 The number of teaching staff in all institutions is ample, although some difficulty is experienced in retaining engineers and laboratory tech- nicians in the ?TTC and vocational teachers in the CSS due to more lucrative employment opportunities elsewhere. The percentage of staff in project - 25 - institutions holding university degrees is 66%, about the same percentage as those teachers in other MOE post-primary institutions. However, a more detailed analysis indicates that more than 90% of staff hold qualifications appropriate to their instructional field. Qualifications of Staff Degree University Specialized Secondary/ Total and degree or training technical teacher higher qualifications certificate training or lower PTTC 15 27 30 29 101 TTI 28 28 2 -- 58 ATC 2 15 4 4 25 CSS - boys 12 21 22 1 56 - girls 1 43 15 3 62 TOTAL 58 134 73 37 302 Despite these qualifications, the mission frequently encountered comments from staff and administrators in the institutions and from MOE officials that (i) staff had no training in the administration of such complex programs, (ii) while their academic or specialized preparation was good, too few staff had received strong, practical teacher training, (iii) recruitment for fellow- ships under the project had been made prior to the appointment of staff, with the inference that earlier staff designation was desirable so that the most appropriate personnel could have been selected for fellowship training, (iv) insufficient fellowships had been available and (v) work-study-internship experiences in similar institutions abroad would have been beneficial espe- cially for administrators and vocational instructors. Technical Assistance 3.29 The objectives of this component were to provide assistance in (i) educational planning; (ii) project implementation; (iii) the program and management of the comprehensive schools; and (iv) staff leadership in other project institutions. The following summary compares the actual commitment with the original needs planned during appraisal: - 26 - Planned Actual Category or Financing Agency No. Man/Months No. Man/Months Institution (a) Specialists IDA Credit 5 120 3 58 (1) Procurement (2) Comprehensive Schools ILO 7 168 7 210 Trade Training UKODM 8 276 16 /a 175 Polytechnic Total 20 564 26 443 (b) Fellowships IDA Credit 8 96 8 108 Comprehensive Schools 2 24 2 48 Teacher Training 1 12 1 24 Educational Planning ILO 10 60 11 71 Trade Training UKODM 15 141 8 87 Polytechnic Holland 2 12 2 12 Polytechnic Total 38 345 32 350 /a Including eight short-term consultants. 3.30 Of the specialists financed from the Credit, only three of the five were appointed. Considerable difficulties and delay occurred in one of these appointments, that of the procurement officer for the PIU. The procure- ment officer when appointed was assigned functions (e.g. furniture design and specifications) for which he was not adequately qualified with resultant inappropriate and disfunctional furniture; even the procedures established for procurement resulted in gaps in recording and difficulties in distribution. A counterpart procurement officer has now established more effective proce- dures and organized a capable team of colleagues. The MOE decided that two specialists in industrial arts for the CSS were not essential but that in place of these, peopleexperienced in the pr iical operation of comprehensive secondary schools were required. IDA agreed. The two specialists appointed to the CSS were generalists in school programming and school management and contributed significantly to curricula development and the practical estab- lishment of the two schools. However, the MOE did not extend their one-year contracts just at a time when their assistance in guiding the schools through their first year of operation could have been most valuable. The remaining two positions--in educational planning--have not been filled: two experienced counterparts in the MOE were designated in 1973 and were deemed to fulfill the needs in educational planning. In November 1973, IDA agreed to delete one of the specialist positions and the other position, reclassified as an educational facilities planner, was later adapted to school survey consultant to meet an imnediate need and was financed by UKODM. - 27 - 3.31 Of the specialists financed outside the Credit, UKODM provided a team of eight specialists supplemented by eight short-term consultants to assist the polytechnic in developing curricula, installing specialized equip- ment, conducting courses, training counterparts and advising on management and organization. Initial delays and difficulties in recruitment of appropriate experts has been aggravated by a considerable turnover in local instructors. Nevertheless, reasonable progress has been achieved in the development of technician level curricula, the procurement and installation of specialized equipment and instruction in English language training. The contribution of the short-term consultants from Bristol Polytechnic during 1977-78 has been greatly appreciated by the Jordanians and UKODM is supporting a proposal to continue such consultancies. 3.32 An ILO team (13 specialists and 3 consultants) was charged in 1973 not only with operating the trade training center to be constructed under the IDA credit, but with establishing a National Vocational Training Scheme and a Department of Industrial Education and Training with the MOE. Only seven specialists were engaged primarily on the TTC project. Of the originally envisaged posts, that of air conditioning and refrigeration was replaced by maintenance and repair of instruments. The contribution of the team in each facet of its task seems to have been greatly appreciated and has resulted in the successful operation of each component. The National Vocational Training Scheme, which includes an apprentice training scheme, and the Department of Vocational Education and Training in the MOE, are now operating effectively. Due to UNDP constraints in 1976, contracts were not renewed except for the team leader who is now seeking approval to obtain two experts and two consultants to supplement the training already achieved. 3.33 The fellowship training has in general been implemented effectively. However, for polytechnic training suitable candidates were difficult to identify with resultant reduction in the number of fellowships undertaken. In some instances (e.g. educational planning and teacher training) training periods were extended to permit trainees to obtain high academic qualifica- tions. Although nearly all fellowship holders returned initially to the MOE and commenced duties associated with their training, only about 30% now remain in those same positions. An equal number, however, have been transferred to other positions with the MOE. The remainder have resigned, most apparently obtaining employment in neighboring countries. The major difficulties encoun- tered were: (i) recruiting candidates in some specialized fields, (ii) obtaining candidates with a sufficient proficiency in English language, and (iii) retaining selected candidates in competition with lucrative other employment opportunities. Covenants and Conditions 3.34 All covenants and conditions required by the Credit Agreement have been met (Annex 7). As the first IDA lending operation in the education sector, the covenants for the most part were justified, especially in the formation of the National Vocational Council which became the legal basis for the introduction of the National Vocational Training Scheme. Councils and committees required by the Agreement were established but have met infrequently; - 28 - they have not yet made a significant input into the operation of the institu- tions and there was no indication that this situation would change in the future. Detailed procedures for the establishment of a tracer system were first discussed with the Government by a 1975 IDA supervision mission; thus, the system itself only came into limited although effective operation in 1977. The condition requiring annual monitoring and review of expansion in enroll- ments has had no real impact; in practice, the submission of the yearly statistical abstract has been the basis for fulfillment of this condition. IV. PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCING 4.01 The total project cost was originally estimated at US$8.6 million (JD 3.1 million), excluding the technical assistance, estimated at US$1.2 million, to be provided by the UK and UNDP/ILO. The IDA credit, equivalent to foreign exchange cost of the project excluding the bilateral technical assis- tance, was estimated at US$5.4 million. The remaining US$3.2 million was to be financed by the Government. 4.02 The increases in areas of the project institutions (para. 3.11) com- bined with the very high world-wide inflation rates of 1974-77, which could not have been anticipated by the appraisal mission, account for the approxi- mately 46% increase in the total project cost from JD 3,077,300 estimated at appraisal to JD 4,228,900 (about US$13.1 million) actually spent by June 1978. The increase was further aggravated by very high levels of construction activity in Jordan and related constraints in the supply of skilled labor and materials during the implementation period. The following table compares the estimated and actual project costs by category of expenditure and shows each category's proportion of the total cost (Annex 8): Appraisal % of Actual % of Estimate /1 Estimated Cost /2 Actual (US$'000) Total (US$'000) Total Construction and site development 5,293.0 61 7,933.1 61 Furniture and equipment 2,367.0 28 4,480.9 34 Professional fees 538.0 6 447.6 3 Technical assistance 418.0 5 191.7 2 Total 8,616.0 100 13,053.3 100 /1 Wate o exchange: US$1.00 = JD 0.357 /2 Average rate of exchange: US$1.00 = JD 0.324 - 29 - 4.03 The proportion spent on professional fees is less than estimated at appraisal because the fees payable under the consultant architects' contract for the design phase were on a lump sum basis and were negotiated down by the MOE to a point considerably under the amount estimated for such fees at appraisal. The total fees paid for all phases of the consultant's work were less than 6% of civil works costs as compared with the 10% estimated at appraisal. Part of this reduction, however, is due to the PIU's assumption of site supervision several months before construction was completed. Also if the fees had been based on a percentage of construction costs, as is often the case in architects' contracts, their proportion of the civil works costs would have remained constant and the total amount paid would have risen with the general inflation in prices. 4.04 The decline in the proportion spent on technical assistance can be attributed to a reduction in the number of specialists and in the man/ months paid under the Credit and to an over-estimation of the actual cost of fellowship training. The placing of fellows in Egypt greatly reduced such costs; for those studying in Britain minimal subsistence was paid. Conversely, the actual amount as well as the proportion spent on furniture and equipment procurement rose due to (i) sharply escalating prices annually, (ii) an exten- sion of the procurement period from three to five years and (iii) provision of more specialized, high quality equipment in technician fields than was envis- aged during appraisal. Disbursements 4.05 Estimated and actual disbursements are shown in Annex 9. Disburse- ments lagged behind estimates due to implementation delays but there were no unusual problems in making disbursements. The last two extensions of the Closing Date first to April 30, 1978 and finally to October 31, 1978 were required to allow final payments of the amounts retained under letters of credit (3%) from the equipment suppliers. This procedure became cumbersome. More prompt action by the government in requesting suppliers' commercial banks to release the final 3% would have reduced the amounts outstanding on committed letters of credit. Greater use could have been made of direct payment proce- dures. The remaining equipment has all been delivered and after final check- ing, withdrawal applications will be submitted for the total amount remaining in the Credit. The following table shows the actual total disbursements from the Credit by category: - 30 - Original Actual % of Allocation Disbursement /1 Original --------------------- US$---------------- I. Civil works 1,860,000 2,267,773.11 122% II. Consultant services 300,000 269,907.22 90% III. Locally procured 140,000 69,152.68 49% furniture, equipment and books IV. Imported furniture, 1,800,000 2,533,533.00 141% equipment and books V. Technical assistance; 310,000 165,478.92 53% specialists, fellowships VI. Unallocated 990,000 -- Total 5,400,000 5,305,844.93 /2 /1 August 23, 1978. /2 Of the remaining $94,155.07, $47,813.15 is committed under letters of credit and $46,341.92 is in free funds. V. PROJECT OPERATING OUTCOMES External Productivity 5.01 The graduates from each project institution have obtained appro- priate employment in the approximate numbers projected at appraisal. Prelim- inary evidence from the limited tracer system initiated in 1977 and from discussions with school administrators suggest that (i) about 90% and 77% of students graduating from the TTI and PTTC respectively had been able to find employment directly related to their training fields, (ii) all graduates from the ATT were employed, (iii) students from CSS to date have had no difficulty entering higher education but this could become a major problem unless the universities amend their entrance requirements (currently being reviewed) to take into account the changed CSS curricula. In the tech- nician and vocational field employers apparently are pleased with the skills obtained during training. Employers also are seeking prospective graduates for part-time employment during training. A continuing factor stimulating :dnission to each project institution has been the continuing demand for -killed labor and the increasingly attractive remuneration offered. - 31 - Effectiveness 5.02 The new curricula which have been evolved for the project institu- tions are still not being fully implemented. The PTTC revised technician syllabi will be introduced in 1978/79 although preliminary use in 1977/78 suggests that the more practical orientation is more appreciated by the students as well as meeting more effectively the particular needs of industry. The specialized vocational option program in the CSS was successfully imple- . mented in 1977/78 but the commercial program for third year students will only be available in 1978/79. Some of the specialized programs within each insti- tution envisaged during appraisal have been modified but this has been com- pensated by flexibility within existing curricula and the introduction of options in the CSS (Annex 5). 5.03 Programs in most institutions extend beyond the normal 5-1/2 day 30-36 period week, especially in vocational courses where workshops are in use 42-45 periods per week. Especially in those institutions with boarding facilities, the libraries are well used from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, each institution offers a greater variety of courses than in other MOE schools. Thus, most of the institutions are more complex organizational structures than previously known in Jordan. In these conditions, training in educational administration becomes increasingly important. Each institution has suffered from inexperienced and inadequately prepared administrators. While this has not been a serious drawback, much smoother operation could have been achieved if all the administrators (including deputy directors and heads of depart- ments) had been appointed earlier and been afforded the opportunity to intern in similar institutions abroad. The directors of the two CSS profitted from their limited exposure to other comprehensive schools but more time and prac- tical experience were needed. Little attempt has so far been made to delegate responsibility. In all but one institution, however, staff relations appeared generally good with a high degree of job satisfaction. 5.04 The design of the buildings has responded adequately to the educa- tional needs and the requirements of easy functional operation. Access within the building and space relationships are satisfactory. However, deficiencies in the quality of the buildings (para. 3.12) and in the quality of furniture (para. 3.17), while still leaving the institutions functionally adequate, have been a source of disturbance and annoyance to the users, a situation which will take some time and money to rectify. The PIU in their completion report focussed on these deficiencies and were highly critical of the consultant architects, the expatriate procurement officer and the contractors in this respect and in respect of delays in meeting the completion targets the PIU had set. As indicated in para. 3.06, however, completion was achieved without undue delay. Taking into account the inflationary spiral from 1973 to 1976, costs were reasonable. The changing patterns of enrollments and programs make an assessment of the suitability of the planned physical facilities difficult. It would appear, however, that any additional facilities currently proposed stem from newly determined needs and not from any deficiencies in the original proposals. - 32 - 5.05 The project TTI has effectively catered for the teacher trainees from the southern regions of the country; the ATT and the PTTC attract students from the whole country while the two CSS cater to sections of Amman as visualized. In contrast to the equal proportion of male/female enrollments envisaged for the TTI, which occurred in the first year of operation, the enrollment ratio Cf women has now increased to about 66%. The provision of co-education in the TTI has met slight opposition among staff and the community but the mission was assured that the positive reactions of the students and the advaitages in the flexibility and variety of the programs outweighed such objections. Indeed, the polytechnic is now also enrolling female students. Students in all insti- tutions were recruited from a broad socio-economic background. 5.06 As indicated elsewhere, the project has had a significant impact on education and training in Jordan. While the intention of the project was to introduce new concepts in more appropriate and modern facilities, the enthu- siastic support of the MOE for continuing these measures has been encouraging. Of importance also is the knowledge gained by the PIU of administrative and procedural aspects of project implementation, particularly with regard to procurement and the need for close cooperation between those responsible for the educational and physical aspects. In addition, the Jordanians are seeking continued technical advice especially from short-term highly specialized con- sultants, largely as a result of experience gained through the project. Internal Efficiency 5.07 Student enrollment during the second year of operation of project institutions (1977-78) was just over 100% of the targetted enrollment of 3,515. Differences for individual institutions are only slight: Comparison of Student Enrollments Planned Actual Polytechnic Institute 460 373 Trade Training Center 295 259 Teacher Training Institute 700 875 Agricultural Teacher Training 60 72 Comprehensive Secondary Schools Boys 1,000 1,017 Girls 1,000 1,016 3,515 3,612 5.08 A more detailed analysis by institution (Annex 5) indicates that (i) some courses in the PTTC were not offered, others received fewer enroll- ments than projected and the concept of some modular trade training courses produced a different balance between first and second year enrollments; (ii) for the TTI, the projected emphasis on science and mathematics did not occur (para. 3.23) while other specialized fields show a relatively balanced but greatly increased enrollment. This has adversely effected use factors for some - 33 - specialized rooms (Annex 6); and (iii) the enrollments at the two CSS cannot be compared to appraisal targets as (a) the schools began with students, trans- ferred from other secondary schools, who continued their general programs, (b) course specializations have changed, and (c) in 1977-78, a preliminary year (grade 9) was introduced in preparation for a more appropriate use of the comprehensive school program. 5.09 In two years of operation with changing curricula, internal measures of efficiency are difficult to establish and unreliable as comparisons. Much more realistic assessments are likely only after full curricula have been taught for several years. Nevertheless, preliminary analyses suggest that (i) the retention rate of students during both years and within each institution was extremely high, (ii) the pass rate of 89% in the boys CSS and 92% in the girls CSS was higher than for other secondary schools, (iii) all students in the ATT, TTI and PTTC passed in either final or supplementary examinations, (iv) room-use factors are high (70-90%) in all but a few specialized areas (Annex 6), and (v) student/teacher ratios of 16, 24 and 19 in the TTI, boys CSS and girls CSS respectively are lower than other MOE institutions at the same level. 5.10 The government is anticipating continual increases in enrollment at the PTTC and additional construction is already underway. All other project institutions are expected to continue their capacity enrollments. With changes in the curricula at the TTI and CSS becoming effective from 1978-79 it is premature to judge the current enrollment structure by course offerings within each institution. Boarding facilities are utilized to capacity in the TTI and ATT but only to 77% at the PTTC. These three institutions also conduct residential programs during the summer vacation thus ensuring that all institutions are well used throughout the year. However, at present, programs for community involvement have not been developed to any extent and thus, especially at the two CSS, facilities have not had as yet the evening use visualized at appraisal. 5.11 The average annual recurrent expenses of the project were difficult to estimate. The information furnished to the mission indicates the following per student recurrent costs, including teachers' salaries; they appear reason- able and within government capacity to finance. The indications are that these costs per student are not significantly different from those in other MOE institutions at the same level. Recurrent Expenditure per Institution Student (US$) Polytechnic & Trade Training Center 1,070 Teacher Training Institute 900 Agricultural Teacher Training /a 1,000 Boys' Comprehensive Secondary School 190 Girls' Comprehensive Secondary School 145 /a Including the agricultural secondary school. - 34 - VI. IDA PERFORMANCE 6.01 In the six years since Credit signing, the Bank has maintained a dialogue with MOE to assist implementation. Before that, the sharing of ideas between members of the various IDA missions leading to appraisal and MOE staff enhanced the definition of project items and the initial preparations for the project. Written communications, though occasionally somewhat delayed, were relatively frequent and were initiated by both PIU and IDA. Requests were received from the PIU for regular visits from IDA staff familiar with the project and advice was actively sought during such IDA supervisory visits. However, IDA visits became less frequent as implementation proceeded and focused largely on the physical aspects. The input of IDA educators, espe- cially in the early phases when assistance with the educational programs, and with arrangements for equipment list preparation and technical assistance, could have been useful, was not as frequent nor as sustained as, in hindsight, appears desirable. In part, however, this was offset on the educational aspects by IDA input from 1974 in the development of the second project, the contents of which largely paralleled that of the first project. Supervision reports, for the most part, portrayed satisfactory implementation but inade- quate account seems to have been taken, until 1975, of delays in technical assistance, poor initial arrangements for preparation of syllabi and diffi- culties in procurement. 6.02 IDA procedures and policies do not appear to have constrained the implementation of the project. The Bank had a flexible approach towards changes in curricula to permit a progressive development of appropriate curricula during project implementation. Such flexibility was facilitated through the dialogue which has developed, stemming from both the first and second education projects, with the PIU staff and senior MOE officials. Similarly, contacts by IDA with UKODM and UNDP have increased the cooperation and effective inputs of these agencies with respect to project implementation. VII. CONCLUSIONS 7.01 The Project seems to have been well justified in terms of educa- tional development priorities. The major underlying theme of reorientation of the educational system was initiated effectively through the project and is being further developed and pursued under the second education project. The project spearheaded more general government initiatives. Secondary aca- demic education is being converted generally to comprehensive education, based on the enthusiastic response to the experiments under the first project. Fur- ther review and analysis will be necessary, however, before it can be deter- mined if the present format of comprehensive education is the correct one for the future. The question of whether, for example, the industrial programs should have a more strongly vocational bias will be considered further by the MOE. At the very least, however, the current arrangements for comprehensive elucation offer a good transition phase. IDA flexibility in not unduly c-'- z-raining an evolutionary process for the CSS was sound. An important asec - 35 - of the diversification of secondary education has been the new emphasis on practical science teaching; the paucity of science teaching in secondary schools at present has resulted in a lack of enrollments in the science programs in the primary teacher training institute. A corollary is the need to assess more fully during appraisal the source of candidates for proposed programs. 7.02 The training of skilled craftsmen and technicians under the project appears fully justified in terms of manpower needs. This is supported by the satisfactory employment of graduates. A very welcome spin-off from the project has been the development of a comprehensive vocational training scheme and the measures under this scheme for the rapid and extensive development of vocational training to meet what are clearly pressing needs. Such training is being done on a modular basis through an effective system developed under the project. 7.03 The development of programs and course options in the project insti- tutions are still in a process of evolution. Overall, the project institutions have achieved capacity enrollments and arrangements for expansion indicate a high level of demand for places. While the project objectives are being effectively pursued, the new curricula being implemented in some institutions do not conform in all aspects to those proposed for the project. This reflects the changed perceptions of educational needs. It also indicates a critical approach to curriculum development which has received enthusiastic responses from students, teachers, parents and employers. This process is likely to continue as alternative curricula are tried. The support of the MOE for such modifications and the endorsement of the new programs for other institutions stems from their experimental introduction through the project institutions. Thus curricula should be reviewed constantly to keep objectives relevant and content appropriate to the needs of the society. The formation of curricula committees early in the project cycle of the second education project indicate that curriculum design and development are now recognized as a major priority in successful implementation. 7.04 Technical assistance was scheduled to play an important part in achieving the educational objectives of the project. Effective technical assistance inputs suffered in the early implementation stage from lack of coordination and assignment of responsibility for technical assistance arrange- ments and follow-up. Such coordination was particularly necessary in the light of changes in needed expertise. As a result of this experience, a deputy project director appointed to the PIU for the second education project was assigned responsibility for all technical assistance aspects of that project. In general, however, the technical assistance provided was highly supportive of the project and was clearly critical to the development of the project. 7.05 The physical aspects of the project were implemented without undue delay and to a tolerable standard. Problems continue because of some poor quality finishes in the buildings and in furniture. These arose from a com- bination of factors, mainly deficiencies in design, supervision and contractors' performance, which highlights the need for the following action for future projects: - 36 - (i) a fuller definition to be made at the time of appraisal of the management and supervisory tasks related to project implementation, and the personnel and expertise required to perform such tasks, with implementation teams to be staffed accordingly; (ii) coordinating machinery to be established under which timely inputs would be received from educators on curricula, equip- ment lists and room layouts; (iii) realistic completion dates to be established--striving for completion within an overtight time scale may lead as in this case to acceptance of unsatisfactory products; and (iv) close scrutiny to be made of contractors' capabilities before award of contracts. 7.06 In retrospect also, procurement could have been improved through (a) more effective packaging of items to attract larger bids on fewer packages, (b) more detailed recording of items and awards to ensure smoother distribution to project institutions, (c) availability of storage facilities, more transport from Aqaba and more personnel to check, repackage and supervise distribution of goods and (d) closer liaison with contractors and school administrators to arrange timely delivery of furniture and equipment. Each of these points as well as other minor points on procurement are being taken into account for the second education project. 7.07 A factor which was emphasized in discussions with the mission was the need for more training in management and administration for key staff for what were seen as relatively complex institutions. The mission supports this view and would add that such training would assist both project personnel in the PIU and in the institutions to define their roles and responsibilities more realis- tically, undertake management functions more efficiently and effectively and be more aware both of the need and value of educational planning. - 37 - ANNEX 1 COMPLETION MISSION METHODOLOGY 1. The aim of the Completion Mission was to compare the project objec- tives and performance in implementing the project as conceived during appraisal and as specified in the Credit Agreement with actual achievements. Special consideration was to be given to particular strengths and weaknesses which might have relevance for the preparation and implementation of future IDA/Bank projects. 2." The work of the mission entailed three main stages: pre-mission preparation, field visits and discussions, and desk analysis and interpretation of findings. Pre-mission preparation included a review of basic documents to identify objectives and quantitative targets, preparation of a simple interview questionnaire and of reporting forms and a request to the PIU to prepare (along the lines of a sample format provided by the mission) a draft report of their own for discussion with the mission. In the field the mission together with PIU representatives visited all project institutions, and met with the school directors and senior staff to discuss pedagogic and administrative matters and make an architectural assessment of school buildings and facilities, discussed the draft report prepared by the PIU and met with senior MOE officials. The desk analysis and interpretation of field findings was required to clarify discrepancies in data, to determine the major emphasis for the report and to assess the impact of the project. - 38 - ANNEX 2 PROJECT COMPLETION REPORE Ji UK - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (C9ED: 285-O_ Planned, Revised and Actual Implementation Schedule 17 1973 1974 1975 1976 j 1977171 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 411 2 '3'4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 3 Civil works: Professional services Mesign Tendering & contract awards Construction Defects & liability period Furniture: Preparation of master lists Tendering & contract awards Manufacturing, delivery & installation Equipment: Preparation of master lists Tendering & contract awards I 7 7, 7-71 Manufacturing, delivery & - installation Tehia /1 i 1 1 1.I Technical assistance:- Project Unit procurement specialist Education specialists Fellowships * la Planned mnAlaw Revised (3/72) I Actual / e o r > U W Credi only. ' PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT JORDAN - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) Supervision Missions llLof Mission Dates Personnel Report Date Supervision March 24-29, 1972 Kinawy (Architect) April 6, 1972 Supervision August 20-25, 1972 Ferzad (Architect) September 11, 1972 Supervision January 24-29, 1973 Serageldin (Architect) Germanacos (Gen. Educator) March 1, 1973 Supervision August 16-22, 1973 Kinawy (Architect) October 8, 1973 Supervision- (w/appraisal) May 15-June 14, 1974 Kinawy (Architect) Masters (Gen. Educator) June 28, 1974 Supervision February 13-20, 1975 Kinawy (Architect) March 21, 1975 ' Supervision (w/534-JO and 498-JO) November 23 - Masters (Gen. Educator) December 10, 1975 E1-Tobgy (Architect)"- van Maas (Sociologist/Ed.)-I/ December 31, 1975 Supervision (w/534-JO) August 16-26, 1976 Masters (Cen. Educator) & September 6, 1976 Annez (Architect) October 13, 1976 Supervision (w/534-JO) July 17-28, 1977 Prosser (Educator/Economist) Montague (Architect) August 25, 1977 Supervision (w/reconnaissance) April 16-20, 1978 Stewart (Division Chief) May 4, 1978 Completion!- (w/supervision of 534-JO and reconnaissance) June 11-July 7, 1978 Masters (Gen. Educator) Montague (Architect) IPart-time. PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT JORDAN - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) Project Physical Facilities Enrollment Gross Area (M2)L.L Planned at Actual % of Planned at % Increase Institution Appraisal 1977/78 Planned Appraisal Revisedl2 Actual or Decrease Comprehensive secondary school (boys): Academic and communal 1,000 1,017 102 4,910 5,892 6,102 +24 Comprehensive secondary school (girls): Academic and communal 1,000 1,016 102 4,860 5,874 6,097 +25 Polytechnic and trade training center: Academic and communal 755 632 84 12,020 12,026 12,118 + 1 1 Boarding 260 179 69 2,160 2,828 2,828 +31 ' 4 Staff housing - 1 - - 130 137 - c> Subtotal 14180 14,984 15,083 + 6 Teacher training institute: Academic and communal 700 875 125 4,720 5,286 5,968 +26 Boarding 460 457 3,840 4,420 4,420 +15 Staff housing 2 4 n.a. 225 249 287 +28 Subtotal 8,785 9,95 10,675 +22 Agricultural school extension: Academic and communal 60 72 120 320 291 291 - 9 Boarding 60 72 120 480 606 646 +35 Subtotal 800 897 937 +17 Total 3 J790 38,894 +16 L) :-udes outdoor covered areas acting as corridors 4 L2 Areas in approved construction documents Planned & Actual Enrollment in Project Institutions by Type of Program Projected Enrollment Actual 1977/78 Enrollment Institution Program Specialization Year 1 2 3 4 Total 1 2 3 4 Total Polytechnic/ 1. Civil Engineering 30 30 60 23 27 50 2. Architecture & Quantity Surveying 30 30 60 25 - 25 3. Electrical Engineering 60 60 120 56 51 107 4. Mechanical Engineeing 60 60 120 48 48 96 5. Chemical Engineering / - - - 21 26 47 6. Laboratory Technicians 30 30 60 26 - 26 7. Teacher Training 20 20 40 - 22 22 Total 230 230 460 199 174 373 Trade Training 1. Machinist 25 - 25 22 20 42 2. Moulding & Foundry/c 15 15 30 - - - 3. Woodwork 15 15 30 17 14 31 4. Sheetmetal/Welding 25 - 25 24 20 42 5. General Mechanics /c 20 20 40 - - - 6. Refrigeration & Airconditioning 25 25 50 12 - 12 7. Instrumentation .C 15 15 30 - - - 8. Automotives 20 20 40 24 24 48 9. Building & Shuttering 25 - 25 32 16 48 10. Electrical Installation/-b - - - 17 17 34 Total 185 110 295 148 111 259 Agriculture /A 1. Agricultural Teacher Training 30 30 60 36 36 72 Teacher Training O u a - n Planned Enrollment Actual 1977/78 Enrollment Instii ition Program Specialization Year 1 2 3 4 Total 1 2 3 4 Total Primary & /a 1. Science/Mathematics 265 265 530 63 91 154 Preparatory 2. Languages 13 157 76 233 Teacher Training 3. Social Studies 13 123 95 218 4. Home Economics 85 13 170 40 30 70 5. Fine Arts 13 61 46 107 6. Physical Education 13 48 45 93 Total 350 350 700 492 383 875 Boys 1. General /b /d - - - - 83 227 - - 310 Comprehensive 2. Arts - 120 115 185 340 - - 62 107 169 Secondary 3. Science - 120 100 90 310 - - 157 217 374 School /d 4. Commercial - 52 42 42 140 - 85 79 - 164 5. Industrial /c /e - 75 73 72 220 - - - - - Total - 367 334 309 1100 83 312 298 324 1017 Girls 1. General /b /d - - - - - 80 160 - - 240 Comprehensive 2. Arts - 120 115 105 340 - - 102 191 293 Secondary 3. Science - 120 100 90 310 - - 49 129 178 Schools /d 4. Commercial - 52 46 42 140 - 79 69 - 148 5. Nursing /b - - - - - - 61 18 16 95 6. Home Economics /c /e - 50 55 44 140 - - - - - 7. Secretarial /a 15 15 - - 30 12 13 - - 25 8. Institutional Management'- 15 15 - - 30 25 12 - - 37 Total - Secondary - 342 316 281 939 80 300 238 336 954 - Post-Secondary 30 30 60 37 25 62 0 - 43 - ANNEX 5 Page 3 of 3 NOTES a! Post-secondary level courses. b/ Programs added to the curriculum. c/ Programs deleted or incorporated into other programs. d/ The length of the comprehensive school cycle has been increased to four years by establishing the first year as the final year of the previous (intermediate) cycle. The first year is a general academic year. The second year (grade 10) contains a general program for those pursuing academic programs in the last two years of secondary schooling and vocational programs for the remaining students. e/ The industrial/home economics programs of three years duration have been replaced by a choice of optional vocational specializations for arts/ science students in their last two years. The options available for girls are tailoring, home economics and child care, beautician, and pottery and weaving while those for boys are woodworking, metal working, electricity and automechanics. All options require 16% of instructional time. In addition, all students study an introductory vocational course for 20% of the time during each of the first two years which covers home economics for girls and industrial crafts for boys. -44 - ANNEX 6 Teacher Training - Room Use Ratio Summary /a Type of Space No. of Rooms Semester 1 / Semester 2/b Average/b Classroom A 4 102 89 96 Classroom B 4 103 84 94 Classroom K 7 97 79 88 Demonstration Science 3 96 78 87 Laboratory Science 3 27 23 25 Demonstration Theater 1 100 65 83 Fine Arts 2 71 66 69 Home Economics 1 100 47 74 Language Laboratory 1 12 18 15 Audio-Visual 2 79 75 77 a! Assume a 6-period 5day-week and 1 day of 4 periods; in practice, a seventh period is occasionally used. Most rooms therefore have a 34 period-week but some could have a 39 period-week. b/ Expressed as percentage use factor. - 45 - ANNEX 7 Fulfillment of Covenants & Conditions Credit Agreement Fulfillment Section Content Proposed Actual 3.02 (iii) Appoint Project Unit (a) accountant and July 72 June 72 (b) Procurement Specialist July 72 June 73 4.02 (a) Appoint directors and assistant directors Oct. 74 Jan-Nov75 (iii) of institutions 4.03 Establish a tracer system Feb. 75 Nov. 75 4.04 (i) Manpower survey Feb. 73 Jan. 73 4.04 (ii) Appoint Jordanian Educational Planners Feb. 73 Aug. 72 4.05 Establish National Vocational Council Feb. 73 Oct. 76 4.06 Establish Advisory Council for Polytechnic Feb. 73 June 77 and Trade Training Center 4.07 (a) Establish Coordinating Committee for Feb. 73 Feb. 73 Agricultural Education (b) Establish Teacher Training Committee Feb. 73 Feb. 73 4.08 Establish an Educational Planning Committee Feb. 73 Feb. 73 4.09 Conduct Annual Review Annually Annually PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT JORDAN - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) Project Costs ('00 JO) Construction and Site Development Furniture and Equipment Professional Fees Technical Assistance Total Appraisal Estimates Appraisal Estimatds Appraisal Estimates Appraisal Estimates Appraisal Estimates Excl. Incl. Actual % Excl. Incl. Actual . Excl. Inc. Actual % Excl. Incl. Actual E Excl. Incl. Actual Project Item ConLing. Conting. Cost Diff. Cating. Coating, Cast!/ Diff. Coating. Coating. Cost.!/ Diff. Conting. Conting. Cost1l Diff. Coating. CCnting o Cat!- Di Comprehensive secondary school (boys) 188.6 241.5 298.8 +24 62.5 19.2 270,3 62.4 Comprehensive secondary school (girls) 186.7 239.1 283.6 +19 55.9 19.0 261.6 (62.4) Polytechnic and trade training center 628.2 804.2 984.2 +22 429.8 63.8 -- 1,121.8 Ch Teacher training institute 435.8 557.9 935.3 +68 142.4 44.4 4.5 627.1 Agricultural school extension 37.7 48.3 68.2 +41 23.3 3.7 -- 64.7 Educational planning 46.8 46.8 Project Unit .... - ... - 22.2 22,2 Total ('000 JD): 1477.0 1 8_91.0 2 +36 713.9 845.0 +72 150.1 192.1 145.0 -25 135.9 149.2 62.1 -58 4 Total ('000 US): 4,136.0 5,293.0 7,933,1 1,999.0 2,367.0 4,480.9 420.0 538.0 447.6 380.0 418.0 191.7 6,935.0 8,616.0 13,053.3 +52 Rates of exchange: Appraisal - US$1.00 - JD 0.357 Average - US$1.00 = JD 0.324 Copletio- US$1.00 = JD 0.305 iCost breakdown by sclool not available. Source; Project Unit June 1978 m 0 PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT JORDAN - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 285-JO) Disbursements (in US$ millions) Appraisal Estimates Actual Actual as FY Semester Accumulated Accumulated % of Appraisal Significant Dates and Events Amounts Amounts Amounts Amounts Estimate in Project Implementation 73 1 (7/72-12/72) 0.12 0.12 2/11/72 Signing of Credit 2 (1/73-6/73) 0.19 0.31 0.07 0.07 22.6 Agreement 7/27/72 Effective date 74 1 (7/73-12/73) 0.98 1.29 0.06 0.13 10.1 2 (1/74-6/74) 1.00 2.29 0.03 0.16 7.0 75 1 (7/74-12/74) 1.77 4.06 0.84 1.00 24.6 2 (1/75-6/75) 0.67 4.73 0.70 1.70 35.9 76 1 (7/75-12/75) 0.34 5.07 1.50 3.20 63.1 2 (1/76-6/76) 0.33 5.40 1.30 4.50 83.3 4/28/76 Closing date extended to 4/30/77 77 1 (7/76-12/76) 0.70 5.20 96.3 2 (1/77-6/77) 0.01 5.21 96.5 4/29/77 Closing date extended to 12/31/77 78 1 (7/77-12/77) 0.02 5.23 96.9 .12/9/77 Closing date extended to 4/30/78 2 (1/78-6/78) 0.08 5.31 98.3 4/27/78 Closing date extended to 10/31/78 79 1 (7/78-12/78) 2 (1/79-6/79) - 48 - ANNEX 9 Chart 1 JORDAN - Credit 285-JO PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT Accumulated Disbursements - Forecast and Actual US$Million 6.0 5.36 5.40 5.31 , 5.21 51.23 5.07 -5.20 5.0 --*5 2 ,'2 5 23 4.73 , .50 , I 4.06, 4.0 I 3.20 3.0 Forecast , I I 2 . 29,p Actua 2.0 - I 1 1.0 -1.0 0.31 0.16 0.12 ,-- 0.13I 0.0 0* 0 / ~I FY73 FY74 - FY75 FY76'. FY77 FY78j FY79 Fiscal Years (by Semester) Io nI 0.0r. -r4 -HH w M C) 0?q0 M~c