Announcement of Belize Primary Education Development Project on December 9, 1991

FOR IMMEDIAf1 RUtllAM World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. *Telephone: (202) 477-1234 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 92/32 Contact: Ciro Gamarra Tel: (202) 473-8721 BELIZE: PRIMARY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECT The following is information on a project approved by the World Bank's Board. DATE: December 9, 1991 WORLD BANK GROUP SUPPORT: World Bank loan: $7.1 million. The loan is for 17 years, including five years of grace, with a variable interest rate, currently 7.73 percent, linked to the cost of the Bank's borrow- ings. It also carries an annual commitment charge of 0.25 percent on the undisbursed balance. TOTAL COST: $12.6 million OTHER FINANCING: Government of Belize, $4.2 million; Overseas Develop- ment Administration, $1.3 million IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture, and Sports ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1998 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The objectives of the Primary Education Devel- opment Project are to improve the quality of instruction in primary schools and increase student educational achievement levels through: (a) the introduction of a new system to train primary school teachers, improving the quality and relevance of teacher training, and increasing the number of teachers with professional certification; (b) improved quality, availability, and efficiency of educational facilities and resources for teaching, learning, and assessment in primary schools; and (c) strengthening of the planning and management of education to assist the government to develop policies and implement programs that will enable cost-effective expenditures on primary education. The project includes three inter-related components: (a) teacher education ($2.5 million): improvements in the teacher training system and upgrad- ing the knowledge, skills, and overall competence of primary school teachers; (b) education development ($7.8 million): improvements in the classroom environment and curricula, textbook distribution, design and implementation of new examinations for diagnosis and measurement of student achievement, and remediation of learning difficulties; and (c) planning and management ($2.4 million): improvements in educational planning and management through the introduction of new methods and systems for monitoring, budgeting, and evaluating educational programs.