Ghana - Second Education Sector Adjustment Credit

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 14833 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT REPUBLIC OF GHANA SECOND EDUCATION SECTOR ADJUSTMENT CREDIT (CREDIT 2140-GH) JUNE 29, 1995 Population and Human Resources Division West Central Africa Department Africa Region 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.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS US$1 Cedis (t ) 313 (April 1990) US$1 = Cedis (E) 1,000 (December 1994) FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 SCHOOL YEAR September - June (Basic and Tertiary) January - December (Senior Secondary) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONY1IS CRDD Curriculum Research and Development Department CRT Criterion Referenced Test EdSAC I First Education Sector Adjustment Credit (Cr. 1744-GH) EdSAC II Second Education Sector Adjustment Credit (Cr. 2140-GH) ERP Economic Recovery Program GES Ghana Education Service GLSS Ghana Living Standards Survey JSS Junior Secondary Schools MOE Ministry of Education PBME Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation Department PMU Project Management Unit PREP Primary Education Project supported by USAID SDR Special Drawing Rights SSS Senior Secondary Schools USAID United States Agency for International Development WAEC West African Education Council  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. PREFACE EVALUATION SUMMARY ......................................i PART I. IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT I. Introduction ...................................1 II. Objectives and Design of EDSAC II ....................................2 III. Implementation Experience and Results ....................................2 IV. Assessments by Beneficiaries ...................................11 V. Sustainability .................................. 12 VI. Future Operations and Key Lessons Learned .................................. 12 PART II. STATISTICAL ANNEXES Table 1 Summary of Assessments .15 Table 2 Related Bank/IDA Loans/Credits .17 Table 3 Project Timetable .18 Table 4 Loan/Credit Disbursements: Cumulative Estimated and Actual .19 Table 5 Use of Credit Proceeds, by Category and by Level of Education .20 Table 6 Performance Targets and Special Conditions for Tranche Release . 21 Table 7 Studies Included in the Project .27 Table 8 Status of Legal Covenants .28 Table 9 Bank Resources: Staff Inputs .33 Table 10 Bank Resources: Missions .34 APPENDIXES A. Aide-Memoire of Completion Mission March 13-25, 1995 B. Borrower's Contribution to the ICR C. Enrollment by Level of Education, 1989-93 D. SSS1 Intake by Region and by Gender 1991-94 E. Increase in number of SSSs, by Region, 1991-93 F. Government Recurrent Expenditures per Student, by Level of Education, 1989-93 G. Government Recurrent Expenditures in Education, by Level of Education, 1989-93 H. Map No. IBRD 23606 dhis 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.  I  IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT REPUBLIC OF GHANA SECOND EDUCATION SECTOR ADJUSTMENT CREDIT (CREDIT 2140-GH) PREFACE This is the Implementation Completion Report (ICR) for the Second Education Sector Adjustment Credit in Ghana, for which Credit 2140-GH in the amount of SDR 37.9 million (US$53.2 million equivalent)' was approved on May 24, 1990 and made effective on July 18, 1990. The Credit was closed on December 31, 1994, after one extension of 10 months from the original closing date (February 28, 1994). The first tranche (SDR 12.9 million) was released upon effectiveness; subsequent tranches (SDR 12.9 and 12.1 million, respectively) were released on December 19, 1991 and April 1, 1993; and the Credit was fully disbursed by May 8, 1995. The ICR was prepared by Mrs. Josephine Woo and Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshida (AF4PH), with substantial input from Mr. Nicholas Bennett (AF4PH), who was the task manager for the project from inception to closing. It was reviewed by Mr. Ian Porter (Division Chief, AF4PH) and Mr. Franz Kaps (Project Advisor, AF4DR). Preparation of this ICR was begun during the Bank's supervision mission from October 31 to November 11, 1994 and was further discussed in a subsequent mission from March 13-26, 1995. It is based on the Report and Recommendation of the President, the Development Credit Agreement, supervision reports, correspondence between the Bank and the Borrower, internal Bank memoranda, and interviews with Bank staff involved in the project. The Borrower contributed to the preparation of the ICR by providing relevant data, preparing its own evaluation of the program, and commenting on the draft ICR. As part of the preparation of the ICR, the Bank supported, through financing from the Client Consultation Fund, a beneficiary assessment of the education sector reform program conducted at the end of 1994. The findings of the beneficiary assessment have been incorporated in the ICR and in the Borrower's own evaluation report (see Appendix B). At the time of Board approval, the Credit was valued at US$50 million equivalent. Because of the appreciation of the SDR against the US dollar, the Credit amount actually disbursed was US$53.2 million equivalent.   IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT REPUBLIC OF GHANA SECOND EDUCATION SECTOR ADJUSTMENT CREDIT (CREDIT 2140-GH) EVALUATION SUMMARY 1. The Bank's Role in the Country and Sector. The Bank's first lending operation in Ghana's education system was the Health and Education Rehabilitation Project (Cr. 1653- GH) in 1986, which provided US$5 million to meet the sector's pressing needs for textbooks and instruction materials for primary schools and universities. Simultaneously, the Bank and the Government worked closely together to develop a long-term plan for the rehabilitation and reform of the education sector, leading to a multi-year reform program to shorten pre- university education from 17 to 12 years, improve pedagogic efficiencies and outcomes, and reduce unit costs borne by the Government. The transitional costs of implementing the reform program were supported by the Bank through the First and Second Sector Adjustment Credits (EdSAC I and EdSAC II). EdSAC I (Cr. 1744-GH, effective April 8, 1987; closed December 31, 1991), in the amount of SDR 28.5 million (US$38.3 million equivalent), supported the first phase of the reform and focused on the primary and junior secondary education cycles. Implementation of the first phase of reform was generally smooth, resulting in increased enrollment growth, better allocation of financial resources, introduction of the new junior secondary school (JSS) curriculum, broad-based provision of education staff training, development and supply of instruction materials to basic education schools throughout the country, and strengthened school-based supervision. EdSAC II (Cr. 2140- GH, effective July 18, 1990; closed December 31, 1994), in the amount of SDR 37.9 million (US$53.2 million equivalent), supported the second phase of the reform program to help consolidate the reforms that have already taken place in basic education, and extend them to the senior secondary level. In both adjustment operations, IDA financed important transitional costs of the Government's reform program according to a positive list of expenditure items agreed upon each year at the time of the tranche reviews. -2. Objectives of EdSAC II. The main objectives of EdSAC II were to help the Government: (a) complete the restructuring of the school system to a 12-year cycle; (b) extend the reform to senior secondary education by simplifying the curriculum, introducing more practical content into it, and replenishing necessary basic materials and supplies; (c) consolidate the basic education reforms so that primary and JSS leavers acquire the cognitive skills needed to take advantage of education offered at higher levels; and (d) ensure the financial sustainability of the new system. 3. Special Conditions of EdSAC II. These objectives were translated into Special Conditions for tranche releases and Performance Targets (see Table 5, Part II). To make the new senior secondary education system more cost-effective and financially sustainable, a minimum teacher/student ratio of 1:20 was established; the number of Ghana Education Service (GES) staff was not to exceed 153,000; and textbook user fees introduced at primary and junior secondary levels under EdSAC I were extended to the senior secondary level. In  ii addition, the share of the Government budget going to basic education was to be maintained at least at the 1989 level (i.e., 62 percent of the total education recurrent budget), and actual expenditures were to be more in line with budget allocations than had been the case in the past. Implementation Experience And Results 4. Tranche Reviews and Implementation Schedule. The first tranche (SDR 12.9 million) of EdSAC 1I was released upon effectiveness in July 1990; subsequent tranches (SDR 12.9 million and SDR 12.1 million, respectively) were released in December 1991 and April 1993. The reviews for the second and third tranches were held on schedule, but disbursements during 1992 and 1993 were delayed partly because of political elections, followed by changes in the leadership of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and reorganization of project management functions. In December 1993, the Government requested an extension of the closing date for EdSAC II to allow adequate time to take delivery of the books, tools, and equipment procured for JSSs and SSSs, and to use remaining Credit funds to launch the new Primary School Development Project (Cr. 2508-GH). IDA agreed to extend the closing date by 10 months, from February 28, 1994, to December 31, 1994. 5. Achievement of Objectives. At the time of the tranche reviews, all special conditions for tranche release were fully complied with, except for the one which involved complicated actions in each secondary school (para. 3.9). About one-third of the performance targets were only partially met, generally those that dealt with studies and programs designed to increase pedagogic effectiveness (para. 3.8; 3.10). Achievements in the four key areas of policy objectives were moderately successful. First, the school system was changed, as a result of the implementation of the new SSS system (para. 3.5 - 3.10). Second, measures to improve the teaching/learning process were implemented, including in-service training and phasing out of the untrained/unqualified teachers, curriculum and textbook redesigning, and increased inputs of instructional materials and equipment (para. 3.11 - 3.15). Third, steps were taken to reduce the Government's share of recurrent costs in education through imposition of a ceiling for GES staff, introduction of book user fees from primary through SSS, establishment of special textbook revolving funds, and elimination of food subsidies in SSS (para. 3.17 - 3.18). Finally, attempts were made to improve the effectiveness of educational planning and management, such as prioritizing the public investment program, annual consultation between IDA and the Government on the education budget, streamlining of the procurement functions and introduction of competitive bidding for procurement (para. 3.19 - 3.22). 6. Key Factors that Affected Achievement of the Major Objectives. In retrospect, both the Bank and the Government may have underestimated the difficulties in reforming the school system and did not adequately address implementation capacity strengthening through the inclusion of a specific capacity building component in the program especially at the local or school levels. This has resulted in some of the key performance targets not being achieved or only partially achieved after considerable delays (para. 3.23). Furthernore, the changes in the respective roles of the MOE and GES in the implementation of the reform program over  iii the past two years interrupted many of the management systems and institutional skills accumulation. Performance in terms of pedagogical attainment has been affected by poor motivation and competence of teachers as well as an overloaded curriculum at all levels of the education system (para. 3.24). A further problem was the lack of coherence between the school system and the universities, which was not fully incorporated into the education reform program (para. 3.25). 7. Performance of the Borrower and Bank. The performance of both the Borrower and Bank was satisfactory throughout the preparation and implementation of EdSAC II, in spite of the Borrower's implementation capacity weakness discussed above. The "satisfactory" rating is based upon the Government's performance with regard to maintaining a strong commitment to the reforms, meeting almost all the tranche conditions on time, and fully disbursing all Credit proceeds with only a ten-month delay (para. 3.27). The continued presence of the task manager in the field from inception to closing was important for the success of the operation as it resulted in greater flexibility, rapid resolution of misunderstandings, and provision of substantial and timely assistance to the Borrower in complying with Bank procurement, disbursement, and audit requirements (para. 3.26). 8. Project Outcome. The Second Education Sector Adjustment Credit (EdSAC II) can be classified as satisfactory in its effort to improve inputs into the education system, and implement the intended policy changes in the following areas: changing the school system; improving the teaching/learning process; reducing the Government's share of recurrent costs in education; and improving the effectiveness of educational planning and management. 9. The areas where performance has been less satisfactory were those requiring pedagogic improvements or decentralized improvements at the district or school levels, where the capacity of the MOE/GES was found to be inadequate (para. 3.29). The biggest problem remains the poor learning outcomes at all levels of education, as measured by test scores and examination results. 10. Key Findings of Beneficiary Assessments. The beneficiary assessment of the education sector reform program based on surveys conducted in a sample of districts (para. 4.2) indicated that there was general acceptance of the new structure of the school system as well as the orientation and relevance of the new curriculum at all levels; increases in enrollment at all levels were seen to be high; and even the level of fees and levies on parents were found to be reasonable. On the other hand, pupil attendance was seen to be poor; pupil achievement at the basic level was considered unacceptably low except for the manipulative practical skills; school buildings at the basic level were almost universally perceived to be unsatisfactory, as was the delivery of educational materials at the basic level. Surprisingly, most of those surveyed also thought that the performance of teachers was good, though teachers were seen to be largely responsible for the poor attendance and low levels of pupil achievement. Neither parents nor community leaders thought that they had any role to play in school supervision.  iv Sustainability, Future Operation, and Key Lessons Learned 11. Sustainability. The reform program resulted in significant savings in the unit costs of secondary education. However, it is unlikely that net savings are sufficient to ensure sustainability of the reforms, and if external support should diminish, the Government would find it difficult to fill the financing gap. The sustainability of the reform program will also depend on the Government's ability to ensure continuous and significant improvements in learning outcomes at all levels of the school system. 12. Key Lessons Learned First, the capacity of the MOE/GES to plan, implement and monitor progress of the reform program needs to be strengthened significantly in order for key components of the program to be carried out in a timely manner. Second, reforms of such magnitude require establishing intermediate targets for phased implementation. Third, learning outcomes are unlikely to improve significantly without substantial improvement in the system of rewards and punishments for performance within which teachers operate in Ghana. Fourth, a significant problem with adjustment lending is that there is often little Borrower follow-up once conditions have been met and all tranches have been released (para. 6.2). In the preparation and implementation of EdSAC II, two additional lessons can be drawn: (a) there have been merits from the presence of the task manager in the field who was able to provide timely assistance to the Borrower and quickly resolve issues of disagreement or misunderstanding; and (b) cooperation and coordination with other donors was key to the successful intervention. 13. Implications for Future Operations Issues to be addressed in future operations include: (a) Mobilizing more funding from donors, while the Government simplifies and standardizes procedures so that available funds can be rapidly and effectively disbursed (para. 6.3). (b) At the same time, both the Government and donors will need to focus on finding effective ways to increase the capacity of central and district educational administrators, and increase accountability of all those involved in education management. (c) Greater ownership and control of education by parents and community groups should be encouraged, and increasing attention should be given to systematic beneficiary assessments. (d) To generate sufficient resources to sustain a good quality education for all Ghanaians, the Government may need to further increase cost recovery at the secondary and tertiary levels, impose controls over staffing increases, and privatize some high quality public schools (para. 6.4).  IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT REPUBLIC OF GHANA SECOND EDUCATION SECTOR ADJUSTMENT CREDIT (CREDIT 2140-GH) PART I: PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Macroeconomic Setting. During the 1970s and the early 1980s, Ghana, which had enjoyed a relatively high living standard compared with other West African countries, experienced a serious economic deterioration. By the time the Government launched the Economic Recovery Program (ERP) in 1983, inflation had reached 123 percent, real export earnings had fallen by half, and domestic savings and investment had dwindled to almost nothing. Economic stabilization and structural adjustment policies since the ERP have resulted in average annual growth of about 5 percent, and the inflation rate was brought down to 10 percent in 1992. Largely as a result of the macroeconomic difficulties, Ghana's education system deteriorated both in terms of quality and access. 1.2 The Bank's Role in the Country and Sector. The Bank's first lending operation in Ghana's education system was the Health and Education Rehabilitation Project (Cr. 1653- GH) in 1986, which provided US$5 million to meet the sector's pressing needs for textbooks and instruction materials for primary schools and universities. Simultaneously, the Bank and the Government worked closely together to develop a long-term plan for the rehabilitation and reform of the education sector, leading to a multi-year reform program to shorten pre- university education from 17 to 12 years, improve pedagogic efficiencies and outcomes, and reduce unit costs borne by the Government. The transitional costs of implementing the reform program were supported by the Bank through the First and Second Sector Adjustment Credits (EdSAC I and EdSAC II). EdSAC I (Cr. 1744-GH, effective April 8, 1987; closed December 31, 1991), in the amount of SDR 28.5 million (US$38.3 million equivalent), supported the first phase of the reform and focused on the primary and junior secondary education cycles. Implementation of the first phase of reform was generally smooth, resulting in increased enrollment growth, better allocation of financial resources, introduction of the new junior secondary school (JSS) curriculum, broad-based provision of education staff training, development and supply of instruction materials to basic education schools throughout the country, and strengthened school-based supervision. EdSAC II (Cr. 2140- GH, effective July 18, 1990; closed December 31, 1994), in the amount of SDR 37.9 million (US$53.2 million equivalent), supported the second phase of the reform program to help consolidate the reforms that have already taken place in basic education, and extend them to the senior secondary level. In both adjustment operations, IDA financed important transitional costs of the Government's reform program according to a positive list of expenditure items agreed upon each year at the time of the tranche reviews.  2 II. OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN OF EDSAC II 2.1 The main objectives of EdSAC II were to help the Government: (a) complete the restructuring of the school system to a 12-year cycle; (b) extend the reform to senior secondary education by simplifying and introducing more practical content into the curriculum, and replenishing necessary basic materials and supplies; (c) consolidate the basic education reforms so that primary and JSS leavers acquire the cognitive skills needed to take advantage of education offered at higher levels; and (d) ensure the financial sustainability of the new system. While focus of the Credit was on senior secondary education, measures were included to strengthen the quality and increase the efficiency of basic education, reflecting the Govermnent's keen awareness of the importance of primary and junior secondary education to the sustainability of the education reforms. 2.2 The policy objectives of the education reforms were grouped under four main areas: (a) changing the structure and content of the school system; (b) improving the teaching/learning process; (c) containing and sharing recurrent costs; and (d) establishing a more effective planning and management system. These objectives were translated into Special Conditions for tranche releases and Performance Targets monitored under EdSAC II (see Table 5, Part II). To make the new senior secondary education system more cost- effective and financially sustainable, a minimum teacher/student ratio of 1:20 was established; the number of Ghana Education Service (GES) staff was not to exceed 153,000; and textbook user fees introduced at primary and junior secondary levels under EdSAC I were extended to the senior secondary level. In addition, the share of the Government budget going to basic education was to be maintained at least at the 1989 level (i.e., 62 percent of the total education recurrent budget), and actual expenditures were to be more in line with budget allocations than had been the case in the past. As under EdSAC I, Credit funds were released in three tranches, linked to the implementation of policy measures designed to ensure the financial sustainability of the new system. XII. IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE AND RESULTS Tranche Reviews and Implementation Schedule 3.1 The first tranche (SDR 12.9 million) of EdSAC II was released upon effectiveness in July 1990; subsequent tranches (SDR 12.9 million and SDR 12.1 million, respectively) were released in December 1991 and April 1993. The reviews for the second and third tranches were held on schedule, but release of the third tranche was delayed by more than three months because Ghana's macroeconomic situation was not in balance. 3.2 Disbursements during 1992 and 1993 were delayed partly because of political elections, followed by changes in MOE leadership and reorganization of project management functions. In December 1993, the Government requested an extension of the closing date for EdSAC II to allow adequate time to take delivery of the books, tools and equipment procured for Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSSs), and to use remaining Credit funds to launch the new Primary School Development Project (Cr. 2508-  3 GH). IDA agreed to extend the closing date by 10 months, from February 28, 1994, to December 31, 1994. Use of Credit Proceeds 3.3 EdSAC II financed important transitional costs of the second phase of the reform according to a positive list of both local costs and foreign exchange expenditure items agreed each year at the time of the tranche review. Of the US$53.2 million from the credit, about 36 percent financed the procurement of vehicles and equipment; 22 percent supported the development and provision of textbooks and supplemental readers from primary through tertiary education; 29 percent was used for the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings and facilities; 2 percent for teachers' training; and 11 percent for miscellaneous items including support for project management. Among the various levels of education, SSS took the largest share of Credit funds, about 47 percent, primary education absorbed about 24 percent, JSS about 15 percent, and tertiary about 5 percent. About one-third of expenditures financed by the Credit were local costs, and two-thirds were foreign. Achievement of Objectives 3.4 At the time of the tranche reviews, all special conditions for tranche release were fully complied with, except for the one which involved complicated actions in each secondary school, namely, that no program option should be run by any school without at least 20 students in each grade, and without qualified teachers. Though the tranche conditions were largely met, about one-third of the performance targets were only partially met, generally those that dealt with studies and programs designed to increase pedagogic effectiveness. Table 5 in Part II summarizes the status of specific performance targets and special conditions for tranche release at the time of the second and third tranche reviews. Performance in the main policy areas are summarized below. (a) Changing the Structure and Content of the School System 3.5 Structure. Transition to the new structure of the education system (consisting of 6 years of primary, 3 years of junior secondary and 3 years of senior secondary), which began in 1987, was completed during EdSAC II in 1993. When the Credit became effective in July 1990, all four-year middle and continuation schools had already been phased out, and the first JSS cohort had just completed the three-year junior secondary school. JSS graduates who qualified were admitted to SSSs in January 1991. The first SSS cohort completed three years of senior secondary education by the end of 1993, and the second SSS cohort completed the SSS cycle by the time EdSAC II closed in December 1994. 3.6 Enrollment. The number of students in Ghana's basic and secondary schools increased considerably during the second phase of the reform program (Appendix C). In January 1991, the first year of the new SSS system, some 50,000 students enrolled in SSS1, an increase of more than 30 percent from the previous year's intake into Form 1 under the old system. The SSS1 intake continued to grow in the subsequent years and surged in 1994 to 74,500 from the previous year's 58,500 students (Appendix D). This reflected an  4 improvement in the learning achievement of JSS in previous years, culminating in a large increase in the number of JSS graduates qualified to continue on to SSS. The number of girls entering SSS also steadily increased and jumped significantly between 1993 and 1994 (from 19,300 to 26,100). In most regions, girls' share of SSS enrollment has increased over the past few years. Between 1991 and 1993, SSS enrollment in the three educationally underserved northern regions (Northern, Upper East and Upper West) also expanded rapidly as the number of schools in these areas increased (Appendix E). 3.7 Schools, Class Size, and Instruction Time. In anticipation of the increase in SSS enrollment, and in order to ensure greater rural/urban and regional equity in access, the Government increased the number of public SSSs from 254 in 1990/91 to 438 in 1993, either by the construction of new schools or by conversion of existing schools into SSSs. A corresponding Bank project, Community Secondary Schools Construction Project (Cr. 2278- GH, for US$14.7 million, signed on July 8, 1991), supported the construction of more than 150 new SSSs in the educationally underserved communities, particularly in rural areas. To further expand classroom capacity, the Government encouraged increasing the average SSS class size to 45 students. The MOE also has as its long-term objective increasing the overall teacher/pupil ratio to 1:45 at primary and 1:30 at JSS levels. To increase instruction time, the school year was lengthened from 36 to 40 weeks for basic education and from 33 to 40 weeks for senior secondary education, and at the primary level the school day was lengthened from 4 to 5 hours. 3.8 Curriculum. The post-reform SSS curriculum aimed at providing more relevant and functional secondary education while maintaining a strong academic base. It consisted of seven core subjects (English, Ghanaian languages, science, mathematics, agricultural and environmental studies, life skills, and physical education) and five program options (specialization in arts/science, agriculture, commercial, technical, and vocational). All SSSs offered the vocational program option in addition to other selected program options. Teaching syllabi and textbooks were developed by Ghanaians, often assisted on a contract basis by foreign publishers, for all the 42 subject areas; and sets of syllabi were distributed to headmasters of all SSSs by the end of October 1990. A study was developed to evaluate the SSS curriculum over the initial years of implementation. The study found that, among other things, teachers did not prepare for classes nor use the materials and equipment effectively, and that in some subjects there was a shortage of teachers. 3.9 Program Options. To ensure that program options would be offered only where there was sufficient demand and adequate qualified staff, the MOE issued a guideline to the effect that no program option was to be run by any school unless at least 20 students from each grade were enrolled in that option, and unless there were suitably qualified teachers or National Service staff to teach all of the courses in that option. This was one condition of tranche release with which the MOE had difficulty complying fully. Despite the Government's action to close program options where enrollments were below 10, at the time of the third tranche review, around 110 out of 1,400 programs were inefficiently small, 20 of them with enrollment below 10. Pressure from politicians and parents/students to continue the old elective system with the maximum choice of courses and the fact that selection for the  5 following year would be made by the time such data was available made ex ante decisions by MOE difficult. This problem has recently diminished as a result of the huge increase in SSS 1 intake in 1994. The present system of offering a set of three selected subjects is being criticized as being unable to fully meet students' demand. In addition, graduates who completed the agriculture program were rejected for entry into university because they were not considered to have attained the required level of mathematics. A more flexible system for selecting program options is under consideration by the MOE. Closer collaboration with university management in curriculum development and program offering is essential. 3.10 Program Cost. The costs of the five program options were to be monitored on a continuing and regular basis using a random sample of 20 schools and offering a range of program options. The first study, designed by MOE's Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation Department (PBME), was completed in 1992. A larger scale of the study was planned during 1993 and 1994, but was not carried out. Estimates based on MOE's recurrent expenditures indicate that, despite large real salary increases for teachers in 1992, there has been a reduction in unit costs for SSS, but the unit costs of primary and JSS have increased slightly (Appendix F). (b) Improving the Teaching/Learning Process 3.11 Teacher Training. In 1991/92, virtually all of the in-service teacher training planned for education sector personnel was completed, including programs for SSS heads, new SSS teachers, and JSS teachers for some subjects (life skills and vocational skills). By October 1992, 133,379 primary, 51,794 JSS and 9,245 SSS teachers had attended at least one intensive in-service training course. Employment of middle school leavers ("pupil teachers") was discontinued, and all untrained teachers were being phased out, and a minimum qualification of General Certificate of Education was required for admission to post- secondary teacher training colleges. The Government had decided that after 1995 only qualified teachers would be employed in basic education, but enrollment pressures have prevented this. In spite of these inputs and measures, the poor motivation and performance of teachers remain serious problems. 3.12 Inspection and Supervision. The Government reorganized the school inspection system and decentralized school supervision. For basic education, Circuit Monitoring Assistants were appointed, one for every three circuits, to closely monitor the reform program: they visited schools once every three months and prepared a report after each visit. Each supervisor covers about 20 to 30 schools, and conducts regular supervision of each school at least once per term and a complete supervision annually with the assistance of other district supervisors. For senior secondary education, GES has appointed an Assistant Director in almost all districts to be responsible for establishing professional inspection teams, coordinating supervision at the district level and ensuring that appropriate action is taken on reports submitted by circuit supervisors. 3.13 Textbook Provision. By the end of 1992, a textbook/pupil ratio of 1:1 was achieved in both primary and JSS in the key subjects. About 60 percent of the required textbooks in  6 SSS had reached all but a few schools by the time of the third tranche release, with the remainder delivered in 1993. The quality of books was generally found to be satisfactory, but there were some problems in ensuring that the textbooks actually reached the schools and that teachers actually used them in class. Given the fact that during the EdSAC (I and II) period the majority of students in the school system had spent some years in a moribund system, the level of the textbooks, though suitable for well-prepared students at the particular grade level, was too high for the actual achievement of most students. In retrospect, it might have been appropriate to have prepared some interim or transitional textbooks more in line with the actual English language and reading abilities of the students. 3.14 Achievement Tests for Primary Sixc Pupils. To help consolidate the basic education reforms and improve the quality of instruction, it was intended at the time of appraisal that the MOE would conduct annual standardized achievement tests on Primary 6 pupils in every school in the country, and the school-by-school results would then be publicized. The tests, however, were not carried out within the framework of EdSAC II but instead were organized and financed through PREP. Criterion referenced tests (CRT) were developed for English and mathematics and administered to a 5 percent sample in 1992. The results were generally very disappointing, with pupils answering an average of only 25 percent of the questions correctly. The 1993 CRT results with a somewhat extended sample size showed slight improvement. These results have not been widely publicized by the MOE, so one important element of the original concept was not put into practice. 3.15 SSS Examination Results. The first SSS cohort took their final examinations at the end of 1993. In May 1994, the results were announced. Of the 35,000 candidates, only 1,600 achieved scores which met university entrance requirements, versus 2,500 places set aside for this cohort at the universities. This caused a great deal of concern across the country, and the Government organized a large public meeting in June 1994 at which SSS students from all parts of the country were invited to comment on the implementation of the reforms. This was followed by the establishment of a high level "Committee for the Review of the Educational Reforms," which proposed a number of measures, including reducing the number of subjects in primary, JSS, and SSS; modifying the system of program options; and changing the relative weighting for continuous assessment and examination scores. Remedial courses for the students were organized, and those who wished to do so were allowed to take the examination again in 1994. The poor results of the 1993 SSS examinations should be seen against the disadvantages suffered by the first SSS cohort: they were drawn from a primary school system that had completely collapsed; for much of their six years in JSS and SSS they did not have all the textbooks needed due to delays in printing and distribution; in the initial transition to the new school structure they were in a minority in the schools they attended as the old system had not been phased out and teachers were not fully trained to teach the new curriculum. (c) Containing and Sharing of Recurrent Costs 3.16 Staffing Normns. Between 1990 and 1993, the total staffing level of GES was successfully maintained at or lower than the ceiling of 153,000. This was achieved by  7 redeploying or retrenching the cadres of unqualified "pupil teachers" and redundant non- teaching staff, while employing thousands of newly qualified teachers, leading to considerable improvement in the qualification structure of the teaching force, especially at the primary level. Setting and enforcing a 1:20 teacher/student ratio in SSSs also contributed to containing the staffing levels. A slight overstaffing was observed during 1992, due mainly to employment of non-teaching staff for new SSSs. GES staff increased to nearly 155,000 in 1994, which could be justified at least partially by the increasing demand for teaching staff as enrollment expanded at all levels of education, especially the large increase in SSS intake in 1994. 3.17 Book User Fees. Since 1987, textbook user fees for basic education, charged to students between Primary 3 and JSS3, have been maintained at a level sufficient to cover the full production costs of the textbooks less the cost of paper, assuming a three-year book life. To reflect a nominal increase in textbook costs, fees were raised in October 1990 from C1 50 to C250 per student per year. Students in primary and JSS were also charged the costs of stationery items. At the senior secondary level, annual book user fees were raised from C1,500 to C4,500 in 1991 and again to C6,000 in January 1993, maintaining the principle of full cost recovery. In January 1995 the Minister of Education announced that textbook fees would be abolished for primary education, but increased to C500 for JSS and to C9,000 for SSS. Special revolving funds for stationary and textbooks were established as part of the reform program and the fund is increasing more quickly than in the past. Deposits into these funds were estimated to be about 80 percent in basic education during the period 1987-92, but only about 39 percent in senior secondary in 1990/91 and 1991/92. For cost recovery schemes to be effectively implemented, the MOE would need to address the issues of low collection rate and inappropriate usage of the fees (e.g., for school operating costs). 3.18 Food Subsidies. From September 1989, all food subsidies to SSSs were removed and the funds redirected to the maintenance of school facilities and equipment. In March 1992, the Government authorized school boards and district assemblies to approve boarding fees to cover feeding costs up to C200 per day per student. This amount was based on the costs of food with assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) under the Program of Actions to Mitigate the Social Cost of Adjustment (PAMSCAD). In September 1994 the charge was increased to C400 to match feeding costs by commercial operations. No public financial support is currently provided for student feeding, and PTA fees are levied and used where funds are insufficient. (d) More Effective Planning and Management 3.19 Strengthening Capacity for Planning and Management. A Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation (PBME) Division was created within the MOE in 1986 to strengthen and streamline the Ministry's planning and budgeting roles. Decentralization of school inspection and supervision by strengthening district and circuit functions has made the monitoring of school-based activities more effective, helped identify problems at the school level (such as lack of staffing, pupil/teacher absenteeism, non-availability of facilities, etc.), and thus contributed to the formulation of more appropriate policies. The MOE has also  8 initiated the collection of school data on an annual basis, using detailed forms which were sent to the schools and coordinated by the circuit supervisors. To further strengthen decentralized management capacity and encourage participation at district and local levels, the MOE should ensure that the information collected and analyzed is made available to the people who provided the source data. Despite significant technical assistance from UNDP and the EdSAC operations, a sustainable capacity in the PBME has not been created. 3.20 Education Budgets and Expenditures. Each year during EdSAC II, the MOE and IDA agreed on both recurrent and capital budgets before submission to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The share of basic education in the recurrent budget for education was maintained every year at or above the agreed 1989 level of 62 percent (Appendix G). Actual expenditures, however, showed significant divergence from the budgets by the time of the second tranche review: an increase in civil service salaries, inflation and other factors beyond the MOE's control were largely responsible for the differences, but a shortfall in expenditures for some vocational training categories and overexpenditures in universities were also noted. In response, the MOE introduced semi- annual monitoring of actual expenditures, but the deterioration in the macroeconomic situation seriously constrained the release of non-wage recurrent budgets. While total actual non-wage recurrent expenditures remained satisfactory, the MOE had to offset the budgetary shortfall by drawing on donor funding, especially from the EU. In the domestically-financed portion of the capital program, the share of tertiary education was high at over 40 percent. Efforts were made to reduce the number of sub-projects in the public investment program for education, with the MOE prioritizing the proposed projects by giving greater weight to those aimed at improving classroom facilities and supporting the reform programs. A training workshop was also organized for all officers involved in drawing up capital estimates. At the third tranche release review, however, the number of sub-projects was found to have increased from 1991. 3.21 School Maintenance. Responsibility for building, maintaining, and rehabilitating schools and facilities in primary schools and JSSs lies with the district, while that in SSSs and tertiary institutions lies with the central Government. The amount of levies imposed for primary and JSS maintenance varies by district, from C500 or lower in some cases to C1,500 in one district in Accra. Many PTAs also collect levies for school maintenance. To encourage efforts by the districts and communities, the MOE devised an incentive scheme for rewarding primary schools and JSSs with good maintenance records, and made allowances for this in its recurrent budget submissions. The scheme was to be implemented before the release of the third tranche, based on school maintenance data in quarterly monitoring reports prepared by the circuit supervisors. Unfortunately, implementation had fallen behind schedule, due largely to budgetary constraints. Provision for maintenance of equipment and facilities in SSSs, including the reallocation of boarding subsidies, was given a specific budget line and was included in the recurrent budget allocated to GES. However, the amounts are far from adequate. 3.22 Consolidation of the Procurement Function in Education. To avoid duplication of payment and the purchase of unnecessary items which were prevalent under the past  9 procurement system, the MOE consolidated the procurement functions within the Ministry. Procurement for EdSAC II was carried out by the Projects Management Unit (PMU), while all other education procurement was the responsibility of the Ghana Supply Commission. Competitive tendering procedures were followed by both the PMU and the Supply Commission. Major Factors Affecting Performance 3.23 In retrospect, both the Bank and the Government may have underestimated the difficulties in reforming the school system and did not adequately address implementation capacity strengthening through the inclusion of a specific capacity building component in the program especially at the local or school levels. This has resulted in some of the key performance targets not being achieved or only partially achieved after considerable delays. While those parts of the reform agenda which could be centrally planned and implemented were carried out in an efficient and timely fashion, there was less success with those elements of the reform requiring pedagogic improvements or requiring decentralized improvements at the district or school levels. Moreover, in the transition from a military to a civilian Government, top MOE officials were replaced by a new team in 1993, which affected the respective roles of the MOE and GES in the implementation of the reform program, interrupted many of the management systems and institutional skills accumulation, and led to some delays. Finally, large salary increases for civil servants in 1992, concomitant with budgetary constraints imposed by adverse macroeconomic conditions, have absorbed almost all of MOE's recurrent budget, leaving little for essential non-salary inputs to help improve the quality of education in schools throughout the country. 3.24 Performance in terms of pedagogical attainment has been affected by poor motivation and competence of teachers as well as an overloaded curriculum at all levels of the education system. At the primary level each student, in principle, takes nine subjects, while at the JSS and SSS levels they take the equivalent of ten subjects. Given the ambitious objectives for each of the subjects, only a few exceptionally well-endowed schools serving the needs of elite groups were able to complete the syllabus within the time available. 3.25 The fact that university education was never fully incorporated into the education reform program has led to a lack of coherence between the universities and the rest of the school system. Universities have continued to insist upon their old intake requirements so they do not have to make changes to their curriculum. For example, agricultural faculties in universities would not accept students who have studied agricultural program options in SSS, as that program option does not include what used to be elective maths which was previously an intake requirement. Despite a vocationalization of the system, universities ignore the scores in practical subjects, and instead continue to aim for excellence in academic subjects, i.e., to limit their intake to students from a small number of boarding schools, and thus students from a particular social class.  10 Performance of the Bank and the Borrower 3.26 Bank Performance. The Credit was prepared during the implementation of EdSAC I, thus enabling uninterrupted and timely support for the second phase of the reform process. Efforts were made to coordinate donor support for the educational reforms, with both the Bank and USAID using the same consultants for their preparation and appraisal missions, and the Bank's field-based Task Manager playing a central role in identifying and preparing the USAID project. Flexibility in the design of EdSAC II, and the continued presence of the Task Manager outposted to the Resident Mission from inception to closing enabled quick response to problems, whether these be procurement, curriculum, use of Credit proceeds to support the remedial program to cope with the poor results of the first SSS Certificate Examination in 1993, or the need for general advice on reform implementation. A total of 65 staff weeks was spent on supervision including two tranche review missions and day-to- day discussions in the field. 3.27 Borrower Performance. The Government was strongly committed to the reform program throughout, enabling implementation of many difficult policy measures and rapid action to remedy problems. Delays in the implementation of key project components affected achievement of some of the performance targets. These shortcomings were largely due to weaknesses in the institutional capacity of the MOE and GES, changes in personnel over the last few years as the country moved from a military to a civilian Government, and reorganization of the respective roles of different departments within the MOE including the Project Management Unit. Despite the discontinuities caused by these dramatic changes, the Government not only maintained its commitment to the reforms, met almost all the tranche conditions on time, and fully disbursed all credit proceeds according to an agreed positive list with only one 10-month delay. This was no small achievement. Assessment of Outcome 3.28 Despite problems in the implementation of the overall reform program, EdSAC II can be considered successful in implementing the key components in the four policy areas. First, the school system has been changed, with the new SSS system put in place. Second, measures to improve the teaching/learning process were implemented, including in-service training and phasing out of the untrained/unqualified teachers, curriculum and textbook redesigning, and increased inputs of instructional materials and equipment. Third, steps were taken to reduce the Government's share of recurrent costs in education through imposition of a ceiling for GES staff, introduction of book user fees from primary through SSS, establishment of special textbook revolving funds, and elimination of food subsidies in SSS. Finally, attempts were made to improve the effectiveness of educational planning and management, such as prioritizing the public investment program, annual consultation between IDA and the Government on the education budget, streamlining of the procurement functions and introduction of competitive bidding for procurement. 3.29 Overall, significant improvements have been achieved in inputs into the education system, and the intended policy changes have been delivered. The areas where performance  11 has been less satisfactory were those requiring pedagogic improvements or decentralized improvements at the district or school levels, where the capacity of the MOE/GES was found to be inadequate. For example, the minimum enrollment requirement of 20 students for SSS program options was not fully met; the research studies on school level program costs and on curriculum reform were not completed; the development and administration of the standard achievement tests for Primary Six pupils did not take off until 1992; the distribution of educational materials to schools suffered delays; and the decentralized system of school inspection and supervision has yet to function effectively to bring about significant improvement in teachers' performance. 3.30 The biggest problem remains to be the poor learning outcomes at all levels of education, as measured by test scores and examination results. The poor results may be partly due to an overly ambitious curriculum from primary through SSS, but the motivation and performance of teachers are the cru6ial factors. Provision of in-service training programs and upgrading of qualifications for teachers have not resulted in significant improvements in their performance; actual teacher/student contact hours remain very low; teachers are often not in school or not teaching in classrooms; learning materials, even when available, are often not used; within school supervision is ineffective and discipline of teachers is weak. These problems were also observed in the beneficiary assessment of the educational reform program, as discussed below. IV. ASSESSMENTS BY BENEFICIARIES 4.1 In 1987 when the education reform program was launched with the support of EdSAC 1, there was almost no formal beneficiary or participant assessment of the structure and content of the educational system. Since 1992 a series of beneficiary assessments on particular topics have been carried out, including an assessment in 1992 of why parents were not sending their children to school, and a one-day beneficiary meeting in 1994 at which many SSS students and teachers were asked to explain why the first SSS examination results were so poor. 4.2 As part of the preparation of the implementation review of EdSAC II, the Government decided to carry out a special beneficiary assessment of the education reform program that had been supported by IDA since the beginning of 1987. With financing provided under the Bank's Client Consultation Fund, a Ghanaian research team conducted, at the end of 1994, a special survey of community leaders, parents, students, teachers and administrations in five regions of the country. In general the results of this assessment were more positive than those of the piecemeal assessments mentioned above. There was general acceptance of the new structure of the school system as well as the orientation and relevance of the new curriculum at all levels; increases in enrollment at all levels were seen to be high; and even the level of fees and levies on parents were found to be reasonable. Thus the key focus of the educational reform program had gained a high degree of support from most beneficiary groups in all parts of the country. On the other hand, pupil attendance was seen to be poor; pupil achievement at the basic level (though not at the secondary level) was considered unacceptably low except for the manipulative practical skills; school buildings at  12 the basic level were almost universally perceived to be unsatisfactory, as was the delivery of educational materials at the basic level. Surprisingly, most of those surveyed also thought that the performance of teachers was good, though teachers were seen to be largely responsible for the poor attendance and low levels of pupil achievement. Neither parents nor community leaders thought that they had any role to play in school supervision. These findings should be taken into account in the development of any new operation. In addition, the capacity for carrying out beneficiary assessments should be developed so that they can be conducted more frequently and with few glaring inconsistencies. V. SUSTAINABILITY 5.1 The reform program resulted in significant savings in the unit costs of secondary education, despite upward pressures on costs due to the introduction of vocational subjects into the curriculum, replacement of untrained with trained teachers; and upgrading of materials and supplies. However, it is unlikely that net savings are sufficient to ensure sustainability of the reforms. Currently, approximately 19 percent of total recurrent and capital expenditures are supported by donor resources. If external support should diminish, as it might if learning achievements do not significantly improve, the Government would find it difficult to fill the gap. The greatest challenge for the Government in the coming years is how to ensure continuous and significant improvements in learning outcomes at all levels of the school system. 5.2 The Government has been aware of the need to continuously adapt elements of the reform program which were not being smoothly implemented. In September 1993 it established a Curriculum Review Committee which recommended in June 1994 that children should study only four subjects in lower primary school and six subjects in upper primary. The Review Committee also recommended that the national languages, instead of English, should be taught or used as a medium of instruction during the first three years of primary schooling. Similarly, in July 1994 it established the Education Reform Review Committee which suggested in October 1994 that at the JSS level the number of subjects should be reduced to seven while at the SSS level each student should take four to five core subjects, plus a program option composed of three subjects, making a total of seven to eight subjects. VI. FUTURE OPERATION AND KEY LESSONS LEARNED 6.1 EdSAC II was one of a series of Bank operations supporting the overall reform and rehabilitation of Ghana's education sector. Other ongoing projects included the Community Secondary Schools Construction Project, Literacy and Functional Skills Project, Tertiary Education Project and Primary School Development Project. In addition, the Vocational Skills and Informal Sector Support Project was recently approved (March 28, 1995), and a Basic Education Program is in the initial stages of preparation. 6.2 A few specific implications for future interventions can be drawn from the implementation experience of EdSAC II. First, the capacity of the MOE/GES to plan, implement and monitor progress of the reform program needs to be strengthened significantly in order for key components of the program to be carried out in a timely manner so that their  13 impact could contribute to the development of appropriate responses. Second, neither the Bank nor the Borrower fully anticipated the inadequacies of the school system to absorb and implement the changes required in the curriculum reforms. In retrospect, reforms of such magnitude would require establishing intermediate targets for phased implementation. Third, learning outcomes are unlikely to improve significantly without substantial improvement in the system of rewards and punishments for performance within which teachers operate in Ghana. Finally, one significant problem with adjustment lending is that conditions, once put in place, can be relatively easily undone once all tranches have been released. For example, after the end of EdSAC II tranche reviews the user fees for textbooks were not adjusted for inflation for more than a year, and thus the resources generated from those fees will not be sufficient to replace the textbooks. 6.3 In the preparation and implementation of EdSAC II, there are two important lessons. One is the presence of the task manager in the field who was able to provide timely assistance to the Borrower and quickly resolve issues of disagreement or misunderstanding. The other is that cooperation and coordination with other donors are key to the successful intervention. Both EdSAC II and the USAID PREP shared common objectives and programs at the basic education level, and there was close cooperation between the Bank, USAID and other donors throughout the process of project development and implementation. The current issue is not so much a question of mobilizing more funding from donors, but in simplifying and standardizing procedures so that available funds can be rapidly and effectively disbursed. Almost 20 percent of total Government budget allocations for education come from donor sources, with donors providing four times the Government's own capital budget allocation, and more than half of the total allocation for non-salary recurrent items. If the Government had to devote an increasing proportion of its scarce manpower resources to managing donor resources, as opposed to managing the education system, the system could not be sustained and additional donor assistance could only be counterproductive. 6.4 At the same time, both the Government and donors will need to focus on finding effective ways to increase the capacity of central and district educational administrators, and allow and encourage creativity by local school managers. It will also be necessary to push for increased accountability of all those involved in education management so that they become responsible for the performance of - schools under their jurisdiction. Greater ownership and control of education by parents and community groups should be encouraged, and increasing attention- should be given to systematic beneficiary assessment. Given pressures from the middle class and elite groups who benefited most from the old system, and are still the main beneficiaries of the higher levels of the new reformed system, it may be necessary to advocate greater cost recovery at the tertiary and secondary levels and less at the primary level, to impose controls on increases in staffing, and even privatize some high quality public schools whose students are largely drawn from families that can afford to pay the full costs. Only then will the Government be able to generate sufficient resources to ensure that a good quality education can be provided to all Ghanaians, from whatever ethnic/linguistic groups, whether rich or poor.   14 PART II: STATISTICAL ANNEXES I   15 Table 1: Summary of Assessments A. Achievement of Objedtives Snultiw Partal Negligible Not applicable Macro Policies Sector Policies o o Financial Objectives 5 El Institutional Development c El Physical Objectives o E c c Poverty Reduction c 0 0 E Gender Issues El Other Social Objectives E E E 0 Environmental Objectives c E [ 0 Public Sector Management c 0 E E Private Sector Development Other (specify) E c 0 B. Proiect Sustainability Ikdx Unlikely Uncertain C. Bank Performance Satisfactory Saft Deflient Identification E El Preparation Assistance El El E Appraisal E 0l E Supervision l El  16 Highl D. Borrower Performance Satisfactory Satisfactory Deficient Preparation a] E o Implementation E 21 g Covenant Compliance 0 z z Operation (if applicable) E l E] Highy Highly E. Assessment of Outcome Satisfactory Saiao Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory El El El  17 Table 2: Related Bank Credits g Credit Title Purpose Year of Status approval Preceding operations 1 Health & Education Rehabilitation To quickly deliver texts and 1986 Completed (Cr. 1653-GH) other essentials to school. 2 Education Sector Adjustment (Cr. To support education system 1987 Completed 1744-GH) reforn. Following operations 1 Community Secondary School To support rural community 1991 Ongoing Construction (Cr. 2278-GH) in constructing 140 new SS schools. 2 Literacy and Functional Skills (Cr. To support Government's 1992 Ongoing 2349-GH) mass literacy program. 3 Tertiary Education (Cr. 2428-GH) To support extending reform 1993 Ongoing in tertiary education. 4 Primary School Development To assist increasing leaming 1993 Ongoing (Cr.2508-GH) achievements and enrollments. 5 Vocational Skills and Informal To improve informal sector 1995 Approved Sector Support (Cr. ) productivity and reorient the March 28, vocational training to a 1995. demand-driven system Expected to be signed soon.  18 Table 3: Project Timetable Steps in Project Cycle Date Planned J Actual Date Identification (Executive Project Summary) December, 1988 November 7, 1988 Preparation January, 1989 April 3, 1989 Appraisal July, 1989 June 17, 1989 Negotiations March, 1990 March 26, 1990 Letter of Development Policy (if applicable) March 29, 1990 Board Presentation May, 1990 May 24 1990 Signing June 20,1990 Effectiveness August, 1990 July 18, 1990 First Tranche Release (if applicable) August, 1990 July 18, 1990 Second Tranche Release (if applicable) August, 1991 December 19, 1991 Third Tranche Release (if applicable) August, 1992 April 1, 1993 Credit Closing February, 1994 December 31, 1994  19 Table 4: Loan/Credit Disbursements: Cumulative Estimated and Actual By IDA Fiscal Year (US$ Million) FY91 FY92 FY93 FY94 FY95 Total Appraisal estimate 17.0 34.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 Actual 13.3 23.9 32.6 37.2 53.2 53.2 Actual as % of 78.2 70.3 65.3 74.4 1 06.4 106.4 estimate Date of final 5/8/1995 disbursement  20 Table 5: Ghana Second Education Sector Adjustment Credit Use of Credit Proceeds, by Category and by Level of Education (in US$ million) .... ... . .... -. I'"''-' 1''''1''S ....... ...: T Equipment and Vehicles Vehicles and spares 0.7 Equipment for SSS 181. Equipment for JSS 0.1 Subtotal 0.0 0.1 18.1 0.0 0.7 18.9 35.6% Textbooks SSS textbooks 3.7 School supplies 0.7 Exercise bks/mss devt 0.6 JSS textbooks 1.8 Upper Primary/JSS Supp Readers 0.7 2.0 MSS devt for Ghanaian languages 0.0 Support for higher education 2.6 Subtotal 0.7 5.0 3.7 2.6 0.0 12.0 22.5% Civil Works School pavilion installation 5.3 2.2 Rehabilitation of SSS 0.6 JSS workshop 0.4 Renovation of MOE buildings 0.1 Primary School Devt Project I 0.5 Primary School Devt Project 11 6.2 Subtotal 12.0 2.6 0.6 0.0- 0.1 15.3 28.7% Teachers' Training Inservice training 0.5 0.5 Subtotal 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.1 2.0% Miscellaneous SSS remedial program 1.0 Linking of school to national grid 0.2 Project Management Unit 3.7 Establishment supplies 1.1 Subtotal 0.0 0.0 2.2 0.0 3.7 6.0 11.2% Total 12.7 8.2 25.1 2.6 4.6 53.2 100.0% Share 23.9% 15.4% 47.1% 4.9% 8.7% 100.0%  Table 6: Performance Targets and Special Conditions for Tranche Release OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) 1. Continued September 1989: All September 1990: All The academic year for SSS was September 1991: All All Form 2 classes were implementation of middle school third year secondary school changed to January-December. All secondary school Form replaced by SSS2 in January new structure of classes replaced by JSS3 Form I classes Form I classes were replaced by 11 classes replaced by 1992 the school system: replaced by the new SSSI in January 1991 the new SSS2. reducing pre- SSSI. university education from 17 to 12 years 2. Reform of senior secondary education (a) Curriculum Syllabi for all subjects in Design study to Preliminary statement of objectives Begin evaluation of SSS Completed process evaluation design the new curriculum evaluate SSS for the study was drawn up curriculum based on of the SSS curriculum completed curriculum over first experience during first three years of year of implementation. implementation. (b) Pattern of Government completed * No program option Condition considered to be met. * No program option It was expected that less than operation in matrix of senior secondary being run by any 88% of program options had being run by any school 10% of program options in schools schools (existing secondary school unless at least adequate student numbers. unless at least 20 SSSI would have inadequate schools and proposed new 20 students from each Government initiated action to students from each enrollment. The qualifications or converted schools, grade are enrolled in close program options with fewer grade are enrolled in of SSS teachers were grouped by Region) against that option, and unless than 10 students enrolled. that option, and unless considered to have reached programs and program there are suitably Teacher's qualifications by there are suitably satisfactory levels. options, to indicate the qualified teachers or program options were not qualified teachers or number of schools offering National Service staff available. National Service staff to each option, the number of to teach all of the teach all of the courses option in each school, and courses in that option. in that option. the total annual intake of students (c) Textbooks Determination of quantities See Objective 3(d) See Objective 3(d) of SSS textbooks needed by subject. Tendering for publishing and printing of textbooks underway  OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) (d) Program costs Government provided Design study to Preliminary statement of objectives Initiate study. MOE completed in August indicative figures of unit monitor actual unit of the study was prepared. 1992 a study of the unit costs costs for each program, costs of various of the five SSS programs in 34 using examples of existing programs and SSSs. But annual monitoring is acceptable-quality program program options over not being done. as models time. (e) Staffing * Achieve a minimum Condition met. In June 1991, the * Maintain student- Condition met. In July 1992, SSS student-teacher ratio was 22:1 (total enrollments teacher ratio at or above the ratio was 22.5:1 (total ratio of 20: 1, 194,000 and total teaching staff 20: 1, including national enrollments 221,250 and total including national 8,711). service staff. teaching staff 9,823). service staff. (f) Student Continuous Guidelines were under preparation. West African WAEC in the process of performance assessment guidelines Examination Council to preparing final examination for assessment prepared and all SSS complete preparation of SSS3. Continuous assessment teachers trained in SSS exams to reflect guidelines were issued. All their application. new emphasis on basic through SSS teachers practical competencies were trained in their and work orientation. application. 3. Improving the teaching / learning process (a) In-service teacher Government presented Implementation of All existing secondary school Implementation of plan New and exciting SSS teachers training acceptable plan for regular plan proceeding on teachers and National Service continuing on schedule. and JSS teachers for Life Skills in-service training of all schedule, and plan to personnel posted to SSS were and Vocational Skills received serving basic and senior cover 1992 and 1993 trained during January 1991. training during Oct. 1992. secondary education presented to IDA. Training plans were prepared USAID provided in-service teachers during 1990 and covering 1992 and 1993 for SSS training to primary school 1991 and JSS and 1992-1996 for teachers. Primary (b) Inspection/ supervision (i) Basic Govermment finalized plans Implementation of Implementation plan for Implementation of plan All Circuit Supervisors selected education for new circuit-based plan proceeding on monitoring was nearly completed. proceeding on schedule. had been trained and posted I supervision, including schedule. Permanent Circuit Monitoring per 3 Circuits. They were to be announcement of job Assistants had been appointed I to provided with motor bikes. descriptions and 3 Circuits. The appointment of Circuit Monitoring Assistants performance norms circuit supervisors to oversee the in the field and continued to  OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) professional aspect of reforms was monitor all aspects of the behind schedule. The appointment reform. District Education Officers with the rank of Directors had greatly greatly enhanced supervision of schools. (ii) Senior Present plan, Plans were finalized and Implementation of plan GES had accepted secondary satisfactory to IDA for advertisements prepared to invite proceeding on schedule. implementation of the education supervision of the qualified Assistant Directors of decentralized plan for the SSS progress Education to apply for the district education offices. Most including job positions of Assistant director in districts had appointed an description and charge of supervision at the District Assistant Director in charge of performnance norms. level. The director appointed coordinating supervision of the would Identify and organize staff districts and ensuring that within the District to form action was taken on reports Inspection teams for SSS, in the submitted by Circuit District. The appointments, Supervisors. The overall training and assumption of duty coordination of supervision at were planned for completion by the national level, however, end of 1991. was weak. (c) School Govemment agreed that Develop and pilot A pilot criterion reference test was Administer test and USAID assisted in the accountability from the end of 1990/91 standardized developed for mathematics, science publicize results. preparation of criterion school year, a standardized achievement test. and English, and administered to a Develop plan for reference tests in mathematics achievement test will be sample of Primary 6 pupils in mid- improving achievement and English, to be administered administered to a random September 1991, with assistance in perennially low- to a 5% sample of primary six sample of Grade 6 pupils in from USAID achieving schools and pupils in June 1993. all schools to evaluate the districts. effectiveness of primary school teaching. School averages will be publicized for purpose of bringing GES attention and community pressure to bear on low-achieving schools (d) Textbooks All basic education pupils All pupils in JSS were Large quantities of books were All basic education Ratio of textbooks to pupils have access to full supplied with free delivered to JSS. pupils have access to close to 1:1 in the key subjects complement of textbooks complement of books. full complement of in primary; and reached 1:1 in textbooks. JSSs All SSSI students Most of the core textbooks for All SSSI and SSS2 In SSS, 60% of the required have access to full SSSI were delivered to schools. students have access to books had reached almost all  OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) complement of full complement of schools. The remaining to be textbooks. textbooks. sent to school by Dec. 1992. (e) Technical Government complete Government was considering a Implementation of Plan Government initiated a Institutes plan for re-direction reform plan for technical begun. program to reform the of Technical vocational training which included vocational education sub- Institutes. reform of the 19 technical sector. institutions. 4. Reducing and sharing of recurrent costs (a) Staffing norms *GES staff of all Condition met. Throughout 1991 *GES staff of all kinds Condition considered met. In kinds (including GES staffing levels were around (including teachers, August 1992, total GES teachers, teaching 148,000. teaching assistants, non- staffing was 153,513, a assistants, non- teaching and negligible excess over the teaching and administrative staff, agreed ceiling. administrative staff, nursery school nursery school attendants, and all other attendants, and all categories except 4 other categories students in teacher except students in training colleges and teacher training national service staff) colleges and national not to exceed 153,000. service staff) not to exceed 153,000. (b) Book user fees * Book fees in Condition met. Primary and JSS * Book fees in primary Condition met. Annual primary and junior textbook user fees were increased and junior secondary textbook fee of C250 remained secondary schools from C 150 to C250 per student per schools maintained at sufficient to cover costs maintained at no less year in October 1990. no less than 1987/88 (excluding of paper) of than 1987/88 proportions of full costs. textbooks. This was equivalent proportions of full to the proportion of full costs costs. covered in 1987/88 procured in 1992. * At SSS level, Fees raised in June 1991 to * At SSS level, maintain Review mission recommended maintain level of book C4500/student/year as level of book user fees raising fees to C600 for the user fees sufficient for recommended by IDA. Condition sufficient for school year 1993. Government Government to cover considered technically met but Government to cover complied and made such an full cost over the implementation needed to be full cost over the book's increase effective January books' life span. monitored. life span. 1993.  OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) (c) Food subsidies * At SSS level, Condition met. Fees at C90 per * At SSS level, maintain Condition met. All school maintain level of fees day was adequate to meet the full level of fees for student charged up to C200/day which for student feeding cost of food obtained at low cost feeding sufficient to seemed adequate to cover the sufficient to cover full with WFP assistance. cover full costs of food. full costs of food. costs of food. 5. More effective planning and management (a) Controlling the All projects and sub- Some progress was made in All projects and sub- The 1992 PIP gave priority to public investment projects fully streamlining PIP. However, the projects fully elaborated improving classroom facilities program (PIP) elaborated and listed number of subprojects was still too and listed in priority and ensuring support for in priority order large. order before submission educational reforms. However, before submission to to Ministry of Finance the number of subprojects Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning further increased. and Economic to be considered for Planning to be inclusion in PIP. considered for inclusion in PIP. (b) Education Agreement between IDA *Agreement between Condition met. The proposed 1991 * Agreement between Condition met. The proposed budgets and the Government on the IDA and the recurrent and capital budgets were IDA and the recurrent budget was fully 1990 educational budgets, Govemment on the found acceptable to IDA. Government on the satisfactory. The proposed both capital and recurrent 1991 educational 1992 educational 1992 capital budget was budgets, both capital budgets, both capital considered less satisfactory and recurrent. and recurrent. because of the large number of subprojects and the high share of tertiary education * Actual expenditures Actual expenditures in 1990 * Actual expenditures MOE introduced semi-annual for preceding exceeded the budget by 6.3% and for preceding financial monitoring of actual financial year in line diverged significantly from year in line with agreed expenditures, which were only with agreed budgets. budgeted amounts for higher budgets. 3% above agreed recurrent education and vocational budget in 1991. Spending on education. Government and IDA non-wage items was agreed to a more regular system of satisfactory with supplementary expenditure monitoring. funding from donor and textbook revolving funds. * Basic education's Condition met. The 1990 and 1991 * Basic education's Condition met. The 1992 and share of recurrent recurrent basic education budgets share of recurrent 1993 recurrent budgets for education budget maintained at 1989 level of 62%. education budget basic education remained at the maintained at least at maintained at least at 1989 level.  OBJECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN SECOND TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE REVIEW THIRD TRANCHE STATUS (TRANCHE BEFORE EFFECTIVENESS CONDITIONS SEPT/OCT 1991) CONDITIONS REVIEW SEPT/OCT 1992) 1989 level. 1989 level. (c) Reform of All procurement . All procurement All procurement for schools education organized centrally organized centrally for financed from the Government procurement for school education school education in budget was organized centrally functions within in MOE in accordance MOE in accordance in GES. All procurement under MOE with competitive with competitive foreign aided projects was tendering procedures tendering procedure. handled directly by MOE. (d) Maintenance (i) Basic Announce an Incentive scheme being devised. Implement incentive IDA supported MOE's view education incentive scheme for scheme. that the majority of basic rewarding schools that education schools in Ghana have good need to be upgraded or maintenance records. rehabilitated before implementation of incentive schemes for maintenance. (ii) Secondary Explicit provision included Continued provision Provision was made in 1991 Continued provision in Provision was made in 1992 education in the budget for in the budget for budget the budget for budget ON maintenance and repair of maintenance and maintenance and repair equipment and facilities in repair of equipment of equipment and SSSs, this item to be and facilities in SSS. facilities in SSS. nonfungible * Special condition for tranche release  27 Table 7: Studies Included in Project Study Purpose as defined at Status Impact of Study appraisal/redefined Senior To evaluate how Completed a process Findings from the study Secondary teachers are handling evaluation in 1992. support the new SSS School and students are Information was curriculum itself, but Curriculum responding to the new collected from 60 suggest the need for Evaluation SSS curriculum based SSSs by improvement in on experience during interviewing teaching process that the first three years of headmasters, heads should address such implementation. of department, issues as: prevalence of teachers and traditional teaching students; by method by giving notes observing lessons; on blackboard; and by assessing equipment and materials quality and quantity which have been of student work supplied but are seldom output, such as class used; inadequate exercises, assignment of student homework, tests and exercises and tests, continuous insufficient number of assessment records. teachers in same subjects, etc. 2. Program To design study and Completed a study Analysis of the study Costs monitor actual unit of the unit costs of results is weak and no costs of various the five SSS policy recommendations programs and programs in 34 have been made. program options over selected schools in time. 1992.  k.. flat.: 02I06/9S TabLe 8: Sau ofLea Covenants at rAt.?I. Stts ea CentralI Wester Attica1!1, Dacattean APtPI I -pop I IOWA ~"RESOURCES OPR Div PFLr& latest Status of Cov InaL CoepIslI OD 13.05 ANNEX1 D5 FORM 590 DATE: 01I11I95 P-olat ID: GN-PA-896 EDUJC SAC 11 De-crption of Covenant Co-uerc Cradit Covanent PotfU~~~~~~~~~il Fulfill Isamn IIba Tees Rafaran.ce Classee Sttu at Dt CREDIT 2.03 15 C The Ciosina date shall be Februar 29. 199( ut TIhe closin data -a aota-dad toL. cm 31. 1994 such later data as the Asso ciation shall esteIsl.i to enable ermn to taha dali-a of g-oA.. 3.01 hbI 1I C The B--r- --e end the A-socition shall fro tLi.a Note ves0th. etOaGtas acivdi.n c -tin du til Prora theProec .ed the cin paiidi SLhedula 2 of this oeaet 3.01 ici 9 C Prior to each suc.h arha-u. the RBto-a shell hone furnish to the Association for its r-iew arid 3.01 fci 9 C Ill a re-ot on tel the. ....re.. .chi.oed in None. Carr..n ou "th Prv.,th -ctedtl ecti Onsso-CifiedinSchedule3 fbIt,ueo the erceads of the Credit: and of1 tie budeet-r eane nditures . mde ho the Ro,rroie in the education setr dur LnFic the, ur-dsFsalYa n h 3.01 Cl 9 C III a draft bu1de-t lin. i-o.stwns an or I ion In carred by the o0rr o"er In thesbauitFsa Year. i... detaIsof the eanenditurs which the B-r-- --e oronosas. to be finan.ced ouLt o ther\ pr,cee.ds of the Credit. 02 3.03 1.1 2 C The Borrower shl mi ama, conti eN veecIa bnhl and.deausfIL. into said -ccun tha ercee,:ds ofalsae feaciebookhs edby the Borr--e for the use of t.Eotobs.k Status: C - Confe with COD - C Io an fter Delay NC N Ht Cmolied witht SOON4 Coma1lanv Eno.crtd In Reasona.bly Short Time CP - Cc"mIlIed wit PatIall Y 050D NoRt YeDe  PAGE 2 Ron D.te: 02106/9b at 1 .21.56 Africa Aesional11 Of ri,ca .... &S4PH - POP & IIUKAJq iESOURCES OPR DIV PPLCRI - -.etast Stat us of Covenant Co,mplie-ca 0D 13.0 - ANNEi DS FORM 590 DATE: 01I/11/95 Project ID: GII-PA-496 - RElC SAC II f) ..sccplpio Of COvanunt CommLnt Credit Covenant Fulfill FulIll A.ra..ant Number Taut RefarenCa Ci..ssiesi Status Dat Data CREDIT 3.01 IAs 2 C Such, de...sits shall be usedecisvl for the None ourchese of exccsecd textbooks cequicad uodec the pcora .m. 3.04 lb) S C PHU shell at. li times he adequately staffed. Nova 4.01 bI I C The Borr-oer shell: rii have tie reorsan.Nv eccoar.ts includIna thu.fur th. Socia Accon for ech fiscel vec audited by independen auditors acceptabl tIDA. 4.01 hbi I C lIII fucnish to IDA. a so,on as avilable. but not FY94 audit reports due by 6/30/95. la.ter thosi -oths Iftec the codtof eaech such yer,I crtfiead cop yof the cepoct . 4.01 lci I C For:eli eane.nditureas with, raHc.o-hc it- No dre Is, from theCredi tAccount wre madio th beis of Stataeot of RSe..ndituras the,1. Ror 2ar shalaesur that'record ad eccountsr included in the va eud1Ltad..dthat the ra,,t of such audit cotanasparste opInion by saId auditors. 4.52 5 C The Burr-'er shalltcause-aec educationallisi-Hv tio whose eaneditrsaefiaced In uart or Ina totai out of the rced of tha Cred it: iai to carryan its onrtined conduct its efialt in eccordecce with sound edinistrativ. I, inenIel vision-of .auilfed L aneinad .nn .. at essi ted by competent staff In adequate numbrs; qnd 4.02 5 C biA at cii times to.ov.arte end to ea1lutai its None det. ahinry. esInetandther ornorto as needed, to ehe eil necesa"-ry canirs endorenewals eled edcetiv:a prctices Status: C -Comolied with CD - Cc.ali-anc after Delay NC -Not CoacLad witth sO4 N Comalianc Eavectadt in Re..so.ebly Short Time CF Comolied'withOC pat ialy NYD -Not Yet M.e  Run Date: 02/06195 at 11.21.56 Africa Reeloni- Office Central Westein Aftica Deoert,en Af IPH - POP A NUHAN RESOURCES OPR DIV PFLCRI Latest Statu of Covenant Cosplince OD 13.0S - ANNEX DS FORK 590 DATE: 01/11/95 Project ID: GH-PA-l96 - E