Ghana - Community Secondary Schools Construction Project

 Community secondary schools construction project Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Ghana; Region: Africa; Sector: Secondary Education; Major Sector: Education; ProjectID: P000954 Ghana: Community Secondary Schools Construction Project: (Credit 2278-GH) The Ghana Community Secondary School Construction project, supported by Credit 2278-GH for US$14.7 million equivalent, was approved in FY91. The project was designed to be complementary to a second phase of the Education Reform Program supported by IDA (Credits 1744 and 2140). Cofinancing was sought but was not forthcoming. The credit, which was closed after three extensions in FY95, was almost fully disbursed, with cancellation of US$0.6 million equivalent. The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) was prepared by the Africa Regional Office. A report by the borrower is included as an Annex. The project's objective was to provide neighborhood senior secondary schools (Community Schools) for junior secondary school graduates from educationally under-serviced areas. The project sought to provide 140 communities with school buildings, equipment, vehicles, educational materials, and matching grants for community support to the schools in the form of cash or labor. The project was prepared and approved in only four months_a rapid processing time that the ICR attributes to IDA staff presence in the country. But delays in an overoptimistic implementation schedule meant that only half the funds had been disbursed by the original closing date. The delays were attributed largely to lack of prior consultation with communities on land tenure and school design, the incapacity of the central authorities to manage the decentralized activities, and redirection of work to contractors when communities did not complete it. The project achieved its main objectives of expanding access to and enrollment in secondary schools in underserved areas, though the complementary aims of establishing community ownership of the schools and improving the quality of school facilities were only partially met. By 1992, additional secondary school enrollments reached 30,712 including 7,820 girls, exceeding appraisal estimates by 70 percent. The ICR provides projections showing that enrollments were expected to rise to 45,279 (12,149 girls) by 1995. New school facilities were built at low cost. However, according to the ICR, poor communities, though eager, were unable to contribute funds, while more affluent urban communities were unwilling to do so. A post-completion beneficiary assessment of a sample of schools indicated that parents were dissatisfied with the Community Schools (especially for girls in rural areas). It pointed to shortages of qualified staff, equipment, and books, and disappointing student performance (dropout rates and examination results). The Operations Evaluation Department (OED) agrees with the ICR rating of project outcome as satisfactory. But it rates institutional development as modest (ICR substantial) because of the shortcomings in establishing decentralized education management. It rates sustainability as uncertain (ICR likely) because of scarce recurrent funds for operations and maintenance, and the worrisome beneficiary assessment and borrower's report. OED rates IDA's performance as satisfactory, but notes shortcomings at the upstream stages_ especially inattention to consultation with communities and mechanisms for decentralizing activities. Important lessons drawn in the ICR are: the advantages of an IDA field presence; and the need to spend much time and effort preparing community participation activities. Additional lessons not drawn in the ICR are: project objectives and schedules need to be tailored to well-tested implementation capacity; and longer term goals for project institutions need to be supported by an operational plan (actions, agencies, financing, monitoring indicators) that has been agreed with the borrower at project completion. The ICR is satisfactory in that it includes a balanced analysis, an instructive borrower report and most of the required data. The lack of an action plan is worrisome because the borrower's report and the beneficiary assessments suggest that not all project schools are yet operating fully and delivering education effectively. An audit is planned.