Nepal - Agricultural Manpower Development Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 15793 PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT NEPAL AGRICULTURAL MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CREDIT 1534-NEP) June 26, 1996 Operations Evaluation Department This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. Currency Equivalents (annual averages) Currency Unit Nepalese rupees (NRs) 1984 SDR 17.644 US$16.459 1985 SDR 22.737 US$18.246 1986 SDR 26.910 US$21.230 1987 SDR 30.643 US$21.819 1988 SDR 33.912 US$23.289 1989 SDR 37.585 US$27.189 1990 SDR 43.249 US$29.369 1991 SDR 61.079 US$37.255 1992 SDR 59.400 US$42.718 1993 SDR 67.634 US$48.607 1994 SDR 72.817 US$49.398 1995 SDR 82.243 US$55.944 1996 SDR n.a. US$n.a. Abbreviations and Acronyms CTEVT Center for Technical and Vocational Training IAAS Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences ICR Implementation Completion Report IDA International Development Association ISc Intermediate Diploma in Science JTs Junior Technicians JTAs Junior Technician Assistants NARC Nepal Agricultural Research Council NGO Non-governmental organization OED Operations Evaluation Department PAR Performance Audit Report PCR Project Completion Report SAR Staff Appraisal Report SLC School Leaving Certificate USAID United States Agency for International Development Fiscal Year Government: July 16 - July 15 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY The World Bank Washington, D.C. 20433 U.S.A. Office of the Director-General Operations Evaluation June 26, 1996 MEMORANDUM TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Performance Audit Report on Nepal Agricultural Manpower Development Project (Credit 1534-NEP) Attached is the Performance Audit Report prepared by the Operations Evaluation Department (OED) on the Nepal Agricultural Manpower Development project (Credit 1534-NEP for US$8.4 million equivalent). The credit was approved in 1984. Comments received from the borrower are reproduced as Annex 2. The project was designed to increase the manpower available in the country to provide extension services to farmers and to improve the quality of the agricultural education they received. For that purpose, IDA financed civil works, equipment, technical assistance, and staff development. The project's outcome was rated as unsatisfactory. Institution building was rated as modest and sustainabili"y as uncertain. The Audit ratings of outcome and sustainability are in disagreement with the ratings of the ICR (Report No. SecM95-662 of July 3, 1995). The ICR focused on project completion achievements of the Institute of the Agricultural and Animal Sciences of Tribhuvan University, which were substantial. The Audit focused on whether the initial and revised project objectives related to manpower development and training had been achieved. Lessons show the importance of keeping the goal of the project constantly in view despite implementation complexities and to focus on process rather than on prescription during appraisals. Components in remote areas need intensive and frequent supervision, and efforts must be made to make the time and staff available, despite increased cost. Attachment This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only In the performance of their official duties. its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Contents Preface.......................................................................................................................................... 3 Basic D ata Sheet .......................................................................................................................... 5 Evaluation Sum m ary .................................................................................................................. 7 1. Introduction and Background ........................................................................................ 13 Audit Context .......................... ................. 13 Background................................................... 13 University Structure .............................................. 15 2. Project Preparation and Objectives ............................................................................... 16 3. Project Im plem entation.................................................................................................... 18 Physical Facilities.............................. ....................19 Staff Development and Technical Assistance...........................20 Student Selection and Training-Social Issues ............... ...........20 Instructional Objectives...........................................21 Institutional Development Objectives................................23 Sustainability................................................. 23 Complexity.................................................. 25 Innovativeness-Involvement of Women.............................25 Benefits..................................................... 26 Risks....................................................... 26 Covenants ................................................... 27 4. Outcomes and Results ................................................. 28 Borrower Performance .................................... ...... 28 Bank (IDA) Performance................................ ............29 5. Findings, Recommendations, and Lessons .................................... 30 Recommendations .................................................. 30 Lessons ... m e.des l ......................................................................................................... 31 Annexes Annex 1 Focus Groupstosa...........d ........................................................................35 Annex 2 Borrower Comments ..............................................41 Annex 3 Responses to Borrower Comments ......................... .........47 This report was prepared by Helen Abadzi, Task Manager, who audited the project in January 1996. Pilar Barquero provided administrative assistance. The report was issued by the Agriculture and Human Development Division (Roger Slade, Chief) of the Operations Evaluation Department (Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, Director). 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 wiihout World Bank authorization.  3 Preface This is a Performance Audit Report (PAR) of the Agricultural Manpower Project in Nepal supported by Credit 1534-NEP in the amount of US$8.4 million equivalent (SDR8.5 million), which was approved on December 13, 1984 and made effective on June 5, 1985. USAID provided parallel financing of US$4.1 million. The credit was closed on December 31, 1994, 3.5 years later than originally scheduled. An undisbursed balance of US$0.8 million was cancelled following the final disbursement on May 17, 1995. The PAR is based on the following sources: the Implementation Completion Report (ICR) issued as Report No. 14667 on June 21, 1995; the Staff Appraisal Report (SAR); the Credit Agreement for the project; and the project files, in particular the supervision reports. An Operations Evaluation Department (OED) mission visited the beneficiary campuses in January 1996 to collect other pertinent information. The author of this report expresses her gratitude to all Nepalese officials of Tribhuvan University and the campuses of the Institute of Animal and Agricultural Sciences (IAAS), who provided generous and effective assistance during her field work. At the time the audit mission was conducted (January 1996), the administrative buildings of the Rampur campus were locked due to a political protest. This made it impossible to obtain enrollment trends and financial data from that campus. However, examinations were in progress, most students were on campus, and it was possible to inspect most buildings. Authorities made every effort to respond to the mission's needs for information. Value added. The ICR focused on the completion of project objectives. The audit mission focused on the social and instructional issues which influence project outcomes. Focus- group discussions were held with students, and an effort was made to assess the extent to which the training they received would help improve food security in Nepal. Following standard procedures, copies of the draft PAR were sent to the relevant government officials and agencies for their review and comments. Comments received have been incorporated into the PAR and reproduced as Annex 2. Responses to borrower comments are in Annex 3.  5 Basic Data Sheet NEPAL: AGRICULTURAL MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CREDIT 1534-NEP) Key Project Data (amounts in SDR million) Appraisal Actual or Actual as % of estimate current estimate appraisal estimate Total project costs 14.26 15.5 Loan amount 8.5 7.5 Cofinancing 4.1 4.1 Cancellation 0.8 Date physical components completed 6/31/91 12/31/94 Institutional performance Cumulative Estimated and Actual Disbursements Fiscal Year Appraisal Estimate Actual Actual as Percentage of Estimate 1986 350 40 11 1987 1,480 440 30 1988 3,430 790 23 1989 5,570 1,970 35 1990 7,280 4,870 67 1991 8,420 4,910 58 1992 5,560 66 1993 6,160 73 1994 7,400 88 1995a 11,750 140 a. As of May 17, 1995. Note: Due to the SDR appreciation against the US dollar, the credit is over-disbursed in US dollar terms but is under- disbursed in SDR terms (actual SDR disbursements stand at about SDR 7.4 million, compared with the original credit about of SDR 8.5 million). Project Dates Date Planned Date Actual Identification Not Available 8/81 Preparation Not Available 4/83 Appraisal 8/83 8/83 Negotiations 11/84 11/84 Board Presentation 12/84 12/84 Signing 3/8 3/84 Effectiveness 6/85 6/85 Midterm Review 5/92 5/92 Project Completion 6/91 12/94 Credit Closing 6/91 12/94 6 Staff Inputs (staff weeks) Stage ofProject Cycle Actual Through Appraisal 95.8 Appraisal-Board 42.8 Board-Effectiveness 1.8 Supervision 87.0 Completion 9.0a Total 236.4 a. Planned. Mission Data Date No. of Staff days Specializations Performance Types of (mo./yr.) persons infield represented" ratingb problems' Implemen- Develop. tation objectives Identification 8/81 Preappraisal 11/81 Appraisal 9/83 Supervision 1 10/85 2 6 AE, I HS HS Supervision 2 4/86 1 AE S HS M Supervision 3 10/86 2 11 AE, I S HS M Supervision 4 3/87 3 10 AE, I, A/FP S HS M Supervision 5 12/87 1 11 AE S HS M Supervision 6 6/88 1 13 AE S HS M Supervision 7 11/88 1 3 A/FP S S M, F Supervision 8 6/89 2 9 A/FP, AS/AE S S P, F, L, M, S Supervision 9 11/89 2 9 A/FP, AS/AE S S P, F, L, M, S Supervision 10 9/90 2 5 AE/AS, I S S P,F,L,M,S Supervision 11 5/91 2 9 AE/AS, I U S P,F,L,M,S Supervision 12 12/91 1 6 AS/AE S S P,M,F,S Supervision 13 5/92 1 AE S S M,F,P,S,W Supervision 14 11/92 1 2 AE S S M,F,P,S,W Supervision 15 4/93 2 7 AS, AE S S F,P,S,W Supervision 16 12/93 1 7 AE S S F,P,S,W Supervision 17 4/94 1 10 AE S S F,P,S,W Supervision 18 10/94 1 8 AE S S F,P,S a. =Institutional development; AE=Agri. education specialist; AS=Agricultural specialist; FP=Facilities planner specialist. b. U=Unsatisfactory; S=Satisfactory; HS=Highly Satisfactory. c. F=Funding; M=Management; P=Procurement; S=Studies progress; W=WID impact; L=Loan (disbursements) 7 Evaluation Summary 1. The Nepal Agricultural Manpower Development project (Credit 1534-NEP) straddles the education and agriculture sectors. With the ultimate goal of improving food security in Nepal, it was expected to strengthen the country's agricultural extension system through investments in higher education for future extension staff. In terms of education, it was the second project to finance higher education in Nepal after an early engineering faculty project (Second Education project, Credit 1 198-NEP; 1982). Two other projects, Credit 2044-NEP (Engineering Education project) and Credit 2560-NEP (Higher Education project) have been appraised since then and are under implementation. In terms of agriculture, the project was one of several. Ten agricultural sector projects with substantial investments in extension were completed between 1973, when the Bank became active in the sector, and the end of 1995. (See list in Table 1, Chapter 1.) The outcomes of six were considered unsatisfactory. The agricultural manpower development project in many respects shared the difficulties of these projects. Background 2. In accordance with the training and visit (T & V) model of extension, the project had been originally designed to train technical assistants to give advice to farmers, mainly through a terminal one-year diploma. Earlier programs, which admitted secondary-school graduates, had produced trainees who were more interested in higher degrees and desk jobs than in extension work. At the same time, the quality of training at all levels was low, and employers were reluctant to hire graduates who could not be admitted to a higher level of studies. To correct these problems, a terminal course was designed. During appraisal, a manpower study was used to determine how many trainees could be absorbed on the basis of projections rather than actual market demand. An assumption was made that the government would be able to absorb the trainees. Objectives and Design 3. The project's initial objectives were to: (a) improve the quality and relevance of middle- level agricultural training; and (b) strengthen degree-level training at the IAAS of Tribhuvan University. These objectives were to be achieved through: (a) rehabilitation of training facilities, curriculum development, development and production of student textbooks and teacher training for two middle-level agricultural training institutions in Pakhlihawa and Lamjung, (b) construction, equipment, furniture, technical assistance, and staff fellowships for IAAS in Rampur, and (c) staff in-service training, improvement of practical training, research, and extension facilities and local fellowships for female students. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided parallel financing for curricular activities. 4. Due to implementation difficulties (see below), project objectives were revised in 1993 to: (a) strengthen management of IAAS and (b) improve the quality of undergraduate training and strengthen the academic component of the programs through (i) establishing a BSc degree program in animal science, (ii) upgrading existing academic, research, and extension programs, (iii) correcting the deficiencies in space requirements and instructional facilities at the institute; and (iv) carrying out preparation studies for a future education project. 8 Implementation Experience 5. Implementation proceeded slowly during the first two to three years and then slowed to a standstill. Ministry of Agriculture budgets shrank, and graduates could not get jobs. Demand for graduates was also low because potential employers considered them insufficiently well trained. This problem coincided with political turmoil and management weaknesses at the university. Students resented being in a terminal diploma course and pushed for a degree option, causing campus unrest. The problems faced by the project were exacerbated by inflation in the prices of imported goods and by shortages of building materials that resulted from the Indo- Nepalese trade and transit dispute. 6. The impact of these events made it clear that the project had to be terminated or revamped. Following a 1993 mid-term review, the project's objectives were reformulated to strengthen institutional management and to improve the quality of undergraduate training. As a result, the Rampur campus of IAAS was upgraded to provide four-year BSc degrees in agriculture and veterinary medicine to much larger numbers of students than previously planned, while two satellite campuses in Pakhlihawa and Lamjung would provide agricultural orientation to students in the equivalent of grades 11-12. An international panel of experts was convened, which emphasized the importance of revamping the programs, maintaining the facilities, and generating income. After 1992, the project management showed commendable initiative and managed to complete nearly all activities planned under the project. Results: Main achievements and Shortfalls 7. The project's results were considerable in terms of physical achievements. Civil works included refurbishment and construction of faculty and staff housing, classrooms, laboratories, student dormitories, conference halls, and designing of school farms. Furniture and scientific equipment were also provided. However, large recurrent expenditures have become necessary to support these physical facilities, which neither the university-allocated budgets nor income from campus farms can cover. As a result, the buildings are not expected to be well maintained. 8. Curricula and textbooks were developed for academic and non-academic programs in agriculture and animal husbandry. Textbooks are available in the library, at the rate of one for every ten students. Students may buy project textbooks, but they rarely do so. As is the custom in Nepal, professors recommend a multitude of textbooks and students do not have a structured set of materials from which to study. Classroom instruction is quite inefficient because faculty members are frequently absent doing private work. Emphasis is placed on the rote learning of concepts in English, which the junior students mostly understand poorly. Relatively little time is spent on practical work, and students reportedly have no contact with farmers. The extensive school farms are cultivated by laborers, not by the students. As a result, many students interviewed by the mission felt that they were not being trained to face actual agricultural problems. This lack of practical experience is particularly significant because students who pass the institute's entrance examinations tend to come from middle-class families of small towns and many have had no significant exposure to farm life. 9. The present low quality of training indicates that the manpower objective of the project (in its broadest sense) has not been achieved. The initial plan to train junior technical assistants was abandoned, but knowledgeable and sensitive agricultural and livestock specialists able to work with farmers continue to be needed in Nepal regardless of qualifications. Unfortunately, 9 IAAS students do not learn the skills necessary for effective service to farmers. Therefore, the manpower currently trained in the institution financed by the project is not likely to serve actively the needs of the agriculture sector. 10. Extensive staff development was conducted under the program, and about 17 faculty members received doctorates from foreign countries. However, there has been significant brain drain, and half the trained faculty have left the university. Since most former faculty members remained in Nepal, loss of staff to the private sector still provides benefits to the country. 11. Considerable efforts were made to recruit women and members of hill tribes, and the female participation has increased from about 1 percent in 1984 to 12 percent at project closing (mainly found in the intermediate-level course, equivalent to grades 11-12, of the two satellite campuses). Nevertheless, it has been difficult to recruit tribals and women. Few members of these groups manage to pass the Secondary School Leaving Certificate with a science mention and with grades high enough to enter IAAS. 12. Although the Bachelor-degree campus was well provided with civil works, furniture, equipment, vehicles, and training, the two satellite campuses (one of which is in a relatively remote area) were neglected. They were only given some civil works and few educational inputs. Faculty were dissatisfied with the outcome and the limited information they had about project inputs. Criticisms included the lack of beneficiary participation and the inattention to implementation details in the more remote, less influential campuses. Institutional Development 13. The audit finds that the project had limited success in this respect, and institutional development is rated as modest. Efforts and expenditures were made for such activities as a campus master plan and the creation of some important administrative positions, but they had a limited effect on the daily activities of the agriculture faculty. To some extent, this is due to broader institutional weaknesses, which were underestimated during project preparation. Important matters such as faculty salaries and performance at IAAS depend on the centralized and politically sensitive administrative structure of Tribhuvan University, and they could not be changed through the project. Sustainability 14. A number of factors make it uncertain whether project benefits will be sustained. The high cost of the faculty is straining the finances of Tribhuvan University, and building maintenance is being neglected. The staff development sub-objective has been affected by brain drain. The four-year BSc curricula that were developed may be sustainable, in part due to the staff development that made it possible to teach more advanced courses. Also, the well- equipped and functional laboratories may prove useful in future research projects. However, the practically oriented instructional materials developed in Nepali by the project are not used in the courses, leaving students to study from notes of theoretical materials in English found at the library. 10 Outcome 15. The original design was unsatisfactory at entry because it had some major flaws: (a) the T & V extension philosophy, which the project was designed to support, eventually proved ineffective in Nepal; (b) the study to determine manpower supply and demand was simplistic and inaccurate; (c) an assumption was incorrectly made that government budgets would continue to expand; and (d) there was little understanding of the aspirations of the better educated trainees. The resulting effort to revise the project has created an institution that offers degrees that meet international standards for length and content, and is well equipped for conducting research. However, IAAS has large recurrent expenditures and delivers relatively low quality instruction to its students. Its relatively high admission standards may attract students who are more interested in becoming desk officers rather than extension workers. The students' lack of agricultural experience and contact with farmer communities is not being remedied through systematic outreach to farmers and practical work. In light of these flaws, the outcome of the project is rated unsatisfactory. ICR Ratings 16. The ICR focused on the completion of the various activities financed by the project; it rated project outcome as satisfactory, sustainability as likely, and institutional development as modest. The audit agrees that most project-financed activities were indeed carried out. However, it focused on learning outcomes and considered whether the operation has realistically fulfilled the goal of training manpower to provide effective agricultural extension. The answer is negative, and project outcome is rated as unsatisfactory. Institutional development is rated as modest and sustainability as uncertain. The audit agrees with the ICR and rates the Bank's performance as well as the borrower's performance as satisfactory. Lessons 17. In some respects, this project is a case study for the some of the most important project design changes that have taken place in the Bank in recent years, and the same design mistakes might not be repeated today. Also, the problems that have plagued this project seem typical of the agricultural education subsector, as pointed out in a 1992 OED study, and hopefully more recent projects have been able to avoid them. A future project in this subsector would probably be designed with the help of: * labor market studies * financial analysis and review of unit costs * a graduate tracer system * assessment of management capacity * social assessment to better understand what help farmers need * attention to classroom processes and instructional outcomes * monitoring indicators * selection criteria to capture applicants truly interested in agriculture. 1. Johnston, K. World Bank Assistance to Agricultural Higher Education. 1964-1990. World Bank report No. 10751, 1992. 11 18. Other more general lessons can also be drawn, which are important for future operations. These are: (a) Project outcomes can veer off course even though physical activities are substantially completed. Nevertheless, Bank supervisions still focus on whether tangibles have been acquired rather than whether project purposes are being met in substance. Examination of the outcomes vis- a-vis the benefits initially expected should be a clearly outlined part of supervision, and adequate time should be allotted to this purpose. (b) Degree-granting agricultural colleges inevitably admit students from a higher socioeconomic background than their client farmers. The gap must be bridged through consciousness-raising among students, systematic links with farmers, and much practical work. This is particularly important for female agriculture students, who seem to have had the least involvement with farm work. (c) The project might have had better outcomes if it had been designed through beneficiary participation, a methodology that gained prominence much later. Nevertheless, this project serves to remind the Bank that adequate time and money must be budgeted for participation during project preparation and subsequent implementation. (d) The Bank and implementing agencies must pay greater attention to detail during implementation. Problems that are considered trivial in terms of Bank financing (such as weak performance of small contractors) may loom large in the minds of local beneficiaries. (e) The staff of beneficiary institutions should know well and in detail what benefits an institution is scheduled to receive from a Bank project. This knowledge may enable them to (i) insist on getting a fair share of inputs; and (ii) monitor as laymen the work of local contractors. Detailed, local-level understanding of project inputs may be a very effective way to monitor implementation and prevent mismanagement. (f) More attention should be paid during project design and supervision to classroom-level instructional delivery, what students actually learn, and whether the information can be used in the field. Memorizing poorly understood material in a foreign language may result in inert, inapplicable knowledge and, in effect, a lack of training. (g) The needs of institutions change over time. When projects last much longer than expected, needs must be reassessed. Therefore, process rather than prescription should be emphasized in project design. I 13 1. Introduction and Background Audit Context 1.1 The ICR of the Nepal Agricultural Manpower Development project raised important questions regarding the types of candidates and training most likely to produce professionals who would help farmers increase their productivity and national food security. Therefore, this audit focused on how students and staff viewed learning outcomes vis-A-vis the needs of farmers: curricula, materials, practical farm work, managerial strength, and the students' involvement in the agricultural sector of Nepal. Focus-group discussions were conducted in Nepal with male and female students in each of the three campuses (Annex 1). Background 1.2 Borrower priorities. The government's principal objectives for agricultural development during the Sixth Plan Period (1980-1985) were to: (a) produce enough food to meet the basic requirements of the population; (b) maintain agricultural exports; and (c) adequately supply raw materials for industry. To meet these objectives it was necessary to improve and expand the research and extension facilities in the country. The International Development Association (IDA) strategy was to support Nepal's agricultural development and food security objectives in part through investments in agricultural extension. 1.3 Though project documents do not explicitly say so, the agricultural extension philosophy at that time was dominated by the training and visit (T & V) model. It was believed that extension workers who systematically visited farmers could effectively deliver messages to them. Limited education and brief training in agriculture were deemed sufficient for this work.1 1.4 Trained extension agents were few and this hampered implementation of the government's plans. An IDA-financed 1981 agricultural manpower study created demand projections which indicated that from 1985 to 1990 there would be a need for 5,700 additional middle-level agricultural technicians and field extension workers and 1800 more specialized Bachelor's-degree holders. To handle the needs of women in farming, 10-15 percent should be women. The facilities that existed in 1981 could not accommodate such large numbers of students. Therefore, a project was formulated by the government to upgrade the facilities, curricula, and management of the main agriculturally oriented campus of Tribhuvan University in Rampur and its satellite campuses in Pakhlihawa and Lamjung in order to produce the needed manpower. 1.5 Previous projects. The Agricultural Manpower Development Project was the second project to be financed for Tribhuvan University after an early engineering faculty project (Second Education project, Credit 11 98-NEP; 1982). It was followed by an engineering education project (Credit 2044-NEP) and a higher education project (Credit 2560-NEP), which are still under implementation.2 With respect to agriculture, however, IDA support for the sector 1. OED. Agricultural Extension: Lessons from Completed Projects. World Bank Report No. 13000, 1994. 2. Implementation of these projects has generally been satisfactory. 14 began in 1973. Ten agricultural sector projects with substantial investments in extension had been completed by the end of 1995 (Table 1). Six of these ten projects had an unsatisfactory outcome, in part due to a lack of trained manpower, complexity of components, difficulties in making decisions, and limited availability of funds. Similar problems affected the Agricultural Manpower Development Project. Table 1: Completed Agriculture Sector Projects with Extension Components Loan/Credit Ratings OED Approval Closing Commit Cancel Outcome Sustainability Institutional ($m) (%) Development Settlement 06/13/74 07/15/82 6.00 3.1 Unsatisfactory Not available Not available Project (C0505) Rural Dev. Pr. 02/24/76 12/31/83 8.00 0.0 Unsatisfactory Not available Not available (C0617) Second Rural 06/21/79 07/15/88 11.00 4.6 Satisfactory Likely Moderate Dev. (Mahakli Hills) Pr. (C0939) Community 04/22/80 06/30/89 17.00 0.0 Satisfactory Uncertain Moderate Forestry Dev. & Training Pr. (C1008) Agricultural 02/03/81 07/15/90 17.50 3.2 Satisfactory Uncertain Moderate Extension & Research Pr. (Cl 100) Hill Food 02/03/81 07/15/90 8.00 2.4 Unsatisfactory Uncertain Moderate Production Pr. (Cl 101) Cash Crop Dev. 03/22/83 12/31/88 6.00 1.6 Unsatisfactory Unlikely Negligible Project (C1339) Second Forestry 07/12/83 06/30/92 18.00 14.3 Unsatisfactory Unlikely Negligible Project (C1400) Third Rural 07/15/86 07/15/93 19.10 14.5 Satisfactory Unlikely Negligible Dev. Project (C 1727) Agricultural 03/07/85 12/31/94 7.20 16.6 Satisfactory Uncertain Modest Extension II (C1570) 15 University structure 1.6 Aside from a small Sanskrit college and a small private college, Tribhuvan University is the only degree-granting institution in the country. It has about 130,000 students in 203 campuses of various sizes (65 of which are publicly funded) located all around the country. The quality of education at the university is low. Instructional materials are either unavailable or underutilized. Faculty are poorly paid; they usually have to work in a second job and are often absent from classes. A highly centralized and politically beleaguered administration allows very limited decision-making in individual campuses. Presently, the IDA-financed Higher Education project (Credit 2560-NEP) is helping the university address its systemic problems. During the implementation of the Agricultural Manpower Development project, however, the administrative structure of the university created serious limitations. 1.7 The university provides four-year Bachelor's degree training to grade ten graduates who have passed the secondary School Leaving Certificate (SLC). Because all SLC holders have the right to enter the university and efforts must be made to limit entrants, this examination functions as an entrance examination. It is difficult, and generally fewer than half of the students succeed; in 1993 for example, the pass rate was only about 27 percent. Most students require private tutoring to pass. Those who pass are typically well-off. This means that university entrants socioeconomically are a select group, who may have high aspirations. 16 2. Project Preparation and Objectives 2.1 Preparation Context. Prior to the implementation of the project, a one-year course for modest numbers of students was offered by Tribhuvan University and by the Ministry of Agriculture. Students were admitted with and without SLC and were trained as junior technicians assistants (JTAs). In accordance with the T & V extension model, short training was considered sufficient. A two-year course also existed, which trained junior technicians (JTs). SLC holders who completed the one-year course had the option of competing to enter the two- year course and subsequently the Bachelor-degree course. By 1983, a pattern had developed whereby the better-qualified students sought higher levels of education. If they were admitted to the Bachelor's degree course, they quit their jobs to go to the university and abandoned extension activities. The quality of training at all levels was low; employers and private clients were reluctant to employ those trainees not admitted to the higher level of studies. Training efforts and resources were thus wasted each year while shortages of agricultural technicians continued. To remedy these problems, the Agricultural Manpower project aimed to make JTA training a nonacademic, terminal course and abolish the JT course. About 80 percent of the faculty of agriculture entrants would attend this terminal course. Bachelor-level training would only be provided to about 150 students per year and would be mainly considered a promotion after several years of successful service. 2.2 The project's initial objectives, as described in the SAR, were to: (a) improve the quality and relevance of middle-level agricultural training in Tribhuvan University through: (i) introduction of reforms in the structure and system of training; (ii) improvement in the management and supervision of training; (iii) curriculum development, including development of student manuals, provision of reference materials, teaching equipment, and development of the training farms; (iv) teacher training; (v) establishment of a student selection and admission system; and (vi) rehabilitation of the physical facilities of the training centers at Pakhlihawa and Lamjung; and (b) strengthen degree level training at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS) of Tribhuvan University through: (i) establishing a bachelor's degree program in animal science, including curriculum development; (ii) staff training; (iii) developing IAAS farm into an effective practical training and research facility; and (iv) upgrading and expanding existing teaching, extension, and research programs and physical facilities at Rampur. 2.3 To achieve these objectives, the project financed civil works, technical assistance, staff development, curriculum and materials development, and recurrent expenditures. Due to implementation difficulties (discussed in the following section), project objectives were revised in 1993 to: (a) strengthen management of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (to emphasize degree-course implementation); 17 (b) improve the quality of undergraduate training and strengthen the academic component of the programs through: (i) establishing a BSc degree program in animal science; (ii) upgrading existing academic, research, and extension programs; and (iii) correcting the deficiencies in space requirements and instructional facilities at the institute, and (c) carry out preparation studies for a future education project. 2.4 Cost and duration of implementation. Total project costs were estimated at US$14.2 million equivalent. The proposed credit of US$8.4 million equivalent was to cover the foreign exchange costs. The project was approved on December 13, 1984 and the credit became effective on June 5, 1985. USAID provided parallel financing of US$4.1 million as a grant for foreign technical assistance, instructional inputs, and fellowships. The project was expected to be implemented over six years, with completion in June 30, 1991. However, four extensions were needed to complete it, extending its implementation period to 9.5 years, which is about average for agricultural and education projects in Nepal. 18 3. Project Implementation 3.1 In the initial years, implementation was slow and difficult. It was affected by a complex government review system, which resulted in the tardy release of funds for civil works, equipment, and printing of textbooks. Slow release of funds also hampered overall project implementation, often curtailing the supervision of activities in the more distant Pakhlihawa and Lamjung campuses. A project implementation board was instituted, consisting of officials from Tribhuvan University, Ministry of Education, Culture and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, National Planning Commission, and Ministry of Agriculture. However, meetings were rare, and it did not function effectively. 3.2 The project was scarcely into its third year of implementation when it became clear that the demand projections used for appraisal had been simplistic. The public sector could employ no more than a small fraction of the graduates, and the short-training T & V extension model proved far less effective than had been expected.3 As a result, the JTA program was suspended in 1989, after training about 1200 students, and terminated in 1992.4 This development coincided with the outbreak of political instability and a trade embargo with India, which stopped procurement. Student unrest resulted, in part due to a desire for obtaining Bachelor's degrees. The campus turmoil highlighted serious internal problems, such as weak management in IAAS, strained relations between IAAS and Tribhuvan University authorities, lax student and staff discipline, and low faculty morale. The project ground to a standstill. 3.3 A tentative decision was made in 1991 to reorient the project and give it a final chance. At the suggestion of the Bank and initiative of IAAS dean, an external review panel of agricultural educators was invited in 1992 to study various options. The panel recommended recasting the project to: (a) strengthen the management and promote the institutional development of IAAS and (b) improve conditions for undergraduate training. Under student pressure, IAAS let all JTA students who had a SLC into the degree program. Many discussions were held at that time with university and Ministry of Agriculture authorities regarding the function and structure of IAAS. Measures were put in place to improve IAAS management, promote stronger links with outside research and extension agencies, establish an upgraded four- year Bachelor's degree as well as Master's degrees in selected specializations, and gear research towards improving the quality of IAAS's academic and service functions. As the economy became more stable and students' communication with university authorities improved, the pace of implementation quickened. Eventually, the project substantially achieved the original and revised quantitative targets for physical inputs (civil works, furniture, equipment, instructional materials), instructional materials, and staff development. 3. OED. Agricultural Extension: Lessons from Completed Projects. World Bank Report No. 13000, 1994. 4. Practically oriented training ofjunior technicians eventually continued under the auspices of a government vocational education program (CTEVT). The program seems to be providing technicians with a satisfactory skill level. 5. Senanayake, Y.D.A., R. Dwarakinath and J.E. Huhn. Tribhuvan University Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science. External Review Panel Report, August 1992. 19 3.4 In the academic year that the audit took place, there were 466 students registered in the four-year Bachelor's level courses at Rampur campus, 103 in the two-year Intermediate Diploma in Science (ISc) course at Pakhlihawa, and 91 in the two-year ISc course at Lamjung. The intermediate certificate actually covers grades 11 and 12. Nearly all students are housed in dormitories, which were built to hold larger numbers of trainees. To meet international standards, studies in IAAS have been lengthened to four years after ISc, and intermediate-level students now attend only the satellite campuses. The central Rampur campuses teaches Bachelor's degree courses in agronomy, horticulture, and veterinary medicine. The latter lasts 4.5 years. Physical Facilities 3.5 The civil works planned for this project were substantially completed. They included refurbishment and construction of over 34 faculty and staff houses (necessary to attract professionals in areas where little rental housing is available), classrooms, laboratories, student dormitories, conference halls, and the design of school farms. Furniture and equipment were also provided. Nevertheless, implementation progress was slow and required repeated extensions. The floods of 1993 necessitated an unusual fourth extension. Considerable care was taken to complete the civil works and equipment of the Rampur campus, and the project implementation unit had a full-time supervising engineer. However, the design of civil works in the two satellite campuses was suboptimal, and problems were thus created. The most important were: (a) Limited attention to needs. The faculty interviewed in the Pakhlihawa and Lamjung campuses were of the opinion that the facilities and equipment provided to them were of limited utility and did not correspond to their needs. They claimed that when the project was developed, there had been little consultation with faculty; items were merely identified and sent to them without their involvement or training. Another concern was that plenty of equipment had been given to the Rampur campus, but little or none had been given to the satellite campuses. They stated that they had received no computers, office equipment, or cars. The used car of the Rampur campus chief had been passed on to Lamjung when project vehicles had been received, but the maintenance expenses of the old car cut into the small Lamjung budget. It appears that after the civil works were completed in Pakhlihawa in 1989 and in Lamjung shortly thereafter, the campuses and their changing needs were not again reviewed. Nevertheless, US$0.8 million was canceled when the project closed. (b) Alleged construction defects. Faculty members in the satellite campuses, particularly in Pakhlihawa, believed that the contractors had shortchanged the project. The roofs were not waterproofed, and leaks have developed on all campuses. A road through the Pakhlihawa fields was allegedly built badly, asbestos roofs of buildings were scraped rather than replaced and are leaking, and the drainage system of the grounds has been destroyed. In Lamjung, a biogas facility was left unfinished (and the contractor has not been fully paid, as a result.) It has not been easy to verify in detail what each contractor was supposed to 20 do, but faculty perceptions about the supervision and effects of the project are quite negative. The Bank was chastised for being inattentive to detail. Faculty members pointed out that if they had been involved in the planning and execution of the project, they would have been able to monitor the progress of work. 3.6 Maintenance. Though it was an important sub-objective of the project, maintenance has been carried out in all three campuses only sporadically. Since project completion and the loss of recurrent funds, little maintenance has been done; the campus maintenance budgets are insufficient to provide for the proper care of the new buildings. The roofs of nearly all buildings in Lamjung, for example, are waterlogged due to stopped drains and leaking water tank connections. A maintenance chief was appointed, but does not appear to have generated much activity. Staff Development and Technical Assistance 3.7 These sub-components were financed by a USAID grant, which covered farm and campus development, agricultural manuals printing and program support, fellowships, and international technical assistance. Implementation proved satisfactory. A total of 17 staff earned advanced degrees (7 PhDs, 10 Master's degrees) in various agricultural specializations. Seventeen other staff members attended nondegree courses overseas. About 125 administrative and operational staff were provided with short training courses. Staff development ultimately made it possible to teach four-year curricula. Though most faculty trainees returned, there has been some brain drain, in part due to a lack of a reentry program for the utilization of faculty members returning from overseas. This resulted in much professional and personal frustration, which included low salaries and difficulties in undertaking research. 3.8 Faculty members of the two satellite campuses felt that the bulk of the training opportunities had gone to the Rampur campus. There was some short-term training of administrative staff, but no faculty member had received a fellowship. It appears, then, that there was little faculty development in these campuses. Student Selection and Training-Social Issues 3.9 Screening procedures for student admissions have been instituted as part of the project. To enter intermediate-level studies at IAAS, students must have passed the SLC with relatively high marks (first or high second division; 55 percent for boys, 45 percent for girls) and must have studied secondary-level science. The probability that students will pass is highest for boys from private Kathmandu schools and lowest for girls from rural schools in remote areas, from where the project had hoped to recruit significant numbers of students. Eligible candidates for IAAS (at the intermediate as well as at the Bachelor's levels) take an entrance examination in Nepali, math, and science. Due to the limited space in the university, competition is strong, and admitted students mainly have first-division SLC passes. Students from poorer schools, which do not have the resources to teach science, usually cannot attend IAAS. In addition, scholarships are given on the basis of SLC performance, and there are no effective means to help poor students attend IAAS. 21 3.10 As a result of these selection procedures, the students most likely to attend IAAS are an academically select group, and in some respects this outcome may be negative. Focus-group discussions (Annex 1) showed that most students were from relatively well-to-do families of towns located relatively near the campuses. Most had no experience in farming and looked forward to professional government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) positions. Students do not only tend to be in the economic middle class, they belong to the high castes, as well. Records indicate that the proportion of Brahmin students in IAAS is 54.5 percent, compared to 45.5 percent among all university students and 12 percent among the country's population.6 The great majority of IAAS faculty are also Brahmins. Very few of IAAS students come from castes that traditionally concentrate in farming. Traditionally, there have been caste proscriptions against contact with "unclean" castes and with respect to various types of manual work, e.g., Gellner (1992), Malla (1993). Cleaning stables and handling dead animals, a necessary part of practical work in some course, is traditionally considered unacceptable work by higher castes. These customs are disappearing, but they still influence attitudes of small-town residents towards practical coursework and direct work with farmers of "unclean" castes. Are then the students of IAAS ready to do sensitive, hands-on, client-oriented extension work? 3.11 This is an issue of some importance. Certainly no intrinsic reason exists against training middle-class urban, high-caste students in agriculture. With their superior educational background, these students can effectively help poor farmers improve productivity and deliver a strong message against caste distinctions if they receive much consciousness-raising and intensive practical training. As the next section shows, however, this training is not offered in IAAS. Instructional Objectives 3.12 Curricula, materials, and instructional delivery. Four-year Bachelor's degree courses in agriculture and veterinary medicine were developed and implemented in the last years of the project and are also being implemented. This is an important development, which is indicative of the energy and hard work that has gone into completing this project. Staff reported that there is a market demand for the veterinarians (there have been severe shortages in the past), and that graduates are able to sell their services to farmers. 3.13 In its earlier years, the project developed 47 agricultural textbooks and laboratory manuals. As the program changed, however, many were discarded. Students may buy project textbooks, but they rarely do so. As is the custom in Nepal, professors recommend a multitude of textbooks and students do not have a structured set of materials from which to study.9 Instead, textbooks were printed in small numbers and placed in campus libraries at the rate of about one textbook per ten students. Students may check them out or study there, although the libraries 6. Tertiary Education in Nepal: An Assessment. Kathmandu: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Tertiary Education Project NEP/91/11, 1995. Census data 1991. 7. Gellner, D. N. Monk, Householder, and Tantric Priest. London: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 8. Malla, K. P. The water line and below. Kathmandu: The Independent, June 9, 1993. 9. Lack of textbooks in the hands of students is a large, systemic problem in Nepalese higher education, which the IDA-financed higher-education project is attempting to remedy. 22 remain open only until about 7:00 p.m. Since students have limited access to textbooks, they spend a great deal of time preparing detailed notes. Some said that they spend so much time preparing the notes that they have no time to study them. 3.14 An additional problem arises, particularly for younger students, because textbooks and instruction are in English rather than Nepali. The main reason cited by authorities is that English is an international language, necessary for university-level students to master. Student knowledge of English is relatively limited, and they reported having to make a considerable effort to study complex concepts in English. The mission observed students trying to memorize lengthy sentences with difficult words. Most students stated that they would prefer to study in Nepali, but no option is given. The JTA textbooks are written in Nepali and do cover the needed agricultural content, but they are not being used. In effect, use of the English language seems to take precedence over comprehension of material. The energy devoted to learning theoretical concepts in a foreign language might be much more effectively expended in understanding the concepts. 3.15 The curricula are very deficient in practical training. Students have no systematic contact with farmers and they do not carry out a work program which would oblige them to actually do the manual work that they are to supervise later in their careers. Grade 11 students, for example, get no practical work whatsoever and mainly study science. Students of higher years till small plots for specific courses, but pay attention only to the tasks for which they are graded. For example, they are graded only for harvesting the grain, so they leave the produce lying in the field rather than collect, store, and sell it. Few of the students who participated in the focus-group discussions had any real experience of agricultural work, making this a particularly glaring deficiency. 3.16 The project developed extensive farms at all three campuses. These now generate significant income and could provide ample opportunity for involving students in the entire production and marketing process. Paradoxically, however, students do not work there, and the farms are tilled by hired labor. The mission observed students strolling on campus while a few meters away laborers carried out the tasks in which students are supposed to gain expertise. Project records show repeated recommendations over the years about increasing practical training, but little has been done. One serious difficulty mentioned was that the academic calendar sends students on vacation at the time of maximal farm work. Faculty members interviewed said they would like to do more practical work, but students prefer not to get their hands dirty, possibly due to their socioeconomic background. Student groups, on the other hand, uniformly expressed their disappointment about the limited practical work and their frustration with the faculty who seem to have no interest in this respect. Some graduating students were particularly vocal about this subject and felt that they had no real agricultural knowledge to impart. 3.17 A strong, farmer-oriented agricultural institution should have systematic linkages and contact with area farmers in order to (a) provide technical assistance to them and (b) train the students to do so. In the earlier years of the project some activities like farmer fairs did take place, but they stopped when USAID funding for this task ended. There was no specific fund in the project to continue them. Despite repeated recommendations by supervision missions and 23 the external panel, these activities have not resumed. Reasons cited to the audit mission were lack of funds to organize them and lack of interest or time by faculty and students. Lack of farmer contacts is another very important indicator that students are not being effectively trained to offer useful advice to farmers. 3.18 Finally, the quality of classroom instruction is reportedly unsatisfactory. The audit mission took place during examination time and they could not observe instruction. However, the students who were able to communicate with the mission without faculty members present (Annex 1) expressed unanimous dissatisfaction with their teachers. They said that they are very often absent from classes in order to earn extra money and that they are not interested in interacting with students. Faculty absenteeism is a systemic problem caused by low salaries and lack of monitoring. Due to the centralized policies of Tribhuvan University, campus chiefs have no authority to discipline faculty. Institutional Development Objectives 3.19 The increased capacity to train large numbers of students at the Bachelor's degree level and to house significant numbers of staff certainly increases the institutional strength of IAAS. Also, laboratories were reportedly functional and well established, although the mission was not able to see them. In broader respects, however, the audit mission found relatively few accomplishments. Efforts and expenditures had been made for such items as writing of rules, but IAAS did not appear more able to do its work as a result. Some of the positions that would help improve campus management have been filled, such as that of the director of farms in Rampur and the chief of student affairs. Others are vacant. An example is the all-important position of director of extension, who should provide leadership on contacts with farmers. A master plan for the Rampur campus was eventually developed, but its implementation is uncertain, since there are no project funds any longer. Lack of institutional development is particularly striking in Pakhlihawa and Lamjung, where almost no inputs other than civil works were reported. Institutional development in the project, therefore, is rated as modest. This rating is in agreement with the rating of the ICR. 3.20 Due to the centralized management of Tribhuvan University, IAAS has no control over important issues, such as tuition, faculty performance and pay, and examinations. In retrospect, the larger and more important institutional issues that affect instruction (such as faculty absenteeism) could not be improved in IAAS without tackling the problems of the entire university system. A much more limited objective in this area should have been formulated. Sustainability 3.21 A number of factors make it uncertain whether the project benefits will be sustained. These are: (a) Lack ofMaintenance. The sustainability of civil works and equipment is uncertain. The project constructed a large number of buildings, which strain the campus maintenance budgets. Some defects in the 10. Tribhuvan University Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science. Planning Workshop for a Long-Term Vision for IAAS. December 10, 1993. 24 construction work have added to this problem, requiring untimely repairs. Faculty reported that no maintenance plan has been provided for equipment, such as television sets and microscopes (particularly in the more remote Lamjung). Items have broken down, and the campus chiefs have very limited means to fix them. Without additional budgetary outlays from the already highly strained finances of Tribhuvan University (or additional income generation in the faculty), buildings and equipment will continue to deteriorate and to erode project benefits. (b) Large expenditures. The financial sustainability of IAAS is uncertain. The project has created campuses with large annual expenses (particularly in Rampur), an issue which was apparently not taken into consideration during appraisal. IAAS has become the second most expensive faculty of the university after medicine, with monthly per- student unit costs of NRS 2226 in 1991; by comparison the faculty of engineering in 1991 had monthly unit costs of only NRS 1017. These expenditures are not generated by instructional needs. Tribhuvan University gives free housing and utilities to faculty and staff. Students pay very little for their dormitory accommodations,II while student tuition fees are kept extremely low (NRS. 40 per month). All three agricultural campuses have farms which generate income, but this income accounts for only a small part of expenses. Net profit from farms in the Rampur campus, for example, is about NRS. 650,000 per year, while the monthly electricity bill is about NRS. 300,000. The satellite campuses are operating with a very small number of students and have high unit costs. Tribhuvan University authorities are under pressure to increase the agricultural campus budgets, but the needs of IAAS must be balanced with the competing needs of 62 other campuses. (c) Low quality of instruction. Instructional inputs are unlikely to be sustainable, since few if any of the textbooks developed by the project are being used and the practically oriented agricultural curricula have been discarded. Few faculty members remember the USAID-financed international consultants who worked on campus in the late 1980s and what they accomplished to improve the quality of instruction. 3.22 Most alarming, dependence on donor aid seems to have been created. Some university administrators interviewed during the audit mission stated that without IDA financing the institute is stagnating; it is difficult to sustain investments in the campus without an additional flow of funds. The borrower's response to the ICR includes a proposal for a follow-up project of US$14 million, which would finance the development of Master's degree curricula because "appropriate use of the lab equipment is not possible without starting M.S. program and conducting research at graduate level" (p. 40). 12 Although pleas for funds might have been 11. The rationale for free utilities is that faculty receive very low salaries. However, most faculty members reportedly have informal outside work and in effect earn more. 12. Implementation Completion Report. Nepal: Agricultural Manpower Development Project (Credit 1534-NEP). World Bank, 1985, Report No. 14667. 25 exaggerated in hopes of securing a follow-on project, they indicate that sustainability is at best uncertain. In this respect, the audit is in disagreement with the ICR, which rates sustainability as likely. Complexity 3.23 Problems of the T & V model aside, the project training objectives of the project were neither overly ambitious nor exceedingly complex. However, the distances between project campuses and the limited means of communication among them created complexities in supervision and exchange of views. An added complication has been the duration of the project. Campus needs changed in the decade that spanned implementation, but taking them into account in the satellite campuses and modifying project design accordingly was difficult. Innovativeness-Involvement of Women 3.24 Female participation in agricultural extension has been a subject of considerable concern to donors.13 Efforts were made in this project to attract women and students from hill tribes to the agricultural campuses through seat reservation, scholarships and ample dormitory facilities for women. Improvement proved difficult, in part because few female and hill-tribe students pass SLC.14 The few who do so (particularly with a science mention and first- or second- division grades) tend to study pure science subjects rather than agriculture. 3.25 Through project efforts, female participation rose from about 1 percent in 1984 to 12 percent at project closing. (The mission found only about five students from hill tribes.) Women are mainly found in the intermediate-level campuses of Lamjung and Pakhlihawa, where they constitute 15 percent and 30 percent respectively. Only 34 girls (8 percent) are studying in the Bachelor-level campus of Rampur. Female faculty numbered only nine of about 70 persons, seven in Rampur and one in each of the satellite campuses. 3.26 The female students who participated in focus groups were found to be from relatively well-to-do families from towns relatively near the campuses; their fathers were teachers, lawyers, civil servants, and campus faculty members. Only three in Lamjung said their parents were full-time farmers. Most stated that they studied agriculture because there is a demand for female agriculture specialists by NGOs and some because they could not enter other science campuses. A few expressed a genuine interest in agriculture. 3.27 Most women stated that they had occasionally tilled their home vegetable garden, but very few had systematically participated in agricultural production at home. Nevertheless, they all stated a willingness to participate in the farm work of the campus and several expressed regrets that students did little practical farm work. Faculty members, on the other hand, were of the opinion that women are not willing to do manual work. Like all IAAS students, women need much practical training and consciousness-raising in order to become effective extension agents. 13. Adhikary, Milan Woman Graduates in Agriculture and Forestry Development in Nepal. Winrock International, Report No. 33, October 1995. 14. Of about 300,000 SLC holders in the country only about 80,000 are women (1991 census data). 26 The requirement of farm work should be made clearly known at the time of entrance examination and be used as a screening tool for male and female students. Benefits 3.28 The main benefit of the project, as anticipated in the SAR, was to provide a medium through which manpower deficiencies and subsequently agricultural production rates in Nepal were to be corrected. The project has not provided this benefit; only 1,200 JTAs were trained for direct extension work, and the profile of current graduates is better suited for more specialized research and managerial work. No evaluation component was included in the project. A tracer study of graduates was suggested in the last years of the project, but it was never conducted. Therefore, it is not possible to know where graduates are working, and there is no evidence of what effect, if any, graduates have had on increasing the country's agricultural production rates. 3.29 Also, the project was to break the dependence of Nepal on foreign training, particularly at the higher level. This has been to some extent accomplished. It is now possible for students to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Nepal that is acceptable by international standards in terms of the number of years of study and syllabus content. The relative quality of instruction that IAAS offers vis-A-vis that of other institutions in South Asia cannot be reliably ascertained without additional data, but is unlikely to equal that available in most Indian agricultural universities. Risks 3.30 The only risk anticipated in the SAR, which indeed materialized, was the difficulty in communication between project sites that were far from each other and not easily accessible. Unfortunately, none of the more serious risks that materialized were anticipated in the SAR. These were: (a) Financing ofgraduates'salaries. Though early project documents report reservations regarding the government's ability to finance the salaries of the graduates, an implicit assumption was finally made that the public sector would continue to expand. This did not happen. As a result, in 1986/87 there were 259 applicants for four civil-service posts in agricultural services/extension, 226 applicants for four posts in horticulture, 197 for three posts in agronomy, and 49 for two posts in soil science. The extent to which graduates were actually finding or generating employment in the market was not studied during appraisal. (b) Weak university management. Project documents briefly mentioned that weak administration and management at IAAS might cause the proposed degree program in animal husbandry to fail. During the preparation period, the government was to conduct a study (of 1.5 staff months) that would identify the weak links in the institute's administrative structure and take steps to correct them. It is unclear whether the study was done and whether or how its recommendations were implemented; no evidence could be found in the files or in the field. It is also unclear whether IDA agricultural education missions took into account the 27 lessons learned by agricultural projects under implementation with regard to management. (c) Students'socioeconomic interests. The aspirations of middle-class SLC holders were inadequately understood. Many such students were not interested in a lower-level, terminal degree and field work with farmers. Covenants 3.31 Covenants were generally in compliance at project completion. 28 4. Outcomes and Results 4.1 According to the ICR, project failure turned to relative success. From an implementation perspective, this is true; the tasks scheduled to be completed were indeed completed. The project has new buildings, rehabilitated facilities, equipment, vehicles, furniture, and four-year Bachelor's degree curricula. An important outcome is the sense of pride and achievement among Rampur staff, who managed to convince authorities to extend the project and then completed the activities. The activities of recent years have also helped develop project implementation capacity outside Kathmandu. This is important for future agricultural projects in Nepal, as implementation of projects in the sector has been consistently unsatisfactory. 4.2 One positive project outcome is the orientation of IAAS towards research, which could be potentially useful to the country. Faculty are appropriately trained, equipment exists, and several small projects were undertaken during the life of the project. However, no new funding was generated after the project ended. However, an agricultural project under preparation may be use the facility for research and training. Of interest is the capacity of the doctoral-level faculty to teach masters-level courses to staff at institutions, such as the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). More IDA investment may be given to the faculty towards that end. 4.3 The achievement in physical facilities and laboratories is not commensurate with the learning outcomes intended to produce effective extension agents. Theoretically oriented coursework does not prepare students for contact with farmers and agricultural decision-making. Students memorize definitions of agricultural and science concepts in English while they spend little or no time in the fields, have no contact with farmers, and hired hands work the campus farms. 4.4 It would have been useful to understand better where IAAS graduates work and how much they benefited from training, but the project design did not include the collection of performance indicators. Progress indicators included some qualitative benchmarks of activities (organizing a workshop, appointing a faculty committee to prepare for the external panel, etc.) but no quantitative records were kept of the project's achievements. Therefore, it is not possible to tell whether student achievement improved with the new curricula and materials or to what extent student training matches the needs of the country. 4.5 Finally, outcomes are ambivalent from a country development perspective. The project has created expensive campuses (particularly in Rampur), which require increasingly large budgetary outlays to maintain buildings and pay for utilities. These expenses are not being offset by gains in the country's agricultural extension manpower or food security status. Unless these campuses generate more income and/or utilize their large acreage for more productive purposes, the project may end up causing a net drain rather than an addition of resources to Nepal's exchequer, as further explained in para. 5.1. Borrower Performance 4.6 Overall, borrower performance. is rated as satisfactory, and the audit agrees with the ICR rating in this respect. It was unsatisfactory in the middle years of the project, but it became highly satisfactory after the project was revised. Project management established clear and 29 transparent communication channels with the faculty of the Rampur campus, and eventually managed to complete almost all physical subcomponents of the project. The hard work and initiative of campus authorities to bring the project to a satisfactory physical completion are commendable. The successful completion of the project has shown that a few determined and dedicated people and turn a project around and convert a near total failure to relative success. Bank (IDA) Performance 4.7 IDA performance during project appraisal was deficient. Also, there was staff discontinuity due to the 1987 reorganization in the Bank and the retirement of the agricultural educator who had designed the project. In subsequent years, however, there was considerable continuity. When the project foundered, IDA showed innovative leadership in recommending the use of an external panel to bring the project to a satisfactory leadership rather than cancel it. Supervision was efficient and responsive to needs as they arose. Several entries in aide- memoires recommend remediation of practical training deficiencies. Supervision reports show considerable attention to civil works and institutional issues. However, the institutional problems of the project loomed so large, that instructional issues were given a lower priority. On balance, IDA performance is rated satisfactory. The audit agrees with the ICR rating in this respect. 30 5. Findings, Recommendations, and Lessons 5.1 As a result of the problems stated in previous sections, design had major flaws and the project was unsatisfactory at entry. Over the years, the borrower and IDA have had to work with the difficulties of the design, and it can be argued that they implemented it as well as it was possible. However, the outcome is unsatisfactory. IDA financing has created an institution that offers degrees that meet international standards of length and content, and it is well equipped for conducting research. However, IAAS has large recurrent expenditures and delivers relatively low quality of instruction to its students. Its relatively high admission standards may attract students who are more interested in becoming desk officers than extension workers. The students' lack of agricultural experience and contact with farmer communities are not remedied through systematic outreach to farmers and practical work. As a result, IAAS students have the type of academic profile that the project was originally designed to avoid. 5.2 The unsatisfactory rating does not indicate implementation failure by IAAS. With the passage of years and the demise of the junior technical assistant program, the original, extension- oriented purpose of the project was to some extent forgotten. In recent years, the project has functioned as a general support to help IAAS become an academic institution that deals with many agricultural and animal science subjects. However, the audit must judge project performance in terms of the original rationale for IDA involvement and related outcomes. Performance could have been rated as satisfactory if practical training and instructional delivery prepared students to deal effectively with farmer problems, regardless of the agriculture specialty they studied. But the current instructional deficiencies seriously compromise the academic efforts of IAAS in all areas and do not help improve the rating. 5.3 With hindsight, the project might have been designed much better through beneficiary participation. Staff in satellite campuses emphasized the lack of communication with the IDA staff who prepared the project. They maintained that they were never asked what they wanted, and that their main needs had not been met. They also claim that they were never given a clear idea of what services were being provided to them Therefore, it was hard for them to know whether the contractors were carrying out their work properly. In recent years, the importance of participation has been greatly emphasized in the Bank. The problems of these older projects serve to remind us why it is necessary. Recommendations 5.4 It is imperative that students acquire practical understanding of agriculture and learn how to interact with farmers. They must: (i) work the campus farms and participate in the entire production cycle, including marketing; (ii) systematically interact with farms through fairs or internships; and (iii) be sensitized to farmers' socioeconomic needs. Agricultural facilities in other countries offer several models that can be used to maximize effective interaction with farmers. 5.5 For students to participate in the entire agricultural production cycle, the school calendar must be changed. University decentralization rules now under discussion have made this feasible. A rotation schedule may be worked out with faculty to overcome objections to changes in the timing of vacations. 31 5.6 The high expenses of IAAS put pressure on the rest of the university system and may negatively affect it. To carry out its programs IAAS must generate much more income than it is currently doing. Possible means might be: (i) recover the cost of utilities from faculty members; (ii) write proposals and obtain research grants; (iii) undertake clearly needed new programs for the university, such as the environmental studies program; and (iv) raise student tuition. The proposed solution to make IAAS an independent university does not change the financial situation. If it does not receive funds through Tribhuvan University, IAAS will have to receive them directly from the government, and its expense will continue to squeeze the education budget of the country. 5.7 The government is phasing out the intermediate-level program and substituting grades 11-12, mainly in local secondary schools. The satellite campuses of Pakhlihawa and Lamjung are underutilized and only have younger students. They are excellent candidates for becoming higher secondary schools. The agriculture courses could continue, but students should also be admitted for other studies. It should be possible for all students, however, to spend time cultivating the campus farms, so as to learn agriculture skills regardless of their future field of study. 5.8 At present, Rampur receives intermediate-level graduates with some agricultural knowledge. Implementation of higher secondary education means that students from all over the country should be able to enter the Bachelor's degree course without agriculture prerequisites. The Bachelor's degree program needs to be adjusted accordingly. Future students will be older than current entrants and will hopefully make more mature decisions about a career in agricultural subjects. 5.9 During entrance examinations, student interest in agriculture should be assessed, and expectations should be made clear to them: that manual work will be required and a government job may not materialize. 5.10 Admission procedures should be made more flexible so that students closer to agricultural production or truly interested in agriculture can enter. For example, female third- division SLC holders from farmer families and/or hill tribes might be admitted and given extra tutoring. The scholarships system must be changed to make them available in advance to the eligible poor rather than to the meritorious. This is an administrative Tribhuvan University issue, but resolution may be achieved through upcoming decentralization rules. 5.11 IAAS wants to offer Master's degrees and become an independent university. Quality improvement, modern management systems, and increased income generation should be prerequisites for such independence. Lessons 5.12 In some respects, this project is a case study for the some of the most important project design changes that have taken place in the Bank in recent years, and the same design mistakes might not be repeated today. Also, the problems that have plagued this project seem typical of the agricultural education subsector, as pointed out in a 1992 OED study, and hopefully more 15. Johnston, K. World Bank Assistance to Agricultural Higher Education. 1964-1990. World Bank Report No. 10751, 1992. 32 recent projects have been able to avoid them. A future project in this subsector would probably be designed with the help of: * labor market studies * financial analysis and review of unit costs * a graduate tracer system * assessment of management capacity * social assessment to better understand what farmers need * attention to classroom processes and instructional outcomes * monitoring indicators * selection criteria to capture applicants truly interested in agriculture. 5.12 Other more general lessons can also be drawn, which are important for future operations. These are: (a) Project outcomes can veer off course even though physical activities are substantially completed. Nevertheless, Bank supervisions still focus on whether tangibles have been acquired rather than whether project purposes are being met in substance. Examination of the outcomes vis- a-vis the benefits initially expected should be a clearly outlined part of supervision, and adequate time should be allotted to this purpose. (b) Degree-granting agricultural colleges inevitably admit students from a higher socioeconomic background than their client farmers. The gap must be bridged through consciousness-raising among students, systematic links with farmers, and much practical work. This is particularly important for female agriculture students, who seem to have had the least involvement with farm work. (c) The project might have had better outcomes if it had been designed through beneficiary participation, a methodology that gained prominence much later. Nevertheless, this project serves to remind the Bank that adequate time and money must be budgeted for participation during project preparation and subsequent implementation. (d) The Bank and implementing agencies must pay greater attention to detail during implementation. Problems that are considered trivial in terms of Bank financing (such as weak performance of small contractors) may loom large in the minds of local beneficiaries. (e) The staff of beneficiary institutions should know well and in detail what benefits an institution is scheduled to receive from a Bank project. This knowledge may enable them to (i) insist on getting a fair share of inputs; and (ii) monitor as laymen the work of local contractors. Detailed, local-level understanding of project inputs may be a very effective way to monitor implementation and prevent mismanagement. (f) More attention should be paid during project design and supervision to classroom-level instructional delivery, what students actually learn, and 33 whether the information can be used in the field. Memorizing poorly understood material in a foreign language may result in inert, inapplicable knowledge and, in effect, a lack of training. (g) The needs of institutions change over time. When projects last much longer than expected, needs must be reassessed. Therefore, process rather than prescription should be emphasized in project design.  35 Annex 1 Focus Groups Focus groups were conducted separately with groups of male and female students in Rampur, Pakhlihawa, and Lamjung. A summary of most pertinent statistics and statements is given below. Rampur-Males Participants: 17 male students in their last year of study (sons of farmers: 7). All were agricultural (no vet) students, specializing in agricultural economics, farming systems, extension education. They were students who were available on campus on that day. No faculty was present. Reasons for choosing study in agriculture: agriculture is important in Nepal 5 increase farming efficiency 2 sons of farmers 5 sons of local faculty members 1 Most likeable characteristic of the institution: the opportunity to have an officer career. Least likeable characteristic of the institution: politics. Work expectations: government or NGO positions. What would they do if they did not get a job: teach or start agribusiness, such as poultry farm. To start agribusinesses, initial investments are needed, which are not easy to find. Students expressed expectations that family members would help. Do family members or farmer friends consult with them? infrequently. Sometimes advice about fertilizers is asked. Contact with farmers: None. Students expressed inability to deal with them. View was expressed that farmers are disappointed by the institute. Practical work: very limited, only in the agricultural practicum, where 5 students must cultivate 500 square meters. They would prefer more. Quality offaculty members: they are good in theory, but not in practice. They are interested in quantity rather than quality of education. Their knowledge may not be up to date. Faculty are frequently absent from class because they work in NGOs. Textbook availability: they have none of their own, except for some lab manuals. To get textbooks, they must go to the library. They study from notes. 36 Annex 1 Suggestions for campus improvement: stop politics, start Master's degrees. Suggestions for teaching improvement: Faculty should be convinced to work. Faculty should get better pay in order to stay in class. Rampur - Females Participants: 8 women in the first, second, and last year of study. They were students who were available on campus on that day. All agricultural students. None had work experience in a family farm. Father's profession: owner of a large farm 2 agricultural specialist 1 civil servant 3 professional 2 Reasons for choosing agriculture: prospects for work in NGOs. Parental attitudes towards their study: most parents were supportive. Reasons for the low number of women: most cannot pass the entrance exams. Most likeable characteristic of the institution: the physical environment. Least likeable characteristic of the institution: politics. Work expectations: NGO positions, such as Save the Children, CARE; get advanced degrees and become a professor. Some expressed no clear work expectations. What would they do if they did not get a job: uncertain; women are under pressure not to work after they get married. Do family members orfarmerfriends consult with them? No Contact with farmers: None. One student expressed inability to deal with them. Since students know only botanical names but not the common names of plants, it is hard to communicate with farmers. Practical work: Almost no practical work; too much theory and no practical knowledge. They would prefer more and are willing to do it. Quality offaculty members: they are irresponsible, spend their time working for NGOs. They pay very little attention to the students. Students go to classes and teachers do not come. Most classes are not held regularly. 37 Annex 1 Textbook availability: they have none of their own, they must check books out of the library. They mainly study from notes. Scholarships for women: Women cannot effectively compete for general scholarships because their families invest less on them and they are less well prepared than the boys. They get on occasion special scholarships. One got a NRS 2000 scholarship from USAID. On Winrock scholarships of NRS 28,000 per year: they are given to hill girls, but these girls are well off and can study without scholarships. Problems women face on campus: No serious problems. Suggestions for campus improvement: stop politics. Suggestions for teaching improvement: Faculty should work harder and pay attention to students. Pakhlihawa - Males Participants: 25 male students, 21 in the second intermediate year. They were nearly all the students available on campus that day. Of them, 24 stated that they had experience in agricultural work. Reasons for choosing study in agriculture: to help parents, learn more 25. Some could not be admitted to another science campus Work expectations: government or NGO positions. What would they do if they did not get ajob: uncertain. Contact with farmers: None. First-year students do not even do any agricultural subjects. Practical work: very limited, though in theory there are two practical hours for every classroom hour. Quality offaculty members: Three faculty members were present. Students had not comments. Textbook availability: they have none of their own. To get textbooks, they must go to the library, but the library is only open up to 6:00 pm. They would be willing to pay NRS 50-75 to buy books if they were available and about NRS 30 to rent a textbook for the duration of the year. Work/study after intermediate certificate: They all plan to continue the Bachelor's degree in Rampur. Suggestions for campus improvement: more practical work 38 Annex 1 Pakhlihawa - Females Participants: 12 girls in the first and second intermediate year. They constituted the total population of dormitory residents. All were from small urban areas. One had work experience in a family farm. All but one were second-division SLC graduates. Father's profession: farmer 1 campus faculty 1 businessman 3 professional 3 civil servant 4 Reasons for choosing agriculture: prospects for work in NGOs; in general, educated women have better marriage prospects. Parental attitudes towards their study: most parents were supportive; one father was opposed, but girl convinced him. Work expectations: NGO positions, such as Save the Children, CARE; get advanced degrees and become a professor. Some expressed no clear work expectations. What would they do if they did not get a job: uncertain; women are under pressure not to work after they get married. Contact with farmers: None. Practical work: Almost no practical work it is not in the curriculum. Curriculum was formulated by outsiders, it should be formulated by the campus. They would like to work in the fields and find it easy. Quality offaculty members: They pay very little attention to the students. Students go to classes and teachers do not come. They are narrow-minded, conservative, may fail a student if they do not like her. A case of sexual harassment was reported. Textbook availability: some better-off students have bought standard science textbooks. Rest must check books out of the library. They spend considerable time copying notes from the books, so much that they do not have time to study them. Problems women face on campus: One case was reported of sexual harassment by a teacher Work/study after intermediate certificate: They all plan to continue the Bachelor's degree in Rampur. Suggestions for campus improvement: Teachers need to become more attentive to students. Lamjung - Males 39 Annex I Participants: 6 students, picked by the campus chief. Father's profession: farmer, owner of fields 5 civil servant I teacher I Reasons for choosing study in agriculture: To help Nepali agriculture; some could not be admitted to another conveniently located campus. Work expectations: government or NGO positions, father's fields. Contact with farmers: Limited. First-year students do not even do any agricultural subjects. Practical work: very limited, though in theory there are two practical hours for every classroom hour. Quality offaculty members: Teachers are often absent and do not interact with students, even though they live in the same campus. There is no incentive for them to do their work well. Textbook availability: they have none of their own. To get textbooks, they must go to the library, but the library is only open up to 6:00 pm. They do not understand English textbooks very well and prefer to study in Nepali rather than in English, but the Nepali textbooks on agriculture are not being used. If English is to be the language, textbooks should be simplified English. Work/study after intermediate certificate: They all plan to continue the Bachelor's degree in Rampur. Suggestions for campus improvement: devote more time to music and sports, buy musical instruments. Lamjung - Females Participants: 15 girls in the first and second intermediate year. They constituted the entire dormitory population. All were from small urban areas. Three had work experience in a family farm. 40 Annex 1 Father's profession: farmer 3 campus faculty 1 businessman 5 lawyer 1 civil servant 1 bank, tea estate manager 2 agricultural officer I retired 1 Reasons for choosing agriculture: prospects for work in NGOs. Students preferred pure science but could not get admission 5 Parental attitudes towards their study: most parents were supportive. Work expectations: NGO positions. Many expressed no clear work expectations. What would they do if they did not get a job: uncertain Contact with farmers: None. Practical work: Almost no practical work; too much theory and no practical knowledge. They would like to work in the fields and find it easy. Quality offaculty members: They pay very little attention to the students. Students go to classes and teachers do not come. They are narrow-minded, conservative, may fail a student if they do not like her. A case of sexual harassment was reported. Textbook availability: some better-off students have bought standard science textbooks. Rest must check books out of the library. They would rent textbooks for about NRS 20 per year. They do not understand English textbooks very well and prefer to study in Nepali. They recognize that there are more opportunities if they know good English. Work/study after intermediate certificate: They all plan to continue the Bachelor's degree in Rampur. Problems women face on campus: No serious problems. Suggestions for campus improvement: Teachers need to become more attentive to students. 41 Annex 2 Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science AGRICULTURAL MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Rampur, Chirwan Nepal Phonez (056 21211 April 17, 1996 To: Mr. Brajesh Panta, Rdsident Mission, The World Bank, Kathmandu From: Narayan Iunwar, Project Coordinator Re: Agricultural ManDower Development Proiect (Cr. 153L4-N7) 22rformance Audit Report My coments on some observations and views presented in the report are as following: Pace 20. Para t.6: Besides Tribhuvan University there are two other universities in epal: ahendra. Sanskrit University and Kathmand University. Fane 2s Para 3.5 a and Page 46, Parn 5.3: The project was designed and implemented to meet the technical manpower need of the. Ministry of Agriculture. Discussion and consultation were carried out at various levels of government and Tribhuvan University at the design phase. AXIS Was also involved. The administrators and faculty members who claimed that there had been little consultations with them when the project was developed were not in those campvses at that time. Most probably they had not joined the 1AAS when the project wan designed. A Large bulks of equipment and computers were purchased by the project during the recast phase of the project. The recast plan had programs only for the central campus and not for the branch campuss due to two reasons as following: (a) The remaining project period waz short and its extension was uncertain. (b) JT. training programs in the branch campuses were tezminated and there were no any programs in those campuses when the project was being recast. PaW-Z6. PNM 3.5.line 8.9: The civil wor5cs in two satellite campuses were designed and constructed to carry out the j3A training programs . The facility was optimum for that purpose. The JUL training program was abruptly stopped. When the project was being revived, the future of the 42 Annex 2 branch campuses were under debate . when the present academic programs were implemented in the branch campuses, the project was coming close to its end. Pace 27, para 3.5 b: The contractors cannot shortchange the contracted works- They are required to carry out and complete the works as stated in the contract. However, contract agreements have also provisions for changes - Therefore, any changes in the construction works in branch campuses were made in accordance with the contract agreements. A/E Consultant was hired to design and supervise the civil works- The project had project engineer and site engineers to' supervise the works of the A/E consultant. Thus marimum effort was made to maintain the standard of quality of civil works as stated in the contract. The project has not paid for any works which were not carried out. The contractor of bio-gas facility in Lamjung campus was paid NRs. 40000 on the recommendation of Lamjung campus Chief. This Payment was made on the progress of work. Since the contractor did not complete the work on time, the remaining amount, NRs. 45000, which is claimed by the contractor, baa not been paid yet . Page. 28. IarM 3.8: Few faculty members who were trained under USAID project implemented between 1975 to 1985 have left the IAAs. They were obliged (contract signed) to serve the institute for five years after returning from the traininmg, which they fulfilled. Most of them had gone abroad for higher studies in their own initiatives and did not return. Some brain drain in any institution iS a natural phenomenon, and IAlS can not be exceptional. As such brain drain is not a serious problem at IS . The executive summary states that 'about 17 faculty members received doctorates from foreign countries and that half the trained faculty have left the unIversity (page 10, para 10). This statement is not correct. Only 7 faculty members received the doctorate degree under the project and at present all of them are working at IAAS. PaSe 29, para 3.9: Paculty members are not specifically designated for central or branch campuses. They are placed and transferred among the campuses according to the need of campuses and .nterest of the faculty members. Every faculty member is taken into consideration while selecting for training programs and standard selection procedure is 43 Annex 2 followed. Selections for trainngs are made carefully so as to minimize the complaints. ITf unsatisfied in the selection of candidate for training, one can complain to higher authorities of Tribhuvan University or go to the court. Because of the limited training slots, many faculty members, have not received the opportunities for higher studies . Page 29. Para 3.10: St.C marks are given only 50% weightage for admission. Entrance examinations are conducted which carry the remaining 50% weightage -. Aptitude questions on agriculture are asked in the entrance examination so that students coming from farming background have better chance for selection for admission. Admission quota have been allocated for women students. There are regional adission quotas to give opportunities for students from all five development regions - In spite of these efforts, students coming from better schools and nearer places seem to dominate the admission. Admission criteria should be reviewed so that women students and more students from faz=ing background and remote areas are admitted at IAAB. Pa"s 29. M&MM 3.11: The audit report should not rely on the focus group for such important information. More scientific procedure should be followed to obtain the information. Pace 30 line 5: Over 90% of people in Nepal- depend on ftrming for their livelihood and all the castes do farming. There are no particular farmer castes. am...31. eara 3.14: The textbooks and manual developed by the project are sold to the students. Page 34, paxa 3-20.- 1. IAIS made an effort to prepare transparency criteria rules, but no expenditure was made for it. 2. One of the important achievements of the project is the preparation of land use master plan. Land use master plan is 44 Annex 2 for both immediate and long term use. It is related to the development process of IAAs. Therefore, it will be used by IAAs. 3. The project did not have any program for the institutional development aspects in Lamjung and PaLklihawa campuses - Termination of JTA training programs and uncertainty about the future uses of these campuses were the main reasons for lack of institutional development programs in these campuses. Paae 39. Vara 3.29: IAAS graduates are generalists, not specialist and therefore, suitable for all aspects research, management and extension. Food production has not .increased in Nepal despites various efforts . But IAAS graduates and the project should not be made responsible for this problem. Page 42. Para 4.3: The courses offered by the IAAS have standard balance of theory and practices. The courses are oriented to both theory and practicals . IAAS has yet to improve in offering the practical experiences to its students, however. The facilities created under the project have met the -basic needs of TAAS to offer both B.5c. and M.S programs in agriculture. These facilities are important assets of the institute and will have long lasting impact in the agricultural education program of the country. If the performance of the project is examined only in relation to the scope and objectives of the project, the outcome of the project can be rated as highly satisfactory. 45 Annex 2 TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Nepal OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR j/ Ll66/- ) May 17, 1996 Mr. Roger Slade Chief, Agriculture and Human Development Division Operations Evaluation Department World Bank. 1818 H Street NW. Washington D.C. 20433 U. S. A. Re A!riculture Manpower Development Project (Credit 1534 - Nep) Performance Audit Report Dear Mr Slade, I read the PAR document prepared by the mission with great interest. It is a very well written document. Its findings. recommendations and lessons will be very useful in the implementation of the currently on-going projects and the development of the future projects. I commend the mission for this performance. The mission besides collecting information from the documents visited the campuses and had discussions with faculty, students and other personnel who were available in the campuses. It could not contact the broader groups because the campuses were clos-d during the visit and so it could not verify the opinions with the state of affairs also. Opinions expressed by different groups sometimes are contrary to each other There are problems. The opinions eNpressed reflect the problens, but do not provide solution. We should probe deeper to find the solution. This is indicated in the recommendations and lessons of the document. Some statements in the document do not reflect the fact So, I request you, please, adjust them Followinu are the statement that need amendments. I Paae 9. Para 6 'Agricultural Training' - be replaced by Agricultural Orientation'. JAAS does not train the grade 11 and 12 students for agricultural work. It is mainly general studies and basic science required for education in Agriculture. The courses offered in agriculture are for orientation. 2 Paue 10. Para 8, Line 2. As is the custom in Nepalese higher education - be deleted T U. has printed and published books for sale to students and general public. So. it is not the custom in Nepal 3 Paue I1. Para II . This paragraph Lives the impression that the project has failed to attract female students to the program in Agriculture. On the other hand, this component may be considered a great success Before the implementation of the Tel: 225433 Fax: 977-1-226964 P. 0. Box No: 8212 46 Annex2 * TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCEILOR project in 1984, the enrollment of the girls in the IAAS was only 1.1%. So 12% should be considered an achievement. (Also refer to Para 1.4, Page 18). Minimum requirement for entrance to IAAS is S.L.C. Pass. Reasons for low enrollment of women from hill tribes are stated in the document. We should not expect more than what we can really achieve. So, this para be modified to reflect the achievement. 4 Page I], Para 12 Performance of the faculty in a campus is supervised and monitored by the campus administration Campus administration can also take disciplinary action against the decipline breakers. So, the word 'performance' be deleted 5 Page 20, Para 16, 'A highly centralized administration . ... campuses' be deleted. After the programs and budget are approved the campuses are empowered to operate and execute them in accordance with the statutes of the university. Of course, there are problems related with full implementation of programs and statutes in university system. ( Page 24, Para 3.1 'A strained administrative relationship ..... central T.U. authorities' be deleted. During the implementation of the project the relationship between central and institute administration was never strained. There were disagreement on issues but never strained" 7 Page 31, Para 3.14. 'As is the custom .. .. to students for sale or rent' be deleted. Reason given earlier S Paue 34. Para 3 21 'fuition, faculty performance, pay and examination'. Of these tuition and pay are determined by the centre. Faculty performance is monitored and supervised by the campus. Examinations in the IAAS is conducted by the Dean's Office. On recommendation of the Deans Office, the Controller of Examinations. T.U , issues the Transcript and theCertificate. So 'faculty performance' and 'examinations' be deleted I thank you for giving me this opportunity to comment on the document. Yours sincerely. Dr Kamal Krishna shi Vice-Chancellor Tel: 225433 Fax: 977-1-226964 P. 0. Box No: 8212 47 Annex 3 Responses to Borrower Comments 1. Observation taken into account, text corrected accordingly (paras. 6, 8, 11, 1.6, 3.1, 3.5, 3.8, 3.14). 2. The audit comment that professors were not involved refers to repairs in the Pakhlihawa campus, not the project in general (3.5, 5.3). 3. The project documents do not state that the revised project was exclusively for the Rampur campus. They mention IAAS, which includes the two satellite campuses, and various activities went on in the satellite campuses in recent years. The audit, therefore, must abide by the content of the documents. 4. It is recognized that all castes may do farming, but some do more than others. The commonly used expression "farmer castes" has been changed in the audit report to "castes that traditionally concentrate in farming" (para. 311). 5. The audit report has been changed to reflect that project textbooks are available for sale to students. Nevertheless, the mission could not find anyone who bought them (para. 314). 6. The original purpose of the project was to train extension agents to improve food security in Nepal. Subsequent changes to the project took place with the intent of improving instructional quality. Since students do not receive training that will enable them to interact with farmers and help them increase productivity, the outcome cannot be rated satisfactory, despite a great deal of the work that has been done in with project funds (paras. 3.29, 4.3). 7. Tribhuvan University rules indeed provide for professor monitoring and campus- level decision-making. For political reasons, however, their implementation is often impossible, and this affects the quality of education in all campuses, including IAAS. This reality is broadly recognized and has been a rationale for appraising the higher education project (paras. 12, 16, 21).   IMAGING Report No: 15793 Type: PPAR