Ghana - Second Adult Literacy and Functional Skills Program Project

Report No. PID6719 Project Name Ghana-Adult Literacy and Functional... Skills Program II Region Africa Sector Education Project ID GHPE974 Borrower Republic of Ghana Implementing Agency Non-formal Education Division/Ministry of Education Ministry Branch Post Office PO Box M45 Accra, Ghana Date this PID prepared July 22, 1998 Project Appraisal Date November/December 1999 Projected Board Date March/April 1999 Country and Sector Background 1. Ghana is a country of 17 million people of whom two-thirds live in rural areas. The country enjoys great cultural diversity with 17 major languages spoken throughout the country. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Ghana experienced a serious economic decline, which eroded the social and economic gains that the country had made during the 1960s and early 1970s. Since the mid-1980s, the Government has been committed to expanding and improving education and, as a result, public expenditure on education has doubled during the 10-year period from 1987 to 1997. As a proportion of GDP, annual expenditure on education increased from 1.4% in 1983 to 4.0% in 1997. 2. Although primary school enrollment rates have increased slightly since 1989, these rates are far from universal, especially for girls or children in very poor households. In 1993, the overall primary school admission rate was 81% for girls and 90% for boys, while children from very poor households had an admission rate of only 60%. Moreover, not all children who enter the school system complete the primary school cycle. In 1993, the completion rate was found to be 79% for girls and 88% for boys. More recent data show that in 1997 only 28% of poor children in rural areas complete at least primary school compared to 64% of non-poor children. These differences carry over to urban areas, where 44% of poor children complete primary school compared to 78% of non-poor children. As a result, the adult illiteracy rate for the population aged 15 year and over is estimated at 52% at the national level --38% for men and 64% for women-- while the absolute number of adult illiterates is estimated to be about 4 million (Ghana Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire 1997). 3. Adult literacy initiatives in Ghana date back to the 1950s when the Government undertook a massive effort to increase adult literacy. However, Government efforts peaked in the mid-1960s, and by the early 1980s government- supported literacy activities were negligible. In 1991 the Ghanaian Government re-launched a national literacy program to combat adult illiteracy in the  country. In 1992, the Government negotiated a credit with the World Bank/IDA to support the expansion of the National Literacy and Functional Skills Program (NLFSP). Thus, from 1992-97, the Bank supported the NLFSP through credit 2349-GH, which closed in December 31 1997. Project Objectives 4. The proposed operation would support the second phase of the NLFSP of the Government of Ghana. Its principal objective is to increase the number of Ghanaian adults (15 years or older), particularly of women, who acquire literacy and functional skills and cease to be illiterates. The Program is expected to provide literacy and functional skills to about 1 million learners over a period of 5 years. 5. The performance of the Program will be monitored through several objectively verifiable indicators of literacy skills, knowledge utilization, and improved attitudes and practices in family health, parenting, community participation, and agricultural activities. More specifically, the Program will: (i) monitor the number of learners enrolling in the classes and the percentage completing the literacy cycle successfully; (ii) administer a fourth grade level equivalency test to monitor learner achievement at the end of each literacy cycle; and (iii) compile baseline and periodic information to measure the impact of development activities on learners' knowledge, attitudes and practices. Project Description 6. The Program will support the following six components: (i) Basic Literacy Skills - As in the previous phase, the Program will deliver literacy classes to illiterate adults in 15 local languages. Classes are designed to run in a two-year cycle for a total of about 300 instruction (contact) hours over a period of 18 months. (ii) Development Activities - These activities will be integrated into the basic literacy classes. Their objective is to enhance life skills, civic awareness, and occupational skills. Groups of learners will undertake activities and small projects of their own choice related to the topics of the primers and teaching in literacy classes (i.e. tree planting, improvements in community's hygiene, agricultural projects etc.). (iii) Post-Literacy Program Elements - The Program will pursue in earnest the creation of a literate environment that is congenial for learners and program graduates to practice and sustain their literacy skills. (iv) Research, Monitoring and Evaluation - The Program will strengthen research capacity to conduct learner impact assessments, formative evaluations and longitudinal studies. A research plan, which will include evaluation and dissemination mechanisms, will guide activities in the area of research and innovations. (v) Capacity Building and Program Management - The Program will support improvements in the program management and implementation by the Non-formal Education Division (NFED) and other partners through training of line managers and staff, and through strengthening of relevant systems and processes. The selected interventions will be coordinated with relevant initiatives currently underway in the Ministry of education (MOE) and broader civil service reforms. Activities under this component will be guided by a capacity building plan and monitoring indicators. (vi) Partnerships - In the second phase of the Program, NFED will strengthen collaboration with NGOs, communities, District Assemblies and relevant - 2 -  Government institutions and agencies to improve the delivery of literacy services, especially in remote rural areas. Project Financing 7. The total Program cost is estimated at US$51 million with an IDA contribution of US$30, representing about 609 of the total cost. The Government of Ghana will contribute US$18 while communities and NGOs will contribute US$3 million. Project Implementation 8. The proposed operation is planned for five years. NFED will take the lead in the delivery and monitoring and evaluation of the Program in collaboration with other providers of literacy skills providers in the country, and in partnership with the communities. Program management and implementation arrangements would involve decentralized systems and out-sourced services for selected activities. Project Sustainability 9. The financial sustainability of the Program will be ensured through cost- effective measures built into the program and adequate GOG financing of the program, particularly of activities that ensure the quality of learning. Acquired literacy and functional skills will be sustained through alternatives aimed at building a literate environment. Lessons Learned from Past Operations in the Country/Sector i) Monitoring and evaluation systems need to be established from the start of the project, with baseline data and clear indicators to assess learning achievement and other benefits. The timely collection and processing of relevant and reliable data is critical for assessing the impact of the project and for making necessary adjustments. Applied research and the application of these research findings are critical for increasing the effectiveness of the project. ii) The Program must be responsive to learners' needs and perceptions, must allow flexibility for adjustments to local conditions, and must be established within a framework of agreed parameters and indicators of quality (i.e. duration of instruction, class attendance, and learning outcomes). iii) Offering rewards to facilitators for their good performance has been effective; however, there have been logistical problems, which would need to be rectified. iv) It is important that appropriate criteria are used to select facilitators and these criteria should be uniformly applied. v) Efforts to establish a literate environment have been less than ideal. Further reflections on the best way to sustain a literate environment would be useful. vi) For Ghana to eradicate illiteracy, the formal and non-formal education sectors must join forces to ensure that their respective programs are cost- effective and of high quality. Also, the implementing agency must help non- government providers of literacy services by providing them with technical assistance or teaching materials. Poverty Category 10. Adult illiteracy is highly correlated with location, income level and gender. In rural areas, 749 of heads of households in the poorest quintile -3 -  have never attended school, compared to 15t for heads of households in the richest quintile. Rural women in the poorest quintile have an illiteracy rate of 84t compared to 53t for those in the richest quintile. Although illiteracy is somewhat lower in urban areas, the association between illiteracy and poverty remains. Sixty-two percent of urban heads of household in the poorest quintile have never attended school compared to only 4.5w for households in the richest quintile. Urban women in the poorest quintile have an illiteracy rate of 70- compared to 249 for women in the richest quintile (Ghana Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire, 1997). 11. The Program would benefit an estimated one million learners, 60- of whom are likely to be women. Since illiteracy is highly associated with poverty, a reduction in the adult illiteracy rate would contribute positively to reducing the prevalence of poverty in the country. In addition, literacy acquisition would contribute to improving learners' self-esteem, social status, and employment opportunities. Environmental Aspects 12. The environmental category is C. That is, the Program does not carry the risk of any adverse act to the environment. Program Objective Categories 13. The proposed Program seeks to improve the lives of the poor and illiterate population in Ghana with a focus on women, and their community environment. Contact Point: The InfoShop The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone No. (202)458 5454 Fax No. (202) 522 1500 Note: This is information on an evolving project. Certain activities and/or components may not be included in the final project. Processed by the InfoShop week ending August 14, 1998. - 4 -