Announcement of Five Million One Hundred Thousand Dollar Credit to Ecuador for Education on June 19, 1968

·FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ,,. 0 • INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 1818 H STREET. N.W., WASHINGTON D. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 IDA Press Release No. 68/16 Subject: $5.1 million credit co June 19, 1968 Ecuador for education A ten-year educational development plan initiated in 1964 by the Government of Ecuador, aimed at modernizing the system and relating it more directly to the country's manpower needs, will be assisted by a credit of $5.1 million from the International Development Association (IDA). The IDA project will support a priority program of secondary school improve- ment and expansion. In partic.ular it will help to meet middle-level manpower re- quirements of industry, agriculture and education. The IDA credit will help to • finance the construction or expansion, furnishing and equipping of 28 secondary schools. Altogether the schools involved will provide for an enrollment of 19,600, an addition of 13,100 new places. One of the goals of the education program is to effect economies by redeployment and consolidation of facilities. The IDA project will further this objective; annual output of over 2,000 in the 13 agricultural, technical and primary teacher training schools included in the project compares with 1,600 graduates from 76 such schools now operating. These 13 schools will provide over half the additional personnel needed irt \...t,ese fields by 1975. The IDA credit to the Government of Ecuador will be for a term of 50 years. The credit will be free of interest but will carry a service charge of 3/4 of 1% to meet IDA's administrative costs. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization • (Unesco) assisted in the identification, preparation and appraisal of the project under the Bank/Unesco Cooperative Program. /more • - 2 - • Ecuador's education system provides for a six-year obligatory primary course, followed by a three-year first cycle secondary course. The latter is self- contained but selected students may progress into a second cycle of three years where, according to their aptitude and interest, they are channeled into general secondary, teQcher training, technical industrial, commercial or agricultural studies. Students are thus prepared for middle-level positions or for entry into higher education. Government expenditures on education have been increased considerably in recent years and have been supplemented by external aid from national and inter- national agencies. About 800,000 pupils, or 80% of the 6-12 age group, are en- rolled in primary schools and 118,400, or 18% of the 13-18 age group, are en- rolled in secondary schools of all types. This represents a doubling of secondary school enrollments in the last decade. However, rising enrollments have not been matched by adequate facilities. Many schools are small., uneconomic units; the larger schools are overcrowded. Few schools have satisfactory laboratory or workshop facilities or are adequately supplied with teaching material. The teaching force is almost entirely part time. The project being assisted by the IDA credit is designed primarily to fur- nish such physical facilities as are needed to permit the introduction of modern curricula and teaching techniques in the schools. The construction work con- sists of: (a) extensions to four agricultural schools; (b) one new technical school and extensions to three others; (c) four new primary teacher-training schools and extensions to one existing school; (d) eight new and extensions to • one first cycle schools, and three new and extensions to three schools offering both first and second cycle in general secondary education. The schools will be equipped with appropriate facilities with particular emphasis on workshops, laboratories and other practical teaching spaces and the provision of audio- visual teaching aids. Concurrently, the Government is taking steps to increase the numbers and improve the quality of teachers for the secondary schools. The IDA credit in- cludes funds for the services of specialists in school administration, organi- zation and teacher training to support these measures. The estimated cost of the project is $10.2 million. The IDA credit will cover about half the costs and the remainder of the capital costs as well as consequential recurrent expenditures will be met by the Government. Construc- tion should be completed by mid-1972. Contracts for construction, equipment and furniture will be awarded after international competitive bidding. A special project unit will be established in the Ministry of Education to execute the project. - 0 - •