Announcement of IDA Credit of Two Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars to Chad for Education on April 22, 1971

• INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 1818 H STREET. N.W .. WASHINGTON 0. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 IDA Press Release No. 71/12 Subject: IDA credit of $2.2 million April 22, 19 71 to Chad for education The International Development AsBociation (IDA) today annotmced a development credit equivalent in various currencies to $2.2 million for the Republic of Chad to help finance a second education project. It i.s designed to alleviate the serious shortage of skilled manpower and thereby give support to the country's economic development. The project will provide training for middle level technicians, semi- skilled workers and a study of training schemes for yotmg fa~rs. It • comprises the construction and equipping of a technical secondary school at Fort Lamy, the conversion of the existing technical school at Fort Archambault into a vocational training center and the transfer of the agricultural training center from Fort Lamy to Fort Archambault. It is anticipated that these institutions will together provide about 960 student places. The previous IDA credit of $1.8 million for education granted in 1968 provided assistance for a primary teacher training college at MoWldou and a training center for agricultural technicians at Fort Lamy. Educational development presents particular difficulties in Chad, which is a vast and thinly populated country lacking homogeneity and with a partly nomadic population. The literacy rate is only 7% and primary and secondary school enrollment has been low. The present project is focused on key aspects of technical and vocational training. /more IDA P.R. No. 71/12 - Chad - education - 2 - The project unit of the Ministry of Education (Fort Lamy, Chad) will • . be responsible for impl~mentation and supervision of the project and liaison with IDA. The project includes provision for the project unit staff and its ancillary facilities. As with the previous project, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) participated in the appraisal of this project \lllder the World Bank/Unesco cooperative program. The total cost of the project is $3.1 million, of which $2.1 million represents the foreign exchange component. The IDA credit to the Republic of Chad will be for a term of SO years, with a 10-year grace period. It will be free of interest: but a service charge of 3/4 of 1% will be made to meet IDA's administrative expenses. The project is expected to be completed in June 1975. • - 0 -