Dominican Republic - Second Education Project

Report No. 676a-DO Appraisal of a FILE COPY Second Education Project Dominican Republic April 4, 1975 Education Projects Division Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office Not for Public Use Document ot the International Bank tor Reconstruction and Development International Development Associationi This report wa- prepared for official use oniv by the Bank Group it may not be published quoted or cited without Bank Group authorization The Bank Group does not accept responsiblAny for the accuracy or completeness ot the report  Currency Equivalents Currency Unit: Dominican Peso (RD$) US$ 1.00 = RD$ 1.00 Measures and Equivalents 1 meter (m) = 3.28 feet 1 sq. meter (i2) - 10.8 sq. feet 1 kilometer (Km) = 0.62 mile 1 sq. kilometer (1(m2) = 0.39 sq. mile 1 hectare (ha) = 2.47 acres Fiscal Year January 1 - December 31 Scholastic Year October 1 - July 30  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF AN EDUCATION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. BASIC DATA SUMM.RY AND CONCLUSICNS ................................. i I. INTRODUCTION ............... ,...... . ...... *# ........ l II. THE SOCIO-ECQNOMIC SETTING ........................... 2 Population and the Economy ......................... 2 Manpower Requirements . ............................ 3 III. EDUCATION AND TRAINING ....................3..... 3 The Formal System ................... ...... .. - 3 Primary Education .............................. I4 Secondary Education ....... .. . ......... 5 Higher Education ................................... .. 6 Nonformal Education and Training . .................. 6 IV. EDUCATION AND TRAINING NEEDS AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ... 7 V. EDUCATION FINANCE .................... ................. 10 VI. THE PROJECT ...... *.............. *.. ..........2..2. Project Strategy and Content .11 Elements of the Project .12 Cost of the Project .17 Project Recurrent Costs......... 19 VII. IMPLEMENTATION ... 19 Administration ...... ... ..... . ........ 19 Professional Services ............................. 19 Sities o ........ ...... .. .... ... 20 Procurement .... . ... . ... .......... . ..... 20 Disbursements . ......... ... . .. 20 VIII. AGREEMENTS REACHED AND RECOMMENDATIONS .... .............. 21  AN1'IEXES 1. Comparative Education Indicators 2. Estimate of Annual Requirement of New Workers 3. Annual Requirement of New Workers by Skill Level 4. Education Expenditures 1969-1978 5. Present and Projected Output from Technical Education and Training System 6. Summary of Estimated Costs 7. Contingency Allowances 8. Project Implementation Schedule 9. Schedule of Disbursements CHARTS 1. Structure of the Formal and Nonformal System of Education and Training 2. Structure of the Secretariat of Education, Fine Arts and Religious Affairs 3. Education Pyramid 4. Enrollments in Primary Education MAP  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC /1 BASIC DATA 1972 Area 48,442 Km Population Urban 1.71 million (40%) Rural 2.52 million (60%) Total 4.23 million Annual growth (1.960-1972) 2.8% GNP (at market prices)f2 US$ 2,030.4 million Per catita US$ 480.0 Annual growth in real terms (196-5-1972) 5.0% Literacy Rate 51.0% Urban 66.0% RLral 41.0p Including Excluding Enrollment Ratios Overage Overage Primary Education 107 80 - in urban areas 118 84 - in rural areas 101 77 Secondary Education 21 13.5 Higher Education 7 - Edlucation Finance Share of education in central government expenditures 13.9% Education expenditures as proportion of GDP 3.0% - public 2.5% - private 0.5% /1 See also Annex 1 /A Source: Bank Atlas   DOMINICAN REPUBLIC APPRAISAL OF A SECOND EDUCATION PROJECT SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS i. This report appraises the Bank Group's second education project in the Dominican Republic, for which a loan of US$8.0 million is proposed. The project would support the priority areas of the government's educational development strategy and aims at (i) expanding and improving the provision of education and training opportunities for the various segments of the rural population, and (ii) developing an institutional framework for and assisting in the efficient expansion of nonformal training to meet specific manpower requirements in priority sectors of the economy and increase the productivity of the labor force. ii. The national priorities for the development of thie education sector were first articulated about five years ago. Two areas identified as requiring priority consideration at that time were (a) the need for reform in the structure and curriculum of secondary education, and (b) the need for improvement of teacher qualifications at the primary level. The first education project (Credit 235-DO, signed in February 1971) is designed to support the government in implementing programs in these two priority areas by introducing diversified education at the upper secondary level and prevocational education at the lower secondary level and by improving primary teacher training. iii. The government still attaches high priority to extending the implementation of diversified secondary curricula so that an increasing number of secondary level students (20% of secondary enrollment) will be better prepared for middle level positions when they enter the labor force. However, it also gives high priority to resolving additional major problems facing the education/training system. One of them is the great inefficiency and inequity in the provision of primary education. Only about 17% of children entering the system complete all six grades and 65% drop out before reaching maintainable literacy in the first three grades. In rural areas, 80% of total enrollment is concentrated in the first three grades as 60% of the rural schools offer three grades or fewer and only seven out of 100 children enrolled in the first grade complete primary education. Of the existing schools in rural areas, most are unsuitable for teaching and lack ventilation and light. To correct this situation, the government intends to introduce a new administrative and institutional framework for rural education and training called the "educational nucleus." Based on a compre- hensive school inventory and mapping operation, an educational nucleus involves a school spacing and organization concept whereby there would be  - ii - one central school, offering ulD to eight grades of basic education, surrounded by several feeder six-grade schools. The latter would be fed by schools that offer only the first four grades. The schools in each nucleus would serve as community learning centers where nonformal education/training programs for adults and out-of-school youths would also be carried out. iv. Another problem area is in the organization and administration of nonformal education. There is a lack of coordination and some duplication of training efforts exists with resultant wastage of funds. Training in existing vocational training centers is poorly organized. As a result, costs are high and there is a low utilization of facilities. Furthermore, such training needs to be more responsive to manpower requirements. In rural areas training programs do not cover many important agricultural areas where settlement projects are being completed and where community training needs are obvious. The government plans to strengthen nonformal training programs so as to improve the skill profile of the labor force. In rural areas the intent is to promote diversification of tihe village economy and provide some basic skills to out-of-school youths and adults so that they may become more self-reliant. In urban areas the government plans to increase train- ing opportunities for semi-skilled, skilled and supervisory personnel by improving existing facilities and establishing new training centers in key areas of economic activity. Mobile unit-based training schemes will be established to provide training to populations living in small urban areas where it is not economically viable to establish fixed institutions. Comple- menting these activities, an advisory service will be established at the enterprise level aimed at increasing employer participation in in-plant training. In order to achieve a coordinated and efficient operation of all training activities, a national vocational training entity would be established. This would ensure tripartite participation (government, employers and trade unions) in all policy making decisions and adequate financing of the training scheme. v. The proposed project would help the government implement its plans for educational development. It would assist in (i) initiating the new school spacing and organization concept in 15 of the poorest rural areas in the country, benefiting about 26,000 children, or 5% of the total rural enrollment, and about 50,000 youths and adults in these communities; (ii) extending the diversified curriculum introduced in secondary level schools under the first education project; and (iii) expanding nonformal training opportunities for farmers and for semi-skilled, skilled and super- visory personnel. The project would consist of: (a) Construction, furnishing and equipping of: (i) 204 rural community learning centers within an institutional framework of 15 educational nuclei;  - iii - (ii) 14 lower secondary schools (equipment only); (iii) 4 agricultural training centers; (iv) 7 vocational training centers (2 new, 1 extension, equipment for 4 and 8 mobile units). (b) Provision of technical assistance, comprising 12 man years of specialist services and 12 man years of fellowships, to support implenentation and operation of the above-listed project items. (c) A feasibility study on the local development and production of textbooks and teaching aids; in-service teacher training; and preparation of a possible third education project. vi. The project would provide for the establishment of 15 rural educa- tion and training nuclei consisting of the construction and equipping of 325 classrooms, 88 workshops and 204 multipurpose rooms. About 30,000 students, or 90% of the 7-14 age group in the area, would be enrolled in the project nuclei (20,000 in the new project facilities and 10,000 in existing class- rooms). No school would offer fewer than four years of schooling. In addition, the nuclei are expected to serve (in coordination with the Office of Community Development, the Mlinistries of Agriculture and Hlealth, and the Office of Labor Schools) about 50,000 out-of-school youths and adults through the organization of acceleratec. primary education courses and special, short training programs. The government and the Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE) will continue to provide food and funds for the implementation of a nutrition program for the children, with the project providing appropriate space for this purpose in each school. In order to provide educational opportunities to the dispersed rural population, teachers in about 50% of the project schools (those consisting of one or two classrooms) would simul- taneously teach several grades. To accomplish this, multigrade teaching techniques would be introduced in both the teacher training and upgrading programs. vii. To support the government's continuing effort to extend the aitroduction of the diversified secondary school curriculum, the project would provide equipment for 14 existing lower secondary schools (grades 7-10) enrolling about 26,000 students (15% of total secondary enrollment). Equipment would be provided for 36 science laboratories, 22 industrial arts workshops, and 22 home economics workshops and social scifnce laboratories. Books and audio visual aids would also be provided. The training of teachers for the vocational subjects is currently carried out with the assistance of a specialist financed under the first education project, and science teachers arc being satisfactorily trained in three universities under a UNDP/UNESCO project. viii. To meet the training requirements of farmers, the project would provide for the construction and equipping of four new agricultural training centers, to be located in areas where projects in irrigation and introduction of new crops are being implemented. A total of 3,000 persons would be trained  - iv - annually. These centers would offer short courses in new agricultural produc- tion techniques for farmers and in health, nutrition, child care, family planning, home management, clothing and home industries for women. They would also function as information centers on such matters as agricultural credit, farmers' organizations and cooperatives, marketing of products, etc. ix. To improve the training of semi-skilled and skilled workers and of supervisory staff, the project would provide for: (i) the construction, furnishing and equipping of two new vocational centers (315 places), and the extension of an existing vocational training center (from 210 to 315 places); (ii) equipment for four existing vocational centers; and (iii) eight mobile training units. The proposed project items would permit the establishment and implementation of a national vocational training scheme, and appropriate legal measures would be taken to establish the scheme and provide financing for it. All centers would operate on the basis of two intakes per year for full-time accelerated training courses, and upgrading training for employed workers would be held in the evenings. By 1980, about 2,700 adults wqould be trained annually in accelerated courses and 3,300 workers upgraded. Accelerated training courses would be offered for unemployed adults and dropouts from the education system. Upgrading training of employed workers, including supervisors and middle level management, would be organized to improve the skill profile of the labor force, increase earnings potential and promote mobility. Upgrading would be carried out by vocational training centers and by mobile training units, which would circulate to towns too small to justify the construction of a center. All training for the modern sc