Announcement of Six Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars World Bank Loan for Education in Liberia on May 5, 1977

.World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. • Telephone: (202) 393-6360 BANK NEWS RELEASE NO. 77/99 MAY 5, 1977 $6.3 MILLION WORLD BANK LOAN FOR EDUCATION tN LIBERIA Liberia 1 s efforts to develop an education system geared to its needs will be assisted by a $6.3 million loan announced today by the \forld Bank. The loan wi 11 help finance a project that will provide assistance for industrial and vocational training, forestry training, manpower planning, educational architecture, and science and technology education at the second- ary school level. This project is the third in a series financed by the World Bank Group with the aim of improving the educational system in Liberia. Like many developing countries, one of the major constraints to economic development in Liberia is the shortage of trained manpower. As a result, the country is heavily dependent on foreign personnel, especially at the profes- sional and managerial levels. The policy of the Government is to increase the number of trained workers and reduce this dependence t~rough an expansion • and improvement in the quality of education in Liberia. This policy calls, among other things, for a diversification of primary and secondary-level r~urricula to make it more relevant to the needs of the country, by placing more emphasis on science, technical and practical subjects. It also provides for the expansion and improvement of vocational training and higher education. The World Bank Group supports these objectives. The new project comple- ments the two other on-going Bank-financed education projects aimed at improv- ing secondary education and educational planning and management. Together, they wi 11 assist the Government in correcting the traditional geographical imbalance in the distribution of school facilities in the country. The total cost of the new project is estimated at $9.5 mill ion. The $6.3 mil lion World Bank loan will pay all the foreign expenditures component. The balance wi 11 be financed by the Government of Liberia. The loan wi 11 be for a term of 20 years, including 4-1/2 years of grace, with interest at 8.2% per annum. Note: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents . • FORM NO. 1121 {5-76) T ECHN I CA L DAT A PROJECT: COUNTRY: TOTAL COST: Third Education Liberia $9. 5 mi 11 ion • BANK FINANCING: $6. 3 mi l l ion OTHER FINANCING: The Government of Liberia IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: rhe Project Implementation Unit The Ministry of Education Monrovia, Liberia PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project wi 11 comprise: (a) Strengthening the Industrial Training System by financing construction, furniture and equipment for an Agricultural and Industrial Training Board (AITB) and a Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Monrovia. (b) Strengther.ing Forestry Training by constructing, furnishing and equipping a Forestry Training Institute at Bomi Hills for forest rangers and forest workers. (c) lmprovin~ Secondary Education by constructing, furnishing and • equipping four Science and Technoloqy Centers (STC) at rural secondary schools in four counties and providing vehicles for transport of children from outlying schools to two of the Centers (Sanniquellie and Buchanan). (d) Strengthening Educational Architecture by providing office equipment, vehicles for field work, 2 man-years of technical assis- tance and 7 man-years of fellowships to strengthen a newly established Division of Educa- tional Faciliti~s in the Ministry of Education. PROCUREMENT: Civil works for the Vocational Training Center, the Agricul- tural and Industrial Training Board, the Forestry Training Institute, and the Science and Technology Centers valued at $3.8 million, furniture valued at $0.3 million, and equipment valued at $1.4 million will be procured on the basis of international competitive bidding in accordance with the Bank's Guidelines for Procurement. Furniture, equipment, vehicles and other items which cannot be grouped in ~ackages of at least $50,000 equivalent each, or which are not suitable for international competitive bidding, will be procured either on the basis of quotations or through local competitive bidding in accordance with procedures acceptable to the Bank. The aggregate value of such items is estimated at about $0.2 million. Local manufacturers of furniture and equipment will be allowed a preferential margin of 15 percent of the c.i.f. price of competing imports, or the total applicable customs duties and import taxes, whichever is lower. CONSULTANTS: The project includes 30 man-years of technical assistance which will be for such services as industrial and vocational training, manpower rlannina, forestry training, and science and technology teaching . ECONOi1 IC RATE OF RETURN: n. c1. ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1980 •