Announcement of Five Million Dollars IDA Credit Supports Rural Education Project in Honduras on March 16, 1978

··Fo_~ IMME_Dl~TE RELEA$E • \i AOrlrl \J -1 IU R, lJ an'/ I"-. 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. • Telephone: (202) 393-6360 I DA NE\.JS RELEASE NO. 78/47 MARCH 16 1 1978 $5 MILLIOM !D.L\ CRE!JIT SUPPORTS RURAL EDUCATION PROJECT IN HONDURAS The International Development Association (IDA) approved a $5 mil lion credit to help finance a project to improve the quality and efficiency of rural primary education in Honduras. IDA is the World Bank's affiliate which provides concessionary-term loans to the poorest of the developing countries. About 35,000 children, 10,000 overage students and 15,000 out-of-school youths and adults wi l 1 attend rural schools in 1982 under the project. This is the second educa~ion project supported by the World Bank in Hon~ur~s and it will have an estimated total cost of $7.6 mil lion • • The project seeks to i~prove rural primary education by providing adequate facilities for 558 rural schools; revising the curriculum and syllabi; training about l ,000 primary teachers, school di rectors and supervisors; and improving the distribution of textbooks and other materials. It will also provide facilities and assistance for one agricultural and one forestry school, as wel 1 as fellowships for veterinary training. The project is expected to assist the Government of Honduras to correct the imbalances in basic education and training opportunities between rural and urban areas and to train critical middle and higher level agricultural manpov,1er necessary for implementation of its rural development programs. In December 1973 a combined World Bank $3 mil lion loan and IDA $3 million cndi~.: w,::.s ·1'~;::-,r,Jv~d to :SU:Jr::crt the ii rst educa;~isn µr-::ij-e:ct in :fon:Juras~ The $5 million credit to the Republic of Honduras will have the standard IDA term of 50 years, including 10 years of grace. It will bear no interest but an annual servic~ fee of 0.75% to cover administrative expenses • • NOTE: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents. FORM NO. 1121 (5-76) T ECHN I CAL D A T A PROJECT: COUNTRY: Second Education Reoublic of Honduras • TOTAL COST: $7. 6 mi l 1 ion IDA FINANCING: $5 mi l 1 ion, stand a rd I DA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government of Honduras, $2.6 million IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Secretar(a TEf'cnica del Consejo Superior de Planificacidn Econ6mica (CONSUPLANE) Tegucigalpa, D.C. Honduras PROJECT DESCRiPTION: The project comprises: (a) the construction, furnishing, and/ or equipping of 40 rural primary education nuclei, one post se- C~)ndary agricultural school, and one post secondary forestry school; (b) in-service train- ins of about l ,000 primary teachers, school di rectors and supervisors assigned to the proj- ect schools and upgrading of all teaching staff of the existing primary teacher training schools; (c) revision of curricula and syllabi for rural primary education and accelerated programs for overage primary students; (d) improvement of the distribution of textbooks and other 1earning materials to rural primary schools; (e) school mapping of the entire country; (f) continuous evaluation of the rural primary education component; (g) professional train- ing abroad of 20 veterinarians; and (h) technical assistance. PROCUREMENT: Contracts for rural school construction vary from about $3,000~ for a one classroom school to about $80,000 for a complete nucleus. The School Construction Directorate wi 11 carry out the civil works program on a labor contract basis, with essential building materials supplied by the Government and by contribution of local communities, and with lump sum contracts being signed whenever pos- sible. Most of the building materials (which total $2.9 mil lion without contingencies) will be procured, in bulk whenever possible (cement, steel, asbestos, etc.), in accordance with 1oca1 procedures. Construction contracts for extensions to the National Schools of Agriculture and Forestry wi 11 be awarded on the basis of international competitive bidding advertised locally in accordance with local procedures. Contracts for furniture and equip- ment for the project institutions wi 11 be awarded on the basis of international competitive bidding in accordance with IDA guidelines. Furniture and equipment which cannot be grouped into packages for bulk procurement of at least $50,000, not exceeding in the aggregate $190,000, will be procured in accordance with local procedures. A preferential margin for domestic manufacturers wil 1 be limited to 15% of c. i.f. base costs of imports or 50% of the applicable import duties, whichever is less. CONSULTANTS: The project will finance the equivalent of 34 man/months of specialist services and 48 man/months of fellowships in support of the rural primary education component. It wi 11 also finance the equivalent of 26 man/ months of specialist services and 48 man/months of fellowships in support of the agricul- tural education componentn • ECONOMIC RATE OF RETURN: Not quantifiable ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1981 - 0 -