Jordan - Fourth Education Project

Document of 7 < OPY The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 3564-Jo STAFF APPRAISAL REPORT FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN November 17, 1981 Education and Manpower Development Division Europe, Middle East and North Africa Region This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS US$1.00 = Jordanian Dinar (JD) 0.300 JD 1.000 = US$3.33 MEASURES 1 m 2 = 10.764 sq. ft. 1 km = 0.38 sq. mile 1 hectare = 2.47 acres FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT STAFF APPRAISAL REPORT Table of Contents Page No. GLOSSARY BASIC DATA I. THE EDUCATION SECTOR .............................. 1 Socio-Economic Background . . Sector Background . ................................ I Objectives and Strategies . . 2 Educational Issues..... 3 Educational Finance .................... . 7 Bank Strategy and Lending for Education . . 8 II. THE PROJECT ..................... ... .... ........ 9 Introduction ............. *........ * ................. ........,9 Objectives and Scope. 9 Tafilah Polytechnic ....... .. . ....... .... 10 Technical Teacher Training Department of the Marka Polytechnic . ................ ...... 12 Community Colleges (CCs). . 13 General Vocational Secondary Schools (GVSSs) 14 Trade Training Center (TTC) . . .16 Nursing/Paramedical Integrated Training Institute (NPITI) . . .17 Technical Assistance (TA) . . .18 III. PROJECT COST, FINANCING, IMPLEMENTATION AND DISBURSEMENTS ................... - 20- Cost of the Project ................................ 20 Project Financing . ................. ............... 22 Recurrent Expenditure .............................. 23 Implementation ..................................... 23 Accounts and Audit. .24 Disbursements ..24 IV. BENEFITS, RISKS AND CRITICAL ACTIVITIES . .25 Benefits and Risks .25 Critical Activities and Key Implementation Dates 26 V. AGREEMENTS REACHED AND RECOMMENDATION .27 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performanco their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  Table of Contents (Continued) ANNEXES 1. CHARTS, TABLES AND SCHEDULES Charts 1: Structure of the Educational System, 1979 2: Education Pyramid, 1977/78 Tables 1: Comparative Education Indicators 2: Unit Capital Costs and Areas Per Student--Project Institutions 3: Contingency Allowances Schedules 1: Implementation Schedules 2: Technical Assistance 3: Estimated Schedule of Disbursements 2. RELATED DOCUMENTS AND DATA AVAILABLE IN PROJECT FILE A. Reports and Studies Relating to Education B. Reports and Studies Relating to the Project C. Selected Working Papers of the Project MAP: Location of Project Institutions  GLOSSARY CC: Community college CSS: Comprehensive secondary sichool GVSS: General vocational secondary school ICB: International competitive bidding MOE: Ministry of Education MOH: Ministry of Health NPC: National Planning Council NPITI: Nursing/paramedical integrated training institute PIU: Project Implementation Unit TA: Technical assistance TTC: Trade training center TTI: Teacher training institute VTC: Vocational Training Corporation   HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN Basic Data Population (1979) Total population 2.2 million Rate of growth (1961-79) 3.8% Urban population 56% Per capita GNP (1980) US$1,390 Education (1978/79) /1 Enrollment as Girls as % of Relevant % of Level and Age Group Grade Age Group /2 Enrollment Elementary (6-11) 1-6 97 47 Preparatory (12-14) 7-9 76 45 Secondary (15-17) 10-12 44 42 Higher education (18-23) 13-16 + 14 43 Literacy rate (over 12 years of age) 70 Expenditure on Education /3 As a percentage of total central government expenditure (1979) - 7.2% As a percentage of GNP (1979) - 4.3% /1 See Annex 1, Table 1 for comparative education indicators. /2 Gross enrollments, including overaged students. 7h Ministry of Education only.   I. THE EDUCATION SECTOR Socio-Economic Background 1.01 The macro-economic targets of Jordan's 1976-80 Plan provided for an average annual growth of GDP of 12% (agriculture, 7%, and mining and manufacturing, 26%). The Plan allocations revealed a marked shift in investment priorities towards industry and other commodity-producing sectors, particularly export-oriented activities. To achieve the growth target, about 20% of investment funds were allocated to agriculture, irrigation and water management, and nearly 45% to manufacturing, electricity and transportation. Since 1975, Jordan has succeeded in achieving much of this target, with a high rate of overall growth of 9% in real terms and an 18% growth in mining and manufacturing. The major industries employing modern production techniques, and which are given high priority, include oil refining and phosphate, potash, fertilizer and cement manufacturing. 1.02 In the absence of a favorable endowment of natural resources in Jordan, a healthy, well-trained labor force is considered to be the coun- try's most important asset. Labor force participation was estimated in 1975 to be 20% (4.1% female). The sectoral employment structure has significantly changed since 1970. The agricultural sector accounted for 33% of the total employment in 1970 but decreased to 22% in 1979. DuLring the same period, the industrial sector increased its share from 3.8% to 13%. The number of Jordanians emigrating, mostly to the Persian Gulf countries, increased from about 12,000-per year during 1972-75 to about 20,000 in 1977 although the Government has estimated a decrease to 10,000 for 1980 and to only 8,000 per year for 1981-85. The total number of Jordanian workers abroad is estimated to be 300,000 compared with 65,000 foreign workers in Jordan. Because of strong demands for Jordanian workers at home and abroad, only 2% of the labor force is now unemployed (14% in 1970), and this tight employment situation is expected to continue. Despite the development constraints arising from labor emigration, the Government is pursuing an open emigration policy which it considers to be economically beneficial as: (a) increasing workers' remittances are an important source of foreign exchange revenues (from US$23 million in 1974 to US$520 million in 1979); and (b) experiences gained abroad contribute to economic development at home. At the same time, priority is being given to rapid expansion of vocational/technical education and training and to encouraging increased participation, especially by females, in the labor force to meet the resulting gap in the availability of skilled workers. Sector Background 1.03 The Government has made, through its successive development plans, a serious effort to develop and modernize society and a strong commitment to human resource development. Progress in the overall development of the education system has been remarkable. There is a conitinuous effort to restructure and reorient education and training to meet manpower needs through increasing vocational/technical education. Between 1974/75,and  - 2 - 1979/80, enrollments increased by 21% at the primary level, 58% at the preparatory level and 111% at the secondary level. Enrollments in voca- tional education increased significantly (around 82% at the secondary level) during the same period. The 1978/79 gross enrollments at the pri- mary, preparatory and secondary levels represent 97%, 76% and 44% of the relevant age groups, respectively. There are no significant disparities in the distribution of education opportunities between the regions. Female enrollments as a percentage of the total enrollments vary from 47% at the primary level to 45% and 42% at the preparatory and secondary levels, among the highest in the Middle East. 1.04 The Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for formal educa- tion and training which includes primary, preparatory, general and tech- nical secondary, and post-secondary polytechnics and community colleges (CCs). The universities are autonomous and governed by their own boards which are responsible for establishing general policy guidelines and determining each year the number of students to be admitted to the different faculties. A number of other Ministries, in particular the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), an autonomous government agency affiliated with the Ministry of Labor, are active in training related to their special fields. The VTC is responsible for the in-plant apprentice program conducted with the cooperation of employers and for a skill upgrading program. Objectives and Strategies 1.05 As the Government has developed its planning infrastructure and refined periodically its development goals articulated in the Five-Year Development Plan, the education sector has responded by developing and refining its objectives. The major educational development objectives of the upcoming Plan (1981-85) are as follows: (a) Provision for all children of nine years of basic schooling, incorporating both the primary (grades 1-6) and preparatory (grades 7-9) levels. To achieve this objective, the Government is expected to have to rely heavily on rented facilities and unqualified teachers due to a shortage of resources to meet total requirements; (b) Implementation of the Government policy to improve relevancy of basic schooling through the provision of practical pre-vocational studies for all students to: (i) enable them to make more informed choices concerning secondary and post-secondary education and training; (ii) acquaint them with some of the skills required in future employment; and (iii) help them to develop sound atti- tudes towards work-life situations. Teachers required for pre- vocational education will be trained under the third education project (Loan 1781-JO); (c) Continuous expansion of secondary and post-secondary vocational/ technical education to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers  - 3 - and technicians through: (i) conversion of general secondary schools and two existing teacher training institutes (TTIs) into comprehensive secondary schools (CSSs) and CCs, respectively; and (ii) establishment of 23 general vocational secondary schools (GVSSs) and three more polytechnics including one in the South to complement the two polytechnics established under the first and second education projects (Credits 285-JO and 534-JO) in the Central and Northern regions. The Government's target is to enroll about 30% of secondary students in vocational streams by 1985. This target is ambitious since the present enrollment ratio in vocational/technical courses at the secondary level is only around 12%; (d) Expansion of the vocational subject teacher training program through the establishment of a Department of Technical Teacher Training at Marka Polytechnic; (e) Expansion of Yarmouk University from its current enrollment of about 6,000 to 20,000 by 1985 with special emphasis on science, agriculture, engineering and medical education, in order to reduce the large number of Jordanian youths going abroad to study (currently an estimated 50,000); (f) Expansion of the trade training centers (TTCs) for upgrading the skill levels of the labor force in public and private enter- prises. These in-plant apprenticeship and upgrading programs are organized and supervised by the VTC which was established under the first education project; and (g) Addressing more effectively the education and training needs of the estimated 30% of the population over 12 years of age clas- sified as illiterate adults. Enrollment in literacy classes has steadily increased: from 3,200 in 1969/70 to 11,000 in 1979/80. In most years, women account for between two-thirds and three- quarters of the total enrollment. In the proposed functional literacy classes, literacy will be combined with skill activities which can help to provide gainful employment. Educational Issues 1.06 Although the Government has achieved, with significant success, its goal of increasing educational opportunities and quality and correcting earlier neglect of vocational/technical education, further steps must be taken to address the principal issues related to: (a) vocational/technical and health manpower needs; (b) teacher supply and qualifications; (c) literacy and continuing education; and (d) quality and maintenance of school facilities.  -4- 1.07 Vocational/Technical and Health Manpower Needs. An estimate of manpower needs and institutional supply for broad occupational groups has been made by a Bank mission and is summarized below. The figures should be viewed as orders of magnitude only, as the present indeterminate quality of data on the domestic labor force, employment by occupation and sector, and trends for labor outflow makes projections of manpower requirements difficult. The quality of manpower data and projections is expected to be improved in the future following the establishment of the proposed Manpower Planning Department in the National Planning Council (NPC). Projected Annual 1986 Output Demand Of Which Expected (Including All Three 1986 Attrition & 1978 Institu- Bank Group Proposed Shortfall Migration) Output tions Projects Project (or Surplus+) --------