Announcement of IDA Assists Fourth Education Project in Malawi on March 30, 1981

, FOR - IMMEDIATE RELEASE. • world Bank 1818 H Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 81/65 March - ')" \ ' 1981 IDA ASSISTS FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT IN MALAWI The International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's affiliate for concessionary lending, today announced the approval of a credit of SOR 32.2 million ($41 mill ion) to Malawi to assist in improving secondary education in the country. This is the fourth education project assisted by IDA in Malawi. Under the project, the total cost of which is $51 .3 million, five new second- ary schools will be built and equipped and six existing ones expanded. The train- ing of secondary school teachers will be expanded by augmenting the teaching and boarding facilities of Chancellor College at Zomba. The Government of Malawi will also be assisted in carrying out preinvestment studies and technical assistance will be provided for the preparation of a national education plan. At present only 25% of Malawi's population is literate and only 4% of the school-age children attend secondary education full time, one of the lowest figures in Africa. The government's public investment program for fiscal year 1982-86 • assigns high priority to education. This project is expected to improve access to secondary education by providing for an increase of about 1,000 secondary school graduates a year. About 47% of the secondary school places will be provided for girls. The secondary school teacher training improvements will also increase the supply of science graduates. The gov- ernment's capacity to make more effective use of educational expenditures will be strengthened and its overall analysis, planning, management, and organization in education will be improved. To date, IDA has financed three earlier IDA credits, totaling $32.4 mi 11 ion. These have helped to expand and improve primary, secondary, technical, and adult non-formal education and have strengthened management of education and curriculum development. The IDA credit to Malawi for this project is for 50 years. It is interest-free but carries a 3/4 of 1% service charge a year to cover 1DA 1 s administrative costs. NOTE: IDA credits are denominated in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), which are valued on the basis of a "basket'' of currencies. The U.S. dollar equiv- alent of the SDR amount of the IDA credit reflects the exchange rates exist- ing at the time of negotiation of the credit . • FORM NO. 1121 (5-76) T ECH N I C A L DAT A PROJECT: COUNTRY: TOTAL COST: Fourth Education Malawi $51 . 3 mi 11 ion • IDA FINANCING: SOR 32.2 mill ion ($41 million), standard !DA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government of Malawi, $10.3 million IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Project Implementation Unit (PIU) Ministry of Education Private Bag 315 Chichiri-Blantyre 3, Malawi PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will finance: (a) construction, furnishing, and equipping of five new secondary schools and the, expansion of six existing ones; (b) construction, furnishing, and equipping of additional boarding and teaching facilities for Chancellor College at Zomba; and (c) preinvestment studies and technical assistance for the preparation of a national education plan. PROCUREMENT: Contracts for civil works, furniture, and equipment will be awarded on the basis of i nte rnat i ona 1 competitive bidding • (ICB) in accordance with World Bank/lDA guidelines, except for construction contracts costing less than $300,000 each and furniture and equipment contracts costing less than $100,000 each. Such contracts (totaling $1 million) wi 11 be awarded following competi- tive bidding advertised locally and in accordance with procedures acceptable to IDA. Ar- chitectural sketct· designs and school layo~c proposals, draft tender documents, and master lists of furniture and equipment have been reviewed by IDA and items have been grouped to encourage competitive bidding_and permit bulk procurement. Domestic manufacturers of furniture and equipment wi 11 be aJ lowed a margin of preference of 15% or the existing applicable rate of import duty, whichever is lower, over the c.i.f. price of competing foreign suppliers, and qualified domestic civil works contractors will be allowed a pre- ferential margin of 7.5% of the bid prices of competitive foreign contractors. CONSULTANTS: Approximately 35 man-years of consulting services are included in the project: 24 man-years of architectural/engineering and 11 man-yeari of construction supervision services. About one year of technical assistance and other services to help prepare the national education plan will be needed. Other ex- ternal assista~ce in preparing the plan is being funded by the United Nations Development Programme. Designs already prepared by PIU as part of a national standardization of designs for secondary school facilities wi 11 be used for all the schools. The government wi 11 employ architectural, engineering, or planning consultants whose qualifications, ex- perience, and terms of employment wi 11 be satisfactory to IDA. • ECONOMIC RATE OF RETURN: n.a. ESTIMATED COMPLETl~N DATE: 1985 -o-