Liberia - First Education Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 3345 PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) February 25, 1981 Operations Evaluation Department 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. GLOSSARY BWI - Booker T. Washington Institute COAF - College of Agriculture and Forestry DEF - Department of Educational Facilities FAO - Food and Agricultural Organization KRTTI - Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute MLHS - Multilateral High Schools MOA - Ministry of Agriculture MOE - Ministry of Education MPD - Manpower Planning Division, Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs PIU - Project Implementation Unit ZRTTI - Zorzor Rural Teacher Training Institute FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Glossary Preface ............................................... ....i..... Project Performance Audit Basic Data Sheet ......................... ii Highlights ............................................. ....v......v PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT MEMORANDUM I. PROJECT SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES ....................1...... II. MAIN ISSUES .............................................. 3 Procurement of Civil Works ............................. 3 Implementation Time Overrun ............................ 4 Project Management .............................5......5 Supervision by IDA ..................................... 5 Instructional Equipment and Furniture .................. 6 Technical Assistance .................................. 6 Costs and Disbursements ............................... 8 Covenants .8.................... .................... 8 III. EDUCATIONAL IMPACT . 9...................................9 IV. CONCLUSIONS -.................................. ....... 10 PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT 11 APPROACH ...................................... .. ..... 12 I. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................. 13 II. PROJECT BACKGROUND .......................... ........... 15 Sectoral Setting ....................................... 15 Project Identification ................................. 16 Changes in the Proposed Project ........................ 16 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND CREDIT AGREEMENT .............. -. 16 Project Description ................................ .... 16 The Credit Agreement ...................... ........... 17 IV. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION ......................... ........ 18 Project Management ..................................... 18 Project Implementation Unit (PIU) .................... 18 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. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Page No. V. PHYSICAL IMPLEMENTATION ........................... ...... 19 Civil Works ................................... ....... 19 Architectural Consultants ........................... 20 Equipment and Furniture ..................... ...... 21 Quality and Functional Suitability of Facilities ....... 22 VI. IMPLEMENTATION OF SOFTWARE INPUTS .......................... 22 Technical Assistance .................................. 22 Fellowships ............................................ 23 VII. COMPLIANCE WITH CREDIT AGREEMENT COVENANTS ............... 24 Salaries of Teachers ............ ................... ....24 Project Evaluation ..-................................ 24 Utilization of Facilities ........................... 25 Curriculum for Multilateral High Schools ............... 26 VIII. PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCE ............................. 26 IX. PROJECT OUTCOMES ................................... .. 28 Present Expectations Compared with those at Appraisal... 28 Multilateral High Schools ....................... .29 College of Agriculture and Forestry .................... 31 Extension of the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute 32 Secondary Science Teacher Training .................... 32 Technical Teacher Training ...... ....................... 32 Critique of Expectations ............................. 34 Retrospective Assessment ............................. 34 X. IDA'S PERFORMANCE ........................................ 35 Supervision ........................... ............ 35 How IDA Might Have Been More Helpful ................... 36 XI. THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN THE PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT.... 37 XII. MAIN LESSONS LEARNED -.................... ......... 37 Annexes: 1. Compliance with Credit Agreement Covenants 2. Implementation Schedule 3. Comparison of Originally Estimated and Actually Provided Gross Construction Areas 4. Comparison of Originally Estimated and Actual Unit Areas and Unit Costs for New Institutions 5. Comparison of Originally Estimated Costs and Actual Costs 6. Technical Assistance - Comparison of Estimated and Actual Schedule and Costs 7. Disbursement Schedule 8. Enrollments - Project Institutions 9. Utilization of New Accommodations 10. Recurrent Unit Costs of Major Project Institutions - i - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) PREFACE This report presents the performance audit of the First Education Project in Liberia for which a Credit of US$7.2 million was approved on March 28, 1972. The Credit was fully disbursed on December 31, 1979. The audit report comprises: (a) a Project Performance Audit Memoran- dum (PPAM) prepared by the Operations Evaluation Department (OED) and (b) a Project Completion Report (PCR) dated April 11, 1980, prepared by the West Africa Regional Office. The project completion report incorporates the findings of a mission that visited Liberia in December 1979, materials and views contributed by the Borrower's Project Implementation Unit and related ministries and agencies, particularly the Ministry of Education and the University of Liberia. The PPAM did not involve a field visit. However, in March 1979, an OED mission visited Liberia in connection with a review of monitoring and evaluation components in six education projects in four African countries - including the First Education Project in Liberia. This mission held discus- sions with officials of the Ministry of Education and a Report has been prepared and distributed.!/ The PPAM draws upon some of the findings of that mission and is based on a study of the PCR, the Appraisal Report (No. PE-39a dated March 9, 1972), the Credit Agreement (No. 305-LBR dated May 17, 1972), the credit application documents, material in the Association's files relating to the project and minutes of the Board discussions (dated March 28, 1972) on the project. This was complemented by discussions with the Associa- tion's operational staff responsible for the preparation of the PCR as well as other staff previously involved in the project. As is customary in the preparation of performance audit reports, the draft report was sent to the representatives of the Borrower on November 13, 1980 for their comment. No reply has been received from the Borrower. The PPAM, while confirming the findings and conclusions of the PCR, examines more critically certain aspects of project implementation and supervision and introduces additional observations. 1/ Report No. 2724, "Built-in Project Monitoring and Evaluation: A Second Review", dated November 5, 1979. - ii - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT BASIC DATA SHEET LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) KEY PROJECT DATA Appraisal Actual or Estimate Current Estimate Total Project Cost (US$ million) 9.6 10.2 Overrun (%) 6/a Credit Amount (US$ million) 7.2 7.2 Disbursed ) 7.2 Cancelled ) nil Repaid ) nil Outstanding ) 7.2 Date Physical Components Completed 03/31/76/b 12/7 (46 months) (91 months) Proportion Completed by Above Date (%) 35 99 Proportion of Time Overrun (Z) 98 Institutional Performance Good CUMULATIVE ESTIMATED AND ACTUAL DISBURSEMENTS (US$ million) FY72 FY73 FY74 FY75 FY76 FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 (i) Estimated - 0.28 1.91 5.79 6.81 7.14 7.20 7.20 7.20 (ii) Actual - - - 1.00 2.59 3.97 5.56 7.00 7.20 (ii) as % of (i) - - - 17 38 56 77 97 100 OTHER PROJECT DATA Original Actual or Plan Revisions Estimated Actual First Mention in Files 04/09/69 Government application 03/09/71 Negotiations 01/26-31/72 Board Approval 03/28/72 Date of Credit Agreement 05/17/72 Credit Effectiveness 09/18/72 10/18/72 11/30/72 Closing Date 03/01/78 12/31/79 Borrower The Republic of Liberia Executing Agency Ministry of Education Fiscal Year of Borrower July 1 - June 30 Follow-on Project Name Second Education Proj. Third Education Proj. Loan Number 1266T-LBR 1417-LBR Amount (US$ million) 4.0 6.3 Loan Agreement Date June 7, 1976 May 6, 1977 /a Project scaled down slightly (PPAM, paras. 11, 25). /b Including guarantee period of twelve months. /c Defects and some external works were not finished by this date. - iii - MISSION DATA No. of No. of No. of Date of Mission Sent by Month/Year Weeks Persons Man-weeks Report Reconnaissance I IDA 07/69 2.0 1 2.0 08/11/69 Reconnaissance UNESCO/ in-Depth IDA/FAO 08/70 2.4 4 9.6 10/--/70 Reconnaissance II IDA 12/70 2.0 1 2.0 01/13/71 Preparation UNESCO 01-02/71 5.0 5 25.0 02/--/71 Appraisal IDA 04-05/71 4.0 5 20.0 03/09/72 Total 58.6 Supervision I IDA/a 08/72 1.0 1 (AE) 1.0 09/06/72 Supervision II IDA 07/73 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 07/16/73 Supervision III IDA 11/73 1.4 1 (A) 1.4 12/28/73 Supervision IV IDA 04/74 3.0 4 (A;AE;2 Cons)8.0 05/10/74 Supervision V IDA 08/74 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 09/05/74 Supervision VI IDA/UNESCOLb 09-10/74 1.4 3 (AE; 2 GE) 1.4 09/30/74 Supervision VII IDA 11/74 1.0 2 (A; GE) 2.0 12/02/74 Supervision VIII IDA 01/75 0.6 1 (EC) 0.6 02/14/75 Supervision IX IDA 01/75 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 02/12/75 Supervision X IDA 04/75 1.2 4 (2A; AE; EC) 3.6 05/28/75 Supervision XI IDA 07/75 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 02/06/76 Supervision XII IDA 09/75 1.0 2 (2A) 2.0 09/16/75 Supervision XIII IDA 09/75 2.0 1 (A) 2.0 10/03/75 Supervision XIV IDA 04-05/76 1.0 1 (AE) 1.0 05/11/76 Supervision XV IDA 05/76 1.0 4 (A; GE) 1.4 07/26/76 Supervision XVI IDA 11/76 1.0 1 (AE) 1.0 11/26/76 Supervision XVII IDA 02/77 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 03/21/77 Supervision XVIII IDA/c 03-04/77 1.0 3 (AE; A) 1.4 04/14/77 Supervision XIX IDA 07/77 1.2 1 (A) 1.2 08/26/77 Supervision XX IDA 07/77 1.0 1 (A) 1.0 09/21/77 Supervision XXI IDA 02/78 2.0 2 (A; EC) 3.8 03/06/78 Supervision XXII IDA 03/78 2.0 2 (A; EC) 3.6 05/02/78 Supervision XXIII IDA 08/78 0.2 1 (A) 0.2 08/16/78 Supervision XXIV IDA 10/78 1.0 2 (A; EC) 2.0 12/04/78 Supervision XXV IDA 01/79 1.4 1 (A) 1.4 04/12/79 Supervision XXVI IDA 08-09/79 1.0 3 (EC; A; TE) 3.0 09/24/79 Total 48.0 Completion IDA 12/79 2.8 3 (EC; A; TE) 7.0 04/11/80 Note: A = Architect AE = Agricultural Educator EC = Economist GE = General Educator TE = Technical Educator /a Supervision shared between RMWA and Headquarters (see PPAM, para. 16). /b After this date Bank/IDA missions visited in connection with the Second Education Project as well. The manweeks given here are an estimate of time devoted to the First Project. /c After this date missions included oversight of the Third Education Project. - iv - CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES Name of Currency (Abbreviation) Liberian Dollar (Liberian $) Exchange Rates: Appraisal Year (1972) US$1 = Liberian $1.00 Intervening Years Average (1973-80) US$1 = Liberian $1.00 Completion Year (1979) US$1 = Liberian $1.00 ALLOCATION OF CREDIT PROCEEDS Category Original Allocation Actual Disbursement US$ US$ I. Civil Works 3,000,000.00 4,011,676.35 II. Consultants' Services 300,000.00 613,380.48 III. Furniture 180,000.00 127,549.97 IV. Equipment and Books 570,000.00 569,448.05 V. Technical Assistance 1,725,500.00 1,877,945.15 VI. Unallocated 1,424,500.00 -- 7,200,000.00 7,200,000.00 Costs Per Student Place (US$) (See PCR Annexes 3-4) Project Institution Construction Furn. & Equip. Total Differ- App. Est. Actual App. Est. Actual App. Est. Actual ence Academic & Communual Facilities Zwedru MLHS 1,443 1,707 340 499 1,783 2,206 +23.7% Voinjama MLHS 1,539 1,797 340 499 1,879 2,296 +22.0% University (COAF) 2,630 4,260 1,469 1,364 4,099 5,624 +37.0% Students' Boarding Facilities Zwedru MLHS 941 1,375 100 100 1,041 1,475 +41.6% Voinjama MLHS 1,008 1,447 100 100 1,108 1,547 +39.6% University (COAF) 1,228 1,875 120 120 1,348 1,995 +48.0% Staff Housing (cost per unit) Zwedru MLHS 12,880 22,990 - - 12,880 22,990 +98.0% Voinjama MLHS 13,880 24,200 - - 13,800 24,200 +75.0% University (COAF) 10,880 21,704 - - 10,880 21,704 +99.0% Total Costs per Student Place (US$) (PCR, Annex 5) Appraisal Estimate Actual % Increase Secondary Schools 3,409 3,667 7.6 College of Agriculture 10,320 12,420 20.3 and Forestry - V - PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) HIGHLIGHTS An IDA Credit of US$7.2 million was made available in May 1972 to support the First Education Project which comprised: (a) constructing two new diversified secondary schools and a new building for the College of Agriculture and Forestry; (b) extending a primary teacher training institute including constructing a new demonstration school attached to it; (c) equip- ment to strengthen training for secondary school science teachers at the University of Liberia; (d) establishing an ad-hoc technical teacher training program and (e) 57 man-years of expert services for project implementation, curriculum development, educational and manpower planning, technical and secondary level teaching and seven man-years of fellowships for training Liberian staff in educational planning and school administration. The project has been well conceived, effectively managed and gener- ally successful in its chief objectives of expanding and improving the school system and institutional strengthening. Problems encountered during imple- mentation include: (a) delays attributable to the Borrower's unfamiliarity with IDA procedures (PPAM, paras. 9-12; PCR, para. 5.03); (b) delays in the appointment of the initial set of technical assistance staff recruited through UNESCO (PPAM, para. 13); (c) inadequate supervision during the initial period of implementation (PPAM, para. 16) and (d) slowness in establishing the tracer system for the project schools (PPAM, para. 25; PCR, paras. 7.03-7.04). Procurement problems in civil works were largely attributed to deficiencies in architectural designs and to the initially unsatisfactory qualification of bidders (PPAM, paras. 9-10). For reasons of economy the amount of instruc- tional equipment procured was less than what was needed and some of this was inappropriate (PPAM, para. 18, PCR, para. 5.07). The overall cost overrun of the project is 6%, which, considering the worldwide oil price increase and the 22-month delay in completion, was modest and reflects good cost control during implementation. The schools are fully enrolled and have introduced most of the expected programs; however, the upper cycle practical courses of the secondary schools have not been finalized and the success of the schools in its qualita- tive aspects cannot be evaluated at this early stage (PPAM, para. 26; PCR, para. 9.06, Annex 10). 31. This project has demonstrated in several respects the importance of learning from experience. Corrective measures for potentially serious prob- lems were taken during project implementation in regard to redesigning and retendering for civil works (PPAM, para. 10), recruiting technical assis- tance specialists (PPAM, para. 13) and coordinating architectural supervision by IDA (PPAM, para. 17). Efforts are being made to procure the additional instructional equipment needed (PPAM, para. 18). In addition, subsequent educational lending has attempted to reflect the lessons of this project in regard to the need for more advanced project preparation before loan/credit approval (PPAM, para. 12); managing technical assistance specialists (PPAM, para. 22) and better provision for fellowship needs (PPAM, para. 23). - vi - Other points of special interest are: (i) the generally efficient use of the part of the technical assistance component that was utilized and the success in institution build- ing in the areas of manpower planning and educational and university planning (PPAM, paras. 20-21); (ii) the development of a competent project implementation unit whose functions have begun to be integrated into the Ministry of Education and whose role has included implementing other education projects financed by the Bank and the African Development Bank (PPAM, para. 14; PCR, paras. 4.01, 4.03). PROJECT PERFORMANCE AUDIT MEMORANDUM LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 305-LBR) I. PROJECT SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES 1. Liberian Government interest in Bank Group financing for education was expressed during the visit of a Bank economic mission in November 1968. A Bank Group Reconnaissance Mission visited the country from July 10-19, 1969 and the Government of Liberia invited the Bank Group to consider education proposals in the fields of secondary education, post-secondary technical training and educational administration. These proposals were in conformity with the Government's Educational Sector Plan 1967-70. A UNESCO/Bank Group/ FAO Reconnaissance-in-Depth Mission visited Liberia from August 12-28, 1970 and a second project reconnaissance mission was sent by the Bank Group in December 1970 to agree on project content with the Government. This mission was followed by a UNESCO project preparation mission in January 1971. 2. The credit application of March 1971 sought financing to: (i) provide three new secondary schools, one new College of Agriculture and Forestry and one new Vocational Training Center and to expand one existing Primary Teacher Training Institute and one existing Technical Education Institute; (ii) construct and equip boarding places: 900 for secondary schools, 200 for the teacher training institute and 200 for the College of Agriculture and Forestry; (iii) construct 63 new staff houses; (iv) repair 37 existing staff houses; (v) equip the science teacher training college and the planning unit of the Ministry of Education, and (vi) provide 79 man-years of expert services and 55 man-years of fellow- ships to support secondary schools, the technical institute, voca- tional training, university planning and secondary science teacher training. The total cost was estimated to be US$9.58 million. Initially, the inclusion of the College of Agriculture and Forestry (COAF) was not considered possible within the size of the project envisaged by IDA. However, with strong repre- sentations from FAO, UNESCO and the Government in favor of its inclusion, IDA eventually made funds available to finance the College. - 2 - 3. At appraisal the content of the proposed project was scaled down because of financial constraints upon IDA and the Government. The proposed components deemed least likely to succeed were deleted (PCR, para. 2.04). Consequently (a) the number of secondary schools was reduced from three to two while their proposed curriculum was diversified to include industrial/ vocational and agriculture courses, (b) the proposed vocational training center was deleted because it appeared to duplicate the existing technical institute, and (c) the proposed amount of technical assistance and fellowships was considerably reduced and greater attention was paid to technical assis- tance support for planning and project implementation. 4. Thus, the project components finally agreed upon comprised the following: (1) constructing, furnishing and equipping: (a) two new diversified secondary schoolsa/ (Grades 7-12); (b) one College of Agriculture and Forestry. (2) extending and equipping the elementary teacher training institute and adding to it a new primary demonstration school; (3) equipping: (a) facilities for secondary science teacher training at a teachers' college; (b) a vocational training center and a secondary vocational school to implement a technical teacher training program. 5. Technical assistance (57 man-years of expert services and seven man- years of fellowships) in the fields of project management, manpower, educa- tional and university planning, technical teacher training and secondary school administration. The project was expected to provide for additional enrollment, boarding places and staff houses as follows: Additional Boarding Staff Institution Enrollment Places Houses Secondary Schools 1,200 300 20 College of Agriculture and Forestry 200 200 30 Primary Teacher Training 175 160 14 Demonstration School 240 -- 2 Total 1,815 660 66 1/ These schools are known as multilateral high schools. They offer (in this case at the upper cycle - grades 10-12 - only) separate three- year programs or streams (academic, industrial/vocational or agri- cultural) so that a student may pursue the stream of his/her choice. * 3 * 6. The purpose of the project was to improve and expand the educational system by providing for the establishment and/or extension of new and existing educational institutions in order to enable the country to meet some of its more urgent needs for trained manpower. The schools were principally located away from the capital city; in the case of the secondary schools this was in order to improve the geographical distribution of opportunity. A major effort was to be directed toward (a) improving curricula and teaching methods at the secondary level and in primary teacher training, (b) improving university, educational and manpower planning and secondary school administration and (c) building project management expertise. 7. According to the special covenants in the Credit Agreement, the Borrower agreed to establish a Project Implemention Unit, organize a technical teacher training program for 18 instructors in each of two batches; formulate and put into effect new curricula for the diversified secondary schools; and periodically review, in consultation with IDA, the salary structure for the Ministry of Education and implement a revised salary structure for the College of Agriculture and Forestry and the project secondary schools. The Borrower also agreed not to operate any other secondary schools in Voinjama and Zwedru - the towns in which the project secondary schools were located - once the project schools had begun to operate. The Borrower undertook to initiate revision of curricula of COAF; seek extension of a UNDP/FAO financed team which was then in Liberia to assist the College of Agriculture and Forestry; and establish a tracer system for all project institutions and other non- project schools by February 28, 1975. It was understood that UNDP would be providing some technical assistance to the project primary teacher training institute. 8. The agreed project has been implemented and the expected expansion and improvement have been largely achieved; the new schools and a manpower planning and a university planning unit have been established and are func- tioning. However, the curricula of the new multilateral schools have not yet been finalized because objectives have not been fully decided upon by the Borrower. The credit funds have been fully disbursed and the Credit Account closed as of December 31, 1979. II. MAIN ISSUES Procurement of Civil Works 9. The procurement of civil works was generally successful. Never- theless various problems were encountered. Initially, the procedures followed for selecting the architectural consulting firm were not in accord with the Association's guidelines with which the project implementation staff were not familiar. Thus the selection process had to be redone and architects were appointed some 18 months later than the appraisal schedule. All this time cannot be considered an avoidable delay since the appraisal schedule was unrealistic in assuming that only six months were needed. 10. In addition, there were problems with the first architectural designs which the Association considered unsatisfactory as regards suit- ability for the climate, engineering soundness and expected cost of construc- tion. These designs were revised and the retendering took place with smaller packages to encourage participation and competition among the small local contractors and with the elimination of some aspects of the civil works such as site development and reduction of some standards of finishes. These measures succeeded in keeping construction roughly within the envisaged cost estimates. 11. A third issue related to the appraisal provisions. For reasons which are not clear, space allocation for boarding in the College of Agri- culture and Forestry at appraisal was fixed at 85 square feet per student although the contemporary guidelines of IDA were at a somewhat generous level of 216 square feet (later revised to 140). The PIU objected during implemen- tation to the low allocation (PCR, para. 1.04) but IDA did not agree to modifications. In the event, the actual space provided was 93 square feet per student and this cramped situation has resulted in refusal of the college authorities to occupy the facilities. The Bank Group is now considering the inclusion of additional boarding for this institution under the proposed Fourth Education Project and in the meantime sanctioning a reduction in the number of students per room from four persons to three. Similarly, in terms of space standards and quality, the staff houses at the College proved un- satisfactory and the Government found it necessary to upgrade them at its own expense (PCR, para. 5.10). Implementation Time Overrun 12. The original implementation schedule for this project allowed some 5.5 years for completion - about 17 months longer than the average education project mainly because of the technical assistance component. The actual time overrun was approximately 22 months. However, on individual categories of the project the time overrun varied, from about 90% on procurement of physical plant to about 30% on technical assistance. The causes of delay are covered by the completion report (PCR, para. 5.03), such as late appointment of architectural consultants - a common problem in education projects where the time taken to select and appoint consultants has usually been underestimated in projects of this type - the redesigning of buildings and retendering of civil works and some shortages of building materials (PCR, paras. 5.03 and 10.01). On the whole, once the initial start-up delays had been overcome, the project implementation proceeded roughly on schedule. In the case of the Second and Third Projects, where preparation, particularly in regard to architectural work, was much more advanced by the time of Loan approval, the implementation progress has been better. 13. Recruitment of the initial set of technical assistance experts for project management was delayed by about six months. The Government had requested and obtained the consent of UNESCO to be its executing agency in February 1972; a contract was eventually signed seven months later. ILO was engaged to recruit the manpower planning specialists. As the procedure for recruitment involved the Borrower (at the level of both the PIU and the client unit), the Association and the executing agencies, delays developed in the recruitment of the initial set of specialists; after this, the recruitment schedule was, for the most part, followed as planned. The cumbersome procedure of clearing the UNESCO candidates sequentially, instead of simultaneously by both IDA and the Borrower, took a long time. Such delays might have been avoided if more preparation had been done before Credit approval and if the process of recruitment by UNESCO had been simplified - as was done for sub- sequent recruitment under this First Project as well as under the Second Education Project. This simplification involved the simultaneous review of proposed candidates by IDA and the Borrower. Project Management 14. The Borrower established a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) within the Ministry of Education (PCR, para. 4.01). Project implementation has been reasonably good, representing a noteworthy performance on the part of the PIU, given the size and complexity of the project. In terms of institution build- ing the establishment of the PIU, despite the persistence of some weaknesses, must be considered overall a success. The unit has been reinforced under the Second and Third Education Projects and it now manages these projects (PCR, para. 4.03) with no technical assistance and is also responsible for a project funded by the African Development Bank. One of its sections - the architec- tural - has been incorporated more fully into the structure of the Ministry of Education as the Department of Educational Facilities and is successfully dealing with all school construction and maintenance in the Ministry. Another of its sections - accounting - has been weak; the counterpart to the technical assistant expert left the PIU and was not replaced.l/ A fellowship was provided under the Second project to train an accountant. 15. The unit has been effective in winning the cooperation of other units in the Ministry. The PIU has also had a smooth working relationship with the University of Liberia and consequently all three project components for the university - the provision of the new buildings for the College, equipment for science teacher training and the university planning services - have been implemented successfully. Supervision by IDA 16. There were 26 supervision missions undertaken during the implementa- tion period (May 1972 to December 31, 1979) - an average of one mission about every 3.5 months; the missions ranged in duration from one hour at the airport to about four weeks. The balance among specialists in mission composition was reasonable. However, in the earlier implementation phase, the PIU needed more support than it received on learning IDA procedures and launching management arrangements. Supervision was stronger in the later phases of implementation when, in the view of the Borrower, greater assistance was given by IDA in finding solutions to problems as distinct from simply identifying deficiencies. 1/ This person subsequently returned to the PIU as Deputy Director, not as accountant. - 6 - 17. A critical supervision problem arose from an effort to share super- vision responsibilities between headquarters and RMWA. At first, the respon- sibility for approving preliminary building designs was assigned to RMWA; the approval of final designs to headquarters. In 1975 headquarters expressed reservations about the final designs (para. 10), which had been prepared on the basis of preliminary designs approved by RMWA. Better coordination was achieved after 1975 when all architectural supervision was made the responsi- bility of headquarters. (See also PCR, para. 10.03). Instructional Equipment and Furniture 18. Instructional equipment and furniture were procured with only minor problems. All of the project institutions, however, are underequipped in both quantity and range (PCR, para. 5.07). In order to remedy this problem a supplementary equipment list estimated to cost US$150,000 has been drawn up by the MOE for the two secondary schools and this awaits Government approval and financing. Despite the fact that during implementation the amount of equip- ment had been reduced in order to effect savings, the Association and the GOL agreed to the purchase of equipment for secondary school language laboratories although this equipment had not been included in the original project design; this aggravated the shortage of equipment for other disciplines. Some of the heavy equipment was damaged and some of it is not yet in use because of unsuitable wiring (PCR, para. 5.07). Some of the furniture had structural weaknesses (PCR, para. 5.08), particularly the tables and desks. Technical Assistance 19. Experts. The originally estimated 57 man-years of technical assis- tance expert services were reduced during implementation to 44 man-years largely in order to achieve economies. The principal reductions were (a) the educational planning pecialist from 36 to 24 months because the incumbent resigned prematurely I; (b) the procurement specialist from 48 months to 12 months for reasons that are unclear; (c) the deletion of the 72 man-months originally allocated for the administrators of the two secondary schools because qualified local staff became available; (d) the deletion of the labor market specialist and (e) the deletion of the 12 man-months for an economist (to assist the educational planning unit) whose services were supplied through bilateral sources. On the other hand, there were some significant increases in the terms of the education statistician (from 24 to 48 months) who assisted in filling the gap left by the education planner, the manpower statistician (from 18 to 30 months) and the project unit architect from 48 to 67 months in view of the extended construction period. These adjustments are not extra- ordinary in a large and diverse technical assistance program such as this; however, they do highlight the need for flexibility in implementation, as was demonstrated in this case, and some flexibility in design. 1/ Subsequently another expert - a technical/vocational planner - was recruited and served for 19 months. - 7 - 20. The technical assistance program produced some good results. A manpower planning unit has been established which is being reinforced under the Third Education Project. A manpower plan was prepared in 1978 and the unit has conducted several additional manpower studies and has become the secretariat for the National Council for Vocational and Technical Education and Training. The University planning task was successfully concluded; a long-range plan has been prepared, although updating and refining will con- tinue to be needed; a permanent university planning office now exists. A long-range education development plan was prepared which was useful in the discussions relating to the Second and Third Education Projects; the status of educational planning in the Ministry of Education has been raised from the Assistant Minister level to the Deputy Minister level and planning has been further assisted under the Second and Third Projects. The specialists assigned to the technical teacher training program were effectively utilized in train- ing 36 technical teachers as originally planned; however, nothing permanent for technical teacher training has evolved. Despite these achievements, major shortages of experienced Liberian planning staff still exist in all of these areas and longer term support will be needed. 21. Technical assistance support for the PIU was also useful. The audit is of the view that (a) four man-years of accounting services!Y and (,vcntu- ally) seven man-years of architectural services provided represented some degree of overprovision and (b) the difficulties regarding (i) procurement of civil works (para. 9) and (ii) payment of an equipment supplier before testing of the equipment (PCR, para. 5.07) could have been avoided in part by better support from the available experts in project management and architecture. Nonetheless these experts did function usefully and provided continuity at a critical stage of the first exposure of the PIU to project management. 22. In some respects the management of technical assistance staff presented some difficulties. The UNESCO specialists were administratively under a Unesco-appointed team leader in the field and distinctions between their responsibility to the project director and responsibility to the team leader (who was also the deputy project director) were not always clear. Unesco was also concerned that the work of these specialists should not be supervised by IDA staff (PCR, para. 10.04). In the case of one ILO expert, his insistence on reporting to ILO and not to the Government caused some tensions. This experience showed the importance of having the reporting requirements of technical assistance personnel (a) mentioned in their terms of reference and (b) include direct reporting to the unit which they have been employed to serve. These changes were adopted by Unesco for the Second Education Project technical assistance program. 23. Fellowships. Fellowships constituted a proportion of the overall technical assistance program that was surprisingly small in the light of the major institution-building effort supported by that overall program. Of the seven man-years provided, only five were utilized - mainly in educational 1/ The Regional Office has drawn attention to the fact that weaknesses still exist in the accounting section (see para. 13). - 8 - planning. These fellows have returned and most of them have served for some time in the field for which they were trained.!/ No fellowships were pro- vided for manpower planning; however, the Borrower was able to obtain fellow- ships from other sources and the Second Education Project also assisted in meeting this need. The main problem with the fellowship program was that the numbers of persons trained were simply insufficient and the Second and Third Projects include several man-years of fellowships to help to reinforce these early training efforts in these and related fields. Costs and Disbursements 24. The actual total project cost was six percent over the appraisal estimate (PCR, para. 8.01) which reflected a good performance in cost control in the circumstances. Civil works were seven percent above appraisal esti- mates, consultants- services 91 percent above - accounted for by the cost of redesigning and the longer than expected construction period; furniture and equipment, of which a reduced quantity was procured, four percent below and technical assistance and fellowships (which were also reduced in quantity) 15 percent below. The final total project cost was US$10,183,200 as compared to an appraisal estimate of US$9,585,000. Covenants 25. Some of the covenants reflected unrealistic expectations of the Borrower-s capacity to fulfill them, such as the requirements that the Borrower operate no other high schools in Voinjama or Zwedru after the project schools begin operation -- a covenant which was too pre-emptive of future planning and needs. The covenant dealing with the introduction of a revised salary structure for the Ministry of Education - in short, the entire teaching service - has not been fulfilled; the Borrower initiated instead (in a differ- ent and larger context) a review of the entire civil service pay scales and this has not been finalized. However, teachers at the COAF and project secondary schools have had salary adjustments in accordance with appraisal expectations. The covenant referring to the establishment of tracer system was fulfilled with respect to two project institutions only2 - the primary 1/ For example, one trained in educational statistics served for a few years in the educational statistics section and is working in a government statistical unit outside the education sector; another, trained in educa- tional research, is now in the Liberian National Commission for UNESCO after serving for some years in the educational research section; another fellow who, because the university found her background inappropriate for statistics, had been trained in sociology instead, worked in educational statistics and now serves elsewhere in MOE; another, trained as an econo- mist, is now in charge of educational research. 2/ At the time of the visit of the OED mission in March 1979 only one institution had been involved. The PCR reports (paras. 7.03-7.04) that the tracer study has also included the WVS Tubman High School, a Secondary Vocational School equipped under the project to assist in the technical teacher training program. - 9 - teacher training institute and a secondary vocational school - instead of all project institutions. On the whole, the tracer effort was late partly because the Borrower needed assistance in designing the study and the Bank provided this assistance only after 1975. The findings showed the low rate of enrollment of women and residents of certain counties in primary teacher training and the wide gap between the trainees' pay expectations and the actual pay scales of trained teachers. III. EDUCATIONAL IMPACT 26. The enrollment objectives of the project institrtions are being achieved and exceeded (PPAM, para. 5 and PCR, Annex 10).1 The educational programs have generally been established. It is difficult to make a reason- able assessment of impact of schools which have only recently begun to operate in their new plant designed for new courses and methods of instruction. The secondary science teacher training program at the University of Liberia has not been evaluated nor have the role and use of the new demonstration school at the primary teacher training institute. The UNDP/UNESCO program of tech- nical assistance to this institute terminated prematurely In 1975, owing to the UNDP financial crisis, and its impact is not known.2/ The College of Agriculture and Forestry, with its better facilities for practical work, has introduced the new curricula which were prepared with FAO assistance, but it would be premature to attempt to assess these programs. The diversified programs for the two secondary schools have been prepared and the difficulties facing their full introduction are discussed in the Completion Report (PCR, para. 9.06). What the project has succeeded in doing is providing the physi- cal basis and some of the software for improved teaching programs. Progress in exploiting these development opportunities will need to be evaluated at some later stage, perhaps five years from now. 27. The Second and Third Education Projects reinforce several of the initiatives of the First Project, reflecting essentially the soundness of the original concepts embodied in the First Project: the strengthening of the Ministry of Education administration, planning and curriculum develop- ment services, further assistance to the secondary teacher training college, 1/ At the College of Agriculture and Forestry enrollment was 315 - 58% in excess of the target. 2/ A brief evaluation was undertaken by the Ministry of Education in 1975 but the findings have not been forwarded to the Association. In Septem- ber 1976, a Unesco mission also visited Liberia to help the Government to review the institute; however, its report, if any, has not been reviewed by the audit. - 10 - and to another primary teacher training college, provision of facilities for science, technology and home economics in four more secondary schools, support for a vocational training center and a National Council for Vocational and Technical Education and Training, and continued development of the manpower planning unit. IV. CONCLUSIONS 28. Generally well conceived and successfully managed, the Liberia First Education Project has succeeded in expanding and improving the facilities for secondary education, higher agricultural education, the training of primary teachers and secondary science teachers, and in expanding the number of trained technical teachers. It did experience some problems of a slow implementation start-up (PPAM, paras. 12 and 13), designing school buildings (PPAM, para. 10), procuring and installing instructional equipment (para. 18) and recruiting technical assistance expeditiously (PPAM, para. 13). However, most of these problems were successfully resolved and the experience was of benefit to the design and implementation of the Second and Third Education Projects. 29. There was some underutilization of technical assistance and fellow- ships, largely because of the effort to achieve savings; however, good progress was achieved in institution building in manpower, university and educational planning. Continued support in manpower and educational planning has been needed and provided under subsequent projects (PPAM, paras. 20, 21, 27). The building up of project implementation capacity has been particularly successful although some weaknesses exist in accounting services (PPAM, paras. 14, 15; PCR, paras. 4.01-4.03). 30. The schools are fully enrolled and have introduced most of the expected programs; however, the upper cycle practical courses of the secondary schools have not been finalized and the success of the schools in its qualita- tive aspects cannot be evaluated at this early stage (PPAM, para. 26; PCR, para. 9.06, Annex 10). 31. This project has demonstrated in several respects the importance of learning from experience. Corrective measures for potentially serious prob- lems were taken during project implementation in regard to redesigning and retendering for civil works (PPAM, para. 10), recruiting technical assis- tance specialists (PPAM, para. 13) and coordinating architectural supervision by IDA (PPAM, para. 17). Efforts are being made to procure the additional instructional equipment needed (PPAM, para. 18). In addition, subsequent educational lending has attempted to reflect the lessons of this project in regard to the need for more advanced project preparation before loan/credit approval (PPAM, para. 12); managing technical assistance specialists (PPAM, para. 22) and better provision for fellowship needs (PPAM, para. 23). - 11 - LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT CREDIT 305-LBR COMPLETION REPORT April 11, 1980 Projects Department Western Africa Regional Office Education Division - 12 - APPROACH i. The aim of this report is to record and analyse experience gained by IDA and the Borrower as a result of cooperation in a First Education Project in Liberia (Cr. 305-LBR) and develop a constructive discussion on how the Bank Group could be more helpful. It does this by providing a statement on the strengths and weaknesses of the project. In light of the objectives specified at the time of appraisal, it assesses the present expectations for the educational outcomes with a view to drawing lessons relevant to improving education in Liberia through the Bank Group's continuing assistance. Terms of Reference ii. A completion mission visited Liberia in December 1979 to review project objectives at appraisal, project implementation, costs and financing, project outcomes, IDA's performance, and the Government's role in the Project Completion Report. Methodology iii. The mission conducted a desk study of correspondence files (12 volumes), supervision reports (31 supervision missions), official documents and miscellaneous items related to the project. An outline of the Project Completion Report with the main issues identified was distributed to persons participating in the review in Liberia and Unesco Headquarters. While in Liberia, the mission visited several of the project's educational institutions and held discussions with the administration, teaching staff and students of the two multilateral high schools. In two cases (Zwedru and Voinjama) the program was also discussed with members of the community. Discussions were held with several Government officials and the PIU participated fully, thus greatly facilitating the mission's work. One mission member visited Unesco Headquarters in Paris to meet with the former Project Director who subsequently submitted written comments which contributed significantly to this review. iv. Some of the project-assisted institutions have been too recently completed to have their true educational outcomes assessed. This applies mainly to the multilateral high schools, which opened in 1978 and whose full program covers six years of schooling, and to the new College of Agriculture and Forestry where the buildings were completed in July 1979. However, these institutions are in operation and are staffed and using new curricula as envisaged, thus the report attempts to provide a complete assessment of the project and highlights the experience gained. - 13 - I. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1.01 For the most part, the objectives set for the project proved to be realistic and were achieved. The most serious drawback was delay in implementation, resulting in the major new facilities being provided some two years later than planned and requiring an extension of the closing date by 21 months. This caused some difficulty in phasing the institution building (technical assistance) aspects of the project to cover the longer implementation period; but more importantly it compounded the effects of inflation, which was particularly high following the oil crisis of 1973. The scale of equipment was reduced, the quality of building finishes were lowered and some external works eliminated in an effort to stay within the budget. Under these circumstances the project did very well in providing all the major facilities planned and completing all the components with a relatively modest cost overrun of about US$0.60 million (about 6%). 1.02 This was the Borrower's first experience in cooperating with the Bank on an education project. Initial lack of understanding of conditions, procedures and guidelines contributed to delaying the implementation of the project, but ultimately a sound working relationship was developed between the Bank and the Borrower, with both contributing to the successful completion of the project. In the process this project did foster cooperation leading to second and third education projects, with a fourth one now proposed. 1.03 There were bureaucratic delays in the appointment of technical assistance staff (through Unesco) due to initial procedural misunderstandings and a lack of clarity on Government/Bank/Unesco interrelationships. While the initial appointment of key personnel for the PIU was delayed by about six months, it is possible that this contributed to as much as one and a half year's delay in the civil works because the Borrower had to retender contracts which had been processed by officials who were unfamiliar with the procurement process required by the Credit Agreement. This is highlighted to show the serious consequences of administrative delays which in this case could have been avoided if representatives of the Bank, the Government and Unesco had conferred earlier in the project and agreed to a practical set of procedures. 1.04 Space allocations have been the subject of discussion throughout the life of the project, with the Government raising objections to certain alloca- tions, in particular the student dormitories at the university, at the time of negotiations. The mission found that these dormitories as built are below the median space allocated for other Bank-financed university dormitories, and we support the decision to assign three students per room instead of four as- proposed in the plan. All other facilities as built fall within the median range of space allocated for such facilities according to the Bank's guidelines and are adequate for the planned enrollments. We note, however, that some of these facilities are being overtaxed by enrollments well above the planned figure, notably the multilateral high school in Voinjama built for 600 students and with a present enrollment of 1,003; the College of Agriculture and Forestry built for 200 students and with a present enrollment of 315; the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (KRTTI) built for 300 students and now with 317; and the demonstration school built for 240 students and now with 403. While it - 14 - is appreciated that the pressures to increase enrollments are great, it is nonetheless recommended that the Government make every effort to limit such enrollments so that the institutions can be operated as planned. 1.05 While examining the effectiveness of Credit Agreement covenants in furthering the success of the project, it was noted that nearly all the covenants were complied with and seem to have been helpful by serving as guidelines to achieving interim objectives. The exceptions are also worth noting because they serve to point out the limitations of covenants. One covenant, concerning the Government's agreement to introduce a graduated salary scale for teachers, proved to extend beyond the jurisdiction of the implementing ministry (Ministry of Education). While the Ministry technically complied with the covenant insofar as possible, the final objective will have to await the introduction of a graduated salary scale for the entire civil service; at this stage new scales have been prepared up to the professional level and the Government is still working on the rest. The other exception is the covenant which precludes the Government from operating any other high school in the region served by one of the new project schools (Voinjama). This covenant was waived by mutual agreement because it was politically not feasible to close the old school as that would have reduced the number of school places for students already in the area. 1.06 The project made provision for the introduction of comprehensive education in Liberia, through the multilateral high schools. Over the long period spanned by the project, educational and economic changes have changed somewhat the country's need for the training envisaged. The objectives seem to have not been adequately understood or to have become obscured during implementation. The schools are now in operation and using a curriculum developed by specialists under the project, but this curriculum has not been officially approved by the National Curriculum Council nor has it been sufficiently linked to the rest of the education system. For example, the National Examinations Council has not yet made any provision for examinations which take into account this new curriculum, thus giving rise to uncertain prospects for students. Due to uncertainty about the objectives or failure to maintain flexibility to meet changing needs during implementation, partly because of a lack of continuity of staff, the two multilateral high schools have been built, equipped and staffed to adequately provide "exposure" (industrial arts) courses at all levels. The new curric- ulum, however, would provide exposure courses at the junior high school level (grades 7-9) and different streams offering academic and vocational (terminal) courses at the senior high school level (grades 10-12). To carry out this program effectively, each of these schools would need supplementary equipment and hand tools valued at about US$150,000. The mechanical and electrical workshops would need to be rewired to carry heavier loads and some of the teachers may need further technical training to provide pre-employment courses. 1.07 The Government should, as a matter of urgency, (a) clarify the objectives of the multilateral schools; (b) officially approve the curriculum linking these schools with the rest of the educational system; and (c) develop the appropriate national examinations relevant to the new curriculum. - 15 - 1.08 As a first education project, the institution building aspect of the project was an important one. The plan was to provide technical assistance for 57 man-years of specialist services and 7 man-years of fellowships. Due mainly to inflation resulting from delay in implementation, about 44 man-years (equivalent) and 5 man-years of fellowships were actually provided by the funds available. The high proportion of specialists to fellows gave rise to the question of whether this was a correct balance for institution building. The review showed that each of the positions filled by specialists needed such assistance at the time and that in general the specialists performed adequately. The fellowships, which were reduced from 7 to 5, were well used and the fellows all returned to work in the jobs intended and all are still in Govern- ment service. More such fellowships undoubtedly would have helped institution building; hence it was concluded that the specialist services as provided were essential to ensure the success of the project but that there should have been a higher number of fellowships to support institution building. II. PROJECT BACKGROUND Sectoral Setting 2.01 In the early 1970's Liberian education was suffering from many serious deficiencies. The country's dual economy with a prosperous enclave sector and an underdeveloped subsistence sector was not well served by the academically oriented curricula, which failed to prepare students for produc- tive employment. The education system also suffered from a lack of planning and appeared unable to meet the needs of Liberians. Of the 1970 estimated population of 1.5 million, some 1.1 million were in rural areas where access to education was very limited and the quality was poor. Although the agricul- tural sector provided the main source of employment and contributed 23% of the GNP, second only to mining, no effective agricultural training or orientation was provided by the system. Technical education was neglected and the absence of manpower planning hampered the development of an effective educational policy that could supply the country's required manpower. 2.02 Although there were some good educational institutions, their efforts were not coordinated nor planned to meet development objectives. While mining had grown rapidly and by 1972 was contributing about one-third of the GNP and the manufacturing sector was also growing, the lack of an adequate domestic supply of qualified manpower was frustrating the Government's task of promoting and fostering a more balanced and diversified economy. To allow continued growth and to develop an economy less dominated by the largely foreign-owned concession sector and one in which all Liberians could participate more fully, it was apparent that the country's human resources would have to be developed on a planned basis in accordance with the needs of the various sectors. - 16 - Project Identification 2.03 In October 1970, a Unesco mission visited Liberia to assist the Government in identifying education projects suitable for Bank Group financing. The Unesco report was discussed with the Government by a Bank Group mission in December 1970. In February 1971 the Government requested financial assistance for a project which it had prepared with the help of Unesco. The purpose of the project would be to strengthen manpower and educational planning, including the planning of higher education, and to construct new institutions in accord- ance with priority needs as agreed with the mission team. The proposal was for the construction and equipping of three new secondary schools, a new college of agriculture and forestry, and a new vocational training center, and for the expansion of an existing primary teacher training institute and a technical education institute, together with student boarding facilities, staff housing and technical assistance. The total estimated project cost was US$11.4 million. A supplementary request was submitted in May 1971 to develop a technical college at Harper at an additional cost of US$2.6 million. A Bank Group appraisal mission then visited Liberia in April/May 1971 and presented its findings in March 1972 recommending a project with an estimated total cost of US$9.6 million and a foreign exchange component of US$6.6 million (see Appraisal Report No. E-39a dated March 9,1972). An IDA credit of US$7.2 million, or 75% of the total cost, was subsequently agreed. Changes in the Proposed Project 2.04 The original project proposal was modified and the supplementary request deleted to reduce the overall costs to within the limits of IDA and Government resources available for the project. Priorities were agreed and those elements considered the least likely to prove successful were eliminated. The result was that one of the three proposed high schools and the technical college at Harper were eliminated. Student boarding facilities were reduced from a total of 1,300 to 660 places. Staff houses were changed from 63 to 65 new units, and the proposal to repair 37 existing houses was eliminated. The proposals on technical assistance were changed, reducing the number of specialist man-years from 79 to 57 and the man-months of fellowships from 660 to 84. The proposals were adjusted to place more emphasis on planning, with particular reference to the country's manpower needs, to relate curricula more closely to manpower needs, and to establish a technical teacher training program for preparing teachers to teach the new curricula. III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND CREDIT AGREEMENT Project Description 3.01 At appraisal the project consisted of: (a) construction and equipment for: - two new multilateral high schools with 600 student places each, of which 150 are residential, together with housing for 10 key staff members each. - 17 - - a new college of agriculture and forestry adjacent to the University farm to include academic and communal facilities for 200 boarding students and housing for 30 staff members; (b) extension of one elementary teacher training institute, to increase enrollment from 125 to 300 including the construc- tion of a new demonstration school for 240 elementary pupils; (c) equipment for strengthening science teacher training at the University of Liberia and equipment to establish a technical teacher training program at two existing technical schools; and (d) 57 man-years of technical asistance and seven man-years of fellowships for manpower and educational planning, technical teacher training, secondary education, and project implemen- tation. The Credit Agreement 3.02 Credit 305-LBR represented the first Bank Group assistance for educational development in Liberia. The Government submitted its request for assistance in February 1971 and the Credit Agreement was subsequently signed on May 17, 1972, to become effective on September 18, 1972 (postponed to November 30, 1972) with a closing date of March 1, 1978. During project preparation, Bank staff and Government officials, through frank discussions, established a working relationship which permitted successful negotiations. The objectives of the project appear to represent the mutual understanding of both the Bank and the Borrower, although there is some evidence that in the early part of the project the Bank was perceived to be more prone to state conditions rather than to negotiate. 3.03 During negotiations, agreement was reached on the organization of appropriate courses for the training of technical teachers; the introduction of a new curriculum for the multilateral schools, staffing and curriculum revisions for the College of Agriculture and Forestry; establishment of a graduated salary scale for teaching staff; and the appointment of staff to the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). 3.04 It was recognized that the Government lacked the expertise necessary to implement the project; hence the Credit Agreement made provi- sion for consultant services and technical assistance sufficient to ensure that the tasks could be carried out. It provided for establishment of a Project Implementation Unit, which was expected to efficiently implement the project and develop the capability to implement future Bank-financed education projects as well as other development projects. - 18 - IV. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION Project Management 4.01 In accordance with Section 3.01(b) of the Credit Agreement, direct responsibility for execution of the project was placed under a Project Imple- mentation Unit attached to the Ministry of Education, with a full-time Liberian Project Director responsible directly to the Minister of Education. By the time of negotiations the Government had already established the PIU, appointed the Director and agreed to ensure that the PIU would be adequately staffed. As a condition for effectiveness of the IDA credit, it was agreed that the Government would appoint a deputy project director, acceptable to IDA, for which technical assistance funds would be provided. Subsequently the Govern- ment, with IDA's concurrence, contacted Unesco to recruit all specialists, including those to serve as deputy director, architect, accountant and procurement officer for the PIU. After some delay, apparently due to initial procedural misunderstanding or a lack of clarity in regard to the interre- lationship of the responsibilities of the Government, IDA and Unesco, the deputy director and architect were appointed in November 1972. The Govern- ment provided permanent offices for the PIU in facilities rented for the headquarters of the Ministry of Education. Support staff were assigned and vehicles purchased and in November 1972, the PIU became operational. Project Implmentation Unit (PIU) 4.02 Schedule 4 of the Credit Agreement detailed the composition and responsibilities of the PIU. The Government agreed to give the PIU the necessary powers for the execution of the project, including (a) coordi- nation and integration of all project activities; (b) selection, briefing, coordination and supervision of architectural consultants nd contractors; (c) approval of the civil works designs; (d) preparation of lists of furniture, equipment and books; (e) procurement of civil works, furniture, equipment and books, including preparation of bidding documents, analysis of bids and making of recommendations regarding the award of contracts; (f) inspection of con- struction work and acceptance of the consultants' certification of completion of works; (g) the keeping of records and submission of reports to IDA; (h) selection, briefing, coordination and supervision of the specialists; and (i) selection, arrangement and supervision of the fellowships. 4.03 The PIU was given a great deal of autonomy and while the Project Director remained responsible to the Minister of Education, it inevitably developed some activities in parallel with other divisions of the Ministry. The concept of the "World Bank Project Implementation Unit" developed. The PIU became better staffed and better equipped, had better transportation, and was more adequately funded and paid higher salaries than most of the Ministry's other divisions. Although there were implementation delays (the closing date was extended by 21 months) and the project was not without its problems, the overall performance of the PIU was good. All of the project components were implemented, all funds disbursed, all facilities were built, and the project was completed with a relatively low cost overrun of about 7.0%. It is not certain whether any alternative project implementation - 19 - organization would have been as effective, let alone more effective. Furthermore, the PIU has had its functions extended to implement the ongoing Second and Third Education Projects (Loans 1266T-LBR and 1417-LBR). 4.04 There is no question that the PIU has added to the Government's capabilities for implementing education projects, but there is some question raised by Ministry of Education officials and also noted by mission members, as to whether the degree of autonomy currently enjoyed by the PIU, together with the appearance of a privileged position in the Ministry under the concept of being a "World Bank unit," is in the best long-range interest of the Government. For example, the staff of the PIU are referred to as "World Bank staff." Consequently, the Bank is given undue credit for successes of the PIU and unwarranted criticism for any shortcomings. The impression that the Bank is implementing rather than financially assisting education projects needs to be dispelled. The PIU has become a useful institution to continue beyond the life of the project, but it should be recognized in its own right and not as a Bank unit. 4.05 The PIU is continuing to serve the Government by managing the implementation of the Second and Third Education Projects, and the experience gained from the First Education Project has proved useful. Through this unit the Government has gained a good understanding of Bank procedures and further Bank and Borrower cooperation is being facilitated. In addition, this experience has improved the Government's ability to implement projects generally, as evidenced by the fact that the PIU is also responsible for a project funded by the African Development Bank. It should also be noted that the Department of Educational Facilities (DEF) in the Ministry of Edu- cation is an outgrowth of a section which originally was part of the PIU. This kind of integration is to be encouraged as a natural outgrowth of experience gained. On the other hand, it should also be recognized that the autonomy of the PIU undeniably contributed to its ability to get the job done. Without prejudice to possible future organizational changes, it is expected that this experience will continue to serve the best interests of the proposed fourth education project. Thus, while the preparation and appraisal missions should review the functions and organization of the PIU and agree on possible revision, it is recommended that care be taken to maintain a balance between autonomy and gradual integration. V. PHYSICAL IMPLEMENTATION Civil Works 5.01 Schedule of accommodation. The schedule of accommodation and the net areas agreed at appraisal have been followed except where altered by mutual agreement. IDA approved the additional construction of a combined science and health room, a language laboratory and four classrooms for each of the two multilateral high schools and a home economics and a dining room for the College of Agriculture and Forestry. The gross area of these addi- tional buildings and the increased area of some of the scheduled facilities represent about a 7% increase over the appraised total gross area. However, the total constructed gross area is about 36% higher than the appraised gross area. The Bank agreed to these changes. The main reason for this large increase is that the appraisal net areas were underestimated for certain facilities and no provision was made for walkways. - 20 - 5.02 Procurement. An international prequalification exercise for contractors was initiated in July 1974 and completed in December 1974. Eight firms were prequalified, although some of them had never before been involved in similar size projects. Bids for the construction of the four project institutions were received in June 1975. Because of cost overruns and poor prequalifications, all bids were rejected. After negotiations, the contract for the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute and the demonstration school was awarded to the second lowest bidder as lowest evaluated bid in February 1976. The contracts for the three other institu- tions were awarded in June 1976 after rebidding involving post-qualification. The designs and bid documents had been simplified and the projects divided into smaller packages to allow greater competition. Eight firms took part in the rebidding, and the contracts were awarded to the lowest evaluated bidders. Equipment and furniture were procured on the basis of international competitive bidding. Preparation of the lists and bid documents was delayed because of the PIU's lack of expertise and the late recruitment of the procurement specialist, but this did not seriously affect the use of the new facilities, inasmuch as the civil works were not completed on schedule. 5.03 Implementation delays. Construction was delayed by more than three years, mainly because of the late appointment of the consultants, which took about 18 months longer than scheduled; redesigning the facilities, which delayed the project by one year; construction delays due to shortages of building materials; and weak management on the part of the contractors, which added another year of delay. Completion of the civil works, including the guarantee period, should have been accomplished by April 1979, whereas the defects lists and some external works for the three other project institutions have not yet been finalized. However, these institutions have been operational since March 1978 and the new facilities for the College of Agriculture and Forestry have been in use since July 1979. Implementation schedules for future education projects in Liberia should be more realistic, taking into account the constraints of the local building industry. Architectural Consultants 5.04 Architectural consultants were appointed one and a half years later than scheduled at appraisal, although the selection process started on schedule. The reason for the delay was that the Government had short- listed three consulting firms, advised them accordingly and selected one of them before obtaining IDA's clearance. IDA objected to the appointment of the selected firm because of a possible conflict of interest as one of the owners was Deputy Minister of Works. After a new shortlist of eight firms was established, a Danish firm was selected and approved by IDA. The contract negotiations were lengthy and difficult. Letters of intent were signed in February 1974 and the contract in April 1974. This firm was shortlisted and selected mainly because it proposed that all design work be carried out in Liberia; but after it was selected the fees for designing the project in Liberia appeared to be much higher than if it were designed in Copenhagen. Hence, most of the design work was performed in Denmark. - 21 - This was a direct result of applying the Bank's guidelines on the selection of consultants, which do not take into account costs for services in the initial phase of selection. The consultants could therefore make promises in regard to carrying out work and training staff in the host country without reference to costs. This gave them a better chance to be selected. 5.05 The clause that set a time limit on the architectural supervision services proved to be beneficial only to the consultants, since delays in implementation resulted in the final architectural fees being much higher than anticipated. The Bank should take into account this latter point when reviewing consultants' agreements for future projects. 5.06 Overall, the architectural consultants carried out their work professionally and produced good work. The mission, however, has some re- servations about certain construction details, over-elaborate working drawings, and bid documents which were not necessarily adapted to the local building trade and availability of building materials. Supervision might have been more effective and the work completed earlier if the consultants were paid on a percentage or lump sum basis instead of on a time basis. Equipment and Furniture 5.07 The scale of equipment was reduced because of cost overruns, attributable to inflation and to the purchase of equipment for language laboratories which were not included at appraisal. Consequently, the institutions are under-equipped in both quantity and range. Some of the heavy equipment is not yet in use, partly because it arrived on site in a damaged condition and partly because the wiring of the workshops was not designed to cater for the loads involved. Because of the PIU's lack of expertise at that time, the supplier was paid before the equipment was tested and connected. The electrical wiring was not designed to cater for the equipment procured for the electrical and mechanical workshops because the preparation of a curriculum for the multilateral high schools was delayed and consequently the equipment list not known at the time the working drawings were established. This can be fully rectified by install- ing heavier wiring in these workshops affected, making repairs on the damaged items, and providing supplementary equipment to meet the specifica- tions of the curriculum now in use. Supplementary equipment lists have been prepared and it is estimated that each of the two multi-lateral high schools would require about US$150,000 to provide the remaining equipment and hand tools needed to implement the curriculum which is awaiting the Government's approval. 5.08 The furniture was manufactured in Israel according to the designs prepared by the project architect and is of reasonable quality. The designs, however, did not take local conditions sufficiently into considera- tion and therefore the furniture has some structural weaknesses: the laminated boards run parallel to the supports and split easily, the steel frames rust, and the furniture is assembled with special screws that are not available in Liberia, all of which makes maintenance more difficult. To minimize the recurrence of such problems in future projects, the architect responsible for designing the facilities should also be responsible for the design and installation (excluding procurement) of the furniture and equipment. - 22 - Quality and Functional Suitability of the Facilities 5.09 The original schedule of accommodation appears to have been the subject of discussion throughout the life of the project, with the Govern- ment expressing some concern about space allocations at the time of negotia- tions. With the exception of the dormitories and staff houses at the College of Agriculture and Forestry, the space allocations for the facilities as built are considered adequate. While low, they are generally in line with the space allocations for comparable institutions financed by the Bank. 5.10 In the case of the College of Agriculture and Forestry, the space allocation for the dormitories at appraisal was 85 sq.ft. per student; the area built was 93 sq.ft. whereas the median gross area per student for university dormitories according to the World Bank's unit area guidelines is 216 sq.ft. This resulted in cramped quarters; moreover, the quality of finishes was kept to a minimum to avoid cost overruns, and consequently, the students refused to occupy the dormitories on the basis that they were substandard. The Government allocated some funds to upgrade the washing facilities, and as soon as more funds become available the University of Liberia will upgrade the rooms. However, the capacity of the dormitories has been reduced from the planned 200 to 150 beds. At the same institution the appraised area for staff houses was 907 sq.ft. whereas the median area for staff houses is 1,200 sq.ft. While the area built is 1,400 sq.ft., this is still considered on the low side by the university staff. Since the finishes were reduced and external works deleted, it was necessary for the Government to allocate US$40,000 to complete the external works in order to make the staff houses acceptable. 5.11 Construction standards vary from site to site, depending on the individual contractor's experience and management capabilities. Generally, however, the workmanship is satisfactory and the structures sound. The construction period exceeded the schedules in the bids, including approved extensions, but in only one case was the penalty clause for late completion applied. VI. IMPLEMENTATION OF SOFTWARE INPUTS Technical Assistance 6.01 At appraisal it was calculated that 57 man-years of specialist services and 7 man-years of overseas fellowships were needed. During negotiations the Government undertook to assign counterparts to each of the specialists when they commenced their duties. In May 1972 the Government, with IDA's concurrence, signed an agreement with UNESCO to recruit all of the specialists. Initially recruitment was slow. There seems to have been bureaucratic delays due to a lack of clarity on the respective responsibili- ties of the Government, IDA and Unesco in regard to recruitment procedures and approvals. For example, what the Government regarded as a request to proceed with recruitment, Unesco regarded as a request for agreement in principle while awaiting a formal request. - 23 - 6.02 Also at the beginning, the Government seems to have been uncertain of IDA's role in approving candidates and time was lost while clarification was sought. At the time, Unesco was awaiting a report on its own study of manpower needs for Liberia and thought it advisable to delay recruitment to possibly coordinate the project more closely with its own findings. It was subsequently agreed that the project was addressing such fundamental problems of education and training in Liberia that it should proceed without further delay. Subsequently, the first three key specialists -- the deputy director and the architect for the PIU and the educational planner -- took up their duties in November 1972, six months after the contract was signed and seven months behind the appraisal target. The only other recruitment in which a six-month delay seriously affected the timing of the project was that of chief of the University Planning Unit, which was not filled until January 1974. In this case, the delay was due to difficulty in finding a suitably qualified candidate acceptable to the Government. These delays in recruiting the specialists were a contributing factor in delaying project implementation. In view of the fact that this was the first experience of this nature in Liberia and since some of the causes of the delays were ultimately resolved, it should be considered as a learning experience. Fellowships 6.03 Seven man-years of overseas fellowships were allocated to provide for the training of the principals of the multilateral high schools and the strengthening of the educational planning unit to give it a long-range capa- bility. The base average cost of a one-year fellowship was estimated at appraisal at US$5,000. These fellowships turned out to be more expensive by the time they were taken up, and therefore the number of fellowships had to be reduced to five. An alternative source of funding was found for only one of these and consequently one of the principals was not awarded a fellowship because he already had a Masters degree. 6.04 At appraisal, the seven fellowships were intended to be distributed as follows: two for school principals, two for educational planners, two for education statisticians, and one for an economist. Of the five fellows trained under the program, one studied school administration and is currently principal of a multilateral high school; one studied economics and is currently director of a research and planning departent; one studied educational planning and is currently executive secretary of the Unesco Office in Liberia; one studied education statistics and demography and is currently coordinator of subsidies in education; and one studied statistics and worked in education upon his return but is currently chief of statistics for the National Port Authority. Thus, only one of the five trained under the program has left the field of education but is still in Government service. 6.05 On the whole, this component was well implemented except that, in common with the rest of the project, the fellowship awards were made later than scheduled. - 24 - VII. COMPLIANCE WITH CREDIT AGREEMENT COVENANTS Salaries of Teachers 7.01 The Government gave assurances (Section 4.07 of the Credit Agreement) that it would establish and review from time to time, in consultation with IDA, a graduated salary structure for teachers, based on the requirements of each position and the qualifications and experience of the staff member. The Government undertook to introduce this new pay scale for staff of the multilat- eral high schools and the College of Agriculture and Forestry from the start of instruction at these institutions; in the case of all other teaching staff, it employs progressively so that the new system would be fully in effect not later than January 1, 1976. 7.02 This covenant has not been fully complied with, although some improvements were made and some salaries increased. But as is still the case with all civil services employees at the professional level the pay system for teachers is not based on a graduated scale and does not take uniform account of qualifications, experience, performance and in-service training, nor does it reflect demand and scarcities. Thus, while the changes have been considered as fulfilling the technicalities of the assurances given at negotiations, they do not fulfill the spirit of the stated intent to establish a graduated salary structure. For most of the reasons identified at appraisal, the Government still needs to revise its pay system for teachers. Otherwise some of the long-range improvements in the quality of education expected from the project will not be realized because the salaries will not be sufficient to attract qualified teachers and there is little incentive for professional development. Project Evaluation 7.03 The Government gave assurances (Section 4.08 of the Credit Agreement) that it would establish not later than February 28, 1975, a tracer system for the project and other institutions to assess their educational achievements. There was more than a two-year delay in complying with this covenant, which seems to have been partly due to a lack of commitment initially within the Ministry of Education to undertake this research function. But the main reason was the delay in project implementation, compounded by a lack of qualified staff in the Ministry's research division. The first study commenced in November 1977 when a survey was conducted among the senior students of four institutions: two rural teachers colleges (Kakata and Zorzor) and two technical secondary schools (Booker T. Washington Institute and William V.S. Tubman High School). Although late in starting, the Government is in compli- ance with the covenant. 7.04 Because of the low response (32.1%) from the vocational/technical institutions, this part of the study was discarded and the Kakata and Zorzor Rural Teacher Training Institutes (KRTTI and ZRTTI) were studied. The response from ZRTTI was 98.1% and from KRTTI 58.9%. The study showed that while sex discrimination does not exist officially in Liberia, approximately 90% of all respondents were males. Although the trainees are selected from all parts of - 25 - the country, some counties had a disproportionate number of trainees, while one (Grand Cape Mount) had only 3%. A large percentage (70%) of the trainees expected to earn more than the Government now pays teachers. The majority (64%) planned to remain in the teaching profession for three to four years, while 76% expected to enroll in a university (despite the fact that the RTTI programs are terminal). About 75% of the respondents indicated that they thought the training they received was adequate for the teaching jobs they expected to have and 96% preferred to be posted as classroom teachers. The Ministry of Education considers that such information is useful and intends to conduct follow-up studies. Utilization of Facilities 7.05 Two covenants (Sections 4.02 and 4.05(c) of the Credit Agreement) which at the time of negotiations did not appear to be particularly inter- related, turned out to be mutually exclusive in the case of one of the multi- lateral high schools. The first covenant commits the Government to endeavor to utilize the educational institutions at their designed capacity, and the second precludes the operation of any other institution at the high school level in the areas served by the multilateral schools. In the case of Voin- jama, this has placed the Government in the untenable position of deciding whether to allow that school's enrollments to soar from the planned 600 to the present 1,003, or to deny school places to students already in the area. 7.06 In retrospect, these covenants proved to be inappropriate because neither IDA nor the Government had access to data to assess the high school age population of the catchment area. Hence, the first of these covenants (Section 4.02) could not be complied with, as the people in the Voinjama area would not accept a reduction in the number of school places. Under the circumstances, IDA agreed to the Government's request to consolidate the old and the new schools. The facilities of the old school are in the vicinity of the new site and extra facilities added under the school's self-help program have accommodated the increased enrollments. However, the consolidation has added to the start-up problems of the new school and the facilities, particu- larly workshops and equipment, continue to be overtaxed. 7.07 One other institution, the College of Agriculture and Forestry, is not likely to fully comply with the covenant on the use of facilities, in the case of the student dormitories. Due to construction delays, these facilities had just been completed but not yet occupied at the time of the completion mission. When they are occupied, it is likely that three students will be assigned per room rather than four as originally planned. This is because the dormitories are of a lower standard than some of the University's other recently constructed dormitories as well as their older dormitories (para.5.10). Therefore, a compromise was necessary to induce students to accept the new facilities. As these rooms are smaller than the median provided under the Bank's unit area guidelines, it appears that this adjustment is appropriate. - 26 - Curriculum for Multilateral High Schools 7.08 The Government gave assurances (Section 4.05(a) of the Credit Agreement) that it would formulate and put into effect not later than February 28, 1973, a curriculum satisfactory to IDA for each of the mul- tilateral high schools. The date became ineffective because of the delays in project implementation. A Unesco specialist in technical teacher training outlined a curriculum for the multilateral high schools that could be used to determine how to train teachers for these schools. This proposed curriculum was either overlooked or revised by the Unesco specialists who subsequently were assigned to the schools. They developed a curriculum for the two schools, but it has not yet been formally approved by the National Curriculum Council. No provision has been made for National Examinations that would correspond to the new curriculum. 7.09 While the new curriculum has been implemented in the multilateral high schools, there is still a lack of clarity in regard to the Government's objectives for these schools, with the result that some confusion remains concerning their educational program. It is now necessary that the Government clarify the objectives of the schools and then approve a curriculum that meets those objectives. It will also be necessary to ensure that the National Examinations take the new curriculum into account. 7.10 Except that the effective dates were changed because of the delays in project implementation, the Government has complied with all the other special covenants and supplementary conditions (Annex 1). VIII. PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCE 8.01 The estimated and actual total costs of the project are summarized below and detailed in Annex 5. Appraisal Estimates and Final Expenditure by Category (US$'000) Appraisal Estimate Final Expenditure Final Expenditure (including as % of Category contingencies) Appraisal Estimate Civil Works 5,584.0 5,964.3 107 Consultant's Services 558.0 1,068.0 191 Furniture and Equipment 1,109.0 1,157.3 104 Technical Assistance and Fellowships 2,334.0 1,993.6 85 TOTAL 9,585.0 10,183.2 106 - 27 - The final cost of the project was US$10,183,200, exceeding the appraisal estimate by about 6%. The cost overrun was due to implementation delays and price increases which resulted largely from unexpected worldwide inflation in the years following the oil crisis of 1973. 8.02 The actual cost of civil works, including site development, was 7% higher than the appraisal estimate. This cost overrun was relatively small, considering that (a) the actual gross construction areas were 14% greater than those specified at appraisal; (b) the compounded building cost increase in Liberia from February 1972 to the mid-construction period of February 1977 was about 85%; (c) the construction program was implemented about three years behind schedule; and (d) the appraisal estimates of unit cost and price escalation factors would have been reasonable if the original implementation schedule could have been followed. The overrun was kept to 7% by lowering the internal finishing standards and eliminating most of the external works. 8.03 The actual cost of the architectural consultants was US$1.068 million, 91% higher than the appraisal estimate of US$0.558 million. The costs for architectural services were negotiated on a lump sum basis, for US$0.55 million and limited in time. Because of anticipated cost overruns as implementation proceeded, some drawings had to be redesigned and bid documents adjusted accordingly. The additional cost of these modifications was US$0.20 million. Because the consultants' agreement was limited in time and project implementation was delayed, the project had to pay the consultants about US$0.32 million for additional supervision. The total consultants' fee of US$1.068 million is equal to about 18% of the total cost of civil works. 8.04 The total cost of furniture and equipment was 4% higher than the appraisal estimate. The scope of the equipment to be procured under the project was reduced during implementation, as noted in para. 5.07, to take account of inflation and the purchase of equipment for language laboratories at the multilateral high schools which was not in the original project plan. 8.05 The technical assistance and fellowship programs cost about 15% less than the appraisal estimates, due primarily to reductions in the scope of the technical assistance, as discussed in paras. 6.01 and 6.02. 8.06 The gross construction costs per square meter ranged from US$165.00 for university staff housing to US$231.00 for staff houses at Voinjama as shown in Annex 5. The average gross construction cost per square meter excluding site services was US$195.00, which was about 22% below the appraisal estimate. 8.07 The gross area per student place at the two multilateral high schools was about 16% greater than the appraisal estimate and the cost per student place 1/ averaged US$2,250, which was about 23% greater than the appraisal estimate as shown in Annex 3. The gross area per student place at the College of Agriculture and Forestry was about 60% greater than the 1/ Includes buildings, site development, furniture and equipment. - 28 - appraisal estimate and the cost per student place was about 37% greater than the appraisal estimate. The capital costs per student place for the multi- lateral high schools are between the "median" and "high" costs for similar institutions constructed between FY74 and FY77. The capital costs per student place for the College of Agriculture and Forestry are about one-half of the "low" costs per student place for university facilities constructed between FY74 and FY77. 8.08 The unit recurrent costs for the major project institutions are detailed in Annex 10. The unit recurrent cost for the Voinjama multilateral high school 1/ is about 50% higher than the average unit recurrent cost for upper secondary schools in Liberia. This school is in need of additional faculty and staff to cope with the unexpectedly high enrollments (para. 1.02), and its present unit costs are artificially lower than they will be at full staffing. The unit recurrent cost for the Zwedru multilateral high school is almost three times the average unit recurrent cost for upper secondary schools in Liberia and about the same as that for the Booker T. Washington Technical Institute. This high school's unit costs will decrease by about 15% next year as it reaches full enrollment. It should be noted that the unit costs of the IDA-financed multilateral high schools are higher than the average for general secondary schools because of (a) the special salary scale for the teachers including a monthly rental allowance; (b) the need for materials and equipment for the diversified curriculum; and (c) the attempt to make these schools academic models. 8.09 The unit recurrent costs for the KRTTI are well below the average for similar institutions in West Africa. The unit recurrent costs for the College of Agriculture and Forestry are likewise below the average for similar institutions in West Africa. 8.10 Disbursements under the project were made in accordance with the Credit Agreement. The IDA Credit of US$7.2 million financed about 70% of the total project cost rather than 75% as intended at appraisal, due to cost overruns. With the Government financing the entire cost overrun of about US$0.6 million, its total contribution was US$3.02 million, rather than US$2.36 million as intended at appraisal. IX. PROJECT OUTCOMES Present Expectations Compared with Expectations at Appraisal 9.01 Except for the delays in implementation, the project was completed largely as planned, at a cost of about 6% above the appraisal estimate, including contingencies. The facilities were redesigned during implementation in an effort to offset inflation and keep costs within the budget by reducing internal finishing standards and applying minimal space allocations to avoid eliminating any of the teaching and communal facilities. 1/ Instructional costs only. - 29 - 9.02 While the mechanical workshops at the multilateral high schools need heavier wiring (para. 5.07) and the dormitories at the College of Agriculture and Forestry will accommodate 150 beds rather than the planned 200 (para. 5.10), all other facilities are functional and are providing practical educational programs that were not possible heretofore in Liberia. Equipment lists for the multilateral high schools also had to be reduced and, as noted in para. 5.07, this has resulted in some gaps in equipment; however, the basic equipment provided to these schools has permitted them to begin improving the quality of their programs. While schools are well equiped to conduct introductory ("exposure") practical courses, each school will need about US$150,000 worth of equipment to effectively conduct the vocational courses now being attempted. 9.03 The delayed implementation means that at the time of the comple- tion mission some of the expectations remain to be realized and only their prospects for success can be assessed. This holds true for the multilateral high schools, which have been operational only two years, and for the College of Agriculture and Forestry, which was just starting to be operational at the time of the completion mission. Multilateral High Schools 9.04 Because of the expectation that the Voinjama and Zwedru multi- lateral high shools would provide the means of diversifying the education system and would be likely to provide a pattern for the development of similar schools in the future, these schools are key components of the project. The objectives were broadly stated at appraisal (para. 3.04) and it was clear that these new schools would offer "exposure" to practical subjects through a wide curriculum at the junior high school level (grades 7-9) and three streams for the senior grades (grades 10-12) in academic subjects, mechanics and agriculture. Each school was planned for 600 students to provide for a combined total of 720 places at the junior level and 480 at the senior level. 9.05 It should be noted that at the time of appraisal the education system faced a number of problems. Particularly important were (a) the relativly low educational standard of students entering the University; (b) the strongly academic and rather narrow bias of secondary education; and (c) the virtually complete absence of adequate agricultural and technical education due to financial and staffing difficulties at the Booker T. Washington Technical Institute, which was the only institution providing such training at the time. The appraisal mission decided, and the Government did not disagree, that it would be inopportune to make a further investment in the Booker T. Washington Institute, inasmuch as a very sub- stantial USAID investment some years earlier had not produced the desired results. The objectives for the multilateral high schools were intended to ease these problems by (a) providing a science and mathematics oriented curriculum for a certain number of students which would be designed to prepare them for entrance into the University programs for which recruitment was proving most difficult; (b) diversifying lower secondary education to make it more relevant to Liberian conditions; and (c) providing vocational training in - 30 - agriculture/forestry and mechanics as a direct contribution to alleviating serious manpower shortages. The delays in implementing the construction and equipment elements of the project, the strength and "independence" of the PIU, and the then weakness of the secondary education and curriculum units of the Ministry of Education meant that the PIU staff, eventually supplemented by technical assistance personnel, were left to translate these objectives into a precise curriculum. There was a lack of liaison between this work and the Ministry's slowly developing curriculum activities. 9.06 Some confusion was generated after appraisal by the creation of substantial additional facilities for agricultural and technical education, including a reform of the Booker T. Washington Institute, which blurred the original concept of the project. This uncertainty was exacerbated by a lack of continuity in supervision staff. The multilateral high schools are operating with unclear objectives and a curriculum not yet officially approved, thus giving rise to a weak linkage with the rest of the education and training system. The schools offer "exposure" to technical subjects at the junior secondary level, but it is not clear whether they are to provide terminal courses leading to employment, or "exposure" (industrial arts) courses at the senior high school level (grades 10-12). 9.07 Both of the multilateral high schools have been in operation for two years. Zwedru had an enrollment of 401 boys and 100 girls (total 501) in 1978 and 413 boys and 124 girls (total 537) in 1979, in all grades from 7 through 12, and expect to be at full enrollment of 600 in 1980. Voinjama had 916 boys and 227 girls (total 1,142) in 1978 and 811 boys and 192 girls (total 1,003) in 1979 in all grades from 7 through 12. The schools are operating with the new curriculum designed with help of specialists provided under the project (para. 7.08). In grades 7-9, the students spend 28 periods per week in general (academic) studies and seven periods per week in manual (practical) exposure courses covering six areas of specialization (home economics, woodwork, metalwork, agriculture, electricity and drafting). In grades 10-12, the academic bias students take two periods in general shop and two in agri- culture as practical subjects in grade 12 only. The practical bias students (home economics, agriculture and mechanics) take about 17 to 20 periods per week in their area of specialization and the remainder of the 35 periods in academic studies. The distribution of subjects and the time distribution between practical and general subjects are in accordance with the project working papers used in lieu of a curriculum outline for appraisal. 9.08 There is an urgent requirement for the objectives to be clarified and a curriculum approved so that final equipment lists (para. 5.07) and teachers' requirements can be directly related to the courses to be taught and the facilities scheduled appropriately. As mentioned in para. 7.09, the National Examination Council should take this new curriculum into account in order to complete the linkage between the multilateral high schools and the rest of the education and training system. Until this is done, these schools cannot meet the expectation that they will provide a pattern for the development of similar schools. The schools are well equipped to offer "exposure" courses at all levels; but if they are to effectively conduct vocational courses according to the new curriculum, the workshops need to be - 31 - rewired and supplementary equipment, including hand tools, provided. Also some of the technical teachers who are adequately trained for indus- trial arts courses may require more practical training to effectively teach pre-employment courses. 9.09 It should be noted that the multilateral high schools are being fully utilized, their administration is adequate, and the staff generally appear to be enthusiastic and the students receptive. Some supplementary equipment will be needed to make the workshops fully effective (paras. 5.07 and 9.02). The amount and type depend on whether the workshops are for "exposure" or vocational training; otherwise, the facilities are functional and once the educational objectives are clarified, there is reason to believe that the present staff will serve the program well. Both schools have qualified Liberian principals, one of whom (at Voinjama) was trained under the fellowship program (para. 6.10). Zwedru has 32 teachers in post (including four Peace Corps volunteers). Of the total, 10 are technical teachers who were trained under the project; all the others have a teaching qualification. Voinjama has 58 teachers in post, nine of whom are technical teachers trained under the project; of the remainder, 50% are expatriates, although nearly all have a teaching qualification. The student/teacher ratio at both schools is 17:1. All support staff positions at the school have been filled. College of Agriculture and Forestry 9.10 Because of delays in implementation, the civil works was just completed, equipment was being installed, and the student hostels and staff houses had just been assigned for occupation at the time of the completion mission. The new curriculum as envisaged at appraisal was developed with the assistance of the UNDP/FAO and is in use, providing a more practical orientation to the courses offered and using the experimental farm for practical training. 9.11 A staff of 30 lecturers was proposed at appraisal; there are now 33, three of whom are on study leave. All but two of the staff are Liberian. The Dean of the College, who was appointed as agreed with IDA, was recently suspended by the University for cause and his appeal is pending. Otherwise, the staff are adequate to put the new facilities into operation as planned at appraisal. The facilities are functional and likely to be fully utilized as designed. Two problem areas were noted: the staff houses are considered of a lower standard than those normally offered the University staff and the student dormitories are considered more cramped than the University's other dormitories (para. 5.10). To induce the staff to accept the accommoda- tions, the University has approved landscaping and external works for the housing area which were not funded under the project. The University will meet the cost of this work. The student dormitories will be altered to accommodate three students per room instead of the planned four; the University considers this compromise advisable to induce the students to accept the dormitories as equivalent to other University accommodations. 9.12 Although this component was not completed on schedule because of construction delays, it has provided the new campus as intended and the College already has more students than the planned enrollment. - 32 - Extension of the Kakata Rural Teaching Training Institute (KRTTI) 9.13 The buildings were completed in 1977 at a cost 5% higher than the appraisal estimate and the new facilities have been operational since January 1978, about 20 months behind schedule. During implementation, IDA agreed with the Government's proposal to increase the pre-service teacher training program from two to three years, and the new curriculum includes the more practical orientation envisaged at appraisal. The Government is confident that the KRTTI is now doing a better job of training teachers, although an objective assessment is not yet possible. The Institute's capacity has been increased from 150 to 300, of which 200 trainee spaces are allocated to the elementary school program and 100 to the junior high school program. The demonstration school is in operation as planned, but the radio transmitter, the closed circuit television and the language laboratory provided through UNDP/Unesco funding are not yet in operation because the equipment is available but not yet installed. 9.14 To date, the Institute has graduated a total of 510 teachers. Since 1978, a tracer study set up under the project has begun to follow up the output. A survey of 76 of the 1978 graduates indicated that 75% of them thought that the training they received at the Institute was adequate and 94% preferred to be posted to classroom duties. While it has not been possible to assess the quality of these teachers, nearly all have been assigned to schools. Secondary Science Teacher Training 9.15 Science equipment and audio-visual materials, together with a specialized library, were provided to help improve the quality of science teacher training at the University of Liberia. This component was completed as scheduled, but it has not been possible to assess what impact these improvements have made on the quality of the teachers produced. It may be noted, however, that the output of the college continues to be lower than planned and the college still has a high repeater rate and a high dropout rate which seems mainly due to the poor quality of education of the entrants and a lack of attraction to the teaching profession. Technical Teacher Training 9.16 This appears to have been one of the most successful components. The project provided additional equipment and 6 man-years of technical assist- ance to carry out skill training at the Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Yekepa and teaching methods and practice at William V.S. Tubman High School. Thirty-six teachers were trained as planned and all are employed as expected. This component shows that the training of small numbers of technical teachers can be carried out in the existing technical schools. In retrospect, a provision should have been made to maintain a small training program of this type to allow for expanding needs, replacements and updating, as technical teachers are not now being trained in Liberia. Technical Assistance 9.17 The technical assistance component is judged to have adequately met the objective of making it possible for the Government to effectively implement - 33 - all the project components, and thus contributed to institution building. The ratio of 57 man-years of specialist services to 7 man-years of fellow- ships gives rise to a question whether this was an appropriate ratio to support institution building. Due mainly to inflation resulting from delays in implementation, about 44 man-years (equivalent) of specialist services were actually provided by the project. Each of the positions filled needed such assistance and in general the assigned tasks were adequately carried out. In retrospect, it appears that institution building would have been enhanced by providing more fellowships, particularly since the planned 7 man-years were reduced to 5 for the reasons mentioned in para. 6.03. It might have been better to have had more fellowships without reducing the number of specialists, since in reviewing their contribution to the success of the project, it was not possible to identify any specia- list position which could be considered as non-essential, nor was it possible to identify any specialist whose tasks were not effectively carried out. Some specialist positions were effectively used in institu- tion building as in the case of the PIU, where counterparts have successfully carried on, while other specialist inputs were in the nature of discrete tasks such as the production of a long-range plan for the University of Liberia or the training of 36 technical teachers to take up identified school positions. None of these tasks could have been carried out without technical assistance. 9.18 As a consequence of the technical assistance component, the project provided the Government with 7.5 man-years of expert assistance to prepare a long-range plan for development of the University which has been accepted as the guideline for the development of a new campus which has commenced at Fendel. While this task was late starting, it was ultimately satisfactorily completed. In retrospect it is evident that it would have been even more useful if a counterpart could have been involved to provide continuity. There is now a reasonably effective Manpower Planning Division in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, mainly staffed by Liberians, which is coordinating the drafting of a National Development Plan. This is partly the outcome of the 4.5 man-years of technical assistance provided by the project for this unit. 9.19 Educational planning was considerably strengthened by the 7 man-years of project technical assistance, and the Department of Planning and Development in the Ministry of Education is now a reliable unit. While statistics have remained weak, the unit was considerably strengthened by this input and was able to draft a long-term plan for the education system which now takes into account a more economic utilization of existing facilities and relates the system more directly to Liberia's manpower requirements. The PIU benefited from technical assistance it received in establishing procedures to effectively implement the project (18 man-years were provided for the unit). This same unit has been given the responsibility for implement- ing the Second and Third Education Projects, as well as a project assisted by the African Development Bank, and undoubtedly will be of assistance in implementing or coordinating a possible fourth project. Critique of Expectations 9.20 For the most part, the objectives set for the project proved to be realistic and achievable. Only in the case of the multilateral high schools has there developed an exaggerated expectation that these schools might become all things to all people in the sense that they may be regarded as providing a high-quality academic program while at the same time producing skilled workers. There have been numerous economic and educational changes in Liberia since the concept of the multilateral high schools was developed in 1972, and it is necessary to re-evaluate what they are capable of doing effectively with the available resources. They can become very good schools but cannot meet all demands. As presently equipped and staffed, they can be made to operate effectively by offering industrial arts courses rather than vocational courses. As pointed out in paras. 7.09 an..d 9.06, these schools should be made to operate effectively with clarified objectives and they should be further evaluated before similar schouls are planned. 9.21 The multilateral schools were allocated 8 man-years of specialist services to help start-up the schools and to develop the curriculum which is now in use. The specialists also helped to compile the supplementary equipment lists which will be required to effectively implement the proposed curriculum. While the technical aspects of these specialists' work are satisfactory, their efforts were not sufficiently coordinated to ensure that their program will now be implemented (para 9.08). A further 6 man-years had been allocated for administration, but this proved to be unnecessary as qualified principals were appointed by the time the schools opened. 9.22 The provision of a three-stream program at the upper secondary level is an innovation in rural education. A reasonable period of operation with careful planning and efficient administration will be necessary before a more complete assessment can be made. In the meantime, the concept of comprehensive education has gained some acceptance and efforts to duplicate the multilateral high schools to some extent are reflected in the Gboveh High School in Bong County and the Sinoe High School now under construction. In other places there are requests for a similar type of educational program, or at least a more diversified program as reflected in the Science and Technology Centers provided under the Third Education Project (Loan 1417-LBR). Further assessment of the results obtained by these schools is necessary before any attempt is made to replicate them. 9.23 The development of the multilateral high schools has influenced national curriculum development to the extent that the credit hours for science and mathematics in the national general curriculum were increased in accordance with the MLHS curriculum outlined in the working papers for the upper secondary level. This influence has benefited upper secondary education. Retrospective Assessment 9.24 The project addressed the main issues in education and training and was of an appropriate scale. Although implementation fell behind schedule and the closing date was extended by 21 months, the project was completed and its main objectives were achieved with a relatively low cost overrun of about 6%. - 35 - 9.25 The project could have been done better if implementation had not been delayed, but there is no evidence that any other type of education project would have been a more useful investment at the time. All components were necessary and their overall effect on the Government's efforts to diver- sify and improve the education and training system has been substantial. The project improved the Government's ability to plan and administer education and training programs and supported institution building sufficient to give the Government a capability for implementing subsequent projects. By estab- lishing a good working relationship between the Government and the Bank, the project enhanced cooperation in the education sector. X. IDA'S PERFORMANCE Supervision 10.01 Thirty-one supervision missions were carried out during the imple- mentation period. In the early stages of implementation, when IDA's supervi- sion was most needed, it was not as frequent as in the later stages. Supervi- sion was initially perceived by the Government to be more critical than helpful, but this perception changed as the project progressed. Much of the 18-month delay caused by the Government processing bids not in conformity with the Bank's guidelines (para. 5.02) might have been avoided by more timely supervision at that stage. 10.02 As the project progressed, supervision improved and missions were well-timed. On most occasions an IDA mission would visit Liberia whenever major issues needed in-depth discussion, documents needed to be reviewed or revised, or commitments needed to be stressed. 10.03 For part of the implementation period, supervision was carried out by staff from the Bank's Regional Office in Abidjan. This had the prac- tical advantage of being close at hand but suffered from the disadvantage of such staff not having adequate decision-making authority, particularly on civil works issues. The Government's perception was that agreements in principle reached with IDA supervision missions were often "slightly changed" or overruled by the Bank's Headquarters, thus extending the time required to resolve issues. In the latter part of the implementation period, this changed as supervision was carried out by Headquarters staff and as procedures became better established. 10.04 Also early in the project, Unesco raised an objection that IDA missions tended to supervise directly the work of Unesco recruited specialists. Unesco regarded this as inappropriate and outside the provisions of their contract. On the other hand, although Unesco received a 14% service charge, it seems questionable that sufficient supervision was provided once the specialists were in the field. The situation improved as the project progressed and the PIU became more effective. This became a valuable learning experience as the respective responsibilities of the Government, IDA and Unesco were clarified, and the cooperation among them has been extended to subsequent projects. How IDA Might Have Been More Helpful 10.05 To assess how IDA might have been more helpful, it is necessary to bear in mind that this was the Government's first experience in cooperating with the World Bank on an education project. There were no Liberians avail- able for the project who had any knowledge of the Bank's procedures and guidelines. The first Project Director was appointed and received a briefing on the proposed project, then attended negotiations in Washington with two of his staff members. At the end of the negotiations, they were given some leaflets on World Bank procedures and guidelines. These were helpful but inadequate to provide the guidance necessary to initiate project implementa- tion. They then visited Unesco to discuss technical assistance. As it was the first contact these officials had with Unesco in the project it would have been helpful if both organizations had given them a more adequate briefing. It would also have been helpful if they could have met with Unesco and World Bank representatives at the same time, as subsequently there were administrative delays in the appointment of technical assistance staff, apparently due to initial procedural misunderstandings or a lack of clarity on Government/World Bank/Unesco interrelationship (para. 1.03). A joint meeting would have clarified the respective responsibilities and avoided the unnecessary delays. Unesco's procedure of submitting the names of candidates to the Government only after IDA's approval frequently resulted in undue delays and sometimes the loss of candidates. Subsequently, after the project was delayed partly for this reason, it was agreed that Unesco would submit the names of candidates simultaneously to IDA and the Government, but that selection would be done by the Government only after IDA's clearance. This arrangement greatly speeded up the selection and appointment procedures. This was a learning experience from which it is seen that IDA could have been more helpful by resolving this procedure earlier. 10.06 The time lost in the recruitment of technical assistance staff became an important contributing factor in delaying project implementation. A condition of effectiveness was the arrival of the specialist in the capacity of Deputy Director. The project was to commence in January 1972 and the Government attempted to start implementation on schedule, but followed procedures that did not conform to the Bank's procurement guidelines, which at that time were not understood. When the Deputy Director arrived in December 1972, he correctly noted that the Government's procurement procedures did not conform to the guidelines; consequently, approved contracts were not to be awarded. This placed the Government in a dilemma which it took six months to resolve before allowing the PIU to rebid according to the guidelines. 10.07 IDA might have facilitated a more rapid implementation by taking less time to approve documents, including sketch designs and architectural work, particularly when extensive discussions had taken place in the field and approval in principle had been given. Time was also lost in awaiting formal approval from the Bank's Headquarters, apparently due to heavy staff commitments. - 37 - 10.08 Again, it should be noted that this First Education Project was a learning experience for all concerned and, in retrospect, the World Bank is perceived by the Government to have become more and more helpful during the course of implementation. In particular, the regular supervision during the past two years seems to have been useful in bringing the project to a success- ful conclusion. 10.09 IDA might have been more helpful if it had been possible to maintain more continuity of staff for supervision. Partly because of the long implemen- tation period, it was impractical to maintain continuity and no member of the Bank staff was able to supervise the project from beginning to end. The effects of this were compounded by the same lack of continuity on the part of Government officials' likewise partly due to the long implementation period. XI. THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN THE PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT 11.01 This Project Completion Report was prepared after an IDA mission visited Liberia in December 1979 to review the project and obtain the Govern- ment's comments on the outcomes. The Government cooperated fully with the mission and several officials offered constructive comments. The PIU staff were made available to the mission to assist in gathering information, and several staff members of the PIU and the Division of Educational Facilities (DEF) accompanied the mission on visits to the various institutions, where discussions were held with members of the staff and some students. In Zwedru and Voinjama, the mission was able to meet with members of the local communi- ties and thus learn something about the general public's expectations for the multilateral high schools. 11.02 The Government was very helpful in providing the mission with various documents relating to the project components; these audited accounts, recurrent budget, staff lists and enrollment for institutions, a tracer study report on the KRTTI, the University plan, curricula and course outlines, and equipment deficiency lists. Several staff members of the institutions assisted the mission by providing data and explanations, and the PIU staff helped to complete the Project Completion Forms. 11.03 Several issues were discussed with Government officials. The results are incorporated in this report, which is also intended to reflect the Government's views on project issues. XII. MAIN LESSONS LEARNED 12.01 Because this was the Government's first experience in cooperating with the World Bank on an education project, initial lack of understanding of conditions, procedures and guidelines caused serious delays in implementation. - 38 - Once the guidelines were clarified and workable procedures developed, partly through improved IDA supervision, the final result was to establish a sound working relationship between IDA and the Government, facilitated by the PIU. The lessons learned have already been applied in implementing the Second and Third Education Projects (Loans 1266T-LBR and 1417-LBR). 12.02 There were administrative delays in the appointment of technical assistance staff (through Unesco), due to initial procedural misunderstandings and a lack of clarity concerning Government/Bank/Unesco interrelationships. After considerable delays, the roles were clarified and more satisfactory procedures were followed. This costly lesson has not been lost, as staffing by Unesco has continued in the two ongoing projects and is being carried out more promptly. 12.03 The educational objectives of the multilateral high schools are not adequately understood. The schools are now in operation but with still unclearly defined objectives of the curriculum and with a weak linkage with the rest of the education and training system. It remains for the Government to define the objectives, approve the curriculum and evolve examinations to link this program with the rest of the system. 12.04 The delays in implementation increased the effects of inflation so that it became necessary to revise the equipment lists, redesign some facili- ties and lower finishing standards to reduce costs. The overall result seems to have produced the maximum facilities for the available funds. However, these were some cost increases arising from the delay involved in redesigning and re-rendering of civil works. Delays in implementation and the unusual inflation (1973) also led to an increase in the cost of technical assistance from an estimated US$40,800 to an actual average of US$43,881 per year for specialists, and an increase from an estimated US$3,571 to a range of US$9,060 per year for fellowships. Accordingly, the number of specialists was reduced from 57 to about 44 man-years and the number of fellowships from seven to five. While some of the delays were caused by bureaucratic confusion which eventually was resolved, the linking of the project-s institution-building aspects to the civil works time schedule contributed significantly to the delays in implementation. The result was that institution building was adversely affected by civil works implementation problems to a greater extent than necessary. 12.05 There have been many persons involved, from preliminary planning to completion, to the extent that what was conceived at the original stage can now be understood and interpreted primarily from documents that are not always readily available. For example, during the implementation period there were four Ministers of Education. Also, the University of Liberia had three Presidents and three Deans and the administration at the KRTTI changed twice. Few Liberian officials have been involved throughout the implementation period. The Bank has been reorganized and staff assignments have changed, hence no Bank staff member has been involved throughout. While this is partly attributable to the long (9-year) period from project identification to completion, it also demonstrates that we should normally expect many staff changes during the life of a project. It is also obvious that there were numerous economic and educational changes in that time. - 39 - 12.06 All this demonstrates the need for full documentation, accurate record keeping and the filing of periodic reports. It also demonstrates the need to make every effort to involve the ultimate users whenever possible and to design facilities that provide as much flexibility as possible. Two examples may be noted from this project--the multilateral high schools and the College of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Liberia. In the case of the multilateral high schools, while there was,no one at Voinjama or Zwedru who was likely to be sufficiently knowledgeable to give any reaction to the technicalities of the proposed new program, in retrospect it appears that the people of those communities might have offered a useful reaction to the general proposals. In Voinjama, the people did react when it was proposed to close their old school and consequently the covenant in the Credit Agreement requiring this to be done had to be waived (para. 7.06). Ultimately, because the people of these communities will determine the success or failure of the new program, their earlier involvement might have helped them to understand the objectives and realize what are reasonable expectations for the students. Future projects of this nature should seek to have as much user participation as possible from the beginning. 12.07 In the case of the College of Agriculture and Forestry, although there seems to have been participation by the University in the planning, the records are incomplete. The administration of the University changed at least twice during the design stage of this component. Some changes were made to reflect the wishes of the new administration, in each case relying on the recommendations of the same consultant regarding space allowance. Finally, no more changes were possible and the facilities were built. At the time of completion there is some feeling on the part of the present administration that the University may not have been sufficiently involved in agreeing to specifications and a "suspicion" that the Bank staff may have had an undue influence, particularly in reducing standards to cut costs. The importance of maintaining liaisons with the potential users throughout the life of the project should be stressed in future projects. 12.08 Finally, the completion mission learned that while this was a rather ambitious "first project" with an implementatin schedule that could not be met, the project was nonetheless quite a successful one. ANNEX 1 - 40 -Page 1 of 3 LIBERIA: CREDIT 305-LBR FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT COMPLETION Compliance with Credit Agzreement Covenants Section No. of Credit /Loan Covenant Status Comments Agreement § 3.01 Borrower to establish and staff M Project Unit. 3.06 Borrower to acquire sites for M project implementation not later than August 31, 1972. 4.04: a Borrower to organize two sectionu M of technical teacher training courses for 18 instructors each by February 28, 1973 and February 28, 1974 4.05: a, b Borrower to formulate and put M This covenant was not met until into effect by February 28, 1973 1978 at the opening pf: the new curriculum for project schools and the curriculum is financed multilateral high still under review. schools. 4.07 Borrower from time to time to M The MOE salary structure was review in consultation with IDA revised as part of a general the MOE salary structure and Civil Service increase. A new implement a revised salary salary structure has recently structure for the College of been proposed to the Civil Agriculture and the Multilateral Service Agency. The revised High Schools prior to January 1, salary structures for the college 1976. and high schools have been implemented. However, the long- term objectives of increasing the relative salaries of teachers to improve the attraction of the teaching profession has not yet been adequately addressed. § Covenant Status: M met N not met P pending ANNEX 1 - 41 - Page 2 of 3 LIBERIA: CREDIT 305-LER FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT COMPLETION Compliance with Credit/Agreement Covenants Section No. of Credit/Loan Covenant Status Comments Agreement § 3.02: a, b Borrower to employ qualified M consultants and local staff. 3.05 Borrower to furnish records, M documents and reports to Bank for review as reasonably requested. 4.02 Borrower to operate educational P Zwedru Multilateral High School institutions at designed capacity. is operating at designed capacity but the Bank approved consolidation of old and new high schools at Voinjama to take account of greater enrollment in area than anticipated at appraisal. Voinjama high school is now engaged in a self-help project so school will accom- modate 1,000 students instead of 600 as originally planned. 4.03 Borrower to effectively operate M and maintain project institutions and provide required funds. 4.04: c Borrower to continue technical M It was decided not to continue teacher training program if the technical teacher training appropriate or make alternative program and science equipment use of equipment provided for was deleted from the project. WVS Tubman High School. 5 Covenant Status: M = met N = not met P = pending -42 - ANNEX 1 Page 3 of 3 LIBERIA: CREDIT 305-LBR FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT COMPLETION Compliance with Credit/Agreement Covenants Section No. of I Credit/Loan Covenant Status Comments Agreement I 4.05: b Borrower to assign technical and M non-technical teachers to multi- lateral high schools. 4.05: c Borrower not to operate any other M (See 4.02 - page 2) high schools in Voinjama or Zwedru after project schools begin opera- tion. 4.06: a Borrower to appoint suitable dean M The Government appointed a and two assistant deans of suitable dean but believed it College of Agriculture and was not necessary to appoint Forestry by December 31, 1972. any assistant deans. The Bank accepted change. 4.06: b Borrower to initiate revision of M Curriculum work is continuous curricula of College of Agricul- and until recently was carried ture and Forestry by December 31, out with UNDP/FAO assistance. 1972. 4.06: c Borrower to seek extension of M Team was extended to late 1978 UNDP/FAO team to December 21, when the University asked it to 1978. leave due to disagreements on future directions of the college. 4.08 Borrower to establish a tracer M Tracer system is established but system for representative sample first phase of study was not of project institutions and other completed until late 1978. schools by February 28, 1975. I Covenant Status: Ms met N not met P pending LIBERIA FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT - Cr. 305-LBR IMPLEMETATION SCHEDULE YEAR 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 QUARER I 2 3 4 2 13 2 1213 41 1V23 1 2 3 4 h 2131411 213 4 2 FY 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1986 3/30172 PROJECT DATES F OBoard 0 Effective date Angust 30, 1972 0 Closing date 3/1/78 A /j7/7Stgning*Effective date November 30, '1972 Closing date 12/3/78 Ø OrganizattIon of PIU/ F Project Programming A CIVIL WORKS Plans & Specifications F ") [ Prequalification, Tender- F E i¯]IO Ing & Contract Awards A Construction period F m -- _ _ A Cuarantee period F L A FURNITURE & EQUIPHENT Data preparation F n r- [J ]r-~~ Critersa A - o Lists & Bid Documents F EJCJ3[¯]~~ Preparation A Prequaltification, Tender- F h -- bid evalu tion Ing & Contract Awards A * - - - - Manufacturing, Delivery & F J Installation A Guarantee period F J TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE A. Speciallsts ()Project Uinit 3C][] 3C {] ]C] 3 ) ]C] ] ][] [ ] A (iil Other F ] 3 1 B. Fellowships F J F -b.recast Dec. 1979 A - Acinal 44 - ANNEX 3 Country: LIBERIA COMPLETION STUDY IBRD/IDA Education Projects Pays: ACHEVEMENT Projets Education BIRD/AID Project: EDUCATION I Projec__ COMPARISION OF ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED AND ACTUALLY Form Projet: III PROVIDED GROSS CONSTRUCTION AREAS Fiche Credit: COMPARAISON ENTRE LES SURFACES Loan: Crdit: No. Cr. 305 LBR BRUTES PREVUES ET CONSTRUITES Pit: (rn2/sq.1 ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTED AREAS FOR PREMISES ORIGINALLY REQUIRED' Actual Gros% SURFACES A CONSTRUIRE POUR LES INSTITUTION LOCAUX PREVUS* construction Areas for ETASLISSEMENTS OIF DIF. DIF. Apraisal Architectural Any Agreed Mevisions Completed Facilities Worksheets Programme architecturai Madiflcations 2/1 Surfaces orutes consuitae 3/1 3/2 a I'vaiuation 1 2 3 A. GROSS KRTTT (Et.-) 30 31,381 903 41.644 36 3T Dpm. qchnn1 15,2f Il 1 Sn -14 9 9015 Rl 113 Voiniama M.H.S. 65.690 68,690 5 81.622 24 19 Zwdrii M.H. - 6_s.__90 6ig.6q R 1622 .2i. 19 C.O.A.F._ 70,200 71,059 1 102, 797 6 TOTAL 247,440 252,970 335,700 36 331 B. NET KRTTI 40,870 39 625 43.374 6 9 Voinjama M.H.S. 55;380 '56;000 56,321 2 0 Zwedru M.H.S. 55,380 56,000 56,321 2 0 C.O.A.F. 63.470 60.179 69,614 10 16 TOTAL 215.050 211.804 225.630 * 7 C. NET ACADEMIC KRTTT (Ext) 4,630 7.340 6,486 0 .11 KRTTI (Dem) 10,350 8,750 11-959 15 37 Voiniama M.H.S- 17-780 61 041 -a,7A2 7 -2 Zwedru M.H.S. 37.780 41;041 40,24.5 7 - J C.O.A.F. 20,770 20,559 27.490 .32 34 111-110 118,731 126.421 6 Date: December 1979 'Asageed between the Government and IBRD/IDA Sheet 1 of 1 Sheets Tel quo convenu entre Ie Gouvernernent at la BIRD/AID Pegs do pages - 45 - ANNEX 4 Country: LIBERIA COMPLETION STUDY IBRIDIDA Education Projects Pays: ACHEVEMENT Projets Education BIRD/AID Project: EDC I COMPARISON OF ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED AND ACTUAL Form V Projet: UNIT AREAS AND UNIT COSTS FOR NEW INSTITUTIONS Fiche COMPARAISON ENTRE LES SURFACES ET COUTS Credit: Loan: N Cr. 305 LBR UNITAIRES PREVUS ET REELS POUR LES Cridit: Pr6t: ETABLISSEMENTS NOUVEAUX GROSS AREAS PER COSTS PER STUDENT PLACI OR LIVING UNITY STUDENT PLACE OR COUTS PAR PLACE D'ELEVS OU PAR LOGEMENTI/ TYPE/LEVEL OF INSTITUTION LIVING UNIT (in USE equivalent) Ien dollss EU) SURFACE BRUTE PAR PLACE O'ELEVE Buildings and Site Equionent and OU PAR LOGEMENT Development Furniture TOTAL TYPE/NIVEAU (m2/a*) Construction at VRO* Equioemant tMobller 0 L'STABLISSEMENT Original Actual Original Actual i Amm#;V Original Actual,1 Estrne"A Eatimat Esimat*.2 Estimate,, Prive Riett* PrevuaI Re* Prevul Prevus%l Relsl A. ACADEMIC AND COMMUNAL FACILITIES ENSEIGNEMENT ET SERVICES COMMUNS Sec. School (Zwedru) 80 95 1443 1707 340 499 1783 2206 Sec. School (Voingama) 80 95 1539 1797 340 499 1879 -IT 11niver,rity - Agri n 130 208 2630 4260 1469 1364 4099 56SnT B. STUDENTS' BOARDING FACILITIES INTERNAT Sec. School (Zwedru) 56 86 941 1375 100 100 1041 1475 Rp Schanl (Vnirniaal 56 86 1008 1447 1-00 100 1108 1547 u-1JrrutA (Agrir-) s 93 1228 187Z5 120 120 1348 1995 C. STAFF HOUSING LOGEMENTS 0 FONCTION See. School (Zwedru) 920 1134 12880 22990 - - 12880 22990 San. Srhnnl (vninjam) C)70 113. 1L800 24200 - - 13800 24200 University 907 1718 108_0 _1_U_ - - 10880 21U7 11 Excluding professional fees Honoraires non compris o.. December 1979 at Excluded Contingencies (US$ t. L non vus smentaon des prix 2/ Current Exchange Rate (US$ 1.0 .0 ) Taux do change actual (1,00 dollar EU *_ ) LIBERiA - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (Cr. 305-LBR) LI8ERIA IanDIODA Education Projects EDUCATION I COMPARISONOFORIGINALLYESTIMATEDCOSTSANDACTUALCOTSIN - USS Proj.ts Educ"tion BIRU/If0 Projet fw. L.4A, COMPARAISON ENTRE LES COUTS PREVUS ET EFFECTIFS EN DE N. Cr. 305 LBR redIit C,.d.t. CONSTOCT.ON AND SiT¯E Q£VEkOPMENT FUNNITU'Z AND EQUIPMNT PfloøffsONAL FRØ TECNNICA. AUSISTANCE coNSTuCo r v0O MOSI ET EOUIPÉMENT WENo 1A0 AS114TANCE T4 NIGU0 & loe É <,. 0,1 E-Éooo c~~4 .1, t... Ae-4 0, £..n -- I ..0%t. agt-J. b,,0 C-~ £-@oO~. od -2 3 1 2 3 w2 .. 3 2 3 2 1.TEACIlER TRAINING - a) TI (ht) 532.1 693.9 3.9 -k7.4 4--1 13 53.3 69 2 (720.4 (938.5 987.4 5 455.8 (69-f 69) - -472. 4 15 87 - 8784A QI. 1.1 Ib) ERTTI 11@im. 6rh.) 187.7 244.6 1L9 -22-A, L 2£ - 18.7 -24- --224. 29L3 1.2 W.Y.S. Tumn T.C. - - - - 50.0 2.5 Z3-a -2L. . 1,3 Y.T.C. ydepa - 2L0 31,3 - - - - 210 241 5 206 25 272 50.6 _8 W.U.S. Tubman H.S. 2. SWOND~kY EDUCATIN 2.1 Vujiama 1ji.S. 1240.1 1616.( 1562.4 -3 218.9 274.0 359. 31 124. ML2 277J5 12 250.0 --- 2-.S 185,6 - j 3 2338,7 23847 22 2.2 Zwedru H,lE, 1161.4 1513.; 1564.2 3 218.9 274.0 359. 33 152.1 22LB 83 250.0 - - 3 24 3. ULGER EDUCATIN .1 .C...F. 1163.0 1515.8 1850.6 22 317.8 397.4 296.8 -25 151.2 3.37-3 2 - - 15.91 2064-4 248- 20 3.2 Univ. plan. griup -- - - - - - - - 62.5 30 2360 -22 26 3 j23 -2 4. MANPOWER & ED. PLANNING _4.1 Manpower planning group - -- - - -- .. 8 4.2 EduuatLion plauniag gruup - - - - - - - - 220.0 -310.5 2-9.aL -LM 279 10 5. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION 5.1 Pr.ject Unit - - - - - - 630.0 724.0 651.2 10 -630.0 -724.0 2 TOTALS 4284.9 55840 5964.3 7 886.4 11a9.0 1 57.3 - 428-4 558. 1068.. 91 2030.0 2134.0 1993.6 -1 7630.0 85.0 10183.5 6 - --n r-o-I U5s1 00 - s U D ^S- S 0De wber 1979 1...odcang AIÉ,vIluoo 101o1., E *Acu,1 IouI EU ynI D . .,,.t ao. d rage page (I- - 47 - LIBERIA - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (Cr.305-LBR) ANNEX 6 Technical Assistance Comparison of Estimated and Actual Schedule and Costs Man-Months Cos: US$'000 Startine Date A. SPECIALISTS Estia.ted ActualI Estimated Actual Estimated Actual Manpower Planning Unit Manpower Economist (Chief of Group) 18 18 06/01/72 04/73 Labor Market Spec. 18 " 09/01/73 Statistician 18 30 " 09/01/73 Sub-Total 54 48 181.1 195.7 - Education Planning Unit Education Planner 36 24 09/01/72 01/73 Education Statistician 24 48 09/01/72 04/25/73 Economist 12 0 09/01/73 -- School Building SpeciaL 12 19 09/01/73 05/01/73 Techn./Voc. Planner 19 06/74 Sub-Total 84 110 310.5 319.4 Technical Teacher Training Teacher Training Spec. (Chief) 42 36 01/01/73 09/16/73 Teacher Training Spec. 30 14 01/01/74 05/19/75 Sub-Total 72 50 241.5 174.7 Secondary Education School Administrator 72 0 03/01/74 - - Agricultural Specs. 48 37 06/01/74 12/01/77 Technical Specs. 48 33 06/01/74 05/79 Sub-Total 168 70 575.0 371.2 University Planning Unit University Planner (Chief) 24 24 06/01/73 01/06/75 Academic Planners Finance Specialists ) 60 Various " Various Architect Specialists) Short Short Short Term Consultants) Term 24 Term Sub-Total 84 48 301.9 236,0 Project Unit Deputy Director 60 68 03/01/72 11/01/72 Architect 48 67 03/01/72 11/01/72 Accountant 60 60 03/01/72 05/01/73 Procurement Specs. 48 12 03/01/72 04/01/73 Sub-Total 216 207 724.0 651.3 TOTAL SPECIALISTS 678 533 (2,309) 1,948.3 B. FELLOWSHIPS Secondary Education Principals (2) 24 12 06/01/74 01/01/74 Educ. Planners (2) 24 12 01/01/73 09/01/73 Educ. Statisticians (2) 24 24 06/01/72 07/01/73 2/75 Educ. Economist (1) 12 12 03/01/74 09/01/74 Total Fellowships 84 60 (25.0) 45.3 GRAND TOTAL. 762 593 2,334.0 1,993.6 LIBERIA - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT - Cr. 305-LBR) DISBURSEMENT SCHEDULE M.1. US$ 8.0 .e--*---4 Disbursement iAppralsal, 7.0 .,z££2£åi -----~ .irsemen Actual 6.o. CIVIL WORKS DELAY 5.0 ..... _...._m.mm .m m mm m ApPRAISED 4.0 - -QT__T_CFMTNT EFFECT IVE 3.0 DTSBURS =NT 2.0 - 1.0 Dec, 1979 lq21735 17E 9712R17 1980 FYFY FY 75 FY FY FY F74 F- --77 FY78 FY79 FY8 LIBERIA - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT - (Cr. 305-LBR) Enrollments - Project Institutions Voinjama Multilateral High School Zwedru Multilateral High School 1978 1979 1978 1979 Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Grade 7 - 203 125 33 158 65 27 92 37 17 54 Grade 8 - 197 '124 36 160 48 16 64 62 28 90 Grade 9 - - 225 126 38 164 83 25 108 64 26 90 Junior High School Sub-Total - - 625 375 107 482 196 68 264 163 71 234 Grade 10 - - 197 173 40 213 121 21 142 106 26 132 Grade 11 - - 194 131 28 159 61 10 71 100 18 118 Grade 12 - - 126 132 17 149 23 1 24 44 9 53 0 Senior High School Sub-Total - - 517 436 85 521 205 32 237 250 53 303 Totals - - 1142 811 192 1003 401 100 501 413 124 537 Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute Demonstration School - KRTTI 1978 1979 1978 1979 Pre-Service Male Female Total Male Female Total Junior 142 14 156 160 15 175 Grade 1 48 52 2 54 51 Senior 104 6 110 130 12 142 3 43 47 Sub-Total 246 20 266 290 27 317 4 52 40 5 53 45 In-Service 6 47 36 Senior - - 16 2 18 7 41 51 8 33 39 9 25 42 O 2 18 40 3 434 Total 396 403 LIBERIA - FIRST EDUCATION PROJECT (Cr. 305-LBR) UTILIZATION OF NEW ACCOMDDATIONS Teaching Facilities Boarding Facilities Staff Houses Projected Actual Projected Actual Projected Actual No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of Users Users Users Users Users Users MLHS (Zwedru) 600 527 150 150 10 10 MLHS (Voinjama) 600 1003 150 150 10 10 College of Agriculture and Forestry 200 315 200 150 30 30 Rural Teacher Training Institute (Kakata) 300 317 160 160 14 14 Demonstration School (KRTTI) 240 403 - - 2 2 - 51 - ANNEX 10 LIBERA Education I - Cr. 305-LBR Recurrent Unit Costs of Major Project Institutions US$ Institutes/ 3/ Category of Expenditure COAF KRTTI VMHS ZMHS Personnel 546,370 167,546 368,472 345,588 Other Services 114,780 22,915 10,950 11,622 Materials and Supplies - 13,132 33,963 36,075 (a) Sub-total Instructional Costs (661,150) (203,593) (413,385) (393,285) Student Maintenance - 171,512 71,000 69,500 (b) Sub-total Instructional and Student Maintenance Costs (661,150) (375,105) (484,385) (462,785) Student Stipends - 34,500 - - (c) Total Costs including Stipends as appropriate 661,150 409,605 484,385 462,785 Enrollment 288 327 1003 501 Recurrent Unit Costs: (a) Instructional Costs 2,300 620 412 785 (b) Instructional and Student Maintenance Costs - 1,150 482 923 (c) Total, including Stipends 1,250 - 1/ Source: COAF - Refers to budgeted expenditure for 1978/79. Does not include any of the costs of central administration of the university or costs shown in the central university budget, such as student maintenance. 2/ Source: KRTTI - Refers to revised budget estimates for 1978/79. Student maintenance costs include food and drugs. 3/ Source: VMHS - Refers to budgeted expenditure for 1979/80. Student maintenance costs include food and drugs. 4/ Source: ZMRS - Refers to revised budget estimates for 1978/79. Student maintenance costs include food and drugs.