Benin - Second Education Project

Document of FIL C PY The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. P-3278-BEN REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ON A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CREDIT TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BENIN SECOND EDUCATION PROJECT April 22, 1982 This document bas a restricted distributon and may be used by recipients only in the peforance of O their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank outhorlgation.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit = CFAF US$1.00 CFAF 270 1/ CFAF 1,000 US$3.7 CFAF 1,000,000 = UJS$3,704 FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 km kilometer = 0.62 miles 1 km2 square kilometer = 0.39 square miles 1 m meter = 3.28 feet 1 m2 square meter = 10.26 square feet LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ADB African Development Bank BEPC Brevet d'Etudes Premier Cycle CEAP Certificat d'Aptitude Pedagogique CPPE Centre de Perfectionnement du Personnel des Entreprises DEP Direction des Etudes et de la Planification EEC European Economic Community ENI Ecole Normale Integree ENS Ecole Normale Superieure GRVC Groupement Revolutionnaire a Vocation Cooperative GTZ German Agency for Technical Cooperation INFRE Institut National de la Formation et de la Recherche en Education JIR Jeunes Instituteurs Revolutionnaires MACP Ministry of Literacy Training and Culture MDRAC Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperative Action MEBM Ministry of Pre-Primary and Primary Education MEMGTP Ministry of General Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education MESRS Ministry of Higher Education and Research MTAS Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNDP United Nations Development Programme 1/ The CFA Franc (CFAF) is tied to the French Franc (FF) in the ratio of FF 1 to CFAF 50. The French Franc is currently floating.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BENIN SECOND EDUCATION PROJECT CREDIT AND PROJECT SUMMARY Borrower: The People's Republic of Benin Amount: SDR 12.2 million; (US$14 million equivalent) Terms: Standard IDA terms Co-financing: Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation - US$3.5 million equivalent German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) - US$4.7 million equivalent Project Description: The main objective of the proposed project is to assist the government in improving the quality of primary and lower secondary education. The proposed project would comprise: (a) construction, equipment, and staff training for three integrated teacher colleges for primary and lower secondary teacher education with a total enrollment of about 1,190 students, (b) construction, equipment, and staff training for a textbook production and distribution program with an average annual output over the project implementation period of 470,000 books, and (c) staff training, equipment and operating costs for project management and evaluation, and specialist services for identification and preparation of future education projects. Benefits and Risks: The project would focus on improving the quality and efficiency of primary and lower secondary education. It would accomplish these by upgrading the standard of teacher training, increasing the annual output of teachers for the primary and lower secon- dary level from 800 to 935, and by establishing a national textbook program. The project would also allow government to orient secondary education more toward priority manpower require- ments by establishing new training programs for teachers of vocational, technical and agricultural subjects. Over the longer term, the project would help to improve the efficiency of the educational system by reducing drop-out and repetition and thus lowering the cost per graduate. The main risks to the project stem from the lack of adequately prepared local staff to operate the teacher training colleges and manage the construction component. Provision of technical assistance and IDA review requirements have, however, significantly reduced these risks. 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.  - ii - Estimated Costs: (net of taxes) Local Foreign Total