Announcement of Third Education Project in Sierra Leone to be Assisted by IDA on May 5, 1983

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.• Telephone: (202) 477-1234 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 83/69 Co9~act: Pamela Brennan May 5, 1983 (202) 477-3293 THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT IN SIERRA LEONE TO BE ASSISTED BY IDA Primary school children in Sierra Leone will benefit from an education project to be supported by a credit of SDR 18.5 million ($20 million) from the International Development Association (IDA). Th~ credit from the World Bank's affiliate for concessionary lending will help improve primary teacher training and provide over 1 million textbooks. Over a six-year period, 500 classrooms for about 22,500 primary school students will be constructed and equipped. In addition, 66 houses will be built for staff and 125,000 teachers' guides will be supplied. All class- rooms are in schools located in remote rural areas, mainly in the northern part of the country where only 20-30% of school age children attend school. A new Teachers Training College will be built in Freetown, the • capital, to train over 400 students in a three-year program • Workshops for administrative and educational staff in primary education at the central, regional, and local level will be financed under the project. The Ministry of Education will also be provided with specialist services, fellowships for staff training, and equipment. The Republic of Sierra Leone will contribute the equivalent of $5.4 million toward the project and the Overseas Development Administration (U.K.) is expected to fund the textbook component at a cost of about $2 million. The IDA credit is for 50 years, including 10 years of grace; it carries no interest but has a small service charge (0.5% on the undisbursed balances of the credit and 0.75% on the disbursed balances). NOTE:· IDA credits are denominated in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), which are valued on the basis of a "basket" of currencies. The U.S. dollar equivalent of the SDR amount of the IDA credit reflects the exchange rates existing at the time of the negotiation of the credit • •