Central African Republic - Second Education Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. P-3524-CA REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ON A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT CREDIT OF SDR 10.1 MILLION TO THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FOR A SECOND EDUCATION PROJECT April 21, 1983 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit = CFA Franc (CFAF) US$1.00 = CFAF 355 1/ CFAF 1 million = US$2,820 ACRONYMS DCEBS = Direction de la Construction et de l'Entretien des Batiments Scolaires (Department of Construction, Repair and Maintenance of School Buildings) DEPS = Direction des Etudes et de la Planification (Planning Unit) INEF Institut National d'Education et de Formation (National Institute of Education and Training) MINEDUC = Ministere de l'Education Nationale (Ministry of Education) SCBS = Service de Construction des Batiments Scolaires (School Construction Service) SEBS = Service d'Entretien des Batiments Scolaires (School Maintenance Service) CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC'S FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 1/ The CFA Franc (CFAF) is tied to the French Franc (FF) at the ratio of FF 1 to CFAF 50. The French Franc is presently floating.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC SECOND EDUCATION PROJECT CREDIT AND PROJECT SUMMARY Borrower: Central African Republic Amount: SDR 10.1 million (US$11.0 million equivalent) Terms: Standard Project The major objectives of the proposed project would be (i) to Description: strengthen the Government's capacity for education planning and financing, as well as for project implementation and evaluation and (ii) to improve the quality of primary education in rural areas. The project would include the following components: (a) strengthening the Government's capacity to build, repair, and maintain school buildings; (b) reconstruction and/or rehabilitation and furnishing of about 300 primary school classrooms; construction of about 100 houses for primary school principals in remote rural areas; and distribution of educational materials and textbooks to primary schools in three regions of the country, covering approximately 54,000 students and 800 teachers; and (c) technical assistance, specialists' services, and fellowships to strengthen education planning, establish a capacity for the evaluation of national education programs, and prepare future education projects. Benefits The proposed project should result in a more efficient use of and Risks: scarce Government resources for school repair, maintenance, and construction. Over the longer term, substantial savings should result from protection of existing capital investments in edu- cation facilities. The project should also have short- and long-term educational benefits. It should encourage the devel- opment in the CAR of an institutional framework for introducing quality improvements in the education system. By strengthening education and human-resource planning, the project should increase the return on investments in education by improving the link between the needs of the developing economy and the outputs of its education system and by using existing resources more efficiently. Project implementation faces two important risks. First, the Government's Department of Construction, Repair and Maintenance of School Buildings may find it difficult to implement the proposed civil works program efficiently because of a lack of adequate numbers of local contractors with competent personnel and appropriate equipment. Second, any major difficulty in recruiting and training local staff for the Planning Unit could unduly delay implementation of the education planning component. Project design and preparation include appropriate measures to hold these risks to a minimum. 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 Project Costs (net of taxes): 1/ Tocal Foreign Total