Zambia - Third, Fourth, and Fifth Education Projects

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No. 13158 PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) FIFTH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) JUNE 15, 1994 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. ABBREVIATIONS AVC Audio-Visual Center CCU Correspondence Course Unit CDC Curriculum Development Center CCHS Chainama College of Health Sciences (formerly Chainama Hills Health Training Center) CO Clinical Officer DTEVT Department of Technical Education and Vocational Training DAMRD Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Rural Development ECZ Examinations Council of Zambia EHC Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce ENMS Enrolled Nurses and Midwives School ESC Educational Services Center FI Farm Institute FTC Farmer Training Center GNC General Nursing Council JSS Junior Secondary School MHE Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology MOE Ministry of Education, or Ministry of General Education and Culture MPTW Ministry of Power, Transport and Works NORAD Norwegian Agency for International Development OED Operations Evaluation Department PCR Project Completion Report PIU Project Implementation Unit PTA Parent Teacher Association SAGS School of Agricultural Sciences SAR Staff Appraisal Report SDR Special Drawing Rights SSS Senior Secondary School T and V Training and Visit (extension method) TTC Teacher Training College TTI Trade Training Institute UNZA University of Zambia ZEPIU Zambia Education Projects Implementation Unit FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY THE WORLD BANK Washington, D.C. 20433 U.S.A. Office of Director-General Operations Evaluation June 15, 1994 MEMORANDUM TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND THE PRESIDENT SUBJECT: Performance Audit Report on Zambia Third, Fourth, and Fifth Education Projects (Loans 900-ZA and 1356-ZA Credit 1251-ZA) Attached is the Performance Audit Report on Zambia--Third, Fourth, and Fifth Education Projects (Loans 900-ZA and 1356-Za, Credit 1251-ZA) prepared by the Operations Evaluation Department. The three projects aimed at supporting components throughout Zambia's education system, from university to primary education, plus education management and support services. Despite some reductions in scope, the outcomes of the Third and Fourth projects are rated as satisfactory. This cannot be said of the Fifth Project which was carried out under rapidly deteriorating macroeconomic conditions leading to an early Credit Closing in the wake of a general suspension of disbursements. In all three projects a modest amount of institution building was achieved. The audit is in general agreement with the three PCRs. Some of the problems and shortcomings of the projects have come into sharper focus in recent years and are dealt with in greater detail. Recurrent funding has been a major issue throughout implementation and thereafter. Despite progress made by some project institutions in broadening their financial base, sustainability of the three projects remains uncertain. Attachment 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.  FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) FIFTH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) CONTENTS PREFACE BASIC DATA SHEETS m EVALUATION SUMMARY xx I. BACKGROUND 1 Introduction 1 Historical Perspectives 2 Project Objectives and Content 2 Project Costs 3 Implementation Plan 3 H. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 3 III. PROJECT OUTCOMES 6 Medical Training 6 Agricultural Education 6 Secondary Schools and Teacher Training Colleges 7 Educational Services Center 7 Maintenance Program 8 Business Education 8 Primary Schools 9 IV. FINDINGS, LESSONS AND ISSUES 9 Overview 9 Findings in Relation to Categories of Inputs 10 Lessons Drawn from Components 11 Issues 13 Annex 1 17 This audit was prepared by Hans Heinrich Thias, Senior Evaluation Officer, and David Gooday, Consultant. Therese Mackle provided administrative support. 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.  i PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) FIFTH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) PREFACE This is a Performance Audit Report (PAR) of three education projects supported by the Bank Group over the period from August 1973 to March 1988. The Third Education Project (Loan 900-ZA), for which a loan of US$33 million 1 was approved in May 1973, was closed in March 1983 after two postponements amounting to 42 months to allow additional physical components to be completed. The Fourth Education Project (Loan 1356-ZA) was approved in December 1976 for US$13.3 million and was closed on schedule in March 1983, at the same time as the Third Education Project, with savings of US$4.72 million being cancelled. The Fifth Education Project (Credit 1251-ZA), for which a credit of US$25 million (SDR 22.2 million) was approved in May 1982, was suspended in May 1987 as part of a general suspension of disbursements to Zambia. The credit account was closed in March 1988 with an undisbursed balance of US$14.97 million (SDR 13.292 million or 60%) being cancelled. The PAR is based on several sources: (a) the three Project Completion Reports (PCRs) issued as OED Reports Nos. 5551 (March 27, 1985); 5552 (March 27, 1985); and 10677 (May 28, 1992); (b) a review of files and documents relevant to the three projects, including Staff Appraisal Reports, Loan and Credit Agreements, correspondence files and studies financed by the projects; (c) discussion with Bank staff who had been involved with implementation; and (d) an OED mission to Zambia in November 1993 during which 22 project-assisted institutions were visited. The audit mission is in general agreement with the findings of the Project Completion Reports on the three projects, though the perspective of time has altered some of the conclusions and reinforced others. Following standard procedures, copies of the draft PAR were sent to the Borrower for comment on March 10, 1994. The Examinations Council of Zambia sent comments dated April 20, 1994 which are reproduced in full as Annex 1 and which are reflected in a text revision. The Kingdom of Norway subsequently provided a grant of USS11 million for technical assistance, and the Bank loan was reduced by this amount to US$22 million (all references to the Bank's loan amount in the text and tables of this report are in US$ equivalent).  iii PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) BASIC DATA SHEET KEY PROJECT DATA Item Appraisal Actual estimate Total project cost (US$ million) 40.08 39.51 Cost underrun (in US$ terms) - 1% Loan amount (US$ million) ' 33.00 1 33.00 Disbursed, September 30, 1979 - 22.00 (original closing date) Disbursed, November 9, 1983' 33.00 33.00 (last disbursement) Repaid, September 1993 12.49 Outstanding, September 1993 9.51 Date original physical components completed 12f78 9/79 Months since credit signature 66 75 Time overrun (%) 14 Date additional physical components completed 3/83 3/83 Months since credit signature 66 117 Time overrun (%) 77 I Including US$11 million grant from the Kingdom of Norway. CUMULATIVE ESTIMATED AND ACTUAL DISBURSEMENTS (US$ Million) FY74 FY75 FY76 FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 FY81 FY82 FY83 FY84 Appraisal estimate 1.0 6.0 15.1 25.1 31.9 32.7 33.0 Actual 1.2 4.3 12.4 17.1 22.4 23.7 24.0 25.0 30.6 33.0 Actual/estimate (%) 20 28 49 54 69 72 73 76 93 100 iv OTHER PROJECT DATA Item Original Revisions Actual Plan First mentioned in files 2/71 Government's application 7/72 Appraisal mission 10/11/72 Negotiations 04/23/73 04/27/73 Board approval 05/3103 05/31/73 Loan agreement 06/06/73 06/06/73 Effectiveness 08/09/73 08/09n3 Closing 09/30/79 03/31/80 03/31/83 03/31/83 Borrower Republic of Zambia Executing agencies Ministries of Education; Power, Transport and Works MISSION DATA Type of mission Sent by Month/ No. of Staff Date of Year Persons Weeks Report Identification FAO/Bank 8/71 6 18.8 09/30/71 Preparation UNESCO/ 06/07/72 5 17 08/16/72 Bank/FAO Appraisal Bank 10-11/72 7 25 05/09/72 Supervision 1 Bank 7/73 2 (A,AG) 3.4 09/24/73 Supervision 2 Bank 1/74 1 (A) 2.0 03/15/74 Supervision 3 Bank 6-7/74 2 (A,GE) 6.8 09/18/74 Supervision 4 Bank 3/75 2 (A,AG) 4.0 05/09/75 Supervision 5 Bank 7/75 1 (E) 1.4 08/11/75 Supervision 6 Bank 10/75 3 (A,AG,GE) 4.2 10/15/75 Supervision 7 Bank 3-4/76 2 (A,AG) 6.8 05/14/6 Supervision 8 Bank 10/76 3 (A,E,CP) 8.4 11/16/76 Supervision 9 Bank 5-6/77 3 (A,GE,E) 11.4 07/14/77 Supervision 10 Bank 11-12/77 2 (A,TE) 5.2 02/1378 Supervision 11 Bank 5/78 4 (A,TE,E,G) 8.6 06/26/78 Supervision 12 Bank 1-2/79 2 (A,TE) 4.8 03/12/79 Supervision 13 Bank 9/79 3 (A,TE,E) 5.4 10/30/79 Supervision 14 Bank 3/80 4 (A,AG,TE,HE) 7.2 04/15/80 Supervision 15 Bank 10/80 3 (A,AG,TE) 6.0 12/01/80 Supervision 16 Bank 3/81 4 (A,GE,TE,E) 9.6 04/29/81 Supervision 17 Bank 10-11/81 2 (A,E) 2.8 12/28/81 Supervision 18 Bank 9-10/82 3 (A,TE,E) 5.6 11/18/82 Completion Bank 4-5/83 3 (A,TE,E) 5.1 03/27/85 Total 108.7 1 tis mision is not recorded in the files, only in the PCR. Maximum interval between missions: 10 months Minimum interval between missions: 3 months Average interval between missions: 6.5 months Codes See page ix below V STAFF INPUT (Staffweeks) FY71 FY72 FY73 FY74 FY75 FY76 FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 FY81 FY82 FY83-85 Preparation 18.8 17 Appraisal 25 Supervision 3.4 8.8 9.6 15.2 16.6 8.6 10.2 13.2 2.8 5.6 5.1 ALLOCATION OF LOAN PROCEEDS (US$)1 Category Original Revised Actual allocation allocation disbursement (Oct. 1980) I Civil works, including professional services 16,000,000 23,000,000 26,003,771 II Furniture 900,000 900,000 826,176 M Equipment, books and livestock 3,300,000 4,200,000 4,965,567 IV Technical assistance 2,800,000 100,000 30,701 V Project unit expenses 500,000 900,000 956,858 VI Imported construction materials - 2,100,000 216,927 VII Unallocated 9,500,000 1,800,000 - 33,000,000 33,000,000 33,000,000 Including USs11 million grant from Norway. vi FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) BASIC DATA SHEET KEY PROJECT DATA Item Appraisal Actual estimate Total Project Cost (US$ million) 23.17' 17.63 Cost underrun (in US$ terms) 24% Loan amount (US$ million) 13.30 13.30 Amount disbursed - 8.58 Cancelled 4.72 Repaid, September 1993 8.36 Outstanding, September 1993 0.22 Date physical components completed 9/30/82 3/31/83 Months since credit signature 69 75 Time overrun (%) 9 Including US$2.12 million grant from the Kingdom of Norway. CUMULATIVE ESTIMATED AND ACTUAL DISBURSEMENTS US$ Million FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 FY81 FY82 FY83 Appraisal estimate - 0.35 2.35 6.10 10.00 12.25 13.30 Actual - 0.10 0.82 4.60 6.45 7.32 8.58 Actual/estimate (%) - 29 35 75 65 59 65 OTHER PROJECT DATA Item Original Actual plan First mentioned in files 7n5 Government's application 1075 Appraisal mission 10/75 and 3/6 Negotiations 11/15/76 11/15n6 Board approval 12/21/76 12/2316 Loan agreement 01/17/7 Effectiveness 04/18177 03/08/77 Closing 03/31/83 03/31/83 Borrower Republic of Zambia Executing agency Ministry of Power, Transportation and Works vii MISSION DATA Type of Mission Sent by Month/ No. of Staff Date of Year Persons Weeks report Identification Bank 775 1 (AG) 2.0 0801i5 Preparation Bank 9n5 3 (AG,GE,A) 6.0 10/15n5 Appraisal Bank 10-1105 4 (A,GE,AG,E) 12.4 12/0176 Supervision 1 Bank 5-6/77 3 (A,GE,E) 11.4 07/14n7 Supervision 2 Bank 11-12n7 3 (A,TE,AG) 7.8 02/15n8 Supervision 3 Bank 5/78 3 (A,TE,E) 7.2 06/2078 Supervision 4 Bank 1-2,9 2 (ATE) 4.8 03/13/79 Supervision 5 Bank 9n9 3 (A,TE,E) 4.2 10/309 Supervision 6 Bank 3/80 3 (A,AG,TE) 5.1 04/15/80 Supervision 7 Bank 10/80 3 (A,AG,TE) 6.0 11/25/80 Supervision 8 Bank 3/81 4 (A,GE,TE,E) 9.6 04/29/81 Supervision 9 Bank 10-11/81 2 (A,E) 3.2 12/24/81 Supervision 10 Bank 9-10/82 3 (A,TE,E) 6.3 11/18/82 Completion Bank 4-5/83 3 (A,TE,E) 5.1 03/27/85 Codes: See page Ix below Maximum interval between missions: 10 months Minimum interval between missions: 5 months Average interval between missions: 6.5 months STAFF INPUT (Staftweeks) FY75 FY76 FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 FY81 FY82 FV85 Preparation 8 Appraisal 12.4 Supervision 11.4 15.0 9.0 11.1 12.8 6.3 5.1 ALLOCATION OF LOAN PROCEEDS (US$) Category Original Actual Allocation Disbursement 1. Civil works 3,450,000 4,506,724 2. Construction materials 1,800,000 258,324 3. Furniture, equipment and vehicles 2,220,000 3,044,748 4. Technical assistance and fellowships 2,400,000 80,377 5. Professional service, project administration and studies 730,000 691,768 6. Unallocated 2,700,000 - 13,300,000 8,581,941 viii FIFH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) BASIC DATA SHEET KEY PROJECT DATA Item Appraisal Actual estimate Total Project Cost (US$ million) 39.20 13.93 Cost underrun (in US$ terms) 65% Credit amount (US$ million) 25.00 25.00 Amount disbursed - 9.54 Cancelled 14.97 1 Repaid, September 1993 0.19 Outstanding, September 1993 12.40 Date physical components completed 9/87 2 Months since credit signature 63 59 Time underrun (%) 6 Discrepancy between the credit amount and the total of disbursed and cancelled is due to differing exchange rates between the US$ and Special Drawing Rights (SDR). 2 The credit was suspended on May 1, 1987 at which point only 38% was disbursed. CUMULATIVE ESTIMATED AND ACTUAL DISBURSEMENTS US$ Million FY83 FY84 FY85 FY86 FY87 FY88 Appraisal estimate 1.20 5.70 11.70 19.45 24.10 25.00 Actual 1.20 3.86 6.98 7.50 9.28 9.54 Actual/estimate (%) 100 68 60 39 38 38 OTHER PROJECT DATA Item Original Revised Actual plan Identification 5/77 8/77 Preparation 1/79 11/12/80 11/12/80 Appraisal mission 3/81 3/81 Negotiations 2/82 3/82 3/82 Board approval - 05/20/82 Credit signature 5/82 06/14/82 Effectiveness 9/82 09/14/82 Completion 9/87 - Closing 03/31/88 03/31/88 Borrower Republic of Zambia Executing agency Ministry of Power, Transportation and Works ax MISSION DATA Type of mission Sent by Month/ No. of Staff Date of Year Persons Weeks Report Identification IDA 05177 3 (A,E,EP) 6.4 09/07/77 Identification IDA 10/80 2 (A,TE) 2.8 11/24/80 Preparation UNESCO 11-12/80 2 (E,GE) 5.2 12/19/80 Appraisal IDA 03/81 4 (A,E,GE,TE) 10.4 04/20/82 Supervision 1 IDA 9-10/82 3 (A,E,TE) 4.4 11/12/82 Supervision 2 IDA 4-5/83 3 (A,E,TE) 5.1 06/08/83 Supervision 3 IDA 10/83 2 (A,TE) 1.8 12/16/83 Supervision 4 IDA 06/84 4 (A,E,GE,TE) 6.8 08/30/84 Supervision 5 IDA 10/84 3 (DC,A,OA) 6.0 12/05/84 Supervision 6 IDA 02/85 2 (A,OA) 3.8 04/02/85 Supervision 7 IDA 07/85 2 (A,OA) 2.8 09/09/85 Supervision 8 IDA 12/85 1 (A) 1.1 01/17/86 Supervision 9 IDA 02/86 2 (A,OA) 2.8 03/21/86 Supervision 10 IDA 10/86 2 (A,OA) 2.6 12/04/86 Supervision 11 IDA 11/87 1 (A) 1.0 N.A. Completion IDA 05/28/92 Codes used in all three projects: A - Architect; AG - Agricultural educator; CP - Central projects staff; DC - Division chief; E - Economist; EP - Educational planner GE = General educator; HE = Health educator; OA Operational assistant; TE - Technical educator. Maximum interval between missions: 13 months Minimum interval between missions: 2 months Average interval between missions: 5.6 months STAFF INPUT (Staffweeks) FY77 FY78 FY79 FY80 FY81 FY82 FY83 FY84 FY5 FY86 FY87 Preparation 6.4 9.0 Appraisal 10.4 Supervision 4.4 6.9 12.8 7.7 5.4 1.0 ALLOCATION OF LOAN PROCEEDS (Special Drawing Rights, SDR) Category Original Actual Allocation Disbursement 1. Civil works 8,000,000 4,965,568 2. Construction materials 5,330,000 1,139,687 3. Furniture, equipment and vehicles 1,500,000 1,399,577 4. Consultants services and project administration 600,000 440,079 5. Initial deposit in special account 1,070,000 962,758 6. Unallocated 5,700,000 - 22,200,000 8,907,669  x PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) FIFTH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) EVALUATION SUMMARY Introduction Objectives and Content 1. The five education projects financed by 3. The Third Education Project was the Bank Group in Zambia were completed appraised in May 1973 when economic condi- against a background of deteriorating eco- tions were already deteriorating. It set out to nomic conditions. This fact had by far the eliminate gaps in agricultural and medical most serious influence on the development training, correct the imbalance between the and maintenance of the Zambian educational modern and traditional sectors by strengthen- system during the period. ing farmer training, improve the efficiency of educational services and complement the First 2. There has been a high level of continuity Education Project's support for secondary and in the Bank's lending program in Zambia teacher training. (Chart 1). 4. The Fourth Education Project, appraised CHART 1: Zambia, Main Project Compo- in December 1976, aimed at strengthening nents, First To Fifth Projects educational support services; improving farmer (Subsectors/Activities) training in order to promote rural develop- ment; and developing business and commerce Project GED SET OTH skills. 1 SE TT - TCT 5. The Fifth Education Project, appraised in 2 UD - - April 1982, was to assist the Government to 3 UD TT ESS implement an educational reform emphasizing SE MT SM quality, equity and efficiency; to support high PS FT and middle level manpower training; and to 4 - BT ESS increase employment opportunities. FT 5 SE - SM Implementation Experience 6. The completion of the original compo- Key: GED-General educ.; SET-Specialized nents in the Third Project was only slightly ed./trg.; OTH-Other activities; SE-Secondary delayed. Elimination of the University School ed.; UD-University dev.; PS-Primary schools; of Agriculture component, as well as cost- TT-Teacher trg.; TCT-Techn. and craft trg.; efficient implementation released funds which MT-Medical trg.; FT-Farmer trg.; BT-Business were used to finance primary school construc- trg.; ESS-Educ. support services; SM-School tion and a school maintenance program. maintenance. These added components caused an additional xii delay of 3.5 years. The Fourth Project closed outcomes, but not the fifth. The parlous state on schedule. The Fifth started well, but of the Zambian economy during most of the disbursements became more and more delayed, implementation period was the main reason principally due to a lack of counterpart for the discrepancies between appraisal funding, until disbursements to Zambia were expectations and actual results. Institutional suspended in May 1987. Loan/Credit condi- development objectives were partially met in tions were generally complied with, except for all three projects. occasional lapses in the area of reporting, and for the more tenacious problem of shortfalls in 9. Of five project institutions visited, one counterpart funds. experienced unused capacities but the others had to cope with the opposite problem: mas- 7. Some original project components were sive over-enrollment which put severe strains not implemented. The University School of on their infrastructure and affected educa- Agriculture (Third Project) was eliminated tional quality. In some cases, excess enroll- because of a Government decision to change ment was the consequence of a deviation from the school location (leading to costs exceeding the original project design (e.g., conversion of the appraisal estimate). The nurses and mid- junior secondary to full secondary schools). wives training programs at Mansa and Kabwe are each offering only one of the two 10. The Educational Services component programs they were expected to teach. The brought together the Zambia Library Service, Fellowships for medical education were not the Audio-Visual Center, the Examinations used, and those in agricultural education given Council, the Curriculum Development Center, to students in faculties outside the project. the Correspondence Course Unit, the The survey of the construction industry Instructional Resources Center and the (Fourth Project) was not carried out due to Printing Services Unit. The envisaged sharing industry resistance. The fellowship program at of resources worked initially but at the time of Evelyn Hone College (40 staff years) was not the audit there was little evidence of coopera- used, the College administration being tion between these units. The individual units unaware of it. At no time has there been a while run by dedicated staff, lacked the secretarial course at Mansa, as stated in the resources to be very productive. There is a PCR. Training programs at the other Trade clear need for firm and effective coordination. Training Institutes could not be verified except Kabwe where they were being conducted as 11. The audit mission visited three farmer expected. The farmer training program was to training centers and a farm institute. They be supported by technical assistance, but the were generally run-down, with almost no prac- Dutch team had to work in isolation and thus tical work on crops and livestock and with failed to achieve the appraisal objectives. Only residential housing for farmer training all but 3 of the 8 junior secondary schools to be empty. The role of these institutions in the constructed under the Fifth Project were current system of extension and training seems completed; bureaucratic delays between 1983 to be marginal at best. and 1986 prevented the others from being sufficiently advanced to permit local 12. The PCRs for both Third and Fifth completion by the time disbursements were Projects extolled the success of the suspended in 1987. maintenance program which had rehabilitated 24 secondary schools during the Third Project Results and 69 schools by the end of the Fifth. However, the audit mission found that 8. On balance, the third and fourth projects although the Maintenance Unit was still can be said to have achieved satisfactory operational and funded under the Sixth xiii Project for rehabilitation of primary schools, strong demand for trained personnel, but there was no activity whatever at the second- competition from the private sector is ary level. This is particularly regrettable in increasing. There is a satisfactory view of the great investments made and the program in secretarial training at Kabwe, existence of an effectively managed unit. The but no course at Mansa, despite a last remaining source of funding ceased in reported high demand. June 1993 when NORAD discontinued sup- port. OPEC and AfDB are supporting reha- (e) Two of the primary schools constructed bilitation of primary schools in addition to the with Third Project funding and included Bank. in the field visits had Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) which took their 13. The remaining components were each responsibility seriously, having supported by only one project. Their situation constructed brick walls for school can be summed up as follows: protection, teachers houses, and burglar bars on classrooms, as well as repairing (a) The Enrolled Nurses School (Mansa) furniture and equipment. and Enrolled Midwives School (Kabwe) were operating under very difficult conditions. The Kabwe Hospital was Sustainability judged by the General Nursing Council to be inadequate for nurse training, and 14. Since these projects were implemented confinement facilities at Mansa were over a period when recurrent funding grew judged unsuitable for midwifery training; ever more scarce, sustainability has become the consequently, these courses were not most important issue. Not until the early being offered. The kitchen facilities had 1990s was the need for a total re-thinking of never been finished, but had recently recurrent education financing realized. been painted after lying unused for eight Excellent though the maintenance program is, years. it has come to a complete stop for secondary schools now that foreign aid has been (b) Chainama College of Health Sciences is curtailed. However, there is clear evidence now a para-statal and is benefitting from that institutions and communities are realizing this status by using income to renovate that it is no longer within the power of the and improve facilities. It was the most Government to provide the support they were successful project-assisted institution accustomed to, and that they must therefore seen by the audit mission. assume an increased share of financial responsibilities. For example, Chainama (c) The University School of Agriculture College is charging fees to be used for college was deleted from the Third Project, but maintenance. Chalimbana TIrC has developed Bank funding was used to build some a unit to generate funds for college operation. laboratories and provide equipment, The secondary schools supported by the Fifth much of which was still fully functional Project had their communities trucking fire- at the time of the field visit. wood for the kitchen oven, a substitute for the expensive electric stoves. PTAs are raising (d) The achievements of the business funds for school development and mainte- training component in the Fourth nance. Project were limited. At Evelyn Hone College, enrollment targets were being 15. Some project-supported institutions met but at the price of a high level of appear to have outlived their usefulness. For wastage--around 50 percent. There is a example, the farmer training centers constitute xiv a continuing drain on very scarce recurrent 18. The PCRs did not focus sufficiently on funds, while the main effort of the Depart- some project deficiencies. These are (a) non- ment of Agriculture is concentrating on the use of fellowships; (b) under-utilization of T&V extension method. certain institutions, and courses planned at appraisal but not started; (c) lack of educators 16. Most sections of the Educational Services on Bank supervision missions (particularly in Center are well staffed, with a clear mandate, the last three years of the Fifth Project); but are hindered from achieving very much by (d) failure, in some cases, to address the lack of recurrent funding. If the ESC is to be constraints identified at appraisal (junior made more effective, all its parts need to be secondary schools became full secondary drawn together to work as an entity, as envis- schools instead of improving basic education); aged at appraisal. Future funding of this and (e) overcrowding of secondary schools; of other segments of Zambia's education sys- (f) deficiencies in provision of basic infra- tem should follow the basic principle that structure at many institutions; and (g) local communities should do for themselves what design faults. they can, but major educational developments and centralized activities should remain a 19. The main lessons are: Governmental responsibility. To sum up, while a few project institutions have made (a) projects should be designed to support progress in broadening their financial basis, community and institutional efforts to overall sustainability of the three projects generate funds to meet operational costs remains uncertain, given the unsettled state of and develop further infrastructure to the the country's economy. extent possible; (b) more vigorous efforts should be made to Findings and Lessons find candidates for fellowships to boost institution building; 17. In the light of the difficult external circumstances, the three projects achieved (c) supervision missions should aim at considerable infrastructural development; most striking the proper balance between of the current problems are due to the lack of adherence to the basic objectives and recurrent funding. The overall balance design of a project and the necessary between centrally-based and community-based flexibility to adjust to changing economic components is satisfactory, but future projects or educational conditions; should concentrate on central needs (educa- tional support services, teacher training, (d) when closing project accounts following business, health education and the like) leaving suspension of disbursements, enough communities to provide local school infra- time should be left to satisfy pre-existing structure as best they can. claims by contractors and suppliers. PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT ZAMBIA THIRD EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 900-ZA) FOURTH EDUCATION PROJECT (LOAN 1356-ZA) FIFTH EDUCATION PROJECT (CREDIT 1251-ZA) I. BACKGROUND Introduction 1.1 This Performance Audit Report (PAR) examines the background, implementation and outcomes of a group of education projects financed by the Bank Group in Zambia over a period ranging from 20 years ago until about 6 years ago; these were the Third, Fourth and Fifth Education Projects. The most recent project closure was in 1987, over 6 years prior to the audit. The Project Completion Reports (PCRs) for the two older projects were prepared in 1985, over 8 years ago. It has thus been possible to view the outcomes of these projects from a broader perspective than was possible immediately after they were completed, and to draw conclusions about the contributions made by the projects to educational development in Zambia. 1.2 The present document does not attempt to repeat what has already been covered in detail in the PCRs. It attempts to verify those findings or comment on changes which lead to somewhat different conclusions in the light of the changed circumstances in Zambia. The political and economic conditions have changed markedly even since the projects were completed and these new circumstances may give rise to new opportunities. The sharp downturn in the copper- based sector has emphasized the overwhelming importance of agriculture in the Zambian econ- omy, and the need for a much higher level of self-reliance within communities served by educa- tional establishments. Where schools and other educational or training institutions have in the past looked to the Government for support in maintenance or expansion of facilities, communities are clearly beginning to realize that they have to achieve these necessary objectives from their own effort and resources. This leads to the conclusion that external assistance in development should encourage communities to do as much for themselves as they can, while they themselves should support and develop those activities which are clearly beyond the scope of communities and parents, such as curriculum development, teacher training and educational planning. 1.3 Several components appear in more than one project. It seems logical to consider each of them as an entity rather than in the context of the projects to which they belong. These components are secondary education and teacher training (Third and Fifth Projects); farmer training (Third and Fourth); educational services (Third and Fourth); and school maintenance (Third and Fifth). Other elements include medical training (Third Project); primary school construction (Third); commercial training (Fourth); and studies (all three projects). The audit therefore deals with the projects individually but briefly, with the main emphasis on the components. 2 Historical Perspectives 1.4 Development and implementation of the three projects reviewed here started a few years after Zambia's independence in 1964 (first mention of the Third Project was January 15, 1971). The economy was dominated by the copper industry which supported about half the population. The agricultural sector was markedly dualistic consisting of a commercial sector concentrated along the rail line and dominated by expatriates, and the traditional sector which was small scale and largely neglected. 1.5 In the early 1970s, copper prices fell drastically. In response, the Government's development plans aimed at raising the productivity of traditional agriculture and diversifying the economy to make it less dependent on copper. They also aimed at a rapid rise in educational levels and development of technical and managerial skills as well as improvements in social wel- fare. Achievement of these objectives was made difficult by the low population density, about 6 per km' in 1973 and substantially less if the heavily populated copperbelt and Lusaka were discounted. 1.6 The Bank's first intervention in the educational system in Zambia (Loan 592-ZA) for US$17.4 million, approved in April 1969, supported secondary and technical education. It was completed in March 1979, 4.5 years behind schedule. The PCR pointed out that, although the objectives were basically achieved, problems arose from the wide dispersion of a large number of institutions (70); another criticism concerned the neglect of introducing new curricula. The Second Project (Loan 645-ZA) was approved in November 1969 for US$5.4 million and provided extensions to the University of Zambia (UNZA) Schools of Engineering and Education. Some savings were used for the UNZA School of Agricultural Sciences (SAGS) and the project was satisfactorily completed in March 1979. Project Objectives and Content 1.7 The Third Project was originally identified as a mainly agricultural education project with 235 agricultural training institutions being assisted. At appraisal however this had changed to support for (a) 13 health training institutions: the Chainama Hills Health Training Center; 6 rural health centers; the School of Nursing at the University's teaching hospital; a Health Services Training School at Ndola; and 4 schools for enrolled nurses and midwives; (b) a much smaller agricultural training component: the SAGS at UNZA (see para. 1.6); 7 farmer training centers (FTCs), 3 farm institutes (FIs) and 2 rural mobile training units; (c) an educational services center (ESC) in Lusaka to consolidate 5 entities: the Ministry's Correspondence Course Unit (CCU), Curriculum Development Center (CDC), Audio-Visual Center (AVC), the Zambian Library Service and the Instructional Resources Center; and (d) additional facilities for 61 secondary schools and 4 teacher training colleges. After the elimination of the SAGS component and with substantial savings, the project was amended to comprise construction of 12 new primary schools and a maintenance program for secondary schools. The project was complemented by 115 staff years of technical assistance, including a study of farmer training centers. 1.8 The Fourth Project included (a) a second phase for developing the ESC in Lusaka, adding an Examinations Section and an expansion of the Printing and Documentation Unit; (b) a business education component to increase the capacity and improve accounting 3 teaching at the Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Technology (EHC), and establish secre- tarial courses in five trade training institutes; (c) expansion of facilities at 8 FIs and 20 FTCs. There would also be a study of the construction industry, and an evaluation of the project would be carried out by the Government. 1.9 The Fifth Project was designed to (a) address equity of basic education by provid- ing eight junior secondary schools (JSS) in rural areas; and (b) continue the school maintenance program started under the Third Project. The project was also expected to finance a study of the educational reform. Although the Project Brief dated November 24, 1980 identified manpower training as the highest priority, the project did not include a component to address this deficiency. Project Costs 1.10 The Third Project was estimated to cost US$40.1 million. The Bank loan of US$33 million (82 percent) was subsequently reduced to US$22 million when the Norwegian Government agreed to finance one third of the loan through a grant, to be administered by the Bank on a pro rata basis. The Fourth Project cost was estimated at US$23.2 million. This included a grant from NORAD of US$2.1 million. The Bank loan was US$13.3 million or 57 per- cent of total cost. The cost of the Fifth Project was estimated at US$39.2 million and the IDA credit covered US$25 million, or 64 percent. The Credit Agreement stipulated that expenditure for civil works would be reimbursed at the rate of 60 percent. In view of increasing difficulties for the Government in providing counterpart funding, the Credit Agreement was amended in June 1985, after considerable delays, to increase the percentage to 75 percent. Implementation Plan 1.11 The Third Project was to be implemented in about 5V2 years by three implementa- tion units (PIUs): PIU I in the Ministry of Education would execute the secondary and teacher education components; PIU II at UNZA would be responsible for the SAGS component; and PIU III in the Ministry of Power, Transport and Works (MPTW) would be in charge of the remaining components (health, farmer training and ESC). These PIUs would be coordinated by a high-powered committee of Permanent Secretaries and the UNZA Vice Chancellor. The Fourth Project was to be implemented by PIU III in about 5% years. The Fifth Project was expected to be implemented in 5V/ years also by PIU III. Throughout the three projects, considerable tech- nical assistance inputs into project management were provided by NORAD. II. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 2.1 Management. While this NORAD assistance was crucial for the continuity of management and efficient implementation of the projects, it contributed little to institution building in project implementation, since very few Zambians were appointed to the project management. However, some Zambians were involved in project management throughout the period under review and at the time of audit the PIU, now in the Ministry of Education, was fully staffed by nationals, except for one expatriate whose contract was about to end. The officials responsible for management of entities assisted under the projects were of very high calibre, enthusiastic though frustrated by the lack of recurrent funding to carry out properly the various institutional functions. 4 2.2 Start-up and duration. Both the Third and Fourth Projects became effective slightly before the dates stipulated in the Loan Agreements. The original components were completed on schedule with only slight delays in closing. Completion of the Third Project completion was delayed by 77 percent in order to allow two additional components to be completed, as determined by a change in the Loan Agreement. The Fifth Project started up in a timely fashion, and in fact finished at the time predicted in the SAR, but only 45 percent of the project had been completed at that date and the project was closed abruptly as a result of the freezing of all disbursements to Zambia in May 1987. Disbursement lagged during implementa- tion: by the end of FY84, it was 32 percent behind, 40 percent at the end of FY85 and 61 percent at the end of FY86. 2.3 Physical implementation. The Third and Fourth Projects were implemented effi- ciently; the delays with the Fifth Project were largely due to the deteriorating economic situation. The use of standardized designs simplified the bidding process and establishment of a rapport between the PIU and the Ministry of Finance led to good relationships with contractors and resultant competitive bids. However, some details were left uncompleted--kitchen machinery in Kabwe ENMS was not connected, laboratory gas not fitted in JSS. There were also design faults which could have been rectified--no technical drawing room or confidential office at the JSS, no emergency switch in the workshop, no welding equipment. These deficiencies indicate a need for tighter supervision by the PIU. 2.4 Equipment and furniture. Complaints were received by the audit mission at several institutions about insufficient books and sports equipment. 2.5 Technical Assistance. For project management, TA was provided by NORAD for all three projects, and contributed to the successful physical implementation of the projects. Other technical assistance was given by several agencies with variable results. A Dutch team worked on the development of curricula for the FTCs (Fourth Project) but failed to coordinate with the relevant authorities resulting in minimal achievements. 2.6 Fellowships. The Third Project included 17 staff years of fellowships for UNZA. These were effectively deleted from the project. The fellowships under the health component were not awarded, and staff both at the Ministry of Health and Chainama College were not even aware of their existence. Under the Fourth Project 40 staff years of fellowships were planned for Evelyn Hone College but the audit mission found that its management did not know of them. The Fifth Project did not include fellowships. 2.7 Studies. The Third Project financed a study of farmer training. It concluded that there was a low level of interest among farmers in training courses; that recruitment was not carried out at the right time; that demonstration plots were disappointing; and that few instructors had any pedagogical training. It proposed that a new system of training should be adopted with advanced courses for prosperous farmers; long courses for farm families and short, sequenced courses for traditional farmers. Some 18 years later, the audit mission found none of these things happening, and in fact the program was almost at a standstill due to lack of recurrent funding and the mismatch between the FTC approach and the current Training and Visit (T and V) system of extension. The Fourth Project included a study of the construction industry, which was not carried out due to opposition from the industry itself. The Fifth Project was expected to finance a study on the most economic and efficient method to implement the reform of the education 5 system. There was a delay in implementing this component because at negotiations, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) was expected to finance this. However, this did not occur and, with one year's delay, the study was carried out by UNZA and financed under the Technical Assistance Credit (873-ZA). The report, issued in 1986, was not formally adopted, possibly because of the financial implications at a point when the economy was in disarray. With the situation now on the upturn, this study could become an important guideline in the future development of educational policy. 2.8 Borrower performance. PIU I (in the MOE) had already gained experience through implementing the First Project and, with support from NORAD, operated efficiently throughout the project. PIU II (UNZA architect's office), which was responsible for imple- menting the Second Project, was ineffective, but the cancellation of the SAGS component mitigated the impact of this deficiency on the project outcomes. PIU III (MPTW) was a new unit initially assisted by PIU I. By early 1975 all staff were in place and its performance was consistently good. 2.9 The savings which enabled new components to be added to the Third Project were possible partly through the efficient operation of the PIUs. PIU III subsequently became responsible for implementation of the Fourth and Fifth Projects. In 1984, this unit was transferred to the Ministry of Education. The continuous support of NORAD was of great assis- tance in ensuring timely and efficient implementation. Initially, few Zambian technical staff were attached to the units, though efforts to recruit Zambian officers were made. At the time of the audit, however, this situation had been rectified as the Zambia Education Projects Implementation Unit (ZEPIU) was entirely managed by Zambian staff with the exception of one expatriate whose contract was about to end. Loan/Credit conditions were generally complied with, except for occasional lapses in the area of reporting, and for the more tenacious problem of shortfalls in counterpart funds. 2.10 Bank performance. There was considerable delay during preparation of the Fifth Project and several pertinent questions were asked within the Bank regarding the appropriateness of going ahead with the project before the reform study was complete; whether the counterpart funds would be forthcoming; whether the building of JSSs would not just create another bottle- neck at a higher level; and whether the project addressed in any way the issue raised in the SAR regarding lack of technically trained personnel. There is no evidence that these very pertinent factors were taken into account. 2.11 The projects were implemented during a particularly difficult period in Zambia. The relentless worsening of the economic situation could not have been foreseen. However, a more rapid realization of the effect the economy was having on implementation, particularly regarding the Fifth Project, could have enabled quicker remedial action (such as a scaling back of investments). There was a delay of three years in tendering for the final group of five schools caused by the unstable financial situation. Eventually an agreement was reached in 1986 but in the event only little time was left and 4 of the schools realized only 15 percent of planned construction and the fifth was not even started. 2.12 The lack of supervision by any educators for the last three years of the Fifth Project was regrettable. During this particularly difficult period, a review by educators could have helped to recast the project to take account of the very serious constraints. 6 2.13 Inflexibility in the closing of the Fifth Project caused considerable distress to sup- pliers and contractors. The precipitate and mechanical way in which this was done was perhaps unavoidable but nonetheless unrealistic. Too little time was allowed for settlement of outstanding accounts. Thus the freezing of disbursements went beyond its intended effect of sanctioning the Borrower and punished without cause private contractors and suppliers. 2.14 By contrast, the Bank showed great flexibility in the Third Project in allowing savings to be allocated to additional project components. The maintenance component is clearly linked to the original objectives of the project, but it is difficult to understand why the primary school component was introduced as it had no relation to the original project content and objec- tives (para. 1.7). III. PROJECT OUTCOMES Medical Training 3.1 Chainama College of Health Sciences (CCHS) (formerly Chainama Hills Health Training Center). Zambia is experiencing great difficulty in recruiting medical doctors to work in the rural areas and in consequence the health services are largely run by health technicians. The Clinical Officers (COs) and other technicians produced by CCHS play a key role in the provision of services in the rural areas. The level of the course has been upgraded by adding one year to make it a 3-year diploma program. The College also conducts in-service training. The demand for COs is very great both in the public and private sectors. Students spend periods of two months at rural "project areas" assisting at health centers in order to obtain practical experience. The College is now a para-statal and is carrying out renovations from its own resources, earned from providing health services in the project areas. The audit mission found that this component is making a very useful contribution to the improvement of Zambia's health services. 3.2 Enrolled nurses and midwives schools. The audit visited schools at Kabwe and Mansa. At Kabwe, the hospital is not acceptable to the General Nursing Council (GNC) for the conduct of nursing courses. The school was operating on credit due to lack of recurrent provision; the dining hall was not completed and equipment was never connected. The Mansa school had inadequate teaching staff, and the GNC had not approved introduction of midwifery training owing to inadequate facilities. 3.3 There is no lack of commitment to health training, but the main problem is lack of recurrent funding. Apart from Chainama, serious maintenance problems exist at the health institutions visited; furthermore, lack of funding for student meals, insufficient teaching aids and other deficiencies persisted. Agricultural Education 3.4 This was the least successful of all components in the three projects under review. The SAGS component was cancelled when a political decision was made to construct the campus at Solwezi. The extra cost would have greatly exceeded the loan funds available; the decision was made without reference to the faculty, and was subsequently rescinded. The campus has now been constructed by the Government (with Canadian assistance) at Lusaka. 7 3.5 The FTCs and FIs featured in both Third and Fourth Projects. The audit mission visited four of these institutions and found them run down and under-utilized. In one case, the staff had organized mobile training activities, visiting villages to conduct training courses. This was a commendable initiative, but it meant that no use at all was made of the residential facilities. Lack of recurrent funding was widely blamed for this state of affairs, but this was only one of the reasons. The facts that residential training is costly, is not proven to be more effective than training in situ, takes farmers away from their farms, and is mainly carried out by unqualified teachers, all contribute to this failure to provide an effective training program. Demonstration plots were on the whole either unused or of very poor quality, demonstrating nothing except how not to cultivate. The main use to which the centers are put is to serve for non-agricultural meetings. This being the case, it is difficult to see how the Department of Agriculture can justify the retention of these institutions. Secondary Schools and Teacher Training Colleges 3.6 The teacher training colleges were operating effectively, but not to full capacity. The senior secondary school at Mansa was seriously over-crowded. The facilities constructed for 500 boarders were occupied by 827 students. The dining, kitchen, toilet and water facilities were dangerously over-stretched. Staff was also far below adequate in number. However, the parents' association was making financial contributions to try rectifying some of these problems. 3.7 The junior secondary schools constructed under the Fifth Project were, once again, grossly over-crowded. This resulted in essential services such as toilets and water being quite inadequate. Schools have constructed additional toilets, but even these are not enough. At Lubwe JSS, three of the houses constructed under the project were collapsing and thus unin- habitable due to faulty construction. 3.8 The JSSs were built to address equity of the basic education system (SAR para. 3.01) and to emphasize agriculture. The main element of the educational reform touched on here is to extend the first cycle of education from the 7-year primary to a 9-year basic education program. Many primary schools have already added a further two years (Grades 8 and 9) and the JSSs have effectively become Senior Secondary Schools, having developed Grades 10 to 12. The contribution of the project JSSs to basic education has therefore been swallowed as they have become similar to any other senior school. It is difficult to see how building a school in a rural area is going to "emphasize agriculture" unless something is done about the curriculum taught in that school. There was no curriculum development element in the Fifth Project. Educational Services Center 3.9 The ESC buildings are well situated, appropriate and reasonably well maintained. The Directors of the constituent units (para. 1.7 item c) are well qualified, experienced and enthusiastic. There are however two main problems: as with most other project components, a lack of recurrent funding prevents more effective utilization of these resources except where the Sixth Project is assisting the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) and the Curriculum Development Center. The other major problem is a lack of coordination between the units. The Audio-Visual Center is part of an entity including Educational Broadcasting and Educational Television, but these two other components were never included in the consolidation. The ETV service is in the Copperbelt and the radio section is housed separately in Lusaka. It would have 8 been logical to include these units in the ESC from the start. The ECZ is situated adjacent to the printing section. Clearly this was meant to enable the ECZ to have access to confidential printing facilities "in house."' However, most of the printing has to be done elsewhere because of insufficient capacities. Of the four different levels (Grade 7, Grade 9, Grade 12, General Certificate of Education) and two branches (Primary Teacher Training and Technical/Vocational Education) for which examination papers are needed, only the last one is being served by the in- house printshop. Maintenance Program 3.10 This program started in 1980 and received technical support from NORAD. The project provided building material, equipment and vehicles while the Government contributed recurrent funding. A total of 24 schools was rehabilitated under the Third Project, and by the time of credit suspension, 69 schools had been rehabilitated under the Fifth Project. A most valuable feature of the project was the inclusion of a training program for headmasters in preventive maintenance. Another very positive result to which the PCRs drew attention is the fact that the Government has realized the importance of maintenance. However by the time of the audit mission, the situation had deteriorated markedly. Although there is now a maintenance section staffed by Zambians, recurrent funding for secondary school maintenance has dried up completely. The Sixth Project, together with OPEC and AfDB, is financing maintenance and construction programs in primary schools, but the NORAD funding for secondary school main- tenance stopped in June 1993. 3.11 This is a very serious problem because maintenance must of necessity be an on- going activity. Mansa Secondary School was rehabilitated in 1989 with NORAD funding, but the audit mission found a very serious situation: broken windows; total lack of furniture in the dining hall (students eating meals sitting on the floor); failure of the water system broken down (water being drawn with a bucket from an open well); toilets in disarray; unconnected gas stoves; and ovens with collapsing firebricks causing danger when food is taken out. Business Education 3.12 At the time of the audit mission, the Business Studies Department at EHC had 540 students and a staff of 40 with 8 vacancies and 17 expatriates. The Bank assisted by constructing hostels to expand boarding facilities as well as supplying teaching equipment. There was adequate space to build hostels of two stories, but they were constructed four stories high. Since the pumps will not raise water above the second floor, half the boarders do not have direct access to water. In addition, the water reticulation was not expanded at the time of construction so that water is inadequate. The solar panels for heating the water never worked. The staff development scheme (SAR para. 3.04) failed completely partly because the existence of the fellowships was unknown. There has also been a strong tendency for staff to move to the private sector or to countries where they are better paid. However, this trend seems to be changing as the economic situation stabilizes. Students completing courses in accounting and computer science have had no difficulty finding jobs, but the situation for business studies and personnel management students has not been so easy. The rest of this paragraph has been revised following clarification by the Examinations Council of Zambia in a letter dated April 20, 1994 (which is reproduced in full as Annex 1). 9 3.13 Commercial and secretarial courses at the Kabwe Trade Training Institute (TTI) are operating satisfactorily and are well attended. A Certificate in Accounting and Business Studies (CABS) is being awarded starting in January 1994. Not all the graduates from the business courses are immediately employed. The placement service formerly operating (PCR, Fourth Project para. 6.07) is no longer functioning effectively. The Mansa TTI is offering a part- time course for the CABS but no full-time courses as expected at appraisal. The audit mission was told that the TTI intends to start secretarial training as soon as possible. Primary Schools 3.14 This component was added to the Third Project by an amendment to the Loan Agreement in May 1980, and proposed construction of 12 primary schools in Lusaka. These schools were originally to be constructed by the Lusaka Squatter Upgrading and Sites and Services Project (Loan 1057-ZA). Only five schools were completed and the remainder deleted due to lack of counterpart funds. By the time of the audit mission, there was uncertainty as to which schools had been constructed by the Third Project (Loan 900-ZA) and which by Loan 1057-ZA. 3.15 The schools seen by the audit were fully functional. They had nearly three times the planned enrollment, further classrooms having been constructed by the PTAs. There were major problems of vandalism and theft and PTAs were paying for the construction of protective walls, burglar bars and greatly strengthened classroom and office doors. Furniture was being repaired in the school workshop. The impression of the audit mission was that a real effort was being made by the community through the PTA to cope with the problems of the schools, notably protection and maintenance. IV. FINDINGS, LESSONS AND ISSUES Overview 4.1 The Third Project was very complex, comprising about 91 entities with an enor- mous geographical spread and three implementing agencies. That the project was very largely implemented within the time and cost constraints foreseen says a great deal for the efficiency of the PIUs. The committee set up to coordinate project activities (five permanent secretaries and the Vice Chancellor) could have been too high-powered but in the event functioned effectively. The fact that the Borrower proposed the inclusion of new components to make use of savings on the project and that the Bank agreed enabled the project to achieve even more than was expected at appraisal. The amount of technical assistance included was far in excess of that used, partly because of the grant provided by NORAD, but largely because of a reluctance on the part of the Government to use expensive technical assistance, especially if there were any chance of using bilateral funds. One of the most disappointing aspects of the project is the fact that the fellowship program was unused. One feature which becomes apparent from a study of the files is that the project started as an almost entirely agricultural education project, but during the preparation phase, this aspect was greatly reduced and other components were added. In the end, the agricultural education subproject was the least successful. It attempted to improve the training of farmers to help reduce the gap between the rural and the urban sectors, and the poor 10 results illustrate the great difficulty in doing this, in the absence of an integrated rural development strategy. 4.2 The Fourth Project included a substantial component (US$5.4 million or 42 percent of base cost) to expand and improve FTCs and FIs. The PCR for the Third Project states that the facilities were neither utilized to capacity nor efficiently run (PCR para. 6.05), largely due to lack of funds. In addition, some of the institutions had organized mobile courses, which further reduced residential training. Although this PCR came out several years after the SAR for the Fourth Project (in December 1976), the latter nevertheless dated 3V2 years from effectiveness of the Third Project. The study of FTCs financed by the Third Project was produced in December 1975, and the risks appear to have been recognized (SAR Fourth Project, para. 5.03) but the steps taken to address these risks--technical assistance personnel not appointed (para. 3.14) and studies not conducted (para. 3.17)--had little relevance. It is surprising that this level of investment was approved when FTCs had given such a doubtful performance. The busi- ness education component financed construction of four-story hostels in which the water supply has never functioned properly. Finally, the audit mission found that the typing and shorthand courses which according to the PCR were being conducted at all TI's had never started at Mansa. 4.3 The Bank Group strategy recommended in the Fifth Project SAR (para. 2.31) was to help the Government implement the educational reform and so improve quality, equity and efficiency of the system; to support occupational training; and to enhance employment opportun- ities. The project then described was commendably simple in view of the economic situation within the country. Apart from a study of the reform and a continuation of the maintenance program initiated under the Third Project, it consisted of only one component: construction of junior secondary schools (grades 8 and 9). The establishment of JSSs in rural areas was expected to increase the efficiency of the system and to provide incentives for the rural population to remain on the land. The audit mission was informed that numerous primary schools had added two grades, and thus effectively transformed primary (7 years) into basic (9 years) education. This is a much more effective way of bringing about such a transformation, provided that suitably quali- fied teachers are made available to the primary schools. The JSSs, by the time of the audit mis- sion, had already developed Grade 10-12 classes that were identical to those in any senior sec- ondary school (SSS). Thus, while the project may have attempted to address the strategic objec- tives identified in the SAR, autonomous local development efforts were soon bypassing it. 4.4 On balance, the third and fourth projects can be said to have achieved satisfactory outcomes, but not the fifth. The parlous state of the Zambian economy during most of the imple- mentation period was the main reason for the discrepancies between appraisal expectations and actual results. Institutional development objectives were partially met in all three projects. Findings in Relation to Categories of Inputs 4.5 Civil works. The most important problem encountered in nearly every institution visited by the audit mission was water supply. In EHC, the reticulation had not been expanded to take account of a far greater need; the supply did not reach above the second floor; the solar water heating system never worked. At Mansa Secondary School, water arrangements were totally inadequate because the piping, the pump, the borehole and other components were not functioning, and because the school population had greatly expanded without additional infra- 11 structure development. At the JSSs, water supply was also inadequate. The FTCs lacked water owing to maintenance problems, unconnected borehole pumps and other shortcomings. 4.6 Of almost equal seriousness was the problem of toilets. The original ones were inadequate, largely due to enormous, and perhaps predictable, over-utilization of the school facilities. Although schools had built pit latrines, even these seemed to be inadequate. Wood- fired kitchen stoves were not strongly built, fire bricks not being available at the time of construction. They can now be imported from Zimbabwe but no maintenance funds exist. Staff houses at one JSS were collapsing due to faulty construction. Such instances imply that super- vision of construction was deficient. 4.7 Equipment. Equipment seen by the audit mission was in general appropriate and strongly constructed so that it was still operational after up to 15 years. In some cases, such as the stoves at the midwives school at Kabwe, equipment had not been connected even though it was in perfect condition. The coldstore at the same school had not been used and was later stolen. Many of the items required to activate equipment were very minor, but their lack was sufficient to stop equipment use (e.g., correct gauges to connect gas in laboratories, or details of electrical work). Books were either provided in very small quantities or not at all. In a situation where recurrent funding is a major constraint, provision of adequate initial textbook stocks from the original capital budget is essential. 4.8 Technical Assistance. One feature common to all projects was the widespread underuse of technical assistance. This was partly due to the availability of bilateral technical assistance grants, notably from NORAD, but also to an apparent reluctance of the Government to spend money on expensive components of whose usefulness it was not convinced. Of the tech- nical assistance planned in the Third Project, only 4 percent was used, and only 3 percent in the Fourth Project. It follows that technical assistance should only be included at appraisal when it is absolutely essential and there is little or no hope of finding qualified local personnel. But the most important element which must have been missing in these cases was a commitment from the Government. While it is clearly the responsibility of the Bank to produce the appraisal report, it is also their duty to ensure that every element of a proposed project is fully supported by the Government, with far more than a reluctant acceptance (although admittedly these two reactions are not always easy to distinguish). 4.9 Fellowships. Fellowships are included in projects in order to train local staff and improve the sustainability of an investment. Failure to use them is a wasted opportunity. In the case of CCHS and EHC, the college administrations appear to have been unaware of the exis- tence of fellowships. The supervision missions should have monitored this component closely and ensured the selection of appropriate candidates. The location of the PIUs in the MPTW undoubt- edly made the achievement of physical objectives much more effective, but, it seems, at the expense of some software components, including fellowships. Lessons Drawn from Components 4.10 Medical training. The Chainama College of Health Sciences has at least to some extent overcome the problem common to all institutions helped by the three projects--lack of recurrent funding. It has achieved a para-statal position and is thus able to raise funds which it uses for school maintenance and renovation. This approach should be followed wherever pos- 12 sible. The principle of quasi-privatization through granting of para-statal status could be applied to many training institutions which, while still supported by government subvention, could raise additional funds by selling their services. Provided there is a means of helping the very poor to benefit from training, institutions could charge students at least a proportion of the costs, provide consulting services wherever feasible and develop as far as possible the production unit concept. 4.11 Agricultural education. It is questionable whether it was appropriate to include a large component in the Fourth Project to expand the FTCs and FIs, given the doubts about their effectiveness raised in the Third Project study. Since they currently play little part in the T and V system, but continue to maintain a costly staff, one might consider handing them over to the nearby communities for local activities, and hired out as needed to any organization, including the Department of Agriculture, for day or residential meetings. The author of the PAR considers 20 years of effort to build up their role to be a sufficient trial period; the Department of Agriculture should not continue to run them. There is a possible exception: where there are advanced (though small-scale) farming communities, such as at Mkushi along the rail line in Southern Province, and certain other areas with important small-scale crop possibilities (e.g., for tobacco, coffee and tea) nearby FTCs and FIs might play an important supporting role. Such viable agri- cultural training institutions could be handed over to the Zambia National Farmers Union to be run on a commercial basis. 4.12 Secondary schools and teacher training. After lack of water, the most important problem faced by the secondary schools is overcrowding. Schools constructed for 360 students are expected to accommodate and teach nearly twice that number. It is absolutely essential that some stabilization in numbers be achieved and then the facilities be improved to a level at which a reasonable quality of education can be aimed for. Children cannot be expected to learn effec- tively where food, water, accommodation, basic furnishings, books, or teachers are lacking. While some of these shortcomings are exacerbated by insufficient maintenance caused by shortfalls in recurrent funding, they are at least partly due to headmasters or local education authorities allowing their schools to be swamped with pupils. The audit mission fully recognizes the pressure the Government faces to provide more and more places, but sometimes this pressure must be resisted so that the pupils who are accepted may achieve at least a minimum level of quality. 4.13 Apart from structural problems referred to above, the JSSs are unquestionably making an important contribution to the secondary school systems in the regions where they are situated. From the beginning, the Fifth Project was not intended to help solving two of the problems identified in the SAR, manpower development and creation of employment opportun- ities. The third problem--implementation of the reform--was to be addressed through the JSSs. However, as these schools have already been upgraded to SSSs and are considering concentrating on Grades 10-12 only, they may in future make no contribution to the development of the basic education structure. The link between the strategy recommended and the outcome achieved seems to be, at the most, tenuous. 4.14 Educational services center. The concept of drawing all these services together was basically sound. The developments financed by the Third and Fourth Projects were effec- tively implemented. The major lesson to be learned is that the achievement of integration is hampered by a lack of coordination between the services. Much closer cooperation between the units is necessary, and the existing Sixth Project, dealing with the CDC and ECZ, may be well positioned to bring this about. If future lending is to concentrate on supporting services which 13 cannot be adequately addressed at the community level, then the ESC is a strong candidate for future assistance. The main issues would be (a) coordination; (b) structuring the ESC in such a way that all entities have sufficient, and independent, budget support to permit them to function effectively; and (c) bringing in other essential services which have hitherto for unexplained reasons been left out. The audit mission was made aware of this gap by the care of educational radio and television. 4.15 Maintenance program. This was a successful component as long as the funds lasted; thereafter, it ceased. One of the most positive aspects was the training program for headmasters. One way in which schools and other training institutions could in part overcome the maintenance problem is to develop their own capacity to cope. A training program for existing maintenance staff would help them do that. In particular, cost efficient maintenance should be emphasized. With ingenuity and skill, a great deal could be done with modest amounts of money. 4.16 Business education. The main lessons learned from this component are the importance of upgrading and expanding basic utilities to cope with expansion of boarding facilities; and the need for a careful follow up of all project components by both project management and supervision missions. In this component the fellowships were not monitored and were eventually lost. Current staff shortages and reliance on expatriates may well be considered a consequence of that oversight. 4.17 Primary schools. Experience shows that a far higher level of security than is found at present is necessary in urban schools in Zambia. Schools have acted commendably in adding security features to their facilities from their own resources. Future projects should take these hazards into account at the design stage. Issues 4.18 Locate the PIU to maximize educational outcomes. The physical aspects of the three projects were on the whole very efficiently implemented. However, some of the educational aspects were not adequately followed up (e.g., incomplete use of fellowships, failure to start secretarial and nurse training courses). Serious consideration must be given at appraisal to the proper location of the PIU and to adequate links between subprojects to maximize project outcomes. 4.19 Emphasize institution building aspects. Lack of competent local personnel creates a need for technical assistance, but also demands training efforts. Where fellowships are included in a project, it is unacceptable that this opportunity to develop in-country capabilities be ignored. Supervisory personnel should particularly ensure the selection of the best candidates and follow through that the fellowships are used for the purpose envisaged at appraisal. 4.20 Concentrate on central issues where recurrent funding is problematic. In the field of education, communities can do a great deal for themselves. Education can take place with very simple facilities, and it is difficult to see why the Bank Group needs to get involved in building primary schools when communities can do this, at least minimally, for themselves. The Bank should concentrate its efforts on central services, such as those in the ESC, teacher training, education above the basic cycle, educational administration, school management training, and if possible training of maintenance personnel. Apart from other aspects of this strategy, commu- 14 nities are likely to take much greater care of facilities which they have developed for themselves than those which have been planted there by a remote and anonymous Government. 4.21 Provide sports facilities. Sport can and should teach many valuable skills and atti- tudes and should be included at some level in almost every type of educational institution. Yet there was no evidence of any assistance given to construction of sports facilities at any of the institutions seen by the audit mission, no equipment provided, and in fact the field of sport appeared to have been totally ignored. The audit mission was informed that other development agencies provided relevant support. This aspect should be considered in developing any educa- tional institution. 4.22 Ascertain level of commitment. Borrowers, perhaps especially in Africa where so many of the countries are very poor, tend to be very polite to Bank missions, and there is a natural tendency to agree with whatever the Bank suggests. It may well be that this is why there was such a high level of expenditure proposed at appraisal on technical assistance. Bank missions have to learn to distinguish between "yes!" and "yes?" when discussing inclusion of certain compo- nents and categories of inputs. In other words there is a need to develop a high degree of sensi- tivity in order to ascertain whether the real commitment is there. Without it, a low level of achievement is almost assured, but with it, the level of achievement must be far higher. This is a highly individualized skill not always emphasized by appraisal teams who are in a hurry and want decisions. 4.23 Complete projects. There were several instances where inadequate supervision of construction had disastrous results. For example, staff houses as Lubwe JSS were collapsing because of inadequate foundations; electric stoves at Kabwe ENMS remained unconnected and thus unused; in several schools wood stoves made of the wrong materials were collapsing. Water did not reach the upper stories of the EHC hostels. A more careful follow-up could have elim- inated these problems during implementation. 4.24 Emphasize maintenance. All buildings, equipment and furniture should be constructed or purchased with low maintenance requirements as a central concern. In addition, each institution should build up a team of competent maintenance technicians, particularly skilled in using low cost techniques. Privatization of educational establishments to the extent possible would also provide opportunities for generation of income to be used for maintenance. 4.25 Consider institutional function. The audit mission gained the strong impression that the FTCs as currently organized had outlived their usefulness. The Government should not be afraid of taking radical steps to re-arrange the use of resources in the best interest of the community. As community oriented institutions (such as village halls) the FTCs could still be of great benefit. 4.26 Highlight women's education. Some emphasis was given to women's education in SARs (Third SAR para. 3.15; Fourth SAR para. 3.15; Fifth SAR para. 3.09) and components which benefitted women were included (Third Project: ENMS; Fourth Project: TI, FTC construction of hostels for women, Kabwe TT secretarial courses). However, the outcomes have been less than was hoped. An effort was made at appraisal, but the importance of redressing the poor status of educational opportunities for women cannot be over-emphasized. Again, this is an area which supervision missions need to watch carefully. 15 4.27 Include financing to improve school grounds. Some project institutions (primary schools, CCHS, JSSs) had taken care to develop their grounds to look attractive and to avoid soil erosion hazards, but others had been less concerned. Projects should include at least a small element of funding to enable some rudimentary landscaping to be carried out to set an example for orderly appearance and to avoid environmental degradation.  17 Annex 1 EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA HAILLE SELASSIE AVENUE P.O. BOX 50432 LUSAKA ZAMBIA TELEPHONE: 229681-2 Your Ref Our Ref ECZ/72/4/3 20th April, 1994 Mr Graharr Donaldson Chief Agriculture & Human Development Division Operations Evaluation Department The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W Washington, D.C. 20433 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA I acknowledge receipt of your letter and enclosures dated 10th March, 1994. The letter was with regard to the following:- Third Education Project (Loan 900-ZA) Fourth Education Project (Loan 1356-ZA) Fifth Education Project (Credit 1251-ZA) Draft Performance Audit Report. At paragraph 3.9. Education Services Centre, I submit the following conents. Though Examinations Council of Zarrbia is situated adjacent to the Printing Section it is not possible for the Council to print all examinations In-house at the Printing Section. Printing Section has no capacity to print question papers for all examinations conducted by Examinations Council of Zambia, nanely; (i) Grade 7 (ii) Grade 9 (iii) Grade 12 (iv) General Certificate of Education (GCE) (v) Primary Teacher Training (vi) Technical and Vocational Training /.......2 18 As at the moment the position is that we utilize Printing Section to print examination question papers for Technical and Vocational Training and we wished more examinations could be printed there. Yours sincerely -P N.N. MUTAf&KELWA DIRECTOR EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA Note: This letter has been taken into account by revising para. 3.9.