Madagascar - Education Sector Development Project (CRESED II)

Report No. PIC828 Project Name Madagascar-Education Sector () N Development Project (CRESED II) Region Africa Sector Education Project ID MGPE1559 Implementing Agency Government of Madagascar Ministry of Secondary and Primary Education; Ministry of Higher Education; public and private institutions Bureau Projet Education B.P. 331, Antananarivo, Madagascar Tel.: (261-2) 264-64 Fax: (261-2) 292-13 Date PID Prepared December 20, 1993 Date PID Revised July 31, 1997 Projected Board Date March 1998 Project Background After a long period in the 1970s and 1980s during which the economy, standard of living, and education in Madagascar declined, Madagascar is now beginning to achieve a fundamental turnaround. From an emphasis on state-controlled, top-down approaches, Government began to enlist the efforts of diverse partners in the reform of its economy and its education system, recognizing the contribution of the private sector, local communities, and non- governmental organizations as indispensable to economic, social and educational progress. Its priorities are firmly locked into those of the Country Assistance Strategy, namely to stimulate balanced economic growth, to reduce poverty and to provide the human resources required to achieve its goals. To produce the necessary human resources, the Government formulated detailed plans for each of the sub-sectors of education and training, as well an integrated master plan, building on the experience of past plans and extensive consultation over the last two years. An inter-ministerial committee and an inter-sectoral working party have been established in order to ensure the coherence of the commitments of all partners in the sector. The objectives of the Second National Program for the Improvement of Education, shared by all sub-sectors and donors are: (a) to achieve as rapidly as possible universal access to a quality primary education, (b) to support a gradual expansion and improvement of secondary education, (c) to modernize and diversify higher education, and (d) to continue the reforms in vocational training initiated in 1992. The proposed project would support the Program's development  objective which is to produce more and better trained students at all levels of education at sustainable cost. The impact of the Program would be measured through improvements in learning outcomes, in internal and external efficiency of education, and in access to primary and secondary education, particularly in rural areas. The strategic orientation adopted is centered on the devolution of responsibility to local and institutional levels, supported by a set of coherent policies at the national level. Project Description The project would consist of the following three major components: (A) Universalize quality primary education by supporting community- based projects to improve access and learning outcomes through provision of administrative and supervisory services to be provided by MINESEB agencies, staff development services, and adequate infrastructure, equipment, and teaching/learning materials; (B) Improve quality of and access to secondary education, particularly in rural areas through support to school-based pilot programs; and (c) Support reform of higher education in assisting institutions to modernize and to diversify through financing sub-projects under a Fund for the Development of Higher Education (FDES). Project Costs and Financing The IDA credit (US$60.0 million) will finance about 50t of the total program cost, with an estimated foreign cost of US$48 m, and a local cost of US$12 m. The Government will finance about 20t of the total project cost. The European Union has expressed interest in cofinancing about 10t of the total costs, and other donors showing interest are Japan, UNICEF, France, Germany, UK, the World Food Program, and the AfDB. Project Implementation The project would be implemented from 1998-2003 by the ministries of Primary and Secondary Education and of Higher Education. Regarding the Program and Project coordination, the Program Coordinator would preside over the work of the inter-ministerial committee which comprises a wide representation of higher level staff in the key ministries. Also the Program Coordinator would act as Executive Secretary of the inter-ministerial working party presided by a senior Minister. At primary and secondary levels, the overall project coordination would be undertaken by a small Project Management Unit. Implementation of school- and community-based sub-projects would be monitored by MINESEB staff at regional, district, and sub-district levels. In higher education, the Fund for the Development of Higher Education would be managed by an independent Council comprised of representatives of Government, the private sector, institutions and the business world. The implementation arrangements and processes are outlined in an Implementation Manual prepared by the Government in consultation -2 -  with the Bank and other donors. An annual planning and budgeting process will be critical to the effective implementation of the project and is detailed in the Manual. A detailed monitoring and evaluation system is also being developed. With the guidance from the inter-ministerial committee and the Program Coordinator, project monitoring and evaluation will be a shared responsibility of the central MINESEB and School District staffs. The monitoring system, which will be computerized, will inform the management, policy makers and donors on the progress of activities and outputs of the Program on the ground. Impact on poverty reduction and participation of local communities will be monitored through beneficiary assessments, and learning achievement in core subjects at primary and secondary levels will be evaluated bi-annually through achievement tests. Project Sustainability The project's strong commitment to community involvement in the planning, implementation and evaluation of their own program should ensure long-term viability and sustainability. The budgetary approach adopted ensures that investment plans are compatible with available resources. Production and ownership by Government and educational institutions of their own program is likely to evoke greater commitment, effectiveness and sustainability. Cost sharing schemes in higher education imply a high level of commitment on the part of stakeholders. Lessons Learned Some of the lessons learned in the past and reflected in the new project design are as follows: (i) local communities, when given the initiative and modest resources, can effectively identify their own priorities, deliver a quality and sustainable primary education, and increase participation; (ii) participatory approaches at all levels have proved an effective instrument for project planning and implementation, and for learning from experience. The development of social capital at national and local levels, the formation of teams, continuity and cross-fertilization between regions and localities are additional benefits reaped from the participatory approach; (iii) the devolution of responsibility and resources to the local level must be achieved in a gradual, planned, and phased manner, accompanied by appropriate capacity building measures (e.g. contract arrangements, dialogue with community representatives and school teachers, training for acceptance of financial responsibility, different managerial style); (iv) experience at the local level in previous projects has added valuable information on which national policies have been formulated; (v) a previous Training Fund and grant have shown that the "fund" approach to the financing of educational activities is successful; (vi) a diversity of specific initiatives is needed to address the problem of the maldistribution and underemployment of teaching and other staff; (vii) Government coordination of donor responses to its program is vitally important. - 3 -  Environmental Aspects and Project Objectives Categories (POCs) The environmental impact of the proposed project is likely to be neutral. There would be environmental disruption associated with the construction of small primary and lower secondary schools. However, the project would improve the sanitary environment of about 7,000 existing schools which presently lack basic sanitary facilities and provide such basic facilities for all new construction. The project will finance teaching-learning materials and teacher training to incorporate environmental education in the existing curriculum at primary level. The project is strongly related to IDA's other program categories insofar as it addresses the need to produce high level human resources without which other social sectors of the education and the economy cannot achieve their development objectives. Contact Point: Public Information Center The World Bank 1818 H Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone No.: (202) 458-5454 Fax No.: (202) 522-1500 Note: This is information on an evolving project. Certain components may not necessarily be included in the final project. Processed by the Public Information Center week ending August 15, 1997. - 4 -