Announcement of One Million Eight Hundred Thousand Dollar Credit for Education in Chad on August 14, 1968

• INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 1818 H STREET, N.W .. WASHINGTON D. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 IDA Press Release No. 68/20 Subject: $1.8 million credit for August 14, 1968 education in Chad A credit of $1.8 million from the International Development Association (IDA) will assist Chad in meeting the most immediate needs of its educational system improvement of primary teacher training and an increase in the number of tech- nicians for agriculture, the country's main economic activity. The credit will be used for the construction and equipping of two training centers -- one for primary school teachers at Moundou, and the other for agricultural technicians • at Fort Lamy • The French Government's Fonds d'Aide et de Cooperation (FAC) is providing most of the teaching personnel for the two centers and will organize the train- ing of Chad personnel to replace French staff. The IDA credit to the Republic of Chad will be for a term of 50 years. It will be free of interest but a service charge of 3/4 of 1% will be made to meet IDA's administrative expenses. The Government of Chad is contributing the equiva- lent of about $550,000 toward the project. All procurement for constructioq and equipment will be on the basis of international competitive bidding. The Government of Chad has given priority to the improvement of primary teacher training because it is the essential first step for the development of the country's entire education and training system. Public primary school enrollment has increased more than tenfold in 12 years so that now about 28% of primary school-age children have the opportunity of some six years of pri- mary schooling. However, school buildings are for the most part poorly built or ill-suited to the climate, classrooms are over-crowded -- classes average • 70 pupils and rise as high as 200 -- and only a small proportion of the teachers are adequately trained. The new teacher-training center, together with other /more  • IDA No. 68/20 - Chad-Education - 2 - measures which are planned to improve the education system, cannot meet the en- tire need for trained teachers and cover all the deficiencies of acconnnodation and equipment. However, the program will establish a sound basis for the later development of a comprehensive education and training system. The teacher-training center will accommodate 400 full-time students and will conduct and supervise correspondence courses an<l in-service training for a further 400 students. It will also offer special courses which will help to up-grade unqualified teachers and provide advanced training to qualified teachers. Curricula at the center will include workshop practice, farm work and instruction in building maintenance as well as professional training. This is part of the Government's commendable effort to adapt primary and secondary education to the specific requirements of the country and to train teachers for responsibility in community development. Agriculture is the main sector of the economy and prospects for national development now depend principally on greater efficiency in land use. An effec- tive extension service is a first requirement for expansion, diversification and increased productivity in agriculture. The new agricultural training center will supply technicians capable of implementing short-range plans to raise agricul- tural output and, in the long run, much of the skill and leadership required to bring about sustained agricultural development. The agricultural center will train extension and supervisory workers in three-year courses, comprising professional instruction and practical work on Ct farms associated with the center and in agricultural projects in different areas of the country. It will have a capacity of 120 students and will be coordinated with the existing Animal Husbandry Institute at Fort Lamy. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) assisted the Government of Chad in the identification and prepara- tion of the project and participated in its appraisal by IDA under the World Bank/Unesco cooperative program. Unesco also joined with FAC in making a survey of the need for technical education in Chad which was completed early in 1968 and is now under study. - 0 - •