Barbados - Human Resources Project

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: 22432 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT (CPL-36340; SCPD-3634S) ON A LOAN/CREDIT/GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$ 6.90 MILLION TO THE BARBADOS FOR A BB- HUMAN RESOURCES 06/22/2001 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective June 2001) Currency Unit = Barbadian Dollar (BBD) BBD$1 = US$ 0.503 US$ I = BBD$1.99 FISCAL YEAR April 1 - March 30 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AVA Audio Visual Aids BCC Barbados Community College BYTS Barbados Youth Training Service CXC Caribbean Examination Council EPIU Education Project Implementation Unit ESIS Employment Service Information System ETF Employment Training Fund GOB Government of Barbados LMIS Labor Market Information System MOE Ministry of Education MRSU Manpower Research and Statistics Unit NEB National Employment Bureau NVQs Natinal Vocational Qualifications SJPP Samuel J. Prescod Polytechnic TAD Training Administration Division TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training Vice President: David de Fenanti Country Manager/Director: Orsalia Kalantzopoulos Sector Manager/Director: Xavier Coll Task Team Leader/Task Manager: Emanuela Di Gropello FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY BARBADOS BB- HUMAN RESOURCES CONTENTS Page No. 1. Project Data 1 2. Principal Performance Ratings 1 3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry 2 4. Achievement of Objective and Outputs 5 5. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome 15 6. Sustainability 17 7. Bank and Borrower Performance 19 8. Lessons Learned 23 9. Partner Comments 25 10. Additional Information 32 Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix 33 Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing 39 Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits 41 Annex 4. Bank Inputs 42 Annex 5. Ratings for Achievement of Objectives/Outputs of Components 44 Annex 6. Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance 45 Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents 46 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.  Project ID: P006089 Project Name: BB- HUMAN RESOURCES Team Leader: Marco Mantovanelli TL Unit: LCCDO ICR Type: Core ICR Report Date: June 27, 2001 1. Project Data Name: BB- HUMAN RESOURCES L/C/TF Number: CPL-36340; SCPD-3634S Country/Department: BARBADOS Region: Latin America and Caribbean Region Sector/subsector: EV - Vocational/Technical Education & Training KEY DATES Original Revised/Actual PCD: 10/21/91 Effective: 06/20/94 Appraisal: 06/19/92 MTR. 03/24/97 Approval: 07/01/93 Closing: 12/31/2000 Borrower/Implementing Agency: GOV. OF BARBADOS/MOE/MOCD/MOCS/MOL Other Partners: STAFF Current At Appraisal Vice President: David de Ferrany S. Shahid Husain Country Manager: Orsalia Kalantzopoulos Yoshiaki Abe Sector Manager: Xavier Coll Jacques van der Gaag Team Leader at ICR: Emanuela Di Gropello ICR Primary Author: Emanuela Di Gropello 2. Principal Performance Ratings (HS=Highly Satisfactory, S=Satisfactory, U=Unsatisfactory, HL=Highly Likely, L=Likely, UN=Unlikely, HUN=Highly Unlikely, HU=Highly Unsatisfactory, H=High, SU=Substantial, M=Modest, N=Negligible) Outcome: S Sustainability: L Institutional Development Impact: SU Bank Performance: S Borrower Performance: S QAG (if available) ICR Quality at Entry: S Project at Risk at Any Time: Yes 3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry 3.1 Original Objective: The project's overall objective was to strengthen the human capital base in Barbados by increasing available trained manpower, in order to enhance productivity and facilitate economic restructuring. The three principal development objectives were: (i) strengthening the quality and efficiency of primary and secondary education, and raising student achievement; (ii) improving the effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs; and (iii) reinforcing employment services and labor market information. The general and specific objectives were relevant to the country's educational needs and development priorities, and in alignment with the objectives outlined in the 1993-2000 Education Development Plan developed by the former Government. The Government's plan, submitted to the Bank at the time of project appraisal, targeted improving the quality, cost-efficiency and educational opportunity in both general and TVET education. These objectives also generally corresponded to the priorities, strategies and goals set by the newly elected Government in the White Paper on Education, covering 1995-2000. The White Paper explicitely stated that the major "challenge for Barbadian education [was] one of quality" and proposed several interventions for improving student peformance at the general education and TVET levels. The project's objectives were aligned with the Bank's financial assistance program with Barbados, which was based on a graduation strategy. This strategy, approved in 1984, provided for a seven-year phase-out period (FY85-9 1)'. When graduation was delayed in 1991 following a macroeconomic crisis, the strategy was then complemented by a special economic report called the "Country Economic Memorandum: Barbados: Requirements for Sustained Development" which proposed a comprehensive reform agenda for addressing underlying structural deficiencies with the purpose of reestablishing and enhancing the country's growth prospects. The institutional development, structural change and sustainability goals at the core of the strategy were expected to be supported by the project's ambitious objectives (including its support to numerous stakeholders). The project would complement and support Government's adjustment and graduation efforts by improving efficiency and raising cost-delivery within the education sector, increasing the availability of trained manpower, and establishing an Employment Training Fund (ETF) for retraining workers displaced by the economic restructuring. 3.2 Revised Objective: As indicated above, although no revisions were made to objectives during the implementation of the project, it was determined after the Mid-Term Review of March 1997 that the sub-component on policy development had to be dropped, effectively down-sizing the first objective which included several cost-efficiency measures. This decision followed ineffective dialogues between the new Government and the Bank on these issues. Certain impact targets of the project were also modified slightly following the Mid-Term Review, taking into account implementation delays. Specifically, the project's impact objectives aimed at: a) an increase of 10% in the passing rates (instead of scores) on national examinations; and b) an increase of 30% (instead of 50%) of the TVET graduate placement rates. 3.3 Original Components: The project included four components: (A) General Education Support; (B) TVET Development; (C) Labor Market Support; and (D) Project Administration. -2- * Component (A) was divided into three main sub-components, centering on: (a) Providing staff training to improve the quality of teaching, encourage the use of information technology, and strengthen school management; (b) Upgrading learning resources in schools and libraries, to improve learning achievement and increase opportunities for self development; and (c) Reinforcing MOE's policy development capabilities with particular focus on the design and implementation of a national examination and certification system, a comprehensive cost recovery program, and reform measures aimed at improving cost-efficiency of primary and secondary general education, as well as secondary TVET programs. * Component (B), divided into five main sub-components, focused on: (a) Improving the quality of TVET instruction at the secondary and post-secondary levels, largely by designing, implementing and evaluating a new multi-level competency-based certification teacher training program; (b) Expanding access to learning resources by establishing teacher resource centres; (c) Strengthening curriculum and program development capabilities; (d) Revitalizing and strengthening selective TVET programs; and (e) Reinforcing TVET institutional capabilities by supporting the operations of the new TVET Policy Coordinating Council/Employment Training Fund (ETF). * Component (C), composed of two sub-components, centered on: (a) Strengthening employment services at the National Employment Bureau (NEB); and (b) Increasing the capacity of the Manpower Research and Statistics Unit (MRSU) to analyze labor market information. The main components and sub-components were well related to achieving the objectives of the project and supported the interventions included in the 1993-2000 Education Development Plan which specifically targeted increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of TVET programs through the establishment of a TVET Policy Coordinating Council. Overall, they were also in line with the country's priorities and strategies as stated in the White Paper on Education. For example, a major component of the White Paper made teacher empowerment the first priority of the education reform. Likewise, staff training and development were at the core of the project. In addition, project priorities including the acquisition and development of instructional and leaming resources, the reform in the national certification system at both the general education and TVET levels, the strengthening of curriculum development capabilities, as well as re-organization and coordination of delivery at the TVET level, were part of the strategic interventions indicated in the White Paper'. Only the cost-recovery part of the sub-component (c) of component (A) appeared to be out of line with the country's priorities for the education sector set out in the White Paper and the cost-efficiency part was only partially in line with the paper. The White Paper limited cost-efficiency measures to secondary and post-secondary TVET education and to tertiary general education (with no mention to general basic education) and excluded increasing student-teacher ratios as suggested by the project but only aimed at improving cost-efficiency through the re-organization and articulation of the programs. Most of the key lessons drawn from the previous two education projects financed by the World Bank in Barbados (the First and Second Education Projects approved, respectively, in 1978 and 1986) were duly -3- integrated into the design of the project, such as: (i) the strengthening of the linkages between technical assistance and project goals; (ii) the strengthening of TVET planning and re-organization; (iii) the attention given to de-emphasizing civil works while focusing on quality and efficiency issues and (iv) the elaboration and monitoring by the Bank and the Government of a coherent policy agenda with specific quantitative targets. However, some of the previous implementation problems were still faced by the new project, such as: (i) the lack of full-time involvement of project staff; (ii) the shortage of counterpart funds due to a difficult macroeconomic situation and cost escalation and (iii) the weakness and complexity of procurement procedures. 3.4 Revised Components: The only major change to components concerned MOE's policy development in sub-component (c) of the general education component (A). After the Mid-Term Review of March 1997, the sub-component was dropped because of the new Government's strong reservations in committing to the set of policy conditionalities. The Government still supported the redesign of the national examination and certification system and the implementation of the Public Education Expenditure Program (PEP), though pursued it only marginally through the project. The new Government did not support the implementation of cost-recovery programs, and cost-efficiency measures were limited to TVET and tertiary education. 3.5 Quality at Entry: The overall quality at entry was satisfactory based on the following criteria: (a) consistency of the project concept, objectives and design with the Government's priorities and the Bank's assistance strategy; (b) quality of project design; (c) involvement of stakeholders in the preparatory stage; (d) thoroughness in evaluating the borrower's implementation capacity; (e) accuracy evaluating key project risks; and (f) concerted efforts to integrate the lessons from prior Bank education projects. Developing further some of the above points, the following elements can be mentioned. The project design benefited from a detailed set of PPF-funded technical and economic preparatory studies which ensured high quality of design. It was decided to attribute the main responsibility for project implementation to the Education Project Implementation Unit (EPIU) of the MOE only after having determined that, at the time of appraisal, the EPIU was well equipped with high quality personnel with limited turnover who had extensive knowledge of Bank procedures and guidelines in procurement and financial management. Some further strengthening of the EPIU was also recommended. Two main risks were recognized at project preparation: one related to the project design itself and the other to the external environment. The main risks concerning the project design stemmed from its broad scope and complexity, which covered extensive interventions, including several policy and institutional measures, across several areas (general education, TVET programs and employment services) and involving several ministries2. The project design risk was addressed by: (a) foregoing some planned project activities early on; (b) attributing the responsibility for handling procurement, accounting and auditing for all project activities to the EPrIU, which had a strong track record managing the two previous Bank education projects; (c) promoting a further strengthening of the EPIU; and (d) creating an Inter-Ministerial Committee for overseeing and monitoring the project's policy and institutional aspects. The main risks related to the external environment centered on the uncertain medium-term macroeconomic environment, which could potentially have an adverse affect on the availability of counterpart funding. This problem was addressed by: (a) scaling back the project size before negotiations (from the original size planned at appraisal); (b) phasing the project over a 7-year period, with relatively low disbursements during the first years of the implementation; and (c) seeking assurances from the Government on the availability and timely delivery of counterpart funds. -4- Given this, it should however be recognized that despite some simplifications to the project which met a recognized need for "ambitious" projects in countries under graduation, the project design remained excessively complex and the institutional arrangements adopted to manage it, while duly analyzed, could have been improved. In particular, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) established for overseeing and monitoring the project's policy and institutional aspects would have benefitted from a stronger political profile and institutional mandate from the start. Without such a mandate, the IMC was unable to make the decisions required for implementating such a complex project. Notes: (1) The key elements of the strategy were: (i) to assist the Government in the formulation and implementation of measures to eliminate the fiscal deficit, increase exports and enhance Barbados' access to international capital markets; and (ii) to promote institutional development in those sectors that are critical for ensuring sustained growth of the economy. (2) The White Paper planned to modify the instructional methodology used by teachers through the increased use of AVA technology, modify the certification system at the secondary level through the introduction of a National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE), rationalize the delivery and accreditation/ certification procedures at the TVET post-secondary levels through the establishment of a Barbados Board of Accreditation and Certification and expand TVET programs. (3) Precisely, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Community Development, the Ministry of the Civil Service and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. 4. Achievement of Objective and Outputs 4.1 Outcome/achievement of objective: The overall achievement of project development objectives is satisfactory despite protracted implementation delays. The seven-year project achieved most of its targets and effectively contributed to strengthening the country's human capital base by expanding the availability of trained manpower, thus enhancing productivity and facilitating economic restructuring. All three development objectives have been or are expected to be reached. The core activities of the project aimed at improving the way TVET system in Barbados was planned, designed, delivered and evaluated, in order to make it more effective, efficient and responsive. One major achievement in this area consisted of the creation of the TVET Council and the development of occupational standards and national vocational qualifications, which will fundamentally change the TVET programs at the secondary and post-secondary levels. As part of an integrated approach to TVET, and as a further effort to promote higher effectiveness and responsiveness, significant emphasis was also placed on human resource development through the establishment of a new multi-certification system for TVET teachers. The certification process would "professionalize" the TVET teaching profession, making it more attractive. Another major achievement centered on the development of a state-of-the-art Labour Market Information System (LMIS), which greatly improved the quality of labour market information available in the country. The LMIS also reinforced the integrative approach to TVET and will contribute to economic restructuring and growth by facilitating placements in the labour market. In the general education area, teacher training, including instruction in innovative school practices and various pedagogical techniques, was also considerably strengthened under the project. Several training courses were upgraded and re-organized, then transfered to the restructured country's teacher training college (Erdiston). These interventions should lead to higher quality in general education. Finally, an overall achievement of the project was to have involved the main stakeholders in project preparation from the outset. This produced a strong sense of ownership, which was maintained throughout the entire implementation phase. Given the stakeholder's commitment, the achievements generated, or expected to be generated, are likely to be maintained over the economic life of the project. -5- Achievement of objectives was less satisfactory in other areas, such as abandoning the policy dimension of the project in the general education area after the change in Government in 1994. Since this sub-component was dropped for circumstances largely outside the Bank's control, the general education component was rated on the basis of the restructured objectives of the project and, therefore, still considered satisfactory. Even without these policy interventions, the project still effectively supported the Government's graduation and adjustment efforts by increasing the availability of trained manpower. Its contribution to the country's adjustment process, however, could have been stronger. The achievement of the development objectives of the project was also delayed and, in a few cases, even seriously hampered by the deteriorating implementation capacity of the EPIU after project effectiveness combined with the weak decision-making capacity of the Inter-Ministerial Committee. The Bank was proactive in tackling the deteriorating capacity of the EPIU, but the institutional set-up could have been improved during the preparation stage, given the complex nature of the project. Since most project activities were only implemented from mid-1997 due to delays, it is still too early to assess the impact of the interventions on the outcome indicators set by the project (and revised sligthly after the Mid-Term Review). Furthermore, the outcome/impact performance indicators agreed upon proved to be inadequate for optimally measuring achievement of objectives. In the general education and TVET components, the three main reasons for considering them inadequate are that: (a) the indicators were all expressed in very general terms giving way to many different interpretations; (b) no baseline values were given for any of the indicators; and (c) no monitoring system was put in place to track the indicators over time. In the case of the labour market component, the suggested outcome indicator [the National Employment Bureau (NEB) placement rate] was not very suitable for measuring the impact of the project in the area since it could not capture the impact of the most significant project intervention - the development of an information system (the LMIS) to facilitate matching employers with employees outside any institutional intermediation. Some information was still collected, however, on the evolution, between 1993 and 1999/2000, of: (1) the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exam, as a proxy for the evolution of national examination passing rates; and (2) the employment placement rate of the NEB. Although attempts were made to encourage data collection, since the Barbados Community College (BCC) and Samuel J. Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) do not keep records on placement rates, no precise information was available to be used as a proxy for the TVET graduate placement rate. The evidence gathered on CXC passing rates (see Table 1) shows a very positive evolution: the rates increased by 24% in English and 19% in Math between 1993 and 2000, exceeding the targeted 10% increase. However, it is likely that the project contributed to the increase only from early 1998 onwards. It should be pointed out also that the increase in passing rates was a common objective of both the Bank's Human Resources project as well as the IDB Third Education and Training Project, thus making it difficult to distinguish the individual impact of each project. -6- Table 1: Evolution of Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Passing Rates, 1993-2000 1993 1998 2000 CXC (general) -English 43% (a) 60% (b) 67% (b) -Math 44% (a) 48% (b) 63% (b) (a) Students with Grades I and II as a % of total students sitting the exam (b) Students with Grades I, II and III (corresponding to the previous I and II) as a % of total students sitting the exam The NEB placement rates (see Table 2) also show a generally positive evolution: the employment placement rates increased by 12% between 1994 and 1999, somewhat below the target rate of 20%. This positive evolution, however, may not be attributable to the project, due to protracted implementation delays. A greater impact on the NEB should be reflected in the future. Table 2: Placement rate of the National Employment Bureau (NEB), 1994-1999 Year Number of registrants Persons placed in local Ratio of placements to employment (vacancies filled) registrations (%) 1993 3203 335 10.5 1994 2498 239 9.5 1995 1392 231 16.5 1996 1250 283 22.6 1997 2798 345 12.3 1998 1674 401 24.0 1999 2182 495 22.6 4.2 Outputs by components: Component (A): General Education Support: Satisfactory Although this component did not achieve the policy development objective outlined in sub-component (c), since this objective was dropped for circumstances largely outside the Bank's control, i.e. a Government's change, it can be considered satisfactory. Its rating of satisfactory is determined by evaluating the restructured objectives. In terms of the revised output targets, the impact of the project in this area has been obvious, despite implementation delays. The quality of teacher training, in particular, has been appreciably strengthened through the successful upgrading of Erdiston College, which is now in charge of all pre-service, in-service, and continuous general education programs in the country. Training enrollment targets have been in fact exceeded. Learning resources in schools have been upgraded. All of these interventions should lead to improved quality of learning, even if it is still too early to clearly quantify the -7- impact on student leaming as measured by the CXC. To a lesser degree, the outputs should promote increased efficiency in the education process through improved instructional leadership leading to innovations in the delivery of education in schools. Some output targets were negatively impacted, however, by procurement problems, which hampered the smooth development of some activities. Training was generally more successful than the provision of equipment. Analysis by sub-component: * Sub-Component (a) aimed at providing staff training to improve the quality of teaching, encourage use of information technology and strengthen school management. - Most output targets for this sub-component were reached or even exceeded, despite delays in implementation. These activities had to be implemented through the Erdiston College, the teacher college for general education of the country, which extended its mandate in order to deliver pre-service, in-service, and continuing education programs for the professional development of teachers, with particular focus on in-service training. In spite of the slow start which led to delaying the implementation of all activities', the sub-component achieved or even exceeded most of its planned outputs. At the Erdiston College: (a) between 1994 and 1999, training was provided to over 800 teachers and 100 MOE officers and principals; (b) instructional leadership addressing multi-grade teaching and school management was offered through the introduction of the new part-time Certificate in Educational Management and Administration for current and prospective school administrators; and (c) training in pedagogical techniques in selective areas was provided through the new part-time Diploma in Education for untrained graduate teachers, and a two year full-time in-service programme for untrained non-graduate teachers. The demand remains high for the innovative programs, especially in administration. All of the courses were accredited by the University of West Indies (UWI). Erdiston College was, moreover, satisfactorily restructured and upgraded by: (i) the renovation of the main building, administration block, classrooms and laboratories; (ii) the acquisition of books and instructional materials, as well as furniture and equipment for use in administration and training; and (iii) the construction of a fully equipped Teachers' Centre in operation since early 1997. * Sub-Component (b) focused on upgrading the learning resources in schools and libraries, in order to improve learning achievement and increase opportunities for self development. - Most of the output targets for this sub-component were reached, despite serious delays and shortages caused by procurement problems. The Audio Visual Aids (AVA) Department was strengthened through the provision of training (including several study tours) and equipment, and in its role as a "nerve centre", by consolidating the provision of software and support to schools. It was less successful, however, as a provider of other AVA materials and as a producer of local broadcast programs, largely due to the limited acquisition of equipment. Twelve library resource centres were equipped at the primary school level, of the 15 originally targetted, as 3 schools initiated self-help programmes which allowed them to develop their own resource centres with goods of same technical quality. All secondary school language laboratories were equipped with AVA material for training in foreign languages. The National Library was strengthened as well, through the provision of books (about 1,600 new titles or 6,000 copies over the life of the project), furniture (10 storage cabinets), and training of staff and consultant services in automating the library system. The effectiveness of the library in fulfilling its role, however, was counterbalanced by delays in providing books and furniture related to slow and cumbersome handling of procurement by the EPIU. In general, under this sub-component, it appears that the provision of training was more successful than the -8- provision of equipment due to the poor procurement performance of the EPIU. In particular, study tours seem to have been very effective. Five members from both the AVA Department and the National Library benefitted from study tours in Canada to study, and studied Information Technology and Management and Library Automation, respectively. All participants were satisfied by the training received. The training in Information Technology was particularly beneficial and timely since it preceded the IDB EDUTECH 2000 Project which introduced massive use of multimedia equipment and information technology in schools. In general, it can be said that, although small, the AVA sub-component acted as a forerunner to the EDUTECH project. * Sub-Component (c) centered on reinforcing MOE policy development capabilities by supporting the design, implementation and evaluation of the Government's education program. - This sub-component was dropped after the Mid-Term review. As mentioned before, this sub-component was dropped after the Mid-Term review due to the reservations of the new Government in committing to what was basically a set of policy conditions. The Government pursued some of the objectives and activities through other means. In particular, the discussion generated by the project was useful in leading to the creation of a national accreditation board and a comprehensive curriculum reform in secondary education. On the other hand, the cost-recovery measures were completely dropped and the cost-effectiveness measures were limited to the re-organization of TVET courses in secondary and post-secondary education, eliminating all reference to student-teacher target ratios. Component (B): TVET Development: Satisfactory This component can be considered satisfactory. It is in this area that the project's impact was strongest felt, despite protracted implementation delays. The major achievements consisted of the creation of the TVET Council and the development of occupational standards and national vocational qualifications. The National Training Plan and the occupational standards set by the Council applied best international practices in their implementation. The "professionalization" of TVET teachers was enhanced through the successful introduction, within the new multi-certification system, of the Bachelor of Education and the application of teacher appraisal mechanisms. Program design and expertise in curriculum development were strengthened in the two main TVET institutions of the country (BCC and SJPP). It is still too early to measure the impact of all these measures on placement rates but all qualitative evaluations strongly indicate their potential positive impact. Reliable statistics on placement rates will, however, be necessary to be able to monitor results of these interventions in the future. Without the noticeable implementation delays that limited the achievement of some of the output targets and, in a few cases, even jeopardized completely their attainment, the results of the component would have been more satisfactory. A stronger Inter-Ministerial Committee, essential to technical and vocational education and training which is at the border between education and labour, would have probably accelerated the implementation of some of the planned activities and helped in maintaining an integrated, holistic, and strategic view of the entire TVET component. Since this point of view was not fully understood by the MOE, there was little coordination between interventions. Analysis by sub-component: * Sub-Component (a) concentrated on improving the quality of TVET instruction at the secondary and post-secondary levels through the design, implementation, and evaluation of a new multi-certification level competency-based teacher training program, the development of a cadre of teacher trainers and the improvement of the instructor appraisal and feedback system. - Most of this sub-component's -9- output targets were achieved, and the introduction of the new Bachelor of Education for TVET teachers was particularly successful. The framework for the multi-certification level teacher training program (including a Certificate, Associate, Bachelor and Diploma of Education) was established at the BCC, but only the Bachelor degree has been implemented at this stage (and the Certificate as a one year program at Erdiston College) . The degree was formally introduced in September 1997 with a first intake of 26 teachers, and again in September 1999 with 21 teachers, reaching a total enrollment of 47 teachers, almost doubling the targeted enrollment of 20. The degree has been considered a success. It applies the best international practices and not only provides the teachers with the missing pedagogical competencies for the profession, but will result in salary adjustments within the civil service pay scales, thus increasing the likelihood that new technically competent individuals are attracted to the TVET teaching profession. Informal research, as well as the number of eligible applicants who were not selected from the two cohorts, suggest that the program can be offered at Level II for at least three more intakes, and then Level I of the program is planned to be introduced. Similarly, also the final level of the program, resulting in the award of a Diploma in education, will be phased in. The introduction of these new levels of certification requires additional qualified staff, further development of the curriculum, and more funding, all aspects which need to be duly taken into consideration by the college. The sub-component also contributed to the development of a cadre of teacher trainers at BCC, through study tours that prepared instructors in advanced level pedagogical and technical skills. A global framework with an implementation plan at BCC has also been developed and appraisal instruments at SJPP have been drafted for an annual comprehensive performance appraisal system for TVET instructors. Instructor use of classroom feedback techniques has increased. * Sub-Component (b) focused on expanding access to learning resources by establishing teacher resource centres at BCC and SJPP, and upgrading BCC library. - Initial targets for this sub-component were not attained, due to the lack of delivery of equipment, books and furniture. Two Media Teacher Resource centres have been established at BCC and SJPP, but only the one at SJPP is fully functional. The Teacher Centre at BCC is not in use because no equipment has yet been received. This is a major issue since the centre had an essential role in training TVET teachers, particularly the ones enrolled in the new Bachelor degree, in the use of new technologies such as computer-based teaching and materials preparation. The BCC library has been upgraded through the creation of additional space on the ground floor and a mezzanine floor, which increased its total capacity, and the automatization of its records and services (accompanied by special training). However, the mezzanine remains unfurnished, many books are still missing, and the Audio Visual Room located there continues to be unequipped. The lack of equipment was caused by the problems encountered in the processing of the last procurement package (ICBO8), eventually resulting in the package not being provided at all. Supplying these missing items remains an important issue to be resolved. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs offered a partial solution to the problem by providing BDS$750,000 which will cover the equipment costs of the BCC library and, to a great extent, of the BCC Teacher Resource centre. * Sub-Component (c) concentrated on strengthening curriculum and program development capabilities. - Most of this sub-component's initial targets were achieved, since BCC and, to a lesser extent, SJPP have indicated considerable improvements in the level of expertise in curriculum development and in the delivery of program design. - 10- Expertise in curriculum development was substantially strengthened at BCC and, to a lesser extent, SJPP. BCC is satisfied with the work and dedication of the full-time trained curriculum specialist hired to improve the quality of the curriculum, who has a Masters in Education. Its future plans include establishing a curriculum department with other curriculum officers to accelerate the pace of curriculum reform (including the transition to a semester system). SJPP hired a part-time curriculum specialist, who is accomplishing less. However, study tours, as well as workshops and seminars, were organized to provide training in methods of curriculum design. Program review expertise was also substantially strengthened at BCC and, to a lesser degree, at SJPP. The Deputy Principal of BCC produced a Draft Program Review Manual in March 2000 after his return from a study tour in Canada on program review systems. The manual determined that a full scale review of each program would begin with the selection of a Program Review Committee which would coordinate the preparation of a detailed report and, on the basis of the information collected, submit an action plan with the report, to the College's Academic Board (which acts as the Steering Committee). The program review is currently in the pilot stage with a full scale review of the Business Studies program. This will be followed by review of the Electronics and Architectural Studies program. At SJPP, a pilot program review of the Printing, Autobody Repairs and Cabinet Making Programs is also underway, but no manual has still been produced at this stage (only some elements highlighted for program review). Five Divisional Program Advisory Committees have been established and in operation with the main objective of providing continuous mechanisms for evaluation of the industrial and business programs. This sub-component would probably have been more successful had a "project coordinator" been in charge of all project activities identified within each of the institutions. Comments suggested that so many innovations happening at the same time were overwhelming. More explicit collaboration and integration between the two colleges would have facilitated implementation. Unfortunately, program review was maintained separately between the two institutions, reducing the potential benefits of shared learning at least in the process of such reviews. The lack of coordination especially hampered SJPP, which would have benefitted from closer contacts with BCC in this area. Moreover, there was no coordination between program review process at BCC and SJPP and the TVET Council activities in the occupational standards area. Ideally, the occupational standards developed by the Council should be used as much as possible in the program review process to ensure both the relevancy of the programs to the needs of industry, and that the work of the TVET Council is not replicated or contradicted by the program review process. To date, this has not occurred. * Sub-Component (d) focused on revitalizing and strengthening selective TVET programs. This sub-component was particularly successful in upgrading the Arts and Crafts Youth Training Program at the Barbados Youth Training Service (BYTS) and establishing a high potential Pilot Industry Service Unit at BCC. The Arts and Crafts Youth Training Programme at the BYTS was effectively strengthened under the project. It was upgraded through the provision of new equipment and materials, and its capacity was expanded (it currently caters for 110 trainees every 6 months). In contrast, the Training Administration Division (TAD) of the Civil Service Ministry did not benefit from the project as initially proposed due to a number of unforseen circumstances. In particular, although significant investment and support was provided to implement the Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) methodoloy, little if any implementation actually took place because of the lack of support of the TAD. No expansion of the division was undertaken either. However, a strategic plan was elaborated by GOB to - 11 - develop the TAD in the near future (through the construction of a new building (Project Horizon)) and 2 managers received training in priority areas under the project. A Pilot Industry Service Unit was opened during 1997 at BCC to provide industry and business with a source of customized technical training expertise. In spite of its delayed opening and the fact that its activity was almost completely suspended from the end of 1997 to mid-July 2000 following the departure of its director, the unit is now fully functional, practically self-sufficient and has a lot of potential since it is designed to offer a wide variety of customized training programs. Its planned relocation within the Barbados Investment Development Corporation is ideal for visibility, contacts and networking. Finally, the BCC Language Centre was successfully upgraded and equipped with the setting up of a Computer Lab in May 1998, accompanied by several training activities, including study tours, and the refurbishing of one of the Centre's Language Laboratories in December 1998. This made it possible to increase course offerings, expanding, notably, the paying course "English as a Foreign Language", which became an important source of income together with the evening courses offered. However, no precise information could be produced on the exact increase in income that this meant for the College and on the exact number of teachers that were trained through the Lab (most likely higher than the planned 150). These two performance indicators were found to be difficult to measure and not very clearly defined. * Sub-Component (e) centered on reinforcing TVET institutional capabilities by supporting the operations of the new TVET Policy Coordinating Council/Employment Training Fund (ETF). In spite of protracted implementation delays, the TVET Council was established and most of its planned activities are underway. The TVET Policy Coordinating Council, composed of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, the Chief Education Officer, the Executive Director and 8 members appointed by the Minister of Labour based on recommendations, was established in 1993 by an Act of Parliament. However, it became functional with some delay on the planned schedule for project effectiveness, fixed originally on November 18, 1993', contributing to the shift in the project effectiveness date. In addition, despite the high-level of commitment of the Council members, the effective start-up of the Council's activities was further delayed by apparent inconsistencies in the legislation pertaining to the TVET Council and that of the Barbados Vocational Training Board, as well as difficulties in appointing an Executive Director and apparent lack of institutional support. These difficulties could have probably been tackled more quickly and effectively if the Inter-Ministerial Committee had been stronger. They were eventually solved and a suitable action plan and budget were prepared for the second half of 1997. Since then, the Council has gradually developed several important initiatives: 1. It prepared a National Training Plan for TVET (1997-2000), which identifies the areas with - training gaps. 2. It published in May 2000 a formal proposal including a general comprehensive framework on Occupational Standards and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in the country. The framework draws on the UK one and benefitted from the study tours of the Council's Technical Officers in the UK and from the consultancy services of a UK specialist. On the basis of this proposal, occupational standards are being defined for three main leading sectors of the economy: Hospitality, Information Technology and Customer Services. Special care will need to be taken that these standards are reflected in future program review at BCC and SJPP and to provide the Council with adequate staffing levels for extending its activities to other sectors. - 12- 3. It established a TVET Articulation Group and a TVET Articulation Coordinator to manage and execute the implementation and maintenance of effective articulation arrangements between local TVET institutions. It developed a manual on Articulation which sets a framework for the transfer of credits between TVET institutions. These initiatives have not yet produced concrete results. 4. It managed the Employment and Training Fund, which was created by the same Act that established the Council, in order to: provide financial assistance such as grants and loans for training and skills upgrading; subsidize the costs incurred by employers in training and retraining of employees in accordance with the criteria established by the Council (up to 75% of the cost is generally covered by the grant); and support training programmes in accordance with national priorities set by the Council. Over the time period 1998-2000, the Fund signed contracts for BDS$ 1.4 million and disbursed approximately BDS$ 1.1 million, covering mostly the private sector (around 80% of the funds), and priority sectors like information technology and customer services. Since 1998, around 3,000 individulas benefitted from the training grants. 5. The Council also started, even if quite slowly, to organize some promotional activities, such as the publication of a quarterly newsletter with the main objective of promoting TVET in Barbados and creating an awareness of the Council at all levels. It is also about to launch a major promotional campaign. 6. Finally, a couple of in-house tracer studies on the impact of TVET have been initiated but activities in this field have been limited. Component (C): Labour Market Support: Satisfactory This component can be considered satisfactory, despite protracted delays in strengthening the National Employment Bureau, following the implementation delays and other difficulties encountered in installing the internal employment information system. The Manpower Research and Statistics Unit (MRSU) of the Ministry of Labour was successful strengthened through the installation of a state-of-the-art labour market information system accessible to everyone. This system complements the efforts made in increasing the responsiveness of TVET programs by providing inputs for the TVET Council training plans and, more generally, facilitating the match between demand and supply of labour in the country. No comprehensive performance indicator was established however to measure its impact over time. Some measure of employment rates of the local residents could be constructed to monitor future developments. Special care will need to be taken to keep the MRSU sufficiently staffed to maintain updated the labour market information. Analysis by sub-component: * Sub-Component (a) concentrated on strengthening employment services by computerizing the employment information and placement system, as well as expanding educational and occupational counselling for youths and adults at the NEB. - The initial targets of this sub-component were not achieved because of the protracted implementation and installation delays which caused the employment service information system to remain less than fully functional. Computerization has still not been totally achieved at this stage because of delays due to difficulties in the procurement process of the hardware component and in the installation of the software. Equipment was eventually purchased (even if it turned out to be below the required standard) and most of the initial software network problems addressed, but the Employment Service Information System (ESIS) is still currently subject to modification and corrective action. Additionally, the testing of the functionality of the internal database for health and safety, occupational accidents and industrial relations is still currently in -13- progress. In contrast, staff training in employment guidance and counselling services was provided in a timely manner, and of excellent quality. The acquired techniques and skills are currently being applied in the day-to-day activities of the NEB. * Sub-Component (b) focused on increasing the capacity of the MRSU, the research and planning arm of the Ministry of Labour, to analyze labor market information and conduct labor market research. - This sub-component led to the successful installation of a state-of-the-art labour market information system. This sub-component was successfully implemented, even if it experienced some delays of equipment due to problems in the procurement process. Within the framework of a detailed 10-year Strategic Plan (1999-2009) for the development of the MRSU, a sophisticated state-of-the-art Labour Market Information System (LMIS), a "premier" model for labour market systems within the LAC region, was installed and in operation since early December 2000. The LMIS is capable of providing and delivering adequate quantities of timely and updated labour market information to meet the needs of employers, policy makers, job seekers, and others. An aggressive marketing policy and several promotional activities of the system are currently in progress, as part of the same strategic plan. Special care will need to be taken to provide the unit with sufficient staff to keep the information updated. 4.3 Net Present Value/Economic rate of return: No economic analysis was undertaken in the SAR and, thus, no NPV or ERR was reported. Only a short description of the main benefits of the project was provided as well as a review of the main issues faced by the country in general education and TVET. The main broad benefits of the project were expected to be: (a) an increased level of educational achievement in both general and TVET education driven by the quality-enhancing measures introduced by the project; (b) increased employment opportunities of TVET students due to a better match between TVET and labour market needs; and (c) improved internal efficiency of the education sector through the increase in the student-teacher ratios and other cost-efficiency measures introduced through the project. It is still too early to assess the full impact of the project on student achievement scores and placement rates, which measure, educational achievement and the better match between supply and demand of labour, respectively, given the implementation delays in most of the quality-enhancing measures, in the TVET strengthening interventions and in the labour market information and placement computerization process. As far as the internal efficiency of the education sector is concerned, the impact of the project was limited in any case due to the modification in the project's objectives after the mid-term review. In fact, the available evidence suggests that the cost-efficiency of the system as a whole did not improve, but even worsened, during the 1990s. Recent figures from the Ministry of Education show that the student-teacher ratio in primary education has even decreased from the initial 20:1 in 1991/92 to 17:1 in 1999/2000, and from the initial 18:1 in 1991/92 to 16:1 in 1999/2000 in secondary education. Total expenditure in education per pupil in 1999/2000 reached about 4,900 BDS$ (2,500 US$) in secondary and about 5,300 BDS$ (2,600 US$) in primary, increasing significantly in real terms since 1991/92 (by about 50%), without a commensurate increase in the CXC passing rates. 4.4 Financial rate of return: No financial analysis was undertaken in the SAR. 4.5 Institutional development impact: The project had a substantial institutional development impact. Local capacity was strengthened at the general education level, with the application of innovative teaching techniques and school management. It was also strengthened at the TVET level, through curriculum development, implementation of performance appraisal and program review systems, planning and coordination of programs, certification systems and labor market analysis. In particular, the project contributed to creating the institutional framework that had - 14 - been lacking in the TVET area. It led to the creation of the TVET Policy Coordinating Council which became the key actor in the reorganization, rationalization, articulation and promotion of TVET programs through the elaboration of occupational standards, the implementation of a national training plan and other noticeable interventions. It also led to a noticeable strengthening of the institutional capabilities of BCC, SJPP and of the Erdiston College, improving substantially the delivery of TVET and general education teacher training programs. The institutional development impact of the project could have been even stronger if an active Inter-Ministerial Committee existed to play its role, and if the EPIU had been strengthened in a more sustainable way. Notes: (1) The implementation of this sub-component had a slow start because the detailed action plan for restructuring Erdiston College, submitted as a condition of disbursement by December 1993, was considered weak in terms of economic justification and fiscal feasibility. The plan was re-submitted for approval and agreed on in June 1994. (2) In particular, the implementation of a fully functional TVET Council, which was created under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. (3) The Bachelor of Education is a four year program designed to be offered at two separate but interrelated levels. Level I is a two-year program of study which will result in the award of an Associate Degree, whereas Level II is a two-year program of study, open to students who have an Associate Degree or equivalent, and will result in the award of a Bachelores Degree. The program currently operates only at Level II to accomodate those teachers who require the latter level of certification. (4) Which established that the newly introduced Program Review System at BCC would include both the annual review of each program and the full scale program review of selected programs (each program at least once every 7 years). (5) In particular, Council members were appointed only in March 1994 and the regulations of the ETF, as well as the relevant information on the nomination of the three main staff of the Council and clear provisions on the legal TVET framework, were submitted later in May 1994. (6) Even if the inconsistencies with the Barbados Training Board have still not been completely resolved. (7) Based on: (a) the development by Standards Setting Bodies (Industry Lead Bodies) of occupational standards by sector and national vocational qualification structures (with different progressive levels of achievement and areas of competence, according to recommendations of the TVET Council); (b) the development of detailed assessment methodology and the award of NVQs and unit certificates by Awarding Bodies; and (c) the development of curricula for national vocational qualifications (i.e.for training programs based on the occupational standards, by the TVET Council). (8) Which does not mean that it did not improve within some sub-sectors: for example, there was a re-organization of the provision of TVET courses in secondary education and school amalgamation. 5. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome 5.1 Factors outside the control of government or implementing agency: * External factors did not generally affect project implementation. Some international contractors provided below standard equipment, in particular, computers, which hampered the smooth implementation of some of the project's activities (notably in the labour market support component) but that was largely due to the poor and old technical specification used at the end of a very long procurement process. 5.2 Factors generally subject to government control: * There was a change in national leadership in 1994, immediately after project effectiveness. In light of its new priorities, the newly elected Government decided not to commit to the policy development sub-component of the general education component of the project, scaling down the initial objectives of the project. More generally, a lack of broad based consensus within the new Government in the initial years of project implementation resulted in an environment of mixed signals and lingering uncertainties which affected the implementation process and achievement of some of the project outputs (the many difficulties in reaching an agreement on the exact status of the TVET Council is a good example of the impact that such uncertainties had on implementation). In the final years, by giving priority to the new IDB project (EDUTECH), the Government took away impetus, human and financial resources from the Bank project. (Substantial impact) - 15- * Another factor affecting implementation concerns the decisions made by the new Government related to the EPIU, which contributed to a deterioration of its implementation capacity. Firstly, it overhauled the EPIU with new management soon after it came to power, producing a loss of institutional memory and efficiency. Secondly, the unit was given substantial new responsibilities which were not commensurate with its staffing. It had to execute over a few years four projects, with different administrative and procurement procedures . The large volume of operations needed for implementing these projects, and in particular the very ambitious EDUTECH 2000, turned out to be beyond the unit's administrative capacity. Its deteriorating implementation capacity contributed to delays and difficulties in the implementation of the Human Resources project, affecting the achievement of some of the outputs. (Substantial impact) * Unavailability of counterpart funds in 1993/94 and 1994/95, due to the worsening macroeconomic situation, contributed to the lack of effectiveness and implementation delays, and a level of counterpart funding smaller than expected in 1998, 1999 and 2000, contributed to further delays in the last years of implementation of the project. (Substantial impact) * Finally, the Government's weak political support of the Inter-Ministerial Committee further reduced its impact, making its role in the implementation of the policy and institutional aspects of the project often negligible, and notably at times where a prompt intervention could have promoted timely action on the part of the ministries involved. As above, this contributed to implementation delays and achievement of some project outputs. (Substantial impact) 5.3 Factors generally subject to implementing agency control: * The EPIU, which was considered exemplary for staff continuity and professionalism in the past, went through a process of gradual deterioration in managerial, financial, and technical capabilities, hampering the smooth implementation of the project. Part of this deterioration was due to high staff turnover in both lower management and procurement, with persistent inadequate staffing in the procurement and financial management area. Both aspects could have been handled differently by the unit, even if the Government's choices related to staffing were mostly responsible for the inadequacies. (Substantial impact) * Chronic implementation delays were caused by slow and cumbersome handling of procurement, arising from protracted discussions and correspondence on bidding instruments and repeated revisions to bidding packages. The difficulties in the procurement process were largely due to a lack of knowledge of Bank procedures after the departure of the experienced procurement specialist, and to inadequate staffing in the areas of procurement and financial management of the EPIU vis-a-vis its increasing responsibilities. After a very slow procurement pace during the first years of implementation of the project, the situation improved between the end of 1997 and 1998/99 due to better staffing of the EPIU and the hiring of a procurement agent to handle acquisition of goods and equipment under the project. Procurement slowed down again, however, between mid-1999 and May 2000, and its pace became negligible from May 2000 to project closure (in December 2000), due to a combination of factors. These factors include the increasing responsibilities of the EPIU generated by EDUTECH, the end of the contract with Betatech, the appointment of the new full-time procurement expert to project educator, and the lack of counterpart funding. This resulted, eventually, in the non-processing of the last ICB package (ICBO8) which included, notably, the equipment, materials and furniture for the library and teacher resource centre at BCC, jeopardizing the full achievement of some the project objectives/outputs. (Substantial impact) - 16- * Finally, the EPRU had difficulties in handling effectively the communication with all the stakeholders on their,respective project components, Bank procedures, and the roles and responsibilities of the firm managing the technical assistance activites. This also negatively impacted the smooth implementation of the project. (Partial impact) 5.4 Costs and financing: The total estimated cost of the project was, in the SAR, US$15.6 million financed half by the Bank (US$7.8 million) and half by the GOB (US$7.8 million). In 2000, the Bank agreed to scale down the project cost to US$13.8 because of the implementation delays, cancelling US$0.9 million from the loan and an equivalent amount form the local contribution. Financing cuts affected in almost equivalent measure the general education component and the TVET component, which were respectively scaled down to US$4.4 million (from US$4.9 million) and US$8.9 million (from US$9.3 million). After a very slow start-up (by early 1997, only about 7% of the project loan had been disbursed), Bank disbursements as of mid-May 2001 reached 82% of the new loan amount. The disbursement delays, giving rise to the disbursement discrepancies between the SAR schedule and actual project disbursements, were largely due to the delays in effectiveness and implementation, and to under-staffing in the financial management and procurement areas. Notes: (1) Apart from the World Bank one, the IDB Third education and Training Project, approved in October 1992, the CDB Secondary Education Project, approved in 1995, and the IDB EDUTECH 2000, approved in 1998. (2) Resulting in four packages for ICB, in addition to the three already prepared by the EPIU, finalized between September and December 1997. (3) A full-time staff member was recruited to assist the EPIU in procurement in September 1997. (4) Consultant contract with Betatech, ending in June 1999. 6. Sustainability 6.1 Rationale for sustainability rating: It is l that the project will maintain the achievements generated, or expected to be generated, in relation to its objectives over its economic life. This positive evaluation is based on the following considerations: * The Government is generally supportive of the restructured project, in spite of the mixed signals that resulted at times from the lack of a broad consensus; * The policy environment is favourable to the education sector, as shown by a high and increasing education expenditure to GDP ratio (increasing from 6.2% in 1997 to 7% in 1999) and a very stable share of the recurrent national budget allocated to education (around 18-19% since 1995). The importance of education also appears clearly from the effort made in defining a comprehensive and consistent strategy for the sector (formalized in the White Paper and in the GOB's seven year Education Sector Enhancement Program); * Most of the stakeholders involved in the project (and, in particular, BCC, Erdiston College and the new TVET Council) have acquired a high level of ownership on the project's interventions and a personal strong interest in their success. As a consequence of this, most of them have already made transition arrangements to regular operations; - 17- * An important effort was made to strengthen and upgrade core institutions like BCC, SJPP and Erdiston College, increasing institution effectiveness in the education sector; * A comprehensive market-driven TVET framework was implemented, which should ensure more coherent and responsive TVET programs supply; * The better match between labour supply and demand in the TVET area which is expected to be produced by the increase in TVET responsiveness to labour market needs and increased information on labour market requirements will have an increasingly positive social impact; * The project's activities in the area of AVA and modem technologies provision are being currently expanded by the EDUTECH 2000 project; * Capacity was enhanced at MOE in the areas of planning and management. There remain, however, some challenges ahead to ensure that the initiatives of the project realize their full benefit and are sustainable. In particular, several of the project's interventions are quite extensive and ambitious and, as such, are quite demanding in terms of staff, skills and equipment. Beyond what has been provided through the project, it will be necessary to keep track of these requirements over time to ensure their full effectiveness. This will require strong commitment and vision from the stakeholders, as well as strong financial support from the Government and the Ministries involved (largely the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour). The implementation of cost-effectiveness and cost-recovery measures, up to now under-utilized, will be necessary to alleviate future pressures on the national budget. 6.2 Transition arrangement to regular operations: Most of the stakeholders of the project have already made some transitional arrangements to regular operations and are in the process of discussing future arrangements. The steps undertaken and the plans ahead are sound and coincide in general with the Bank's recommendations. Most of the estimated recurrent costs for 2001/2002 have been included in the 2001/2002 national budget. The Bank's recommendations on arrangements for the transition to regular operations focus on: (a) the provision of continuous financial support by the Ministries involved to ensure coverage of recurrent costs; (b) the adoption of sound and efficient budgeting and planning practices; (c) the introduction of more cost-efficiency, articulation, and coordination in the interventions; (d) the preparation of a number of detailed sustainability studies, which would provide precious information to the Government about sectoral policies and actions for the operational period after the closing date of the Loan; and (e) the recompilation of quantitative information and construction of performance indicators by which future achievements of the project can be monitored. The Bank's specific recommendations in the TVET area are the following: * Carry out a compehensive medium-term assessment (demand and supply) for the 4 levels of the teacher training program at BCC and develop a plan and budget based upon it; * Complete a quality assurance audit of the program structure, status, and graduation level standards to ensure consistency with international accreditation levels; * Ensure that both SJPP and BCC use similar approaches to teacher appraisal and feedback system; * Sponsor a joint SJPP and BCC project for program and curriculum, conduct a program review of a common program area and develop jointly competency-based modules on the basis of the common program review; - 18- * Base future planning and budgeting for BCC and SJPP on joint program review; * Procure the furniture and equipment for the teacher resource centre and the library at BCC previously planned under ICBO8 on the Government budget; * Recompilate the necessary quantitative information and, on the basis of it, construct placement indicators to be used for future monitoring at both BCC and SJPP; * Provide continued budget support to the TVET council and identify additional sources of revenue and cost recovery; * Ensure that the ocupational standards developed by the TVET Council are reflected in future program review at BCC and SJPP; * Make funding available for tracer studies and overall review of the Council and ETF activities. Monitoring indicators should include: placement rates at both BCC and SJPP, placement rates at the NEB, employment rates of local residents (to be monitored by the MRSU), proportion of trained/untrained teachers in the general education and TVET areas (to be monitored by the Erdiston College and BCC), CXC scores and passing rates (to be monitored by the MOE) and student-teacher ratios in both the general and TVET areas (to be monitored by the MOE). It should be pointed out, however, that the absence of an effective monitoring system on performance indicators in place at the beginning or during the project made it difficult to assess the project's impact at this stage, and will likewise make it difficult to monitor developments in the future. There was no explicit recommendation of the Bank on a comprehensive monitoring system but a reconunendation that all stakeholders and the MOE make an extra-effort in creating mechanisms which will enable them to produce the necessary information. 7. Bank and Borrower Performance Bank 7.1 Lending: Overall: satisfactory Bank performance in the identification of the project: satisfactory The development objectives of the project were clearly consistent with the Government's development strategy. The objectives were very much in accordance with the 1993-2000 Education Development Plan developed by the previous Government and submitted to the Bank at the time of appraisal and are also generally in accordance with the priorities and strategies contained in the White Paper on Education. They are also in line with the Bank assistance strategy to Barbados (see sub-section 3.1). Bank performance in the preparation assistance and appraisal of the project: satisfactory For both areas, Bank performance was found to be satisfactory. This assessment is based on the following considerations: * The project design was thorough, well-grounded concerning the main sector issues and the achievement of the objectives; * From identification to board, the preparation process of the project lasted more than two years (from May 1991 to June 1993). It benefited from a PPF of US$0.5 million extended to the GOB in April 1992 for the execution of several preparatory studies (including a public expenditure review and reviews and assessment of different institutions and proposed reforms). These, combined with other - 19- selected reports on the sector and some inputs provided by a comparative analysis of the Caribbean Region education sector presented in the 1993 , provided a good basis for defining the main sector issues by the Borrower and the Bank, even without any specific economic and sector work on the country in the education sector; * The stakeholders were very involved in the preparatory studies during the preparation phase; * The preparation and appraisal processes also benefitted from the lessons learned from the First and Second Education Projects of the Bank in the country. Most of the lessons were successfully incorporated (see sub-section 3.3). For example, the importance given to institutional development was incorporated through the allocation of about one-third of the project funds to capacity building and institutional development activities, including the funds allocated to TVET re-organization and planning; * The main project risks were recognized and addressed during preparation and appraisal (see sub-section 3.1); * The institutional arrangements for the daily implementation of the project, including procurement and disbursement activites, were duly analyzed, with the main responsibility conferred to an experienced EPIU with a strong track record in managing the past Bank projects. In addition, the unit was further strengthened; * Despite various consultants being involved in the preparation and appraisal phase of the project, good continuity was ensured by an appropriate skill mix and the presence of the same technical educator consultant during the entire project preparation and implementation phase; * Finally, the financial package for the project was adequate for the intended life of the project and its scope. However, three main aspects could have been improved. Firstly, the institutional set-up for managing a project involving several ministries and several policy and institutional interventions could have been further improved. The Inter-Ministerial Committee, which was supposed to oversee and monitor project implementation in its different components, could have been created from the beginning as a higher profile body with a stronger political stance and institutional mandate. This would have enabled it to take control more effectively and with more continuity of the required policy and institutional decisions for the implementation of the project. Secondly, the project design was still probably too complex, suggesting that the project could have been simplified, with the IDB (through the Third Education project) taking all the general education activities and the Bank focusing on TVET. The TVET was in any case the primary focus of the project and concentrating on it would have greatly facilitated the preparation, appraisal and implementation of the project, even at the cost of giving up activities in general education which were relevant to the country's needs and objectives. Finally, while most of the output targets were generally well quantified, the project outcome indicators were either imprecisely defined or not totally relevant to the objective expected to be achieved. This, combined with the absence of an effective monitoring system which should have been put in place, made it very difficult to use them effectively for monitoring and evaluation. - 20 - 7.2 Supervision: Overall: satisfactory Bank performance in supervision was, overall, satisfactory. This assessment is based on the following considerations: * Supervision missions were generally composed of 3-4 people with adequate skill mix. The general and technical educators were present in at least half of the missions and stayed the same during the whole implementation phase (from May 1994 to December 2000) ensuring continuity, quality of advice and follow-up which were very appreciated by the EPIU; * Reporting on implementation progress was adequate over the whole implementation period; * The Bank was proactive in addressing the deterioration of the implementation capabilities of the EPIU which became clear in 1996 soon after the start up of activities, through: (i) the continuous monitoring of the implementation process; (ii) intensive technical assistance on procurement by sending consultants to Barbados to assist in the preparation of procurement packages and inviting the Government team to procurement seminars; (iii) protracted discussions with the MOE on the need to revamp the EPIU; and (iv) the contribution to the hiring by the Government of a consultancy firm to handle the acquisition of goods and equipment under the project and of a specialized firm to oversee and coordinate the technical assistance component of the project. The Bank was particularly effective in assisting, at an early stage (February 1995), with the selection of this specialized firm. A contract was finally signed with the Canadian firm: "Hickling Corporation" which successfully and efficiently managed the bulk of the consulting services, fellowships and study tours under the three components of the project; * The Bank was also generally proactive in accepting to restructure the project after the mid-term review, when it was acknowledged that the Government would not have pursued some of the original objectives of the project. However, the relationship with the Borrower just after the new Government came to power could have been handled better. A generally conciliatory tone was adopted with the new Government to give it the time to develop a sense of ownership of the project and reform measures, and reconfirm its commitment. However, this largely translated into a "wait-and-see" type of behaviour whereby the Bank would reduce the number and frequency of the supervision missions in the period following loan effectiveness and postpone compliance with the covenants related to internal efficiency and cost-recovery, while at the same time rigidly maintaining these covenants. This behaviour led to difficulties in communicating with the Borrower and delays in project implementation while at the same time not preventing the complete elimination of the policy measures in general education (sub-component (c) of Component (A)) after the mid-term review. One could wonder if a more proactive behaviour from the outset combined with a more flexible and creative position on the policy measures could not have achieved better results. The Bank could have negotiated with the new Government from the outset a modification of some of the policy measures along lines more acceptable to the new Government. This might have also been an opportunity for repositioning the project at the core of the Government agenda. - 21 - 7.3 Overall Bank performance: Overall: satisfactory. Both preparation and implementation were generally thoroughly conducted. Borrower 7.4 Preparation: Borrower performance in preparation: satisfactory Project design was adequate and aligned with the country's education development plan which determined the main strategic choices over the 1993-2000 time period. The Government was committed to the project throughout the whole preparation phase and the preparatory studies were thoroughly and effectively executed. 7.5 Government implementation performance: The Government's performance in the implementation of the project was overall unsatisfactory, based on several factors. * The new Government that came into power needed some time to reconsider the project and confirm its commitment to it. This resulted, after project effectiveness, in an environment of mixed signals and lingering uncertainties which contributed to slow project implementation and hampered the achievement of some of the project outputs. The lack of political support together with a rigid positioning of the Government and the Bank on policy conditions led to scaling down the project objectives at mid-term. Finally, in spite of renewed support of the Government after the restructuring, the Bank project lost impetus during the last two years following the approval of the EDUTECH project which became first priority on the Government agenda. * The provision of counterpart funds was adequate and provided in a timely manner only during the central years of the project implementation (i.e. from 1996 to 1998). In the initial years, the funds were insufficient due to the difficult macroeconomic situation of the country; in the final years, the co-existence of several projects in the education sector, including EDUTECH 2000, limited the funds available for the Bank project. * Some of the Governments's decisions, which led to changes in the management of the EPIU and an excessive work load for the same unit following the responsibility conferred in the administration of several new projects, largely contributed to the deteriorated implementation capacity of the EPIU, which was only partially reversed through the recruitment of additional staff in 1997. Moreover, in the last two years of implementation of the project, there were practically no response or action taken to correct the shortcomings pointed out by the supervision missions (such as inadequate staffing). * There was little understanding from the Government and, more particularly, the MOE, of the integrated and strategic view of the TVET component that the project planned to put forward: this led to a lack of coordination among several activities in the TVET area making them less effective and efficient than they could have been. With little political support, and its overall weaknesses, the Inter-Ministerial Committee contributed to the lack of an integrated approach. Given this, there were also some positive aspects. In particular, the strategic framework of the education sector, as laid out in the 1993-2000 Education Development Plan and in the White Paper, remained generally favourable to the project. The policy environment remained favourable to the education sector - 22 - and the continuity in the political leadership of the MOE ensured a potentially favourable background for policy dialogue as well as a stable policy environment for the project. 7.6 Implementing Agency: Despite several weaknesses, the performance of the implementing agency in the implementation of the project can be considered, overall, satisfactory. On the positive side: * Effective management was maintained during most of the implementation period, in spite of the deteriorating implementation capacity of the EPIU, because of the dedication and hard work of the project educators, the Bank interventions in the areas of procurement and financial management, and the contracting of external firms to handle some aspects of project implementation; * Monitoring and evaluation of the project components was adequate: project progress reports, which generally included detailed updates of the project's activities, were submitted in a timely manner; * Financial management was in accordance with Bank's standards as well as the audit reports which were provided before the deadline dates set by the Bank; * Bank guidelines on procurement procedures were duly followed after the initial stage of implementation; * Use of technical assistance was satisfactory since the EPIU decentralized this responsibility to a consulting firm which undertook successfully most of the activities. On the negative side, it is clear that the EPIU has been generally understaffed in the areas of procurement and financial management given its substantial responsibilities. This, together with some staff turnover in this areas, led to delays in procurement, which was slow and cumbersome during most of the project life (with project files not always kept in an orderly manner), and disbursement discrepancies between the SAR disbursement schedule and actual project disbursements (which were also caused by unjustified delays in the submission of disbursement applications). Lastly, beneficiary participation in project implementation was less satisfactory than it could have been due to little disclosure by the EPIU on project's activities and procedures. 7.7 Overall Borrower performance: The Borrower's performance was overall satisfactory, because of the satisfactory performance in the preparation stage and the fact that generally effective management enabled enough progress to be made to bring the project back on track and achieve most of its objectives after the difficult initial years (where implementation was rated unsatisfactory in the Supervision Project Status Reports). However, this rating should be seen more as a partially satisfactory due to the overall unsatisfactory performance of the Government. Notes: (1) WB Country Study, 1993: " Caribbean Region: Access, Quality and Efficiency in Education" 8. Lessons Learned There are several main lessons that can be learned from the project's experience. * A strong institutional set-up is needed in complex projects. The Bank project involved extensive - 23 - interventions in several areas, covering several ministries and involving many different stakeholders. This would have required a stronger institutional set-up than the one that was finally envisaged. Implementing a set of policy and institutional measures across different sectors and ministries, providing at the same time a sense of direction and integrated vision to the reforms in these sectors, requires the creation of an inter-ministerial body with political power and strong institutional mandate to be able to make the required decisions. Such a body should ideally be chaired by the prime minister or another strong political presence. The EPIU, responsible for the daily management of the project, should answer to this inter-ministerial body. The principal stakeholders of the project should be invited to assist to the meetings of the committee involving them to acquire full knowledge of the issues at stake and be able to participate in the decision-making process. To this purpose and for facilitating internal project coordination, it might also be advisable to appoint a "project coordinator" within the stakeholders who benefit from different interventions under the project. * Project design should be as thorough as possible and requires extensive consultation with the stakeholders. The project benefited greatly from thorough preparatory studies and the involvement of the main stakeholders in the preparation phase. This led to a design particularly well-grounded in the main sector issues of the country. The project could additionally rely on a strong sense of ownership of the stakeholders from the outset. This sense of ownership ultimately made it possible to reach the development objectives and to ensure future sustainability. * Project design should be simplified. Despite the fact that education sector needs and priorities were carefully identified and incorporated into a thorough design, the project turned out to be exceedingly complex and difficult to manage due to the numerous components and stakeholders involved. It would probably have been better to limit the project to the TVET instruction and labour market support components and drop the one on general education (which was already covered by the IDB projects anyway). That would have made it possible to concentrate management efforts in the TVET area, which turned out to be the core of the project. Project implementation would have been probably more effective and timely. In general, design simplicity should be an objective of all projects in the education area. * Implementation management capacity needs to be strong over the entire project life. The EPIU was responsible for implementing multiple operations with different sources of financing. In many cases, this arrangement can make sense for optimizing the coordination of similar activities within the education sector. In this case, however, the EPIU became rapidly overwhelmed, and its management, administrative and technical capacity insufficient to handle these numerous responsibilities. The Bank was prompt in recommending a set of remedial actions. It is necessary to provide for effective implementation capacity on the part of the Borrower in the project design and in the implementation manual, but also to closely monitor it to detect any changes in this capacity and suggest adjustments in a timely manner. EPIUs need to be adequately and competently staffed over the entire implementation life of the project to ensure the needed continuity, dedication and expertise. * Clarity of and expertise in project implementation procedures is required. It is important that project implementation procedures be fully understood by the Borrower and that the EPIU staff be fully trained to effectively apply administrative and financial management procedures. A monitoring system allowing a smooth and orderly follow-up of procurement and financial management operations should be installed. Using external consultants or firms specialized in procurement and/or financial management can speed up the implementation process but does not solve the problem in the medium-term. Special care should also be taken that all the stakeholders involved in the project be adequately informed of the Bank's procedures. - 24 - * Clarity and relevance of performance indicators and implementation of an education information system are essential for monitoring and evaluation. The difficulties encountered in evaluating the evolution of the outcome indicators of the project point to the necessity of agreeing from the beginning on a set of clearly defined performance indicators, relevant to the project's objectives and easy to monitor. It is also necessary to create the mechanisms for monitoring these indicators over time, such as an education information system that produces detailed updated information, linking the MOE with all schools and other education stakeholders. Education stakeholders would have the incentive to disclose and produce timely data, facilitating greatly monitoring and evaluation. 9. Partner Comments (a) Borrower/implementing agency: Here below we enclose the original version of the Project Implementation Completion Report prepared by the Borrower (May 2001): Human Resources Project Borrower Completion Report 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Government of Barbados, recognising the need to consolidate the achievements in education over the years, as well as in an attempt to tackle certain emerging social issues, approached the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in 1993 for a third (3rd) educational project loan. 1.2 In 1993, therefore, the Government of Barbados with the assistance of the IBRD embarked on the Human Resources Project. 2.0 Project Design 2.1 The project was conceptualised to support a continuation of the Government's policy objectives of improving quality and efficiency and expanding access to 'quality' educational opportunities. In order to address these issues, the project was designed to have a positive impact on three major sectoral issues: General Education Technical And Vocational Education and Training Labour Market 2.2 To ensure maximum benefits and success, the components were financed accordingly: General Education Support US$4.9 million TVET Development US$9.3 million Labour Market Support US$0.5 million 2.3 The project which was co-financed by the Government of Barbados, was generally well prepared and designed, providing timely assistance for the continuation and broadening of previous Bank initiatives. The project was appropriately founded on the overriding considerations of: - 25 - a) providing training for primary and secondary schools staff; including teachers, principals and Ministry of Education staff; b) upgrading the learning resources in schools and libraries; and c) improving the quality of TVET instruction at secondary and post secondary levels. 2.4 While there appeared to be broad-based consensus on the appropriateness of the components and sub-components of the project, a number of the stakeholders, including the Bank, felt there was a certain disconnection between the General Education Component and the other components. 2.5 Additionally, one third of the loan budget had been spent on consultancies and this was of some concern because of the negative impact on the country's foreign reserves. 2.6 The project was designed to improve the quality and achievement at the secondary level, which would give rise to greater demand for tertiary education. The lack of resources is a factor that impacts on tertiary level education. What the project failed to do in its design is to focus on the direct expansion of tertiary education. 2.7 Concern was also expressed by the various stakeholders that the performance indicators for judging the achievement of the objectives were too rigidly quantified. 2.8 Innovative aspects of the project were, however, evident in the inter-ministry collaboration generated. The structure of the project allowed for significant levels of cooperation, collaboration and information flows among participating agencies, which contributed to the successful implementation of the project. Achievement of Project Objectives General Education Component 2.9 This particular component and its various sub-components were not substantially affected by such external factors as world market changes or the like. Conversely, this component was substantially driven by the policy initiatives of the Government of Barbados. In addition, the continued support and commitment by the government to constantly enhance and better the educational position of Barbados resulted in very positive outcomes. 2.10 The General Education Component was fortunate to have the majority of the technical assistance activities planned, scheduled and implemented by a consultant management firm and the members of the Ministry's staff. The corporate knowledge and experience of the firm and the staff of the EPIU made for the affective achievement of project objectives. 2.11 Although not as affected as other components, the General Education Component also saw some implementation delays due mainly to slow procurement. The EPIU was however, able to pull the component back on course with the hiring of additional procurement staff and the contracting of procurement consultants. 2.12. Further, the impact of the implementation agency on the achievement of project objectives was substantial because it proved to be an important nexus among the various players in the Human Resources Project. 2.13 All the sub-components of this component were rated satisfactory except the one on staff training at Erdiston College which was considered as highly satisfactory and the policy development sub-component which was considered to be non assessable. 3.0 TVET Component 3.1 Similar to the General Education Component, the TVET component was not significantly - 26 - fashioned or implemented according to international changes. Indeed, any positive outcomes of the TVET component are directly related to the emphasis and commitment of the political administration and officials of the Ministry to see TVET as a significant contributor to the economic enfranchisement of the country. 3.2 As with the previous component, the TVET segment also suffered from implementation delays. In fact, this segment, more than any other saw only satisfactory outcomes because of these implementation delays. 3.3 All the sub-components of this component were rated satisfactory with the exception of the sub-component on the teacher resource centre and library at BCC which was considered as only partially satisfactory and the one on the BCC language centre which was rated highly satisfactory. 4.0 Borrowers Own Performance 4.1 The success of any funded project, small or large, depends in many ways on the performance of the borrower. Firstly, as indicated in another section of this report, the Human Resources Project was conceptualised in an era where the focus and emphasis of education was less technologically driven than what pertains today. Additionally, like many other projects, the Human Resources Project did not escape the uncertainty and restructuring that accompanies a change in political administration. When the change of administration occurred in 1994 the design of the project was already completed and accepted. The concern of the new administration was over the policy conditions - vis-A-vis cost recovery at the post secondary level. Hence, the design, of the project reflects, in some instances different policy indicators at the beginning and mid-life of the project. 4.2 Despite the concerns regarding design, the Government of Barbados' performance with respect to the project must be seen as satisfactory. At every turn of the design stage, the GOB nominated a cadre of highly competent technical officers and supported the process financially. Fortunately, the design of the project emerged in a period when the country's economic and commercial sectors had stabalised and were showing signs of growth and therefore it was felt by all involved that the objectives of the project would reach fruition. 4.3 The roles and responsibilities of the participating institutions, while not specifically documented, were understood and undertaken by the relevant authorities. The extensive planning and consultations with the stakeholders prior to the finalisation of the design were some of the contributory factors to the success of the project. Government's Implementation Performance 4.5 The critical variances between planned and actual project implementation must be assessed against the changing educational environment since the preparation of the project. First, within a year of project signing, a new administration came into office, which wanted to ensure that the project was consistent with its priorities. 4.6 As previously indicated, the project was reassessed, involving several changes to a number of the main impact indicators. This reassessment consequently resulted in the delay of project execution by approximately one year. It should be emphasised that while the project was prepared and launched during a period of fiscal austerity it was implemented and concluded during a relatively prosperous economic period. In addition, the project was implemented during continued political stability and no ministerial turn over. The prosperity was translated into the satisfactory appointment of key managers, timely provision of adequate counterpart funds and general support of operational decisions taken. - 27 - Implementing Aqency Performance Disbursement and Financial Manaqement 4.7 The Auditor's financial statements were submitted to the Bank before the deadline dates set by the Bank. In general, the Education Project Implementation Unit had no difficulty with the performance of the contracted Audit firm for this project, Brian Griffith and Associates. There was highly satisfactory performance by the Education Project Implementation Unit in the area of audit reporting. Disbursement 4.8 One of the areas of concern during the life of the project was the area of disbursement. The delay in obtaining the appropriate documentation resulted in disbursement applications being made to the Bank on an infrequent basis. It should, however, be noted that on those occasions when disbursement applications were filed, these were generally in satisfactory order. Procurement Management 4.9 Another area of concern during the project has been that of procurement management. There has been some struggle in achieving smooth, timely and efficient procurement. An analysis has revealed that there are three (3) broad areas, which have contributed to the lack of a strong procurement performance: a) inadequate staff in the EPIU which handled procurement for this project; b) lack of commonality between IBRD rules and local regulations; c) fiscal constraints. 4.10 Admittedly, there was some difficulty with procurement but it must be recorded that the staff of the Education Project Implementation Unit worked diligently, under the circumstances, to ensure that stakeholders were provided with the necessary equipment and materials during the past seven years. Assistance 4.11 In addition to the physical works undertaken through this project, a number of non-physical works were engaged in to assist in the institutional and organisational strengthening of the country's education sector. 4.12 Technical assistance was coordinated and implemented by both the management firm, Hickling Corporation out of Canada and the EPIU. The quality and the utility of the reports produced were generally good. Indeed, in most cases the effectiveness and impact of the technical assistance were generally positive. 5.0 Bank Performance 5.1 At the time of project identification Barbados had one of the most highly developed educational systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, and rightly the Government of Barbados and the Bank placed priority on three key policy issues: i) the fiscal sustainability of educational spending to ensure greater competitiveness ii) creation of job opportunities through technical and vocational training iii) economic sustainability through labour market strengthening - 28 - 5.2 To overcome these hurdles, the Bank supported the Government's plans to improve all of these areas and set about in a very comprehensive manner to assist the Government of Barbados generally, and the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture in particular in project preparation. 5.3 Some US$521,144.56, US$21,445.56 more than was originally allocated was spent on ensuring that the project was properly and satisfactorily prepared. The composition of the Bank's preparation team was appropriately mixed and the team provided the necessary support that is so critical during this phase of a project. 5.4 Bank performance was particularly strong, not only at the preparation phase but also during project appraisal. In fact, the Bank's appraisal of the commitment of the GOB and various stakeholders, borrower capacity, implementation plan and the suitability of lending instrument was highly satisfactory. However, in the area of project risks, identified at page 30 of the Staff Appraisal Report, 1993, the Bank's forecast did not reflect the fact that the economy was on the rebound and the subsequent need to mesh Bank's policy focus with that of the new administration. 5.5 In many ways the execution of the project was delayed because the Bank in the initial stages of the reassessment of the project by the new administration was inflexible on the adjustment of certain policy conditionalities. 5.6 As previously inferred, the Bank provided invaluable support at vital stages in the evolution of the Human Resources Project and the same pertained with regard to supervision. IBRD Supervision Missions were undertaken regularly during implementation and the composition of the supervision teams was usually multi-disciplinary, consisting of three or four members. These visits were very useful in clarifying issues of a financial and procurement management nature, refining specifications and modifying implementation schedules and the technical assistance component of the project. 5.7 The Supervision Missions also helped to strengthen the Bank's relationship with the various beneficiaries of the project. In general, the majority of supervision missions, reports and aide memoires aided in highlighting the progress made and brought to the attention of the Government authorities major implementation problems and the necessary remedial action. The evaluation of the Bank must be seen as satisfactory when the critical points are appraised. 6.0 Project Sustainability 6.1 Sustainability of the physical upgrading of the tertiary level institutions can be assured by the Boards of Management which have responsibility for the management, care and upkeep of the facilities at these institutions. The key factor which is likely to impede sustainability in this area, is Government's fiscal constraints. 6.2 There has been a significant addition to the number of teachers being trained at the island's sole teacher training college. This has advanced government's policy of having more trained teachers in the classrooms. The upgraded facilities and resources will be utilised by all facilitators and participants as identified below: - 29 - Programme Target Group No. Per Year Time Period Certificate in Education Current & prospective school 30 1 year part time Management and Administration administration Diploma in Education Untrained graduate teachers 20 1 year part time Two-year In-Service Programme Untrained non-graduate teachers 30 Two years full time Vocational Teachers' Training Untrained instructors from Programme SJPP and National Training 15 One-year part time Board Induction Course Untrained teachers 30 Six weeks in the summer Professional Development Workshops Trained teachers at the primary 100 As required and secondary levels Education Sector Enhancement Teachers at Schools in relevant 1000 As required Programme phases 6.3 Improvements in the efficiency, quality and industrial reliance of technical and vocational educational training at the post secondary level have been assured by the quality of training received by tutors of the BCC and the SJPP. Additionally, the success of the Bachelor of Education (Tech/Voc), the Industry Services Unit and the TVET Council have also contributed to significant gains in the area of post-secondary technical and vocational studies. However, one major consequence of offering the BEd (TechNoc) programme at all levels or including other disciplines, will be the necessary increase of full-time tutorial staff. Indeed, budgetary constraints and the difficulty of recruiting staff in the various subject areas at the SJPP and BCC may limit the extent to which the full benefits of the project investment can be reached and sustained. 6.4 Technical assistance and equipment were provided to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Manpower Research and Statistical Unit and the National Employment Bureau. In an effort to optimize the benefits of the investment it is expected that these institutions will hire and maintain an expanded, highly qualified and skilled staff complements. They will also endeavor to improve and maintain accuracy, efficiency and reliance of economic/social measures and programme outputs through increased application of state-of-the-art statistical techniques, economic concepts, technology and management processes. 6.5 Further, this particular project has generated other activities relating to Curriculum Reform National certificate, and the establishment of a National Accreditation Board. 6.6 In cases, however, it is evident that the activities developed under the project will be sustained only if adequate staffing in most areas are sustained. This theme is common from all stakeholders. Provision will also have to be made for on-going staff training and upgrading - staff must be kept abreast of new developments. 6.7 The sustainability of the gains made under the Project rest squarely on the shoulders of the participating institutions. They must take the opportunities afforded by budgeting exercises and strategic planning to ensure that the systems developed survive. - 30 - Government Commitment Policy Institution Economic and Financial Environment effectiveness viability Component: 1 Conducive to sustainability Gen. Education Very conducive to sustainability Sub-Component: 1 because GOB has committed Very conducive Very Conducive Very conducive because itself through the various Boards because this has because the the country's economy of Management to upkeep and been a commitment institutions are well has experienced maintain its various school of the GOB through equipped and well significant growth in the plants. its White Paper on placed to meet the past eight years and is Education upcoming poised to maintain such In addition there is GOB pledge challenges and the growth and of course to have more trained teachers in initiative to increase because of the the classroom. training importance the GOB continues to place on Very conducive. The GOB has education set about to enhance its education sector over the next Sub-component: 2 seven years. Part of this Very Conducive. Very Conducive. restructuring will be the The GOB's seven Conducive. All The GOB has upgrading and introduction of year Education relevant institutions entered into an innovative teaching tools and Sector will be repositioned agreement with the curriculum changes. Enhancement and reorganised in IDB and CDB for a Programme this regard. $400 million plus Conducive. The GOB remains loan programme committed to a programme of which should allow efficiency at all levels of the the initiative to be education system. very viable. Sub-component: 3 Conducive. Conducive. Conducive. Component:2 Very Conducive Very Conducive Conducive Conducive Component: 3 Very Conducive Conducive Very Conducive Conducive Stakeholder participation and Transitional arrangements for Final sustainability assessment ownership regular future operations Component: 1 Gen. Education Sub-Component: 1 Very Conducive, At every tum Very conducive Highly likely because of the the stakeholders have had a fore-mentioned reasons. hand in shaping and guiding the principles behind the initiative. Conducive. Again, teachers, parents, administrators, Sub-component: 2 students and all concemed will Conducive Highly likely be consulted in this process and therefore participation is expected to be high. Conducive Sub-component 3 Conducive Highly likely Component: 2 Conducive Conducive Highly likely Component: 3 Conducive Conducive Highly likely - 31 - 7.0 Conclusion 7.1 The concerns and issues that the Human Resources Project were supposed to address were wide and varied but critical to the social and economic development of Barbados. 7.2 It was therefore appropriate that the project crossed over into so many sectors and involved so many stakeholders. However, involving so many parties raised several issues, which had to be dealt with on a stakeholder by stakeholder basis. 7.3 A thorough critique of the project will, however, show that despite these issues and the difficulties encountered in disbursement and procurement, the primary objectives of the project were met. 7.4 Indeed, there were many highlights as a result of this project, from the establishment of the BED Tech Voc programme to the establishment of the Employment Training Fund, from the expansion in training at Erdiston College to an expansion in training under the Barbados Youth Service. 7.5 Perhaps the most important lessons to be learnt from the Human Resources Project are: (i) Supervision is critical to effective implementation; (ii) Appreciation of Bank and Borrowers' regulations is also critical to effective implementation; (iii) Appropriately skilled and sufficient staff are necessities for smooth project implementation; and (iv) Institutions and or agencies involved in the implementation of programmes or components of programmes must pay greater detail to the quantitative analysis required. Quantitative analysis is also critical to project effectiveness. (b) Cofinanciers: (c) Other partners (NGOs/private sector): 10. Additional Information - 32 - Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix Table 1: Outcome Indicators Outcome/Impact indicators Outcome projected in SAR (1993) Latest estimate (and revised by the December 1997 mission) (A) General Education: - CXC: Increase in passing rates on 10% increase in passing rates -24% increase in English passing national examinations on national examinations rates between 1993-2000 - 19% increase in Math passing rates between 1993-2000 (B) TVET Development: Increase in graduate 30% increase in graduate Not Available placement rates placement rates (C) Labor Market Support: Increase in the NEB 20% increase in the NEB -12% increase in the NEB placement placement rate placement rate rate between 1994 -1999 Table 2: Output Indicators Project objectives and Outputs projected in SAR (1993) (and Latest estimate outputs by components revised by the December 1997 mission) and sub-components L General Education 1. Staff Trainine - Strengthened pedagogical 800 primary and secondary teachers Under the project more than 800 teachers and technical skills of trained have been trained teachers More than 100 education officers and - Improved school 100 MOE staff, counsellors and school principals have received training management principals trained Several courses provided. Of particular - introduction of a course in instructional interest is the course at Erdiston leading leadership at Erdiston College + other to a Certificate in Educational courses to strengthen pedagogical Management. techniques - Erdiston's main building, administration * upgrade Erdiston College including the block, classrooms and laboratories were construction of a teacher resource center upgraded in a satisfactory way. Equipment and instructional material have been provided. The teacher resource centre built and fully functional - 33 - Project objectives and Outputs projected in SAR (1993) (and revised Latest estimate outputs by components and by the December 1997 mission) sub-components I. General Education (conti.) 2. Upgraded Learning Resources Strengthened AVA Department to strengthen AVA department AVA department strengthened through become the nerve center for the provision of training and equipment. dissemination of technologies However, while training was successfully and other AVA resources to provided and study tours were organized, primary and secondary schools the provision of equipment suffered from and the promotion of school delays in the procurement based equipment maintenance Improved access and use of establish and equip library resource centers out of the original 15 schools, 12 schools upgraded learning resources in at 15 primary schools were equipped, while 3 furnished their schools and libraries centers autonomously with goods of same technical quality equip all secondary schools with AVA all secondary school language labs were material for foreign language training equipped with software material Reinforced National Library upgrade of the National Library the Library was strengthened through service to provide non-formal provision of books, furniture and education opportunities to the training, but the procurement process general public was slow and not completed resulting in delays in the provision and limited amount of resources available to NLS 3. Policy Development Upgraded national examination develop continuous assessment system by Following Government's request, after and certification system mid-project and gradually implement the Mid-Term Evaluation Review, this thereafter sub-component was eliminated. Consequently it is not assessed. Some of Fine tuned and updated education develop 5-year education PEP these objectives were pursued through PEP other means and notably the White paper Cost-efficiency measures adopted raise Student-Teacher ratio to 25:1 and to in Education. by various institutions in general 21:1 in primary and secondary education and TVET education respectively Comprehensive cost-recovery raise cost-recovery to 7% of total recurrent program designed and spending in education implemented -34- I. TVET 1. Quality of TVET Instruction New multi-certification level - four level multi-certification in place and technical assistance allowed to create a teacher training program designed capable of training: Certificate: 40 teachers; national friamework for multilevel and implemented at BCC Associate Degree: 25; B'ED:20 and system. However, only the Certificate, at DIP.ED: 50 Erdiston College, and the B'ED, at BCC, have been introduced. 47 students enrolled (out of which 25 have already graduated) in the B'ED. Future monitoring and evaluation activities will allow to determine extension of program to other levels of certification * Cadre of teacher trainers train 4 instructors developed at BCC instructors were trained through study tours * Instructor appraisal and feedback 50% of instructors use classroom feedback system developed and improved techniques a common and homogeneous framework at BCC and SJPP + an implementation plan at BCC and procedures handbook for performance draft appraisal instruments at SJPP of an evaluation for BCC and SJPP annual comprehensive performance appraisal system for TVET instructors have been developed. Instructor use of classroom feedback techniques has increased 2. Instructional Materials and Library Resources * Teacher resource centers establish 2 teacher resource centers both centers have been built, but, while established at BCC and SJPP the SJPP was fully equipped, the BCC increase use of learning resources one is still unequipped and unfurnished. Thus, use of leaning resources only partially increased BCC library upgraded increase library circulation BCC library upgraded, but important equipment, furniture and books are still missing. So, library circulation increased only partially 3.Curricula and Program Development - Increased level of expertise in hire I trained full time curriculum trained full time curriculum specialists curriculum development and specialist at BCC and 1 at SJPP hired at BCC and part time at SJPP evaluation methodologies at BCC and SJPP undertake 2 annual program annual reviews are being undertaken at * Strengthened program review reviews/evaluations both BCC (all programmes under expertise, including establishment standard annual reviews + I programme and use of program advisory under full-scale review) and SJPP (3 committees, at BCC and SJPP programmes under review). At BCC, this is based on a comprehensive Programme Review Manual improve program advisory committee program advisory committee was system restructured and improved at SJPP and subject to slight adjustments at BCC - 35 - 4. Selective TVET Trainin2 Increased number of youth strengthen Barbados Youth Training the Arts and Crafts Program at the BYTC prepared to be employed or Service was upgraded and expanded: it currently become entrepreneurs in the arts accounts for 110 trainees every 6 months and crafts business Public sector training expanded no upgrading and expansion of the TAD and upgraded equip 2 new training rooms in the Training was undertaken due to the high costs of Administration Division bids presented. However, a strategic plan has been elaborated to develop the TAD expand participation at the TAD by about in the immediate future. Also, 2 200 annually managers received training in priority training areas Capacity to design and develop customized short-term training for create BCC Industry Service Unit Industry Service Unit created, business and industry developed operational and self-sufficient by project fully-functional and practically completion self-sufficient Availability and quality of language instruction at secondary upgrade and equip BCC Language Center BCC Language Center was upgraded and and tertiary levels improved equipped train 150 teachers many teachers were trained (difficult to say how many exactly) 30% increase in income from BCC paying courses for private customers Language Center were expanded (exact increase in income from these courses not known) - 36 - 5. TVET Poliey Coordinating Council A high level national TVET council established to: TVET Council was created through an act of Parliament and is currently fully - elaborate TVET policies and produce an annual TVET plan operational, even if start-up was difficult plans a national TVET training plan was produced - establish performance produce performance targets for tertiary occupational standards are being defined targets for public TVET TVET programs for 3 pilot sectors: IT, Tourism and programs Customer Service. Occupational standards will lead in the near future to a system of formal certification and to new TVET curricula and performance targets * produce articulation agreements a TVET Articulation Group and a TVET - coordinate TVET programs Articulation Coordinator were established and a manual on Articulation was developed: however no concrete articulation agreements up to now - use 80% of the ETF program for private ETF was created and budget is allocated - manage the Employment and sector training mostly for training in the private sector. Training Fund Since 1998, ETF accounted for around 3,000 beneficiaries. * produce promotional campaigns limited results achieved as of today. - improve the status of TVET However, a major promotional campaign has been designed and will be soon launched * complete studies in the following areas: tracer studies and evaluations are still to - conduct research to evaluate the - secondary TVET reform be conducted. At present, just a couple of - graduate tracer studies tracer studies have been initiated impact of TVET programs - BCC and SJPP mandate and structure - TVET project evaluation IIL Labor Market Support 1. National Employment Bureau Strengthened employment computerize employment and placement * Employment Services Information services at NEB system in function at NEB System was installed but still not fully functional. Internal database was installed and upgraded, but still not fully * strengthened educational and occupational functional counseling technical assistance received was of excellent quality and allowed to increase quality of counseling capacity - 37 - 2. MRSU Increased capacity of MRSU to produce high quality timely labor market a state-of-the-art Labour Market analyze and disseminate labor reports Information System (LMIS), capable of market information producing high quality timely labor market reports, was installed and is fully operational. Given its leadership in this sector, Barbados will lead an initiative to create a similar system among Caribbean countries. Marketing and promotion of the LMIS is in progress based on a 10-year strategic plan for the development of the MRSU - 38 - Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing Table 1: Project Cost by Component (in US$ million equivalent) Appraisal Actual/Latest Percentage of Appraisal Estimates estimate Project Cost By Component US$ million US$ million % A. General Education Support 1.Staff Training 1.70 1.50 88% 2.Learning Resources 2.60 1.20 46% 3.Policy Development 0.40 0 0% Sub-Total 4.70 2.70 57% B.TVET Development 1.TVET Instruction 0.90 0.21 23% 2.Learning Resources 2.10 1.09 52% 3.Curriculum and Program 0.30 0.18 60% Development 4.Selective TVET Programs 2.20 1.76 80% 5.Institutional Development 3.50 0.89 25% Sub-Total 9.00 4.13 46% C Labor Market Support 1.Employment Services 0.30 0.42 140% 2.Labor Market Information 0.20 0.35 175% Sub-Total 0.50 0.77 154% D. Project 1.40 0.70 50% Preparation/Administration and Project Preparation Facility Total Project Costs 15.60 8.30 53% Table 2: Project Costs by Procurement Arrangements (Appraisal Estimate) (US$ million equivalent) Expenditure Category ICCBProcurement Method N.B.F. Total Cost NCB Other2 N.BF. TtlCs 1. Works 0.00 1.60 0.00 0.00 1.60 2. Goods 2.20 1.50 0.70 0.00 4.40 3. Services 0.00 0.00 6.20 0.00 6.20 4. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.20 5. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.0 0.50 6. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.70 2.70 Total 2.20 3.10 7.60 2.70 15.60 Table 2-bis: Project Costs by Procurement Arrangements (ActuallLatest Estimate) (US$ million - 39 - equivalent) Expenditure Category ICB Procurement MethodTotal Cost NCB Other N.B.F. 1. Works 1.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.22 2. Goods 1.59 0.00 0.85 0.00 2.44 3. Services 2.71 0.00 0.72 0.00 3.43 4. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.55 0.55 5. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.65 0.65 6. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Total 5.52 0.00 1.57 1.20 8.29 Figures in parenthesis are the amounts to be financed by the Bank Loan. All costs include contingencies. 2 Includes civil works and goods to be procured through international and national shopping, negotiated purchases for books and journals, consulting services, services of contracted staff of the project management office, training, technical assistance services, and incremental operating costs related to (i) managing the project, and (ii) re-lending project funds to local government units. Table 3: Project Financing by Component (in US$ million equivalent) Components Appraisal Actual/ Percentage Estimate Latest of Estimates Appraisal WB GOB WB GOB WB GOB A. General Education Support L.Staff Training 0.90 0.90 0.70 0.79 77% 88% 2.Learning Resources 1.90 0.70 0.54 0.66 28% 94% 3.Policy Development 0.10 0.20 0.00 0.00 0% 100% Sub-Total 2.90 1.80 1.23 1.45 42% 80% B. TVET Development 1.TVET Instruction 0.60 0.20 0.14 0.07 23% 35% 2.Learning Resources 1.20 0.90 0.30 0.76 25% 84% 3.Curriculum and Program Development 0.10 0.20 0.16 0.03 160% 15% 4.Selective TVET Programs 1.20 1.00 1.20 0.56 100% 56% 5.Institutional Development 1.50 2.10 0.38 0.51 25% 24% Sub-Total 4.60 4.40 2.18 1.93 47% 44% C. Labor Market Support 1.Employment Services 0.20 0.00 0.34 0.09 170% 900% 2.Labor Market Information 0.20 0.00 0.31 0.04 155% 400% Sub-Total 0.40 0.00 0.65 0.13 163% 1300% D. Project Preparation/Administration 0.50 0.90 0.52 0.18 104% 20% and Project Preparation Facility Total Project Costs 8.40 7.20 4.60 3.69 55% 51% -40 - Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits No economic analysis was undertaken in the SAR and, thus, no NPV or ERR was reported. Only a short description of the main benefits of the project was provided as well as a review of the main issues faced by the country in general education and TVET. The main benefits of the project were expected to be: (a) an increased level of educational achievement in both general and TVET education driven by the quality-enhancing measures introduced by the project; (b) increased employment opportunities of TVET students due to a better match between TVET and labour market needs; and (c) improved internal efficiency of the education sector through higher pupil-teacher ratios and other cost-efficiency measures introduced by the project. It is too early to gage the full impact of the project on student achievement scores and employment placement rates, due to implementation delays in the quality-enhancing measures, the TVET strenghtening interventions, and the labour market information and placement computerization process. As for internal efficiency in the education sector, the project's impact was minimal due to the modification in the project's objectives after the Mid-term Review. In fact, available evidence suggests that the cost-efficiency of the system as a whole not only did not improve, but actually worsened, during the 1990s. (Although it may have improved within some sub-sectors. For example, there was a re-alignment of the provision of TVET courses in secondary education and school amalgamation). Recent Ministry of Education's figures show that the student-teacher ratio in primary education even decreased from the initial 20:1 in 1991/92 to 17:1 in 1999/2000, and the student-teacher ratio in secondary education decreased from the initial 18:1 in 1991/92 to 16:1 in 1999/2000. Total expenditure per student increased significantly (about 50%) in real terms by 1999/2000 since the baseline 1991/92 figures, reaching about 4,900 BDS$ (US$2,500 ) and about 5,300 BDS$ (US$2,600 ) in secondary and primary, respectively, without a commensurate increase in the CXC passing rates. -41 - Annex 4. Bank Inputs (a) Missions: Stage of Project Cycle No. of Persons and Specialty Performa ce Rating (e.g. 2 Economists, I FMS, etc.) Implementation Development Month/Year Count Specialty Progress Objective Identification/Preparation November/1990 1 Technical Educator May/1991 1 TM-Operations Officer I General Educator 1 Teacher Training December/1991 1 TM-Operations Officer I Economist March/1992 1 TM-Operations Officer 1 Economist I Educator I Architect I Technical Educator Appraisal/Negotiation June/1992 1 TM-Economist I Educator 1 Technical Educator I Architect/impl. spec. February/1 993 1 TM-Operations Officer I Economist 1 Technical Educator Supervision April/1994 1 TM-Economist S S I Economist 1 Arquitect February/1995 1 TM-Economist U S May/1996 I Technical Educator U U 1 TM-Economist March/1997 I Technical Educator U U 1 General Educator I TM-Economist -42 - December/I 997 1 Economist S U 1 General Educator 1 Technical Educator October/1998 I TM-Economist S S I General Educator I Technical Educator I Education Economist I Financial Management 1 Procurement May/1999 1 TM-Economist S S 1 General Educator I Technical Educator I Procurement I Project Advisor I Education Specialist December/1999 I General Educator S S I Technical Educator I Financial Management June/2000 1 TM-Economist S S 1 Technical Educator I Education Specialist December/2000 1 TM-Economist U S I Procurement 1 Economist 1 Impact indicators ICR May/2001 1 TL-Economist S S (b) Staff Stage of Project Cycle Actual/Latest Estimate No. Staff weeks US$ ('000) Identification/Preparation 40.0 97,436.00 Appraisal/Negotiation 6.3 16,927.00 Supervision 70.5 238,024.55 ICR 4.81 15,000.00 Total 121.61 367,387.55 -43- Annex 5. Ratings for Achievement of Objectives/Outputs of Components (H=High, SU=Substantial, M=Modest, N=Negligible, NA=Not Applicable) Rating 0 Macro policies OH OSUOM ON * NA 0 Sector Policies OH OSUOM ON ONA 0 Physical OH OSUOM ON ONA M Financial OH OSUOM ON * NA E Institutional Development OH O SU OM ON 0 NA 0Environmental OH OSUOM ON *NA Social N Poverty Reduction OH OSUOM ON * NA N Gender OH OSUOM ON * NA OJ Other (Please specify) OH OSUOM ON ONA " Private sector development 0 H O SUOM 0 N 0 NA " Public sector management 0 H SU OM 0 N S NA O] Other (Please specify) OH OSUOM ON ONA - 44 - Annex 6. Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance (HS=Highly Satisfactory, S=Satisfactory, U=Unsatisfactory, HU=Highly Unsatisfactory) 6.1 Bank performance Rating " Lending OHS OS OU OHU " Supervision OHS OS OU OHU X Overall OHS OS OU OHU 6.2 Borrower performance Rating Z Preparation OHS es OU OHU " Government implementation performance O HS OS OU 0HU " Implementation agency performance OHS S OU 0HU X Overall OHS OS OU OHU -45 - Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents 1. World Bank: Aide-Memoires of Preparation, Pre-Appraisal, Appraisal and Post-Appraisal Missions from May 1991 to February 1993 2. World Bank: Staff Appraisal Report. Barbados- Human Resources Project - June 1993. 3. World Bank: Loan Agreement. Barbados-Human Resources Project - Loan number 3634 BAR, August 1993 4. World Bank: Memorandum and Recommendations of the President of the IBRD to the Executive Directors on a proposed loan in an amount equivalent to US$7.8 million to Barbados for a Human Resources Project - June 1993 5. World Bank: Project Status Reports and Aide-Memoires of Supervision Missions from April 1994 to December 2000 6. Freeman, Bob: Review of TVET Component - Report prepared for the ICR - May 2001 7. GOB/Education Project Implementation Unit: Final Project Status Report - January 2001 8. Progress and Sustainability Reports submitted by all the Stakeholders - Fall 2000 9. GOB/Ministry of Education: Miniature Digest of Education Statistics - various issues 10. GOB: Government's Estimates - 2000-2001 11. GOB/Manpower Research and Statistical Unit: Strategic Plan April 1999 to March 2009 - December 2000 12. GOB/National Employment Bureau: Annual Report of the Department of Labour - 1997-1999 13. Barbados Community College: Programme Review Manual - March 2000 14. Caribbean Examination Council: Statistical Bulletin - various issues 15. GOB/Ministry of Labour: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council Act - November 1993 16. GOB/Ministry of Education: Rationale and Guidelines for Curriculum Reform in Barbados - July 2000 17. GOB/Ministry of Education: White Paper on Education Reform - July 1995 18. UNESCO: Education for All - Barbados Report - September 1999 -46 - IBRD 24710 North Point 5935 59'30 BARBADOS ms HUMAN RESOURCES PROJECT PRIMARY SCHOOLS Hrr. :SECONDARN SCHOOLS Pc., ni NTB SKILLS TRAINING CENTERS BARBADOS COMMUNIn COLLEGE SAMLIEL j PRESCOD POLYTECHNIC MOE PEDAGOGICAL• ADMINISTRATION BUILDING NATIONAL CAPITAL 115 o SELECTED TOWNS AIRPORT dwar&H.llb, -----MAIN ROADS . Gl.:kBAïH HEBA HILLCREST Au Tab:r- 13 If10 13 '( PROSPECT 0e ELLERlIN H.r C .mr,,,y .l:g THE CRANE St Mary' BRIDGETOWN Spr,nger A.m:.r.ah -3 05. MOE 1ir(s Headquarrers sih.0 De.hi,.n ST LA~REC ._ 59.25 -- -.. tIRCfIN ISaANO~ South Point -51 NRIN,.1. -ND.NfE. tiri - · NTiGuA ANO iARBuD. RIO si lulr, k4Cjr-,ER9l k.. 2 3 4 5 6 - 8 , AND CULDELOLKP r ui u KILOME TERS . . I is MILES i ' Iw rINIQEI F 0 I 2 3 4 5 5ILL'C.A rby rh. %.,td plon. mE'MRf Map 13(00 ~ .ur ond .. 1 3 io . BARBADOS .rno t ~a o# Th'. vhorld Bank ijo NE FM, and be b~,od.ra sh..n o r r. do nonø ø o-- r d a op -- ·'ND O'W rudmen o or1ep ona1 59'35 'cbbo,"do~s- 59,30 %ENEZUELN MARCH 1993