Morocco - Alpha Maroc Project

Report No. PID10752 Project Name Morocco-Alpha Maroc (@) Region Middle East and North Africa Region Sector Adult literacy/non-formal education (70-); Central government administration (15-); Sub-national government administration (15%) Project ID MAPE75808 Borrower(s) GOVERNMENT OF MOROCCO Implementing Agency Address MINISTaRE DE L'EMPLOI ET DE LA FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE Direction de la lutte contre l'analphabetisme Address: 54, rue Oum Errabia, Agdal, Rabat, MOROCCO Contact Person: Monsieur M'barek MOUJANE Tel: 212.37.77.49.20 Fax: 212.37.77.49.60 Environment Category C Date PID Prepared August 19, 2002 Auth Appr/Negs Date January 31, 2002 Bank Approval Date September 26, 2002 1. Country and Sector Background To reduce the poverty level by focusing on the participation and social integration of all members of the Second Morocco, by supporting implementation of the literacy component of the Charte nationale. 2. Objectives To offer the poorest adults an opportunity to obtain basic education through high-quality, well managed literacy programs. 3. Rationale for Bank's Involvement The main purpose of this pilot project, which is supported by a Learning and Innovation Loan (LIL), is to test new approaches to teaching quality and adult literacy program management, which, if proven effective, will enable the Government of Morocco (GOM) to implement nation-wide programs that result in lasting literacy outcomes and are fiscally sustainable. A project of this kind provides an opportunity to assess which approaches are best taken to scale.The Literacy Department (DLCA) of the Ministry of Labor, Vocational Training, Social Development, and Solidarity (MEFP) currently operates four literacy programs, which have had a throughput of more than one million adults aged 16 and above since 1995 (see table below): the Campagne generale, run out of Education Ministry schools; a public providers program, run in partnership with several government departments and aimed at groups often facing economic hardships (e.g. fishermen, farmers, the prison population); a job-based program, run in partnership with private industries such as dairy cooperatives and the  textile and clothing trade; and the Cent mains program created in partnership with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).Table 1: Enrollment in DLCA literacy programs (1995-2001)1995199619971998199920002001Total91,575107,490110,615123,529181, 200233,650301,5001,149,559This project focuses on the NGO program because it will accommodate the majority of learners in the medium-term (see table below), and because the NGOs tend to target the poorest population, particularly rural women and girls. Therefore, the project's goal is to improve teaching supervision and to increase the institutional capacity of the literacy system, which will impact all literacy providers.Table 2: Projected enrollment in DLCA programs (2001- 2004)Program200l200220032004TotalCent mains (NGOs)80,000198,000269,000352,000899,00OPublic providers95,000 122,000146,000158,000521,00OCampagne generalel20,00070,00070,00070,000330,OOOJob-based5,00010,00015,00020,00050, 00OTotal300,000400,000500,000600,0001,800,00OUnder the NGO program, the DLCA provides funding in the form of a general allocation to meet the costs of teachers' salaries, as well as in-kind resources in the form of literacy manuals and training for trainers. The NGOs are responsible for identifying and enrolling learners, recruiting and training teachers, as well as for providing classrooms and managing the courses (including the assessment of learner achievement).The Bank's on-going BAJ Education Project has contributed to the NGO program. With Loan No. 4024-MOR, the DLCA has signed "partnership agreements" with about thirty national and local NGOs catering for some 85,000 learners, mainly rural women. The African Development Bank has also financed contracts in this program. Experience with the BAJ Education Project has given the DLCA the chance to show its capacity to enlist NGOs as service providers and to reach target groups that had hitherto not had access to literacy education. The current NGO program has limited coverage however and, in its present configuration, cannot hope to meet the country's massive literacy needs. The GOM recently set itself the target proposed in the Charte nationale d'education et de formation [National Education and Training Charter], namely to reduce adult illiteracy by one half from the current official estimate of 50w, by 2010. In light of the method used to calculate the illiteracy rate (a simple statement by respondents in censuses or surveys of household living conditions), the proportion of the adult population with a low literacy level (i.e. neither reading nor writing well enough to improve their living conditions or well-being) is certainly higher than 50%.Expansion of the literacy programs faces a double challenge. Improving program quality requires a complex approach at the teaching and administrative levels. First, to extend the programs, particularly the NGO program, to a level consistent with the government's objectives in a fiscally sustainable way requires a reduction in unit costs; for this, the GOM is relying on deconcentrating DLCA functions to regional and provincial levels and on strengthening the program management capacity at these lower levels. Second, for this expanding literacy program to have a lasting economic and social impact, teaching quality must be improved at the level of the NGOs and other providers; for this, the GOM aims to renovate curricula and books, and to train teachers and teacher trainers. The GOM would like Bank support in bringing international experience to bear in the areas of strengthening the teaching system and improving cost-effectiveness. 4. Description -2-  Component 1. Improving program qualityThis component aims to reform the educational dimension of programs in the campagne generale run by NGOs, government departments, private industries, and local groups, if any. Curriculum content and teaching methods will be renovated to improve learner participation and performance. Component 2. Strengthening management of the systemThis component aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the DLCA, the local offices of the MEFP (essentially the provincial literacy coordinators) and service providers, using a partnership-based approach. Measures to be implemented include training of government and service provider personnel, and development of post-literacy strategies.Regular evaluation and analysis of literacy programsIn addition to the components per se, the project will also undertake regular evaluation of project outcomes (see section B.6.) and analysis of different aspects of the literacy programs so as to prepare to take successful innovations to scale.Table 3: Project components 1. Improving program quality 2. Strengthening management of the system Evaluation and Analysis 5. Financing Total ( US$m) BORROWER $1.26 IBRD $4.10 IDA Total Project Cost $5.36 6. Implementation 7. Sustainability This project aims to improve the adult literacy system, so that it is sustainable both in its learning outcomes and in its fiscal impact. As a Learning & Innovation Loan, the project may lead onto a broader, follow-up operation. 8. Lessons learned from past operations in the country/sector Partnerships with local NGOs enable the Government to reach sectors of society (women, rural, poor) inaccessible through traditional programs. 9. Program of Targeted Intervention (PTI) N 10. Environment Aspects (including any public consultation) Issues : This project poses no risk to the environment or to the poorest populations. Environmental protection. There is no environmental risk as the project does not finance any construction work. In addition, environmental issues will be taken into consideration during renovation of literacy curricula and the design of new curricula, so that important information may be communicated to the learners (for example, the literacy curriculum specifically designed for farmers includes more efficient and more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques). Social impact. The project poses no social risk; specifically, the project does not entail any population displacement. The recommended approach calls for the strong involvement of civil society. Nongovernmental organizations will be called upon as literacy service -3 -  providers and will be responsible, among other things, for identifying demand, recruiting teachers, evaluating outcomes, and devising a post-training integration plan for learners. Deconcentration of DLCA functions to local offices of the MEFP also helps build up local programs. Women, particularly in rural areas, are at a significant disadvantage with respect to men in terms of literacy. 11. Contact Point: Task Manager Jeffrey Waite The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington D.C. 20433 Telephone: 1 (202) 458-0842 Fax: 1 (202) 477-8642 12. For information on other project related documents contact: The InfoShop The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 458-5454 Fax: (202) 522-1500 Web: http:// www.worldbank.org/infoshop Note: This is information on an evolving project. Certain components may not be necessarily included in the final project. This PID has been processed by the InfoShop during the week ending August 23, 2002. -4-