PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)

CONCEPT STAGE

Report No.: AB3[OPCS1]319

Project Name

/ Secondary Education Quality & Access Enhancement Project
Region / SOUTH ASIA
Sector / Secondary education (100%)
Project ID / P106161
Borrower(s) / GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH
Implementing Agency
Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education
Shikka Bhaban, 16, Abdul Gani Road
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Tel: 9555134
Environment Category / [] A [X] B [] C [] FI [] TBD (to be determined)
Date PID Prepared / March 17, 2008
Date of Appraisal Authorization / April 1, 2008
Date of Board Approval / July 1, 2008
  1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement

1.Bangladesh, with 145 million people and a per capita GNI of $490, has recorded impressive progress in poverty reduction and certain human development outcomes. Per capita GDP growth has been above 5% since early 2000s, while headcount poverty has declined from 59% in 1991 to 40% in 2006. Gross primary enrolment rate is around 90 percent, secondary enrolment has more than doubled since independence, and the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) gender parity target has already been achieved at both the primary[1] and secondary education level. These are all remarkable feats when compared to countries at similar level of income in the region. At the secondary level, the Ministry of Education (MoE) oversees a unique system of public-private partnership which combines public financing with private provision of education. More than 98 percent of the secondary schools are managed and operated by the private sector with financial support from the government. Furthermore, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has launched several reform measures in the education sector, with support from a series of programmatic Education Sector Development Support Credits from the World Bank. The comprehensive policy reform agenda aims to ensure systemic improvement in governance, quality and relevance of secondary education.

2.Much of the achievement in the three-fold increase in overall secondary enrolments and seven-fold increase in female enrolments since 1980 has been a result of successful expansion of the private sector via supply-side incentives and a gender-targeted program since the early 1990s. To address the supply constraint, supply-side incentives were given to private providers to open secondary schools in rural areas. To address demand side constraints, the female secondary stipends program was introduced. Data show that significant progress has been made in enhancing access and equity:

  • Female enrolment in secondary schools increased from 1.1 million in 1991 to more than 4 million in 2006 and overall secondary enrolment increased from 4 million to over 9 million. Female gross enrolment rate more than doubled from 25 percent in 1992 to 60 percent in 2005 while overall gross enrolment rate also doubled from 27 percent in 1992 to 56 percent in 2006.
  • In terms of gender-equity, female-to-male ratio increased from 62 percent in 1992 to 114 percent in 2006.

3.Despite these achievements, there remain significant challenges, namely those of low internal efficiency, inadequate access, modest institutional capacity and weak monitoring and evaluation.

4.To build upon the successes of the past decade, and to address challenges that still persist, GoB has requested the Bank for further assistance. This signals a strong commitment by the government to continued investments to support improvements in the quality of education and equity.

  1. Proposed Objective(s)

5.The key project development objective is to improve quality of education and monitor learning outcomes systematically, and to increase access and equity in project upazilas.

  1. Preliminary Description

6.The proposed project would consist of: (a) improving education quality and monitoring of learning levels; (b) enhancing equity and access in project areas through provision of stipends to poor girls and boys; (c) strengthening the institutional capacity of MoE; and (d) establishing an effective monitoring and evaluation system. The project will be implemented in 121 upazilas in Bangladesh.

Component 1 – Improving Education Quality and Monitoring Learning Levels

Sub-Component 1.1: Incentive Awards to Students, Teachers and Institutions

7.This sub-component focuses on providing monetary incentives to encourage rural students, teachers and institutions to reach and maintain higher levels of achievement, understanding quality improvement as a continuous and long-term process. Incentives will be provided to students, teachers and institutions.

Sub-component 1.2: Support for English Language and Mathematics Learning and Teaching

8.This sub-component would finance the following key activities for the provision of additional classes for English Language and Mathematics: (a) capacity building of teachers at upazila level; (b) follow-up sessions with teachers at cluster level; (c) in-school supervision of classroom teaching by mobile teacher resource team members; and (d) orientation of Head Teachers and Assistant Head Teachers to provide appropriate school-level support to teachers.

Sub-Component 1.3: Developing the Reading Habit

9.The project would finance: (a) setting up of a reading program at classroom level for grades 6–10; (b) provision of age- and ability-appropriate books; (c) practical storage facilities/appropriate furniture designed to fit in with school conditions; (d) training of teacher/librarians to maintain the effective operation of the school library; (e) a simple end-of-year test; and (f) annual Book Prize/Award incentive system based on the number of books read.

Sub-component 1.4: Assessment of Education Quality

10.This sub-component aims to systematically measure the quality of learning by administering internationally comparable and national curriculum-based numeracy and literacy testing on a sample basis, which will be representative at a national level. The results of these independent assessments will be fed back to policymakers and stakeholders to raise their awareness about the quality of education, and adjust quality-related policies and interventions accordingly. The long-term vision is to build the appropriate capacity to mainstream the assessment system.

Component 2 – Improving Equitable Access

11.The objective of this component is to increase access and retention of poor girls and boys, and ensure their completion of secondary schooling through provision of stipends and tuition, based on pro-poor targeting and educational criteria.

Sub-component 2.1: PMT-based Stipends and Tuition to the Poor

12.This sub-component finances stipends and tuition to poor girls and boys. A pro-poor targeting stipends and tuition program will be implemented, based on Proxy-Means Testing (PMT)and students will belong to the poorest 50 percent of households in project upazilas.

Sub-component 2.2: Ongoing Stipends and Tuition Program

13.The project will support two types of program: (a) existing female stipends and tuition program in all upazilas for the remainder of the academic year 2008 and in the 61 non-PMT upazilas for the 2009 academic year; and (b) the pro-poor self targeting (PPST) scheme that was piloted under FSSAP II would also be financed in all PPST schoolsfor the remaining of the 2008 academic year, and continued in the non-PMT upazilas for academic year 2009.

Sub-component 2.3: Improving School Facilities

14.The provision of improved school facilities is likely to lead to better health outcomes for children and increase their aptitude to learn. This sub-component is intended to attract and retain girls and boys in schools, through the provision (using community participation) of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to selective schools based on needs assessment. It will provide safe drinking water and twin latrine facilities, based on agreed guidelines.

Component 3 – Institutional Capacity Strengthening

15.The objectives of this component are to: (a) strengthen the existing structure for managing and implementing the proposed project; (b) develop and strengthen the capacity to implement programs aimed at increasing educational quality, and to deliver financial support to targeted beneficiaries effectively; (c) strengthen accountability at school and upazila level; and (d) raise education awareness amongst stakeholders with focus on education quality, targeting, and accountability.

Sub-component 3.1: Project Management

16.The overall responsibility for the proposed project would lie with the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), as the implementing agency. It will be assisted by two proposed units: DSHE/Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (MEU) and DSHE/SEQAEP Unit. The MEU will be responsible for improving coordination of the stipend programs within DSHE, and helping DSHE to monitor stipend projects. DSHE/SEQAEP Unit will be staffed with a modest number of key technical, procurement, and financial management staff.

Sub-Component 3.2: Institutional CapacityBuilding

17.Staff development will be an essential part of capacity-building, especially for a project that has many new and innovative initiatives that require careful monitoring for program learning. This sub-component will finance orientation/workshops, and in-country and international training.

Sub-Component 3.3: School Management Accountability

18.Activities under this sub-component will support:(a) formation of PTAs and SMCs; and (b) training and capacity building of these PTAs andSMCs.

Sub-Component 3.4: Education Awareness and Community Mobilization

19.The objective is to build and increase awareness among all key stakeholders, with emphasis on the community and beneficiaries. Two types of activities will be supported: (a) educational awareness programs; and (b) community mobilization.

Component 4 - Monitoring and Evaluation

20.The objective of this component is to: (a) systematically document all project input, process, output, and outcomes; and (b) link project interventions with outcomes.

Sub-Component 4.1: Monitoring

21.A comprehensive and integrated data monitoring system would be in place to ensure that all project inputs, process, outputs, and outcomes are tracked. This sub-component will finance: (a) annual census of project institutions; (b) collection and maintenance of the PMT database; and (c) data collection, analysis and dissemination.

Sub-Component 4.2: Evaluation

22.This sub-component aims at carrying out rigorous impact evaluation through development of a detailed baseline survey (household and school-based), and follow-up surveys (one before MTR and another just before project completion) to be able to measure the effectiveness and impact of project interventions – e.g. incentive awards, additional classes in English and Mathematics, reading habits and PMT based stipends.

  1. Safeguard policies that might apply

An environmental assessment and Tribal Development Plan will be prepared as part of project preparation.

  1. Tentative financing

Source: / ($m.)
BORROWER/RECIPIENT / 16.9
International Development Association (IDA) / 130.3
Total / 147.2
  1. Contact point

Contact: Nazmul Chaudhury

Title: Sr. Economist

Tel: (202) 458-4230

Fax:

Email:

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[1] In Bangladesh Primary level consists of grades 1-5, while secondary level consists of grades 6-10.

[OPCS1]1The report number is automatically generated by the Internal Documents Unit (IDU) and should not be changed.