Document of The World Bank Report No: ICR2547 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT (TF-053679) ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$32.92 MILLION TO THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA FOR THE EDUCATION FOR ALL FAST TRACK INITIATIVE PROJECT June 22, 2013 Human Development Unit Caribbean Country Management Unit Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective July 31, 2004) Currency Unit = Guyana Dollars US$1 = G$200 FISCAL YEAR January 1–December 31 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS BEAMS Basic Education Access and Management Support CAS Country Assistance Strategy CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CPCE Cyril Potter College of Education CPD Continuous Professional Development DMP Day Meal Program EFA-FTI Education for All-Fast Track Initiative ESP Education Strategic Plan EU European Union GBET Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training GoG Government of Guyana ICR Implementation Completion and Results IDB Inter-American Development Bank ISR Implementation Status and Results LRC Learning Resource Center M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDG Millennium Development Goals MoE Ministry of Education MoF Ministry of Finance NCERD National Center for Educational Resource Development PAD Project Appraisal Document PCR Primary Completion Rate PDO Project Development Objective RAI Remote Areas Incentive REdO Regional Education Officer SFP School Feeding Program SIAC School Improvement Action Committee SIP School Improvement Plan VSO Voluntary Services Overseas Vice President: Hasan Tuluy Country Director: Françoise Clottes Sector Manager: Reema Nayar Task Team Leader: Hongyu Yang ICR Primary Authors: M. Rosa Puech/Xiaoxiao Peng GUYANA EDUCATION FOR ALL FAST TRACK INITIATIVE CONTENTS Data Sheet A. Basic information B. Key dates C. Ratings summary D. Sector and theme codes E. Bank staff F. Results framework analysis G. Ratings of project performance in ISRs H. Restructuring I. Disbursement profile 1. Project Context, Development Objectives and Design ............................................... 1 2. Key Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome ................................................ 3 3. Assessment of Outcomes ............................................................................................ 8 4. Assessment of Risk to the Development Outcome ................................................... 16 5. Assessment of Bank and Borrower Performance...................................................... 17 6. Lessons Learned ........................................................................................................ 19 7. Comments on Issues Raised by Grantee/Implementing Agencies/Donors ............... 20 Annex 1. Project Costs and Financing .......................................................................... 21 Annex 2. Outputs by Component .................................................................................. 22 Annex 3. Economic and Financial Analysis ................................................................. 28 Annex 4. Bank Lending and Implementation Support/Supervision Processes ............. 29 Annex 5. Beneficiary Survey Results ........................................................................... 31 Annex 6. Stakeholder Workshop Report and Results .................................................. 35 Annex 7. Summary of Borrower's ICR and/or Comments on Draft ICR ..................... 36 Annex 8. Comments of Co-financiers and Other Partners ............................................ 43 Annex 9. List of Supporting Documents....................................................................... 44 Annex 10. Trust Fund Arrangements ................................................................................... 46 Annex 11. Indicative Framework for Guyana’s EFA-FTI Program ............................. 48 Annex 12. Output Indicators for Guyana’s EFA-FTI Program .................................... 49 Map ............................................................................................................................... 50 A. Basic information Guyana: Education for Country: Guyana Project name: All Fast Track Initiative Project ID: P089324 L/C/TF number(s): TF-53679 ICR date: 06/06/2013 ICR type: Core ICR The Co-operative Lending instrument: SIL Grantee: Republic of Guyana Original total USD 12.00M Disbursed amount: USD 32.92M commitment: Revised amount: USD 32.92M Environmental category: C Implementing agencies: Ministry of Education Cofinanciers and other external partners: B. Key dates Revised/actual Process Date Process Original date date(s) Concept review: 07/01/2004 Effectiveness: 09/28/2004 09/28/2004 02/03/2006 05/21/2007 Appraisal: Restructuring(s): 03/17/2009 03/23/2012 07/19/2012 Mid-term review: Approval: 09/20/2004 (re-endorsement) 08/17/2008 Closing: 08/31/2007 12/31/2012 C. Ratings summary C.1 Performance rating by ICR Outcomes: Moderately Satisfactory Risk to Development Outcome: Substantial Bank Performance: Moderately Satisfactory Grantee Performance: Satisfactory C.2 Detailed ratings of Bank and borrower performance (by ICR) Bank Ratings Borrower Ratings Quality at entry Moderately satisfactory Government Satisfactory Implementing Quality of Supervision Moderately satisfactory Satisfactory agency/agencies: Overall Bank Overall borrower Moderately satisfactory Satisfactory performance performance i C.3 Quality at entry and implementation performance indicators Implementation QAG assessments (if performance Indicators any) Rating Potential problem project at Quality at entry (QEA) any time (Yes/No) No None Problem project at any time Quality of supervision (Yes/No) No (QSA) None DO rating before closing/inactive status: Satisfactory D. Sector and theme codes Original Actual Sector code (as % of total Bank financing) Primary education 100 100 Theme code (as % of total Bank financing) Education for All 100 100 E. Bank staff Positions At ICR At Approval Vice President Hasan A. Tuluy David De Ferranti Country Director Françoise Clottes Orsalia Kalantzopoulos Sector Manager Reema Nayar Marito H. Garcia Project Team Leader: Hongyu Yang Angela Demas ICR Team Leader: Hongyu Yang ICR Primary Author: Maria R. Puech Fernandez Xiaoxiao Peng F. Results framework analysis Project development objectives The overall development objective of the Project was to achieve universal primary education for girls and boys by 2015 by supporting the implementation of the government’s Education Strategic Plan 2003–2007. The Project’s specific development objectives are (i) improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland; (ii) enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools; and (iii) strengthening school-community partnerships. Revised project development objectives (as approved by original approving authority) N/A ii (a) PDO Indicator(s) Original Target Actual Value Formally Values (from Achieved at Revised approval Completion or Target Values Indicator Baseline Value documents) Target Years Indicator 1: Primary completion rate nationwide and in hinterland areas for girls and boys National: 85.5% National: 100% National: 103.8% Value Hinterland: 64.8% Hinterland: 100% Hinterland: 118.8% quantitative or N/A Girls: 91.6% Girls: 100% Girls: 104.4% Qualitative) Boys: 87.4% Boys: 100 % Boys: 104.6% Date achieved 12/31/2002 2015 12/31/2012 Comments The target was exceeded. The baseline year for the National and Hinterland PCRs is (incl. % 2000. achievement) Indicator 2: Percentage of trained primary school teachers in hinterland areas Value quantitative or qualitative) 31.5% 74% N/A 46.9% Date achieved 12/31/2000 2015 12/31/2012 Comments The target is unlikely to be achieved by 2015. Given the scale and scope of the Project (incl. % and external factors beyond the control of the Project, the target of 74 percent was overly achievement) ambitious. Indicator 3: Primary school student/trained teacher ratio in hinterland areas Value quantitative or qualitative) 80:1 N/A N/A 55:1 Date achieved 12/31/2000 2015 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was exceeded. achievement) Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas enabled by teacher trainings to Indicator 4: apply new techniques for classroom teaching Value quantitative or N/A N/A N/A 64% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) iii Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas placed in a better position to Indicator 5: deliver the content of curriculum by teacher trainings Value quantitative or N/A N/A N/A 54% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas observing that students were Indicator 6: more active and eager to learn Value quantitative or N/A N/A N/A 90% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas observing that students Indicator 7: performed better in classrooms Value quantitative or N/A N/A N/A 91% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) Percentage of students nationwide scoring 50 percent or more on the National Grade Six Indicator 8: Assessment. Value English: 20% English: 70% English: 35% quantitative or N/A Math: 29% Math: 70% Math: 40% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2007 2015 N/A 12/31/2012 Comments The target is unlikely to be achieved by 2015. Given the scale and scope of the Project (incl. % and external factors beyond the control of the Project, the target of 70 percent was overly achievement) ambitious. Indicator 9: Percentage of parents involved in the decision-making process in the schools. Value quantitative or 23% N/A N/A 80% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2004 N/A N/A 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) iv Percentage of parents participating in extra-curricular activities and discussing their Indicator 10: children’s work with teachers Value quantitative or 69% N/A N/A 85% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2004 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) Indicator 11: Percentage of parents perceiving strong community and school linkages Value quantitative or 8% N/A N/A 75% qualitative) Date achieved 12/31/2004 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % achievement) v (b) Intermediate outcome indicator(s) Original Target Actual Value Values (from Formally Achieved at approval Revised Target Completion or Indicator Baseline Value documents) Values Target Years Indicator 1: Number of Learning Resource Centers established in hinterland areas Value (quantitative 0 22 11 13 or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 The target was exceeded. The Project initially planned to establish 22 LRCs. The target was adjusted based on recommendations made in the 2009 independent evaluation of Comments the LRCs, which indicated that 22 LRCs were not needed. Therefore, the MoE decided (incl. % to reduce the target number to 11. By the end of the Project, 13 LRCs were established, achievement) exceeding the revised target value. Percentage of hinterland and riverain areas teachers that received the Remote Areas Indicator 2: Incentive Value (quantitative 0% 100% 100% 100% or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was achieved. achievement) Indicator 3: Number of teachers' houses built in hinterland areas. Value (quantitative 0 20 20 20 or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was achieved. achievement) Percentage of primary schools nationwide with textbooks (Math and English) for every Indicator 4: child Value (quantitative 57% 80% 80% 78% or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 12/31/2008 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was almost achieved. achievement) Indicator 5: Number of primary schools nationwide benefiting from utility upgrading Value (quantitative 0 70 70 93 or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments The target was exceeded. vi (incl. % achievement) Percentage of primary schools nationwide that received training on building a School Indicator 6: Improvement Plan Value (quantitative 0% 100% 100% 100% or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was achieved. achievement) Indicator 7: Number of primary schools nationwide that received School Improvement Plan Grants Value (quantitative 0 300 300 342 or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was exceeded. achievement) Percentage of primary schools in hinterland areas benefiting from the School Feeding Indicator 8: Program Value (quantitative 7.3% 70% 70% 80% or qualitative) Date achieved 10/01/2004 2015 12/31/2012 12/31/2012 Comments (incl. % The target was exceeded. achievement) G. Ratings of project performance in ISRs Actual Date ISR disbursements No. archived DO IP (USD millions) 1 06/27/2008 Highly satisfactory Highly satisfactory 10.84 2 12/24/2008 Highly satisfactory Highly satisfactory 12.07 3 12/23/2009 Highly satisfactory Satisfactory 18.51 4 06/26/2010 Highly satisfactory Satisfactory 22.64 5 02/24/2011 Highly satisfactory Satisfactory 24.40 6 10/09/2011 Highly satisfactory Satisfactory 27.16 7 04/22/2012 Satisfactory Satisfactory 30.77 8 11/03/2012 Satisfactory Satisfactory 32.92 vii H. Restructuring (if any) ISR ratings at Amount restructuring disbursed at Board restructuring Restructuring approved PDO DO IP in USD Reason for restructuring & key date(s) change millions changes made The Grant Agreement was amended to reflect the additional 02/26/2006 N.A. 3.89 funding of US$4 million based on satisfactory implementation of the Project. The Grant Agreement was amended to reflect the additional 05/21/2007 N.A. 6.90 funding of US$4 million based on satisfactory implementation of the Project. EFA-FTI re-endorsed US$20.92 million to continue the implementation of the country’s 03/17/2009 N.A. HS HS 11.34 proposal to meet the MDGs; consolidation of disbursement categories and extension of the closing date to October 1, 2012. US$2.4 million unspent funds planned for the Escuela Nueva 30.77 learning model were reallocated 03/23/2012 N.A. HS S for the School Feeding Program. Extension of the closing date from 32.73 October 1, 2012 to December 31, 07/19/2012 N.A. S S 2012. viii I. Disbursement profile ix 1. Project context, development, objectives, and design 1.1 Context at appraisal 1. Country context. At the time the Country Proposal (2002) for the Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) Catalytic Fund was submitted, Guyana was a low-income country with a predominantly agricultural economy. The country had a population of less than one million, with the majority living along the coastal belt and the interior hinterland areas sparsely populated mostly by indigenous people (Amerindians). The incidence of poverty, at 35 percent of the population (with a much higher rate of 92 percent in hinterland areas), was among the highest in the Western hemisphere. Due to a series of domestic and external shocks, including political uncertainty, social unrest, adverse weather conditions, and declining commodity prices, Guyana’s GDP growth slowed down in the late 1990s with an average less than half a percent per year between 1998 and 2002. 2. Sector context. In the late 1990s, Guyana confronted challenges in access, equity, and quality of primary education, with significant disparity between coastal and hinterland areas. In 2000, the primary completion rate (PCR) was 85.5 percent in coastal areas but only 64.8 percent in hinterland areas. Teacher attrition was also seen as a critical problem, due to low wages and benefits in Guyana and aggressive recruiting policies from abroad. Despite the economic difficulties, Guyana made efforts to protect its spending on education. In 2003, public spending on education accounted for 7 percent of GDP and 14.4 percent of total government expenditure, both of which exceeded the averages of Caribbean countries (4.3 percent and 9.5 percent). 3. Rationale for the EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund and Bank assistance. The Catalytic Fund was a multi-donor trust fund established in 2003 to meet the financing gap between the cost of the national education sector plan and the government budget. Managed by the Bank on behalf of the contributing donors, the Catalytic Fund required the presence of a poverty reduction strategy and the endorsement of an education sector plan by a local donor group, both of which were in line with the role played by the Bank at the national and sectoral levels. 4. The Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) 2002 supported key priorities of Guyana's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper with three goals: (i) stimulating economic growth; (ii) strengthening governance and increasing public sector capacity and accountability; and (iii) improving the delivery and quality of basic services and safety nets. The Project was consistent with the third goal of 2002 CAS by improving the equity and quality of primary education. The Bank assisted Guyana with preparing its Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2003–2007, which laid down the ground for the country’s EFA-FTI Program and for developing the EFA-FTI Project. Guyana’s EFA-FTI Program was a government program supporting Guyana’s Education Strategic Plans, with aid from multiple donors and the Catalytic Fund. The EFA-FTI Project only refers to activities funded by the Catalytic Fund. Therefore, this ICR only assesses the performance of the EFA-FTI Project. 1.2 Original Project Development Objectives (PDO) and key indicators 5. The overall development objective of the Project was to achieve universal primary education for girls and boys by 2015 by supporting the implementation of the government’s ESP 1 2003–2007. The Project’s specific development objectives were (i) improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland; (ii) enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools; and (iii) strengthening school-community partnerships. 6. At the time of approval, the Project’s outcome indicators were:  Primary completion rate both nationwide and in hinterland areas for girls and boys;  Percentage of trained primary school teachers in hinterland areas;  Primary school student/trained teacher ratio in hinterland areas; and  Percentage of students who score 50 percent or more on standardized English and math tests. 1.3 Revised PDO 7. The PDO and key indicators were not revised during the life of the Project. 1.4 Main beneficiaries 8. The Project intended to benefit teachers, students, parents and communities in Guyana nationwide, with strong emphasis on hinterland areas. It also intended to benefit central and regional public servants in the education sector. 1.5 Original components 9. The Project had three initiatives (equivalent to components): 10. Initiative I: Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland.  Train qualified teachers using the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training distance education approach;  Continuous professional development for all trained teachers;  Establish satellite learning centers for teachers within a school cluster;  Improve the conditions of service for teachers—monthly monetary bonus for remote areas (hinterland) teachers, and teacher housing. 11. Initiative II: Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools.  Accelerate the establishment of the Escuela Nueva learning model;  Establish Child-Friendly Classrooms in coastland schools;  Improve the status of utilities across all schools;  Provide textbooks. 12. Initiative III: Strengthening school-community partnerships.  Accelerate the Implementation of School Improvement Plans in all schools;  Upgrade the present School Feeding Program in the hinterland. 1.6 Revised components 13. The initiatives were not revised during the life of the Project. 2 1.7 Other significant changes 14. The original pledge to the Government of Guyana (GoG) was US$12 million. The original Grant Agreement (2004) was in the amount of US$4 million. 15. First restructuring. The Grant Agreement was amended in February 2006 to reflect the additional funding of US$4 million based on satisfactory implementation of the Project. 16. Second restructuring. The Grant Agreement was amended in May 2007 to reflect the additional funding of US$4 million based on satisfactory implementation of the Project. 17. Third restructuring. Guyana’s EFA-FTI Program was re-endorsed by donors in May 2009 after the GoG completed its Education Strategic Plan 2008–2013. The Grant Agreement was modified to reflect the additional funding of US$20.92 million, with a total amount reaching US$32.92 million. 18. Fourth restructuring. In March 2012, US$2.4 million unspent funds planned for the Escuela Nueva learning model were reallocated for the School Feeding Program (SFP). 19. Fifth restructuring. The closing date was extended from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 to allow the completion of the training and construction activities. 2. Key factors affecting implementation and outcomes 2.1 Project preparation, design and quality at entry 20. Pioneering the EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund. Since Guyana was one of the first countries to apply for the Catalytic Fund, the preparation stage was challenging, in part due to a lack of well-established procedures to follow. It took time to establish the legal instruments, flow of funds, and financing arrangements. After being chosen by the GoG and other donors to act as the supervising entity of the fund, the Bank prepared, appraised, and approved the Project by using all relevant procedures at that time. The Country Proposal (2002) for the Catalytic Fund included a detailed description of all planned initiatives and activities, while a Project Appraisal Document (PAD) was not required for the Project. 21. Thorough preparation work with strong support from the government. To prepare the initial Country Proposal (2002) for the EFA-FTI fund, a Strategic Planning Committee was created within the Ministry of Education (MoE) to direct the process. The MoE, in collaboration with other government agencies and donors, conducted and commissioned various studies to identify strategic issues and effective approaches in primary education, e.g., an evaluation of the Primary Education Improvement Project and an in-depth analysis of secondary school entrance exam results, as well as an independent evaluation of the MoE’s performance in primary education in relation to the prior ESP 1995–2000. 22. A highly participatory preparation and appraisal process. The preparation of the Country Proposal (2002) involved the Ministries of Education, Health and Amerindian Affairs, Regional Education Officers (REdOs), technical experts from the Bank, and key donors such as 3 the European Union (EU), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Caribbean Community, UK Department for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), UNICEF, and UNESCO. Consultation meetings were organized to reach a wide range of stakeholders across all regions. An in-country review of the drafted proposal took place and received feedback and comments from the donors. 23. Efforts to set up and strengthen implementation capacity. A Project team was established within the Planning Unit of the MoE to implement the Project activities, and training were provided to team members. The Bank also applied a learning grant for three in-country workshops to assist the MoE and other donors to understand the Project and outline an implementation plan. 24. Risk factors at the preparation stage. Several risk factors were identified in the Country Proposal (2002). It was challenging to retain trained teachers in hinterland areas since teachers often left the education system for better career opportunities. The need to foster a culture of accountability was emphasized, given the inadequacy of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism and financial accountability in the education sector at that time. 2.2 Implementation 25. Government support. The MoE showed strong commitment to the EFA-FTI objectives. The Project team within the MoE’s Planning Unit coordinated and monitored the implementation of the Project, with technical assistance from other departments of the MoE. The staff of the Project team was dedicated and well prepared. To ensure the quality of implementation, the Project team conducted frequent supervision visits to schools and engaged the regional education personnel during those visits to foster coordination and communication and to share good planning and supervision practices on the ground. 26. Strong focus on local ownership. The Project placed emphasis on strengthening local ownership. Initiative Three—“Strengthening School and Community Partnerships�—aimed at enabling principals, teachers, parents and community members to take charge of the planning and implementation of activities under School Improvement Plans and the School Feeding Program. The role of local communities was also highlighted through civil works under the other two initiatives. The design process for building teacher houses and upgrading school utilities involved consultations with local teachers, communities, Regional Education Officers, and other relevant stakeholders. To ensure the sustainability of the newly built teacher houses and the upgraded school utilities, the Project team placed great emphasis on the role of users. Maintenance manuals and tool kits were developed and distributed to local stakeholders and maintenance training sessions were provided before the completion of the civil works. 27. Adaptation to reality and challenges. The Project team adapted to reality and challenges to ensure the effectiveness of the Project activities. Under the Remote Areas Incentive (RAI), stipends for primary school teachers in hinterland and riverain areas were initially distributed monthly. The disbursement was later adjusted to be on a quarterly basis due to geographical and institutional challenges. This adaptation decreased the reporting frequency and provided remote regions the time they needed to distribute the funds and verify receipts from individual teachers. 4 28. Adjustments were also made through the reallocation of funds. The Escuela Nueva activities were piloted during the early years of the Project. Due to the high cost involved with developing Learning Guides by international consultants and the MoE’s desire to use local consultants, the implementation of the Escuela Nueva learning model was delayed. Given the complexity of the activity, time did not permit the completion of the Escuela Nueva activities by the end of the Project. In response, the funds for Escuela Nueva were allocated to support the School Feeding Program, given its significant positive impact on students and communities in hinterland areas. 29. Collaboration among donors. An Education Thematic Group, chaired by the MoE with representatives of the Bank and other donors, was in place overseeing the implementation of the Project and other activities under the EFA-FTI Program. The Project coordinated with other donors who were supporting the teacher training activities. Prior to 2012, the Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) funded by the Project facilitated the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training (GBET) project, which was financed by CIDA at that time. In 2012, the Project financed the GBET distance education program after the CIDA funding period was ended. 30. Critical role played by the Catalytic Fund in the primary education sector. Only three other donors (CIDA, UNICEF and the IDB) supported primary education during the life of the Project (2004–2012) and the Catalytic Fund constituted the largest share of the total aid for primary education. Between 2004 and 2008, the Catalytic Fund accounted 46 percent of the total donor contributions to primary education. During 2009–2012, the Catalytic Fund filled 72 percent of the financing gap for the primary education sector. The Catalytic Fund has become the predominant funding source after the completion of primary education Projects financed by the IDB and CIDA: Basic Education Access and Management Support (BEAMS) Phase I in 2009 and GBET in 2011, respectively. 31. Shortage of human resources. Insufficient capable staff at the national and regional levels affected the project implementation. The National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) was responsible for upgrading teachers’ competences on an ongoing basis under the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program. The training did not reach the full extent—not all new courses developed for the Project were delivered—due to weak capacity of the CPD, e.g., lacking a specific person in charge of the CPD at the NCERD. 32. At the regional level, the annual rotation of Regional Education Officers and head teachers had an adverse effect on providing continuous institutional support to the Project implementation. Schools had to rebuild the relationships with new REdOs and head teachers after the former relocated to other regions and schools. The operation of the LRCs experienced difficulties initially due to significant delays in hiring coordinators: few people expressed interest in this position, especially among the younger generations. 33. Geographical obstacles. Guyana’s geography greatly affected the Project implementation in hinterland areas. Challenges included the limited infrastructure (scarcity of paved roads and air services), harsh weather conditions (rainfall affecting construction activities), and distances (high transportation costs due to the need for vehicles and fuel). As a result, some Project activities did not take place on time. The distribution of textbooks for students was 5 delayed and some schools did not receive the School Improvement Plan (SIP) grants on time due to insufficient banking facilities in remote hinterland areas. In addition, the Regional Education Officers were not able to visit schools on a frequent basis. 2.3 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) design, implementation and utilization 34. Design. The Project did not have a standard results framework at the time of design since all EFA-FTI projects were not required to follow the Bank’s procedures at that time. While some key components of the framework such as expected outcomes and outcome indicators were stated in the Country Proposal (2002), a clearly defined results chain and underlying assumptions were not developed for the Project. The Country Proposal indicated strategic objectives that underlied the EFA-FTI Program, which were far beyond the scope of the EFA-FTI Project and what specific indicators to track them. 35. Targets of most outcome indicators were set for year 2015 in the Country Proposal (2002) while the Project was initially designed to be completed by 2006. Some targets were also unrealistic given the scale of the Project and external factors beyond the control of the Project. For example, the proposal aimed at increasing the trained primary school teachers in hinterland areas from 32 percent in 2000 to 74 percent in 2015. In 2000, besides the 32 percent trained, only 7 percent of teachers were qualified to be trained with the remaining 62 percent unqualified.1 In order to reach the goal of 74 percent trained teachers, not only the 7 percent qualified teachers should be trained, but also a large share of unqualified teachers should be upgraded to reach the minimum qualifications to enter a formalized teacher training program and receive the teacher training. Since the Project was designed to provide training only for qualified teachers through the GBET on a limited scale, the target appeared to be beyond the reach of the Project. In addition, at the time the Country Proposal (2002) was prepared, the IDB’s BEAMS Phase I project, which included teacher upgrading and training activities, was implemented and expected to evolve into Phase II. However, the IDB decided not to have Phase II after the completion of Phase I in 2009, which further increased the difficulty of reaching the 74 percent target. 36. For data collection and analysis, the MoE strengthened the Education Management Information System prior to the implementation of the Project. In addition, since some outcome and output indicators of the Project were also used for the IDB’s BEAMS Phase I project, the values of these shared indicators in the post evaluation of the BEAMS Phase I project were used as the baseline data for the Project. 37. M&E was designed to be a three-tiered process involving MoE officials, Regional Education Officers, and school administrators: (i) MoE officials were required to conduct quarterly visits to regions to monitor the performance of schools and REdOs; (ii) REdOs were given the responsibility of visiting schools within their jurisdiction, providing assistance to 1 In Guyana, primary school teachers are divided into three categories: (i) unqualified for formalized teacher training program (with less than four passing scores on the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations or an incomplete secondary education); (ii) qualified but not trained by a formalized teacher education program; and (iii) qualified and trained by a formalized teacher education program. 6 schools when needed, and submitting quarterly reports to the MoE; and (iii) school administrators were required to submit monthly school performance reports to REdOs. 38. Implementation. The Project team submitted quarterly implementation progress reports and annual reports to the Bank and the Education Thematic Group. The Bank prepared and submitted annual progress reports to the EFA-FTI Secretariat. Since 2008, the Bank had prepared Implementation Status Reports in accordance with the Bank requirements. In 2008, a thorough review of the implementation and outcomes of the Project was conducted for the endorsement of the ESP 2008–2013 by donors and additional funding from the Catalytic Fund. 39. To evaluate the outcomes perceived by beneficiaries, the Project conducted a parent survey in 2004, 2009, and 2012. A teacher survey was also conducted in hinterland areas in 2012 at the end of the Project to capture outcomes in classroom teaching and learning. 40. Evaluations of some specific Project activities were also carried out during the life of the Project. Between 2007 and 2009, the Project and the Bank financed an impact evaluation to assess the School Feeding Program’s impact on students’ performance, learning outcomes, nutritional status, community participation, and social welfare. An evaluation was commissioned in 2009 to assess the physical location of, the usage, and functions of the LRCs, and to identify key factors affecting their performance. For civil works, an independent evaluation of quality and cost was conducted during 2011–2012. In 2012, the Project team produced a detailed end-of- project internal evaluation report on the effectiveness of School Improvement Plans. 41. While the output of all Project activities was well monitored, not all outcomes indicators originally listed in the Country Proposal (2002) were followed during the life of the Project. For example, data on teacher retention rate was not available during the life of the Project, and the data of the student performance indicator (percentage of students score 50 percent or more on standardized English and math tests) was not collected until 2007. As a result, the ICR used outcome indicators listed in the Country Proposal as PDO indicators based on data availability. In addition, indicators from teacher and parent surveys were used as additional PDO indicators to measure the outcome. 42. Utilization. Progress reports prepared and submitted by the Project team and the Bank informed the donor community of the Project’s status and achievements, which served as the justification for the additional EFA-FTI funding in 2009. The evaluation of LRCs guided the Project team to place more emphasis on recruiting and training LRC coordinators. The findings of the SFP’s positive impact were widely disseminated among donors, justifying the unspent EFA-FTI funds reallocation in 2012 to expand the success of the SFP. 2.4 Safeguards and fiduciary compliance 43. Safeguards. The Project activities, especially the civil works for upgrading school utilities and building teacher houses, complied with the Bank’s and the GoG’s environmental guidelines. Categorized as low risk (Category C), the Project was not required to prepare an Environment Management Plan. As a condition for signing the EFA-FTI Grant Agreement, an Amerindian People’s Strategy was prepared as a safeguard to ensure that Amerindian people were involved in the planning of the activities, had access to EFA-FTI funded activities, and 7 would benefit from the Project. The Project met the goals of the Strategy with activities targeted at the hinterland areas and its overall emphasis on community involvement and ownership. 44. Financial management. Financial management was satisfactorily carried out during implementation. The Project team submitted quarterly interim financial reports to the Bank. An independent auditing firm conducted quarterly audits for activities requiring cash transfers (e.g., RAI, SIP, and SFP). The Bank provided technical assistance to the Project team on issues such as budget planning. No major issues affecting the financial management performance were identified by the Bank and external auditors. 45. Procurement. The procurement plan for each year was timely prepared and submitted for the Bank’s review. There were delays in the procurement of textbooks due to the extended time spent by the MoE’s Book Distribution Unit on finalizing the list of textbooks. Post review assessments conducted by the Bank indicated that procurement activities complied with applicable Bank Procurement Guidelines. 2.5 Post-completion operation/next phase 46. Donors will continue to support Guyana’s basic education system. In its Guyana Country Program Action Plan 2012–2016, UNICEF proposed to support Child-Friendly Schools and quality basic education especially in hinterland areas. In November 2012, the Global Partnership for Education announced that it had approved an indicative amount of US$1.7 million for Guyana, which the GoG plans to use to fund activities aimed at improving the quality of primary education in hinterland areas, especially in numeracy and literacy. 3. Assessment of outcomes 3.1 Relevance of objectives, design and implementation Rating: Substantial 47. Relevance of objectives. The Project objectives remain highly relevant at the time of completion. After achieving the overall goal of universal primary education for girls and boys, the Project’s three specific strategic objectives, which are (i) improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland; (ii) enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools; and (iii) strengthening school-community partnerships, are still consistent with Guyana’s ESP 2008-2013, the most recent CAS for Guyana (2009-2012), and EFA-FTI’s 2015 goals for primary education, all of which aimed to achieve equity in accessing quality education and produce a literate and numerate society. 48. Relevance of design. The Project strategically designed activities supporting the Education Strategic Plan that lacked funding from the GoG and other donors. The design of activities took the GoG’s annual budgets and projects supported by other donors into full consideration. The Project took a holistic approach by focusing on a range of key factors, including teaching force, teaching/learning environment such as school infrastructure, and school-community partnership. Grouped under three broad initiatives, activities were reinforcing each other while serving the same goals. Teacher training programs were supported by the 8 establishment of Learning Resource Centers, and improving the qualification of teachers was accompanied by incentives such as stipend enhancement and teacher housing construction. 49. Relevance of implementation. The Project adapted to changes and ensured consistency with the country’s education strategies throughout implementation. After achieving a 100 percent PCR in 2006 in hinterland and coastal areas for both boys and girls, the Project focused on improving the quality of education, especially reducing the disparities between the hinterland and coastland areas. In 2012, after the decision not to pursue the Escuela Nueva activities, the unspent Escuela Nueva funds were reallocated to support the highly needed and successful School Feeding Program in hinterland areas. The Project reduced the targeted number of LRCs from 22 to 11 after an independent evaluation found challenges to the proper functioning of the established LRCs and the fact that 11 LRCs were adequate for the clusters of schools in hinterland areas. 3.2 Achievement of Project Development Objectives (PDOs) 50. The goal of universal primary education for girls and boys nationwide and in hinterland areas was achieved, measured by the primary completion rate which exceeds 100 percent (Table 1). This is attributed to the progress made towards achieving the Project’s three PDOs: (i) improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland, (ii) enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools, and (3) strengthening school-community partnerships. The achievements of the three PDOs are stated below, including the causal linkages between outputs and outcomes. Table 1: Guyana EFA-FTI Project Development Outcome Indicators Baseline Target Actual Indicator (2000) (2015) (2012) Overall objective: universal primary education for girls and boys Nationwide 85.5% 100% 103.8% Hinterland 64.8% 100% 118.8% Primary completion rate 1 Girls 91.6% 100% 104.4% Boys 87.4%2 100% 104.6% PDO 1: Improving the quality of the teaching force in hinterland areas Percentage of trained primary school teachers in hinterland areas 31.5% 74% 46.9% Primary school student/trained teacher ratio in hinterland areas 81:1 N/A 55:1 Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas enabled by teacher trainings to apply new techniques for N/A N/A 64% classroom teaching Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas placed in a better position to deliver the content of curriculum N/A N/A 54% by teacher trainings 9 PDO 2: Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas N/A N/A 90% observing that students were more active and eager to learn Percentage of primary school teachers in hinterland areas N/A N/A 91% observing that students performed better in classrooms Percentage of students nationwide who score English 20%3 70% 35% 50 percent or more on the National Grade Six Assessment Math 29%4 70% 40% PDO 3: Strengthening school-community partnerships Percentage of parents involved in the decision-making process in the schools 23%5 N/A 80% Percentage of parents participating in extra-curricular activities and discussing their children’s work with teachers 69%6 N/A 85% Percentage of parents perceiving strong community and school 8%7 N/A 75% linkages 1 2002. 22002. 32007. 42007. 52004. 62004. 72004. PDO 1: Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland Rating: Modest 51. Outcome. The Project contributed to improving the quality of the teaching force in the underserved hinterland areas. The student/trained teacher ratio in hinterland areas improved from 81:1 in 2000 to 55:1 in 2011. Although far from the 74 percent target for 2015, the percentage of trained teachers in hinterland areas increased considerably from 31.5 percent in 2000 to 46.9 percent in 2011. In addition, a teacher survey conducted in hinterland regions in 2012 at the end of the Project found that, during 2009–2012, the majority (73 percent) of teachers attended trainings, including those provided by the Project, which enabled them to apply new techniques for classroom teaching (64 percent) and placed them in a better position to deliver the content of curriculum (54 percent). The improvement in trained teachers and classroom teaching practices are attributed to the teacher training and Learning Resource Centers, as well as cash and housing incentives provided by the Project. 52. Teacher training. During 2011–2012, the Project financed the GBET distance education program for a total of 71 untrained teachers in hinterland areas, accounting for 39 percent of hinterland primary school teachers who were untrained while qualified for training in 2011. This activity contributed directly to the increase of trained teachers in hinterland areas. The Project also strengthened the teaching force by supporting the CPD program for trained teachers. With 16 courses offered to 150, 150, and 495 trained teachers in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively, this activity explained why teachers were better with classroom instruction at the end of the Project as reflected in the results of the teacher survey. 53. Learning Resource Centers. A total 13 Learning Resource Centers were established with financing by the Project in hinterland regions between 2005 and 2012 to serve local teachers. The independent evaluation of the LRCs carried out in 2009 found that 56 percent of 10 local teachers visited the LRCs often or very often and the LRCs were used by teachers mostly for professional development purposes, such as conducting research, borrowing books, attending workshops and meetings, and preparing for tests. In the 2012 teacher survey, 60 percent of primary school teachers in hinterland areas reported increased access to teaching resources. 54. Remote Areas Incentive and teacher housing. Responding to the need to retain teachers in hinterland areas (the attrition rate of teachers reached 21 percent in hinterland areas and only 11 percent in coastal areas in 2000), the Project incentivized teachers in hinterland areas. With the Remote Areas Incentive, the Project provided stipends to all primary school teachers in hinterland and riverain regions. During the life of the Project, a total of 929 teachers benefited from the RAI, which cushioned the high cost of living in remote regions. To attract teachers from outside the region, the Project built a total of 20 high-quality furnished and equipped teacher houses in hinterland areas, with each house accommodating three to four single teachers or two to three couples. In 2010, the attrition rate of teachers decreased to 19 percent in hinterland areas while increased to 16 percent in coastal areas. PDO 2: Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools Rating: Substantial 55. Outcome. With a supportive school environment, student performance was enhanced as measured by the National Grade Six Assessment. During 2007–2011 nationwide, the percentage of students who scored 50 percent or more increased from 20 percent to 35 percent for English and from 29 percent to 40 percent for math. While the 2015 target (70 percent for both English and math) was not met, the increases of 15 percentage point and 11 percentage point for English and math respectively are substantial. Further improvement of student performance would also rely on factors outside of the Project, such as families’ socioeconomic status, parents’ education, transportation to schools, early childhood psychosocial development experiences, curriculum content, and self-motivation, etc. The progress in student performance is further confirmed by the 2012 teacher survey, in which the majority of teachers observed that students were more active and eager to learn (90 percent) and performed better in classrooms (91 percent). The Project contributed to a better school environment for teachers and students in primary schools through nationwide activities including infrastructure improvement, provision of textbooks and School Improvement Plans, as well as Child-Friendly Schools for coastal areas and the School Feeding Program for hinterland areas. 56. Child-Friendly Schools. In collaboration with the UNICEF, the Project supported the establishment of Child-Friendly Schools in coastal areas by providing learning materials such as books, puzzles, games, televisions, and portable bookshelves. In 2009, Child-Friendly Schools were certified in 32 percent of coastland primary schools, exceeding the target of 25 percent by 2015. In addition, the Project extended the provision of some learning materials, such as Scrabble, puzzles, first aid kits, and building blocks, to coastland primary schools not yet certified as Child-Friendly School based on the local needs. 57. School infrastructure. The Project upgraded the utilities (water, sanitation, and electricity) of 93 primary schools nationwide (22 percent of hinterland schools and 21 percent of coastland schools) and promoted the use of flush toilets in schools. The supply of drinkable 11 water and improved sanitation and hygiene reduced the risk of sickness, which was identified as the one of the primary causes of absence in the Project’s 2004 baseline parent survey. With the exception of Region 2, the attendance improved in all regions starting in 2007. The nationwide attendance rate increased from 73 percent in 2007 to 79 percent in 2011, giving kids more time in school to learn. The availability of electricity enabled teachers to use ICT equipment in classroom teaching, using learning resources such as videos, CDS and radios, as observed during all fields visits conducted by the Bank during the life of the Project. 58. Provision of textbooks. The Project provided textbooks to primary schools nationwide between 2005 and 2012 and increased the percentage of primary students with a core textbook in all four subjects: English, math, science, and social studies. The percentage of primary schools in the nation with a core textbook for every child improved for all four subjects from 2002 to 2011: math (66 percent to 74 percent), English (70 percent to 83 percent), science (41 percent to 76 percent), and social studies (40 percent to 69 percent). This improvement is further confirmed by the 2012 teacher survey, in which 74 percent of primary school teachers in hinterland areas observed that students had access to textbooks. 59. School Improvement Plans and community-based School Feeding Program. Under SIPs, 49 percent of primary schools nationwide contributed to creating a supportive and friendly school environment through school designed and implemented projects. These school improvement projects, financed by the Project and completed by the end of the Project, included the purchase of books, learning tools, and IT equipment to facilitate the teaching process (29 percent), the improvement of school infrastructure for health and safety concerns (17 percent), and the acquisition of outdoor play equipment for recreation and sports (3 percent). 60. The implementation of the SFP also made the school environment more appealing to students and enhanced their performance. During 2007–2012, all (139) hinterland primary schools provided a locally produced and nutritionally balanced meal every day to students attending schools, benefiting over 16,625 students (86 percent of the total target population). The 2007–2009 SFP impact evaluation found significant improvement in enrollment, attendance, classroom participation, and learning outcomes (math and English) attributable to the SFP. The enrollment increased by 16 percent and the average attendance increased by 4.3 percent between 2007 and 2009 in targeted schools. The SFP also increased student participation in classroom activities and had significant positive impact on math and English test scores. PDO 3: Strengthening school-community partnerships Rating: Substantial 61. Outcome. With strong and continuous emphasis on local ownership, the Project strengthened school-community partnerships as shown through parents’ greater involvement in school life. The parent surveys found that, between 2004 and 2012, (i) parents involved in the decision-making process in the schools increased substantially from 23 percent to 80 percent; (ii) parents who participated in extra-curricular activities and discussed their children’s work with teachers rose from 69 percent to 85 percent; and (iii) parents who perceived strong community and school linkages grew sharply from 8 percent to 75 percent. School Improvement Plans and the School Feeding Program were the main factors that led to increased parent and community 12 participation in school activities, while other activities such as Learning Resource Centers and civil works also contributed. 62. School Improvement Plans. The Project financed the training of all primary schools nationwide on developing a SIP through over 250 participatory workshops and provided grants to finance activities proposed by schools with qualified SIPs. Local participation was a key emphasis: every school was required to establish a School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIACs) with members from schools, parents, community, and students for developing and implementing the SIP. By the end of the Project, 435 students as well as 1,930 parents and community members served the SIACs of 342 primary schools, 85 percent of hinterland schools and 75 percent of coastland schools. 63. Community-based School Feeding Program. Prior to the Project, a breakfast program of biscuits and milk was implemented by the MoE. However, with a centralized provision system, food was not delivered to hinterland areas on a steady basis. In response, the Project introduced a community-based School Feeding Program. The SFP strengthened local stakeholders’ participation in schools. Students, parents, and community members acted as members of the SFP Management Committee, which oversaw and guided the implementation of the SFP at each individual school. A survey conducted for the 2007-2009 SFP impact evaluation found that parents actively participated in cooking, cleaning, and serving meals as well as providing food. Parents also showed high levels of involvement in fundraising and other activities to improve the quality of the SFP. 64. Other activities. Besides SIPs and the SFP, community participation was also a key factor in other Project activities. While mostly serving teachers, LCRs were used by community members as well for learning purposes. Communities supported the centers’ operations by donating books and office supplies as well as assisting the utility setup. For civil works, communities were consulted intensively during the preparation stage for teacher housing and school utilities upgrade. After the completion of civil works, the Project trained communities on the use of a maintenance manual and provided a maintenance toolkit. 3.3 Efficiency Rating: Substantial 65. There was no economic analysis conducted at the appraisal stage. Nevertheless, the cost analysis of two important Project activities, School Feeding Program and civil works (for school utilities upgrading and teachers’ houses) suggests substantial efficiency of the Project. The performance of the SFP and civil works contributed greatly to the overall efficiency of the Project since the cost of them accounted for 54 percent of the total project cost. 66. A comparison of Guyana’s SFP with a large scale Day Meal Program (DMP) in India found lower unit cost per student per day in Guyana’s SFP (US$0.9 versus US$1.1). Moreover, DMP covered a much larger number of schools (5,700 versus 137 by SFP) and consequently had much lower start-up cost due to economy of scale. Operated with a 30 percent lower unit cost and on a much smaller scale, Guyana’s SFP achieved high level efficiency and could reach a larger population with reasonable costs. The 2011–2012 independent evaluation of the civil 13 works found that constructions were completed with satisfactory quality and the contracts were awarded at highly competitive price given the standard cost in local industry. 3.4 Justification of overall outcome rating Rating: Moderately Satisfactory 67. The overall outcome is rated moderately satisfactory based on the Project’s substantial relevance through the life of the Project, substantial achievement of two PDOs, modest achievement of one PDO, and substantial cost effectiveness. 3.5 Overarching themes, other outcomes and impacts (a) Poverty impacts, gender aspects, and social development 68. Poverty impacts. The Project generated both short-term and long-term impacts on poverty reduction. By providing free lunch to students, the School Feeding Program not only improved the nutritional status of students, but also reduced the cost for households to send their children to schools. The SFP was implemented during a period of uncertainty and high volatility in food and agricultural commodities prices (2007 and 2008). A daily meal to children living in poor households served as a safety net mechanism by keeping households’ purchasing power relatively constant from adverse food price shocks. In addition, by purchasing local produce, fish, meat, and legumes, the SFP also generated incomes for farmers and fishermen in hinterland communities. In the long run, attainment of quality education has a positive impact on the livelihoods, economic security, and income opportunities of students. 69. Gender aspects. Boys and girls benefited equally from the Project given the 1 to 1 gender ratio in primary education during the life of the Project. Women benefited greatly through activities focusing on improving the quality and service conditions of teachers, since the majority of primary school teachers are female (74 percent on average during 2002–2010). In addition, the School Feeding Program created employment opportunities for women by training and hiring parents (women in almost all cases) to work in the kitchen, which brought considerable benefits to local women, given Guyana’s extremely low female participation rate in the labor force. 70. Social development. By promoting community participation, the Project empowered parents and communities and strengthened their ownership of the delivery of basic services. The Project also strengthened local governance through intensive training provided to local officials and communities. With emphasis on mitigating the disparity between coastal areas and hinterland areas, the Project supported the indigenous Amerindian communities as well as rural poor, and fostered social cohesion. (b) Institutional change/strengthening 71. The Project strengthened the governance of the education system at school, regional, and central levels with well-designed institutional arrangements and implementation strategies, resulting in a more effective and accountable education system. 14 72. School level. Under SIPs and the SFP, multi-stakeholder committees with members representing schools, students, parents, and local communities were established to manage the project design, implementation and monitoring. This mechanism provided opportunities for head teachers, school staff, and local education officials to build technical capacity as well as leadership and management skills. As the Secretary of School Improvement Advisory Committee for SIPs, head teachers of 342 schools gained knowledge and experience in not only designing SIPs, but also in matters such as collaborating with multi-stakeholders, strategizing and prioritizing problem solving, decision making, and developing workable solutions. As for the SFP, head teachers and relevant school staff received training in proposal development, accounting, and project management, and head teachers took the responsibility of monitoring the day-to-day SFP activities. Communities were required to ensure an adequate safe water supply and ensuring that school kitchens met the requirements and guidelines of the Ministry of Health. The institutionalized community participation along with capacity development support resulted in not only effective implementation of SIPs and the SFP, but also enhanced accountability at the school level, as evidenced by the preparation and submission of project proposals and progress reports, cash management, and log books for SIPs and school kitchens. 73. Regional level. The Project engaged Regional Education Officers in the implementation process and promoted regional ownership of the primary education sector. With the training and supervision provided by the Project team, regional officers supervised the functioning of LRCs and facilitated and monitored the payment of the Remote Areas Incentive with standard practices. 74. Central level. The Project enhanced the resource management, supervision, monitoring, and evaluation capacity of the MoE. With training in areas such as project management, procurement, financial management, and monitoring and evaluation, the Project strengthened MoE staff’s professional skills and enabled them to become actively engaged with supervision visits to hinterland areas. The Project team developed operations manuals with detailed instructions on institutional arrangement, implementation process, financial management, and procurement procedures, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Both self-evaluation and external evaluation were conducted, along with regular supervision visits made by EFA-FTI team staff, to ensure quality and accountability. These activities strengthened the MoE’s capacity to develop policy, provide technical guidance, and implement complex projects nationwide, especially in remote areas. As a result, the MoE was more effective in the provision of education services, such as the implementation of the SFP. A culture of results and performance emerged by the completion of the Project. (c) Other unintended outcomes and impacts 75. The School Feeding Program had positive impact on the nutritional status of students. The 2007–2009 impact evaluation of the SFP found that children benefitting from the SFP grew 0.8 centimeters taller than those attending schools without the SFP. The SFP also help to ensure the frequency of food consumption and diet diversity, particularly in a period of food price volatility. 76. Civil works conducted for upgrading school utilities and building teacher housing generated a series of unintended positive impacts. These included (i) employment for skilled and unskilled workers in the local community; (ii) income generating opportunities for local suppliers of construction materials and transportation providers; (iii) strengthened capacity and 15 performance of local contractors; and (iv) improved construction standards imposed by regional authorities and adopted by communities. As for the School Feeding Program, the training of sound food management practices provided to parents working in school kitchens transferred to households, leading to healthier practices and the prevention of illness in families. 3.6 Summary of findings of beneficiary survey and/or stakeholder workshops 77. The parent surveys administered in a sample of schools across regions during the life of the Project (2004, 2009 and 2012) found increased parental participation in school activities reported and raised perception of community-school partnership among parents. The hinterland primary school teacher survey conducted at the end of the Project showed significant improvement in the teaching and learning environment as well as student performance. 4. Assessment of risk to the development outcome Rating: Significant 78. Country commitment. To mitigate the risk to positive outcomes, the GoG has shown strong commitment to the education sector. The proposed 2013 National Budget, once approved, will increase the actual 2013 public expenditure in the education sector to US$141 million, exceeding the US$108 million forecast in the ESP 2008–2013 by 30 percent. More specifically, the proposed 2013 budget plans to expand the annual funding for the SFP to US$5.9 million, a sharp increase from the US$2.1 million average annual cost of the SFP during 2007–2012. This expansion will increase the number of SFP beneficiary students from 16,625 to 64,000. To assist the delivery of the SFP, the MoE also established an SFP unit with staff who were team members of the Project. 79. As for the teaching force, the GoG has continued to fund the RAI by 100 percent and cover the cost of staff and maintenance of LRCs. The GoG will finance Year 2 and Year 3 for students in the last cohort of the three-year (2012–2014) GBET program. Afterwards, the GEBT program will be replaced with distance education of teachers under the Bank-financed Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project 2011–2015, which aims to reduce the percentage of untrained teachers at the primary level by 7 percentage points. In addition, CPD courses will be provided by the NCERD with funding from the GoG. 80. Communities. Various actions also took place at the end of the Project to sustain the outcomes. Schools and communities were encouraged to adopt a preventative approach for maintaining the completed civil works, with maintenance manuals and tools kits prepared for and distributed to local stakeholders by the Project team. Many schools with SIPs and/or the SFP implemented were involved with income-generating activities that provided funding support for sustainability, including operating small garden plots, raising goats, cattle, sheep and chickens, and catering for external activities. 81. Donors. While donors, including the Bank, GPE, and UNICEF, will continue to support Guyana’s basic education system, there are still uncertainties and risks to the sustainability of the Project’s achievements. The funding gap for primary education is highly likely to remain, while the exact size of the gap is unknown since the GoG is still in the process of developing an 16 Education Strategic Plan 2014–2018. Guyana has no other donor funding committed for primary education on a scale comparable to that of the Catalytic Fund. Donor support for Guyana’s education sector has dropped off significantly since mid-2000s. Many donors have shifted to regional approaches instead of country-specific lending, shifted resources to other sectors in Guyana, or shifted support to other regions. The sharp decline of external resources definitely imposes a risk on maintaining the positive gains of the Project. 82. Other risks. The flow of funds to the local level and how Regional Education Departments use funds may also hinder the sustainability of Project outcomes. With limited capacity, Regional Education Officers are unlikely to be able to conduct regular supervision visits and deliver goods in a timely fashion. In addition, retention of trained teachers in hinterland areas remains an issue of concern and could slow down the growth of trained teachers. 5. Assessment of Bank and Borrower performance 5.1 Bank performance (a) Bank Performance in Ensuring Quality at Entry Rating: Moderately Satisfactory 83. The Bank provided solid support to the GoG to prepare the Country Proposal. It provided technical assistance to develop a costing model to determine the resources needed for the ESP’s implementation. It worked closely with the government to gather the required information and accompanied the country throughout the process to get the donors’ financial support to bridge the financing gap in implementing the ESP’s activities. The Bank, acting as the supervising entity, provided the technical assistance to help Guyana meet the required criteria and become one of the first countries to benefit from the EFA-FTI instruments in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 84. There were moderate shortcomings in Bank performance. Despite the good efforts made by the Bank to ensure quality at entry, the Project did not develop a results framework with a clearly defined results chain and underlying assumptions. As discussed earlier, the target year 2015 for outcome indicators was located beyond the completion year of the Project (2007 initially and 2012 after the additional financing), and the targets of some outcome indicators were overly ambitious, not taking the scope and scale of the Project and external factors into fully consideration. (b) Quality of supervision Rating: Moderately Satisfactory 85. The Bank conducted regular supervision missions including visits to the hinterland areas and interviews with beneficiaries and participants. The Bank provided training in fiduciary matters which were critical given the scarce experience of Guyana in working with the Bank, and assisted the Project team with developing and using monitoring tools. These efforts built good 17 supervision practices, which were adopted by the Project team and shared with local education officers during the team’s supervision trips to the field. 86. The Bank also assisted the GoG in the preparation of implementation reports, which were required for the two tranches of disbursement following the initial grant allocation. In 2008, the Bank provided technical assistance to the GoG on evaluating the implementation of the ESP 2003–2007 and preparing the ESP 2008–2013 for donor endorsement, which enabled Guyana to receive the additional Catalytic Fund of US$20.69 million. 87. The moderate shortcoming during implementation was that a PAD was not prepared in 2008 at the time of the re-endorsement of the country proposal and additional financing of the Project, although the Bank’s rules had started to require a PAD at that time. Instead, the Bank provided a comprehensive appraisal decision package with fiduciary and safeguards assessments and clearances, implementation plans, operation manuals, an M&E tool with baseline, as well as targets and a calculation guide. Nevertheless it missed the opportunity to prepare an actual results framework which would have defined a clear results chain. (c) Justification of rating for overall Bank performance Rating: Moderately Satisfactory 88. The quality of preparation and supervision are moderately satisfactory; thus the overall performance of the Bank is also rated as moderately satisfactory. 5.2 Borrower performance (a) Government performance Rating: Satisfactory 89. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) of Guyana showed strong commitment and ownership during the preparation and implementation of the Project. Working closely with the Bank and other donors, the MoF fulfilled its obligations and commitments in financing and reporting. There was constant dialogue between the MoF and the Bank. (b) Performance by implementing agency or agencies Rating: Satisfactory 90. The MoE was the implementing agency. The Project team at the MoE was highly committed. It conducted frequent supervision visits to the field as well as provided regular monitoring reports thoroughly documenting the progress of the Project. Working closely with relevant MoE departments as well as other donors (such as UNICEF, CIDA and the IDB), the Project team was resourceful to overcome obstacles encountered during implementation and succeeded in building capacity among the Project’s beneficiaries. 18 (c) Justification of rating for overall borrower performance Rating: Satisfactory 91. The overall country’s performance is satisfactory as both elements are satisfactory. 6. Lessons learned 92. The main lessons learned from the Project are discussed below. 93. Defining a results framework is the key to assessing a project’s outcome. In the case of EFA-FTI catalytic fund, the lack of a results framework made difficult to assess the achievement of outcomes attributable to the project’s activities. Despite the fact that the activities financed by the catalytic fund were well designed and implemented, it was problematic to measure what was specifically attributable to the project, given the lack of an explicit results chain and to the fact that the outcome indicators identified were affected by factors beyond the scope and control of the Project. 94. The EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund was a good mechanism to ensure aid effectiveness. The Catalytic Fund proved to be an effective instrument to support the country’s sector goals by promoting strong national ownership and collaboration among donors. Built upon Guyana’s ESPs, the Project supported the priorities of the education sector by funding activities for which there was a financing gap. The Project also enabled the Bank to work in close partnership with other donors, with annual reviews of the implementation conducted jointly by multiple donors. 95. Close supervision of activities contributes to good outcomes. The Project team carried out a close supervision of all Project activities. Substantial resources and time were placed in field works to ensure capacity building of beneficiaries and to pass on the know-how the team itself had acquired through training and technical support from the Bank. With extensive work on the ground, the Project succeeded in changing mentalities and transforming behaviors in schools and communities. 96. Involving the beneficiaries contributes to better outcomes and sustainability . The Project was implemented with a highly participatory approach. The beneficiaries and their communities developed strong local ownership, which was critical for the maintenance and sustainability of the Project outcomes. The participatory approach also enabled the Project implementation process to incorporate the knowledge and skills of the local communities. In the case of the SFP, working with the communities generated markets for local products and access to more affordable food for schools. 97. Engaging local governments is crucial to provide continuity to the project activities. Regional Education Officers and staff were involved at all times during the implementation of the Project, such as training and supervision and monitoring missions. This allowed them to absorbed the standards and the procedures used by the Project team, which was important to the sustainability of outcomes beyond the completion of the Project. 19 98. LRC’s quality of service relies on its coordinators and hours of operation. The 2009 independent evaluation of LRCs showed that the appointment of a qualified and motivated LRC coordinator made a significant difference in the performance of a center. Recruiting well- qualified coordinators and providing on-the-job training and guided supervision mattered greatly for ensuring the sound performance of the LRCs. The evaluation also found that teachers and communities initially complained that they were unable to access the LRCs due to its limited hours of operation. Allowing beneficiaries to access LRCs with flexible opening hours, such as on weekends and holidays, will maximize the usage of LRCs. 99. Informing communities is important for service delivery. The evaluation of the LRCs showed that in some hinterland regions communities were not aware of the establishment of the centers and the services they offered. Carrying out public awareness activities to explain the services offered by LRCs is important to achieve the goal of providing additional support to teachers in remote areas. 7. Comments on issues raised by grantee/implementing agencies/donors (a) Grantee/implementing agencies N/A (b) Cofinanciers/donors N/A (c) Other partners and stakeholders N/A 20 Annex 1. Project Costs and Financing a) Project cost by component (in USD Millions) Revised Appraisal Revised Revised estimate estimate estimate estimate (re- Actual/latest (tranche 1) (tranche 2) (tranche 3) endorsement) estimate (USD M) (USD M) (USD M) (USD M) (USD M) Components 2004 2006 2007 2009 2012 I. Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland 0.35 0.92 1.95 5.42 5.50 II . Enhancing the teaching and learning environment in primary schools 3.30 5.50 6.70 12.91 12.20 III. Strengthening school- community partnership 0.22 1.07 2.80 13.27 13.89 Monitoring and evaluating operational costs 0.13 0.51 0.55 1.32 1.33 Total financing 4.00 8.00 12.00 32.92 32.92 (c) Financing Actual/latest Percentage of estimate Source of Type of Appraisal estimate appraisal (US$ millions) funds cofinancing (US$ millions) EFA-FTI Grant 12.00 32.92 274% Total 12.00 32.92 274% 21 Annex 2. Outputs by Component Initiative I – Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland Sub-initiative 1.A.Training qualified teachers using the GBET approach This subcomponent aimed to train hinterland teachers using the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training Distance Education approach (certificate program for teachers in the hinterland), under the auspices of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE). The GBET, initially financed by CIDA from 2002–2011, is a three-year distance training program focused on preparing unqualified untrained teachers to acquire prerequisite entry skills to enable them to enter the CPCE. Teachers meet twice per semester in their regions and receive a certificate upon completion. The GBET enabled CPCE to develop distance training capability to offer in-service training through a combination of print based learning modules, local tutorials and a summer session classroom based. Activities under this subcomponent financed by the CF, were thought to start once the support from CIDA would be completed. Since this support extended longer than anticipated, the training activities financed by the CF started later than originally envisaged. Activities were carried out on time and targets were met for both the training of unqualified teachers and the refresher courses for the trained teachers. By Program completion a total of 68 nursery and primary education teachers had enrolled and completed the first year of training. They were receiving training in Regions 9 (Aishalton and Lethem) and 1 (Port Kaituma, Mabaruma and Santa Rosa). The MoE will finance years 2 and 3 of this program for the cohort of teacher trainees. The program started during the 2012–2013 year. The certificate program started in March 2012 and it will be completed in January 2015. It is composed of nine semesters. The 68 trainees completed the first semester on June 2012 and wrote an end-of-semester examination. The second semester was comprised of July and August 2012. A total of 17 tutors received training during a 3 day workshop at the Cyril Potter College of Education, to prepare them to facilitate the tutoring to the teacher trainees. The Distance Education unit at the College produced 9 modules for this program. The CPCE received 84 notebooks, 4 desktop computers, 68 flash drives and resource materials. The books were distributed to 4 LRCs; trainees, teachers, and trainers received the notebooks, and the desktop computers were distributed to the LRCs as well (Mabaruma and Moruca in Region 1 and Aishalton and Lethem in Region 9). The procurement of the notebooks encountered delays but these were resolved. There were some delays to complete the process but they were finally procured and supplied by August 2012 for the beginning of the school year in September 2012. Sub-initiative 1.B Continuous professional development for all trained teachers (CPD) This activity focused on developing a policy for the continuous profession development of trained teachers, designing the program, developing new short courses, and implementing them. The purpose was to provide a structured policy and course offerings so that teachers could continually upgrade and keep their skills fresh. The credits earned would also be recognized during annual reviews. The Bank developed a paper providing options for designing the 22 program based on CPD programs functioning in other countries. This provided the underpinning for development of the CPD Policy that was vetted with the Teachers’ Union and approved by the Ministry of Education in November 2010. The NCERD was in charge of its implementation, as the institution responsible for upgrading trained teachers’ professional competencies, through the provision of continuous professional development in Georgetown and in the regions. This activity supported the development of 25 courses, 16 of which were offered to 150, 150 and 495 teachers in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. Facilitators came from the University of Guyana, the CPCE, the MoE, and the NCERD. Hinterland teachers received compensation for travel expenses and overnight stay. During 2012, 13 courses were provided between April and September. Teachers were appreciative of the courses and expressed how they felt motivated in their teaching after participating in this activity. The NCERD is exploring offering courses online and through the Learning Channel to reach teachers in remote areas such as Region 8. This activity was affected by changes in the leadership of the NCERD. The GoG approved a document on CDP as a framework to develop this concept for the future and will continue to finance this activity which was already in the 2013 budget. NCERD will continue to work to ensure that the concept of CPD is permanently entrenched in the education system in a professional and systematic manner. Sub-initiative 1.C Establishing satellite learning centers for teachers within a school cluster. This activity financed the establishment of 13 LRCs in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9. The regions chose the location of the LRC and worked on the list of materials and equipment to receive with assistance from the Bank. The EFA-FTI team worked with the Bank and the regions to identify a set of materials and low-tech equipment to minimize the problems and ease maintenance. The first 11 LRCs started to function in 2005. They were equipped and received relevant and needed materials, based on the information captured in a survey applied in clusters of schools. LRCs were used by students, communities and teachers. LRCs were used as extended classroom facilities by schools to do remedial reading, literacy hour, or the interactive radio instruction program. LRCs were equipped with learning materials, books, a photocopier, DVD player, a television set, computers, and a portable projector. The Program installed solar panels in LCRs in all four regions and upgraded the electricity to ensure the capacity to operate. All LRCs were staffed with a coordinator who was trained in the content of the LRC Manual. Training concentrated on the mission of the centers and the services they should provide. Coordinators in all regions received training except for those in Region 8. The Regional education officer will provide it during 2013. Before completion, a list of the LRCs with an inventory of equipment in each of them was prepared as part of the handing over to the regional staff of the MoE. 23 Sub-initiative 1.D. Improving the conditions of service for teachers. Sub-initiative1.D (a) The Remote Areas Incentive (RAI). The Program provided an RAI quarterly, to all primary school teachers in the hinterland and riverain regions, since 2005. Over 900 teachers benefited from this incentive during the last years of implementation. The RAI was highly appreciated by teachers who used it in some instances to acquire classroom materials. The EFA-FTI payment of the RAI to primary school teachers acted as a catalyst for the government to take on this responsibility for pre-school and secondary school teachers in these same remote areas so all teachers would receive a payment. From 2005 onward the government included RAI for pre-school and secondary teachers. The process to pay for the RAI for eligible teachers improved during implementation. Initially, the eligible teachers were identified by the Regional Education Officers who submitted a list to the EFA-FTI Coordinator at the MoE. Based on the list, the Finance Officer prepared a global check and pay sheet which were sent to the Regional Executive Officer. The global check was cashed at the regional level. Teachers were paid along with their regular salaries. The teacher had to sign against his or her name and provide a unique personal identifier, such as a passport number or the NIS number. The Regional Executive Officer must return the pay sheet duly signed by recipients of the RAI, indicating additions and deletions of teachers for the previous month, before another check is issued for the following month. Some issues with the initial system arose: (i) not all teachers in the hinterland had a passport or NIS number; (ii) failure of the REDO to submit the signed pay sheets to the MoE prior to the next payment would mean that a teacher would not be paid his/her RAI, even though he/she had nothing to do with the failure to submit the pay sheet; (iii) for some remote areas, one month was too short to pay the RAIs and submit the signed pay sheets. In order to address these shortcomings, the government made the RAIs quarterly. The RAI was implemented without problems after this modification. The government committed to pay gradually a portion of the RAI for primary school teachers starting in 2009, to ensure the sustainability of this payment. It was not included until the 2012 budget and it is now a permanent line item. Sub-initiative 1.D (b) Teacher housing The Program financed the construction of 20 teachers’ houses in hinterland regions 1, 7, 8 and 9. All houses are equipped with water and electricity and basic furniture. All houses were in use by completion. Emphasis was placed on maintenance, training teachers, preparing training manuals, and giving a maintenance tool-kit. Three prototypes of teachers’ houses were prepared after consultations with stakeholders. Prototype A, designed for one family, included 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining room and bathroom. Prototype B, designed for two families or 4 single teachers, included 2 apartments with 2 rooms each. Prototype C, for 3 single teachers in each unit, included 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a dining area and a bathroom. The construction activity set high quality standards, both for the quality of the buildings and for the construction process. The structure of the building was of reinforced concrete and used good quality materials. It included solar panels, sanitary facilities and plumbing. There was a physical 24 survey of site for the teacher house. Preliminary designs were done and modified the prototype, adapting to the circumstances (e.g., availability of materials). Supervision of construction was carried out by the civil works specialists of the EFA-FTI team and his assistant. During supervision the views of the beneficiaries and stakeholders were sought and taken into account. Initiative 2 – Enhancing the teaching learning environment in primary schools. Sub-initiative 2.A. Accelerating the establishment of the Escuela Nueva learning model in the hinterland. This activity, which was supposed to start implementation in 2010, was not carried out, after a pilot experience and participation in an international workshop, and the funds originally allocated to it were reallocated to other activities within the Program, such as the SFP in the hinterland. The MoE found high the costs of transforming a hinterland school into an Escuela Nueva school. Nevertheless some aspects of Escuela Nueva were piloted in the hinterland schools, such as the Child-Friendly Schools. The MoE opted for investing time and resources in transforming the existing textbooks into the guidelines used under the Escuela Nueva approach. Nevertheless, there were hinterland schools that expressed interest and adopted some of EN practices, such as the learning corners and child-friendly classrooms. Sub-initiative 2.B- Establishing child-friendly classrooms in coastland schools. The Program collaborated with UNICEF to establish child-friendly classrooms in urban areas that focus on active and student-centered learning, an element of Escuela Nueva. The Program financed the acquisition of learning materials—building blocks, painting sets, puzzles and portable bookshelves—for these classrooms in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and Georgetown. Regional Education Departments identified the materials, identifying the needs of their respective regions. By the end of 2012, around 55 percent of primary schools (around 250 schools) were participating in the child-friendly initiative. . Sub-initiative 2.C Improving the status of utilities across all schools. A total of 93 schools benefitted from this activity. Upgrades in school infrastructure covered improvements in water, electricity and sanitary facilities. Activities included installation of water tanks, drilling wells, solar water pumps, improvements in the water pipelines, electrical wiring, installation of lights, installation of photovoltaic systems, provision of septic tanks, and flush toilets. The upgrading process was similar to the teachers’ houses process: there was a physical facility survey to inventory the existing situation and interviews with stakeholders, prior to the preliminary designs. The process was well and closely supervised. Maintenance manuals were prepared, stakeholders received training on the content, and a maintenance kit was provided to each of the 93 schools. Emphasis was placed on preventive maintenance. 25 Sub-initiative 2.D – Provision of textbooks. The Program financed the acquisition of textbooks in Mathematics, English, science and social studies as well as reading books for primary schools throughout the country, enhancing st udents’ literacy and numeracy. .By the Program’s completion, all primary schools in Guyana had access to a full set of core textbooks and a set of reading books, library sets and reference books. This activity included the acquisition of instructional and reference material for the LRCs. Initiative 3 - Strengthening school-community partnerships. Sub-initiative 3. A Accelerating the implementation of School Improvement Plans (SIPs) in primary schools This component succeeded in introducing SIPs in primary schools, building on the efforts and achievements of the SIP program in secondary schools supported by the Bank. The SIP program started in 2005 with training of MoE staff at regional and central level and training of stakeholders and school personnel (principals, head masters, community leaders). Financing of SIP grants started in 2007. By 2012, all primary schools had prepared SIPs, though not all of them had received a SIP grant. A total of 342 SIPs were financed. Each of these schools received a grant of GY$1 million (approximately US$5,000), benefiting close to 72,000 students. Other beneficiaries of the training were 1,930 parents, 1,800 teachers, 90 regional officers and 435 students who participated in the School Improvement Advisory Committees (SIACs). The grants financed SIPs in the following areas:  Health and safety, financing physical and structural improvements in the schools;  Literacy and numeracy: acquisition of books, learning materials, library for the school, etc.  IT Equipment;  Staff development sessions;  Outdoor play equipment;  Communication equipment;  Environmental activities;  Solar panel kits;  Classroom furniture. A SIP manual was prepared and distributed to all primary schools. Training took place every year between 2005 and 2012. SIPs were looking to embed the concept and practice of planning, school improvement planning, and the process of project development, appraisal, and implementation. This activity was well monitored: quarterly reports were prepared detailing progress and issues, and challenges at regional and national level. The SIP activity benefited from a highly participatory process: School Improvement Advisory Committees (SIACs) were established and trained. Participatory workshops took place and the SIACs produced well thought out SIPs, which complied with the predetermined standards, explained to the schools. Regional Education Officers were trained to assess the quality of the SIPs and the projects proposed. 26 Implementation of this component had two phases. The first phase started in 2005 with training provided to 9 out of 11 education districts. The second phase was initiated in 2007, during which training was provided to the remaining two education districts and funds were provided to finance the SIP projects. The process of developing the SIPs included clear guidelines, and financial guidelines as a means to foster transparency, accountability, and quality. The schools and Regional Education Officers worked with strong support from the Community Involvement Specialist, who was part of the EFA-FTI team. All funds were disbursed by April 2012. The training sessions and workshops were effective and met their objectives. The resource materials produced were of good quality. They proved to be adequate for the SIACs to work independently throughout the steps of the SIP preparation at national level. The SIACs acquired skills and competencies to produce and successfully implement the SIPs in timely fashion. Sub-initiative 3.B Upgrading the existing School Feeding Programs (SFPs) in the hinterland. The SFP Program targets 138 schools in the hinterland (Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9). This activity provided funding and technical support through training to 92 primary schools which were providing one meal (lunch) per day to students, benefiting 16,303 students who represent 84 percent of the target population. By the end of the Program, 58 schools had received a small grant for sustainability projects to maintain the school kitchen open in absence of funds. Projects included the acquisition of chickens, pigs and sheep, establishment of school gardens and operation of small canteens. The SFP contributed to create a culture of accountability and organization. The school kitchens kept detailed records of goods bought with the resources available, planned menus for two-week periods. The MoE strengthened its management capacity of the School Feeding Program, contributing to its effectiveness and expanded implementation. The MoE established a School Feeding Advisory Committee in January 2006. Committee members included representatives from Ministries of Education (Chair), Health, Agriculture, Amerindian Affairs, and Local Government. The Committee had as tasks, among others to: i. Endorse grant funding proposals for Community-based SFPs; ii. Appoint the Special Projects Unit to become the Secretariat for the Committee, and oversee the implementation of the Community-based School Feeding Program, including the development of the Operational Manual, with Bank support; iii. Carry out a review of the functional responsibilities of the Special Projects Unit, with the objective of renaming it School Feeding Program Unit, upgrading its functional responsibilities to oversee policy, monitoring, and evaluating the performance, and coordinating School Feeding Programs; and iv. Propose an action plan to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. 27 Annex 3. Economic and Financial Analysis There was no economic analysis conducted at the appraisal stage. Nevertheless, the cost analysis of two important project activities, School Feeding Program and civil works (for school utilities upgrading and teachers’ houses) suggested adequate efficiency of the EFA-FTI Project. The performance of the SFP and civil works contributed greatly to the overall efficiency of the project since their cost accounted for 39 percent and 15 percent of the total expenditure of the project, respectively. Civil Works. A technical team carried out an independent technical review of the civil works under Initiatives I and II during 2011–2012. The evaluation of the civil works activities indicated that the quality of the houses and upgrades were satisfactory. The contracts were awarded at highly competitive price in comparison to the standard cost in local industry and the cost of similar buildings in the region. Community-based SFP cost and sustainability. A comparison of Guyana’s SFP with a large scale Day Meal Program (DMP) in India found lower unit cost per student per day in Guyana SFP (US$0.9 versus US$1.1). Moreover, DMP covered a much larger number of schools (5,700 versus 137 by SFP) and consequently had much lower start-up cost due to economy of scale. Operated with a 30 percent lower unit cost and on a much smaller scale, Guyana’s SFP achieved high level efficiency and could reach a larger population with reasonable costs. . 28 Annex 4. Bank lending and implementation support/supervision processes (a) Task team members Responsibility/ Names Title Unit specialty Lending Angela Demas Senior Education Specialist LCSHD Team Leader Lourdes Noel Program Assistant LCSHD Assistant Bart Van Ueythem Education Consultant LCSHD Education Guido Paolucci Sr. Procurement Officer Procurement Sr. Financial Management Emmanuel Njomo LCSFM Financial Management Specialist Supervision/ICR Angela Demas Senior Education Specialist HDNED Team Leader Viviana A. Gonzalez Program Assistant LCSHH Assistant Ilana Umansky Education Specialist/Consultant LCSHD Education Sr. Financial Management Emmanuel Njomo LCSFM Financial Management Specialist Marta Ospina Procurement Analyst Procurement Jean Rutabanzibwa-Ngaiza Consultant LCSHD Sophia Guerrier-Gray Legal Analyst LEGLE Legal Patricia Kleysteuber Consultant CFPTO Operations Hongyu Yang Education Specialist LCSHD Team Leader/Task Manager Abril Ibarra Education Specialist/Consultant LCSHE Education Maria Elena Paz Gutzalenko Program Assistant LCSHE Mission logistics and support Judith C. Morroy Procurement Analyst LCSPT Procurement Emilio Ernesto Porta Senior Education Specialist HDNED ESP, 2008–13 cost estimates Alonso Sanchez Consultant LCSHD Education M. Mozammal Hoque Sr. Financial Management LCSFM Financial Management Plamen Stoyanov Sr. Procurement Specialist LCSPT Procurement Xiaoxiao Peng Education Specialist/Consultant LCSHE Consultant Julius Thaler Counsel LEGLEN Counsel Saman Karunaratne Finance Officer CTRLN Finance Samia Benbouzid Program Assistant AFTHW Assistant Miguel Santiago de Oliveira Finance Officer CTRLN Finance Domenec Ruiz Devesa Consultant LCSHE Consultant Victor Manuel Ordoñez Finance Officer CTRLN Finance Cidalia Brocca Finance Analyst CTRLN Finance Jorge Mesa Architect, Consultant Civil Works 29 (b) Staff time and cost Staff time and cost (Bank budget only) Stage of project cycle USD Thousands (including No. of staff weeks travel and consultant costs) Lending FY06 5 22.57 FY07 0.07 Total 5 22.64 Supervision/ICR FY07 16 57.97 FY08 13 45.48 FY09 29 66.43 FY10 6 31.15 FY11 7 47.03 FY12 8 39.52 FY13 7 36.46 Total 87 324, 043 30 Annex 5. Beneficiary Survey Results The Statistical Section of the Planning Unit with support from Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) conducted a parent and teacher survey to complement the end-of-project monitoring report. The objective of the survey, was to measure the degree of parent participation and change in teachers’ methodological approach in the classroom as a result of the EFA-FTI project/program inputs and to capture from teachers reports of improvements in learning achievements as measured by continuous assessment instruments used by teachers in classroom. The methodology utilized was a simple random sample of five percent of the schools in the sub- districts of hinterland regions. Ninety-one (91) teachers in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 were interviewed and responded to the questionnaires; Twenty-three (23) focus groups were done to gathers parents’ perception about the schools relationship with the communities. The main findings are shown below: Finding provided by teachers Table 1 shows the composition of teachers by region. Region No. of Teachers Region 1 40 Region 7 22 Region 8 7 Region 9 22 Total 91 Based on the table above Region 1 had the highest number of teachers responding to the survey while Region 8 had the lowest. Schools in Region 8 were not informed about the survey, even though the region was provided with the information well in advance. Question 1 Teachers were asked if there was any change in pupils’ behavior in the last five years. Most (97 percent) of the respondents indicated that they have noticed changes in pupils behavior. Ninety percent observed children being more active and more eager to learn. The other seven percent felt that, apart from being more active and eager to learn, pupils are more attentive in class and are coming to school more often. Question 2 Teachers were asked about their use of textbooks to teach. Ninety-seven percent of the teachers indicated that they use textbooks to teach. Most of them (85 percent) use them mainly to facilitate reading and comprehension in the classroom. The remaining twelve percent indicated textbooks are used for referencing; to facilitate research, and for the acquisition and application of knowledge. 31 Question 3 Teachers were asked if they had more access to teaching resources at their school. Sixty percent of teachers indicated they have access to more teaching resources. Most teachers (52 percent) utilize the additional teaching resources to enrich the teaching-learning process; the remaining teachers indicated they utilize them to assist pupils to acquire skills in problem-solving. Question 4 Teachers were asked if the students at their school had access to textbooks. Most teachers (74 percent) thought that pupils at their respective schools have access to basic textbooks. Question 5 Teachers were asked if students were performing better in the classrooms. Most Teachers (91 percent) felt pupils are performing better in the classroom. The three areas of improvement they identified were: (i) pupils’ demeanor and attitude towards learning in the classroom was more positive (64 percent); (ii) pupils’ ability to solve problems has improved (47 percent); and (iii) teachers performance evaluation (48 percent). Question 6 Teachers were asked if they had attended any workshop/training in the last four years. Seventy- three percent of the teachers interviewed indicated they have attended some form of training/workshop in the last four years. Most of them (64 percent) felt it enabled them to apply new techniques for teaching in their classrooms; while others (54 percent) felt it they were in a better position to deliver the content of the curriculum. Findings regarding parents The six questions asked to parents during the focus groups were related to the parents’ perception of three main areas of focus for the Guyana EFA-FTI program: (i) parent and community participation; (ii) enhanced schools and community teaching-learning environment; and (iii) strengthening school-community relationships. This analysis re-examined the trend identified in the follow-up survey done on parents’ perception in 2009, with the intention of providing how parents currently feel about community-school interaction at the end of the EFA- FTI program. Parent and community participation The continuity and acceleration of the School Feeding Program (SFP) and the School Improvement Plans (SIPs) are main contribution factors that are attributed to improvement in Parent and community participation in schools activities. This survey shows that parents and community participation has doubled since 2009 from 39 percent in 2009 to 80 percent at the end of the project’s implementation year, as shown in figure 1. 32 Figure 1 Parent Participation 80% 60% 40% Parent Participation 20% 0% 2004 2009 2012 Enhanced schools and community teaching-learning environment Figure 1.2 Enhanced Schools-Community Environment 100% 80% 60% Enhanced Schools- Community Environment 40% 20% 0% 2004 2009 2012 Around 85 percent of parents indicated that they are participating more in extra-curricular and other activities, as shown in figure 1.2 above. This trend improved since the 2009 survey where 77 percent of parents felt they were participating in extracurricular activities. Strengthening community-school linkage Over the last five years, the linkages between the community and the schools have been strengthened through the main initiatives and interventions that require parents’ involvement or 33 community contributions; as a result this improvement has moved up from 25 percent in 2009 to 75 percent at the end of the program. Figure 1.3 Strengthening Community-School linkage 80% 60% Strengthening 40% Community-School linkage 20% 0% 2004 2009 2012 34 Annex 6. Stakeholder Workshop Report and Results Not applicable. 35 Annex 7. Summary of Borrower's ICR and/or Comments on Draft ICR Background The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Education, outlines below the major achievements, lessons learnt, and constraints of the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA- FTI) program. This program has three main initiatives that are divided into sub-initiatives, these are as follows: Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland IA: Training of qualified teachers using the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training (GBET) distance education approach; IB: Continuous professional development for all trained teachers; IC: Establishing satellite learning centers for teachers within a school cluster; ID: Improving the conditions of service for teachers (remote areas incentive and teacher housing). Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools IIA: Accelerating the establishment of the Escuela Nueva learning model; IIB: Establishing child-friendly classrooms in coastland schools; IIC: Improving the status of utilities across all schools; IID: Provision of textbooks. Strengthening school-community partnerships IIIA: Accelerating the implementation of school improvement plans (SIPs) in all schools; IIIB: Upgrading the present School Feeding Program in the hinterland. The information on major achievements, lessons learnt, and constraints were compiled from one- on-one interviews with heads of initiatives and sub-initiatives. The reporting outline is as follows: Findings, Major achievements, Lessons learnt, and Constraints by initiatives and sub- initiatives. Major achievements Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland In keeping with the mandate of improving the quality of the teaching force especially as it relates to the hinterland, the Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) have benefited all communities, thereby meeting most of the outcomes for which they were intended. For instance, these centers serve as training facilities for students on the Distance Education Teaching Training Programs and the Education Management Course within the regions. They provide resources for research and study for other classroom teachers, for students preparing School Based Assessment, and also for 36 the conduct of classroom activities such as the Interactive Radio Instruction Program, Special Needs Education, Literacy Hour, and remedial work, as well as to reinforce literacy skills through access to the library. Partnering with agencies such as UNICEF, CIDA, the European Union, and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), Guyana acquired support with additional teaching and learning materials and equipment. This support came in the form of training in child-friendly methodologies from UNICEF; funding distance-mode teacher training (CIDA); collaborating with communities in regions 1 and 9 through funding the construction of school kitchen (EU); this assisted the implementation of the school feeding in these specific communities; and providing the LRCs with coordinators (VSO); this agency (VSO) paid coordinators in centers in regions 1, 7 and 9. There was more community involvement in the operations of the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) to facilitate multi-purpose initiatives, such as, research, developing literacy skills, remediation, environmental and reading clubs for schools, and more educational services. Improvement in the quality of work for the construction of teachers’ houses, which set the standard for construction of teachers’ houses by other agencies in the hinterland. Capacity building in communities, through the integration of technology in the construction of teachers’ houses process. In some of these communities, EFA structures are the first reinforced concrete facilities and as such capacity building technology included: the mix design for concrete to attain required strengths; the batching of concrete and the control of the water-cement ratio; the required test for concrete; the method of curing concrete; the formation and bending of reinforcement bars to be used in the different elements of the construction; and the use of machinery in the construction process. For example, use of power tools. Improved capacity for civil works contractors in the project management of civil works projects. The Bank requirements in terms of how civil works should be advertised; the tendering of contracts etc., led to outcomes such as: better knowledge/understanding of the contract documents; better human resource and time management; improvement in procurement capacity, i.e., timely ordering and delivery; preparation of reports and valuations and measurement of works. The program only got involve in teacher training in its final implementation year. Nevertheless, the distribution of Notebooks to teachers in Primary and Nursery schools in region 1 and 9 is a major achievement, in terms of enhancing the learning and teaching capabilities. Teachers can now do research and network with their colleagues on methodologies that can work in their respective classrooms; which is a direct spin-off benefit at the level of the classroom. Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools Capacity building at the level of the Region Executive office and Schools, on the importance of maintenance of buildings and sanitary facilities, through the introduction of a maintenance manual given to each school at the completion of every project. This was done through 37 maintenance training sessions, attended by the Regional administrators and school representatives who were exposed to the preventative maintenance approach to keeping the school plant operating at an optimum level through the use of daily, week, monthly, and annual checklists; a “fix it yourself� approach has been recommended with detailed guidance was also reinforced. The provision of textbooks in the core subjects that ensure that each child at primary and secondary departments of primary had equal access to a textbook. Provision of teaching and educational materials to fortify the Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) and satellite centers that facilitates teacher training; along with reading books for libraries at primary and primary-top schools. Strengthening school-community partnerships It must be acknowledged that the level of success achieved could not have been obtained without the sustained efforts of the School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) members across the country. Despite the barriers and constraints, they seized the opportunity to be part of the process of positive change within their respective communities and are now mindful that they have to protect their investment to safeguard the benefits gained. Training in the financial management process at the community level has enabled the SIAC to be more transparent and accountable for not just the programs’ initiatives but other future initiatives for which the community would undertake. Participants would have had their competencies and abilities enhanced in planning, project management, and negotiation skills, working as a team and on-the-job experience, and experienced more positive behavioral change, which has positively altered the way school improvement is now viewed by some school communities. The partnering with an agency such as Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) for the construction of sanitary facilities in school reached beyond these institutions; communities in which these schools are located benefited from wells. Throughout the process it became noticeable that civic pride has grown in some communities and is evident by enhanced parental and business involvement throughout the process and pupils feeling more motivated to learn. It is perceived that the School Feeding Program is a major achievement for the EFA-FTI program in that the direct benefits derived from implementation of this program at the school and community level contributed to stimulated agricultural activities in most communities where the program was implemented. Other benefits included direct employment for parents and other member of the community and improvement in attendance in schools. 38 EFA-FTI Program perspective The major achievement at the level of the EFA-FTI program administration was the many capacity building initiatives, in areas such as project management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation and fiduciary training that will strengthen the Ministry’s capacity for future projects. This is evident in the case where current staff have been integrated into other projects, such as the Guyana Improvement Teacher Education Project (GITEP) because of their competencies in fiduciary, monitoring and evaluation which were enhanced through training and experience in the EFA-FTI program. Major constraints Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland Lack of monitoring visits by Supervising Officers of the Department of Education to provide guidance and training to the support personnel of the Learning Resource Centres (LRCc) impede the development of educational programs at some of these centers. Staffing. This has been a major issue affecting the proper functioning of centers. Young persons are often not desirous of serving in this capacity. Regional authorities have indicated that applicants are discouraged by the salary offered for such a position. Retired persons who are interested will have to be contracted according to the regulations, and this involves a lengthy process. Lack of adequate financial and material resource. Coordinators have complained of the lack of adequate administrative materials (office, janitorial and field materials) to carry out their work program. This situation was confirmed during monitoring visits where it was observed that except for the materials supplied by EFA-FTI, there have been few additional resources procured for some centers. While education administration in some regions makes supplies available to some centers, others do so on an ad hoc basis. Non-functioning equipment. Physical checks at centers showed that equipment such as photocopiers, solar panels and computers were non-functional and required repairs. Feedback from regional authorities indicated that despite budgetary request, funds are not adequately allocated to effect repairs and servicing as required. Lack of proper communication in some hinterland region often times hinders the accountability process of financial systems. For example, there are instances when the finance team communicated their planned visits to review the financial process with the respective treasurers via hinterland radio set, but because of some noise in relating the message accurately, the team finds on their arrival to the intended destination that the person who should have been there is not on location or is inaccessible at the time. Thus, monies spent to reach these locations would have been wasted, along with staff time. Geographical layout and inclement weather conditions in some regions hinder timely disbursement of funds; which can impact scheduled activities. 39 Accessibility of transportation, whether by air or land to inspect a construction site, can be a challenge. For example, sometime the one airplane working in the area is fully booked by the mining company in that area. Thus, inspection of a given site cannot be done at that time. In terms of teacher training, the policy change regarding the level of training offered at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) sort of stymied any activity to be implemented in the last four years. The institution (CPCE) not being in a position to offer a teacher program in one of the hinterland regions, because there was never a large enough cluster, was considered a setback as it relates to teacher training for the program. Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools The distribution of procured books in some cases was not effective. EFA-FTI has taken the lead in getting the books directly to each school, through the financing of transportation for distribution. The delivery procedures from the Book Distribution Unit (BDU) to regions has also caused challenges in many regions and left accountability ambiguous. Action was attempted by the Procurement Officer to provide capacity building in record keeping and distribution within the Book Distribution Unit. This assistance was not facilitated and the BDU continues to use a paper system and in part a customized software designed specifically for the unit. Timeliness of submission, completeness and accuracy of the lists of textbooks and materials to be procured by the Textbook Selection Committee sometimes left a lot to be desired. The increased workload of the Procurement Specialist, EFA-FTI, as a result of him functioning in the capacity of Procurement Specialist under GITEP as well as rendering assistance to UGSTSP, affected the speed and efficiency of this Department since there is no support staff. However, recently an assistant was contracted for a three-month period to assist the Procurement Specialist, which has alleviated the situation a little. Strengthening school-community partnerships Occasionally some of the ministries’ own policies conflict with others, for example the annual rotation of Regional Officers and Head Teachers is undertaken as a means of facilitating the capacity building of senior staff and addresses one strategic priority. Unfortunately, it also has adverse effects on other activities, such as the SIP initiative, by impeding its implementation as key personnel are assigned new responsibilities in new locations. Lack of a comprehensive approach to field visits as it relates to monitoring activities such as the School Feeding Program (SFP) and School Improvement Plans (SIPs). Often times, there is a lack of information as to who should monitor these activities, which ultimately leads to some schools not being monitored. EFA-FTI Program perspective The bureaucracy of the administrative process at the level of the Regional Executive Offices impedes the timelines of program activities. 40 Lessons learnt Improving the quality of the teaching force in the hinterland Regional Authorities need to accept ownership of the Learning Resource Centers. The lack of funding to effectively carry out their work programs, maintenance of buildings, and ensuring the functionality of equipment indicates more needs to be done at this level. The success of the center hinges to a great extent on the region’s administrative ability to establish and maintain appropriate budget provisions for operations. The type, quality, and number of the services offered by the centers are largely dependent on the competencies of the coordinators appointed to manage the centers. The individual should be academically and professionally qualified and able to provide proper guidance and support to users of the facility. Regular training and refresher courses for coordinators are required at the regional administrative level with technical ongoing support given from NCERD at the Central Ministry level. Closer monitoring of center operations through guided supervision by regional educational officials must be mandated by the Regional Administration. This will ensure proper record keeping and reporting mechanisms are in place and maintained for future reference. Promotion of center activities was minimal but is important for the dissemination and marketing of the planned center activities. Building closer relationships with the community and other agencies encourages them to support the operations of the center in a more systematic manner by involving them in the decision making, development, and promotion of educational activities. In terms of finance, liaising with the regions to assist in transportation cost to facilitate timely and direct disbursement of funds should be considered. Initiatives executed in hinterland regions where there are no banks should consider insuring the money and contracting a security firm to provide security services to guard against financial losses in the form of robbery, etc. Recognizing that the “one cap fits all� approach can be inapplicable in the construction of buildings in the hinterland regions. This means that the Ministry recognizes that a condition that works in a particular location in the hinterland, may not work in a neighboring community, because of terrain, cultural practices, etc. Enhancing the teaching/learning environment in primary schools Existing procedures and policies within the Ministry, for example the Textbook policy and Book Distribution, should be strictly adhered to, so as to minimize the issues surrounding the compilation of required books /materials to be purchased and its distribution. 41 Strengthening school-community partnerships Behavioral change. During the development stage of this project, more consideration should have been given to the behavioral change that is required by all the stakeholders. By seeking to implement new interventions, one is also seeking to affect behavioral change, whether it’s organizational or social change where the human factor is the common element. This type of change is a chief influencing factor that can determine the effectiveness of a project. Therefore, the psychology of behavioral change must be infused in the delivery mechanism so as to illustrate the personal and organizational benefits to be gained and risks of not embracing change. Clearly, the risk assessment did not cover this factor in depth. When working in partnership with community and special interest groups, it must be recognized that capacity building is a continuous process that yields its benefits longitudinally. Therefore, when setting the timelines for implementation of systems and procedures this must be factored in, if meaningful involvement and participation is to take place on a continuous basis. If the Ministry wishes to protect its investment, it needs to consider the two major factors that affect the sustainability of the SIP project. First, the financial implication of sustaining the project in its current format or a revised version to ensure the continued implementation and safeguard the benefits achieved. Second, fostering positive behavioral change that has emerged as a result of the process. Publicity. This area of activity is not synonymous with education. Culturally, the communication of achievements is rarely publicized, therefore publicity is excluded from the psyche when budgets are being prepared. It has been proven that well managed publicity can vastly enhance the public awareness of activities and interventions, and solicit the support of the audience. For example, posters entitled “How to use the Toilet,� were distributed to a thousand schools. If consideration be given to the value of money alone, with a unit cost of $5 dollars for each poster and only 20 percent of pupils positively changed their behavior when using the washroom, the saving in repairs alone would justify the expenditure. This excludes the additional health benefits that would be derived both at school and in the home environment. EFA-FTI Program perspective Managerial personnel, working on multiple projects, can sometimes impede project activities if proper time management is not employed or the necessary support system is not in place. For example, the Procurement Specialist was the only officer who has to work on two projects EFA- FTI and the new GITEP project, which is a procurement-based project, which over time puts a strain on the one person managing this area. 42 Annex 8. Comments of Co-financiers and Other Partners N.A. 43 Annex 9. List of Supporting Documents Demas, Angela and Sanchez Alonso. 2008. FTI Catalytic Fund Guyana: Summary Documentation. Reference No. CFC/Paris/2008-1. Paris, France. Government of Guyana. 2002. Education For All – Fast Track Initiative Country Proposal/ Credible Plan. September 30, 2002. Hunte, Anthony. 2013. Education For All – Fast Track Initiative School Improvement Project: Positive Results Through Partnership. Ismail, Suraiya, Christian Borja, Edward Jarvis, and Angela Demas. 2012. Guyana’s Hinterland Community-based School Feeding Programme Impact Evaluation 2007-2009. Marfleet, Ian. 2012. Civil Work Review and Evaluation Report. Ministry of Education. 2002. Education Strategic Plan 2003–2007. _____. 2006a. Guyana EFA-FTI Community-based School Feeding Program Operational Manual. _____. 2006b. Guyana EFA-FTI Operations Manual. _____. 2008. Education Strategic Plan 2008–2013. _____. 2011. Analysis of SSEE/NGSA Results 1996–2011 for Primary Schools in Guyana. Volume 1. _____. 2012a. Analysis of Pa`rent and Teachers Survey. _____. 2012b. EFA-FTI Programme Completion Report. _____. EFA-FTI Project Quarterly and Annual Reports. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. _____. Guyana EFA-FTI Progress Report to the EFA-FTI Secretariat. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Ministry of Finance. 2013. 2013 Budget Speech. Odeen, Bernice. 2011. Report on Escuela Nueva: What’s Working and What’s Not Working. Paul, Una. 2009. EFA for All – Fast Track Initiative Evaluation of the Learning Resource Centers. UNICEF. 2009. Child-Friendly Schools Programming Global Evaluation Report. _____. 2012. Guyana Country Programme Action Plan 2012–2016. 44 World Bank. Aide Memoires for Bank Supervision missions. 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. _____. Guyana EFA-FTI Project Implementation Status and Results Report. 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. 45 Annex 10 - Trust Fund Arrangements A description of the trust fund arrangements is included in this annex. The Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI), launched at the Development Committee in 2002, was created in June 2002 as the result of the collaboration between donors, international organizations, and the Bank. EFA has its origins in the 1990 World Education Conference in Thailand and the follow-up in Dakar, Senegal at the World Economic Forum in 2000, setting goals for education for the year 2015. It intended to help these countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. A first group of 18 low–income and low-enrolment countries, each having a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, were selected as recipients for early external assistance in achieving education goals. A main goal of the EFA Fast Track was to achieve universal primary school completion for all children by 2015. Guyana was one of the first of seven countries to apply for funding and receive support from EFA-FTI. The three main initiatives put forth for funding were in consonance with Guyana’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSP), the Education Strategy Development Plan (ESDP) 2003 – 2007, and the EFA goals for primary education, all of which aimed to achieve equity in accessing quality education and producing a literate and numerate society. Eighteen countries were invited to participate in the EFA Fast Track Initiative. The country proposal for US$45 million covering the period 2003 to 2015 was endorsed by the international donor partnership in November 2002. The first three years required an estimated US$11.65 million to supplement government’s spending on education and external financing for education received from multilateral and bilateral donors as well as any HIPC-related funds. The organizational and financial arrangements were new and were being tested at the time, during the implementation of the Guyana program and its initiatives. The EFA-FTI Catalytic Trust Fund (TF N. 051061 – December 9, 2003), was established in 2003 between the Bank and the Governments of Italy and the Netherlands. The EFA-FTI Catalytic Trust Fund was the donors’ trust fund providing the resources to be administered by the Bank. Initially the Bank, as administrator of the fund, made US$4 million available for the Guyana program—Guyana EFA- FTI. This amount was transferred to the Guyana EFA-FTI Multi-donor Trust Fund (TF N.053679). This money was intended to finance activities for the first 5 years (2004–2008). All initial funds (US$4 million) were expected to be disbursed by December 31, 2007. 46 The arrangements put in place were as follows: EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund Guyana EFA-FTI Trust Fund Administration Agreement Trust Fund (between Donor(s) and TF Administrator) Government of Guyana/ Ministry of Education As Executing Agency Grant Agreement (between TF Administrator and Recipient) The Multi-donor Trust Fund (EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund) was originally signed with the Netherlands, which contributed €2.2 million to finance the activities of the first year of Guyana’s EFA-FTI program. The same agreement was signed later on by other donors who contributed to the financing of Guyana’s program. The Bank crafted the two legal documents necessary to set up the flow of funds through the Trust Fund to the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Education. This included the Trust Fund Administration Agreement and the Grant Agreement. The Trust Fund Administration Agreement was signed between the Administrator (the Bank) and the Donors. In this case, the EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund (a multi-donor fund) was the “donor�. This agreement needed to be amended to reflect any change in donors adding funds to the Guyana Trust Fund. Thus, the TF Administration Agreement was amended three times to reflect donors providing resources for the Guyana Trust Fund. The Grant Agreement was the legal agreement between the Trust Fund Administrator (the Bank) and the Government of Guyana, represented by the Ministry of Education as the executor of the activities. The Grant Agreement detailed all of the reporting requirements and procedures to be followed for implementation (fiduciary requirements, procurement procedures, monitoring indicators, etc.) agreed upon by the in-country donors and the government. This, in essence, served as the legal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Trust Fund was an independent account specifically for the Guyana EFA-FTI Trust Fund, and any interests accrued remained with the account, usable by the government. The Ministry of Education accessed the funds through a special account that was replenished based on withdrawal applications with supporting documentation submitted to the TF administrator by the MoE. The EFA-FTI changed its name in 2011 to the Global Partnership for Education, to reflect the transformation of the original small Education for All Fast Track Initiative to a partnership that includes 46 countries and a larger number of donors. 47 Annex 11 – Indicative framework for Guyana’s EFA-FTI Program The Guyana EFA-FTI proposal included the following table, establishing the outcomes and target indicators to be reached through the three initiatives proposed for funding. The total estimated costs reflected in the table below reflected the gap between what GoG was doing and what would be needed to achieve the EFA goal. The proposal provides the supporting evidence to the request for additional funding. Table A Summary of proposed EFA fast track initiatives Cost Outcomes Indicator US$ Initiatives (2003–15) I. Improving the quality of the  Student to trained teacher ratio  By 2015, 74% trained teachers teaching force in the reduced; in the Hinterland (up from hinterland by:  Teachers kept abreast of 32% in 2002) and 68% in  Training qualified teachers modern methodologies and Coastland (up from 53%). using the GBET approach teaching techniques;  Retention rate of teachers 4,737,000  Conducting Refresher Courses  Access to teacher support improved by 20%. for all trained teachers in the tools improved;  By 2015, at least 70% of hinterland  Teacher performance students will score 50 percent  Providing extra teacher improved; or more on standardized support service  Student performance English and mathematics tests.  Providing Hard-lying enhanced. Allowance  Constructing teacher houses II. Enhancing the  A supportive, healthy, and  Escuela Nueva model teaching/learning environment safe learning environment introduced to 75% of by: created; hinterland schools.  More positive and friendly  By 2010, all primary schools  Accelerating the establishment 18,830,000 student teacher interactions provided with functioning of the Escuela Nueva learning observed; basic utilities. model in the Hinterland  Access to potable water,  By 2015, child friendly  Establishing child friendly proper sanitation and classrooms established in 25% classrooms in the Coastland electricity increased; of coastland primary schools. schools  Teaching learning  By 2015 one teacher house per  Improving the status of opportunities improved; primary school will be built. utilities nationwide  Student performance enhanced  By 2008 each student has  Providing textbooks access to full set of core nationwide. primary texts. III. Strengthening school-  Increased parents and  By 2015, school attendance community partnerships by: community participation in the improved by 20%. school’s decision making  Repetition and dropout rates  Accelerating the process; decreased by 10% in the implementation of school  An enhanced Hinterland. 21,460,000 improvement plans; school/community teaching-  Completion ratio improved by  Upgrading the present School learning environment in place; 10% in the Hinterland. Feeding Programme.  Linkages with the community  School/community, after strengthened; and school activities increased by  Student performance 50%. enhanced. 48 Annex 12. Output Indicators for Guyana’s EFA-FTI program (as agreed to on the 2008 re-endorsement of the Country Proposal) Outputs expected and achieved for the 2008-2011 period with support to The Catalytic Fund for the Guyana EFA-FTI Program EFA Fast Track initiative Output  Establishment of 11 Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) in the hinterland in 11 school clusters.  Provision of the Remote Areas Incentives (RAI) to hinterland primary school teachers (approx. 850). Additionally, the Government extended the I. Improving the quality of RAI to nursery and secondary level teachers and it started to absorb it under the teaching force in the the regular budget. hinterland  Provision of 8 teacher houses in Region 1, 7, 8, and 9 (hinterland).  Preparation of a study on CPD to support the government in developing a flexible modular training system of continuous professional development through short courses to keep teachers’ skills updated.  The CF program supported the Ministry’s Effective Schools program through the application of the Child Friendly Schools methodology to primary schools in the coastland.  Piloting the Escuela Nueva multi-grade teaching methodology in the hinterland as part of the Effective Schools program. II. Enhancing the  Upgrading of utilities completed in 37 schools (water, sanitation, and teaching/learning electricity). environment in primary  About US$5 million worth of textbooks and learning materials for primary schools school children procured and distributed. These learning resources concentrated on the four core subject areas and reading.  Enrichment books and learning materials on subjects such as health and nutrition, HIV/AIDs readers, teachers’ guides, resource books for the teachers’ college and instructional materials (DVDs, CD-ROMs for the LRCs) procured.  90 primary schools approved School Improvement Plans (SIPs).  All primary schools trained on how to develop a SIP.  Preparation and launching of the community-based SFP. Train all communities in the hinterland of how to prepare their own community- III. Strengthening school- based SFP; community partnerships  Development of a community-based SFP operational manual;  61 hinterland communities submitted proposals for funding their SFP and SFP running in these communities (out of total of 138 hinterland communities). Over 11,200 children benefitted (representing 57% of all primary children in the hinterland).. 49 IBRD 33416 60°W 58°W 56°W ATLANTIC OCEAN Morawhanna Mabaruma a r ak u 8°N Am 8°N R. B . D E WA I N I B A R I M A - WA Port Kaituma Port V E N E Z U E LA ain i POMEROON-SUPENAAM To W Ciudad Matthews Guayana Ridge Charity Anna Regina ESSEQUIBO ISLANDS- WEST DEMERARA DEMERARA-MAHAICA Parika GEORGETOWN Cu yun Vreed en Hoop Vreed Paradise MAHAICA-BERBICE i Arimu Mine Bartica Bartica Fort Wellington CUYUNI-MAZARUNI Peters Mine Rosignol New Amsterdam M er er um ni 6°N e M a zaru Rockstone Linden Mara 6°N Mt Corriverton Corriverton s. Imbaimadai Demer ara Issano equibo Ituni Ess Paka Takama Takama Mt. Roraima rai ma SURIN AM E (2772 m) M UPPER Mahdia DEMERARA- o un tlyne BERBICE uran ta Co in P O TA R O - s Orinduik S I PA R U N I Kurupukari GUYANA B R AZ I L Surama 4°N Apoteri Good Hope Be rb ice Esse UPPER quib Lethem TA K U T U - o C o ur a UPPER Ka N ew uk ESSEQUIBO ntlyne n u M ts. Dadanawa To Caracaraí Raad Oronoquekamp EAST GUYAN A Isherton Isherton BERBICE- CORENTYNE SELECTED CITIES AND TOWNS 2°N 2°N REGION CAPITALS Isherton Isherton NATIONAL CAPITAL Ka mo RIVERS a M 0 20 40 60 80 100 Kilometers ountains MAIN ROADS 0 20 40 60 Miles RAILROADS This map was produced by the Map Design Unit of The World Bank. REGION BOUNDARIES BRA ZIL The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of The World Bank INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES Group, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any 58°W endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. 56°W NOVEMBER 2004