The World Bank Report No: ISR5138 Implementation Status & Results Liberia Fast Track Initiative Grant for Basic Education (P117662) Public Disclosure Copy Operation Name: Fast Track Initiative Grant for Basic Education (P117662) Project Stage: Implementation Seq.No: 3 Status: ARCHIVED Archive Date: 25-Sep-2011 Country: Liberia Approval FY: 2011 Product Line: Recipient Executed Activities Region: AFRICA Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Implementing Agency(ies): Key Dates Board Approval Date 28-Jul-2010 Original Closing Date 30-Jun-2013 Planned Mid Term Review Date 19-Mar-2012 Last Archived ISR Date 25-Sep-2011 Effectiveness Date 31-Jan-2011 Revised Closing Date 30-Jun-2013 Actual Mid Term Review Date Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The CF's development objectives are to increase access to basic education, with a particular focus on poor areas, to improve conditions of teaching and learning, and to improve school management and accountability. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project? Yes No Component(s) Component Name Component Cost Increasing access and equity in rural areas 15.50 Improving the conditions of teaching and learning 14.00 Strengthening central and local levels to operate in a decentralized education system by developing 10.50 management and M&E system Overall Ratings Public Disclosure Copy Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Satisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial Substantial Implementation Status Overview The FTI Grant for Basic Education Project (FTI BEP) was approved on September 1, 2010 and the grant agreement signed on September 29, 2010. The three-year project became effective on January 31, 2011. Although the Government has made progress with respect to procurement of some consultants and firms, project implementation continues to be slow, in large part due to four factors: (i) institutional restructuring at various levels of implementation following the passage of the Education Reform Act in August 2011, (ii) low management capacity in the Ministry of Education (MOE) to implement a project with a complex design, (iii) continued lack of clarity on overlaps between the FTI BEP and activities Page 1 of 5 The World Bank Report No: ISR5138 financed by other donor partners, and (iv) presidential elections in October 2011 and related and ongoing transitions in the MOE Senior Management Team (SMT). Information on new political appointments continue to trickle in: the new Minister – Ms. Etmonia Tarpeh – was appointed on January 27, 2012, two of the three Deputy Ministers on February 3, 2012, and the third Deputy Minister on February 22, 2012. The Assistant Ministers have yet to be appointed. Disbursement is slow, with US$1 million disbursed in the first year out of the originally scheduled US$8 million. Public Disclosure Copy The Government has proposed a project restructuring to address the implementation bottlenecks noted above. The MOE circulated the draft FTI BEP Restructuring Issues Paper to the Education Sector Development Committee (ESDC). Minister Gongar subsequently chaired a meeting with the ESDC on February 7 and noted that the MOE had decided to pursue Option 2, or full integration of the FTI BEP into the Education Reform Act 2011. The partners were supportive of pursuing Option 2. The Minister requested from the partners their feedback and any corrections or revisions to the FTI BEP Restructuring Issues Paper by February 10. To date, no feedback has been received by the MOE. Locations Country First Administrative Division Location Planned Actual Liberia Montserrado County Montserrado County ✔ Results Project Development Objective Indicators Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure Baseline Current End Target School grants implemented in accordance with Percentage Value 0.00 0.00 60.00 agreed upon procedures Date 28-Feb-2012 Comments Significant sub-component design changes expected. Schools managed by a SMC or PTA Percentage Value 0.00 0.00 60.00 Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments Significant sub-component design changes expected. Teachers having at least one teaching guide Percentage Value 0.00 0.00 80.00 Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments Bidding documents for new Public Disclosure Copy teacher guides being developed. Textbooks-Student Ratio Text Value 0 1:2 Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments Bidding documents for new textbooks being developed. Direct project beneficiaries Number Value 0.00 0.00 470000.00 Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Page 2 of 5 The World Bank Report No: ISR5138 Comments TA recruitment for learning materials and school grants (partial) completed, while recruitment of TA for school Public Disclosure Copy construction is ongoing. Female beneficiaries Percentage Value 40.00 0.00 40.00 Sub Type Supplemental Basic education completion rate Percentage Value 49.00 49.00 56.00 Date 12-Dec-2008 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments Results from 2010/11 School Census not yet available. Intermediate Results Indicators Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure Baseline Current End Target District Education Officers using the new Percentage Value 0.00 0.00 75.00 assessment instruments Date 28-Feb-2012 Comments New assessment instruments not designed. System for learning assessment at the primary Yes/No Value No No Yes level Date 28-Feb-2012 Comments No MOE counterpart team has been assigned. Availability of annual sector statistics by May of Yes/No Value No No Yes each year Date 28-Feb-2012 Comments School census not conducted in 2009/10. Data collection for 2010/11 conducted in April 2011. Draft report not yet Public Disclosure Copy ready. Development of a pay and grade scale for Yes/No Value No No Yes teachers Date 28-Feb-2012 Comments Significant sub-component design changes expected. Unified HR database (Civil Service Agency, Yes/No Value No No Yes MOE, MOF) developed and maintained Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments Database gap analysis completed. Significant sub- Page 3 of 5 The World Bank Report No: ISR5138 component design changes expected. Children benefiting from de-worming Number Value 0.00 0.00 300000.00 intervention (number) Public Disclosure Copy Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments De-worming delayed so that medicine can be administered at the same time as cascade training. Cost-effective early child development model Yes/No Value No No Yes designed and piloted Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 Comments TA for system development recruited. Number of additional classrooms built or Number Value 0.00 0.00 108.00 rehabilitated at the primary level resulting from Date 29-Dec-2010 28-Feb-2012 13-Jun-2013 project interventions. Comments Recruitment of school construction management firm underway. Data on Financial Performance (as of 12-Jan-2012) Financial Agreement(s) Key Dates Project Loan No. Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Closing Date P117662 TF-97456 Effective 29-Sep-2010 29-Sep-2010 31-Jan-2011 30-Jun-2013 Disbursements (in Millions) Project Loan No. Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P117662 TF-97456 Effective USD 40.00 40.00 0.00 6.73 33.27 17.00 Disbursement Graph Public Disclosure Copy Page 4 of 5 The World Bank Report No: ISR5138 Public Disclosure Copy Key Decisions Regarding Implementation The Government has requested a project restructuring on two fronts. First, the GoL proposes to extend the project for two years (thus total of five years of implementation). Second, the project will be restructured to focus on strengthening the management of four key sector activities that are expected to have a high impact on improving access to and quality of basic education: school construction, learning materials, school grants, and ECD. The FTI BEP would support the functions of the Center for Education Management, which was established under the Education Reform Act 2011. Restructuring History Level two Approved on 01-Nov-2011 Related Projects There are no related projects. Public Disclosure Copy Page 5 of 5