rci J v t-t S-W c 22995 W O R L D B A N K OPERATIONS E V A L U A T I O NDEPARTMENT W I N T E R 2 000 IN U MB ER 1 9 3 Partnership for Education in Jordan W ITH VISION AND AN INNOVATIVE SPIRIT, JORDAN launched a program of education reform in 1985, and continues to work toward the goal it embodies: to establish an educational system that will enable its gradLuates to match the highest international standards of educational achieve- ment. A long-time partner with Jordan in advancing education, the World Bank has actively supported this enterprise. In a study of the results achieved thus far, the Operationis Evaluation Depart- ment (OED) found that the program has produced significant accomplishments, establishing a record deserving attention from other countries that aspire to achieve similar goals. But OED also noted impediments that will slow future progress if left unresolved. A Vision for Jordan's Future In the late 1980s, Jordan's school system to establish the institutional and physical compared favorably with those in other infrastructure needed to support Jordan's Middle Eastern countries. But for the educational goals. Jordanian government and the Jordanian To move reform forward, the govern- people, this was not good enough. A coun- ment took several hold steps: a new edu- try rich in human capital but poor in cation law was prepared; the school natural resources, Jordan is a natural site system was restructured, abolishing for knowledge-based industries, a future middle schools and reducing the second- the government chose to pursue. This ary school cycle from three to two years; decision made investment in education, the curriculum was modernized; and particularly in science and technology, a higher minimum qualifications were pressing national priority. The govern- established for teachers, including degrees ment decided to begin a broad-based for instructors at the secondary level. The reform program. The first step would be ncw system included 1 0 years of compul- 2 World Bank Operations E valuation Department >S....>E ~~~~~~~ii ., ,, ,, Ig ,sliig- 0 ,2W0f,,,0 i .., n -tA0 t-00 j-tf00 sory basiceducatio.Toadti onl easwee val pr'c wa the quliatv imrvmn o1 ain able to thoe who qualiied bv exainain oainl scodr dcto,w ie at the sam tim reltin *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IIeipM Phoction cortsy tofb apan'siBan for IthernmationalCoeaiong (formerly. cotefcecenshoosrcinadsrnthenOECF) In addition to the demand for excellence, public pres- sector institutions. It included investment in buildings, sure to build mote schools grew. Along xvith the country's equipment, furniture, books, and other materials, as well strong commitment to free public education and equal as in teacher training. The construction program was opportunities for children of all socioeconomic groups, designed to replace rented and double-shift facilities, and population pressures were on the rise. The very high birth to provide libraries, laboratories, and workshops. Within rate, internal migration to already overcrowded urban the program framework, the operation was divided into areas, and the need to serve small, isolated communities 7 special programs, which, in turn, were subdivided into led to the need for a substantial building program. 34 subprojects to be prepared by the implementing agen- cies and appraised and monitored by the National Cen- A Partnership tar Education: The World Bank tee for Educational Research, now the National Center and Jordan for Human Resource Development (NCHRD), a unique, World Bank involvement in Jordan's education initiative semi-autonomous institution set up under the Intermedi- represented the renewal of an established partnership. ary agency, which guides Jordan's human resource Two Bank projects were initiated to support Jordan's development policies. ongoing reform efforts. The design of the HRDSIL was a forerunner of The Seventh Education Project (Education VII), a the Bank's Adaptable Program Loan. Each subproj'ect $40 million loan approved in FY88, was designed to included a proposal from the Ministry of Education for improve the quality, cost-efficiency, institutional capac- a mini-investment with objectives, targets, action plans, it>,, and responsiveness to the labor market of the system and costs. The subprojects were to be developed and of education and training. The project included a large approved as the overall program took shape and school construction component and several qualitative experience increased. Only the ongoing curriculum anid inistitutionial elemrents to benefit schools, commiunity developmient was to be financed without division into colleges, and project management. Although the Minis- subprojects. The main difference between this approach try of Planning considered the three-year preparation and that of the Program Loans was that approved expen- time too long, in retrospect it is clear that this invest- ditures were to be reimbursed retroactively, nor in mentprojct cntrbuted substantially to preparing the advance agains aetrependiture plan. way for the innovative follow-up operation. Education VII and HRDSLL I represented a turning The First Human Resources Development Sector point for the partnership in the education sector between Investment Loan (HRDSIL I), a $73 million project Jordan and the World Bank. The projects were designed approved in FY89, was planned as a programmatic to shift the focus of Bank assistance from investment in operation, signaling the Bank's commitment to support infrastructure to investment in improving the quality of reform and the steps taken to implement the program basic and secondary education through sustainable strat- during the preceding years. The first priority of this egies and effective institutions. Pr6cis 193 3 A Partnership of Donors bottlenecks occurred, although in general the Bank's In Education VII, the World Bank agreed to finance school presence in Jordan was appreciated. construction, while the European Union (EU) provided a . The inherent complexity of the projects was com- grant of $2.5 million to support a technical assistance and pounded by the inclusion of components that were fellowship program that was intended to cover the majority under the supervision of a variety of ministries and of the qualitative and institutional components. HRDSIL I agencies, including the Ministry of Higher Education, attracted a great deal more donor support. Japan's Over- the Vocational Training Corporation, and the Minis- seas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF; now Japan's try of Education. Bank for International Cooperation, JBIC) provided financ- ing in equal shares with the Bank for school construction With the exception of the Gulf War fallout and the and hardware. The Bank financed about one-third of the changes at the Ministry of Education, these constraints construction of schools, as well as the construction of could have been identified early in the process. Many of teacher training campuses at three universities. The United the same difficulties had been experienced in past efforts in Kingdom's Department for International Development Jordan, and, in retrospect, the implementation plan for the (DfID) provided funds for technical assistance, fellowships, complex operations embodied in the projects may well and studies to advance qualitative improvements in cur- appear overly ambitious. Yet both Bank and government ricula, textbooks, and in-service teacher training. At the staff have commented that the fast pace was essential to request of the government, Japan's Program for Human the maintenance of momentum and to the timely disburse- Resource Development (PHRD) Fund provided a substan- ment of funds. Despite the difficulties, and the launch of the tial grant for studies and fellowships. USAID continued its projects in the wake of a severe recession, Jordan main- ongoing assistance with supplementary funds for computer tained a high level of commitment to the projects, and the technology and education studies, and the United Nations Ministry of Education implemented all subprojects, with Development Program (UNDP) continued its role in lan- great strides in textbook publishing and the piloting of guage training for those selected to study overseas. innovative in-service teacher training. In three areas, however, OED found shortcomings. Challenges to Program Implementation The presentation of cost and financing data was not Reports on the progress made byJordan commented consis- fully transparent, and inconsistencies in facility records tently-and OED agrees-that the success in the accom- could not be reconciled. These deficiencies prevented plishment of activities and the achievement of targets was OED from validating the integrity of financial processes outstanding. But constraints remain that are relevant to the applied to the projects or determining how well the sector program and the follow-up project, HRDSIL II, projects were able to achieve their cost-efficiency objec- which is currently supporting the program into maturity. tives. A related shortcoming was the government's fail- Project accomplishments can be seen as doubly impressive ure to invest in the computer technology, software, and when the challenges to implementation are recounted: staff training needed to establish a computerized man- agement information system (MIS). Databases main- * Inward migration during the Gulf War created a surge in tained by different agencies and units could not connect student numbers; currency pressures; increased budgetary with one another, and this missing link affected financial constraints; and delays in construction, technical assistance, controls and quality assurance. Finally, technical assis- and the delivery of supplies. tance proved less effective than anticipated-a lesson of * Leadership and organizational changes at the Minis- previous experience in Jordan that should have been try of Education seriously disrupted administration. taken into account. Opportunities for capacity-building, • Inefficiencies in government administration caused skill development, and policy development were not delays in tendering, accounting, and auditing. fully utilized because project managers were not * The new curriculum required education officials and engaged and did not directly bear the cost of the services teachers to adopt new, unfamiliar values and behaviors. provided under grant aid. In these areas, the Bank was * Delays in the timing of donors' inputs disrupted the less assertive during supervision than it should have sequencing of subprojects. been, although, as staff point out, it could not directly * Ministry of Education managers and staff-disrupted intervene in the activities of other donors. by rapid turnover-were burdened with concurrent responsibilities for several Bank-assisted projects and Outcomes other donor interventions. As might be expected in an overall program of such * The frequent changes in Bank teams were seen as ambition and complexity, the results of the two projects disruptive by Jordanian officials, and the government have been mixed. has emphasized this point. Other donors commented that Bank supervision was rushed and overloaded. (Qz,7alitv 1J;;zpoz'en'uzc'zt They also wanted more attention from the Bank to Although enrollment statistics in Jordan are among the help troubleshoot problems when implementation best in the Middle East, the quality of school manage- 4Precis c 9D :O EDjJ : P ARTYN E RShI P S A ND K N OWLtE D4E G R OUVP: ment, teaching, and learning remain below the standard P required, and have yet to meet the expectations of the Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Campbell-Page Jordanian government and people. Improvements in Series Editor: CarolineMcEuen teacher effectiveness and student achievement have been Graphic Design: Kathy Strauss Lunn Lestina slow in coming, despite generous teacher training and I textbook supply. Most teachers are not yet sufficiently Assistant: Juicy Qureishi-Iuq motivated or equipped to deliver a higher level of instruction. PR'CIS ORDER ORM This slow pace must be viewed in the context of what P-Prgcis are available at no charge by cvontacting the we know about the process of change in an education sys- GOED Help Desk: tel: 1-202/458-4497, or fax the form tem: it takes at least a decade for teachers and students to below to: 1-202/522-3125. You can also e-mail your adapt to change and become familiar with a new curricu- request to: eline@xvorldbanikorg; lum. Yet the government and the people are becoming Mai. tform to: concerned, and are anxious to see results. In the short Pr&is-OEDPK, World Bank term, more could be done to promote public understanding 181 HtED, NWo . ' a k of the challenges and to disseminate information about the Wash n Sgtoren, D.C. 20433 USA pace of progress that might reasonably be expected. In the long term, the effort must be sustained, especially at the local level, to ensure that all schools become effective. For Q Title Pris # lasting improvements to be achieved, the government must continue to display tenacity in addressing the systemic issues of school management and of teacher training, recruitment, pay incentives, and supervision. ltPlease add mrnyname to the Precis mailing list. The projects supported the development of important insti- Name___________________________________________ tutional capacities, including school supervision, in-service Add ress______________________________________________ training, and book publishing and distribution at the Minis- try of Education, and quality assurance and research and City State_____ evaluation in the NCHRD. The NCHRD has developed its Postal Code Countr database to evaluate the program's eventual impact, and has established a capacity for independent progress moni- Telephone toring and quality assurance. Both the ministry and the NCHRD gained from the experience of managing and ;0For large orders, please contact the World Bank implementing the projects needed to continue the work InfoShop at tel: 1-202/458-5454, fax: 1-202/522-1500, begun under HRDSIL II, and benefited from the computer or through e-mail at books@worldbank.org technology and training acquired. 10-This and other OED publications are on the Internet, at In other areas, results were less encouraging. The . numerous project-funded studies produced only modest effects on policy and operations, although a few, such as O-To order our books, please contact: a study of a school maintenance program, did have The World Bank Fulfillment Center positive results. The planned impact evaluation study P.O. Box 960 was slow to begin, but it is now under way. It will be Herndon, VA 20172-0960, U.S.A. extremely important in the mapping out of future poli- Tel: 1-7031661-1580 cies and programs. Fax: 1-703/661-1501 The most damaging institutional outcome so far has Internet: http://wwwvworldblank.org been the failure to establish a modern MIS within the From the World Bank homepage, select publications. Ministry of Education, which has severely compromised e-mXail. books@worldbank.org the ability of decisionmakers to formulate sound strate- gies, monitor progress, and to be accountable. The seri- DISCLAIMER: oED Pricis are produced by the World Bank ousness of this lapse could intensifv as program efforts Operations Evaluation Department, Patnersips and shift to the local level. f Knowledge Group (OEDPK), Outreach and Dissemination Unit. The views in this paper are those of the Operations Il;uestfrents f lln 111 P/ ll/)sca st- tutu Evaluation sEtaffand editors and should not be attributed to The planned improvements to the physical environment of the World Bank, its affliated organizations, or its Executive schools were achieved, and the attractive classroom envi- Directors. ronment greatly benefits students and teachers. But serious ri 193 Partrnership for Education n Jordan OED Publications 5 www. world b a nk. org/htm I/o e d unanswered questions remain about the rate of expansion, R cost-efficiency, and sustainability. It is quite likely that the Recent OED Prr cis emphasis on meeting-and even exceeding-construction 192 Reforming Bolivia's Power Sector [ targets may have distracted attention from less costly, but 191 Bangladesh: Progress Through Partnership ll I equally important, qualitative components. 190 Transport in Indonesia Preliminary findings of the JBIC audit conducted 189 Health Care in Brazil: Addressing Complexity 1 with OED indicate that approximately two-thirds of the 188 Health Care in Mali: Building on Community Involvement 187 Health Care in India: Learning from Experience unsuitable facilities targeted were actually replaced by 186 Glohal Health: Meeting the Challenge new schools under the auspices of HRDSIL I, but one- 185 Aid Coordination and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: third remain in use, and the government plans more The West Bank and Gaza Experience school construction to keep pace with the rapid growth 184 Land Administration and Rural Development: of the population. The JBIC also observed that costly Two Cases from Thailand new facilities are underused. They have low student- 183 Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Development in Africa l teacher ratios and extremely small class sizes. 182 Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from Four Sectors 181 Grassroots Pastoral Organizations in Mauritania 180 Capacity Building in the Agricultural Sector in Africa Box 1: School Utilization 179 Yemen: Forging a New Consensus (available in Arahic) 178 Municipal Development Projects: Building Institutions STUDENT ENROLLMENT RATIOS (ACTUAL and Financing Local Development 177 Nongovernmental Organizations in World Bank-Supported number of students to school capacity) vary greatly Projects from school to school. Ratios were available for 103 176 Meeting the Health Care Challenge in Zimbabwe of 181 schools, and ranged from 18 to 174 percent, 175 Development Effectiveness, 1998: with an average of 75 percent. In 32 schools the Opportunities in a Volatile Environment ratio was lower than 60 percent, while in 1I others 1 74 Disaster Assistance it was higher than 110 percent. According to the 173 Support for Smaller Enterprises Ministry of Education, the capacity of each school is 172 PCR: El Salvador 1 71 PCR: ElgSandador l designed to accommodate future population growth. 17P1 PCR: Uganda Seven new schools visited were furnished and main- P lussA ww.is ponl en fa.oniais tamned well, but three were filled to only 70 percent Precis cn espaiol tahbien disponilble of capacity, and the number of students in each @ http://,ww.xv.orldhank.org/lhtmli/ocd school was declining. The JBIC recommends that the 3ED Study Series Ministry of Education reassess the size of schools 1999 Annual Review of Development Effectiveness needed for future school construction projects. Developing Towns and Cities: Lessons from Brazil and the Philippines Source: JBIC, preliminary findings. Evaluation and Development: The Institutional Dimension l (Transaction Publishers) Financial Sector Reform: A Review of World Bank Assistance example, in school libraries and resource learning cen- India: The Dairy Revolution ters, where few reference materials are available to Investing in Health: Development Effectiveness in the Health, support the new curriculum, and in the Ministry of Edu- Nutrition, and Population Sector cation, which needs to use staff skills to the full. Serious Nongovernmental Organizations in World Bank-Supported budget shortfalls may make it difficult to maintain all Projects the facilities, shortening their useful life and increasing The World Bank's Experience with Post-Conflict Reconstruction the cost of the initial investments. OED Multilingual Series Cost-efficiency still needs a great deal of attention. Assessing Development Effectiveness: Evaluation in the World The present value of the cost of the project schools Bank and the International Finance Corporation owned by the government is highly sensitive to the dis- Appr&ciation de lefficacite du developpemnent: count rate used, according to JBIC analysis. At 3 per- L'evaluation a la Banqupe mondiale et a la Societe financiere cent, the government-owned project schools are cheaper; mnternationalecetthgoenetondpoetshosaehaer etermiaonale a at 5 percent, they cost more; and at 10 percent, they cost Determinar la eficacia de las actividades de desarrollo: La evaluacidn en el Banco Mundial y la Corporacion Financiera twice as much as rented schools. Inter7tacional Cote d'l'voire Revue de l'aide de la Banquie mondiale ani pays Next Steps Philippines: From Crisis to Opportunity As education reform passes year 13, Jordan must remedy Filipinias: Crisis v oportrunidades these weaknesses and sustain the momentum that has car- Rebuilding the Mozambique Economy: ried the program thus far. Specific steps that can be taken Assessment of a Development Partnership to promote the goals of reform include the following: Reconstriir a Lconomia de Mocambique World Bank Operations Evaluation Department Local support. The program must ensure that the direct . The subproject device also proved effective because it support provided to schools is tailored to local condi- allowed experience to grow through limited interven- tions, and that strategies to enhance local participation, tions that could be sequenced and adapted to the pace of ownership, and accountability are put in place. implementation. The experience developed the Communication. Open and transparent information- government's skills in project design, appraisal, and sharing is urgently needed to maintain public support. implementation by demanding fully justified proposals This involves the design, implementation, and moni- with precise objectives, progress indicators, targets, toring of a strategy that accurately informs the public action plans, and costs. This helped strengthen owner- about progress and invites parents to engage in part- ship, realism, the focus on targets, and accountability. nership with the schools. * The subproject approach also showed some limita- New construction. The government needs to insist on tions. It had little effect in creating broad and lasting rigorous field research to establish when and where teamwork among Ministry of Education units and, new schools or upgraded facilities are needed. indeed, may have increased competition in nonfunc- Monitoring and evaluation. As a beneficiary of donor tional ways. It also showed that when administrative assistance, NCHRD must be vigilant to ensure that it and financial procedures are not shared between safeguards the independence and credibility of its project and non-project activities, tensions might monitoring and evaluation functions. arise, especially if senior managers do not continually Ministry of Education. Establishing an efficient and emphasize that all staff serve the same clients. reliable data collection and monitoring capacity in the very near future is the most important investment Now that the focus has turned to district and the ministry can make to better serve the school sys- school-based initiatives, the subproject device needs to tem and its beneficiaries. be tailored to local capacities. Based on the earlier expe- rience, vigilance is needed in several areas: essons of Broad Applicability everal lessons of the education program development * Ministry of Education units that "own" subprojects xperience in Jordan stand out as worthy of consider- need to see themselves not as beneficiaries of sub- tion by other countries embarking on ambitious and projects, but as providers of direct services to the mnovative sectorwide programs with the support of the schools. ~ank and other partners: . The process for subproject approval, monitoring, and accounting must be made efficient. The device of limiting disbursements to approved m Senior managers must ensure that all the stakeholders subprojects probably minimized the risks to the finan- appreciate how the subprojects contribute to the cial integrity of HRDSIL I. It is unlikely that disburse- broader sector policy and strategy and the outcomes ment against a sectorwide expenditure program expected. Otherwise, spending the subproject budget would have been efficient, given the weaknesses in allocated may become more important than achieving financial accounting. immediate results and ultimate impact in the schools. * Based on 1999 OED evaluation work of Linda A. Dove. www.wortdbank.org/html/oed