62567 v1
Document of
The World Bank
Report No:
RESTRUCTURING PAPER
ON A
PROPOSED PROJECT RESTRUCTURING
OF
BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
LOAN
TO THE
SUDAN-GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY
16 MAY 2011
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
BEP Basic Education Project
BOQ Bills of quantities (BoQs)
CCU Central Coordination Unit
CDF Community Development Fund
CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement
MoGE Ministry of General Education
NCB National Competitive Bidding
PDO Project Development Objective
RSECC Red Sea Engineering Consultancy Center
SCU State Coordination Unit
TTI Teacher Training Institute
Regional Vice President: Obiageli K. Ezekwesili
(Acting) Country Director: Ian Bannon
(Acting) Sector Manager: Peter Materu
Task Team Leader: Elizabeth Ninan
2
SUDAN
BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
P112096
CONTENTS
Page
A. SUMMARY................................................................................................................ 4
B. PROJECT STATUS.................................................................................................. 4
C. PROPOSED CHANGES .......................................................................................... 6
D. ANNEX 1: RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING .......................... 10
ANNEX 2: REALLOCATION OF PROCEEDS ......................................................... 17
ANNEX 3: EXTENSION OF CLOSING DATE.......................................................... 19
3
BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
RESTRUCTURING PAPER
SUMMARY
1. This request is to restructure and amend the Grant Agreement (the Agreement) for the
Basic Education Project (BEP) in order to: (i) extend the closing date of the BEP by 12 months
from June 30, 2011 to June 30, 2012; (ii) amend the institutional arrangements related to
procurement and civil works supervision aspects of the project; (iii)revise some of the targets
related to the Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators; and (iv) reallocate the Grant
proceeds amongst the categories of expenditures.
PROJECT STATUS
2. The BEP was approved on 9 July 2009 and became effective on 30 September 2009. To
date, $7.54 million have been disbursed, which represents 50 percent of the overall grant amount.
The Project Development Objective (PDO) of the BEP is to increase access to improved basic
education in four selected states in northern Sudan. Several of the expected results have been
achieved, leading to a moderately satisfactory PDO rating. Despite initial delays in the school
construction component, 40 of the originally targeted 206 classrooms have been completed and
construction is ongoing in 28 of the targeted 30 schools. The delays in school construction are a
result of several factors including; (i) delays in finalizing the bid documents and evaluations
given that these were prepared by a separate entity, i.e. by the Community Development Fund
(CDF); (ii) schools are inaccessible to the contractors and supervising entities during the rainy
season in two of the four states. In these states, construction comes to a halt for five to six
months of the year; and (iii) cancellation of some contracts due to non-performance of
contractors. However, all 30 schools are expected to be completed by December 2011. In
addition, there has been a four percent increase in student enrollments in the targeted schools
since baseline.
3. The project trained close to 90 percent of the targeted number of teachers by the end of
March 2011. The training, which seeks to enhance the quality of teaching in basic education in
the four states, is expected to be complete by June 2011. An assessment of the knowledge gained
by teachers through the training program is ongoing though it only reflects whether trainees
learned the content of the training. A follow on in-classroom survey is planned for September
2011 to attempt to garner the possible effect of the training on teachers’ in class abilities and any
improvements in students’ learning outcomes.
4. Related to improving basic education, is the construction of four teacher training
institutes (TTIs), one in each of the four states. The construction of the TTIs accounts for
around 25 percent of the total grant amount and it is this component that has been the main
challenge for project implementation. Given the Ministry of General Education (MoGE) has not
built any TTIs since the 1950s, there appears to be a lack of capacity amongst architecture firms
to develop designs for the TTIs which are appropriate in the present context. Two separate
contractors were hired by the CDF to develop the designs of the TTIs for three of the four states,
but neither produced designs nor bills of quantities (BoQs) of acceptable quality.
4
5. Unlike the three states where CDF was enlisted as the supervising entity, in the Red Sea
the construction of the TTI has been going relatively smoothly under the supervision of the Red
Sea Engineering Consultancy Center (RSECC). The TTI was close to 30 percent complete at the
end of March 2011 and the full construction is expected to be completed by October 2011. In
view of its demonstrated capacity in the design of the largest TTI under the program, the MoGE
hired RSECC to develop the designs for the remaining three TTIs. In addition, an international
procurement advisor has been hired by the project to provide support on developing the bidding
documents and the bid evaluation. The procurement of the TTIs will thus be centralized in order
to speed up the process given there is insufficient procurement capacity at the state level. It is
expected that contracts will be signed with successful bidders by August 2011 for two TTIs, one
in South Kordofan and one in North Kordofan. The TTIs are expected to be completed by May
2012. If the contracts for the TTIs are not signed by August 2011, the financing for this
component will be diverted towards additional schools construction and textbook
procurement/distribution.
6. The location for the third TTI in Blue Nile state presented a challenge given that the soil
conditions are unsuitable for foundations. Moreover, the location is not well connected by a road,
which raises the question of whether teachers can feasibly be trained there. In addition, given the
existing TTI in Damazine is not being adequately utilized; there is insufficient justification to
build another TTI in the Blue Nile state, in a more remote location. The state MoGE agreed that
the finances allocated towards the TTI ($364,000) would be channeled towards the construction
of an additional school in the locality where the TTI was to be constructed.
7. The intent of the curriculum review vis-à-vis the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) might have been overly ambitious at the design stage of the project given the uncertainty
surrounding the outcome of the referendum and the potential impact it would have on curriculum
reform. As a result, the curriculum component experienced delays as well as ad hoc investments
which did not contribute towards a cohesive output. However, since the referendum and the
imminent secession of the South, Sudan has embarked upon a clear curriculum reform process
across the sub-sectors. The proposal is to revise the English curriculum from Grade 3 through to
the end of secondary school utilizing BEP financing.
8. Monitoring and evaluation of the project has been moderately satisfactory. Though data
is collected on a regular basis by the central and state coordinating units, there have been some
inconsistencies in the data reported by the schools which has required additional verification and
cross-checking against school records to ensure consistency and reliability. Despite some of
these inconsistencies, the data is by and large complete and provides a good picture of project
performance to date.
PDO Level Results Baseline Progress To Target June 30, Status / Comments
indicators Original Date (Mar 2011
Project Start 2011)
(2009)
Students enrolled in 8599* 8979 [4%] 10,320- 11,180
primary education in
5
selected schools. 4318 (B) 4341 (B) (20%-30%
(number of boys and girls). increase)
4281 (G) 4638 (G)
Average number of days A schools No change 160.8 No change yet given
targeted Category B 175 days (30% increase in very few schools have
schools are open annually category B completed construction
schools) to date
B schools
123.7 days
Teachers knowledge and 0 2520 tested 20% increase in In progress. Awaiting
skills related to training knowledge based final results of teacher
content on evaluations assessment
* The baseline number for enrollment was revised from the Mid-Term Review to account for
change in enrollment in Karandi School (South Kordofan) due to one community withdrawing as
beneficiaries of project.
Beneficiaries Baseline Progress To Target June 30, Status/
(2009) Date (Mar 2011 Comments
2011)
Direct Project Beneficiaries 8,599 8979 10,320 On track
(students) (20% increase)
Direct Project Beneficiaries 4281 4638 5137 On track
of which female (students) (20% increase)
Direct Project Beneficiaries 0 9762 11380 On track
(teachers)
Direct Project Beneficiaries 0 6780 6828 On track
of which female (teachers) (60% of total
number of
teachers)
PROPOSED CHANGES
Results/indicators
9. The Project Development Objectives targets have been amended in line with the
recommendations of the mid-term evaluation as per the table below.
6
Revised
PDO Level Results Original Indicator at Revised Target
Comments
indicators Target Mid Term at MTR
Review (MTR)
Students enrolled in 10,320- 11,180 ----- 9095 No new schools are being built, but
primary education in existing schools are being upgraded
selected schools. (20-30% 5% increase from local materials to brick
(number of boys and increase) structures. The expected increase in
girls). enrollment will be similar to the
average annual growth rate for basic
education in northern Sudan over the
last 10 years, which is 5%. Also, the
majority of the schools will only be
completed by mid- 2011 so a major
increase in enrollments is only
expected the following school year
Average number of Category A Average number Category A (175 Definition of ’functional’ is
days functional for schools (175 of days targeted days) ambiguous. Focus will be on number
schools supported. days) schools are open of days a school is open in the year.
annually Expect a 30% increase in average days
Category B Category B (160 a school is open for Category B
schools (124 days) schools (i.e. those which are closed
days) during the rainy season). A larger
increase is not expected since the
roads and infrastructure in
communities make it difficult for
children to get to the schools. 50
percent of the schools are category B
schools.
Percentage of 15-20% Improvement in Average increase The current indicator is ambiguous.
teachers evaluated increase in teachers’ subject of 15-20% in the The pre and post tests will only
positively following positive knowledge scores of the post capture the improvement of the
in-service training in evaluations (based on test evaluation teacher’s subject knowledge based on
the four states. trainings the trainings received.
received) as
measured by pre
and post tests
Institutional arrangements
10. Under the institutional arrangements at project design, the Community Development
Fund (CDF) was delegated to provide procurement and supervision support for civil works
activities to the BEP in three of the four targeted states (South Kordofan, Blue Nile and North
Kordofan). However, the quality of support provided by the CDF has been variable across states.
The bank education team has noted deviations from the technical specifications contained in the
bidding documents; poor quality of bricks; and a general lack of site supervision. The main
constraint to effective construction supervision by CDF is its heavy workload (given the CDF has
its own projects in all the targeted localities) combined with a shortage of adequately qualified
staff to support all the site constructions.
7
11. During the mid-term review of the BEP in October 2010, it was agreed that the CDF
would reinforce its supervision of the 15 schools1 that had begun construction across the three
states, while the MoGE proposed alternate supervision arrangements for the remaining 12
schools. The State Ministry of Engineering Affairs in South Kordofan and North Kordofan is
now responsible for civil works supervision of the remaining schools and the TTIs and for the
Blue Nile, the responsibility rests with the State Ministry of Education’s engineering office.
12. Given this new arrangement, the size and relative complexity of the bidding documents
for the TTI exceed the capacity of the three state coordination units (SCUs) to manage the
procurement process in compliance with agreed National Competitive Bidding (NCB)
procedures. The procurement of these works will now be undertaken by the central coordination
unit (CCU) of the Ministry of General Education (FMoGE), with the support of an international
procurement adviser hired by the CCU. In particular, the procurement advisor will assist in
finalizing the bidding documents, based on the final designs and Bills of Quantities (BoQ)
prepared by the Red Sea Engineering Consultancy Center (RSECC), advise and assist in all
phases of bid opening and evaluation and in the finalization of the awarded Contract. By
centralizing the procurement of the TTIs and ensuring the quality of the bidding documents and
bid evaluations through hiring an international procurement adviser, the procurement of the TTIs
in the three states is expected to proceed expeditiously.
Reallocations
Category of Expenditure Allocation % of Financing
Current Revised Current Revised Current Revised
CCU Same as 1,165,000 1,460,000 8% 10%
original 23%
NK 3,465,000 3,375,000 23%
SK 3,543,000 3,730,000 24% 25%
BN 3,234,000 2,885,000 22% 19%
RS 3,435,000 3,400,000 23% 23%
Total by state 14,842,000 14,850,000
Non-allocated 158,000 150,000 1% 1%
TOTAL 15,000,000 15,000,000
The reallocation of funds to align with activities is reflected above.
Closing date
13. In order to complete the remaining activities under the project, this request seeks to
extend the closing date by 12 months from June 30, 2011 to June 30, 2012.
Implementation schedule
14. The implementation schedule for the project is broken down by state in the
attached workplan. It is anticipated that the school construction will be completed by
August 2011, teacher-training by June 2011, and the TTI construction by May 2012.
1
The CDF was to hire one site supervisor per school who would be on site through completion of the
construction. In addition, CDF engineers were to conduct site supervision visits on a weekly basis and
provide corresponding weekly progress reports to the BEP State Coordinating Units (SCUs).
8
9
ANNEX 1:
Results Framework and Monitoring
SUDAN: BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT BEP PROPOSED CHANGES TO ORIGINAL RESULTS FRAMEWORK
PDO Project Outcome Targets Restructuring Changes/Comments
Indicators
• Enrollment in the selected 20-30% TARGET CHANGED. 20-30% was based on CDF targets that
Increased access to improved basic schools (number of boys increase over were tied to construction of new schools. BEP is not constructing
education in four selected states of and girls). baseline schools, target has been changed to 5%. This aligns with average
northern Sudan annual growth rate in enrollment for basic education in Northern
Sudan (5%) and adjusts for the short timeframe between
construction completion and end of project.
---------------- -------------- -----------------------------------------------
• Number of functioning 30% increase INDICATOR CLARIFIED to avoid ambiguity in term “functional”.
days in the schools over baseline Focus will be on number of days a school is open in the year.
supported. Expect a 30% increase in average days a school is open for
Category B schools (i.e. those which are closed during the rainy
------------------------------- -------------- season).
• Percentage of teachers 15% positive -----------------------------------------------
evaluated positively increase INDICATOR CLARIFIED to ensure measurement of the trainings’
following in-service between pre impact on teacher’s knowledge and skills.
training in the four states. and post TARGET ADJUSTED to 15%.
assessment
Intermediate Outcomes Intermediate Outcome Targets
Indicators
Component 1: • Classrooms built and/or 206 TARGET ADJUSTED to 170 given actual costs of construction
IR 1. Improved infrastructure functional repaired (number). were higher than anticipated.
at selected schools. ------------------- -------------
• % of classrooms 100% ------------------------
IR 2. Additional schools built and functioning INDICATOR EXPANDED Definition of ‘functioning’ is
operational -------------- ambiguous. Alternate indicators added to clarify. See revised
30 Results Framework.
------------------- -------------------------
• # of schools built INDICATOR DROPPED – project is not building new schools.
This was originally included as a core sector indicator but is not
relevant to BEP’s activities.
Component 2.1 Curriculum Reform Basic education NO CHANGE
IR 3. Reports on each subject identifying • Committees established curriculum Additional indicators added to measure results of modified
curriculum areas that need to be changed. updated component activities.
Component 2.2 In-service teacher • No of teachers provided NO CHANGE
training in-service training 11380 Additional indicators added to measure results of component
IR 4. Teachers benefit from in-service activities
training in selected states
Component 2.3 Physical upgrading of • Number of centers 4 NO CHANGE
TTIs upgraded -------------- -------------------------
IR 5. Improved teacher training facilities -------------------------- 30% over INDICATOR DROPPED Does not adequately capture results of
in selected states. • Average number of days baseline interventions; not measureable given short time between completion
operational and project closing.
-------------- --------------------------
-------------------------- 30% over INDICATOR CLARIFIED to read “...teachers that can be trained”
• Number of teachers trained baseline
per month/year at selected
centers
BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT REVISED RESULTS FRAMEWORK (POST RESTRUCTURING)
P D O PDO
I S
B C T
O P T V R
PDO L R U D S
C P D M F D S C
M M
S C
11
S N Q S M E O
B B P O
G F
M E
G O
A N N A N B S M E N
O
C B B P F
B M E
O
Teachers evaluated TBD P P S M E I A
positively following in- O
service training in the F
four states. P M E
O
B
D P N Q S M E O
B O
P F
M E
O
D P N S M E S
B O
P F
M E
O
J
2
Baseline changed in March 2011 to account for change in enrollment in Karandi School (S.K.) due to one community withdrawing as beneficiaries of project.
12
D P N T S M E S
B O
M E F
R M E
O
D P N T S M E S
B O
M E F
R M E
O
I R I
I R E S A A I B C A
B C T
O P T V R
PDO L R U D S
C P D M F D C
M M
S C
Number of additional
classrooms built or S M E
P
rehabilitated at the O A
X N
primary level resulting F M E
from project O
intervention
S M E
Q
N O A
N Q
F M E
O
3
4 schools (3 in Blue Nile and 1 in Sout Kordofan) had existing toilets. The BEP helped rehabilitate these facilities to allow them to serve both genders.
13
S M E
Q
N O A
N Q
F M E
O
A
N N
N A
N
R M B MOGE
R
N
N I
N
N I
N
N I
I R C R A
B
D
O
PDO L R U P T C S R
C P F C
M D M T V M D C
S
B S
C P
C
Y N Y Y T
E T BE
D
14
A
C
Y N ZITTIRE Y Y T
N
L
S K
C I C
D Y A Y Y
S K
D
Y A Y Y T
R G
Y N Y Y P
I R I T
S M E
T
O O
P E A
S F M E
Q
O
S M E
P
O
N Q
F M E
O
P ISETI
O T T
C
I R P TTI I
15
P S M E
I RS
TTI O
N Q NK BN
S F M E SK
O
P TTI S M E
N P T
NK SK NK SK B O
N B
TTI
F M E TTI
O
S M E
P
N TTI O
N Q I
F M E
O
* Indicator refers only to constructed or built classrooms at targeted schools.
** During Restructuring, this indicator was added to capture Project and Ministry’s efforts to ensure access to clean water on or within 1
km. of school
16
ANNEX 2:
Reallocation of Proceeds
_______________________________________________________________________
SUDAN — BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
P112096
{LOAN/CREDIT/TF}
Restructuring Paper
1. Proceeds for Sudan Basic Education Project (BEP), Project ID: P112096 will be
reallocated as follow:
Category of Expenditure Allocation % of Financing
Current Revised Current Revised Current Revised
Central Same as 8% 10%
Coordination original
Unit 1,165,000 1,460,000
North 23% 23%
Kordofan 3,465,000 3,375,000
South 24% 25%
Kordofan 3,543,000 3,730,000
Blue Nile 3,234,000 2,885,000 22% 19%
Red Sea 3,435,000 3,400,000 23% 23%
Total by state 14,842,000 14,850,000
Non-allocated 158,000 150,000 1% 1%
TOTAL 15,000,000 15,000,000 100% 100%
2. Project implementation thus far has been moderately satisfactory and despite
initial delays, the development objectives continue to be achievable. School construction
has been progressing with contracts signed for 28 of the 30 targeted schools. 40 of 206
classrooms were completed by the end March 2011, with a visible increase in
enrollments. Most of the delays in construction are the result of poor weather conditions;
non-performance of some contractors or delays in finalizing bidding documents and bid
evaluations. Teacher-training is progressing steadily with close to 90 percent of the
targeted number of teachers trained by the end of March 2011. While this component
will be complete by June 2011, the extension will allow for a more thorough in-class
assessment of a teacher’s ability to teach following the training.
3. The construction of the teacher training institutes (TTIs) experienced delays in
three of the four states due to the lack of capacity to develop good quality designs for the
TTIs. The design of the TTIs have thus been commissioned to the Red Sea Engineering
Consultancy Center (RSECC) based on its unique capability in this area and an
international procurement advisor has been hired by the BEP central coordination unit to
support the procurement of these TTIs. Lastly, the curriculum component has picked up
momentum since completion of the referendum with a clear mandate to revise the
existing English curriculum within the support of BEP financing.
4. The proposed reallocation is necessary to complete all remaining activities within
the project. The original budget allocated to South Kordofan was insufficient given the
large scope of the work in the state (12 schools in South Kordofan as opposed to 6
schools in North Kordofan and 9 in the Blue Nile), whereas there cost of activities in
Blue Nile was less than expected. In addition, the central level of the MoGE requires
additional finances to cover the costs of curriculum reform, which has become a priority
since the secession of South Sudan.
18
ANNEX 3:
Extension of Closing Date
SUDAN — BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT
P112096
{LOAN/CREDIT/TF}4
Restructuring Paper
1. The closing date for the Sudan Basic Education Project (BEP), MDTF-N and Project
ID: P112096 will be extended from June 30, 2011 until June 30, 2012.
2. Project implementation thus far has been moderately satisfactory and despite
initial delays, the development objectives continue to be achievable. School construction
has been progressing with contracts signed for 28 of the 30 targeted schools. 40 of 206
classrooms were completed by the end March 2011, with a visible increase in
enrollments. Most of the delays in construction are the result of poor weather conditions;
non-performance of some contractors or delays in finalizing bidding documents and bid
evaluations. Teacher-training is progressing steadily with close to 90 percent of the
targeted number of teachers trained by the end of March 2011. While this component
will be complete by June 2011, the extension will allow for a more thorough in-class
assessment of a teacher’s ability to teach following the training.
3. The construction of the teacher training institutes (TTIs) experienced delays in
three of the four states due to the lack of capacity to develop good quality designs for the
TTIs. The design of the TTIs have thus been commissioned to the Red Sea Engineering
Consultancy Center (RSECC) based on its unique capability in this area and an
international procurement advisor has been hired by the BEP central coordination unit to
support the procurement of these TTIs. Lastly, the curriculum component has picked up
momentum since completion of the referendum with a clear mandate to revise the
existing English curriculum within the support of BEP financing.
4. The proposed extension is necessary to complete all outstanding activities under
the project in order to facilitate achievements of its development objectives. The
Ministry of General Education has prepared a workplan and related procurement plan for
the remaining period in order to have a clear schedule for project activities to be
completed by the end of June 2012.
5. This will be the first extension of the project.
4
This memo should be a maximum of one page.
19
20