The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) AFRICA WEST | Burkina Faso | Education Global Practice | IBRD/IDA | Investment Project Financing | FY 2019 | Seq No: 6 | ARCHIVED on 08-Jan-2021 | ISR44517 | Implementing Agencies: Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Development, Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation [Ministère de l'Enseignement Supér Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 10-Jul-2018 Effectiveness Date: 19-Dec-2018 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 31-Mar-2021 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: Original Closing Date: 30-Sep-2023 Revised Closing Date: 30-Sep-2023 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The development objective of the Project is to strengthen higher education institutions to increase access and deliver quality education in priority subject areas. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Enhancing Access to Higher Education: Establishment of the Virtual University of Burkina Faso (UV- BF):(Cost $23.50 M) Strengthening Higher Education Institutions and Supporting Innovations:(Cost $40.50 M) Project Coordination, Management, and Implementation Activities:(Cost $6.00 M) Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial Substantial Implementation Status and Key Decisions Overview. The five-year Burkina-Faso Higher Education Support Project, approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on July 10, 2018, became effective on December 19, 2018, and it is expected to close on September 30, 2023. The Project’s development objectives are to: strengthen higher education institutions to increase access and deliver quality education in priority subject areas. Progress by Component: The project has three main components. Progress by components is summarized below. Component 1. Enhancing Access to Higher Education: Establishment of the Virtual University of Burkina Faso 1/8/2021 Page 1 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) The recent project virtual supervision mission November 17 to 20, 2020 observed that the implementation of this component, which has experienced significant delays, is now starting to progress at a much more satisfactory pace. The Virtual University of Burkina Faso (VU-BF) has begun its operational phase of implementing its activities for the opening of its training courses at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Four (4) training courses, namely the license (L) in mathematics, the license in physics and energy engineering, the license in geomatics and the license in software engineering / pure development (computer science), are opened. A master's training course in e-health and telemedicine is also ready and will be open from January 2021; the call for applications was launched on November 16, 2020. The master's degree in Cybersecurity Management / Network and Software Security has been open and is functional since May 2020. In terms of activities, it should be noted that the curricula of the four (4) training offers have been finalized and validated internally by the experts of each course. Recruitment tests were organized and made it possible to recruit nearly 200 students, all fields combined. Registrations on CampusFaso are in progress and administrative and educational registrations will continue until December 4, 2020. Sessions to get started with the IT tool and the platform will be organized for them from December 7, 2020. Teachers are mobilized while awaiting the recruitment of the consultant to provide them with the training and support necessary for the finalization of the educational resources (finalization of the script, the implementation on the training platform, remediation and validation for the lessons of L1, M1 and -health) and the production of educational resources for the teaching of L2, L3, M2. The courses at the level of the different streams (license) will start in early February 2021. In view of the delays in the functionality of the BF-VU—which impacts the implementation of other important activities of the project—such as the construction of three open digital spaces, the mission recommended that a clear roadmap and details of the implementation of the UV-BF, in terms of programs to be developed and student numbers for 2020 to 2022 be developed and sent to the World Bank no later than January 15, 2021, to help decision-making on a possible restructuring of the Project and particularly of this component. “Program one student - One computer”. Out of a potential of fifty-seven thousand three hundred and seventy-three (57,373) students, sixteen thousand three hundred and eighteen (16,318) have registered on the program management platform. Of these registrants, 79.86% expressed interest in the program computers. As of the date of the supervision mission, 7,871 grants have been provided to students who have paid their portion after requesting it. As part of the quotas paid by the students, the program was able to mobilize five hundred and seventy-eight million three hundred and seventy-two thousand nine hundred and eighty (578,372,980) CFA francs. On the issue of supporting the implementation of digital libraries, the inventory shows a total of 2,952 book titles to be ordered (instead of 9,000) for a financial amount of around 300 million of FCFA 30 (around US$600,000) and the supervision mission recommended that these books to be ordered each have an electronic version and that this be integrated as a clause in the service provider's contract and also, that an organizational and functional audit of the HEIs libraries be registered as part of the 2021 ABWP. Component 2. Strengthen higher education institutions and support innovations. Implementation of programmed activities are also somewhat delayed under component 2 due to the reorientation of the competitive funds mechanism (sub-component 2.1) towards a performance contracting approach for the benefit of public education and research institutions, but also due to the school closures stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. No significant progress has been made since the February 2020 mission. The World Bank’s task team continues to work closely with the Government to devise creative ways to ensure the implementation progress improves in the coming months. Sub-component 2.1. Competitive Funds. During the period of the mission, a total of ten (10) performance based contracts (PBC) for a total amount of approximately 19 billion CFA francs, were transmitted to the World Bank and the exchanges during the mission made it possible to give the non- objection to their implementation, for an improvement in the quality of teaching and research. The mission nevertheless noted the importance for performance contracts of recognizing the specificities of each educational and research structure within the various HEIs, in order to encourage initiatives whether at the level of pedagogy or research to boost those already underway and encourage the emergence of new initiatives. The mission stressed that the implementation of the strategic plans supported by performance-based contracts must, as far as possible, provide lasting solutions to the major difficulties that higher education institutions have been facing for several years: high students numbers, overlapping academic years, etc. In addition, in order to have a strategic and lasting positive impact within the education sector, the plans must also aim to transform training programs through innovations in content and pedagogy and strengthen research capacities by consolidating scientific teams to reach a critical mass in cutting-edge fields directly related to national development priorities. Finally, the mission recommends the preparation of action plans which will be an opportunity to establish, among other things, the link between the funding of doctoral training and research and that should highlight the large-scale adoption of distance education in the various HEIs. This adoption, which reflects the realities of the present times that COVID-19 has highlighted on a planetary scale, will be made possible by the possibilities that the investments underway or programmed at the level of each HEI in connectivity infrastructure, equipment classrooms and amphitheaters and the dialogue on doctoral training should therefore be part of this framework so that the link between the grant allocation programs and the activities of the laboratories in which the doctoral students will carry out their training and conduct their research is clearly established. 1/8/2021 Page 2 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Sub-component 2.2 - Developing the Faculty in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). This sub-component is still experiencing a start-up delay due to the fact that the other components VU-BF) and sub-components of the project (competitive funds) to which this teaching staff development activity is linked, have not yet started. The question of scholarships for doctoral students. The mission discussed widely on the themes proposed for doctoral students, some of which do not seem to entirely fit in within the priority needs of the country as identified in the project document; this is the case, for example, for the recruitment of doctoral students in German or in Economics and Management. As such, the mission recommended that this question be taken up and better argued in terms of justification of the themes proposed in relation to the priority areas, in order to allow the World Bank to decide and possibly grant its non-objection. Sub-component 2.3 - Strengthen Quality Assurance in HEI. The execution of the contract for the development of a national quality framework and a national assurance qualification strategy for higher education started on 08.06.2020 by the consultant hired for that purpose. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this execution experienced delays due to the inability of the consultant to travel to the field to continue his mission and this mission should be able to be carried out before the end of the calendar year. A summary report on the assessment of quality assurance and assessment of the qualification framework is expected from the consultant by the end of December 2020. As regards to the internal quality assurance units (IQAU), eight (8) IQAU have been established in the public HEIs. The two capacity building sessions for IQAU members in quality assurance scheduled for the third quarter could not take place. The COVID-19 pandemic explains the delays observed in implementing this activity, which is renewed in the 4th quarter of 2020. However, the planned awareness campaigns are being carried out in 17 structures. The mission noted the variations observed from one PBC to another on capacity building in quality assurance at the university level and noted the need for the ministry to clarify its vision on the quality assurance system and the institutional mechanism to be put in place in terms of sustainability. Reflection must therefore be carried out on this subject by the project team. Sub-component 2.4 - Strengthen HEIs Management Capacity. Five (5) activities are included in this sub-component within the framework of the implementation of the 2020 ABWP. In terms of progress at November 15, 2020, four (04) are under implementation and one (01) activity did not begin to be implemented. The contract of the consultant in charge of the organizational and functional diagnosis of the HEIs is effective and the contract is being executed; the next step will be the presentation and validation of the study to be produced. Training in the appropriation of software developed on CampusFaso was organized for staff of the education services of the national center for information, educational and vocational guidance, and scholarships, the national education and research fund, the national center for university works, IT services of HEIs. Component 3. Project coordination, management and implementation activities. The higher education program which oversees the Higher Education Support Project held its first review committee session of the year 2020 on July 17 around the examination and adoption of the summary report of the second ordinary session of 2019; the presentation of the project's ABWP implementation report (on June 30, 2020); the presentation of the revised 2020 ABWP and the 2020 revised procurement plan. The review committee adopted the revised ABWP and the 2020 project procurement plan and made a recommendation which consists of setting up a limited monitoring and consultation committee with the World Bank. The mission recommended that the PCU quickly prepare the Project’s 2021 annual budgeted work plan and procurement plan and ensure that the various project progress reports are prepared and transmitted on time and in the required/standard format. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance High High Substantial Macroeconomic Substantial High Substantial Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate Moderate Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial Moderate Moderate Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Substantial Substantial Substantial Sustainability 1/8/2021 Page 3 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Fiduciary Substantial Moderate Moderate Environment and Social Moderate Moderate Moderate Stakeholders Substantial Moderate Moderate Other -- -- -- Overall Substantial Substantial Substantial Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes Diversify delivery models and transform access to quality and innovative higher education IN00924480 ►Number of undergraduate students enrolled in priority subject areas funded by the project [DLI 1] (Number, Custom, PBC) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 3,891.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 The Virtual University of Burkina Faso (VU-BF) has begun its operational phase of implementing its activities for the opening of its training courses at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Four (04) training courses, namely the license (L) in mathematics, the license in physics and energy engineering, the license in geomatics and the license in software engineering / pure development (computer science) are opened. Comments: A master's training course in e-health and telemedicine is also ready and will be open from January 2021; the call for applications was launched on November 16, 2020. The master's degree in Cybersecurity Management / Network and Software Security has been open and is functional since May 2020. IN00924567 Number of undergraduate students enrolled in priority subject areas funded by the project, of which female [DLI 1] (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 25.00 25.00 IN00924569 ►Increase in the percentage of students who have successfully completed the first-year program at the HEIs financed by the project (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 75.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 The enrollment of the first students of the Virtual University will be carried out for the 2020 - 2021 school year and will be completed by October 2020. Progress against this indicator will be reporting on during Comments: the 2021 - 2022 academic year when the students will have completed a first year of studies. IN00924571 Increase in the percentage of students who have successfully completed the first-year program at the HEIs financed by the project, of which female (Percentage, Custom Supplement) 1/8/2021 Page 4 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 Develop faculty in higher education institutions IN00924566 ►Teachers recruited or trained (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,620.00 Date 28-Feb-2019 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 IN00924568 Number of teachers recruited (Number, Corporate Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 75.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 IN00924570 ►Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 140,000.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 The enrollment of the first students of the Virtual University will be carried out for the 2020 - 2021 school year and will be completed by October 2020. Similarly, the selection of institutions of higher education to Comments: benefit from competitive funds or performance contracts has not been finalized yet but should be finalized within the next few months. IN00924572 Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning - Female (Number, Corporate Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 50.00 47,600.00 Overall Comments PDO The Virtual University of Burkina Faso (VU-BF) has begun its operational phase of implementing its activities for the opening of its training courses at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Four (04) training courses, namely the license (L) in mathematics, the license in physics and energy engineering, the license in geomatics and the license in software engineering / pure development (computer science) are opened. A master's training course in e-health and telemedicine is also ready and will be open from January 2021; the call for applications was launched on November 16, 2020. The master's degree in Cybersecurity Management / Network and Software Security has been open and is functional since May 2020. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components 1/8/2021 Page 5 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Enhance access to higher education: Establishment of the Virtual University of Burkina Faso (UV-BF) IN00924574 ►UV-BF established and operational [DLI 2] (Text, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No Yes Yes Yes Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 30-Jun-2020 The official decree of the Government for the establishment of the Virtual University of Burkina Faso into a public institution of a scientific, cultural and technical nature has been adopted by the Council of Comments: Ministers. Strengthening higher education institutions and supporting innnovations IN00924573 ►Employers satisfied with trainees (Text, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value N/A 0.00 0.00 60.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 IN00924576 ►Percentage of institutions achieving annual milestones specified in the PIM and the performance contract [DLI 3] (Percentage, Custom, PBC) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 80.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 Ten (10) performance based contracts (PBC) received a non-objection from the World Bank and are now Comments: going to be implemented, for an improvement in the quality of teaching and research. IN00924577 ►Number of HEIs with Internal Quality Assurance Units (IQAUs) [DLI 4] (Number, Custom, PBC) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 5.00 8.00 7.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 As regards to the internal quality assurance units (IQAU), eight (08) IQAU have been established in the Comments: public HEIs. IN00924578 ►Number of additional undergraduate higher education students enrolled in programs funded by the Project (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 1/8/2021 Page 6 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 135,000.00 Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 31-Aug-2023 The Virtual University first 200 students have been enrolled in four (04) training courses, namely the license (L) in mathematics, the license in physics and energy engineering, the license in geomatics and Comments: the license in software engineering / pure development (computer science) that are now opened IN00924579 Number of undergraduate higher education students enrolled in programs funded by the Project, of which female (%) (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 35.00 IN00924580 ►Amount of externally generated revenue [DLI 6] (Text, Custom, PBC) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value US$0.00 US$0.00 US$0.00 US$1.25 million Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 28-Jun-2024 Project coordination, management and implementation activities IN00924575 ►MIS developed and operational [DLI 5] (Text, Custom, PBC) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No No Yes Yes Date 01-Oct-2018 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 30-Aug-2019 The CampusFaso platform was developed Faso is currently functional and allows to collect information on all of the subsystem of higher education, in terms of staff and students of the data in the different IESR, Comments: and scholarships and schooling management ,etc. Overall Comments IR With the registration of the first online students, the indicator on the functionality of the virtual university of Burkina Faso is in the process of being achieved. Likewise, the CampusFaso platform is functional and will continue to be improved in order to ensure the implementation of an efficient information management system. The next DLIs verification exercise by the independent verification agent will make it possible, for the next progress report, to have up-to-date data on the achievement of various indicators, in particular the number of students (male and female). Performance-Based Conditions 1/8/2021 Page 7 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) IN00924581 ►PBC 1 Number of undergraduate students enrolled in priority subject areas funded by the project [DLI 1] (Number, Outcome, 10,000,000.00, 14.29%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- IN00924582 ►PBC 2 Number of undergraduate students enrolled in priority subject areas funded by the project [DLI 1] (Number, Intermediate Outcome, 23,500,000.00, 33.57%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value 0.00 0.00 200.00 -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- IN00924583 ►PBC 3 Percentage of institutions achieving annual milestones specified in the PIM and the performance contract [DLI 3] (Percentage, Intermediate Outcome, 18,000,000.00, 25.71%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- IN00924584 ►PBC 4 Number of HEIs with Internal Quality Assurance Units (IQAUs) [DLI 4] (Number, Intermediate Outcome, 2,500,000.00, 3.57%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value 0.00 5.00 8.00 -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- IN00924585 1/8/2021 Page 8 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) ►PBC 5 MIS developed and operational [DLI 5] (Text, Intermediate Outcome, 5,250,000.00, 7.50%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value No No Yes -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- IN00924586 ►PBC 6 Amount of externally generated revenue [DLI 6] (Text, Intermediate Outcome, 4,750,000.00, 6.79%) Year 5: October Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) 2022 - April 2023 Value US$0.00 US$0.00 US$0.00 -- Date -- 10-Jul-2020 18-Dec-2020 -- Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P164293 IDA-D3570 Effective USD 70.00 70.00 0.00 8.83 60.62 13% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P164293 IDA-D3570 Effective 10-Jul-2018 21-Aug-2018 19-Dec-2018 30-Sep-2023 30-Sep-2023 Cumulative Disbursements 1/8/2021 Page 9 of 10 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Burkina Faso Higher Education Support Project (P164293) PBC Disbursement Achievement Disbursed amount in Disbursement % PBC ID PBC Type Description Coc PBC Amount Status Coc for PBC Restructuring History There has been no restructuring to date. Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 1/8/2021 Page 10 of 10