Primary education upgrading project
Report No: ; Type: Report/Evaluation Memorandum ; Country: Cape Verde; Region: Africa; Sector: Education Adjustment; Major Sector: Education;
                                                            ProjectID: P000424


  Cape Verde: Primary Education Upgrading Project (Credit 1853- CV)

  The Cape Verde Primary Education Upgrading project, supported by Credit 1853-CV for US$4.2 million
  equivalent, was approved in FY88 and cofinanced by the Gulbenkian Foundation of Portugal. The credit was
  almost fully disbursed and closed one year late in FY96. The Implementation Completion Report (ICR) was
  prepared by the Africa Regional Office. A report by the borrower is appended.

  The project was the first IDA-assisted project in the country. Project objectives were to establish a six-year system
  of
  basic education and reform Cape Verde's education policy (the teaching career structure, cost-recovery for textbooks
  and managerial institutions).

  Implementation took place in challenging circumstances. The political context was uncertain, people were not
  ready for the reforms and the Ministry of Education (MOE) was reorganizing. The MOE found it difficult to cope
  with all activities simultaneously. IDA staff visited the project too seldom to trouble-shoot effectively. This led
  eventually to an emergency program to put the project back on track.

  The project substantially met its objectives nevertheless. Its achievements were substantial in establishing six years
  of education and in setting in place school-related policies and institutions (curriculum development; preservice
  teacher training). The MOE partially completed its reorganization and further efforts are now underway to
  decentralize to district level. A follow-up project aims to better deploy teachers.

  The Operations Evaluation Department (OED) agrees with the ICR's ratings. Project outcome is rated as
  satisfactory, institutional development as moderate and sustainability as likely. Bank performance is rated as
  satisfactory. However, OED notes that Bank supervision performance was deficient in the face of the project's
  complexity, consequent demandingness for the borrower, and procurement problems.

  The ICR is rich in lessons for the Bank. It points out, for a first project in a sector, the need to design simple project
  management and coordination arrangements, to avoid overloading thin borrower capacity with externally-funded
  projects and to supervise regularly and purposefully. The ICR also underscores the positive contribution in capacity
  building that the cofinancier made by being willing to stay the course.

  The ICR is satisfactory. It earns high marks for clarity, detail, exceptional grasp of educational reform issues, and
  creative reconstruction of performance indicators not spelled out at the project design stage. But it lacks a detailed
  operational plan. The borrower's report is a clear, critical assessment of the project's performance. An audit is
  planned.