The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) AFRICA | Mauritania | Education Global Practice | Recipient Executed Activities | Investment Project Financing | FY 2014 | Seq No: 9 | ARCHIVED on 18-Dec-2018 | ISR34070 | Implementing Agencies: DPEF, Islamic Republic of Mauritania Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 06-Feb-2014 Effectiveness Date: 19-May-2014 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 15-Feb-2016 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: 23-May-2016 Original Closing Date: 01-May-2017 Revised Closing Date: 30-Nov-2018 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The development objective of the proposed operation is to improve quality of pre-service teacher training in primary education and to promote equitable access to lower secondary education. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Improving the quality of teaching in primary education:(Cost $4.00 M) Promoting equitable access to lower secondary education:(Cost $4.70 M) Strengthening capacity of the education sector:(Cost $3.70 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 Moderate Moderate Implementation Status and Key Decisions In accordance with the established OPCS guidelines, this final Implementation Status Report (ISR) evaluates the Project’s performance during the lifetime of the project across the three harmonized criteria of: (i) relevance of objectives/design and implementation; (ii) efficacy; and (iii) efficiency. A more thorough and comprehensive analysis based on the most up-to-date data will be presented in the Implementation Completion Report (ICR). Project Context The Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP, US$12.4 million) funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) was approved by the Africa Region VP on February 6, 2014 and became effective on May 19, 2014. The BESSP supported the implementation of the Mauritania national education plan (Plan National pour le Développement du Secteur Educatif — PNDSE II (2011-2010), which has three pillars (improving education quality at all levels, ensuring universal access to basic education and regulating access to upper secondary and higher 12/18/2018 Page 1 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) education, enhancing education sector governance.) The Project Development Objectives are to (i) improve quality of pre-service primary teacher training and (ii) promote equitable access to lower secondary education. The Project has three components, each supporting one of the pillars of the PNDSE. The first component supported improvement of education quality in primary schools, focusing on pre-service teacher training and provision of pedagogical kits to primary school students in six targeted regions. The second component supported equitable access to lower secondary education through building and equipping 13 low secondary schools in remote rural areas and funding of awareness-raising campaigns to keep girls in school at least to the end of upper secondary. The third component supported improving governance of the education sector through the establishment of a functioning integrated Education Management Information System (EMIS) and an operating learning assessment system. The Project was restructured (level 2) in two phases, to extend the closing date of the Project by a total of 19 months. The first was approved on April 28, 2017 to extend the project closing date from May 1, 2017 to August 31, 2017 to allow time for the GPE board to complete examination of the proposed restructuring. The second phase was approved on August 31, 2017 to extend the closing date for another additional 15 months. The restructuring allowed time for completion of critical activities such as the establishment of the EMIS and the implementation of the SDI survey and added a limited number of activities, which were intended to support the achievement and sustainability of the PDO. The restructuring did not significantly alter the project’s overall scope/design, and as such, a split evaluation is not warranted in this case. Relevance of Objectives and Design The objectives of the project were highly relevant at the time of appraisal and have remained so as they respond to key issues and challenges facing the basic education sector in Mauritania including: low education attainment and poor learning outcomes; gender inequity in secondary education, and week governance of the education sector. They have been also strongly aligned with the Government’s strategic agenda for the sub- sector as outlined in the PNDSE II (2011-2020), the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy paper (2010-2014), the Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity Strategy (2015-2030), all of which identified the need to ensure universal quality basic education. The objectives of the Project were also consistent with the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) (2012-16) and the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) (2018-2023) which included support to expand basic services and improve access to quality basic education. The design of the Project was informed by lessons learned from previous Bank’s operations in Mauritania and from similar projects in other countries and by analytical work carried out by the Bank. Key lessons include: (i) teacher quality is the main school-based predictor of student achievement and that several consecutive years of outstanding teaching can offset the learning deficit of advantaged students; and (ii) efficient service delivery and improvement in the quality of the teaching and learning process depend on management structures that are closer to schools and an empowered teaching force. The Project’s results chain was clear as the activities and objectives supported across each of the Project’s components were logically linked to the Project’s overall objectives. However, the original design was ambitious in scope as it supported reforms on a few fronts (pre-service teacher training, management and evaluation systems, girls’ education), involving several actors with very low capacities and a culture of entrenchment, little conducive to the required coordination. The restructuring did not change significantly the scope of the project. Based on the above, the relevance of Objectives and Design is rated substantial. Efficacy (Achievement of Project Development Objectives) The project has reached 366,338 beneficiaries (101.7 percent of target), of which 48.4% are females (target is 50 percent). The Project supported the achievement of two outcomes: (i) improving the pre-service teacher training with one PDO-level indicator (proportion of ENIs’ graduates with minimum competencies); (ii) improving equitable access to lower secondary with two PDO-level indicators (transition rates for girls and number of girls in targeted regions and the number). The following provides an overview of outputs and outcomes achieved under each of the three components: Component 1: Improving the Quality of Teaching in Primary Education This component was designed to support the achievement of one of the project’s expected outcomes, which is to improve the pre-service primary teacher training with one PDO-level indicator (proportion of ENIs’ graduates with minimum competencies) through pedagogical reforms in the teacher training institutes. Support was first provided to the ENIs of Nouakchott and Aioun that existed at Project’s effectiveness and later extended to the ENIs of Akjoujt and Kaedi, which were created in 2015. The component has also supported provision of basic school supplies in six targeted regions (Wilayas)’ primary schools to improve the learning environment of these schools. This component has two subcomponents: Sub-Component 1.1. Improving the quality of pre-service teacher training Under sub-component 1.1, planned activities have been completed, notably: (a) training on the ENI new standardized curriculum and the competency-based approach (Approche Par les Compétences) for all 101 trainers in all 4 ENIs; (b) training on learning assessments (two-week training in 2014) for 70 trainers of the ENIs of Nouakchott and Aioun; and (c) training in mentoring for 106 primary school teachers who supervise ENI students during their internships. The Project has also contracted the CREL (Centre de Recherche et d’Etudes des Langues) to deliver language training for ENI students and faculty, and to provide on-going mentoring support to ENI faculty members (41 of them) during the last two school years of the Project to ensure that they are building the required skills to deliver bilingual education to the ENI students. In addition, the assessment unit (Cellule Nationale d’Evaluation – CNE) has undertaken five independent assessments (2014-2018) of the ENIs’ first and last year students to evaluate their proficiency in French, Arabic and Mathematics, so remedial programs can be designed to target students in needs of improvement. The last year assessments also allowed to measure knowledge acquired by the ENI students during their three-year training program or the ENI's value-added. Finally, the Project equipped the 4 ENIs with language and computer labs, office equipment, and libraries and provided training of faculty members on the use of ICT for instruction delivery. Sub-component 1.2. Improving learning environment in primary and lower secondary schools Under this sub-component, 445,437 pedagogical kits (backpacks, textbooks, pens, pencils) have been distributed to all primary school students in the six targeted Wilayas and 4,000 pedagogical kits (manuals, supporting tools for geography and history such as charts, maps, geometrical figures, etc.) have been distributed to all primary schools in these regions. Component 2: Promoting Equitable Access to Lower Secondary Education Subcomponent 2.1. Increasing access to lower secondary education for girls 12/18/2018 Page 2 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) The Project built and equipped (reading rooms with books, desks, science labs, access to water and solar electricity) 13 lower secondary schools and ensured that the government staffed them with qualified civil servant teachers. Fifty two (52) classrooms overall were built. Nearly 3000 students are currently enrolled in these schools. Subcomponent 2.2. The Project has contracted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to assist with the organizing (with the Directorate of Secondary Education) of awareness-raising campaigns in each of the six Wilayas (Hodh Chargui, Tagant, Gorgol, Guidimagha, Adrar, and Brakna) targeted by the Project to promote girls’ education. These campaigns have reached 450 participants including school principals, representatives of parents’ associations, civil society activists, and local media. The Project also contracted with an NGO to work with communities, women in particular, to identify the main socio-psychological hurdles to girls’ access to secondary education and to design an appropriate communication campaign to help address them. This latter round of campaign has been completed in October. Also, a training has been conducted for more than 500 teachers and principals of lower secondary schools to discuss the issue of girls ‘education, based on a report done by the UNICEF on cultural factors impeding girls’ education. Participating educators were encouraged to share and reflect on their own experience and came up with actionable guidance for teachers and school directors. In addition, the project has delivered, to date, pedagogical kits to girls enrolled in lower secondary schools in the six targeted Wilayas (about 19,000 girls), and performance awards to high performing girls (574 girls). Component 3: Strengthening Management of the Education Sector The Project funded four annual school censuses and two national learning-assessment in addition to the implementation of the SDI survey and the development of an integrated EMIS. It also provided technical assistance (TA) to evaluate the latest three-year budgeted action plan (2016-2018) as part of an overall overview and update of the national sector plan (PNDSE II) and its operationalization in the upcoming three-year action plan (2019-2021). Significant progress has been observed in the EMIS’ implementation. The EMIS IT platform (hardware and software) is now in place and operational. EMIS administrators and users have been identified and trained, although not all of them could be trained during the available time. However, the ministry can continue the training of the remaining staff with its own resources. The SDI survey has been implemented in a national representative sample of 300 primary schools. Its report has been finalized and has served to inform the new investment operation in the education sector. The following has been achieved under this sub-component, notably: (i) four annual school censuses were carried out; (ii) technical assistance (TA) was provided in undertaking (a) the 2015 Education Country Status Report (Rapports d'Etat des Systèmes Educatifs Nationaux – RESEN), (b) the financial simulation model that served as a base for the development of the three-year budgeted action plan (2016-2018), (c) the evaluation of the implementation of the three-year national education plan (2016-18) and the update of the national education plan (PNDSE II), (d) the evaluation of the administration of the national system of examination (iii) Capacity -building of the Cellule Nationale d’Evaluation which undertook three large- scale national learning assessments for children in grades 3, 5, and 9 in 2014 et 2015. (iv) training of 917 primary school directors and 332 basic education inspectors in management and pedagogy, respectively; and (v) the establishment of an integrated EMIS with the development of an IT platform that will take charge of three functional modules (HR, students, schools) and its deployment on a pilot basis in one of the DREN (Direction Régionale de l’Education Nationale ) of Nouakchott. Efficiency The cost of activities has been, for the most part, kept under budget, except for the cost of the Component 3,. Based on the evidence currently available, overall efficiency under the project is rated as modest. However, a full analysis will be undertaken for the ICR to confirm the rating or possibly upgrade it to substantial once more evidence becomes available. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance -- Moderate Moderate Macroeconomic -- Low Low Sector Strategies and Policies -- Moderate Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program -- Moderate Moderate Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability -- Substantial Substantial Fiduciary -- Substantial Substantial Environment and Social -- Moderate Moderate Stakeholders -- Moderate Moderate 12/18/2018 Page 3 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Other -- -- -- Overall -- Moderate Moderate Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes Improve quality of pre-service teacher training in primary education IN00579354 ►Direct project beneficiaries (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 362,794.00 366,338.00 360,000.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 28-Nov-2018 30-Nov-2018 The percentage of female beneficiaries are expected to increase when hygiene kits are distributed to girls in the 13 newly built middle schools and when awareness-raising campaigns targeting the girls and Comments: mothers are completed. IN00579374 Female beneficiaries (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 48.00 48.40 50.00 IN00579357 ►Proportion of graduates of ENIs who master the minimum required competencies (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 36.00 35.60 42.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 28-Nov-2018 30-Nov-2018 Assessment of the 2018 cohort is planned and its results will be available in July. The indicator is Comments: expected to increase by at least the same number of percentage point as in 2017. Promote equitable access to lower secondary education IN00579359 ►Transition rate from primary to lower secondary education for girls in the six targeted wilayas (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 41.30 46.00 49.30 47.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 18-Sep-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579361 ►Number of females enrolled in lower secondary education in the six targeted wilayas (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 12/18/2018 Page 4 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Value 15,466.00 20,905.00 26,610.00 22,653.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 18-Sep-2018 30-Nov-2018 update on this indicator will be available in June when the results of the annual school census are Comments: available. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components Improving the quality of teaching in primary education IN00579355 ►Number of ENI administrative staff trained (Component 1) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 41.00 41.00 41.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579356 ►Number of ENI faculty trained (Component 1) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 101.00 101.00 101.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579358 ►Educational resources available at ENIs (Component 1) (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No Yes Yes Yes Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579360 ►Number of additional bilingual teachers certified by CREL supported by the Project (Component 1) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 1,019.00 1,019.00 1,019.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579362 ►Number of pedagogical kits distributed in the six targeted wilayas through the project (Component 1) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 445,437.00 445,437.00 403,283.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 12/18/2018 Page 5 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Promoting equitable access to lower secondary education IN00579363 ►Number of classrooms constructed in targeted wilayas with support from the project (Component 2) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 52.00 52.00 52.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579364 ►Number of girls receiving an award (Component 2) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 574.00 574.00 480.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579365 ►Number of awareness campaigns carried out to promote girls' education with NGOs in each of the six targeted wilayas (Component 2) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 6.00 12.00 9.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 another round of campaign is planned. the indicator will be met. Comments: IN00579366 ►Number of teachers, inspectors and school directors in rural schools who attended awarness-raising training sessions (Component 2) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 450.00 250.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 18-Sep-2018 30-Nov-2018 Training will take place in the summer. Comments: IN00579367 ►Number of girls provided with pedagogical kits in the six targeted wilayas (Component 2) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 18,879.00 18,879.00 18,879.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 Strengthening capacity of the education sector IN00579368 ►System of learning assessment established and functional (Component 3) (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No Yes Yes Yes 12/18/2018 Page 6 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579369 ►Integrated EMIS (network system) is operational within the State Ministry of Education (MEE) and the regional offices (Component 3) (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No No Yes Yes Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 28-Nov-2018 30-Nov-2018 The EMIS is now functional at the central level and in the DREN of Nouakchott. It will be deployed to other Comments: DREN across the country by the Ministry. IN00579370 ►Number of DRENs personnel trained in data collection and analysis (Component 3) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Dec-2018 IN00579371 ►Number of staff trained on EMIS (Component 3) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 65.00 285.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 28-Nov-2018 30-Nov-2018 Training will take place in the summer. Comments: IN00579372 ►Service Delivery Indicators (SDI) survey completed (Component 3) (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No Yes Yes Yes Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 IN00579373 ►Number of meetings of the education sector group (Component 3) (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 15.00 15.00 7.00 Date 28-Feb-2014 08-May-2018 08-May-2018 30-Nov-2018 Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) 12/18/2018 Page 7 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Mauritania Basic Education Sector Support Project (BESSP) (P126902) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P126902 TF-16390 Closed USD 12.40 12.40 0.00 12.24 0.16 99% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P126902 TF-16390 Closed 18-Feb-2014 18-Feb-2014 19-May-2014 01-May-2017 30-Nov-2018 Cumulative Disbursements Restructuring History Level 2 Approved on 28-Apr-2017 ,Level 2 Approved on 31-Aug-2017 Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 12/18/2018 Page 8 of 8