Basic Education Modernization
EL SALVADOR
SECTOR: Education
PROJECT NAME: Basic Education Modernization
(879/OC-ES)
TOTAL COST: $80.2 million
FINANCING:
IDB $37.3 million
OTHER $34.0 million (World Bank)
LOCAL $ 8.9 million
DATE OF APPROVAL: September 13, 1995
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The objectives of this program are to promote greater
equity, quality and efficiency in the provision of
education services by: (a) improving access to
education; (b) improving education quality in both
academic achievement (output) and the learning
environment (input); and (c) strengthening the
managerial, financial and administrative capacity of
the Ministry of Education (MINED) to set policies and
guidelines for the sector and deliver public education
services efficiently.
The project has three components:
(a) expanding access to preschools and basic education
by giving priority to the 135 lowest-income
municipalities to: (i) the expansion of the Community-
managed Schools Program (EDUCO), including
rehabilitating school infrastructure in rural schools;
and (ii) provide technical assistance for
strengthening the EDUCO model;
(b) improving education quality through the following
activities: (i) technical assistance to support
curriculum development for preschool and basic
education, design a new student promotion system, and
establish a program of multigrade classes in rural
areas; (ii) production of educational materials, such
as textbooks, didactic materials, and classroom and
school libraries; (iii) training and assistance to
upgrade the skills of preschool and basic education
teachers, principals and supervisors, as well as
studies to improve pre-service teacher training;
(iv) development of an education assessment system;
and (v) development of a school health and nutrition
program; and
(c) institutional modernization and strengthening,
including: (i) technical assistance for a review of
MINED's legal and organizational framework;
(ii) technical assistance to implement institutional
reforms in the areas of human and financial resources
management, planning, information management,
evaluations, monitoring, supervision and
communications systems; (iii) technical assistance to
establish a staff development program to improve the
capacity of administrators and technical personnel;
(iv) establishment of a funding mechanism to test
alternative methods of providing basic education, and
to experiment with pedagogical and administrative
innovations; and (v) design of improved mechanisms to
provide secondary education services.
CONSULTANTS: All procurement will be undertaken by the United
Nations' Development Program (UNDP), which will act
as the procurement agent. International Competitive
Bidding (ICB) procedures will be used for consulting
services costing more than $200,000. National
Competitive Bidding (NCB) will be used for services
costing between $100,000 and $199,000. Services of
less than $100,000 will be contracted through private
bidding, with invitations to at least five firms.
Local or international consultants will be hired to
provide technical assistance for the development of
student and teacher guides and modular textbooks for
grades 7-9, the selection of school and classroom
library books, and the design of cost recovery
studies.
Technical assistance will be provided for: (a) the
design of plans and programs for in-service teacher
training programs; (b) design of a systematic
assessment system to identify in-service training
needs for preschool and basic education levels;
(c) production of training modules and the evaluation
of outcomes; (d) development of an assessment study
of pre-service training needs for basic education and
preschool teachers; (e) organization of focus groups
with different stakeholders for the communications
subcomponent of the program; (f) monitoring and
evaluation of the communications subcomponent;
(g) design of public awareness campaigns for the
communications subcomponent; (h) design of an integral
set of reforms of secondary education intended to
improve the policies and provision of services at that
level; and (i) an evaluation of the supervision
system. In addition, funds will be provided to
contract out selected content/pedagogical training
programs to universities or research centers.
GOODS AND EQUIPMENT: IDB funds will finance: (a) the purchase of textbooks
for grade 1-6, teachers' manuals, vehicles, school
furniture, and other equipment; (b) printing of
textbooks for grades 7-9; and (c) distribution of
these materials. Procurement of goods for more than
$250,000 will require the use of ICB procedures.
Goods costing between $150,000 and $250,000 will be
contracted using NCB procedures, while goods costing
less than $150,000 will be contracted using private
bidding procedures, with invitations to at least five
suppliers.
CIVIL WORKS: All civil works contracting will be managed by the
Social Investment Fund (FIS). ICB will be required
for works valued at more than $1 million, although no
contacts of this size are expected. Procurement for
works costing $250,000 or less will be done through
private local bidding, with invitations to at least
five contractors. In cases where no contractors can
be found due to the remoteness of the area, direct
contracting procedures will be used for works up to
$100,000. NCB procedures will be applied for works
costing between $250,000 and $1 million.
IDB funds would finance civil works to expand
education infrastructure in rural areas, including the
construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, as well
as the rehabilitation of up to three teacher training
centers and of a few small administrative buildings
throughout the country.
EXECUTING AGENCY: Ministerio de Educación (MINED)
Santa Tecla
Departamento de la Libertad
San Salvador, El Salvador
Telephone: (503) 28-0608; 28-3246; 28-3891
Fax: (503) 28-3200
United Nations Development Program
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Telephone: (212) 906-5000
Fax: (212) 826-2057
Fondo de Inversión Social de El Salvador (FIS)
Centro Roosevelt, Edificio A, 55 Avenida Sur
San Salvador, El Salvador
Telephone: (503) 792-922
Fax: (503) 791-759
