Public schooling reform plan initiated

World Bank invests $40 million to fund project

A four-year plan to improve the quality of learning in public schools was initiated this week. The Cabinet ratified, on October 25, a loan agreement signed with the World Bank to fund the project.

The ‘Education Sector Development Plan’ aims at improving the quality of teaching and the learning environment in public schools from the preschool level to the secondary education level. It also aims at building the capacity of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) to effectively manage the whole education system.

The loan amount is $40 million. The government’s contribution is around $2.6 million.
The project is expected to be finalized by end-2016.

The project consists of three main stages: early childhood education, supporting improvements in quality of education, and education sector policy development and management.

The early childhood education stage will focus on increasing the enrollment rate in public preschools for children aged between three and five. This stage has a budget of $15.7 million for rehabilitating 110 existing preschool facilities.

The policy development stage involves conducting revisions of the regulatory framework of the MEHE, including working towards the establishment of a national qualifications framework.

The loan has a grace period of five years. It will be repaid in semi-annual installments equivalent to three percent of the loan value. The reimbursement period starts in 2017 and ends in 2033.