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TRANSCRIPT
Document of
The World Bank
Report No: ICR2291
IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT
(IDA-40550 IDA-H1610 TF-52059 TF-54868)
ON A CREDIT AND A GRANT
IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 5.3 MILLION
(US$ 8.0 MILLION EQUIVALENT THE CREADIT)
AND
SDR 13 MILLION
(US$ 19.77 MILLION EQUIVALENT THE GRANT)
TO THE
KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
FOR A
EDUCATION SECTOR SUPPORT PROJECT
March 30, 2012
Human Development Sector Unit
South East Asia Country Unit
East Asia and Pacific Region
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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(Exchange Rate Effective March 7, 2012)
Currency Unit = Riel (KHR)
1.0 KHR = US$ 0.00025
US$ 1.00 = 4,000.00 KHR
FISCAL YEAR
January 1 – December 31
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
ACC Accreditation Committee of Cambodia
BEIC Basic Education Investment Credit
BET Basic Education Teacher
CAS Country Assistance Strategy
CFAA Country Financial Accountability Assessment
CFS Child friendly school
CMDG Cambodia Millennium Development Goals
DEC Development Economics
DFA Development Financial Agreement
DHE Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, Youth and
Sports
DOE District Office of Education
EMP Environmental Management Plan
ESP Education Strategic Plan
ESSP Education Sector Support Project
EQIP Education Quality Improvement Project
ESSSUAP Education Sector support Scale Up Action Program
FMR Financial Management Report
GPE Global Partnership for Education (formerly Fast Track Initiative)
HEQCIP Higher Education Quality and Capacity Improvement Project
HEI Higher Education Institutions
HEMIS Higher Education Management Information System
ICR Implementation Completion and Results Report
IDA International Development Association
IPA Independent Procurement Agent
ISR Implementation Supervision and Results Report
LMC Local Management Committee
LS Lower secondary
M&E Monitoring and evaluation
MoEF Ministry of Economy and Finance
MoEYS Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
NGO Non-governmental organizations
PAD Project Appraisal Document
PCO Project Coordination Office
PDO Project Development Objective
RGC Royal Government of Cambodia
POE Provincial Office of Education
RF Results framework
RTTCs Regional Teacher Training Centers
RUPP Royal University of Phnom Penh
SC Steering Committee
SDR Special Drawing Rights
TTL Task team leader
VSO Voluntary Service Overseas
WB World Bank
Vice President: Pamela Cox
Country Director: Annette Dixon
Sector Manager: Luis Benveniste
Project Team Leader: Simeth Beng
ICR Team Leader: Juan Prawda
Cambodia
Education Sector Support Project
CONTENTS
Data Sheet
A. Basic Information
B. Key Dates
C. Ratings Summary
D. Sector and Theme Codes
E. Bank Staff
F. Results Framework Analysis
G. Ratings of Project Performance in ISRs
H. Restructuring
I. Disbursement Graph
1. Project Context, Development Objectives and Design ............................................... 1
2. Key Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcomes .............................................. 5
3. Assessment of Outcomes .......................................................................................... 12
4. Assessment of Risk to Development Outcome ......................................................... 16
5. Assessment of Bank and Borrower Performance ..................................................... 16
6. Lessons Learned ....................................................................................................... 22
7. Comments on Issues Raised by Borrower/Implementing Agencies/Partners .......... 23
Annex 1. Project Costs and Financing .......................................................................... 25
Annex 2. Outputs by Component ................................................................................. 26
Annex 3. Economic and Financial Analysis ................................................................. 40
Annex 4. Bank Lending and Implementation Support/Supervision Processes ............ 47
Annex 5. Beneficiary Survey Results ........................................................................... 50
Annex 6. Stakeholder Workshop Report and Results ................................................... 51
Annex 7. Summary of Borrower's ICR and/or Comments on Draft ICR ..................... 52
Annex 8. Comments of Cofinanciers and Other Partners/Stakeholders ....................... 56
Annex 9. List of Supporting Documents ...................................................................... 57
MAP
A. Basic Information
Country: Cambodia Project Name:
KH-Cambodia
Education Sector
Support
Project ID: P070668 L/C/TF Number(s):
IDA-40550,IDA-
H1610,TF-52059,TF-
54868
ICR Date: 03/30/2012 ICR Type: Core ICR
Lending Instrument: SIL Borrower: CAMBODIA
Original Total
Commitment: XDR 18.40M Disbursed Amount: XDR 17.60M
Revised Amount: XDR 17.60M
Environmental Category: C
Implementing Agencies:
Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports
Cofinanciers and Other External Partners:
B. Key Dates
Process Date Process Original Date Revised / Actual
Date(s)
Concept Review: 06/02/2003 Effectiveness: 08/17/2005 08/17/2005
Appraisal: 11/29/2004 Restructuring(s): 10/06/2010
Approval: 05/12/2005 Mid-term Review: 11/21/2008
Closing: 12/31/2010 09/30/2011
C. Ratings Summary
C.1 Performance Rating by ICR
Outcomes: Satisfactory
Risk to Development Outcome: Moderate
Bank Performance: Satisfactory
Borrower Performance: Satisfactory
C.2 Detailed Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance (by ICR)
Bank Ratings Borrower Ratings
Quality at Entry: Moderately Satisfactory Government: Not Applicable
Quality of Supervision: Satisfactory Implementing
Agency/Agencies: Not Applicable
Overall Bank
Performance: Satisfactory
Overall Borrower
Performance: Satisfactory
C.3 Quality at Entry and Implementation Performance Indicators
Implementation
Performance Indicators
QAG Assessments
(if any) Rating
Potential Problem Project
at any time (Yes/No): Yes
Quality at Entry
(QEA): None
Problem Project at any
time (Yes/No): No
Quality of
Supervision (QSA): Satisfactory
DO rating before
Closing/Inactive status: Satisfactory
D. Sector and Theme Codes
Original Actual
Sector Code (as % of total Bank financing)
General public administration sector 9 9
Other social services 25 25
Primary education 14 14
Secondary education 45 45
Tertiary education 7 7
Theme Code (as % of total Bank financing)
Decentralization 16 16
Education for all 33 33
Gender 17 17
Indigenous peoples 17 17
Social safety nets 17 17
E. Bank Staff
Positions At ICR At Approval
Vice President: Pamela Cox James W. Adams
Country Director: Annette Dixon Ian C. Porter
Sector Manager: Luis Benveniste Christopher J. Thomas
Project Team Leader: Simeth Beng Luis Benveniste
ICR Team Leader: Simeth Beng
ICR Primary Author: Juan Prawda
F. Results Framework Analysis
Project Development Objectives (from Project Appraisal Document)
The project development objectives will support the National Poverty Reduction Strategy
goals to expand access to educational services by addressing supply, demand, quality and
efficiency constraints, especially focusing on the poorest and groups at risk.
Primary and lower secondary schools increasingly demonstrate characteristics of
effective schooling and ultimately show improvements in student enrollments, student
flows and learning achievement, specifically among poor and disadvantaged children.
Government policy and administration undertake explicit actions to improve
institutional capacities to address issues of educational access, staff development,
availability of learning materials and education quality assurance at all educational levels.
Revised Project Development Objectives (as approved by original approving authority)
n/a
(a) PDO Indicator(s)
Indicator Baseline Value
Original Target
Values (from
approval
documents)
Formally
Revised
Target
Values
Actual Value
Achieved at
Completion or
Target Years
Indicator 1 : Net primary and lower secondary (LS) enrollment rates
Value
quantitative or
Qualitative)
90% total primary
88% female primary
30% total LS
28% female LS
School year 2003-04
96% total primary
96% female
primary
50% total LS
50%femalel LS
94.8% total primary
94.6% female
primary
32.6% total LS
34.6% female LS
School year 2009-
10
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Targets not achieved for both primary and lower secondary education, although
increasing trends are moving in the right direction. The ESSP impacted on the
improvement of NER mostly in lower secondary as well as in the gender equity
gap.
Indicator 2 : Net intake of age 6 students in grade 1
Value
quantitative or
Qualitative)
78.7% Not available 92.4%
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Even though there was an increase, this is not attributed to the ESSP that did not
include interventions to that effect in its project design.
Indicator 3 : Primary education completion rates
Value
quantitative or 59% Not available 85.3%
Qualitative)
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved. The ESSP have contributed through a range of teacher training
for primary teachers.
Indicator 4 : Transition rate from primary to lower secondary
Value
quantitative or
Qualitative)
90% total
88% female
97% total
95% female
80.1% total
80.8 % female
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Targets not only achieved but the transition rate moved in the opposite direction.
The ICR assumes that the gains in increasing enrollment in the grade 1 from
other interventions of the government are erased by the high drop-out and
repetition.
Indicator 5 : Student achievement scores in Khmer and mathematics for students in grades 3,
6 and 9
Value
quantitative or
Qualitative)
Grade 3:
Khmer 40.4%
Mathematic 37.5%
(2005-06)
Grade 6
Khmer 68.1%
Mathematic 58.9%
(2006-07)
Grade 9
Khmer 68.0%
Mathematic 41.2%
(2008-09)
Not available
Grade 3:
Khmer 54.1%
Mathematic 48.0%
(2009-10)
Grade 6
Next measurement
expected in 2013 or
2014
Grade 9
Khmer 68.3%
Mathematic 43.8%
(2009-10)
Date achieved 12/31/2006 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved. The ESSP have contributed, through sub-component 2.1
interventions, to slightly improve the learning outcome in Khmer and Math as
attested by the second measurement for grade 3 and 9.
Indicator 6 : Student teacher ratio
Value
quantitative or
Qualitative)
52 in primary
23 in LS
School year 2003-04
50 in primary
45 in LS
50 in primary
23 in LS
School year 2009-
10
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved for primary education but not for LS. The primary factor of
unchanged ratio in LS may be that LS access interventions under ESSP were
targeted to increase enrolment than in improving this ratio in existing LS schools.
(b) Intermediate Outcome Indicator(s)
Indicator Baseline Value
Original Target
Values (from
approval
documents)
Formally
Revised
Target Values
Actual Value
Achieved at
Completion or
Target Years
Indicator 1 : Sub-component 1.1: Number of lower secondary schools built in underserved
communes including wells and toilets
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
1500 classrooms
(300 schools
equivalent)
1,255 classrooms
(254 schools
equivalent) of
which 1,166 (236
schools) were LS
and 89 (18 schools)
were primary
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target not achieved by 15.3%. Escalation costs, fully explained in Annex 2 of
the ISR main text, prevented achieving the end-of-project target.
Indicator 2 : Sub-component 1.2: total number of scholarships awarded to disadvantaged
students
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
10,000 70,000
73,644 scholarships
(equivalent to
31,469 different
poor primary
education
graduates, 66.84%
girls, received
scholarships to
continue their lower
secondary
education during
the life of the
project)
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target surpassed by 5.2 percent.
Indicator 3 : Sub-component 2.1: Number of target schools and provinces receiving support to
work within the MoEYS Child Friendly School (CFS) Policy
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0 139 schools
12 provinces
139 schools
12 provinces
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved. Independent qualitative evaluation report shows that target
schools performed better than non-target schools against CFS criteria.
Indicator 4 : Sub-component 2.1: Number of participants in the Basic Education Teacher
Training course increased
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
1,500 4,000 7,804
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved and surpassed by 95.4%. The trained lower secondary teachers
represent 33 percent of the total universe of lower secondary education teachers
in the country (about 24,000).
Indicator 5 : Sub-component 2.1: Teacher Standards developed and accepted by the MoEYS,
including a clear implementation plan
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
Standards
developed and
approved and
implementation
plan ready to roll
out
Standards
developed, field
tested, revised and
approved by
MoEYS.
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target accomplished. These standards have become policy and have been
included in MoEYS' forthcoming 2012 discussion of the new teacher policy.
Indicator 6 :
Sub-component 2.1: Leadership training to expand to 3 new provinces. Schools
where leadership takes place will begin to show signs of improvement at the end
of the school year
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
3 provinces
benefiting from
the leadership
program
908 School
Directors trained in
13 provinces. 1,165
POE and DOE staff
and Deputy
Directors also
trained.
Date achieved 05/24/2005 12/31/2009 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved and surpassed fourfold.
An independent evaluation study confirms positive externalities of this
intervention when compared with lower secondary schools where their school
principals did not participate in the leadership scheme.
Indicator 7 : Sub-component 2.2: Establishing a national assessment monitoring system
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
Student
achievement in
Khmer and
mathematics for
grade 9
Two measurement
tests carried out for
grades 3 and 9, and
one for grade 6.
A Quality
Assurance
Department has
been officially
established in
MoEYS to continue
administering new
standardized
learning assessment
measurements.
Date achieved 05/24/2005 12/31/2009 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved as the institutional sustainability was ensured. The technical and
financial sustainability of this activity were partially achieved, because of the
current limited personnel and financial arrangement in the MoEYS.
Indicator 8 : Sub-component 3.1: Strengthening the Department of Higher Education of the
MoEYS
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
Creation of a
vision for the
development of
higher education
in Cambodia.
Development of a
Higher Education
Management
Information
(HEMIS) system
Draft of higher
education vision in
Cambodia has been
completed but not
yet adopted by the
higher education
stakeholders nor
approved by the
MoEYS.
HEMIS prototype
completed, and its
full implementation
expected under
HEQCIP.
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target partially achieved. The vision is to be adopted by all key higher education
stakeholders and approved by the MoEYS towards the end of 2012. The HEMIS
is expected to be fully functional during the implementation of the newly IDA-
financed HEQCIP.
Indicator 9 : Sub-component 3.2: Establishing a Higher Education Accreditation system in
Cambodia
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
Finalize and
publish standards
and guidelines for
accreditation of
higher education
institutions
Standards have
been finalized,
approved, published
and disseminated,
while guidelines
have been prepared,
approved, published
and disseminated
under the HEQCIP.
Date achieved 11/29/2004 12/31/2010 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target accomplished.
Indicator 10 : Sub-component 3.3: Extension of the RUPP constructed
Value
(quantitative
or Qualitative)
0
Construction
completed by June
2010
Construction
completed by mid-
2011
Date achieved 05/15/2005 12/31/2009 02/15/2012
Comments
(incl. %
achievement)
Target achieved although with some delay.
G. Ratings of Project Performance in ISRs
No. Date ISR
Archived DO IP
Actual
Disbursements
(USD millions)
1 12/15/2005 Satisfactory Satisfactory 0.70
2 12/27/2005 Satisfactory Satisfactory 0.82
3 09/01/2006 Satisfactory Satisfactory 2.49
4 11/29/2007 Satisfactory Satisfactory 10.63
5 12/08/2008 Satisfactory Satisfactory 17.34
6 04/08/2009 Satisfactory Satisfactory 18.13
7 02/22/2010 Satisfactory Satisfactory 22.20
8 04/09/2011 Satisfactory Satisfactory 25.56
9 03/17/2012 Satisfactory Satisfactory 27.01
H. Restructuring (if any)
Restructuring
Date(s)
Board
Approved
PDO Change
ISR Ratings at
Restructuring
Amount
Disbursed at
Restructuring
in USD
millions
Reason for Restructuring &
Key Changes Made DO IP
10/06/2010 S S 24.02
The proposed extension is
necessary to finance the
reconstruction of seven schools
that were destroyed by the
Ketsana typhoon and also
complete the construction of the
Library extension at the Royal
University of Phnom Penh. The
construction of the library wing
has encountered delays because
of the sinking of the original
foundation of the library
extension. The Borrower has in
place an action plan to complete
the project by September 2011.
I. Disbursement Profile
1
1. Project Context, Development Objectives and Design
1. The Education Sector Support Project (ESSP), henceforth referred to in this
Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR) as either ESSP or the Project, was
approved on May 12, 2005; the Development Financial Agreement (DFA) including the
Credit of 5.3 million Special Drawing Rights (SDR) and the Grant of 13.1 million SDR,
was signed on June 14, 2005 and became effective on August 17, 2005.
1.1 Context at Appraisal.
2. Economic landscape. In 2002, Cambodia was one of the poorest countries in
East Asia. The majority of its population earned less than $1 per day. Cambodia
experienced high incidences of mortality and morbidity and lacked social safety nets.
About 20 percent of all households were female-headed and 75 percent of the population
relied on agriculture for their livelihood. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)’s
capacity and spending in general was low, including the education sector.
3. Main issues in the education sector. The following four education sector issues
underpinned the preparation of the poverty-alleviation ESSP, partially financed by the
International Development Association (IDA) through a Credit and Grant for Poorest
Countries: (i) gender disparities; (ii) disparities in education participation rates across
different income groups; (iii) poor efficiency rates at the primary and lower secondary
(LS) education levels; and (iv) low quality of education service delivery.
4. Gender disparities in educational opportunities were a source of concern at all
levels of education even though gender parity levels improved from 0.86 in 1996 to 0.94
in 2001 for primary schooling and from 0.66 to 0.77 for LS schooling in the same period.
Even with these improvements, very few girls completed secondary schooling, mostly
due to cost factors, lack of facilities for secondary schooling, late starts, and high
repetition and dropout rates.
5. Despite the high enrollment growth experienced by the Cambodian education
system in the early years of this century, disparities in education participation rates
across different income groups were significant. In 2001, while the primary net
enrollment rate for the poorest quintile was only 61 percent, the richest quintile was
represented by 85 percent of the relevant age group. These disparities were partially
explained by the fact that over 90 percent of the country's incomplete schools were
located in rural and remote areas, and in part by teacher and school quality deficits
producing higher repetition and drop-out rates. The situation for LS education was
comparatively even worse with the enrollment share from the poorest communes of 6
percent while those from the richest communes were around 37 percent. These inequities
were even more severe in grades 10-12, where the richest quintile accounted for 57
percent of the enrollments compared to only 1.5 percent from the poorest quintile.
2
6. The education sector was characterized by poor efficiency rates at the primary and
LS education levels. Repetition rates in first grade of primary education were 17.5
percent, drop out rates peaked to 15 percent in grade 6, and the transition rate from grade
6 (last of primary) to 7 (first of LS) was 79 percent, with this rate declining further for
girls and in poorer rural areas. About 82 percent of the country's total 12-14 year-old
cohort was out of school in 2001.
7. The expanded enrollment in primary and LS education further deteriorated the
quality of education service delivery mainly caused by crowded classrooms, insufficient
trained teachers and inadequate instructional time. Between 1998-99 and 2001-02, the
national average primary pupil teacher ratio increased from 48:1 to 56:7, despite an
increase in the overall number of classrooms. The situation was even worse in remote
provinces. The number of schools resorting to double - or triple-shift use of facilities had
shot up from 2,852 in 1998-99 to 4,591 by 2001-02.
8. Teacher capacity to appropriately teach and ensure a conducive learning
environment was, by and large, generally weak. The educational system lacked sufficient
incentives to deploy teachers and school directors to rural and remote areas. Institutional
teacher time on task was largely insufficient. Teaching methodology was more teacher-
centered rather than student-centered. The Regional Teacher Training Colleges’ (RTTCs)
programs were largely disconnected from the daily classroom practices and there was
also a lack of articulation between the pre-service and in-service teacher training
programs in the country. Finally, there was an absence of student performance standards
in primary education hindering a reliable and timely assessment of learning achievement.
9. Government’s strategy. The ESSP’s design is anchored in the RGC’s vision for
education development set out in the Education Strategic Plans (ESPs) for 2001-05 and
2004-08. The ESPs aimed at: (a) increasing access to basic education (grades 1 through
9) for all school-age children by 2010; (b) improving the quality and relevance of
schooling; and (c) enhancing the management and efficiency of educational services.
10. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) program comprised a
comprehensive set of interventions intending to address both supply and demand-side
constraints. For example, on the supply side, the MoEYS had sought to increase primary
and LS educational opportunities through school construction in underserved areas and to
improve educational quality by furnishing educational materials and strengthening
teacher professional skills through in-service capacity building. On the demand side,
MoEYS had sought to reduce direct costs to schooling for families by providing
educational establishments with basic operational budgets, abolishing enrollment fees and
offering scholarships for disadvantaged children. Along with the ESP, MoEYS adopted
the ESSP as the overarching framework for the implementation of activities addressing
key sector issues in collaboration with international donors and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
11. Rationale for Bank’s assistance. The World Bank’s (WB) assistance (through
IDA and other poverty alleviation Grants managed by the IDA) to support MoEYS was
3
first based on the comprehensive knowledge of the Cambodian education sector acquired
through the IDA-financed Education Quality Improvement Project (EQIP 2002-2007)
and further involvement in trust-funded education activities at the primary and higher
education levels operating at both the central and grassroots levels.
12. Second, the IDA had been an active contributor to the ESP review process,
providing timely inputs to Government's own thinking on education reform priorities.
The IDA, together with other partners working in Cambodia (see Annex 2), conducted in
2002 a comprehensive education review Cambodia Basic Education Quality for All,
which served as an important analytical input in the design to the ESSP. Finally, the IDA
had participated in various cross-sector evaluations, including an integrated fiduciary
assessment and public expenditure review and a public expenditure tracking survey.
1.2 Original Project Development Objectives (PDO) and Key Indicators.
13. The project’s PDOs were to assist the Borrower to implement the ESSP goals to
enhance access to educational services by addressing supply, demand, quality and
efficiency constraints, with special focus on the poor and underserved communes.
Progress towards achieving the PDOs were to be measured against the following eight
outcome indicators, that were integral part of the ESSP Plan:
a. Improved access to education for poor and disadvantaged children measured by
an: (i) increase in net primary and LS education enrollment rates; (ii) increased intake of
age 6 students in grade 1 of primary education; (iii) decrease of drop out and repetition
rates; (iv) increase in primary completion rates; (v) increase in transition rates from
primary to LS education by gender; and (vi) decrease in the student teacher ratio in
primary education and increase in LS education.
b. Enhanced education quality service delivery was to be measured by: (vii) overall
improvements in student achievement scores in mathematics and Khmer for students in
grades 3, 6 and 9 against a baseline; and (viii) increased share of trained teachers in both
primary and LS education levels.
1.3 Revised PDO (as approved by original approving authority) and Key Indicators,
and reasons/justification
14. The PDOs were not modified during the implementation cycle. However, the
further definition of component 3 during the first year of the implementation cycle into 3
sub-components required in turn 3 new output indicators (Section 1.6 and the Data Sheet).
1.4 Main Beneficiaries
15. The Project Appraisal Document (PAD) does not specify the main beneficiaries.
However, the project files make it clear that the project beneficiaries were 254
underserved areas that benefited from new and fully equipped schools financed by ESSP
(236 with LS infrastructure and 18 with primary). More than 7,800 teachers, about 910
4
school principals and over 1,160 Provincial Office of Education (POE) and District
Office of Education (DOE) staff and Deputy Directors benefited from the professional
development opportunities financed by ESSP. About 31,500 poor and disadvantaged
primary education graduates, 66.8 percent of them girls, received scholarships for 3 years
to continue their LS education.
1.5 Original Components
16. Component 1: Enabling Equitable Access to Education (US$18.95 million or 63
percent of the total cost of the project) including the following two sub-components:
a. Sub-component 1.1: Expanding educational facilities in poor and underserved
areas (US$12.07 million or 40 percent of the total cost of the project), including: (i)
construction of about 1,500 primary and LS classrooms, latrines and wells to improve
school sanitation; and (ii) provision of school furniture, educational materials, library
books and instructional equipment; and
b. Sub-component 1.2: Reducing access barriers for disadvantaged children to
increase enrollment and school opportunities (US$6.88 million or 23 percent of the total
cost of the project), comprising the provision of targeted scholarships to disadvantaged
children, especially poor girls and ethnic minority children from 6th
grade in primary
education to ensure their further education in LS (grades 7 to 9).
17. Component 2: Supporting Education Quality Improvements (US$5.27 million or
17.5 percent of the total cost of the project) including the following two sub-components:
a. Sub-component 2.1. Strengthening decentralized quality education service delivery
(US$4.62 million or 15.4 percent of the total cost of the project) comprising: (i)
supporting, the development, implementation and monitoring of school development
plans; (ii) in-service training for school-staff and principals in child-friendly school
(CFS) teaching and learning methodologies and leadership skills respectively; (iii)
promoting the recruitment and on-service training of local teachers from rural and remote
area schools during vacation periods; (iv) developing national teacher professional
standards; and (v) encouraging parental participation in school affairs and local
accountability through the dissemination of information on school effectiveness; and
b. Sub-component 2.2: Establishing a national assessment system (US$0.65 million or
2.1 percent of the total cost of the project) to evaluate education quality including student
achievement tests in mathematics and Khmer language at the primary and secondary
education levels (grades 3, 6 and 9), through test development, administration in a sample
of students, data analysis and results dissemination;
18. Component 3: Carrying out of additional activities to be selected under the ESSP
(US$3 million or 10 percent of the total cost of the project) to be agreed with IDA during
project implementation. Investments made under this component were made conditional
to the presentation and approval of an implementation plan for the proposed activities,
5
including a detailed spending plan for equipment, training and technical assistance, civil
works and materials, terms of reference for consultancies, arrangements for component
leadership and monitoring and evaluation requirements.
19. Management of the ESSP through the establishment of a Project Coordination
Office (PCO) in the Department of Secondary General Education of the MoEYS,
including the carrying out of annual audit reports was estimated to cost US$2.9 million
(9.5 percent of the total cost of the project).
1.6 Revised Components
20. The original components 1 and 2 were not modified during the implementation
period. However, during the first year of project implementation, component 3 was
further defined into the following 3 sub-components that were appraised and approved by
the Bank, the first two at the end of 2005 and the third one in the first semester of 2006.
This last component was included at the request of the government and was viewed as an
important element of the Education Sector Support Program, which is part of the Project;
a. Sub-component 3.1: Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Department of
Higher Education (DHE) within the MoEYS (US$1 million) aiming to: (i) implement
minor works to improve and expand the office accommodation; (ii) further develop
DHE’s staff capacity; (iii) establish a vision of higher education; and (iv) design a
prototype of a Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS);
b. Sub-component 3.2: Strengthening the Accreditation Committee of Cambodia
(ACC) (US$1 million) aiming at establishing a set of quality standards against which
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) could be measured and accredited; and
c. Sub-component 3.3: Constructing an extension of the library at the Royal
University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) (US$ 1 million).
1.7 Other significant changes
21. Extension to the closing date. Ensuring completion of the RUPP’s library
(completed in August 2011) and of 7 schools damaged by Typhoon Ketsana (completed
in May 2011) required extending the closing of the project by 9 months (from December
31, 2010 to September 30, 2011).
2. Key Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcomes
2.1 Project Preparation, Design and Quality at Entry
22. Weighing the following achievements and weaknesses, the ICR rates the project
preparation, design and quality at entry of this project as moderately satisfactory.
23. Strategic relevance and approach was appropriate. Components 1 and 2 of the
6
project were fully consistent with the Country Assistance Strategy’s (CAS - dated April
18, 2005, Report 32118-KH) goals of strengthening Cambodia’s foundation for
sustainable development and reducing poverty by enhancing human capital. The project
aimed at promoting good governance by encouraging community voice and parental
participation, accountability for school results, transparency in the management of
resources targeted to education and stakeholder feedback mechanisms.
24. The Bank preparation team ensured an effective client orientation through an
informed policy dialogue with the MoEYS, other Ministries, academia, NGOs, school
stakeholders, and community members. A reflection of this was the renaming of the
proposed operation from Basic Education Investment Credit (BEIC) - labeled during the
early stages of preparation - to ESSP to ensure further alignment with the Government’s
ESP. Good working relationship with other donors were consistently maintained
during preparation, as well as the implementation phases (see Annex 2).
25. The lending instrument – specific investment loan – and the duration of the
investment of about 5 years seemed to have been reasonable choices at the time of
appraisal. In fact, the completion of the ESSP required an additional 9 months beyond
the original closing date, in order to complete the RUPP library and 7 primary schools.
26. The project design included key lessons learned from the: (a) in-depth and
comprehensive impact evaluation study of the EQIP project; (b) the ICR of the IDA-
financed Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project; and (c) preliminary findings of the
analytical sector work on basic education determinants that were completed at the time
ESSP was being conceptualized. A thorough economic analysis and social assessment
combined with a poverty map and an index of education disadvantage developed under
the World Food Program guided the scholarship and civil works preparation activities.
27. Components 1 and 2 of the project design were well thought and articulated to
induce synergy towards the achievement of the PDOs, in particular for the LS level.
However, the hasty inclusion of a new Component 3 at the PAD Review meeting
(October 2004), vaguely defined in both the PAD and the DFA, lacking an operational
description, largely disconnected from a poverty alleviation-related PDO and addressing
more a WB country management pipeline agenda of merging a proposed higher
education project with the ESSP, is not, in the view of the ICR, an appropriate quality at
entry practice. It is for this only reason that the ICR rates the quality at entry as
moderately satisfactory. After Board approval, it took about six months of hard work on
the part of the MoEYS and the Bank team to have this component further defined into
three sub-components. Nevertheless, the implementation arrangement proposed for parts
of Component 3 has an attribution weakness, because in Cambodia, it is the Council of
Ministers and not the MoEYS, the government entity responsible for setting higher
education policy and ensuring consensus among key players. Accordingly, as shown
elsewhere in the ICR: (a) the PCO was placed in a very weak position to manage ESSP
funds destined to ACC; and (b) it was not possible for the MoEYS to achieve agreement
among key HEIs players concerning a higher education vision for Cambodia – one of
three end-of-project targets agreed for this component.
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28. The Project Concept Note Review meeting of May 2003 recommended
eliminating from the project design the: (i) in-kind school feeding incentive activities; (ii)
school cluster scheme; and (iii) regional project implementation units.
29. The original intent of the project design as stated in the PAD was to impact both
primary and LS education in poor areas of the country. As such the results framework
(RF) included at the appraisal stage is an appropriate one ensuring connectivity between
the stated PDOs, the outcome and output indicators and components 1 and 2. Given
other donors high level of interest in primary education at the onset of the ESSP cycle, (7
projects for US$ 54.75 million supported by Japan, WFP, Belgian Technical Cooperation,
AusAID, SIDA/UNICEF, USAID, all of which are listed in PAD Annex 2), the school
construction activity was focused on a mix of primary and secondary education schools.
For quality activities under ESSP, such as the Basic Education Teacher Training (BETT)
focus was placed on upgrading primary education teachers to be able to teach at lower
secondary level. Under this program, 25% of total number of teachers trained are now
teaching in primary schools. National assessment also covers both primary as well as
lower secondary education levels, as clearly mentioned in the PAD and carried out as
planned. Teacher professional standards were developed to cover both primary and
secondary education levels. These activities show ESSP supported both development of
primary and secondary education.
30. Implementation readiness conditions were present at the time of effectiveness. The
conditions of effectiveness ensured that by the time the Credit and Grant were declared
effective, the PCO: (i) was adequately staffed with qualified personnel with previous
financial management and procurement expertise in managing IDA-financed operations
(mainly through their participation in EQIP); and (ii) had an appropriate organizational
arrangements to ensure a conducive management environment for a timely physical and
financial project implementation. The ICR considers this to be a major project
preparation strength explaining to a large extent the successful implementation of the
ESSP. One key agreement reached at negotiations strengthening even further the
conducive environment for a timely implementation of component 1 was to make a
condition for disbursement the adoption of a: (i) Community Contracting Operational
Manual, before the start of school construction; and (ii) Scholarship Scheme
Operational Manual, before the scholarship scheme implementation.
31. The risk assessment and rating undertaken during preparation and mitigation
measures included in the PAD, seemed realistic. Some of the risks that were rated
substantial (like LS schools and their primary feeder schools not working well together)
or even high (like the fiduciary ones), turned out to be negligible during implementation.
2.2 Implementation
32. The ICR rates the ESSP implementation as satisfactory given the successful
completion of all project activities (Annex 2). What follows is a more lengthy description
of the issues outside and inside the RGC and the implementing agency’s control that
8
either contributed or adversely affected project implementation.
33. Issues outside the RGC’s control that had an adverse effect on project
implementation. Construction cost escalation in Cambodia caused problems for ESSP’s
contractors and community builders. For example, in the period 2006-2008, the ton of
steel increased from US$650 to US$1,100 (69 percent); this together with the increase of
other raw construction materials (bricks, tiles and labor) in the same period, increased the
average cost of a five-classroom school from US$35,000 to US$65,000 (86 percent
increase). Accordingly, instead of achieving the end-of project target of 1,500 classrooms
(equivalent to about 300 schools), the ESSP completed 1,255 classrooms (equivalent to
254 schools or 83.7 percent of the target).
34. Typhoon Ketsana caused significant damages in the Kampong Thom and Siem
Reap provinces in September 2009. With prior agreement of the MoEYS and the
Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF), ESSP’s underspent funds were reallocated
for the construction of 7 primary schools destroyed by Ketsana in these provinces, which
were satisfactorily completed and delivered to the respective communities in May 2011.
35. Issues within the RGC’s and the implementation agency’s control that contributed
to or affected project implementation. The entire implementation cycle was characterized
by: (i) continuity of authorities and professional staff at the Ministry and the PCO in the
context of a macro political enabling environment; (ii) a proven strong commitment and
oversight of the Ministry and the PCO and its professional staff to manage and
coordinate the implementation of almost all project activities in a timely and effective
fashion, except, sub-component 3.3; (iii) consistent on-site monitoring of project
activities by the PCO; (iv) a dedicated high level Ministry official appointed as project
manager in the PCO, displaying vision, flexibility and good leadership skills, that arrived
to the ESSP with previously acquired and recognized expertise in managing the EQIP
from 1999 to 2004; (v) strong engagement by the MoEYS in the project preparation and
implementation stages; (vi) a speedy compliance with the Credit effectiveness conditions
resulting in a timely opening of the Special Accounts and staffing of the PCO with
qualified government staff and a small number of consultants, some of them, with
previous experience in IDA-financed operations; and (vii) excellent relations with other
education development partners and the MoEYS. No ESSP activities nor any amount of
the credit or grant were cancelled during the implementation cycle.
36. The three key factors which, in the view of the ICR contributed to the success of
the ESSP were: (i) excellent and continued leadership and management both from the
PCO and the Bank supervision team; (ii) a country context where the development
partners and MoEYS work positively to create a clear strategic plan and development
goals and a policy monitoring framework against which to monitor achievements; and
(iii) a conducive environment where communities supported and embraced the
development of education provision financed by the ESSP.
37. The retroactive financing amounting to US$286,000, which was refunded to the
RGC in September 2006, was an important and strategically appropriate input that
9
allowed for a jump-start of several project activities between the completion of appraisal
in late November 2004 and Credit and Grant effectiveness in mid-August 2005.
2.3 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Design, Implementation and Utilization
38. M&E design and implementation. The ESSP was subjected to several levels of
regular monitoring and evaluation, which covers activities both at primary and LS
education as well as includes independent impact evaluations for key interventions as
stated in the PAD. The project included a Results Framework (RF) and monitoring
arrangements, using as a source the yearly MoEYS Statistical Information System at
macro level and using project database for output level indicator at micro level.
39. There was a baseline for most of the indicators at the time of appraisal, except for
learning outcomes in grades 3, 6 and 9, which were established during the
implementation cycle. Some outcome indicators had end-of-project targets included in
the PAD, while others, like the net intake in grade 1 of primary education, primary
completion rate and student achievement scores did not. The RF included too many
intermediate output indicators (15), resulting in a more costly effort to update them.
Notwithstanding this monitoring weakness, there was a commendable effort on the part
of the PCO to consistently update them, and of the Bank team, to report them.
40. At the sub-component level, the ESSP developed a set of criteria against which to
measure achievement of its action plans and objectives, which were reported to the Bank
every six months. In addition, a number of independent impact evaluations were carried
out during the life of the project, including: (i) three scholarships home-based and three
school-based impact evaluations; (ii) a baseline quantitative survey carried out in 2006
followed by a mid-term quantitative survey in 2008 (whose preliminary findings
contribute to inform the mid-term review IDA team) and by a final quantitative impact
evaluation; and (iii) a qualitative impact evaluation of the soft components carried out in
2008 to assess if the ESSP was achieving its objectives in terms of building capacity in
teaching and learning and supporting the implementation of the ESP.
41. M&E utilization. The implementation of the ESSP was supported by the use of
the findings of the several impact evaluation studies, the updating of the RF and the six-
month progress reports to inform decision-making and resource allocation. For example,
grade 3 test learning assessment results were widely shared across MoEYS departments,
POEs and DOEs as well as with participating LS schools and other partner agencies.
These findings contributed to the fine tuning of teacher training activities and for the
inclusion of an early reading program for grades 1, 2 and 3 of primary education (and
soon for an early math program as well) under the current Education Sector Support
Scale Up Action Program (ESSSUAP) fully financed with US$57 million by the Global
Partnership for Education (GPE), formerly known as Fast Track Initiative. It was
approved in 2008 and will close in June 2012.
42. The various rigorous and robust scholarships impact evaluations were undertaken,
including involvement of WB staff from Development Economics (DEC), and identified
10
that the project had reached its intended scholarships beneficiaries in terms of gender,
poverty and underserved communities and that a marginal increase in the amount of the
scholarship would not necessarily increase enrollment. It contributed to policy decisions
for scaling-up and mainstreaming the scholarships for poor students at LS level. The mid-
term review survey showed that the project activities were having a positive impact on
the intended beneficiaries. The final quantitative impact evaluation compared the results
of the 2006 and 2008 surveys with the ones from 2010 and shared the findings with a
large group of authorities and stakeholders in March 2011. The 2008 qualitative impact
evaluation concluded that the project was fully meeting its objectives in terms of building
capacity in teaching and learning and of supporting implementation of the ESP.
2.4 Safeguard and Fiduciary Compliance
43. Financial management rated satisfactory. The IDA team carried out a financial
management assessment of MoEYS during the preparation stage and found, by and large,
the financial management arrangements satisfactory and acceptable. The few project-
specific financial-related gaps mostly concerning the development of a project-specific
Finance Manual and Financial Monitoring Reports (FMRs) templates were quickly
addressed. MoEYS had previous experience in satisfactorily implementing IDA-financed
projects through the implementation of EQIP and had strengths in developing financial
management processes, procedures and controls. The proposed finance staff to carry out
the ESSP fiduciary responsibilities was experienced in project accounting, financial
management monitoring and reporting.
44. The WB Country Financial Accountability Assessment (CFAA) conducted in
2002 concluded that the legislative and regulatory framework governing public finances
in Cambodia were generally acceptable, except for the control function. The CFAA
assigned a high-level of risk concerning the reliability of public expenditure management.
This inherited country risk was however mitigated in the ESSP by the sound financial
management arrangements, strong internal control and highly motivated professional
staff with previous financial experience in IDA projects (EQIP).
45. Almost all supervision missions included the WB financial management specialist
who would undertake a thorough review and would provide a detailed report of its
findings and agreements. These missions rated the project’s financial management
performance as either satisfactory or moderately satisfactory. Despite initial difficulties in
preparing the FMRs, after hands-on support from the IDA to the PCO, these were well
prepared and timely submitted to the IDA on a quarterly basis. All audit reports, except
the one for FY08 slightly delayed due to audit bundling activity carried out by the MoEF,
were timely submitted to the Bank and all of them were unqualified (clean). The audit
report corresponding to the last 9 months of ESSP operation has also been provided to the
IDA. Another strength reported by the IDA supervision missions refers to the PCO’s
quarterly meetings with each sub-component to improve, for example the accuracy of the
forecasted projected expenditures.
11
46. There were some financial management issues during the project life that were
satisfactorily addressed by the PCO, like, inter-alia: (i) weak internal financial
management controls at the central, district and school levels; (ii) simplification of the
accounting procedures and reduction of voluminous documentation deemed unnecessary
by setting up standard transportation rates between provinces; (iii) some inconsistencies
in allowances paid to government staff attending project-related training, workshops and
study tours; and (iv) delayed or non-existent reconciliation of advances for operating
costs and expenses. An international financial management advisor was recruited mid-
2008 to further support the PCO.
47. Procurement rated as satisfactory. The IDA team carried out four procurement
capacity assessments of the MoEYS during the preparation cycle to assess readiness to
conduct procurement activities following IDA procedures. These assessments found that
the procurement organizational structure put in place in MoEYS to implement EQIP as
well as the procurement process undertaken, the responsible parties and their roles and
the channel for handling procurement-related complaints, were acceptable. This
assessment also found that the ongoing EQIP selection procedures for consultants,
procurement methods for goods and works, as well as the proposed model standard
bidding documents and the model contracts to be procured under the ESSP were also
acceptable. An annual procurement plan for ESSP was also agreed upon by appraisal.
48. Almost all supervision missions included the WB procurement specialist who
would undertake a procurement post review comprising also routine physical random
spot-checks of ongoing contracts and provide a detailed report of the findings and
agreement. Procurement was rated satisfactory during the entire implementation cycle.
49. During the early stages of the implementation cycle, the PCO handled all
procurement activities until the beginning of 2008, at which time an Independent
Procurement Agent (IPA) was recruited and took over the ESSP’s procurement functions
as agreed with the government and IDA. Before the advent of the IPA, the IDA
supervision missions found the procurement team at the PCO functioning well, with all
key procurement positions at the PCO filled with qualified personnel with full
understanding of their responsibilities, timely carrying out of their envisaged project
activities and developing the annual procurement plan and budget. Some procurement
staff at the PCO received procurement training at the United Nations International Labor
Organization in Turin, Italy. Procurement files were well kept. These missions found that
the Procurement Committee established for the ESSP was functioning well.
50. The new procurement arrangement under IPA caused serious delays in
procurement processing until the appointment of the new procurement team leader, at
which point procurement progress went back on track, and the procurement process
under IPA was considered by the various IDA mission as satisfactory. Except for a few
defaulted civil works contracts, agreement was reached to allow the PCO to handle all
ESSP procurement contracts: (i) for goods equivalent or less than US$50,000; (ii) civil
works of less than US$100,000; and (iii) individual consultancies, NGOs and consulting
firms of less than US$100,000, under direct and single source contracting.
12
51. Notwithstanding the above strengths, there were some procurement issues raised
by the IDA team in various supervision missions which were eventually and satisfactorily
addressed by the PCO, like inter-alia: (i) bidders that included a consortium of
government entities or military affiliated contractors; and (ii) suppliers and contractors
offering incentives for favorable treatment which were promptly disqualified by the PCO.
52. Compliance with environmental safeguards rated satisfactory. The project was
given a C environmental rating at appraisal because there were no major safeguard issues
associated with indigenous peoples and no land acquisition or resettlement concerns were
expected, since most of the civil works were conducted on existing schools sites. In about
25 percent of the cases, classroom construction took place in new sites on vacant and idle
land owned by the government, which was free from all habitation, dispute, claim or
controversy. Thus the use of land did not require a resettlement plan, neither a
resettlement framework. In order to comply with the environmental safeguards during
the construction activities, an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was agreed with
the MoEYS and IDA. This EMP was reviewed and updated by the PCO from time-to-
time based on the progress and findings shown in the different construction phases
included in the ESSP. The project supervision files attest to the fact that several Bank
missions included an environmental specialist carrying out spot checks and finding that
the project satisfactorily complied with environmental safeguards.
2.5 Post-completion Operation/Next Phase
53. The access (construction and scholarships) and quality interventions (training,
leadership and CFS) under ESSP are being scaled up for primary education under the
ESSSUAP. Some of the interventions under component 3 are being continued under the
ongoing Higher Education Quality Capacity Improving Project (HEQCIP), a US$23
million operation approved in December 2010 and declared effective early in 2011, 50
percent financed by an IDA-Credit and the other 50 percent by an IDA-Grant.
3. Assessment of Outcomes
3.1 Relevance of Objectives, Design and Implementation
54. At the preparation stage. The PDOs and components 1 and 2 were in full
alignment with the two pillars included in the CAS 2005-2008 for the Kingdom of
Cambodia (April 18, 2005, Report 32118-KH). Under the first pillar intended to help
implement improvements in governance that were needed if Cambodia were to meet the
Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDG), the project aimed at promoting
good governance by encouraging community voice and parental participation,
accountability for school results, transparency in the management of resources targeted to
education and stakeholder feedback mechanisms. Under the CAS’s second pillar
intended to frame the allocation of future IDA-financed activities and resources to
supporting the strategy development and investments needed to attain the CMDGs, the
project supported interventions to achieve universal primary education and promote
13
gender equality goals of strengthening Cambodia’s foundation for sustainable
development and reducing poverty by enhancing human capital.
55. At the time of the closing of the Credit and Grant in September 2011, no new
CAS for Cambodia had been discussed with the Government and the IDA Board. There
is however a CAS Progress Report (April 17, 2008; Report 43330-KH) that could be used
as a proxy to gauge the current relevance of the ESSP’s objective, design and
implementation. According to this report, when the Executive Directors endorsed the
CAS for Cambodia in 2005, the country was still among the poorest countries in the
world, with a per capita income of US$430 despite nearly a decade of high growth. Since
that time, Cambodia underwent many changes, and the knowledge base improved
considerably. Peace and political stability in Cambodia were also maintained. Progress
toward analytical and investment support for achieving the CMDGs in human
development and infrastructure was impressive. There was improvement in most human
development outcomes, including greater access to education, school enrollment rates
and learning outcomes. There has been better targeting of education subsidies.
56. The CAS explicitly enumerates as one of its major objectives the development of
higher education capacity to a level where it can effectively train professionals for public
service and the private sector. To meet this objective, there is a need to continue
strengthening HEIs through the development of quality standards, organizational
improvements and staff training.
57. The IDA has supported progress in the social sectors through ongoing
investments, including the ESSP, the ESSSAUP and the HEQCIP. Accordingly, the ICR
is of the view that the current relevance of the ESSP PDOs and project design are high.
3.2 Achievement of Project Development Objectives
58. Assessment of PDO achievements. Achievement of the PDOs is a mixed story,
with some end-of project targets being surpassed and few were below the target. Project
interventions contributed to outcome indicators especially at the LS education level. At
the same time, the project also contributed to quality gain both at primary and LS
education levels, complementing initiatives of other DPs’ interventions.
59. For LS education, the ESSP’s quality interventions have contributed to slightly
improve the learning outcome in Khmer and Math as attested by the second measurement
for grade 9 (Data Sheet). With respect to the learning gains displayed for grade 3, the
assumption made is that the devolution of learning outcome findings made by the ESSP-
financed learning assessment unit to participating schools, staff in the DOEs and POEs
and other MoEYS Departments (like Teacher Training) have contributed to the
significant increases in learning outcomes in Khmer and math, as attested by the findings
of the second measurement in grade 3 (Data Sheet). Under the project, Basic Education
Teacher Training (BETT) program provided in-service accredited training to upgrade
primary school teachers to be qualified to teach from Grade 1 to Grade 9. As a result,
14
1,990 BETT Teachers out of 7,804 were trained and assigned to teach in primary schools.
This shows that primary sector quality upgrading was also part of ESSP.
60. The available information leads the ICR to conclude that ESSP positively
impacted mainly LS education by: (i) increasing overall net enrollment rates by 6.7
percent as compared to the 2004 baseline; and (ii) improving gender parity, as the
increase in net enrollment for female students as compared to the baseline was 23.6
percent, three and half times more than average increase for both genders.
Notwithstanding this commendable increase, these achievements in LS education felt
significantly short to the end-of project targets set at appraisal (by 34.8 percent for both
genders and 30.8 percent for females). There was no change in the student teacher ratio in
LS that remained unchanged at 23 during the project life. This is probably explained by
several factors: (i) the LS access interventions under the ESSP were targeted to increase
enrollments, especially in underserved locations, more than in improving the student
teacher ratio in existing LS education classrooms as per the intended target; (ii) an
upsurge of LS enrollment due to the scholarship and civil works interventions; and (iii)
the placement of new teachers in these new LS schools to attend the student demand.
Finally, the transition rates from primary education into LS moved in the opposite
direction than expected, decreasing by 10 percent points in total transition and 8 percent
points in female transition. This could be explained by an increase in enrollment in the
first grades of primary education as a product of the ESSSAUP interventions combined
with high levels of inefficiency caused by high repetition and dropout rates in primary
education, especially after grade 3.
61. Given the increase of the net enrollment rates in LS education, in particular in
underserved areas, and the slight improvement of learning outcomes in grade 3 and 9
during the life of the project, the ICR rates the achievement to the PDOs as satisfactory.
62. Output (or intermediate outcome) indicators. According to the Data Sheet, the
project achieved or surpassed the following end-of-project targets associated to: (i) the
number of scholarships awarded to poor sixth grade graduates; (ii) the approval of
teacher standards and the number of LS teachers trained, by 95.4 percent; (iii) schools
and provinces receiving support to work within the CFS policy; (iv) the expansion of the
leadership program by almost 4 times; (v) the establishment of a national assessment
system through the creation of the Education Quality Assurance Department within the
MoEYS; (vi) the publication and dissemination of HEI accreditation standards; and (vii)
the construction of the library extension of the RUPP, although with significant delay.
63. On the other hand, the ESSP fell short in achieving: (i) the construction target by
15.3 percent; and (ii) the adoption of a higher education vision. Accordingly, the ICR
rates the achievement to the output targets as satisfactory.
3.3 Efficiency
64. Although PAD did not undertake a traditional economic analysis for this project,
a cost-benefit analysis was conducted based on the actual quantity, quality, efficiency and
15
equity outputs of the project. Overall, ESSP is generating significant economic benefits
relative to actual project costs even if the effects continue to be limited over the next
fifteen years period. The estimated Net Present Value is US$ 53 million and the Internal
Rates of Return is 11.5 percent even for the lowest scenario. This strongly suggests that
project outputs have and will continue to generate long-term cost benefits.
65. A financial analysis was included in the PAD in an attempt to estimate recurrent
costs generated as a result of this program. This was based on past public expenditure
trends and future projections, focusing primarily on the costs incurred as a result of this
project for salaried of Lower Secondary school teachers’ and provision of the scholarship
program. That analysis suggests that overall, despite a downward trend of MoEYS budget
share against the national budget, the financial sustainability of ESSP initiated primary
activities has been fully achieved.
3.4 Justification of Overall Outcome Rating
66. Given the information provided above, the ICR rates the ESSP overall outcome as
satisfactory, given that one of the non-achieved end-of-project targets concerning the
adoption of a higher education vision is within reach at the end of 2012 under HEQCIP.
3.5 Overarching Themes, Other Outcomes and Impacts
67. (a) Poverty Impacts, Gender Aspects, and Social Development. The ESSP
targeted poor children, in particular girls. Out of the 31,469 scholarships granted to
seventh grade students, 66.8 percent benefited girls, thus improving the gender parity.
68. (b) Institutional Change/Strengthening. The major institutional
accomplishments of the project are: (i) the strengthening and scaling up of a LS
scholarship scheme targeting poor students; (ii) the establishment of installed capacity at
the MoEYS to conduct standardized learning assessments through the creation of an
Education Quality Assurance Department within the MoEYS; (iii) Basic Education
Training (BET) institutionally providing a qualification framework and positively
impacting LS teacher salaries and pension rights; (iv) the establishment of an HEI
accreditation system; and (v) the establishment of the largest academic library in the
country.
69. (c) Other Unintended Outcomes and Impacts (positive or negative). None to
the awareness of the ICR.
3.6 Summary of Findings of Beneficiary Survey and/or Stakeholder Workshops
70. Not applicable.
16
4. Assessment of Risk to Development Outcome
71. The ICR rates the risk to development outcomes as modest given that the
following key project interventions are being financially, institutionally and technically
fully sustained by the government after the closing of the ESSP: (a) the LS scholarships
program, under the responsibility of the Department of Secondary General Education of
the MoEYS, has been awarding about 15,780 scholarships per year to poor graduates of
primary education since 2009; (b) the BET Training has become part of the MoEYS
mainstream activity; (c) the National Learning Assessment currently under the
responsibility of the newly created Quality Assurance Department within the MoEYS;
and (d) the CFS being scaled up from 139 to 821 LS school under the responsibility of
the Department of Secondary General Education. On the other hand, in the case of the
leadership scheme, because of its dependence on technical assistance outside of
mainstream institution and lack of sufficient capacity building during the project life, it is
not being sustained in LS at the close of the project, although it is being implemented
nationwide in primary education under the ESSSUAP.
5. Assessment of Bank and Borrower Performance
5.1 Bank Performance
(a) Bank Performance in Ensuring Quality at Entry
Rating: Moderately Satisfactory
72. The preparation cycle took about 34 months and 9 missions from identification of
the then BEIC in February 2002 to the appraisal of the relabeled ESSP at the end of
November 2004. Negotiations took place in February 2005, Board approval in May 12,
2005 and the Credit and Grant signed by the government on June 14, 2005. The thorough
preparation process (for components 1 and 2 only) and the agreement on realistic
conditions of effectiveness and disbursement made it possible for the government to
satisfactorily comply with these conditions within a short period and for the Bank to issue
the ESSP effectiveness on August 17, 2005, about three months after Board approval.
73. In addition to the recipient-executed Japanese PHRD grant mentioned in the next
section of this ICR, a Poverty and Social Impact Analysis Grant of US$45,000 was used
by the IDA team to explore alternative project designs and conduct an impact evaluation
study of the Poverty Reduction means-tested school subsidy (scholarships) scheme.
74. Only one task team leader (TTL) was responsible for the entire project
preparation cycle thus providing a welcome continuity to the timely implementation and
completion of all the key project preparation activities that were required. The
preparation cycle also benefited from one Quality Enhancement Review in September
17
2004, and the project was part of the 7th
Quality Supervision Assessment conducted by
the Quality Assurance Group in November 2006.
75. The preparation process included strengths and proactive decisions, like inter-alia:
(a) the strategic relevance and approach for this project was appropriate; (b) the
lending instrument consisting of a specific investment Credit and Grant was adequate;
(c) two components in the project design with four sub-components seemed reasonable
well conceived and articulated; (d) the proposed length of the life of the project was
suitable; (e) the client orientation was effective and the rapport with other partners
was very good; (f) the risk assessment was reasonably complete and the mitigation
measures were right; (g) the economic, financial, procurement and social assessments
were suitable; and (h) there was compliance with environmental safeguard policies
related to infrastructure activities. The RF included at appraisal was an appropriate one.
76. The ICR is of the view that there was one major project preparation flaw. This
one concerns the hasty inclusion of a third component related to higher education shortly
before appraisal that was largely disconnected from the poverty alleviation-related PDOs.
From the reading of the files, the ICR assumes that this was due to country management
priorities to consolidate the project pipeline. This is considered by the ICR as an
inappropriate management project preparation practice that needs to be discouraged in
the Bank.
77. Weighing the preparation strengths with the above-mentioned flaw, the ICR rates
the performance of the IDA team at preparation as moderately satisfactory.
(b) Quality of Supervision
Rating: Satisfactory
78. Only two TTLs were responsible for the supervision of the ESSP (one from June
2005 until September 2011, and the second for completion of the ICR). This continuity
provided a valuable conducive and nurturing supervision environment from the IDA’s
side. There was a smooth transition of supervision leadership since the second TTL had
been an integral team member of project preparation and supervision from its inception.
79. The ESSP was subjected to 18 supervision missions, including the November
2008 mid-term review and the February 2012 ICR mission. The above implies that in the
73 months elapsing from effectiveness to the closing of the Credit, the Bank team
carried-out on average one supervision every 4 months, thus maintaining, by and large, a
close oversight of the implementation cycle. Bank staff located in the field supported the
Bank’s supervision efforts, in particular by following up on the compliance with the
carrying out of agreed tasks between missions. The eight archived Implementation and
Supervision Reports (ISRs) were updated about once every nine months.
18
80. The supervision missions included the appropriate skill-mix to carry out their
envisaged terms of reference as attested in Annex 4 of the ICR, including the
procurement, financial management, safeguards and social assessment specialists.
81. Most of the Bank supervision missions were pro-active in nature taking advantage
of the existing quality at entry conditions, the available updated information in the
project’s monitoring and evaluation scheme, and the well-performing implementation
progress. At the beginning of the project cycle, the emphasis was placed on getting all the
inputs right, in particular those for component 3, albeit there were flaws in setting few of
the end-of-project targets for this component due to implementation attribution issues
explained elsewhere in the ICR, and unrealistic budgets for each of its sub-components.
The emphasis was then shifted to ensuring that the various processes would be carried out
according to the ESSP Operational Manual, like inter-alia, community construction,
scholarships, teacher training, leadership and CFS. From the mid-term review mission
onwards, the emphasis, except for sub-component 3.3, was placed on results on the
ground and sustainability. The reliance on results contributed in the design of the
ESSSUAP and HEQIP projects.
82. The findings of each supervision mission were conveyed to Bank management
clearly and straightforward, including accomplishments and implementation
shortcomings and potential risks. When applicable, the Bank team raised issues, like for
example, poor performance by some (few) construction contractors, dropouts in the
scholarship program and a significant delay in getting the RUPP library extension started.
Ratings were consistent with the story portrayed in the supervision reports, downgrading
when necessary and upgrading when there were signs of improvement.
83. The Bank supervision missions were dominated by good governance, proactivity,
excellent relationship with the ESSP stakeholders and other international and NGOs
partners. Weighing the supervision strengths and weaknesses, the ICR rates the Bank
supervision performance as satisfactory.
(c) Justification of Rating for Overall Bank Performance
Rating: Satisfactory
84. The ICR rates the overall Bank performance as satisfactory because the ratings at
the preparation and supervision stage were satisfactory.
5.2 Borrower Performance
(a) Government Performance
Rating at the preparation stage: Satisfactory
85. A recipient-executed PHRD Grant Agreement (TF051642) in the amount of
US$386,000 supported project preparation activities including: (i) technical assistance
19
required to prepare components 1 and 2; (ii) the carrying out of a series of surveys to
identify school facilities needs; (iii) the undertaking of a feasibility study for a national
assessment system; and (vi) the analysis of barriers to schooling for disadvantaged
children. MoEYS successfully executed the PHRD grant disbursing US$315,432 (81.6
percent of the total). The project was fully prepared by staff of the MoEYS, thus ensuring
from the onset, engagement and ownership.
86. The comprehensive sector strategy provided a conducive environment to prepare
ESSP. The MoEYS prepared this project largely based on the expertise accrued during
the five years prior to the start of the ESSP that resulted in significant net enrollment
gains, the introduction of a program-based budgeting and the development of the pro-
poor policy framework. In addition, the government’s National Poverty Reduction
Strategy and successive ESPs placed an emphasis on equitable access for all children to
receive nine years of basic education, which were factored in the ESSP design.
87. MoEYS also included lessons learned from EQIP as well as those derived from
other education projects in the country and elsewhere in the region, in particular with
respect to scholarships, on-the job teacher training and community participation in school
development planning. Thus, quality-at-entry conditions were in place at the time the
ESSP became effective resulting in a satisfactory physical and financial implementation
progress from the onset.
88. Another project preparation strength was the support provided by the Executive
Branch of the Government, including the MoEF, and in particular, the MoEYS, during
the entire project preparation cycle. Given all the above facts, the ICR rates the Borrower
performance during the preparation stage as satisfactory.
Rating at the implementation stage: Satisfactory
89. ESSP took place under the tenure of the same Prime Minister in power since the
end of 1998. This political stability resulted in the MoEYS having only three Ministers
during the entire life of the project: (i) the tenure of the first ended in July 2003, at the
time the project design was being conceptualized; (ii) the second lasted from July 2003
until July 2008, and included both the preparation and implementation cycles; and (iii)
the third one, which prior to his designation as Minister was the Chairman of the ESSP
Steering Committee, has been heading the MoEYS since November 2008. This context of
stability has provided strong political support to the ESSP. This in turn has resulted in a
good governance framework supporting project implementation, a strong sense of
ownership of the ESSP and low turnover of ESSP-related qualified personnel. The PCO
had only one Director since the onset of the implementation cycle.
90. It took a little less than 3 months after Board approval for the government to
comply with the four conditions of effectiveness and to open the Credit and Grant special
accounts. Accordingly, the government was key in: (i) ensuring recruiting the key ESSP
PCO’s staff including one Project Manager, one project facilitator, one financial officer
and one procurement officer; (ii) having the MoEYS design the monitoring and
20
evaluation system to carry out a school effectiveness baseline study and a final impact
evaluation; (iii) having the MoEYS adopt a computerized accounting system, a chart of
accounts and a format for the FMRs; and (iv) providing training to the ESSP-related
provincial financial and accounting officers.
91. The agreed implementation arrangements required the MoEYS to establish an
inter-ministerial Steering Committee (SC) responsible for overall policy direction and
project oversight. The SC was chaired by the MoEYS’s Secretary of State and included
representatives of other relevant Ministries. The SC was also responsible for: (a)
approving the annual programs and budget allocations; (b) overseeing progress and
compliance with agreed guidelines; (c) commissioning and approving project-required
accounts and reports; and (d) ensuring that agreed audit requirements were satisfied.
92. The SC was established early in the project life and met regularly until the
election of 2008, at which point, its Chairman, as mentioned above, became the new
Minister of the MoYES. Starting in 2009, formal meetings of the SC became more
sporadic, with the PCO Director meeting informally with the Minister and other members
of the SC to address specific ESSP implementation-related issues, like the delays in the
construction of the library.
93. The timely allocation of counterpart funds for ESSP was another implementation
strength shown by the government through the MoEF ensuring not only that counterpart
funds be included into the annual budget of every year of the implementation cycle, but
also allowing for their timely disbursement.
94. Rating: Given the above-mentioned strengths, the ICR rates the Borrower
performance at implementation as satisfactory.
(b) Implementing Agency or Agencies Performance
Rating: Satisfactory
95. The MoEYS was the ESSP implementing entity assuming overall responsibility
for coordination and implementation of all project activities including procurement,
disbursement and financial management. As mentioned above, an inter-Ministerial SC,
under the chairmanship of the MoEYS Secretary of State and independent of the ESSP,
was established and charged with the overall ESSP policy direction and project oversight.
Project activities were implemented by various units within the MoEYS as fully
described in the PAD. A PCO comprised by a mix of civil servants and a small number of
consultants was established in the Department of Secondary General Education of the
MoEYS with the overall day-to-day responsibility for the management and coordination
of project activities.
96. Over the life of the project, the PCO took an effective lead in providing general
oversight of all aspects of project implementation, placing strong focus on transparency,
accountability and local capacity building and promoting and integrated approach to
21
project implementation. The PCO’s activities focused on: (a) supporting the sub-
components to plan and implement activities to meet agreed project objectives in a timely
and efficient manner; (b) supporting and encouraging a holistic approach to project
activities implementation, ensuring that sub-component activity worked in synergy rather
than as a series of separate and uncoupled entities; (c) ensuring that all relevant
information and records were well kept and easily accessible; (d) building partnership
with other education agencies in Cambodia; and (e) mainstreaming all project activities
as part of the MoEYS activities where possible.
97. The PCO: (i) established a system for gathering monthly progress reports from all
sub-components; (ii) introduced an annual staff performance appraisal of government
staff participating in the project’s implementation; (iii) trained PCO staff in procurement
and financial management to further clarify roles and responsibilities; (iv) maintained a
close, effective and consistent coordination with the SC concerning the monitoring of
project progress, either through formal as well as informal meetings; (v) developed
guidelines for eligible expenditures and use of project vehicles; (vi) kept regular meetings
with the sub-component’s teams to resolve immediate problems; and (vii) kept regular
meetings with all international implementing partners and advisors to build synergy and
closer collaboration amongst the sub-components.
98. The PCO management team engaged during the entire implementation cycle in
regular monitoring visits to keep abreast of project activities in the field. Communication
between the PCO and the sub-component teams was effective and consistent through
regular and frequent meetings. There was also an effective coordination of the PCO with
the MoEYS line departments working in the ESSP and close collaboration with other
project stakeholders both in Phnom Penh and in the Provinces. This was enhanced
through regular meetings between sub component implementation teams, the project
manager and management team members.
99. Under the strong leadership of the PCO, a thorough annual implementation plan
was developed and revised annually. The PCO ensured the functioning of a clear annual
planning system, including a good grasp of budget issues as well as a recognized good
governance framework and comprehensive view of the direction in which the project was
continuously heading. All Bank supervision reports indicated that the Project Director
timely followed up on agreements reached during previous supervision missions.
Consequently, the PDOs were achieved, final targets accomplished and all project sub-
components, except 3.3, were completed on time.
100. The PCO took an effective lead in the preparation of the mid-term review data
collection and the supervision of the mid-term qualitative evaluation. In addition, the
PCO in conjunction with the project’s construction team adopted a pro-active attitude in
dealing with poor performing contractors. The ESSP held a Quality Review and
Dissemination Workshop for government and development partner representatives in
March 2011 to share the preliminary findings of the impact evaluation studies, the
achievements towards the PDOs and agreed targets and the lessons learned.
22
101. The weakness in the implementation of subcomponent of 3.2 is due to the fact
that ACC is accountable to the Council of Ministers and not to the MoEYS. However as
implementation progressed, the PCO and the ACC were able to tighten the collaboration
to ensure effective implementation of this component. Thus weighing all the strengths
with the only weakness, the ICR rates the overall implementing agency performance as
satisfactory.
(c) Justification of Rating for Overall Borrower Performance
Rating: Satisfactory
102. The overall Borrower performance is rated by the ICR as satisfactory because the
ratings of the borrower performance at the preparation and implementation were
satisfactory.
6. Lessons Learned
103. Ensuring quality at entry during project preparation is a determinant for a
good physical and financial implementation progress as shown by the ESSP.
Complementing this lesson, the ICR is of the view that key sector issues should guide the
project’s design attuned to the proposed PDOs ensuring as best as possible, that the
Bank’s country management unit pipeline agenda existing at the time of preparation does
not significantly alter the approved concept design as was the case with the hasty
inclusion at appraisal of a largely disconnected component 3.
104. New instruments, for example school grants, as a way to further improving
the quality of services gains achieved by ESSP. The expertise acquired by the MoEYS
in implementing the scholarship and CFS schemes could be next articulated and
synergized through new instruments, like for example, competitive schools grants, which
have proven to be cost-effective elsewhere in the world and is currently being applied in
primary education in Cambodia. This scheme, allocated through affirmative actions
criteria, will further allow LS schools principals to achieve the CFS standards and
improve learning outcomes among the student population. This lesson recognizes that
appropriate school leadership by school principals is essential to generate enabling
conditions for significant and sustainable school quality improvement, as pointed out by
the qualitative impact evaluation studied undertaken for the ESSP.
105. Timely, reliable and relevant information are key for decision-making
processes to implement corrective and/or preventive measures as shown, for example,
by the: (i) impact evaluation of the ESSP scholarship program concluding that US$45
was much more cost effective than a scholarship of US$60 for improving access and
retention of poor students in LS education. However, children who were brought into
school by the program did no better on mathematics and vocabulary tests than they would
have if they had not attended school. It implies needs of additional efforts in quality
inputs; and (ii) the preliminary findings of the learning assessments carried out in grades
3, 6 and 9, whose feedback became a significant factor in raising the standards of literacy
23
and numeracy, especially at Grade 3. This lesson is complemented by the need to further
articulate project activities to ensure synergy towards the achievement of the PDOs
like for example, disseminating findings of learning outcome measurements to fine tune
teacher training activities.
106. Ensure capacity buildup within the mainstream institutions to implement
project activities as it was the case, for example, with the scholarship scheme and the
learning assessment currently fully managed and financed by MoEYS, avoiding parallel
units whose built capacity tends to disappear at the closing of a project, like the ESSP LS
leadership scheme. Ensuring good management governance complements this lesson.
7. Comments on Issues Raised by Borrower/Implementing Agencies/Partners
(a) Borrower/implementing agencies
107. The project design and even the outcomes may have been improved if school
grants to lower secondary schools had been included in the project. Had school grants
been included in the project design they would have made a significant contribution
to the development of Child Friendly Schooling at Lower Secondary level. They
would also have helped to inform the current plan to revise school operational
budgets.
108. However despite this and issues related to other aspects of the design the scope
and coverage of the project which have been mentioned elsewhere in the report, the
majority of the ESSP targets were met. Scholarships, national assessment, child
friendly schooling, basic education teacher training, teacher standards and higher
education work initiated by the ESSP will all continue to be mainstreamed through
the MoEYS.
109. The concept of leadership in education was first introduced through the ESSP
and although it has not yet been mainstreamed, it has been included in the follow on
project for Primary School Directors and is part of an upcoming project funded
through the ADB for Lower Secondary Directors. This clearly points to the fact that
the implementation of the ESSP has been very successful.
110. MoEYS leaders, project management and implementation teams, national and
international staff working in the project all highly appreciate the unwavering support
and guidance given by the Bank staff. Open honest relations between the Bank staff
and the project are essential and the Bank staff have always been open to positive and
supportive dialogue.
24
111. The key factors which contributed to the success of the ESSP were;
a) Excellent leadership and management both from the project manager and the
World Bank Task Team Leader
b) A country context where the development partners and MoEYS work
positively to create a clear strategic plan, clear development goals and a policy
monitoring framework against which to monitor achievements
c) An environment where communities support and embrace the development of
education provision.
112. The Final Aide Memoire of the project stated that “The project contributed
significantly to Cambodia education development at all levels.” Project staff are
unanimous in their opinion that the project was both satisfying and satisfactory to
work in.
(b) Co-financiers.
Not applicable.
(c) Other partners and stakeholders.
Not applicable.
25
Annex 1. Project Costs and Financing
(a) Project Cost by Component (in USD Million equivalent)
(Total rows and percentage column will be calculated by the system)
Components Appraisal Estimate
(US$ million)
Actual / Latest Estimate
(US$ million)
Percentage of
Appraisal
Component 1 18.9 17.1 90.5
Component 2 5.3 5.1 96.2
Component 3 3.0 3.7 123.3
Project management 2.9 3.0 103.5
Total financing 30.1 28.9 96.0
(b) Financing (The appraisal estimate will be pre-populated from the Financing data in SAP/AUS; Percentage of Appraisal column
will be calculated by the system)
Source of Funds Type of Cofinancing Appraisal Estimate
(US$ million)
Actual / Latest Estimate
(US$ million)
Percentage of
Appraisal
IDA Credit 8.0 8.0 100.0
IDA Grant for Poorest
Countries 20.0 19.0 95.0
Government Counterpart 2.1 1.9 90.5
Total 30.1 28.9 96.0
(c) Disbursement Profile
26
Annex 2. Outputs by Component
113. This section describes the outputs of the three components. The assessment is
primarily based on the Aide-Memoires, ISRs and the February 2012 ICR mission which
included visits to project sites in the Province of Siem Reap, and discussions with project
stakeholders including three higher education institutions – the Royal University of
Phnom Penh (to visit the library extension); the publicly-financed National University of
Management that is about to initiate the ACC accreditation process; and the privately-
financed Cambodia Mekong University, likely to participate in the ACC accreditation
process in 2013.
114. Even though the ESSP did not include other sources of funding beyond the IDA
Credit and Grant and government counterpart funds, project implementation required
effective and consistent interaction with other partners, in particular with: (a) the Asian
Development Bank concerning the construction activities under sub-component 1.1; (b)
the Japan International Co-operation Agency regarding the scholarship activities under
sub-component 1.2; (c) the British-financed Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) for the
leadership and CFS interventions under sub-component 2.1 through the work they were
conducting with PEO and DEO’s staff; (d) UNICEF, Save the Children Norway, the
Australian CARE program and the Kampuchean Action Primary Education concerning
the CFS scheme; and (e) USAID that financed World Education, an NGO selected to
conduct an impact evaluation study of the leadership activities under ESSP.
115. Two cost tables are presented to substantiate this Annex: (a) the documented
expenditure by component and by source of financing at appraisal and at the time of the
writing of this ICR (Table A2.2); and (b) the documented expenditure by category and by
source of financing at appraisal and at the time of the writing of this ICR (Table A2.3).
116. Component 1 – Enabling Equitable Access to Education. This component
aimed at expanding educational facilities in poor and underserved areas (sub-component
1.1) and reducing access barriers for disadvantaged children to increase enrollment and
school opportunities (sub-component 1.2).
117. According to Table A2.2 below, this component estimated at appraisal to cost
US$18.9 million (62.7 percent of the total cost), of which US$8 million came from the
IDA Credit, US$9.9 million from the IDA Grant and US$1 million from the government,
ended up documenting expenditures amounting to US$17.1 million, 90.5 percent of the
total appraised amount. The slight under-spending against the total appraised amount of
about 10 percent, is explained below.
118. Sub-component 1.1: Expansion of educational facilities in poor and underserved
areas. According to the targets included in the DFA, the project intended to construct
1,500 classrooms (equivalent to about 300 LS schools, factoring an average of about 5
classrooms per school). However the price of raw materials escalated significantly during
the project period to the point that the average cost of a five-classroom school in 2006 of
US$35,000 jumped to about US$65,000 (86 percent increase) by the end of 2008.
27
Accordingly, at the end of the project, only 254 schools (equivalent to 1,255 classrooms)
were successfully completed, of which 236 were LS and 18 primary schools. The end-of-
project achievement fell short by 15.3 percent as compared to the appraised target, which
is still a very commendable achievement given a cost escalation of 86 percent during the
implementation cycle. The construction included toilets and classroom furniture. This
sub-component also financed arsenic water testing at the wells of the various school sites
where no traces of arsenic were ever found.
119. ESSP included two construction procurement modalities – community-based and
construction firm-based. The first modality was used for small construction projects in
remote and isolated communities, and represented about 10 percent of all the construction
projects financed under ESSP. The Bank field supervision missions attested to the fact
that the school buildings constructed under the two ESSP modalities were structurally
sound and fully utilized and welcomed by the recipient school stakeholders.
120. Of the contracted amount of $9.13 million for school construction, about
$9.12 million (99 percent) was spent on construction of 247 schools. The net saving of
about $0.4 million under this civil works category was then used to construct 7 more
primary schools, prioritized from those damaged by Typhoon Ketsana. These schools
were satisfactorily completed by May 2011.
121. Sub-component 1.2: Reduce access barriers for disadvantaged children. The
ESSP scholarships program covered students in grades 7 to 9 in 312 targeted schools
across all the 23 provinces in the country (except the city of Phnom Penh). These schools
also included those that in the school year 2007-08 were benefiting students receiving
scholarship from two ongoing programs - BETT and JFPR – that closed before their
beneficiaries had completed their LS schooling and that the ESSP absorbed until they had
completed their agreed period of study.
122. A total of 73,644 scholarships (equivalent to 31,469 grade 7 new students) were
awarded over the project’s implementation cycle according to the distribution shown in
table A2.1 below. These students received the scholarship for 3 years (grades 7, 8 and 9).
Table A2.1 Scholarships provided by the project by school year
School year Total number of
scholarships
School cohorts
2005-06 3,727 Grade 7
2006-07 9,387 Grades 7 – 8
2007-08 31,469 Grades 7 to 9
2008-09 18,684 Grades 8-9
2009-10 10,377 Grade 9
Total 73,644
123. All the students that received an ESSP scholarship were selected using a poverty-
based test. Each applicant completed a form that was then scored by previously trained
Local Management Committees (LMCs). Each program's application form was similar.
Based on a survey conducted in the 2008 (Towers, 2009), the ESSP application form was
28
rated higher in quality and relevance than other forms in use by other MoEYS’s
scholarship schemes.
124. According to the findings of a comparative study (Schady & Filmer, 2009a), the
overall ESSP application process was very successful in comparison with similar WB-
funded cash transfer programs in other countries. This research identified that the ESSP
applications process at the LS school level had a 70 percent likelihood of selecting
students from the poor or poorest households.
125. The contracted amount of expenditure for this sub component at appraisal was
estimated in US$4.5 million. However, the total expenditure was US$3.8 million at the
time the last scholarships students completed their studies in July 2010 (84 percent of the
original estimate). All the under spending as compared to the appraised amount, was
reallocated at mid-term review to other project activities. The under spending is partially
explained because: (a) the number of US$60/year scholarships provided during the life of
the project (to conduct an impact evaluation study comparing the effects against
US$45/year scholarships) were less than the ones estimated at appraisal; and (b) the
actual unit cost to train and mobilize LMCs was smaller than the appraised amount.
126. The request to use the savings to increase the number of targeted schools to award
more scholarships was refused by Bank management on the grounds that: (i) this
proposed expansion would have required increasing the number of LMCs, thus also
increasing operation costs, likely exceeding the savings; and (ii) there was not sufficient
time left in the implementation cycle to train the new LMC’s and to carry out the required
oversight visits to ensure appropriate quality in the scholarship process.
127. Drop out of beneficiaries, estimated to be about 7.9 percent, played a small part in
the overall under spending. Out of the total disbursement on this project activity
amounting to US$3.97 million, only US$3.8 million was actually awarded on
scholarships.
128. The scholarships program was subjected to regular external evaluations including
three household and three school-based surveys revealing that:
(i) Scholarships were effectively awarded to the planned target group thus reducing
type-I and II errors, corresponding to the inclusion of non-poor students and exclusion of
potential beneficiaries. However, this study also found that despite the ESSP scholarship
scheme targeted at poor applicants it did not reach the poorest of the poor, since these
students had already dropped-out from primary school. This finding suggested that
policymakers explore extending the scholarship program to target the poorest segments
of the student population in the upper primary grades (4, 5 and 6), in particular in rural
and remote areas, which is currently being piloted by the ESSSUAP in 207 primary
schools in 3 underserved provinces awarding 5,011 scholarships, 83 percent to girls. Half
of the ESSSUAP scholarships were granted on a poverty-basis while the other half, on
merit;
29
(ii) Parents of scholarship recipients increased spending on girls’ schooling form by
approximately US$7/year to US$9/year for ESSP recipients and US$3/year to US$4/year
for their sisters. The study concluded that the ESSP Scholarship Program appeared to
have removed about one-half of the difference in expenditures between boys and girls
among applicants, and about one-fifth of this difference among siblings;
(iii) One study (Towers D., 2009) utilizing EMIS-data, indicated that there was a
significant increase in enrollments at scholarships schools compared with the same
cohorts at other schools in comparable areas of Cambodia with no scholarship scheme.
The ESSP Scholarship Program appears to have increased the Grade 7 enrollment rate by
about 10 percent, higher than the national average figure, implying this scheme was
successful in attracting more students to transfer from Grades 6 to 7;
(iv) The increased enrollment rate at Grade 9 in scholarships students in the same
cohort as ESSP Scholarship beneficiaries shows that in scholarships schools, even non-
scholarships students were less likely to drop out of school and repeat grades;
(v) The studies also found that the scholarship program, albeit having a significant
positive impact on increased enrollment and retention at the LS schools, had little or no
impact at all on learning. This in turn reinforced the need of further complementing the
scholarship scheme with quality enhancing interventions, as the ESSP was rightly aiming
at through component 2; and
(vi) The aim of the scholarships campaign was to inform targeted communes that
Girls’ education is as important as Boys’ education. This message was reinforced by the
symbolic gesture of the government making more scholarship funds available for girls
than boys. These two factors encouraged the girls in the targeted communes to attend
school to the point where girls' attendance rose to the same level as the boys'.
129. Another study (Schady & Filmer, 2009b) showed that the impact on enrollment
and retention of students in LS education providing US$60/year stipend was not much
greater than the US$45/year stipend, and thus the former amount ceased to be awarded.
130. As mentioned elsewhere in the ICR, the MoEYS is currently fully supporting the
continuation of the scholarship program financed 100 percent with budget funds. MoEYS
has scaled up the LS scholarship program from 312 LMCs (granting about 9,360 LS
scholarship per year during ESSP) to 526 LMCs (granting about 15,780 LS scholarship
per year after ESSP). Furthermore, as of the school year 2009-10, MoEYS has extended
this scholarship program for ninth graders to ensure their continuing education in upper
secondary and of 12th graders to continue their higher education. The amount of the
scholarship continues to be US$45/student/year for upper secondary.
131. Rating of Component 1. Despite the slight shortcoming in the construction
target, the ICR rates the implementation of this component as satisfactory based on the
significant achievements mentioned above and the fact that the government is sustaining
the interventions under this component at the closing of the project.
30
132. Component 2 – Supporting Education Quality Improvement Planning and
Management. This component aimed at strengthening decentralized quality of
education service delivery (sub-component 2.1), and establishing a national assessment
monitoring system covering primary and LS education (sub-component 2.2).
133. According to Table A2.2 below, this component estimated at appraisal to cost
US$5.3 million (17.6 percent of the total project cost), of which US$5 million came from
the IDA Grant and US$0.3 million from the government, ended up documenting
expenditures amounting to US$5.1 million, 96.2 percent of the total appraised amount.
The slight 4 percent financial shortfall against the appraised amount is explained below.
134. Sub-component 2.1: Strengthening of decentralized quality of education service
delivery. This sub-component was implemented through the following four well defined
interventions to ensure synergy in the achievement of the quality-related dimensions of
the PDOs: (i) Teacher Professional Development and Standards; (ii) Leadership; (iii)
development and utilization of a CFS self-assessment instrument; and (iv)
implementation of the school report card. The holistic articulation of these interventions
was based on the premise that:
a. Primary and LS schools should increasingly demonstrate characteristics of
effective schooling including teacher teaching practices geared at the improvement of
learning outcomes and increased student enrollment and student flow;
b. New teacher training practices at LS school level (in-service training) should
progressively affect training practices at RTTCs in charge of preparing LS teachers (pre-
service teacher training) by putting trainers and trainees in contact with LS schools.
Successful experiences could lead to institutional changes in the way pre-service training
is presently undertaken; and
c. As a result of the implementation of this three-pronged strategy, a teacher
professional development policy to encourage a learning culture in schools and RTTCs
could be approved and be implemented by the MoEYS.
135. The Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Professional Standard. The
teacher Professional Development (Basic Education Teacher Training) aimed at
increasing the availability and effectiveness of qualified teachers required to serve the
upsurge of 6th
grade graduates attending 7th
grade in the 236 new LS schools constructed
by the project. Under the project, BETT program provided in-service accredited training
to upgrade primary school teachers to be qualified to teach from Grade 1 to Grade 9. As a
result, 1,990 BETT Teachers out of 7,804 (25%) were trained and assigned to teach in
primary schools. Teacher Professional Standards aimed at introducing a set of minimum
standards for teacher performance from pre-primary level to upper secondary level. These
activities were successfully completed by September 2010. This shows that primary
sector quality upgrading was also part of ESSP.
31
136. A team of subject specialists from different departments, including primary
education, secondary education, curriculum development, inspection and teacher training,
worked together under guidance from a highly experienced international technical
assistance, to create a new BET training curriculum leading to a new nationally
recognized qualification. The ESSP training, consisting of one six-week session per year
for two years followed by on-sight supervision and support in between sessions, was
designed to provide experienced primary school teachers with the skills and knowledge to
teach a specific subject among the 13 included in the new LS curriculum. Accordingly,
and deviating from the intended concept in the PAD, the BET training financed by the
ESSP was more subject-based than pedagogically CFS oriented. A small number of LS
teachers also joined the scheme to enable them to add extra teaching hours by being able
to teach at least two grade levels in primary schools. MoEYS formally recognized this
program in 2007 and teachers who successfully passed the 2 year program were renamed
Basic Education Teachers, a post which carried an increase in status, salary and
pensionable rights.
137. Over the period of the project, 7,804 teachers, equivalent to 32.5 percent of the
total LS teacher universe, have qualified as Basic Education Teachers (BET) through the
training provided by ESSP. MoEYS is continuing with the annual training program,
emphasizing those areas of the curriculum where teachers have shown difficulty in
teaching.
138. The preliminary findings of a qualitative impact evaluation study undertaken by a
qualified independent firm in 2009 (World Education Incorporated) as part of the mid-
term review, concluded that: (a) the BET training made a significant contribution to
meeting the shortage of qualified teachers at LS level; (b) improved the retention of
teachers in rural and isolated schools; (c) BET performed better than non-BET teachers in
the observed sample; (d) BET had higher confident levels in teaching LS than non-BET;
and (e) LS ESSP school directors had, by and large, positive perceptions of BET. In
addition, the 18 District TTC (offering pre-service training for primary education
teachers) and 6 RTTCs have adopted the training manuals developed by the ESSP for the
13 curriculum subjects.
139. The Teacher Standards developed and field tested under the ESSP are a simple
reference list of good practices against which teachers can measure the quality of their
own performance. These standards include four categories: professional knowledge,
professional practice, professional learning and professional ethics. The standards serve
as a basis for in-service training to ensure that NGO and MoEYs trainers and others
develop their training plans against the same criteria. In addition, these standards could
be used to assess overall strengths and weaknesses and to inform in-service teacher
training programs at both national and local level. MoEYS has approved these standards,
and they will be included in the 2012 forthcoming new teacher policy discussions.
140. The Leadership Professional Development intervention aimed at allowing school
directors to put more focus on and practice in essential topics surrounding the school
daily activities, particularly on classroom observation techniques and effective provision
32
of constructive feedback to teachers. This intervention began in September 2005 and was
completed in May 2010. The Teacher Training Department within the MoEYS was the
key implementing entity. A total of 908 LS School Directors in 13 Provinces and 1,165
POE and DOE staff as well as Deputy Directors who are in charge of primary and
secondary were trained during the project life.
141. Before the ESSP, the concept of leadership was not present on the education
development agenda of the country and unheard of at the local level to the point that there
was some resistance by MoEYS at the early stages of the preparation process to include it
in the ESSP. The main achievement of the ESSP Leadership Development Program is
that the notion of local leadership, as a complement to the concept of management, has
been inserted in the national development agenda, and that an effective school is one that
shows good management as well as good leadership.
142. Instructional leadership was one of the four modules in the Leadership program
focusing on the school director’s role in leading improvements in student learning.
Leadership helped school directors and teachers across 13 provinces to understand that
teaching in a more student-centered way did not consume the huge amounts of time that
they were afraid of. The leadership module also motivated many school directors to
attend school every day and become much more visible outside their offices, building
much more positive relationships with teachers and community members.
143. Significant changes in leadership practices at ESSP-schools were found in the
sample of schools included in the external qualitative evaluation study undertaken in
2009. One important behavioral change generated by the leadership scheme was to
provide the DOE and POE staff in the target provinces with appropriate vocabulary and
knowledge making primary and LS school visits more useful, positive and supportive
with helpful comments and less administrative like in the past.
144. A variety of NGOs have used the leadership program and integrated it into their
own training programs. The VSO has been actively involved from the very beginning in
the provinces in which it works, even using the leadership curriculum materials in their
own trainings with primary school directors. There has been great interest from other
NGOs, including the Angelina Jolie Foundation, SCN, NEP and World Education. The
modules were burned onto CD and the material shared with educational leaders not only
in Cambodia but with education ministries and organizations in Rwanda, Afghanistan,
Vietnam and China.
145. The leadership program relied heavily on implementation arrangements outside
the mainstream institution not ensuring sufficient capacity buildup within the MoEYS
during the life of the project. For this reason, this program is not being sustained for LS
since ESSP’s financing for this intervention ceased to continue at the end of 2010, albeit
is being implemented in primary education countrywide under the ESSSUAP.
146. The CFS learning environment, was another intervention under sub-component
2.1 that was established in 139 selected LS schools in 12 Provinces. This scheme,
33
developed by UNICEF and extensively used in the primary education level in Cambodia,
aimed at identifying constraints and areas for educational development in LS schools
using a school self-assessment instrument covering six observable dimensions: (a)
universal coverage of grade 6 graduates in the LS school’s catchment area; (b) gender
equity; (c) effective teaching and learning; (d) healthy and safe environment; (e)
community participation; and (f) enabling conditions for good school management. The
findings of the administration of this self-assessment instrument was then used by the
school principal and other school stakeholders to prepare school development plans and
budgets required to move the school to the CFS standards and disseminate these plans to
parents, students and community members. This CFS aimed at empowering schools, and
in particular, school principals, to take responsibility and be accountable for their
performance and thus improve their performance based on the school report card findings.
147. The Department of Secondary General Education of the MoEYS was the key
implementing entity through trained school effectiveness facilitators and coordinators
who animated this scheme. These facilitators trained staff in the POEs and DOEs on how
to introduce performance criteria into target schools, monitor the schools achievement
and assist these schools in addressing their learning and teaching issues. Once trained,
this staff became a School Effectiveness Coordinator.
148. The effectiveness of the CFS intervention was to a large extent measured by the
ability of the school stakeholders, in particular the school director, to assess their
performance against the CFS and implement simple common-sense, low-cost
interventions to bridge their gap against the CFS standards. The findings of the
independent qualitative evaluation study mentioned above states that in 2008 about 95
percent of ESSP School Directors’ perceptions of CFS improvements at their school
matched the assessments made by MoEYS research team. There was little variation in
CFS scores between rural and urban ESSP-schools in the sample, a finding that contrasts
with non-ESSP schools in the sample having an unrealistic high perception of their
performance not matching the observable reality of their schools.
149. The fourth intervention under sub-component 2.1 was the School Report Card
aimed at empowering the community in assessing the school effectiveness and engaging
their participation in addressing the perceived gaps. However, this intervention, despite
having shown its impact in other countries, like India or El Salvador, fell short of its
stated expectations, for several reasons. First, the findings of the instrument developed
and administered by a consulting firm were difficult to communicate to an adult
population, largely with low levels of literacy. Second, a significant amount of the
information required by the instrument to assess the school performance was not
available at the school. Third, the community and the schools largely disengaged in the
process of data collection, data analysis and feedback. Fourth, this scheme did not include
a follow up strategy and tailor-made interventions and resources to support the school
and the community to take action to improve their school effectiveness based on their
perceptions. Finally, this scheme was implemented very late in the project cycle (the last
two years), not allowing for sufficient time to fine-tune the process in a new iteration.
34
150. Sub-component 2.2: National Assessment. Under this sub-component, a team of
specialists from several departments developed national standardized diagnostic-skills
tests for students in grades 3, 6 and 9 to identify overall strengths and weaknesses in
student learning in math and Khmer language. The findings of this learning assessment
instrument were to be used by policy makers and senior authorities at the MoEYS for
corrective and/or preventive measures. During the life of the project a total of five
measurements were undertaken (two for grade 3, one for grade 6 and two for grade 9) as
shown in the picture below.
151. Feeding back the findings of the test results became a significant factor in raising
the standards of literacy and numeracy, especially for grade 3 when comparing the
findings of 2006 and 2009.
152. The project financed sufficient capacity building in terms of ensuring qualified
skills for item development and validation, administration of tests, data collection and
entry, analysis and synthesis and feedback of key findings to school stakeholders and
authorities at all levels. The National Learning Assessment Test has become a powerful
and essential tool for monitoring the improvement of learning achievements and
education quality in the country. This project activity is being fully sustained by the
MoEYS through its recently established Quality Assurance Department, which will
conduct a new test for grade 3 in 2012 and likely one for grade 6 in 2012.
153. Rating of Component 2. The ICR rates the implementation of this component
as satisfactory based on the achievements mentioned above for both sub-component 2.1
and 2.2, and the fact that the government is sustaining the interventions under this
component at the closing of the project.
Year/Subject Grade 3 Grade 6 Grade 9
2005-06 (6,800)
Khmer 40.4
Mathematics 37.5
2006-07 (6,000)
Khmer 68.1
Mathematics 58.9
2007-08 (6,000)
Khmer 68.0
Mathematics 41.2
2008-09 (6,000)
Khmer 54.1
Mathematics 48.0
2009-10 (6,000)
Khmer 68.3
Mathematics 43.8
35
154. Component 3 – Assistance to the Education Sector Support. This component,
vaguely defined at the time of appraisal, aimed at addressing the implementation of
selected interventions under the ESSP, to be agreed with IDA during the implementation
cycle. During 2006, the three interventions proposed by the government and agreed by
IDA to be financed under this component were: (i) capacity building for the DHE (sub-
component 3.1); (ii) strengthening the ACC (sub-component 3.2); and (iii) the
construction of an extension to the library at the RUPP (sub-component 3.3).
155. According to Table A2.2 below, this component estimated at appraisal to cost
US$3 million (10 percent of the total project cost), of which US$2.8 million came from
the IDA Grant and US$0.2 million from the government, ended up documenting
expenditures amounting to US$3.7 million, 123 percent of the total appraised amount.
The overspending against the total appraised was mainly caused by the construction and
equipping the library as explained below.
156. Sub-component 3.1: Capacity Building at the DHE aimed at: (i) implementing
minor works in order to improve and expand the office accommodation ensuring an
adequate working environment, including provision of office and communication
equipment, computers, connectivity with internet and furniture, which was quickly
completed during the first year of the project; (ii) developing DHE staff capacity; (iii)
developing a vision for higher education agreed with key HEI actors; and (iv) developing
the initial phases of a HEMIS.
157. The developing of DHE’s staff capacity included training, study tours and
internships in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines to fully analyze the other country’s
higher education policy, regulatory and organizational and quality assurance frameworks
and reflect the findings on DHE’s professional development needs and strategy.
158. While DHE’s needs analysis and action plan were completed early in the project,
addressing these needs was carried out towards the end of the project cycle due to: (i) a
significant delay in finding a suitably qualified and experienced international technical
advisor to lead the next stage of development; and (ii) initial budgetary restrictions to
meet the hiring of this qualified expert commanding higher salaries. With respect to the
budgetary restrictions, it is the view of the ICR that during the operational definition of
component 3 in the first six months after Board approval, not sufficient thought was
provided to the setting of the end-of-project targets and budgets, agreeing the counterpart
and Bank teams to allocate one million US dollars to each sub-component, and amount
bearing little resemblance to the implementation reality.
159. The HEMIS-related intervention aimed at designing a prototype, to inform the
later development of a full HEMIS system. Due to budget limitations, the implementation
of this intervention was slow during the first half of the project cycle, picking up speed
during the final six months of the project life when a suitable international consultant was
contracted. The consultant prepared a Concept Note outlining an implementation plan for
the technical development of the HEMIS over the period 2011-2015. This plan envisions
36
that by 2015, the HEMIS will provide accurate and complete data on the entire
Cambodian higher education system with respect to students, teaching staff and HEIs.
The IDA-financed HEQCIP, approved in December 2010 and declared effective in early
2011, is financing the actual operation of the HEMIS including training for its utilization.
160. The drafting of a National Vision and Strategy for Higher Education aimed at: (i)
harmonizing the fast expanding and disparate development of the public and private
higher education sector in Cambodia; (ii) guiding the preparation of the ongoing IDA-
financed HEQIP; and (iii) training of MoEYS staff. This drafting has required a core
team of about 30 people representing the DHE (chairing the group), ACC, 11 public and
12 private HEIs and the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Culture and Fine Arts
which are responsible for some HEIs under their jurisdiction. The proposed vision has
required about four draft iterations at the end of which the corresponding draft has been
discussed in larger size workshops attended by many more HEIs stakeholders (about 200
in the first round, above 100 in the second, and about 30 in the fourth and last one).
161. Despite the participatory approach to establish a vision, at the time of drafting the
ICR, not all the HEI’s stakeholders have yet adopted this vision, mainly because the
MoEYS, which is not the regulatory body of higher education in Cambodia, managed this
task. The ICR mission was informed that under HEQCIP it is expected to reach
consensus on this latest draft by October 2012, at which time it will be approved by the
MoEYS and disseminated.
162. Sub-component 3.2: ACC aimed at establishing a set of nationally recognized
criteria designed to create a group of universal quality standards against which HEIs
could be measured and accredited in a transparent fashion. ACC completed one
accreditation system under the ESSP – the Foundation Year Assessment – and developed
in a participatory fashion the accreditation standards for HEIs, which were approved,
published (in English and Khmer) and disseminated in 2010.
163. The Foundation Year Assessment is intended for all first year bachelor students in
all HEIs in the country. This assessment included the development of tools (resulting in
one manual for assessors and one for institutions), the establishment of a process
(resulting in an Assessment Guideline) and the recruiting and training of a pool of about
260 assessors drawn from HEIs and other sources, whose initial training was carried out
by 8 international experts. At the end of ESSP, a total of 72 HEI’s (out of a universe of
83) were assessed by the ACC, 66 of which received full Foundation Year accreditation
(valid for 3 years) and another 6 were awarded a conditional accreditation contingent on
the implementation of an improvement plan agreed with the ACC. Under the current
HEQCIP, another group of 8 HEI’s are currently being assessed. The assessment process
has a fee for the HEI of about 10,000 Riels per student enrolled in the foundation year at
the time of the assessment. The challenges lying ahead focus on how to further improve
the role of the assessor and the objectivity of the findings and reporting based on
observable evidence rather than in a more subjective appreciation by the assessor.
37
164. With respect to the accreditation of HEIs, the ACC achieved its agreed ESSP
target concerning the finalization, approval, publication (in English and Khmer) and
dissemination of the Nine Minimum Standards for Accreditation of HEIs, which now
have become government policy. Under HEQCIP, ACC developed, approved (in April
2011) and published the Guidelines (accreditation process) as well as the manuals for the
institution and the assessor (the tools) in Khmer language. Their English translation is
forthcoming. At the writing of the ICR, ACC is conducting the assessment of the first set
of 4 HEIs. The accreditation process carries a fee of about 5,000 Riel per student enrolled
in the HEI.
165. To reach this stage, ESSP financed significant capacity building through
attendance at a range of international workshops, seminars and internships overseas. This
exposure also assisted the ACC to build an international network of specialist
accreditation bodies, like, for example, the Asian Pacific Quality Network, the
Philippines Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities and the Malaysian
Accreditation Agency. Another important externality of this sub-component concerns an
understanding and acceptance by a large number of HEIs in the country about the
advantages of receiving full accreditation by the ACC, a notion of quality of standards
that was not sufficiently widespread and accepted before the start of this project.
166. Sub-component 3.3: Construction of the extension Library of the RUPP was
significantly delayed due to: (i) initial difficulties in finding a suitable architect; (ii)
disagreements between the MoEYS and the architect concerning the library’s roof in the
proposed design that ultimately led to a termination of the architect’s contract in August
2007; (iii) selection and hiring of a new architect’s consulting firm in 2009 which took
more than 6 months; and (iv) a timeline set back when problems with the foundations
were discovered and had to be addressed, thus delaying construction by another six
weeks. Because all these factors, the original closing date of the project was extended
from December 31, 2010 to September 30, 2011, to allow for the satisfactory completion
of this library extension. The library was finally handed over to the RUPP on August
2011, including furniture, office and information technology equipment, security system
and books.
167. Rating of Component 3. The ICR rates the implementation of this component as
moderately satisfactory based on the achievements mentioned above for both sub-
component 3.1 and 3.2, but also on the fact that not all HEI stakeholders have approved
the vision for higher education and the significant delay in completing the library
extension.
168. According to table A2.2, the total project cost estimated at appraisal was US$30.1
million equivalent, corresponding US$8 million equivalent from the IDA Credit (26.6
percent of the total), US$20 million equivalent from the IDA Grant (66.4 percent of the
total) and US$2.1 million equivalent from the government (7 percent of the total). At the
closing of the project, the total documented expenditure amounted to US$28.9 million
equivalent (96 percent of the total contracted) of which US$8 million came from the IDA
Credit (100 percent of the total contracted amount), US$19 million came from the IDA
38
Grant (95 percent of the total contracted amount) and US$1.9 million equivalent came
from government (90.5 percent of the total committed at negotiations).
169. As fully explained above in this Annex, the slight shortfall in component 1 is due
to the scholarship scheme, where the total disbursement amounted to about 15.5 percent
of the appraised estimate. The negligible under-spending of component 2 of less than 4
percent is more a reflection of the way the decentralization of the quality of education
service delivery incorporated in the PAD was actually implemented in the project cycle
resulting in lower unit costs as compared to the appraised ones. The overspending of
component 3 of about 23 percent is mainly due to all the factors adversely affecting the
implementation of the construction of the library extension of the RUPP, and the fact that
the supply of the library book package resulted to be more expensive than the appraised
amount. The project management cost remained around the original appraised estimate,
with the slight overspending of 3 percent due to the extension of managing the project by
another 9 months as compared to the original closing date. The fact that most of the
project targets were achieved is an indication of an effective project management.
170. Even though the latter IDA supervision missions recommended the PCO to
identify eligible ESSP activities to better make use of the foreseeable undisbursed Grant
proceeds, the PCO decided not to take any risk in initiating tasks not likely to be timely
completed, resulting in the undisbursed IDA Grant balance shown in the table below.
Table A2.2: Documented expenditures by component and by source at appraisal and
closing of the Credit/Grant (in US$ millions) Component
At the time of appraisal
At the time of Credit/Grant closing
Percentages
IDA
Credit
(1)
IDA
Grant
(2)
RGC
(3)
Total
(4)
IDA
Credit
(5)
IDA
Grant
(6)
RGC
(7)
Total
(8)
(5)/(1)
(6)/(2)
(7)/(3)
(8)/(4)
Component 1 8.0 9.9 1.0 18.9 8.0 8.1 1.0 17.1 100.0 81.8 100.0 90.5
Component 2 5.0 0.3 5.3 4.9 0.2 5.1 98.0 66.7 96.2
Component 3 2.8 0.2 3.0 3.6 0.1 3.7 128.6 50.0 123.3
Management 2.3 0.6 2.9 2.4 0.6 3.0 104.3 100.0 103.5
Total 8.0 20.0 2.1 30.1 8.0 19.0 1.9 28.9 100.0 95.0 90.5 96.0
171. According to table A2.3, there was overspending in the category of goods for the
three components as well as in the incremental operating costs. The cost escalation of the
school furniture required in the 254 new schools as well as the one related to the RUUP
library goods mainly explains this difference against the appraised estimates. The
significant under-spending in consulting services is merely a reflection of the delay in
hiring the costly international consultants and their reduced service time and lower unit
costs paid for technical assistance as compared to the appraised amounts. Yet the
corresponding targets for which this technical assistance was required, were satisfactorily
achieved, and in some cases, even surpassed like in teaching training and leadership. The
under-spending in salary supplements reflects a measure of efficiency, given the fact that
the ESSP’s satisfactory physical and financial implementation cycle required less
government staff on a supplemental salary as estimated at appraisal and those that were
on this supplement ceased to receive it by October 2010, about 11 months before the
39
closing of the project. In both training and works categories of expenditures, the actual
was about similar to the appraised amounts.
Table A2.3: Documented expenditures by category and by source at appraisal and at the
closing of the Credit/Grant (in US$ millions)
Category of
Expend.
At the time of appraisal
At the time of Credit/Grant closing
Percentages
IDA
Credit
(1)
IDA
Grant
(2)
RGC
(3)
Total
(4)
IDA
Credit
(5)
IDA
Grant
(6)
RGC
(7)
Total
(8)
(5)/(1)
(6)/(2)
(7)/(3)
(8)/(4)
Works 8.0 0.9 8.9 8.0 0.9 8.9 100 .0 100.0 100.0
Goods for C1
and C2
2.0 2.0
2.4 2.4 120.0 120.0
Consultant’s
Services
4.0
4.0
2.4
2.4
60.0
60.0
Training 4.8 4.8 4.7 4.7 97.9 97.9
Scholarships 4.5 4.5 3.8 3.8 84.4 84.4
Incremental
Operating costs
2.8
2.8
3.1
3.1
110.7
110.7
Goods for C3 1.9 1.9 2.6 2.6 136.8 136.8
Salary
supplements
1.2 1.2
1.0 1.0 83.3 83.3
Total 8.0 20.0 2.1 30.1 8.0 19.0 1.9 28.9 100.0 95.0 90.5 96.0
40
Annex 3. Economic and Financial Analysis
Economic Analysis
172. The PAD did not undertake a traditional economic analysis for this project, i.e.
with a calculated economic rate of return. Instead, as specified in the ICR guideline, it
focused on analyzing the project cost-effectiveness and efficiency to determine whether
the project attained measurable benefits in monetary and other terms. In this discussion,
the additional incremental earnings of direct beneficiaries generated by this project is
analyzed in terms of quantity and quality, while an additional discussion in terms of
efficiency and equity is not analyzed in monetary terms. In its conclusion, the validity of
this investment is analyzed using through the lenses of NPV and IRR.
173. Cost. Total project costs, disbursed over the project period, amounted to $28.9
million. Discounting the cost stream at a rate of 5 percent yields a Present Discounted
Value (PDV) of $21.6 million as of 2005, when the project started.
174. Benefits. Although data necessary to measure benefits with any degree of
precision are not available, it is still possible to consider the different categories of
benefits and then estimate the corresponding PDV. Four categories of benefits, quantity,
quality, efficiency and equity, are analyzed in terms of how much the project is or will be
contributing to each benefit in PDV terms.
175. Quantity. The basic conceptualization of this analysis is to identify the monetary
benefits generated by the primary access-related (construction and scholarships) project
activities in terms of increases in earnings for beneficiary students. Under the
Construction activity, 1,255 classrooms (equivalent to 254 school buildings) have been
constructed in communes without Lower Secondary School (LSS) buildings. MoEYS
constructed 633 Lower Secondary School (LSS) buildings nationwide over the same
period (2005 to 2010), a figure that includes ESSP constructed schools, and thus
expanded total enrollment by 115,440 students. This means that ESSP funded school
construction extended access for at least 45,000 students.1 Among those 45,000 students,
the analysis is assumed that this would generate an additional 2,8702 Grade 9 graduates
who would have been unable to complete Grade 9 without the ESSP intervention. It is
also assumed that the effects of construction will last for 15 years. Under the Scholarship
activity, 73,644 scholarships were distributed to 31,469 students. This program has been
mainstreamed into Ministry’s activity and approximately 15,700 students have been
1The figure 45,000, is a more modest and manageable estimate for the figure 46,321 (115,440/633x254). A
more bold estimate would be 56,349 given that the classroom student ratio at LS level in Cambodia (2009-
2010) is 44.9 (1,233x44.9).
2 45,000x13.1%x48.7%=2,870. Cambodia Socio Economic Survey (CSES) 2009 has identifies that 13.1%
of all LS students are from lowest income quintile group. EMIS 209-2010 calculates the completion rate of
LS as 48.7%.
41
awarded scholarships annually since 2009. The impact evaluation of the scholarship
program concluded that scholarships raised the school participation of recipients by about
20 percentage points as compared with those schools/students without the program.
Based on this data and finding, it is assumed that 20 percent of 31,469 students funded
through the project and 31,400 students funded by MoEYS budget 2009 and 2010 are
those would have been unable to finish Grade 9 without this program.
176. The principal of monetary benefits analyzed are the incremental earnings of
beneficiary students. In order to identify minimum long-term benefits for the next 15
years, the wage gap between Grade 9 graduates and Grade 6 graduates are calculated
based on 2004 data and assume an expected minimum inflation rate of 5 percent from
2012 onwards.
177. Quality. One objective of this project is to enhance quality of basic education. In
accordance with this, a range of teacher training activities took place, most prominently
the School Leadership Training. It was reported in a series of Mission Aide Memoire that
School directors training have resulted in improvement of school vision and planning,
better relationship between teachers and directors, positive effect on CFS, and increased
problem solving skills. The external quality evaluation3
indicated that enrollment,
repetition and dropout rates for schools where school director training took place
improved from 2004 to 2008. The report thus concluded there was a very clear
relationship between the improvement of leadership and the improvement of school
outcomes. With this in mind, it is assumed that each graduate of the School Leadership
Training program enables a few additional students to complete Grade 9 who otherwise
would have been to finish without such an intervention.
178. One calculation for this quality gain could be made by considering the monetary
benefits (incremental earning gains) of beneficiary students in the same manner as
calculated in the Quantity section above. Another possible measure is to examine the
difference of quality and interventions of school directors – how many students are
prevented from dropping-out. A single trained school director may enable 1 more student
per year to finish Grade 9. Accordingly, prevention of two students and no effect (that is,
no additional students are prevented from dropping out) will form higher and lower
scenarios respectively, as explained below. It is also assumed that this quality gain will be
effective for 10 years. Although another major training program, the Basic Education
Teacher Training program, might also have played a role in reducing drop-outs, it was
not factored in here since there is no relevant data. Instead, the BETT is discussed in the
section on Efficiency analysis below.
179. Efficiency. There are a number of ways that the project increased the efficiency
of educational production and reduced the unit costs of education. Among the most
important contribution, however, is reducing student drop out and repetition rates.
3 The Leadership Professional Development Program Data Analysis Report, by Morefield, J. and Sarik, I.
(2008).
42
National statistics will be used to analyze efficiency: a comparison of project outputs
with the respective baseline figures from 2005. Although ESSP does not support all LS
schools these national figures are assumed to be fairly representative given that the
project increased 27.5 percent of school buildings and trained 31.1 percent of LS teachers
and 98.5 percent of school directors.4 EMIS data identifies that in 2003-2004 the drop-
out rate of Grade 9 was 26.2 percent but by 2009-10 was reduced to 19.8 percent. EMIS
also identifies that in 2003-2004 repetition rate of lower secondary was 4.2 percent while
in 2009-2010 it declined to 2.4 percent. The 6.4 point improved in drop-out and the 1.8
point improved in repetition means that the efficiency of Lower Secondary education has
been improved. Although it is difficult to quantify the value of efficiency, the difference
in these efficiency rates/effect for Grade 9 can be estimated to almost one million US
dollars.5 Although this positive monetary benefit has not been factored into this analysis,
it reveals that this project generated clear efficiency gains.
180. It is also noteworthy that the Basic Education Teacher Training program has
provided a significant impact (over 10 percent) on student-teacher ratio over the time of
first two project years, moving the ratio from 31.5 in 2005-2006 to 28.2 in 2007-2008. In
addition, teacher deployment has been improved in terms of supply/demand gap in the
primary and lower secondary levels (LSS), resulting in the increased number of students
enrolled in LSS. This also suggests positive efficiency effects of this project.
181. Equity. Although reducing the gap in enrollments between the poor/non-poor is
the most crucial objective of this project and thus most supply side interventions are pro-
poor targeted (including scholarships for poor students and constructions in disadvantage
areas), equity impact is difficult to quantify in monetary terms. Nonetheless, it seems
clear that the project provided many intangible benefits including improved enrollments
among girls and students from poor households. One external quantitative evaluation6
states that female enrollment was around 50 percent higher in ESSP target provinces.
Additionally, the scholarship program also increased school participation among the poor
population by an additional 20 percent, as mentioned already above.
182. Sensitivity analysis. ESSP is generating significant economic benefits relative to
project costs even if the effects will be limited over the next fifteen-year period. The
estimated cost and benefit of Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rates of Return
(IRR) to the major investments of ESSP under the three scenarios are based on the
assumptions presented in Table A3.2 with overall results summarized in Table A3.1. In
the base scenario, it is expected that one Basic Education teacher will enable 1 more
student per year to finish Grade 9. A sensitivity analysis also analyses assumptions of
4 254/922=27.5%, 7,804/25107=31.1%, 908/922=98.5%; data from EMIS 2005-06
5 70.1US$ (unit cost per LS student 2009 from EU 2012) x 172,864 (G9 enrollment 2009-10 in EMIS) x
6.4%= 775,537US$ 70.1x172,864x1.8%=US$218,119. 775537+218119=993,656USD.
6 The Quantitative Evaluation of CESSP, by Sack, R. 2010.
43
enabling a higher and lower number of students; no effect for the lower case and two in
the high case.
183. Table A3.1 presents the NPV of quantity and quality benefits discussed above. In
the baseline scenario, these benefits add up to a total of nearly US$53.0 million, far above
the disbursed project cost, US$21.6 and its IRR is 12.3 percent. Even in the lower
scenario, the NPV is US$52.1 million, well in excess of the PDV of the project cost. This
strongly suggests that the project output has been and will continue to generate long-term
cost benefits. This coupled with the improved factors in efficiency and equity discussed
above, further justifies this project investment.
Table A3.1: IRR and NPV for the project
Cost Benefit
Low scenario 52.1 11.5%
Base scenario 53 12.3%
High scenario 53.9 13.1%
Quality 21.56
NPV IRR
Table A3.2: Assumptions for Cost-Benefit Analysis based on project outputs Assumptions for Estimation of Cost-Beneft Analysis
BENEFITS
1. Incremental earnings
Average wage level of Grade 9 graduate* USD 584.2
Average wage level of grade 6 graduate* USD 677.3
Inflation rate 5 percent
2.1 Beneficiaries in quantitative analysis
Number of beneficiaries of Scholarships Program
Nubmer of beneficiaries of Construction Activity 2870 students annually
2.2 Number oftotal beneficiary students of BETT in qualitative analysis
2.2.1. Low Scenario - SLT will not enable any additional student to finish Grade 9 0 students
2.2.2. Base scenario - SLT will enable 1 additional student to finish Grade 9 908 students annually
2.2.3 High scenario - SLT will enable 2 additional student to finish Grade 9 1816 students annually
COSTS
IDA Credit and Grant disbused USD 21.6 million in total
* Sakellariou (2007)
62869 students (31469 from
CESSP, 31400 from MoEYS)
Financial Analysis
184. A financial analysis was conducted in the Project Appraisal Document in an
attempt to estimate recurrent costs generated as a result of this program. This was based
on past public expenditure trends and projections, focusing primarily on the cost of LS
teachers’ salary and scholarship program incurred as a result of the project. These costs
44
are expected to be absorbed by the education budget with no negative sustainability
implications in the long run.
185. Recent trends in education budget share. The PAD estimated education budget
trend is upward or will be maintained at 2004 levels (17.5 to 18.0 percent) based on the
draft Medium Term Expenditure Framework 2003-2009. However the recent trend in
education budget has been downward since the peak in 2007 as the figure (A3.1) below.
Although the trend of recurrent budget share is going down, the actual allocated amount
has been increasing.7
Figure A3.1: Trend of MoEYS recurrent budget share against National Budget (EU)
186. Sectoral Efficiency. Figure A3.2 below presents the recent expansion of Lower
Secondary Sub-Sector in terms of number of graduates and sub-sectoral budget. It
highlights slight upward trend of efficiency of the sub-sector: the upward trend of Grade
9 graduates is slightly greater than the upward trend of the recurrent sector budget.
7 Trend of MoEYS actual current expenditure; US$107.6million (2006),
US$134.1million (2007), US$151.7million (2008), US$181.1million (2009),
US$201.2million (2010).
% National Recurrent budget allocated to MoEYS recurrent budget
(Budget Laws)
18.30%
19.20%
18.10%
17.03%
16.40%16.60%
15.91%
15%
16%
16%
17%
17%
18%
18%
19%
19%
20%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
% National recurrent budget to MoEYS (Budget Law)
45
Figure A3.2: Grade 9 Graduates and Education Sector Recurrent Budget
Progress Towards EFA:
Grade 9 Graduates and Education Sector Recurrent Budget
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Academic Year Ending
Gra
de 9
Gra
duate
s
0.00
10000.00
20000.00
30000.00
40000.00
50000.00
60000.00
Inflation A
dju
ste
d E
ducation
Secto
r B
udget (B
illions R
iel)
Grade 9 Graduates Inflation adjusted Education Budget
The upward trend of grade 9 graduates is
greater than the upward trend of recurrnet
sector budget, showing increasingly efficient
use of sector resources
Source: European Union 2011
187. LS teachers’ salary and scholarships. The PAD stated that “The annual
increments to the LSS teachers’ salary bill and to the student scholarship scheme seem
affordable given projected increased in the total recurrent budget for education.” PAD
also presented incremental recurrent costs generated by ESP for LS education.
Comparing the project in the PAD with the EMIS data for 2008-09, it is evident that the
projection of number of LS students was over-estimated (1,000,000 estimated while
898,594 enrolled in 2007-08) and number of LS teachers was under-estimated (22,636
estimated while 29,942 registered). This means that the Ministry recruited a far greater
number of LS teachers than scheduled and allocated a large recurrent budget for teachers
to meet the expanded needs generated by LS education.
Table A3.3: Trend of number of LS teachers (EMIS)
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Teacher 24,219 25,107 27,173 29,942 32,747 34,078
Student 706,069 793,258 848,276 898,594 898,130 908,698
ST Ratio 29.2 31.6 31.2 30.0 27.4 26.7
Source: EMIS, MoEYS
Trend of number of LS teachers
188. Table A3.4 also explains the approximately 60,000 million Riel (almost
equivalent to US$15 million) increased public expenditure on teacher wage annually.
This increased budget has absorbed the increased LS teachers’ salary (US$0.8 million in
46
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
(A) Government budget 506,644 659,971 754,666 824,879 950,185 1,046,419 1,165,415
Wages 372,088 435,384 505,749 609,960 686,815 756,449 842,388
Non-wage 134,556 224,587 248,917 214,919 214,919 263,370 323,026
(B) Donor Support 355,193 274,384 260,535 314,462 408,585 412,672 417,252
Government total (A+B)
(In percent of GDP)
861,837
2.5
934,355
2.2
1,015,201
2.4
1,139,341
2.4
1,344,322
2.6
1,476,711
2.6
1,625,241
Program budget 78,272 92,587 111,745 162,272 226,550 265,601 304,132
In percent of recurrent 15.5 14.0 14.81 19.7 24.2 25.0 25.2
Selected items from PB:
General Education 48,526 64,011 74,394 111,538 135,896 154,138 170,184
Early childhood education 434 641 686 6,553 7,130 7,700 8,267
Quality primary education 30,046 38,427 43,794 43,775 44,331 54,270 60,456
Secondary education 12,195 16,983 18,949 36,360 50,131 55,672 62,193
Scholarship poor students 3,409 4,001 6,438 8,230 9,280 10,342 11,497
Expansion non-formal
education
2,441 3,959 4,527 6,860 7,724 8,505 9,471
Higher education 1,677 2,501 3,062 3,493 15,439 27,908 41,335
Youth and sport
development
531 1,237 1,496 2,417 2,996 3,390 3,884
Strengthening governance 309 441 439 707 914 1327 1492
Source: ESP 2009-2013 for 2010-13; ECORYS, 2011 for 2007-2009 aggregates; MOEYS and MEF for PB budget
2007-09.
2004 and 0.1 to 0.2 million thereafter). As such, the increased cost of LSS teachers, as a
result of ESSP interventions, has been absorbed by Ministry’s allocated budget.
189. It was also estimated in the PAD that approximately US$2.4 million would be
needed to fund scholarships for poor students. Currently the LSS scholarship is being
fully mainstreamed as a Ministry sponsored activity and US$709,560 has been allocated
annually from the Ministry’s budget to provide for 15,768 beneficiary students in 2011.
In addition to teachers’ salary bill and scholarships, the costs of Basic Education Teacher
Training have also been disbursed from Ministry’s budget since 2011 (US$65,614 for
1,995 teachers). Although the downward trend of overall MoEYS budget share against
the national budget is cause for concern, the financial sustainability of the main activities
initiated by the ESSP has been fully achieved.
Table A3.4: Education Expenditures 2007-13
(in millions of Riels unless indicated otherwise)
47
Annex 4. Bank Lending and Implementation Support/Supervision Processes
(a) Task Team members
Names Title Unit Responsibility/Specialty
At the preparation stage
Luis Benveniste Education Specialist EASHD Task team leader
Beng Simeth Operations Officer EASHD Implementation arrangements
Caroll Ball Senior Operations Officer EASSD Implementation arrangements
Rosemary Bellew Lead Education Specialist HDNED Decentralized school planning
Chandra Chakravarthi Program Assistant EASHD Project preparation assistance
Ernesto Cuadra Senior Education Specialist HDNED Peer reviewer
Deon Filmer Senior Economist DECRG Economic analysis
Robin Horn Senior Education Specialist LCSHD Peer reviewer
Josephine Masanque Senior Financial Analyst MNACS Financial capacity assessment
Peter Moock Lead Economist EASHD Economic analysis
Xiomara Morel Senior Finance Officer LOAG1 Disbursements
Juan Manuel Moreno Senior Education Specialist HDNED Education
Hoi-Chan Nguyen Senior Counsel LEGEA Negotiations
Maria Lourdes Pardo Counsel LEGEA Negotiations
Alfred Picardi Environmental specialist Consultant Environmental safeguards
Ana Revenga Lead Economist EASHD Economic analysis
Cristobal Ridao-Cano Economist EASHD Data collection
Alberto Rodriguez Senior Education Specialist LCSHE Peer reviewer
Norbert Schady Senior Economist DECRG Peer reviewer
Steffanie Stallmeister Young Professional EASHD Economic analysis
Sreypov Tep Team Assistant EACSF Negotiations logistics support
Christopher Thomas Senior Education Specialist EASHD Education
Jennifer Thomson
Sr. Financial Management
Sp. EAPCO Financial management
Naoki Umemiya Operations Assistant EASHD Mission logistics and support
Nil Vanna
Social Development
Specialist EASSD Gender and social assessment
At the implementation stage
Omporn Regel Senior Operations Officer EASHD Task Team Leader
Simeth Beng
Human Development
Officer EASHD Task Team Leader
Rajiv Aggarwal Facilities Specialist Consultant Construction
48
Ahsan Ali Senior Procurement
Specialist
EASSD Procurement
Luis Benveniste
Country Sector
Coordinator EASHD Overall overview
Caroll Ball Senior Operations Officer EASSD Procurement
Chandra Chakravarthi Program Assistant EASSD Mission assistance
Ravan Chieap Program Assistant EASSD Mission logistics
Kannathee Danaisawat
Financial Management
Specialist EASSD Financial management
Deon Filmer Senior Economist DECRG Scholarship program
Tsuyoshi Fukao Education Specialist EASHD Quality component 2
Harry Go Architect Consultant School construction
Achariya Kohtbantau Human Development Spec Consultant Quality component 2
Bunlong Leng Environmental Specialist Consultant Safeguards
John Malmborg Architect Consultant School construction
Peter Moock Lead Economist EASHD Higher education component
Laurent Msellati Operations Advisor EAPCO Fiduciary assessment
Emiko Naka Education Specialist Consultant Quality component 2
Vanna Nil Social Development Consultant Social safeguards
John Richardson Governance Specialist Consultant Governance/risk framework
Norbert Schady Senior Economist DECRG Scholarship program
Sokunthea Sok Procurement Assistant EASSD Procurement
Sreypov Tep Team Assistant EACSF Mission logistics support
Christopher Thomas Sector Manager Education EASHD Overall sector overview
Jennifer Thomson
Sr. Financial Management
Specialist EAPCO Financial management
Rosita Van Meel Senior Education Specialist ECSHD Higher education
Charis Wuerffel Operations Assistance Consultant Scholarships/higher Educat.
Eduardo Velez Education Sector Manager EASHD Overall sector overview
49
(b) Staff Time and Cost
Stage of Project Cycle
Staff Time and Cost (Bank Budget Only)
No. of staff weeks USD Thousands (including
travel and consultant costs)
Lending
FY02 3.7 13,966.5
FY03 13.8 69,977.0
FY04 47.1 167,463.2
FY05 80.5 272,625.5
Total: 145.1 524,062.2
Supervision/ICR
FY06 58.9 161,696.8
FY07 41.3 116,016.7
FY08 48.3 197,924.4
FY09 37.3 197,704.3
FY10 20.2 93,744.0
FY11 23.3 107,761.1
FY12 4.2 37,931.6
Total: 233.5 912,778.9
50
Annex 5. Beneficiary Survey Results
Not applicable
51
Annex 6. Stakeholder Workshop Report and Results
Not applicable
52
Annex 7. Summary of Borrower's ICR and/or Comments on Draft ICR
1. What worked well
190. The activities which worked best in terms of sustainable outcomes and ownership
by the MoEYS were scholarships, basic education teacher training and child friendly
schooling interventions as well as national assessments at Grades 3, 6 and 9. Construction
can also be counted as successful despite the fact that rising costs prevented the
construction of the original number of schools planned in the PAD. Each of these
activities successfully addressed the development objectives of the project and they
continue to be implemented by the MoEYS. The Teacher Standards activity was
successful in that it resulted in a policy which is being implemented by the MoEYS.
191. Leadership was mostly successful in that the ESSP introduced the concept of
Leadership to the Education Sector in Cambodia. It was the first project to use the word
leadership in its implementation plan and it pioneered the development of Leadership
training in the country.
192. The training was highly appreciated by the beneficiaries and the Leadership
modules have been adopted by a number of NGO’s. The team of staff from the teacher
training department who were involved in the ESSP leadership program now have
sufficient capacity to train primary school directors in a Leadership training course
funded through the Global Partnership for Education project. This training is based on the
ESSP Leadership program.
193. Capacity building in the Department of Higher Education worked well and the
department is now managing the first major internationally funded Higher Education
Quality and Capacity Improvement project in the country.
194. ACC also met its capacity building goals by being able to create a nationally
approved Foundation Year accreditation system and by finalizing the accreditation
standards and guidelines for Higher Education institutional accreditation. These activities
continue to be developed and implemented under the auspices of the Council of Ministers
and funded through the new HEQCIP.
195. The construction of the Library Extension at the Royal University of Phnom Penh
has been highly successful despite a slow start leading to a need to extend the project for
nine months. It is fully owned, managed and maintained by the RUPP. It is the biggest
academic library in the country and offers access to anyone who wishes to use it,
including students from other Universities and members of the public.
2. What did not work so well and why
196. Despite its popularity with beneficiaries during the project life and a continuation
at Primary Education level there has to date been no continuation of leadership training at
53
lower secondary level. This is mainly due to a lack of ownership by the secondary
education department as they did not have significant representation on the ESSP
Leadership team. However the concept is now clearly accepted within the sector and a
new ADB project focused on Lower Secondary Education will include a leadership
module which has been informed by the ESSP program.
197. The School report card intervention was designed to increase community demand
for improved performance of their school. It did not meet its objectives for two main
reasons. Firstly the information required at local level to complete the report card itself
was often not available. This meant that the community could not receive all the
information it needed to make a considered opinion on performance and progress.
Secondly the data was gathered by an independent firm. This meant that capacity and
ownership were not established with the MoEYS at all levels. This activity therefore has
not been developed further by the MoEYS.
198. Development of a vision and strategy for Higher Education was very difficult to
achieve during the life of the project because the MoEYS is not the only ministry
involved in higher education. A vision and strategy was drafted quite early in the project
cycle but it took time to gain a consensus since there were many different stakeholders.
However the process is ongoing through the new Higher Education Quality and Capacity
Improvement Project and is expected to be approved by October 2012.
3. What would be done differently if the project were designed again.
199. In terms of meeting needs and being valued both by the beneficiaries and the
implementing teams, the project was satisfying to work in and the overall outcomes were
satisfactory. However there are a number of points which could have been improved
regarding project design.
200. Firstly, the PAD did not give clear guidance on the scope and coverage required.
The teams overcame that problem by creating an implementation plan based on
discussions with the MoEYS leaders to identify priority needs. This meant that
performance indicators related to Primary Education, were not specifically addressed.
Therefore in redesigning the project, the scope, coverage and performance indicators
should be identified more specifically.
201. Secondly, if the project had included school grants it would have had a significant
impact on the introduction of Child Friendly Schooling at Lower Secondary level. It
would have built on lessons learned from the EQIP program and assisted the MoEYS in
its development of the school operational budgets program.
202. The inclusion of a higher education component in a project where the original
development objectives were not linked to higher education outcomes might also be an
area to re design. The inclusion of this component met a perceived need and priority
within the sector. However its inclusion impacted on project implementation.
54
203. ACC is not managed through the MoEYS but rather through the Council of
Ministers. This sometimes complicated lines of reporting and accountability to the project
coordination office which was located in the Ministry of Education.
204. Development of vision and strategy for Higher Education did not take cognizance
of the fact that the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport is not the sole body with
responsibility for making Higher Education policy. It was an extremely ambitious
performance indicator for the Department of Higher Education. The number and variety
of stakeholders has made it very difficult for the Higher Education Department to achieve
this performance indicator but it has continued to work towards achievement and hopes
to do so by October 2012.
205. The requirement for the DHE to develop an HEMIS system was also too
ambitious given the funding available.
206. With regard to preparation, it is obvious with hindsight that there were a number
of design flaws in the ESSP. These came about for reasons which have already been
examined and it is not necessary to re examine them at this point.
207. Perhaps the best way to design interventions which lead to ownership and long
term sustainability is to dispense with the concept of short term projects. If this is not
possible then projects could be designed to follow on logically from each other, building
on the lessons learned. Some of the key lessons learned from the EQIP project were not
built into the design of the ESSP. The GPE funded project which followed the ESSP has
also missed some of the key success factors from the ESSP. The momentum built in the
Lower Secondary department with the ESSP was not continued with a follow on project
because another development Bank was working in lower secondary with a different
project.
208. A project is a short term intensive implementation period where the need to meet
the short term objectives often runs counter to systemic capacity development. Therefore
when designing a new project it might be better rather to think of working with other
donors to design a strategy for long term, consistent and coherent interventions to
address the systemic needs of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport.
4. How can the bank support be improved
209. The first point to make is that the MoEYS leaders, project management and
implementation teams, national and international staff working in the project all highly
appreciate the unwavering support and guidance given by the Bank staff. Open honest
relations between the Bank staff and the project are essential and the Bank staff have
always been open to positive and supportive dialogue.
210. In the first few months of the project there was an instance of ongoing discord
between the project staff and one individual consultant hired by the Bank on a short term
contract. The Bank quickly took action to calm the situation and the consultant was
55
redeployed. Therefore during implementation, there were excellent relations with all
Bank staff and there are no areas for suggested improvement in terms of support during
implementation.
211. In terms of support during preparation, it seems that the preparation team paid
great attention to the overall political and economic situation in the country but this was
not sufficiently articulated into specific clear interventions linked to a cohesive set of
performance indicators. Therefore more attention to implementation detail would have
been helpful as well as designing clear links between the EQIP project outcomes and the
ESSP performance indicators.
56
Annex 8. Comments of Cofinanciers and Other Partners/Stakeholders
Not applicable
57
Annex 9. List of Supporting Documents
Bank preparation documents
World Bank. Kingdom of Cambodia Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for 2005-2008
(Report 32118-KH) April 18, 2005.
World Bank. Kingdom of Cambodia Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for 2005-2008
Progress Report (Report 43330-KH) April 17, 2008.
World Bank. Statements of mission objectives, Aide-Memoires and Back-to-Office
Reports from the pre-identification mission carried out in April – May 2002 up to the
appraisal mission carried out November 2004.
World Bank. Project Concept Note and Minutes of the Review Meeting dated May 7,
2003.
World Bank. Project Appraisal Document (PAD) for the Kingdom of Cambodia
Education Sector Support Project, Report No. 29921-KH, March 29, 2005.
World Bank. Minutes of the Project Appraisal Document Review Meeting dated October
28, 2004.
World Bank. Agreed Minutes of Negotiations. February 17-18, 2005.
Bank project implementation documents
World Bank. Development Financing Agreement for the Kingdom of Cambodia
Education Sector Support Project Credit 4055-KH and Grant H161-KH. June 14, 2005.
World Bank. Statements of Mission Objectives, Aide-Memoires, Back-to-Office Reports,
Financial Management Reports, Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs) and
Audit Reports of all the 17 supervision missions recorded in the Data Sheet of this ICR
and in the Project’s electronic files from the launching mission of April 2005 to July
2011.
Bank and Borrower other project implementation and post-implementation-related
documents
Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports. “Student Achievement and Education Policy:
Results from the Grade Three Assessment”, Phnom Penh, October 2006.
Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports. “Student Achievement and Education Policy:
Results from the Grade Six Assessment”, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, January 2008.
Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports. “Student Achievement and Education Policy:
Results from the Grade Nine Assessment”, Phnom Penh, 2008.
58
Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports. “Student Achievement and Education Policy:
Results from the second Grade Three Assessment”, Phnom Penh, 2009.
Morefield J. and Sarik I. “Leadership Professional Development Program Data Analysis
Report”, Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, Phnom Penh, 2008.
Schady N. and Filmer D. "Promoting Schooling through Scholarships in Cambodia:
Evidence from the Cambodia Education Sector Support Project", World Bank,
Washington D.C, 2009a.
Schady N. and Filmer D. "Are There Diminishing Returns to Transfer Size in Conditional
Cash Transfers?", World Bank, Washington D.C, 2009b.
Towers D. “Sector Analysis of Scholarships Programs in Cambodia: A Review of
Lessons Learned by the CESSP Scholarship Team to inform the development of the
proposed MoEYS National Scholarships Program”, Phnom Penh, 2009.
World Education. “External Qualitative Evaluation of the Impact of CESSP Activities in
Schools”, Phnom Penh, 2009.
K A M P O TK A M P O T
K A M P O N GK A M P O N GS P E US P E U
K O H K O N GK O H K O N G
P U R S ATP U R S AT
BANTEAYBANTEAYMEANCHEYMEANCHEY
S I E M R E A PS I E M R E A P
P R E A H V I H E A RP R E A H V I H E A R
K A M P O N G T H O MK A M P O N G T H O M
KAMPONGKAMPONGCHHNANGCHHNANG
KAMPONGKAMPONGCHAMCHAM
RATANAKIRIRATANAKIRI
M O N D O LM O N D O LK I R IK I R I
S T U N G T R E N GS T U N G T R E N G
TAKEOTAKEO
KANDALKANDAL
B AT TA M B A N GB AT TA M B A N G
SVAYSVAYRIENGRIENGPREYPREY
VENGVENG
S I H A N O U K -S I H A N O U K -V I L L EV I L L E
K R A T I EK R A T I E
Cardamom Mts.
PhnumPhnumAoralAoral
(1,810 m)(1,810 m)
KohniehKohnieh
ChbarChbar
LomphatLomphat
Siem PangSiem Pang
MeloupreyMelouprey
Kompong SralaoKompong Sralao
Cheom KsanCheom Ksan
RoviengRovieng
KralanhKralanh
PailinPailin
Phum KompadouPhum Kompadou
Krong Koh KongKrong Koh Kong
ChambakChambak
Siem ReapSiem Reap
PursatPursat
SisophonSisophon
BattambangBattambang
Phnum TbengPhnum TbengMeancheyMeanchey
Kampong ThomKampong Thom
Kampong SpeuKampong Speu
SvaySvayRiengRieng
KampongKampongChamCham
KratieKratie
Prey VengPrey Veng
TakeoTakeo
SenmonoromSenmonorom
BunBunLongLong
Stung TrengStung Treng
PHNOM PENHPHNOM PENH
O D D A RO D D A RM E A N C H E YM E A N C H E Y
PHNOM PENHPHNOM PENH
Ta KhmauTa Khmau
SamraongSamraong
KampotKampot
PA I L I NPA I L I N
To To BuriBuri
To To Khu KhanKhu Khan
To To Pak CharangPak Charang
To To ChampasakChampasak
To To PhiafaiPhiafai
To To Play CuPlay Cu
To To Duc LapDuc Lap
To To Ba RaBa Ra
To To Tay NinhTay Ninh
To To Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City
To To Cao LanhCao Lanh
To To Long XuyenLong Xuyen
To To Rach GiaRach Gia
Kohnieh
Chbar
Lomphat
Siem Pang
Melouprey
Kompong Sralao
Cheom Ksan
Rovieng
Kralanh
Phum Kompadou
Chambak
Siem Reap
Pursat
Sisophon
Battambang
Phnum TbengMeanchey
Kampong Thom
Kampong Speu
Sihanoukville
SvayRieng
KampongCham
Kratie
Prey Veng
Takeo
Senmonorom
BunLong
Stung Treng
Samraong
Krong Koh Kong
Kampot
Kep
Ta Khmau
Pailin
PHNOM PENH
K A M P O T
K E P
K A M P O N GS P E U
K O H K O N G
P U R S AT
BANTEAYMEANCHEY
S I E M R E A P
P R E A H V I H E A R
K A M P O N G T H O M
KAMPONGCHHNANG
KAMPONGCHAM
RATANAKIRI
M O N D O LK I R I
S T U N G T R E N G
TAKEO
KANDAL
B AT TA M B A N G
PA I L I N
SVAYRIENGPREY
VENG
S I H A N O U K -V I L L E
K R A T I E
O D D A RM E A N C H E Y
PHNOM PENH
T H A I L A N D L A O P . D . R .
V I E T N A M
ChhakKampong
Saom
Bassak
Tonle Sap
Ko
ng
Sreng
Peam
Mekong
San
Srepok
Kong
Sen
Chas
Mek
ong
Gul f ofThai land
Tonle
Sap
Poro
ng
To Buri
To Khu Khan
To Pak Charang
To Champasak
To Phiafai
To Play Cu
To Duc Lap
To Ba Ra
To Tay Ninh
To Ho Chi Minh City
To Cao Lanh
To Long Xuyen
To Rach Gia
Cardamom Mts.
PhnumAoral
(1,810 m)
103° E 104° E 105° E 106° E 107° E
103° E 104° E 105° E 106° E 107° E
11° N
12° N
13° N
14° N
11° N
12° N
13° N
14° N
CAMBODIA
0 20 40 60
0 60 Miles4020
80 Kilometers
IBRD 33381R
JUN
E 2006
CAMBODIA
SELECTED CITIES AND TOWNS
PROVINCE CAPITALS
NATIONAL CAPITAL
RIVERS
MAIN ROADS
RAILROADS
PROVINCE BOUNDARIES
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES
This map was produced by the Map Design Unit of The World Bank. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of The World Bank Group, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, o r any endo r s emen t o r a c c e p t a n c e o f s u c h boundaries.