PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)



PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)

APPRAISAL STAGE

Report No.: AB6469

|Project Name |Senegal Tertiary Education Governance and Financing For Results |

|Region |AFRICA |

|Sector |Tertiary education (70%);Public administration- Education (30%) |

|Project ID |P123673 |

|Borrower(s) |GOVERNMENT OF SENEGAL |

| |Ministry of Economy and Finance |

| |Ministry of Economy and Finance |

| |Avenue Carde |

| |Senegal |

|Implementing Agency | |

| |Universitde Dakar |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: 221338692782 |

| |zale@refer.sn |

| |Universitde St Louis |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: 221339612270 |

| |mary-teuw.niane@edu.sn |

| |Universite de Thies |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: 221339395787 |

| |csboye@ucad.sn |

| |Universite de Bambey |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: 221339733085 |

| |DGCBEP (Direction Gle de la Construct. des B. et Edifices Publics) |

| |Zone A |

| |Senegal |

| |Universite de Ziguinchor |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: 221339916809 |

| |oumarsock@yahoo.fr |

| |DAGE, Minist. Ens. Sup |

| |Building Administratif 5e etage |

| |Sal |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: +221776558046 |

| |Ministere de l'Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche Scientifique |

| |Dakar |

| |Senegal |

| |Tel: (221-33) 8214749 Fax: (221-33) 8214745 |

| |Ndiobagueye57@yahoo.fr |

|Environment Category |[ ] A [X] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) |

|Date PID Prepared |April 10, 2011 |

|Date of Appraisal Authorization |April 15, 2011 |

|Date of Board Approval |May 26, 2011 |

1. Country and Sector Background

Senegal’s economy has registered strong growth over the past decade. Notwithstanding episodes of low growth, GDP has grown at an average rate of 4.1 percent a year and has nearly doubled in size from CFAF 3.3 trillion in 2000 to CFAF 6.4 billion in 2010 (purchasing power parity of US$13.2 billion and US$23.8 billion). Although broad-based, growth in domestic output was led by the tertiary (service) sector which grew at an annual rate of 6.5 percent, and by a dynamic telecommunications sector in particular. Today, Senegal has the most competitive telecom sector in the West African economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) region.

The sustained upward trend in growth resulted in both higher job creation in the modern sector and a decline in poverty. From 2000-2003, when economic growth was highest, the annual job rate growth in the modern sector was more than double the annual performance of any year during the previous decade. The fraction of the population falling below the poverty line dropped from 57 percent in 2000 to 51 percent in 2005.

Over the medium-term, it is expected that there will be continued expansion in the telecommunications, port, mining, education and health sectors. Recovery in the global economy should help the tourism sector. With its port and a relatively good stock of educated workers, there is potential for much stronger growth in Senegal, quite possibly in the manufacturing, horticultural, design and tourism sectors, but significant efforts are needed to create an adequate investment climate.

On the political side, while Senegal is becoming a mature democracy, the political climate in the next few years is likely to become markedly more complex, with upcoming presidential elections in 2012. Universities in Senegal have been for a long time arenas of competition between political parties and in recent years violent strikes and protests have resulted in serious disruptions and damage. Recent municipal elections in March 2009 were won by opposition parties in several key urban centers, suggesting it could be difficult to move forward with the reform agenda if there is no general consensus on policies and reforms.

Sectoral and Institutional Context

Performance of Senegal’s tertiary education sector

Labor markets have provided strong signals for secondary school graduates to pursue higher education. Over the last decade, university graduates have had lower unemployment rates, higher wage differentials and higher lifetime earnings than other categories of workers. The recent Public Expenditure Review (PER) shows that workers with higher education training earn 40 – 45 percent more than workers with secondary education. Mean wage rates increase by about 10 percent for each education level (primary, secondary, vocational and technical in rank order) with the exception of tertiary education where the mean wage rate was double that for general secondary education..

Recent trends in university enrolment and employment opportunities suggest a widening of the gap between skills with high demand and the education provided by public universities. Supply chain analyses [GOS 2009] for Senegal’s growth sectors projects a continued strong demand for technical, managerial and innovative skills in engineering, agro-industry, transportation, logistics, teaching, health care, ICT, marketing, entrepreneurship and finance--programs in short supply at universities where enrolment in arts and social sciences have boomed.

Only 3.5 percent of students are now enrolled in short-term professional and technical programs. In contrast to the situation in Anglophone countries, the selection of candidates for short-term professional courses in public higher education institutions is elitist such that only the best – and only a few – of the holders of the baccalaureate certificate are able to enroll in these courses. Invariably, therefore, students who obtain the two-year university diploma in technology (DUT) prefer to continue their studies to become professional engineers, instead of joining the employment market.

Efficiency, finance and equity

The implementation of Senegal’s ten-year education program, (PDEF 2000-2010) has resulted in considerable improvements in access, completion and transition rates for both primary and secondary education. University enrollments have expanded from 59,400 in 2005 to 90,500 in 2009 representing a 15percent annual growth rate. Women represent 33 percent of the total enrolment. Tertiary education has diversified with an expanding private sector, the creation of public Regional University Centers (CUR) in three provincial cities (Thies, Bambey, and Ziguinchor) and the introduction of two-year professional programs at the Universities of Dakar and Saint Louis.

Internal efficiency in higher education is low. The low productivity of Senegal’s public HEIs is due to high repetition and low survival rates. University Checikh Anta Diop (UCAD) students in their final year of the three-year bachelor’s degree have spent an average of 5.2 years at the university, or 73 percent longer than the duration of the program. Dropout rates after the first year are about 30 percent with another 25 percent repeating the first year. Progression rates are much better for programs where enrollments are selective, student/teacher ratios are low and where the Licence-Master-Doctorat (LMD) approach using the credit hours has been introduced.

The Government of Senegal has historically invested a large share of public resources in education generally, and in higher education in particular. Over the past decade, the Government has allocated an average of 32 percent of its public recurrent budget to education (more than any other African country), and 24 percent of that to tertiary education. In 2010, public expenditures on universities captured 7.8 percent of total public recurrent expenditure representing 1.2 percent of GDP compared with a Sub-Saharan average of 0.6 percent and an OECD average of 1.0 percent. Senegal spends more in absolute value per student than most of the African countries and spends twice as much per student compared to India, Madagascar, and Cote d’Ivoire.

Since 2005, on average, 61 percent of total public expenditure on tertiary education has been allocated to student subsidies and only 38 percent to the core university functions of teaching and research. The high level of expenditures on tertiary education is primarily due to significantly higher salaries of teaching staff relative to national income and high levels of expenditure for student subsidies. Government commitment to provide all bacheliers with a place in a public university and all students with scholarships has led to a rapid growth in student subsidies which have led to a crowding-out of expenditures for core functions of the universities.

Student dissatisfaction and priorities. There is a great deal of student dissatisfaction with the quality of programs because of late payment of scholarships, their perception that student residences and student services are of extremely low quality, learning facilities are overcrowded, there is a lack of study halls and internet connections, and registration and exam systems are poor

Inequality in resource allocation over the past 10 years has not improved. Studies in 2004 and 2005 showed that students in the top 50 percent of income groups received 4.3 times more education subsidies than students in the bottom 50 percent. The 2002 scholarship policy to provide scholarships to all students without an improvement in targeting to disadvantaged students and without any concomitant increase in fees meant that an even larger share of expenditures have benefited wealthier students. A recent survey, Equity and incidence of social expenditure in Senegal tertiary education, 60 percent of students benefiting from scholarships and social services came from families where the father had a university or high school diploma.

Governance and Management

HEIs operate with great independence but little accountability or national coordination. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) has little control over the HEIs because of its weak technical capacity to coordinate the system. The Directorate of Higher education has few technical staff, resources and little authority over HEIs and Rectors thus having little leverage to effectively coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Government policy.

The information management system is weak. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) does not receive records, reports on university outcomes or audit reports. University management information systems are not robust and do not provide financial or other information necessary to guide financial decision-making or provide information to the public for: (i) accreditation or quality assurance assessments focusing on quality; (ii) the learning outcomes or insertion rates of students across universities; and (iii) internal efficiency trends.

There is no mechanism to assess the quality of programs and university management of Senegal’s public HEIs which have considerable pedagogic autonomy and a growing number of private for-profit institutions. At the regional level, Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l’ enseignement Superieur (CAMES) carries out accreditations of programs and Institutions. CAMES is a regional organization in charge of quality assurance in francophone countries. However, HEIs are accredited on a voluntary basis and there is no systematic evaluation of the quality of service provided by public and private institutions.

Regional universities lack the minimum infrastructure and facilities are inadequate for course delivery and UCAD Dakar is overcrowded. In Bambey, about half of the students study in rented facilities, some of which are up to 25 km. away from the main campus. Similarly, at the University of Thies, most students and staff (including the rector) are in rented facilities. Construction of new buildings is on-going but at a slow pace. In UCAD, there are currently 60,000 full-time students enrolled, for a total faculty of 1,200 in facilities that can accommodate a maximum of 45,000 students. Some of these faculties from UCAD are serving as part-time staff at the new universities in Thies and Bambey.

2. Objectives

The project development objective is to enhance the efficiency and quality of the higher education system and the oversight and accountability of targeted HEIs.

3. Rationale for Bank Involvement

Senegal needs to introduce more incentives to foster a culture of quality and accountability to create the labor force skills needed for a more competitive and faster-growing economy. This is particularly true given the pressures felt in the sector, including a growing demand for tertiary education and the need for greater relevance. The World Bank plays an important catalyst role in helping build consensus and support for this reform by providing cutting-edge technical advice on policy design, managing performance-based funding, quality assurance mechanisms, professional programs, M&E systems, and implementation arrangements.

Over the past 10 years donors have focused on primary education. The government’s priorities, in terms of public finance, have favored primary and higher education. As a result, the system has developed in a lopsided fashion to the detriment of secondary and tertiary education and without due attention to the policies that would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of tertiary education. To ensure the continuity of gains made at the primary level and the financing needed for the massive expansion of lower and upper secondary, the imbalances at the higher level will need to be addressed. The World Bank is the only donor agency that has the global knowledge and resources to address the systemic, institutional and social issues that bear on reforming higher education. Other donors are looking to the Bank to assure a feasible and sustainable strategy in higher education that they can support. The Bank is leading the analytical and technical work other donors will use as a basis for additional financing. The Bank will also convene a donors meeting in support of the Government’s Tertiary Education Strategic Development Program (TESDP).

The World Bank is well placed to respond to the Government’s request to assist in implementing a more results-based approach as the World Bank brings knowledge and experience in reforming and developing higher education from across the world. The project builds on other Bank work in Senegal that also supports the Government in reforming its public financial management system and moving to performance-based budgeting in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Credit (PRSC) series and in technical assistance.

4. Description

The project components are summarized below.

Component 1: Strengthening the governance of the tertiary education system (Government will cover recurrent operational and wage costs of the sector, IDA US$6.1million, Government US$1.0) For this component the concept of governance includes the aspects of providing: (a) reliable information to improve both transparency and decision-making: (b) standards and benchmarks to allow for measuring results and facilitating accountability: and (c) providing incentives to encourage good management and create a culture of results ; (d) accountability mechanisms to hold service providers answerable for processes and outcomes.

Sub-component 1.1: Operationalizing Governance Bodies (IDA US$1.0)

This sub-component would support sub-sector-wide initiatives directed towards improving the overall governance and management of higher education. At the system level, the project will finance equipment, training, and technical assistance to strengthen the governance of higher education in the context of a rapidly expanding system notably by supporting the development of two higher education governance bodies: the GDHE and the NQAA. At the institutional level, the sub-component will finance: training and capacity building of university governance bodies, notably the Board of Directors (Conseil d’Administration) and university management teams.

Sub-component 1.2: Project Implementation and Management (IDA US$1.5; Government US$1.0)

This subcomponent will support the implementation of the project. It will finance the equipment, training of staff, the preparation of monitoring reports and technical assistance to the DAGE, the DGCEP, universities, Ministry of economy and finance, and the ISEP for the effective management and monitoring of the project. It will support also the implementation of the environmental action plans.

Sub-component 1.3: Development of a Monitoring and Evaluation system (IDA US$1.6)

This sub-component will help build a monitoring and evaluation system both at the sector level and for individual institutions. The adequate implementation of this sub-component is critical for the project, notably to have consistent data to monitor indicators and to easily follow the execution of the performance-based contracts mechanism for each institution. This sub-component will finance the external evaluations of each annual PBC which will be used for decision-making for financing of each subsequent PBC. Under the sub-component, the project will also finance: data collection and analysis, technical assistance, studies, computers, servers, software and informatics infrastructure and training.

Sub-component 1.4: Sector Knowledge Development Generation (IDA US$1.6)

The sub-component will finance specific studies to generate knowledge to inform decision-making and to improve the performance of the system. The following studies will be financed: (i) evaluation of the Centres des Oeuvres Universities de Dakar, and Saint-Louis (COUD and CROUS) to review their effectiveness and the service delivery quality; (ii) evaluation of the Senegalese research system and management; and (iii) evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of bursaries allocation and management system; (iv); feasibility studies for the implementation of the ISEP network and a second tertiary institution in Dakar including the biding documents and the legal framework; (v) an evaluation of university financial, procurement and information systems for the mid-term review; and (vi) an annual public expenditure and financing review of the higher education sector; and (vii) specific surveys and assessments for student satisfaction, LMD implementation and other quality related issues.

Component 2: Improvement of the effectiveness of the Tertiary education institutions (IDA: US$55 million; Government US$25 million)

Sub component 2.1: Performance based contracts (PBC): (IDA US$30; Government US$10.0)

This sub-component will create incentives to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of HEIs in the utilization of public resources. It would finance performance-based contracts between Tertiary Institutions and the Government. The PBC will be a contract between the Government and a Tertiary Education Institution. In this contract, the Government agrees to pay a pre-determined amount of money representing a portion of the institutional budget. In return, the institution commits itself to improve its performances in certain fields of its activities. Universities have already prepared strategic plans from which they will derive priority development plans. The Government will support these plans with performance agreements.

Sub-component 2.2: Diversifying and increasing access to short term tertiary education (IDA US$8.0; Government US$5.0)

This sub-component aims at improving the efficiency and relevance of the tertiary education system by reducing the overall number of years to get a degree with the increase of short term tertiary education and the development of alternative ways to access tertiary education. The project would finance:

(i.) The building of the ISEP in Thies (ISEP) to provide two-year tertiary education programs linked with the economic needs. The ISEP will be designed to accommodate a total of 7,000 students, 3,500 each year. The sub-component will finance training, feasibility studies, and the infrastructures and equipment of the ISEP. It will finance also the necessary technical assistance notably the cost related to the support of a similar and well performing international tertiary education institution to accompany the development and the implementation of the ISEP. This Institution will be selected on a competitive basis.

(ii) The establishment of an ICT-facilitated network. . The sub-component will finance: (a) the extension and improvement of the campus networks in UGB and UCAD and the interconnection; (d) the implementation of a campus network in Bambey, Thies and Ziguinchor and the interconnection; (e) training and capacity building for the staff managing networks and ( equipment; technical assistance and feasibility studies to upgrade the technical center and facilities.

Sub-component 2.3: Improving the learning environment (IDA US$15.0; Government US$10.0)

This sub-component aims at improving the quality of the facilities for a better learning environment. Priority will be given to regional universities that are struggling with an acute lack of facilities. The sub-component will finance: (i) the rehabilitation and expansion facilities and purchase of equipment for the Universities of Thies, Bambey, Ziguinchor and Saint-Louis and the rehabilitation of facilities and purchase of equipment for UCAD; (ii) extension of access to internet in all campuses.

5. Financing

|Source: |($m.) |

|BORROWER/RECIPIENT |25 |

|International Development Association (IDA) |65 |

| Total |90 |

6. Implementation

The Steering Committee: The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research will have the overall responsibility for sector and policy coordination, and he and/or his designee will chair the Steering Committee consisting of the rectors of universities, representatives from the private sector, the DGCEBP, the private education providers, and the Ministry of Finance. The GDHE will be the secretariat of the Steering Committee that is currently overseeing the preparation of the project.

The General Directorate of Higher Education: The GDHE will replace the current Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) of the MOHESR and will be a semi-autonomous body within the Ministry to provide technical expertise to the Minister to manage and coordinate the tertiary education system. It will implement and manage the negotiation of performance-based contracts, supervise the performance contracts, decide on HEIs budget allocation, responsible for the mapping of new institutions, develop the information and statistics system. . The GDHE will be in charge of the overall technical management and day-to-day implementation of the project and will coordinate the implementation of the tertiary education sector reform program. The GDHE will have a semi-autonomous status that will allow it to hire the high level technical staff needed to oversee the reform of the sector. The GDHE will have five directors (Academic, Policy, University Financing, Research, and Relations with private sector institutions) and professional staff. The GDHE will liaise with the DAGE of MOHESR which will be in charge of the overall procurement, financial management and disbursement for the project and DGCBEP which will manage procurement of construction and Universities in charge of managing procurement activities under their PBCs. The administrative text for the creation of this entity has been signed by the President of Senegal by decree 2011-443 of March 30, 2011. The appointment of the Director General and 5 Directors will be completed before negotiations. The staff of the current Directorate of Higher Education will be incorporated in the GDHE. Technical assistance, training, equipment and office space will be provided to the GDHE

Tertiary education institutions will be in charge of the implementation of their respective activities. Senegal tertiary education systems are autonomous and are used to receiving block grants from the Government for their functioning. They are already well-organized and the project will support the strengthening of the governance bodies, management structures and systems. Each University has already set up a PBC management team working under the responsibility of the Rector and comprising of : (i) a coordinator, (ii) a procurement focal point, (iii) and financial management specialist and a Monitoring and evaluation specialist also safeguards compliance focal point. Once the PBC is approved by the Government and the World Bank, each HEI will be in charge of procurement and financial management of their PBC. Procurement and so training will be provided by the project to reinforce procurement capacities. After the first two years of implementing PBCs, an evaluation of HEIs procurement and financial management capacities will be carried out in order to assess the possibility of moving to a disbursement-linked approach. To strengthen the management of the institution, the government is reforming the structure of the governance bodies by harmonizing the implementation of Boards of Directors.

The Directorate of General Administration and Equipment (The DAGE): The DAGE of the MOHESR will be in charge of the overall financial management and disbursement for the project in coordination with the Directorate of Debt and Investment (DDI) at the Ministry of Finance. The DAGE also has the primary responsibility in terms of procurement. It will directly handle all procurement activities that are not under the responsibilities of the DGCBEP and the HEIs.

The DGCBEP under the Ministry of Habitat, Construction and Hydraulic will be in charge of managing the construction of facilities on behalf of universities including procurement and technical management of construction. The DGCBEP has a strong experience of managing construction for the tertiary education system with an average program of $12 billion per year. The project will provide technical assistance in terms of architectural studies and procurement management, as well as the necessary equipment to handle the construction program.

7. Sustainability

High government priority: The government of Senegal is highly committed to implement the tertiary education strategy in order to move the sector from a crisis management approach to one with a medium-term strategy with a more positive and developmental approach. During the last decade, education has been a top priority for the Senegalese Government, especially tertiary education. During project preparation, all stakeholders including government officials, rectors, teachers and student unions have shown a strong commitment to change the way the tertiary education system is being managed in order to improve its performance.

Strong participation of the community: There is a strong demand for better tertiary education among the population of Senegal, as indicated by enrollment growth in public and privates institutions. Students, teachers, administrative staff demonstrated a clear willingness to reform the system and to improve their learning and working conditions.

Strong financing commitment: The Government currently allocates 32 percent of its recurrent budget to education, of which 24 percent to the tertiary education sector. An important development budget is allocated yearly. Three universities have been opened during the last three years and financed entirely by the Government budget. A fiscal sustainability analysis has been carried out to review the soundness of the Government’s policy options.

Technical viability: The project design has considered only strategies and activities already in the Government policy and selected policies that were not implemented due to a lack of technical capacities or resources. The World Bank preparation team provided the technical assistance.

8. Lessons Learned from Past Operations in the Country/Sector

From the previous Higher Education Development Project: the ICR of the Senegal Higher education project (P002373) highlighted the following lessons.

(a) In a volatile political environment, it may be imprudent to build an entire reform program on the assumption that the momentum for sectoral reform at the time of preparation would survive for the next years of implementation of the reforms. Therefore, when dealing with tertiary education, it is prudent to phase-in the reforms, to offer options, and not try to address simultaneously the issues of access control, cost-sharing and internal efficiency.

(b) It may be advisable to refrain, at the outset, from overselling financial support to the Borrower and sectoral reforms to the Bank, as the risk of downscaling may materialize, leading to painful adjustments and generating detrimental impact on both sides. Building an operation on a narrow investment basis and loading this operation with far-reaching reforms runs the risk of derailment because of the disconnect between the beneficiaries of the investment and the stakeholders potentially affected by the reforms. A better balance between the investment and the reform agenda mitigates the risk of further disillusions.

(d) Operations with extensive reform contents, even when prepared with careful and in-depth consultation, and even when based on solid sector work, do not avoid the risks of a breach or even a reversal of initial political commitments; this is why it is wise to develop exit strategies and back-up positions (alternative scenarios) in order to avoid being cornered in intractable positions.

(e) When stakeholders such as students and faculty staff (and their respective unions) are the main beneficiaries, and in addition, have a powerful bargaining power, it is of paramount importance to involve them not only in the discussion of the sectoral measures to be taken, but also in project design and in the operational aspects of its implementation.

(f) Politically risky operations require a careful analysis not only of the benefits but also of the threats that they may engender, and of the groups positively and negatively affected.

(g) Postponing the detailed definition of key performance indicators, their baseline, mid-term review and target values until after credit effectiveness often proves to bear the seeds of future failure of the monitoring and evaluation system.

9. Safeguard Policies (including public consultation)

|Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project |Yes |No |

|Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) |[X ] |[ ] |

|Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Pest Management (OP 4.09) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11) |[ X] |[ ] |

|Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) |[X] |[ ] |

|Forests (OP/BP 4.36) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Projects on International Waterways (OP/BP 7.50) |[ ] |[ ] |

|Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP 7.60)* |[ ] |[ ] |

10. List of Factual Technical Documents

i. Senegal Higher education PER, World Bank, 2010

ii. Senegal, Equity and incidence of social expenditure, World Bank, CRES, 2010

iii. Environmental And Social Management Framework, MOHERS, 2010

iv. Senegal, Tertiary education strategic development program, 2011-2016

v. Senegal, social analysis of the Senegal Tertiary Education Governance and Financing For Results project

11. Contact point

Contact: Atou Seck

Title: Sr Education Econ.

Tel: 5352+4124 / 221-33-859-4124

Email: aseck2@

Location: Dakar, Senegal (IBRD)

12. For more information contact:

The InfoShop

The World Bank

1818 H Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20433

Telephone: (202) 458-4500

Fax: (202) 522-1500

Email: pic@

Web:

* By supporting the proposed project, the Bank does not intend to prejudice the final determination of the parties' claims on the disputed areas

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