PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)



PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)

APPRAISAL STAGE

Report No.: AB5368

|Project Name |Flexible and Open Distance Education Project |

|Region |EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC |

|Sector |Adult literacy/non-formal education (100%) |

|Project ID |P116521 |

|Borrower(s) |GOVERNMENT OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA |

| |Ministry for Treasury and Finance |

| |Vulupindi Haus |

| |P.O. Box 542 |

| |NCD, Papua New Guinea |

| |Telephone: 675-312-8870; Fax: 675-323-2239 |

|Implementing Agency |National Department of Education |

| |Papua New Guinea |

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

|Date PID Prepared |November 5, 2010 |

|Date of Appraisal Authorization |March 6, 2010 |

|Date of Board Approval |February 22, 2011 |

1. Country and Sector Background

The National Education Plan 2005-2014 (NEP) recognizes that distance education is an important means to deliver education to youth who have left the formal system or do not have access to formal secondary schools (see NEP, pp. 33 and 70). Despite being an NEP priority, open and distance education has not, until recently, received increasing funding and support from Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) or from donors. The funding proposal described in this document provides direct investment support to this important NEP priority sector to complement recent increases in GoPNG’s own operational funding.

The Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) center is the only public distance learning institution serving Papua New Guinea’s upper primary and secondary school leavers. It provides upper primary and secondary level English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science courses that are primarily delivered through correspondence-based distance learning, supported occasionally by on-site tutors and teachers. FODE has 20 provincial centers that coordinate services provided within their respective provinces, as well as about 25 affiliated study centers. Although the institution has significant potential to support a relatively large, under-served and growing segment of out-of-school youth, it has suffered for many years from inadequate resources and technical support. At the same time, demand for FODE’s programs continues to rise. Currently, FODE has an enrollment of about 46,000 active students, as compared to about 65,000 students currently enrolled in formal secondary education throughout the country. On the average it takes 12 - 14 months to finish one grade level at FODE, an indicator on which FODE aims to improve in the coming years.

During the past decade, new enrollments into FODE’s programs have fluctuated between a low of just under 4,000 in 2004 to nearly 6,600 in 2005. In 2008, FODE enrolled 5,484 students in 11,165 subject courses. Success rates in terms of course completion have been consistently low. In 2008, course completion certificates were issued to 335 students. In 2009, GoPNG increased FODE’s operational subsidy by about 1 million kina – roughly doubling FODE’s non-salary operating budget – allowing FODE to greatly expand its programs. 17,532 new students enrolled in 40,015 courses (the average student enrolled in slightly more than two subject courses). Success rates, however, remain low. 684 course completion certificates were issued in 2009. GoPNG operational funding for FODE is expected to rise by another 28% in 2010.

The FODE system benefited from an extensive evaluation in 2006 funded by AusAID. A number of reforms were recommended to improve the internal and external efficiency of FODE’s programs and operations. FODE accepted nearly all recommendations made by the evaluation team and committed itself to address them over time. Until recently, however, inadequate funding and technical assistance have blocked implementation of measures aimed at improving the quality of programs and improving management and administrative efficiency. This project is designed to provide the necessary inputs and resources to effectively implement the more important of those recommended reforms.

2. Objectives

The development objective of this project is to increase the number of out-of-school youth who complete recognized secondary certificate equivalency programs.

The principal performance indicator would be the absolute numbers of youth who acquire a secondary equivalency certificate through FODE. Specific targets will be established for increasing these performance rates.

In addition to the absolute numbers of successful completers, FODE will monitor the ratio of successful grade 10 and 12 program completers to the total enrollment in these certificate programs, and the ratio of those who succeed on subject tests for grades 10 and 12 to the total numbers of students who sit for tests.

In the early years of the program, intermediate objectives would be to: (a) improve the quality of the equivalency curriculum; (b) improve the quality of student support services (communication, guidance, program support) at FODE and the Provincial Centers; (c) improve the quality of student assessment; (c) increase tutor-student contact hours in the Province Centers; and (d) introduce new technologies that would improve efficiencies and reduce costs (computer-based modules, communication technologies, etc.).

3. Rationale for Bank Involvement

While many external donors in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are supporting formal education programs, PNG is benefiting from few donor investments aimed at building capacity to provide second chances for the large stock of out-of-school youth who have been failed by the formal system. FODE is PNG’s largest provider of second chance education opportunities. Funding for FODE’s programs has been assessed by the World Bank to be inadequate in two ways. First, FODE lacks the operational funding to keep up with the expanding demand for its programs and to ensure quality service delivery. Second, FODE lacks the development funding to invest in better quality curriculum, instructional materials and tutor skills.

The World Bank is giving priority throughout the Pacific sub-region to programs aimed at out-of-school youth. The proposed project would provide funding for FODE in the amount of $6 million (about16.1 million kina) over five years (2011-2015), allowing FODE to expand its coverage of out-of-school youth and improve the quality of its programs and service delivery. The Bank will also provide an ongoing technical supervision of the FODE’s programs during the project period. Project funding and Bank technical support will be expected to demonstrate the technical sustainability of FODE’s programs. GoPNG will be expected to ensure the financial sustainability of FODE’s programs beginning in the outer years of the project, depending on demonstrated improvements in FODE’s programs.

4. Description

Component 1 - Updating of Curriculum and Instructional Materials – estimated costs: $1.5 million (K4.1 million)

Component 1 aims to improve the quality of distance learning curricula and the quality and availability of instructional materials. Upgrading of the FODE curricula has been made a pre-requisite by the Department of Education for recognition of equivalency for FODE graduates. The project will support the development of new and/or upgrading of existing curricula for grades 7 through 12 using FODE’s standardized distance learning format. This task will be supported by targeted national technical assistance.

This component will also help FODE produce new instructional materials and upgrade its printing and distribution system. The project will fund implementation of improvements with a view toward: (a) improving the accessibility of instructional materials; (b) improving the quality of documents produced; and (c) lowering of production and distribution costs. The project will finance the production of materials, printing and national consultants.

Component 2 – Improving the Quality of Service Delivery – estimated costs $1.7 million (K4.4 million)

Component 2 aims to improve the overall quality of services provided by FODE. Within the FODE central campus and the 20 provincial centers, interventions will be focused on improving performance through staff training, simplifications of forms and procedures, establishing and implementing an IT plan, and selecting and engaging contracted subject tutors in the provincial centers. Other subcomponents will support improvements of services at regional study centers. The project will include the renovation of the FODE central headquarters, as well as renovation and expansion of provincial centers. All works in provincial centers will be financed by GoPNG’s contribution to the project.

Component 3 – Grade 11-12 Matriculation Program Expansion – estimated costs $1.8 million (K4.9 million)

Component 3 aims to expand FODE’s existing grade 11-12 matriculation program into at least one secondary school in each of PNG’s 20 provinces. The component will build on lessons learned in recent demonstration pilots and demonstrate the viability of providing grade 11-12 equivalency programs in existing secondary school. Project support will reimburse secondary schools for the use of their facilities, provide classrooms with small equipment and instructional materials, and cover the cost of after-hours teaching by existing subject teachers in each school. Further expansion of the program, to be potentially supported by provincial resources, would depend on matriculation success rates.

Component 4 – Improving Information Technology, Monitoring and Evaluation -- estimated costs: $1.0 million (K2.7 million)

Component 4 aims to provide FODE with appropriate IT technology and train FODE staff to effectively operate that technology. It will provide funding for an information technology needs assessment, establishment of an IT plan for FODE, procurement of IT equipment, and implementation of the plan to fully integrate the use of IT into the administration, curriculum development, materials production and teaching/learning activities conducted by the organization.

Component 4 will also support several pilots and studies aimed at demonstrating potential low-cost information technologies to improve service delivery, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of project innovations. If proven successful, FODE will move to partially or fully implement new technologies within its pedagogical framework. Full implementation of proven concepts may require additional government or external funding. The component will also prepare and implement studies that will be used to determine the effectiveness of project outcomes during and at the end of the project. These evaluations will include the development of tracer studies to track graduates and non-graduates of the programs. The project will provide about 6 months of international consultant support for these studies.

5. Financing

| |($m.) |

|Source: | |

|BORROWER/RECIPIENT |1 |

|IDA Grant |5 |

| Total |6 |

6. Implementation

FODE’s legal status is a semi-autonomous center created under the National Department of Education. It is accountable to a Governing Council for which there is a legally established constitution and representation. FODE’s staff are employees of the DoE and it is subject to DoE procurement and financial management regulations. Its operating costs are funded through an annual operating grant, which complements its own fee revenue.

A Project Steering Committee (PSC) will be established by the Department of Education. The PSC will comprise the Secretary for Education and representatives of the following organisations: Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Department of Treasury, World Bank as observer, FODE, Office of Higher Education, and University of Papua New Guinea Open Campus. The other divisions of DoE who can be invited as and when required by the PSC include: Assistant Secretaries of: Finance and Administration, Policy, Planning and Research, Curriculum Development and Assessment Division, Information Technology and Projects. The PSC will provide overall policy guidance and oversee project planning, organization, administration, implementation, and monitoring of the various components, sub-components, and activities of the project, as well as coordinate the use and application of the funds and resources. It will meet semi-annually to review project progress. Minutes of the meetings will be kept by FODE management and shared with FODE’s Governing Council.

The World Bank and the DoE are committed to using government systems to support FODE’s programs. IDA funding is expected to be transferred to FODE through trust accounts using existing budget systems and accounts. To the extent possible, routine procurement under the project is expected to be carried out using local systems and procedures that are deemed compatible with IDA guidelines. The exceptions will be procurement of technical assistance and equipment contracts expected to exceed $200,000 (500,000 kina). The Bank will provide technical support to FODE for improving its procurement and financial management systems during its supervision of the project. External technical assistance to be financed under IDA funding will not exceed 5% of overall IDA funding.

IDA funding will be implemented by existing FODE management and staff. The investment will include limited technical support for building FODE management capacity and for improving FODE’s management and information systems. FODE management will be responsible for maintaining all project records, tracking the progress of the project implementation, coordination of procurement, disbursement requests, implementation of the monitoring and evaluation framework, and preparation of all required project related data and reports.

7. Sustainability

The demand for and the sustainability of FODE’s programs are demonstrated by the fact that approximately 40% of FODE’s operating budget is covered each year by user fees. In 2009, FODE’s collected about 1.5 million kina in fee revenue (about $600,000) against expected annual expenditure of about 3.8 million kina ($1.5 million). Students pay 90 kina to register for courses and DoE’s operating grant to FODE --K2.1 million in 2009 (about $840,000) -- is determined by a formula based on active students. The small amounts involved, compared to DoE overall budget of about 160 million kina in 2009 (about $665 million), and the fact that FODE’s user fees cover 40% of its spending, suggest that FODE’s operations will continue to be sustainable as it improves its services and expands its coverage.

8. Contact point

Contact: James A. Stevens

Title: Senior Operations Officer

Tel: (202) 473-2848

Fax: (202) 522-3394

Email: Jstevens2@

9. 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:

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