ISLAMABAD: The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank has rated the “Third Punjab Education Sector Project” of worth $300 million highly relevant and overall efficacy as substantial.
The report also noted that Pakistan is facing a difficult macro-fiscal environment that is forcing some restrictions in funding for the social sectors, including the education sector.
At the same time, the number of school-age children continues to grow, demanding an increase in expenditures to provide these children with a spot in a classroom, be it in a public, private, or PPP school.
The project was approved on June 3, 2016, became effective on October 5, 2016, had the mid-term review on April 23, 2019, and closed on June 30, 2022, six months after the original closing date of December 31, 2021.
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The report noted that the World Bank loan of $300 million was embedded within the overall provincial government education budget. About 97 percent of the loan was designed to be disbursed as results-based financing, with reimbursements upon compliance with agreed DLIs and against eligible expenditures.
The Government of the United Kingdom, through the Department for International Development (later renamed as Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO) provided parallel financing of approximately $150 million (GBP100 million).
The project was restructured three times in addition to a closing date extension of six months. The first restructuring after the mid-term review (June 2019, $115.58 million disbursed) addressed a change in the professional development model in the province, including the replacement of the Directorate of Staff Development with the new Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED), as well as the creation of new roles and functions for staff in the organization.
As a result of this institutional reorganization, DLI 6 (addressing continuous professional development for teachers) was not met for more than two years after the launch of the project. The DLI was rephrased to better focus on the new professional development model designed around promoting behavioural change to improve the teaching process.
In addition, the results framework was updated, including three PDO indicators: (a) quality score of primary teaching-learning practices was modified in line with the changes made to DLI 6; (b) the school participation indicator did not change, but the methodology did; and (c) the school readiness indicator, which was missing at appraisal, was defined, and baseline and end-of-project targets were included.
In addition, two intermediate outcome indicators were revised. The second restructuring (June 2020, $186.41 million disbursed) focused on assisting the Province of Punjab to address challenges posed to the education system due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also adjusting some DLIs (now renamed performance-based conditions, PBCs).
Funds were transferred from Component 1 to Component 2 to finance activities aimed at compensating for school closures, such as dissemination of information on the disease, and providing distance education and mobilization campaigns and support to schools once they reopened.
This reallocation also was to allow for improved data management to ensure data integration. In addition, two PBCs were revised. PBC 3 on girls’ stipends was revised to improve the registration and disbursement of stipends.
PBC 7 on student assessment was restructured to be aligned with the then-new assessment policy framework developed in the province. The intermediate results indicators were revised to consider the impact of the pandemic on school enrollment, particularly in private schools, some of which were expected to permanently close.
The third restructuring (June 2021, $224.59 million disbursed) modified the scope of four PBCs to respond to challenges posed by COVID-19 and contribute to effective implementation for the remaining life of the project.
The restriction, due to fiscal constraints, on hiring of new teachers meant that the remaining $6.44 million remaining under PBC 5 would not be disbursed. Out of these funds, $3 million were reallocated to PBC 4 on ECE to provide a new remote platform to train monitoring officers, teachers, and caregivers on early learning.
The remaining funds, $3.44 million, were reallocated to PBC 8 on NSBs to purchase cleaning supplies and personal protection equipment, among other items. PBC 7 on student assessment was also revised (with no change in funding) to reflect delays due to school closures because of the pandemic.
Finally, the project was extended in December 2021 by six months to June 30, 2022. The purpose of this extension was to allow for the completion of contracts under Component 2 of the project.
The Bank noted that the project objectives were highly relevant to the sectoral context in the Province of Punjab. Even though Punjab was the most populous and richest province in Pakistan, its capacity to deliver services faced a number of challenges.
At the time of preparation, 21.9 percent of children were out of school, and in the case of LPDs, the number was 31 percent. Outcomes for school completion, dropouts, and learning outcomes were also poor, and enrollment had plateaued.
Factors contributing to this weak performance included demand-side constraints, limited availability of quality ECE and of public classrooms and teachers, and a poor learning environment due to low teacher capacity.
The relevance of objectives is rated high, as the objectives were fully aligned with the Pakistan Country Partnership Strategy (FY 15-19), the Government of Punjab’s Education Sector Plan (2013-2017), and the subsequent “The New Deal.”
Efficacy is rated substantial as most of the outcomes were obtained, with the exception of teaching-learning outcomes at the primary level. The cost-benefit analysis resulted in high returns, with some limited implementation shortcomings and a six-month project extension, producing an efficiency rating of substantial. Taken together, the overall outcome rating is satisfactory, reflecting only minor shortcomings in the project’s preparation, implementation, and results.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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