The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has observed that the Second Science Education Sector Project has been effective in achieving its outcome, despite disparities in appraisal and Pakistan government targets.
ADB's Project Completion Report has assessed the project as less efficient in terms of implementation performance. It was spread over more than 9 years, with an 18-month delay in loan effectiveness and another delay of more than one year in establishing implementation units.
Parallel financing did not materialise and savings were realised on loan categories.
ADB provided useful support and guidance to the implementation units, whose overall efficiency was satisfactory. During revisions to their PC-1s, the EAs undertook a rationalisation of the project and identified loan savings for cancellation and redirection to earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, the report said.
According to Project Completion Report, the Project assisted 871 schools, compared with an ADB target of 1,000 schools, by establishing 1,025 facilities for improving science and mathematics instruction and providing them with quality learning materials. Overall, places for girls increased by about 30 percent, marginally below the appraisal expectation of 33 percent. Enrolments in project schools were high and staffing levels largely consistent with individual school requirements. At project closing, 680,118 students were enrolled in project schools and teacher strength was 35,113, reflecting the project design to increase enrolments in existing schools without adding large numbers of new teachers.
At 44,310, the number of staff and teachers trained was consistent with PC-1 targets, if not the project appraisal target of 58,042.
Despite slow progress in establishing the SEC in NWFP, a network of provincial institutions comprising SECs and SHSs has largely been established and is functioning. A sizeable number of non-sub project secondary schools with large enrolments and science programs were provided with quality inputs. However, initial start-up and implementation delays affected the timing of benefits, particularly in the case of consultant input and development of the curricula and associated teaching-cum-learning aids.
According to the report, the Project was to be implemented over 6 years from December 1997 to December 2003, with loan closing scheduled for June 2004. Instead, project implementation continued until December 2006.
ADB approved three extensions in the loan closing date, the first two for 1 year each and the third for 6 months. Delays in project implementation and completion were attributed to initial delays in loan effectiveness, which took 18 months due to federal-provincial differences and problems associated with the economic crisis of 1998. Following another delay of more than a year in establishing the FCU and PIUs, project implementation effectively began in 2001.
Delays in individual activities affected overall progress. Consultant recruitment was delayed, affecting various quality components, including foreign training. It was one of the main reasons for the loan extension. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the revised umbrella PC-1-reflecting changes in the scope and cost of certain activities, as well as the extended implementation period-in December 2005, 6 months into the first one-year loan extension.
While the revision provided the government the opportunity to rationalise project activities and costs, some procurements and proposed training courses that were contingent on approval of the revised PC-1s were held up. The escalation in premium rates delayed the completion of civil works in NWFP.
The Project's sustainability is likely, as all facilities were established in functioning schools and additional staff positions for the Project were not required.
For NISTE and the SECs, staff positions have been regularised and are part of the respective governments' normal budgets, or are in the process of being regularised. The governments' annual budgets also provide for operating the facilities. To ensure sustainability of efforts and optimise outputs, the life of implementing units at federal and provincial levels has been extended by 6-12 months with government funding.