The World Bank Thursday approved a 15 million US dollar credit for Nicaragua to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational system in the country.
– This credit forms part of the World Banks contribution to a coordinated effort on the part of bilateral and multilateral donors to help Nicaragua meet the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary completion by the year 2015, said Jane Armitage, the World Banks Director for Central America.
The Nicaragua Education Project (PASEN) aims to strengthen the stewardship of the Ministry of Education, and to improve the framework of accountability for service delivery by supporting school autonomy, and implementing student testing, classroom observation studies and dissemination of results. The project includes the following components:
– Improve the administration and accountability of the educational system at the central, municipal, and school levels by strengthening the management of the Ministry of Education;
– supporting the creation of a legal framework for competitive human resource management of public servants;
– and strengthening the capacity of municipalities to provide administrative and pedagogical support to schools.
– Strengthen monitoring, evaluation and dissemination functions of the Ministry of Education by implementing a national evaluation strategy that will include periodic testing of students and teachers to ensure quality of education, as well as the continuous auditing of student enrollment to improve the allocation of resources based on demand.
– Assist in the implementation of the school autonomy program that provides grants directly to schools managed by parent-led school councils. World Bank assistance to the school autonomy program will complement budgetary resources for school grants with financing for incremental school enrollment in each year.
The 15 million US dollar, zero-interest credit from the International Development Association is repayable in 40 years, including ten years of grace.
This credit complements the recently approved 7 million US dollar grant drawn from the Catalytic Fund of the Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI), which also seeks to increase primary school completion in Nicaragua.
For more information on the World Banks work in Nicaragua, visit: www.worldbank.org/ni
For more information about the Banks work on Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, visit www.worldbank.org/laceducation
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
