[Alb-Educ] Edu in Albani

[Mithat Gashi]

Over a year ago, the World Bank gave money to Albania to reform and assist
the country's edu programs. See the press release.  Does anyone know
whether these projects have accomplished anything. 

REFORMING EDUCATION IN ALBANIA


WASHINGTON, May 11, 2000The World Bank today approved a US$12 million
equivalent (SDR 9 million) credit for an education reform project in
Albania. 

The project will support the Ministry of Education and Sciences in the
planning and management of the delivery of educational services and
strengthening its accountability to stakeholders for that delivery. The
project has the following five components:

· Policy Design, Management, and Improvement of the Education System. This
component will fund the strengthening of the generic functions required
for the Ministry of Education and Sciences to improve the education
sector: policy analysis and strategic planning, financial planning and
management, human resource management, and the design, implementation, and
monitoring of specific educational reform programs. 

· Education Management Information System. This component builds on the
school mapping database completed under the Bank's first education project
in Albania and will be managed by a newly-established department within
the Ministry of Education and Sciences the Center of Information and
Statistics. 

· Assessments and Examinations. This component builds on the activities
begun under the Bank's first education project in Albania and will fund
the development and conduct of examinations and assessments. 

· School Rehabilitation. This component will fund the development of
building and design guidelines for schools and furniture and the
rehabilitation of about 35,000 school places, or about 5,500 schools.

· Textbooks. This component will fund procurement of textbooks, using
international competitive bidding to reduce the costs and increase the
quality of textbooks being purchased by the government; and publishing
textbooks for the new curricula in vocational/technical education as a
trial for privatizing publishing. 

The total cost of the project is US$14.88 million, including US$2.88
million from the Government of Albania. The credit will be disbursed on
standard IDA terms, repayable in 40 years, including a 10 year grace
period.