• Reference: P-ER-IAZ-001
• Approval date: 10/11/2004
• Start date: 15/12/2005
• Appraisal Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: OngoingOnGo
• Implementing Agency: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
• Location: COUNTRY-WIDE

Background

After gaining independence in 1991, Eritrea made significant progress in developing its education system. It expanded   educational opportunities , especially in terms of the gross enrollment ratio (GER) for elementary education which doubled from 36.3 in 1991/92 to 61.0 2001/02. The GER for middle and secondary education more than doubled from 21.1 to 44.6 and from 12.2 to 23.7, respectively, during the same period.

While significant progress has been made since independence, more needs to be done to meet further challenges in the education system. In 2008, only 40 per cent of school-age children had access to elementary education, 10.5 per cent to middle education, and 13.6 per to secondary-level education. Only 4.5 per cent of children of 4-5 years received pre-school education , while 70 per cent of the adult population was illiterate. In addition to limited access, the quality of education was inadequate and of a low level. Gender disparities persisted throughout the education system while teachers were also in short supply at all levels of the education system.

For this reason, the Government of Eritrea has targeted education as a priority area on which it has already spent substantial amounts of resources and to which it would allocate additional resources.

Rationale

Eritrea is endowed with the requisite natural resource base for the development of agriculture, industry and mining. In spite of the substantial progress which it is making in forging ahead with its social and economic agenda, the Government is facing a number of constraints including a low level of human capital development and a low technological base. In the light of the foregoing, the Government has singled out education and training as a critical factor in its realization of its full agricultural and industrial potential and as the main driving force of  its socio-economic development.

It sees education is the key for developing the knowledge and the efficiency needed to adjust to the expected changes in the country’s economy.  This project also ties in with the effort of achieving the Millenium Development Goals, including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the attainment of universal primary education, the enhancement of gender equity and the empowerment of women and the proper management of the environment for sustainable development.

Objective

The project’s objective is to contribute to an increased access to quality education.

Description

To achieve its objectives, the project will support improved access to elementary level education by constructing additional classrooms in 19 existing schools located in under-served areas. A total of 134 new classrooms, including external works and support facilities, will be constructed, furnished and equipped with basic learning materials.

The project will also enhance educational quality at the elementary level by financing the printing of text books and providing sports and fine arts equipment.

The project will support improved access to middle level education by constructing additional classrooms in 15 existing schools located in under-served areas. A total of 190 new classrooms, including external works and support facilities, will be constructed, furnished and equipped with basic learning materials.  Overall, the project will enhance educational quality at the middle level by financing printing of  text books and providing sports equipment and fine arts equipment.

Government policy calls for the integration of children with milder disabilities into the regular formal education system. The Ministry of Education’s strategic plans call for expansion of diagnostic services. This will result in more children with milder disabilities being identified. The project will provide support for the construction, furnishing and equipping of 25 special needs classrooms to be located at existing schools.

Further, the project will construct and furnish two hostels to ensure continuity of education up to the middle school level for highly disadvantaged girls. It will, as well, develop and disseminate Information-Education-Communication (IEC) sensitisation programmes with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS prevention for girls and other vulnerable groups, especially in deprived rural areas. 

In view of the need to provide quality education to the expanded number of classrooms, and as a complement to pre-service teacher training in existing teacher training institutes, the project will provide in-service training for the upgrading of unqualified and under-qualified teachers. Distance education instructional materials and equipment and in-country pre-service teacher training scholarships will be provided to enhance the quality of teachers and strengthen the teaching force for a target group of some teachers. 

MUVAWALA Joseph - OSHD2

Finance source	Amount
ADF	UAC 18,630,000
Government	UAC 1,770,000
Total	UAC 20,400,000