Audit of USAID/Pakistan's Sindh Basic Education Program

The program aimed to develop a school environment conducive to teaching and learning, with a focus on seven target districts in Northern Sindh. USAID agreed to provide up to $81 million in support for the program, with a goal of increasing and sustaining student enrollment. The program's five components included construction of schools in areas affected by the 2010 floods, improvement and consolidation of schools through school construction, improvement of early-grade reading in primary schools, community mobilization, and technical assistance to the Department of Education. As of August 31, 2013, USAID had obligated $64,719,718 and disbursed $2,358,416 for the program. The program's implementation was hindered by several weaknesses, including implementation delays, which increased construction prices by $1.3 million for six schools. The mission's effort to use a local implementer did not succeed, and the program's capacity building efforts were also unsuccessful. The mission set an unrealistic target for improving literacy, exceeding the number of students enrolled by 37%. Additionally, the mission did not deobligate funds promptly after terminating a cooperative agreement. The audit disclosed several weaknesses in the program, including: * Implementation delays increased construction prices by $1.3 million for six schools. * The program's effort to use a local implementer did not succeed. * Capacity building has not been successful. * The mission set an unrealistic target for improving literacy. * The mission did not deobligate funds promptly. To address these issues, the audit recommends that USAID/Pakistan: * Develop a plan to closely monitor construction and approval to avoid additional overruns. * Require new local implementers to provide a canceled check showing their account name and number before requesting payment. * Implement realistic targets for improving literacy and numeracy. * Deobligate the excess funding for the Teachers' Resource Centre and reprogram the funds for better use. * Determine whether to extend the program as little as possible. The program's goal of increasing and sustaining student enrollment in primary, middle, and secondary schools in targeted areas has not been achieved. The program has not built any schools, and there has been little progress in early-grade reading, community mobilization, or technical assistance to the Department of Education. The program's weaknesses provide insight into the challenges faced by the Sindh Government in implementing the program. The Sindh Government has established the Project Management and Implementation Unit to implement and manage the program. The unit, when fully staffed and functional, will be responsible for implementing and managing the program for the government. The program's implementation has been hindered by several weaknesses, including implementation delays, which increased construction prices by $1.3 million for six schools. The program's effort to use a local implementer did not succeed, and the program's capacity building efforts were also unsuccessful. The mission set an unrealistic target for improving literacy, exceeding the number of students enrolled by 37%. Additionally, the mission did not deobligate funds promptly after terminating a cooperative agreement.