Evaluation of rural primary school expansion project no. 519-0190 : final report

Special evaluation covers the period 7/79-11/84 and is based on document review, interviews with Ministry of Education (MOE) and A.I.D. officials and teachers, and site visits. It is estimated that 26,500 children are benefiting from expanded services resulting from the project. Increased violence in the northeast, changes in Government of El Salvador (GOES) policies and priorities, and loss of MOE personnel resulted in suspension of activities from 8/80 to 3/82 and a shift in focus to relatively peaceful areas; still, access to primary education objectives have been met with the construction of 395 rural classrooms at 147 sites, external works (sanitary services, water systems, drains, protection walls) in 18 schools, and 76 additional sanitary services built with counterpart funds. Classrooms have been heavily used, generally serving grades 1-6 as intended; parents, teachers, and directors have been satisfied, while noting that protection fences, water systems, lights, and additional classrooms and desks are still needed. The project sponsored training in educational planning and administration for 131 technicians and administrators and data processing and programming for 100 technicians (although the computerized management system is not in place), and these courses reached an additional 4,000 school personnel through television seminars. However, no special training was provided to teachers assigned to project classrooms. The fixed amount reimbursement method proved effective, once a loan working-capital fund for the GOES was included, as did GOES direct contracting. MOE and community participation in transporting furniture and constructing exterior works was sporadic, and while some 750 unskilled community members country-wide were employed in construction, overall, community involvement was minimal. Some lack of communication occurred among the many entities involved in the project, and time pressure, severe understaffing within the GOES implementing entity, and the relative inexperience of supervisory firms led to some design and construction flaws. For recommendations on correcting organizational and design problems, see action decisions in abstract for PD-AAD-569.