Project assistance completion report (PACR) : rural primary education improvement project (520-0282)

The project met and, in many instances, surpassed its targets. A permanent Bilingual Education Division and the National Program of Bilingual Education (PRONEBI) have been established; the latter is the only unit within the Ministry of Education (MOE) that provides schools with pre-primary education and learning materials. Regionalization of bilingual education services is now in process and regionalization was included as a condition precedent under the Basic Education Strengthening (BEST) project (5200374). A B.A. program was instituted in two private universities to prepare professionals in bilingual education; the program trained or retrained some 5,400 bilingual personnel (324% of target). In addition, more than 800 bilingual promoters (vs. a target of 500) were certified by the MOE as pre-primary bilingual teachers; 1,600 bilingual school directors were trained (vs. a target of 400); and 3 technicians received M.A. training at the University of New Mexico. A complete bilingual education curriculum and materials were developed. The following lessons were learned. (1) Project designers often overestimate the capacity of implementing units and set ideal benchmarks unilaterally; realistic benchmarks should be set in consultation with host country officials and beneficiaries. (2) Even if project officers conduct regular dialogue with government authorities, there should be a component that institutionalizes dialogue. (3) Donors should coordinate their efforts in order to avoid duplication and maximize their resources. (4) Varying levels of bilingualism within target populations should be considered when developing bilingual education materials. (5) A well-developed bilingual education program can be more effective than programs in the second language.