Rural primary school expansion project

Final PES covers the period 7/79-11/84 and is based on an attached special evaluation (XD-AAS-569-A). The project constructed 395 classrooms at 147 sites around the country, benefiting the 13 construction and 9 supervision firms employed to complete the physical work as well as about 26,500 children receiving expanded services. Action decisions - being implemented under follow-on project 5190295 - call for the following changes: (1) establish a Ministry of Education (MOE) entity responsible for overall coordination and day-to-day implementation of future school projects and with manpower required for the task; (2) initiate a more rigorous process for selecting supervision and construction firms; (3) place responsibility for furniture delivery with the MOE or include delivery as a criterion in selecting a furniture manufacturing firm; (4) plan local community involvement in school maintenance rather than school construction itself; (5) continue institution building through TA and training; (6) redesign pit toilets to include ventilation tubes, shorter doors, and high windows, and use quicklime in existing units to reduce odor; (7) construct a single tank for all flush toilets, to be flushed at regular intervals during the day; (8) include water systems and protection fences in future school construction; (9) correct design flaws, such as outward opening doors, narrow corridors, and insufficient overhangs; (10) use inverted triangular (thrust) beams rather than "C"-type support beams; and (11) include maintenance as a budget item in school construction programs. In addition - for future programs - an integrated construction program which includes health, administrative, and recreational as well as scholastic needs and which anticipates future school utilization will be considered.