Document of The World Bank

Report No: 32523

IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT(SCL-42970)

ON A

LOAN

IN THE AMOUNT OF EUR 72.5 MILLION(US$80 MILLION EQUIVALENT)

TO THE

REPUBLIC OF TUNISIA

FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM SUPPORT PROJECT

June 27, 2005

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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS

(Exchange Rate Effective March 17, 1998)

Currency Unit = Tunisian Dinar (TND); French franc (FRF) TND 1 = US$ 0.855US$ 1.0 = TND 1.169

US$1 = FRF 6.13FRF 1 = US$0.163

(Exchange Rate Effective January 1, 1999)Currency Unit = Euro (EUR)

EUR 1 = US$ 0.85US$1 = EUR 1.17

(EUR 1 = FRF 6.5596)

FISCAL YEARJanuary - December

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

BDE Direction des Bâtiments et de l’Equipement (Department of Civil Works and Equipment)CAS Country Assistance StrategyCIDA Canadian International Development Institute DGRU Direction Générale de la Rénovation Universitaire (Department of University Reform)DSPP Department of Statistics, Policy and PlanningIBRD International Bank for Reconstruction for DevelopmentISET Institut Supérieur des Etudes Technologiques (Higher Institute of Technology)IT Information TechnologyMoHE Ministry of Higher EducationOECD Organization for Economic and Co-Operation and DevelopmentQAG Quality Assurance GroupVU Virtual University

Vice President: Christian PoortmanCountry Director: Theodore AhlersSector Manager: Regina Bendokat

Task Team Leader: Linda English

TUNISIAHigher Education Reform Support Project

CONTENTS

Page No.1. Project Data2. Principal Performance Ratings3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry 24. Achievement of Objective and Outputs 45. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome 96. Sustainability 107. Bank and Borrower Performance 118. Lessons Learned 129. Partner Comments 1310. Additional Information 13Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix 14Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing 15Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits 17Annex 4. Bank Inputs 21Annex 5. Ratings for Achievement of Objectives/Outputs of Components 23Annex 6. Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance 24Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents 25Annex 8. Beneficiary Survey Results 26Annex 9. Stakeholder Workshop Results 58Annex 10. Borrower's Report

Project ID: P005741 Project Name: Higher Education Reform SupportTeam Leader: Linda K. English TL Unit: MNSHDICR Type: Intensive Learning Model (ILM) of ICR Report Date: June 28, 2005

1. Project DataName: Higher Education Reform Support L/C/TF Number: SCL-42970

Country/Department: TUNISIA Region: Middle East and North Africa Region

Sector/subsector: Tertiary education (90%); Central government administration (5%); Sub-national government administration (5%)

Theme: Education for the knowledge economy (P); Technology diffusion (S)

KEY DATES Original Revised/ActualPCD: 05/14/1997 Effective: 07/20/1998 07/01/1998

Appraisal: 12/30/1997 MTR: 12/31/2001 04/08/2002Approval: 03/17/1998 Closing: 12/31/2003 12/31/2004

Borrower/Implementing Agency: GOVERNMENT OF TUNISIA/MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION; GOVERNMENT OF TUNISIA/RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

Other Partners:

STAFF Current At AppraisalVice President: Christian Poortman Kemal DervisCountry Director: Theodore O. Ahlers Christian DelvoieSector Manager: Regina Bendokat Marlaine E. LockheedTeam Leader at ICR: Linda English Benoît MillotICR Primary Author: Soriba Sylla

2. Principal Performance Ratings

(HS=Highly Satisfactory, S=Satisfactory, U=Unsatisfactory, HL=Highly Likely, L=Likely, UN=Unlikely, HUN=Highly Unlikely, HU=Highly Unsatisfactory, H=High, SU=Substantial, M=Modest, N=Negligible)

Outcome: S

Sustainability: L

Institutional Development Impact: M

Bank Performance: S

Borrower Performance: S

QAG (if available) ICRQuality at Entry: S S

Project at Risk at Any Time: Yes

3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry

3.1 Original Objective:The objectives of the Higher Education Reform Support Project were to: (i) promote access to higher education (public and private institutions alike) while ensuring its quality; (ii) improve internal and external efficiency of the public higher education sector as well as its cohesiveness; and (iii) enhance the financial sustainability of public institutions of higher education.

The objectives of specific project components were to: (i) support the required supply response to absorb the huge anticipated increase in enrollments without sacrificing quality; (ii) adapt curricula and pedagogic methods and enhance faculty qualifications and motivation; (iii) train and empower managers of the universities to make appropriate and timely decisions regarding materials, financial and human resource use through greater autonomy; and (iv) support efforts to enhance the financial sustainability of the sector.

3.2 Revised Objective:The development objectives were not revised.

3.3 Original Components:Component A · Supply Extension of Public Facilities and Encouragement of Private-Sector Supply (US$81.0 million). The component consisted of: (i) constructing and extending academic and non-academic facilities; (ii) purchasing equipment and furniture for new infrastructure; (iii) improving laboratory equipment and material in science-oriented higher education institutions; and (iv) acquiring collections and equipment for new and existing libraries. This component also included the promotion of private-sector participation in delivering academic and non-academic services.

Component B · Quality and Relevance (US$0.5 million). The component aimed to reduce repetition and dropout rates with technical assistance in the first cycle of higher education by: (i) introducing a credit system; (ii) improving university autonomy in managing academic affairs; and (iii) establishing quality assurance mechanisms for the evaluation and accreditation of curricula and learning institutions. In addition, this component sought to revamp the system to evaluate teachers, weighing teaching over research activities as a means to enhance teaching competencies and to guide professional careers.

Component C · Governance and Management (US$1.9 million). The component aimed to delegate decision-making responsibilities for financial, administrative and academic matters from the central administration to universities and build capacity at the central and decentralized levels, including recruitment of qualified managerial staff in universities and improving the skills of existing staff. The component financed training and technical assistance.

Component D · Intensified Use of New Technologies. (US$22.8 million). The component consisted of increasing the number of computers and setting up IT centers, including Internet services for students, teachers and administrative staff; providing training programs for users of new technologies to enhance skills; and computerizing university management information systems.

Component E · Enhancement of Financial Sustainability (US$0.4 million). This component financed technical assistance to produce a comprehensive sector and budgetary simulation model. This technical assistance aimed to develop a financing strategy and system for higher education which would include greater cost-recovery and introduce increasing student loans relative to scholarships in order to attain a more efficient and equitable utilization of public resources.

3.4 Revised Components:At the mid-term review, the Borrower and the Bank agreed to add four activities intended to boost project performance. The legal agreement was amended on July 25, 2002. The activities are the following:

Component A · Pilot demonstration of public-private partnership in delivering academic services (US$0.16

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million). This activity sought to promote the participation of the private sector in the delivery of academic services through workshops and seminars.

Component B · Teacher Training for Higher Institutes of Technology (ISETs) (US$1.7 million). The expansion of ISETs, which successfully adapted training to labor market needs, led to a shortage of qualified teachers. This activity financed training of qualified teachers in order to meet the demand in ISETs.

Component D · Additional activities were to: (i) upgrade support to distance learning through the Tunisian Virtual University (US$0.9 million) and (ii) purchase IT equipment (US$0.9 million) for traditional and distance learning (computers and video projection equipment) in order to better promote the use of information technologies in teaching and management activities. At the time of the mid-term review, the implementation of Component D was unsatisfactory. Supporting the Virtual University (VU) was introduced as an opportunity to boost the activities leading to greater use of new technologies in higher education. The VU has the mandate to produce multimedia materials, train teachers for such production and become a center of excellence in developing these communication tools for educational purposes.

Overall, the new activities were in line with the original objectives of the project and were integrated into existing components. The rationale for these additional activities aimed to improve project performance in line with quality enhancement and efficiency gains in public resource management to ensure financial sustainability of the sector. In September 2004, the government decided to cancel EUR 12.5 million, of which EUR 7.5 million represented funds for IT equipment and university networking activities that had been delayed or cancelled due to procurement difficulties.

3.5 Quality at Entry:3.5 Quality at entry is rated satisfactory.

Relevance to country strategy. The project development objectives were consistent and relevant to the government’s development strategy and the World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS Report No. 15799-TUN). Both emphasized human resource development as a key element to improve economic growth and attain social equality. These documents share the view that higher education plays a major role in the training of highly skilled manpower and is linked to achieving economic and social goals. Expansion of private institutions and greater beneficiary contributions as a means of covering the additional associated costs was an integral part of the Ninth and Tenth Development Plan. The project was a relevant part of the Bank’s portfolio in Tunisia’s education sector, which also included basic education and vocational training. The project design benefited from the Bank’s experiences in previous projects, including the Higher Education Restructuring Loan (LN 3456-TUN) and two ongoing partnerships oriented to support Secondary Education (LN 3786) and the Second Training and Employment Project (LN 4036-TUN).

Project design. The project’s strength stemmed from its comprehensive scope to expand physical capacity, improve quality and re-engineer financing structures. Prior to the project, expenditures for higher education were increasing, reaching 1.4 percent of GDP in 1994, surpassing the level observed in most OECD countries and middle-income countries where enrolment rates were much higher. This situation pointed to problems associated with low efficiency and risks for long-term sustainability given the forecasts for huge increases in enrolments. The search for solutions justified the project’s orientation towards improving cost-effectiveness and diversifying financing sources. The project acknowledged the importance of greater management flexibility for universities as a means to improve quality and set out to strengthen university autonomy in budget management, student orientation and curriculum development and in teacher and staff management.

A Quality Assurance Group (QAG) review performed two years after effectiveness rated quality at entry as satisfactory in large part because preparation involved extensive and high quality sector work and a process of consensus-building during appraisal. Beneficiary input was sought through the participation of university presidents and teachers’ associations as well as involving Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) senior staff and representatives from other ministries in the design and appraisal of the project.

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Readiness for implementation. Insufficient attention to implementation capacity, such as no manual of procedures, augured that implementation would be slow, which was in fact the case. The QAG Quality at Entry Review identified implementation problems associated with weak coordination and oversight, as well as understaffing and a lack of equipment in key implementation structures. Once solutions to these problems were implemented (following the mid-term review) implementation did improve.

Risks. The major risks related to implementation were identified during preparation and integrated into the project. One of the main risks was the resistance of students and teacher to reforms, which were viewed as detrimental to their respective interests. Reforms affecting teachers did occur but the major cost-recovery reforms did not. In hindsight, more attention to developing a communication strategy and building support for financing reforms could have strengthened project design.

4. Achievement of Objective and Outputs

4.1 Outcome/achievement of objective:The achievement of the project’s objectives is rated Satisfactory based on the following outcomes.

Promoting access to higher education was measured in terms of enrollments and enrollment rates. Overall enrolment numbers reached 360,342 students in 2004, up from 155,120 students in 1998. The key indicator for improving access is improvement in enrolment rates (for the 19-24 age group) which doubled from 14.6 percent to 29 percent over the same period. Women’s enrollment rates increased from 13.5 percent to 32.4 percent, growing faster than those for men which increased from 14.6 percent to 24.6 percent. By the end of the project, women accounted for 58 percent of all university students. Between 1998 and 2004, an additional 84,700 places in universities and ISETs were made available, of which 25,200 places were the result of new construction.

Furthermore, under the project, a combination of other factors improved the responsiveness of supply to strong demand. Increasing student teacher ratios from 11:1 to 22:1 accommodated increased enrollments. Other factors included the expansion of short, professionalized cycles and streams in universities as well as at ISETs (accounting for 23.1 percent of the students in 2003/2004, up from 10 percent in 1998) and the improved flexibility of the pedagogic system with the introduction of a modular credit system that allowed students to change courses at the beginning of the year and required students only to repeat failed subjects and not the entire year. These two reforms led to a significant increase in pass rates, a shorter duration to complete programs and an overall lower repetition rate, thereby alleviating pressure on both physical and human resources (as discussed below).

Internal and external efficiency. Pedagogic reforms, including the extension of shorter-term professional programs, the introduction of the credit-system, along with greater student choice, as well as teacher training and curriculum development, provided tangible positive results in terms of improving the internal efficiency of higher education. The average pass rate improved from 45 percent in 1996 to 60 percent in 2003. Average repetition rates were halved, from 48 percent to 24 percent during the same period. About 31 percent of all students repeated in 1996, representing a substantial loss of government expenditures. The impact of internal efficiency improvements is estimated to represent 9.4 percent of the government’s total operating budget between 1998 and 2003. There are definite variations in performance with students enrolled in agriculture, medical sciences and short-term professional streams (including the ISETs) performing better than in traditional medium or long-term programs and faculties. Small class size, teacher qualification and greater choice by students seem to be reasons that explain better performance. The results of the beneficiary assessment carried out for the ICR confirmed that the pedagogic and curricula reforms had a significant impact on the quality of education as did the expansion of ISETs and professional programs in universities. The 2004 tracer study shows that graduates of ISETs and professional programs have greater success rates than other undergraduates in finding employment (94 percent as opposed to the average 86 percent).

Significant results were achieved in granting greater autonomy to universities. In this area of institutional reform, qualitative objectives, which are better suited to assess progress, were assigned: transfer of decision-making to universities, increased management capacity, and better use of autonomy for institutional improvement. The project focused on advancing decentralization in the sector through endorsing reforms geared to empowering

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universities to manage their pedagogic, administrative and financial matters. The 2000 Decentralization Law began a process of devolution of responsibilities from the MoHE to institutions of higher education. Above all, the decision-making power of university presidents was enhanced on academic and financial issues. With greater autonomy, universities and their establishments had greater flexibility and were enabled to carry out pedagogic reorganization (enlargement of modular courses, facilitating student reorientation, creating post-graduate programs and modifying the teacher evaluation system to promote teaching activities and career development). The effect of these academic changes contributed to reducing repetition rates.

Enhanced financial sustainability. Achieving outcomes related to enhancing financial sustainability was less satisfactory than expected. Promoting private-sector service delivery proved difficult. A law was passed in 2000 intended to support the development of the private sector and providing incentives through subsidies for investment and operating costs, but the response from the private sector was tepid. Although no quantifiable target was created, the level of student enrolment in private institutions stands very low: 2,000 students for 15,000 available places in 2003, representing only 3 percent of the student population. Limiting foreign partners to 49 percent of investment has hindered high quality foreign universities set up credible processus attrative to students and parents.

In terms of improving cost-recovery and restructuring scholarship and loan schemes, the impact was negligible. The overall implementation of financial reforms of higher education rested on timid measures that did not change the existing structure of relying heavily on state expenditures. Reforms were introduced to limit student housing and as a result the proportion of students benefiting from subsidized housing fell from 30 percent to 19.2 percent. The loan program was expanded and the number of students receiving loans increased from 16,127 in 1998 to 51,245 in 2004. Nevertheless, the percentage of students receiving scholarships continued to rise, increasing from 24.7 percent to 30.4 percent between 1998 and 2003. To finance the expansion of the sector, government expenditures on higher education rose from 1.4 percent of GDP to 2.0 percent between 1998 and 2003, higher than in middle-income and almost all OECD countries. Recurrent expenditures on scholarships (increasing from 9.7 percent to 11.4 percent of total expenditures between 1998 and 2003) and those for dormitories and cafeterias (increasing from 4.5 percent of expenditures to 4.8 percent ) effectively squeezed out expenditures on non-wage operational expenditures, which fell from 12 percent to 5 percent of total expenditures. With the demand for higher education forecast to once again double in the next seven years, the government will inevitably be confronted with the tough question of how to finance this rapid expansion and improve quality.

4.2 Outputs by components:Component A · Extension of Public Facilities and Encouragement of the Private Sector (rated satisfactory)(A1) Additional infrastructure in the public sector (rated satisfactory). Eleven out of twelve planned sites were completed (one site is to be completed by December 2005), adding 5,000 new places for ISETs and 10,800 new places for universities. Benefiting institutions include: the Faculty of Sciences at Gabes, Fine Arts Institute and School of Management and Economic Sciences at Nabeul, Higher Institutes of Technology at Jendouba, Kef and Kairouan, dormitories and cafeteria in Gabes Kairouan and Le Kef. Expenditures were 17 percent higher than planned due to the construction of the Institute of Technology in Jendouba, planned but not completed under the Higher Education Restructuring Loan (LN 3456-TUN).

(A2) Upgrading scientific equipment in existing science-oriented institutions (rated satisfactory). Forty-two lots of laboratory equipment amounting to TND 2.4 million out of the 47 planned were purchased under the project, including materials for physics, chemistry, biology and computer laboratories. The remaining packages were cancelled because of difficulties in preparing technical specifications and following procurement procedures. Implemented by the Departments of University Reform (DGRU), the goods purchased benefited students and teachers of several engineering schools, science faculties and ISETs throughout the country.

(A3) Stocking and restocking libraries (rated satisfactory). Nine thousand titles (textbooks, books and reviews) were distributed to many universities and benefited students and teachers. This activity cost TND 1.24 million. The objective of the sub-component was achieved.

(A4) Increased participation of the private sector in academic and ancillary service provisions (rated satisfactory)

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. A law was passed to regulate private-sector participation in higher education and define incentives that the State could provide for its development. A seminar on constraints to private-sector involvement was organized in 2003 bringing together private operators, presidents of universities, senior government officials and the media. Regarding private-sector participation in non-academic services, contracting out maintenance of informatics equipment and security and cleaning services to the private sector did occur but only one university cafeteria was subleased to private operators, less than the target of subcontracting 5 percent of cafeterias. Experimentation of private-public partnerships as envisaged at the mid-term review did not materialize.

Component B · Quality and relevance (rated satisfactory)(B1) More efficient and flexible pedagogic organization (rated highly satisfactory). Pedagogic reforms were implemented as expected and covered various areas of curricula reform, teacher training and evaluation. Distinctive elements of these reforms included the introduction of common streams in the first cycle in addition to giving universities the authority to decide on one-third of the curricula and generalization of the credit system. Modernizing pedagogic methods with the introduction of pre-service and in-service training programs for teachers achieved positive results. The Master’s programs were adapted to include one semester of pedagogic training out of the three required semesters. Nine centers for pedagogic resources were opened to provide in-service training for teachers, and hundreds of young teachers attended a seminar on pedagogic methods. Enrolment in graduate studies showed a rapid growth: from 14,736 students in academic year 2001/2002 to 18,241 in 2002/2003, with those in Master's programs rising from 10,603 students to 15,942 students, increasing the availability of potential teachers.

The project supported the diversification of programs with the creation of short, professionalized streams, and the expansion of 2.5 year ISET programs. As a result, the number of students enrolled in these programs grew from 1,760 students in 1998 to approximately 25,000 new students in 2003/2004. ISETs introduced numerous innovations within the system: a five-semester program, internships with enterprises, and an end-of-program project. Repetition and dropout rates were low and success in finding jobs was remarkable as demonstrated in the tracer study which was completed.

(B2) Improvement of faculty development and career (rated satisfactory). The project aimed to hire 900 new teaching staff annually. The numbers hired went well beyond the target with an average of 1,000 per year, with 1,470 in 2004 and 1,275 in 2003, sufficient to meet demand and keep the student/teacher ratio at a reasonable level of 22:1. Changes in recruitment procedures and the evaluation system of teachers and establishments, introducing more relevancy and transparency, were instituted. Under new criteria for recruitment, promotion and assignment of professors, emphasis was put on teaching activities and introducing a culture of quality assurance. In addition, 40 establishments voluntarily undertook internal evaluations and four establishments were evaluated externally. The results of the latter have not yet been fully discussed among the stakeholders. The overall project performance in the area of quality improvement was significant, even though the issue of follow-up was not quite resolved.

Component C · Governance and Management (rated satisfactory)(C1) Decentralization of management responsibility (rated satisfactory). The Decentralization Law was passed by Parliament in 2000 which was subsequently reinforced by a Presidential Decree in 2002. Universities were granted greater autonomy for pedagogic, administrative and financial management responsibilities to carry out their mandates under the Decentralization Law. Structures of decentralized management have been put in place, processes have been defined and human resources to manage the process were made available as was planned under the project. Universities have been entrusted with greater decision-making responsibilities on academic (design of curricula and new programs), financial (procurement, budgeting) and human resources management (hiring of contract and administrative staff).

(C2) Improving management capability at centralized and decentralized levels (rated satisfactory). The management capacity of public universities and central services was buttressed through the recruitment of some 300 qualified young managers, graduates of the special training program for higher education management. This specific graduate program launched under the previous project was continued in order to satisfy the growing demands for talented managerial staff. In addition, short-term training seminars were given to existing staff to update their skills. All of these activities improved the working of the financial and administrative structures of

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the sector. However, an independent study of the program for higher education managers should be carried out to assess its impact and introduce improvements if necessary.

(C3) Support to project management (rated satisfactory). Twenty project managers and their staff received short-term training geared to project management and procurement arrangements, and two qualified assistants were recruited in the project director’s office to carry out specific responsibilities in the areas of project implementation. All of the structures involved in project management were provided with computers and communication equipment. Project management improved after training, demonstrated by improved procurement management and better communication of documents to the Bank.

Component D · Intensified Use of New Technologies (rated unsatisfactory)(D1) Equipment (rated unsatisfactory). A Master Plan for connecting each of the universities to national and international networks was completed as a prerequisite for purchasing and installing informatics equipment. The indicator set at appraisal was to ensure institutions comprising more than 1,000 students and teaching staff would be equipped with at least 20 computers and connected to Internet services. This result was far from achieved. Apart from the cabling of the University of El Manar and the University of the Center and La Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, none of the other 50 planned sites were connected. Moreover, the purchase of equipment for 217 computerized centers for student and teacher use was cancelled at the government's request. Implementation delays, the lack of respect of procedures and the difficulty of mastering frequent changes in bidding procedures contributed to the weak results and subsequent cancellation of a significant portion of the loan (approx. US$12.5 million) with an additional US$5.2 million not disbursed. On the positive side, though done outside the project, the Borrower funded the cabling and purchase of informatics equipment for many institutions of higher education. Also, funding was made available for maintenance and replacement of hardware.

(D2) Training and Support for Pedagogic Purposes (rated satisfactory). The goal of facilitating access to and use of computers and the Internet for teaching and learning activities was partly achieved. Two-hundred sixty-four video projectors were purchased and delivered to establishments of higher education as part of the activities for the Tunisian VU. Slow start-up at project outset prompted a decision to integrate the implementation of this subcomponent into the program of a newly created Tunisian VU that had the following objectives: (i) promoting distance learning; and (ii) integrating information technology in public institutions of higher education. Hundreds of courses in the sciences and humanities were produced and twelve learning resource centers were established within universities, but very few courses have yet to be offered. A study initiated by the Prime Minister's office and financed by CIDA pointed to the need for the Tunisian VU to develop a clear business plan, to proceed by experimentation of projects, and to create the capacity to develop programs and test the sustainability of the approach before going into full-scale virtual university operations.

(D3) Technology training and support for management (rated satisfactory). The feasibility study to develop a computerized management information system (concerning management personnel, material and financial resources) for public universities was completed. Results and recommendations need to be implemented during the next phase.

Component E · Elaboration and Implementation of a Global Financing Strategy (rated unsatisfactory)(E1) Global financing strategy (rated unsatisfactory). A study on financing higher education in Tunisia was completed in December 2004 which included a financial simulation model and cost-sharing recommendations based on focus group discussions and a capacity-to-pay analysis. Late completion of the study hindered the ability to use the findings to generate greater awareness and acceptance of policy changes among students and their parents during project implementation. This study could be still relevant to develop future policy reforms. The study showed that the gap between the growing needs engendered by increased demand on the one hand, and the availability of resources on the other, will continue to worsen unless reforms are introduced to alleviate the burden of continued increase in demand on the public budget. Recommendations include increased private-sector service delivery and cost-sharing by parents and students. The report also proposed measures to preserve social equality by improving targeting of student assistance schemes to poorer segments of society.

(E2) Increasing students’ share in the cost of education (rated unsatisfactory). The project aimed to increase

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contributions made by students in public institutions of higher education by a gradual increase of tuition fees. This was not realized as the last increase in tuition fees occurred in 1997. The second policy target aimed to improve the ratio of scholarships to loans. Positive progress was registered, reaching 63:37 by 2003, down from 70:30 at appraisal, but not enough to reach the project target of 45:55. Data shows that students receiving scholarships represented 30.4 percent of the total student population in 2003, up from 27.4 percent in 1998. As for student loans, the numbers of beneficiaries grew from 16,127 in 1998 to 51,245 in 2004. While the scheme is attractive, it needs to address the serious problems of improving loan repayments and the inability to target the neediest students.

(E3) Increasing fees for non-academic services (rated unsatisfactory). Increasing fees for dormitory and cafeteria services was another strategy to reduce financial pressures on the public budget by moving the prices paid nearer to their real costs. This measure was not applied since the per capita fees for housing, for example, remained at the level of TND 10 per month whereas the real cost was estimated at TND 40 on average. The percentage of students housed in public university dormitories did decline to 19.2 percent in 2003, surpassing the 25 percent target. Nevertheless, the number of students benefiting from housing facilities and subsidies increased over the period. Privatization of non-academic services did not fare well either. Only one cafeteria was subleased to a private operator while the target aimed to subcontract management of all new non-academic facilities constructed under the project.

4.3 Net Present Value/Economic rate of return:At appraisal, economic and financial assessments were conducted through cost-effectiveness analysis of the project. This analysis predicted that at an individual level, the project will bring about incremental earnings to be derived from students investing in their education. By comparing the levels of salaries paid to skilled workers against the salaries of unskilled workers, the analysis shows ratios of 2.5:1 in the public sector and 3.5:1 in the private sector. The superiority of skilled labor coming from higher education will continue in the long term, as an economy integrating technology-based production and services increasingly requires a qualified workforce. At a sector level, efficiency gains were anticipated because of improvements in internal efficiency resulting from the implementation of pedagogic, institutional and financial reform measures. Subsequent analysis shows that internal efficiency gains resulted in savings of 9.4 percent of the MoHE budget between 1998 and 2003.

4.4 Financial rate of return:n.a.

4.5 Institutional development impact:Three main strategies were pursued for achieving project objectives: (i) decentralization of more responsibility from the MoHE to the institutions of higher education; (ii) development of private-sector participation; and (iii) reinforcement of implementation capacity within the MoHE. The overall impact of the project on institutional development is rated as modest. Strengthening decentralized management of higher education. The overall impact of the project on institutional changes and capacity building in the framework of decentralization is substantial. New kinds of relationships now exist between the universities and the central administration, in striking contrast to the former, top-down approach. The new relations are based on discussion, negotiation and shared governance on issues with regard to the operations of public institutions of higher education. The role of the Council of University Presidents has expanded and provides a mechanism for these discussions. Now universities decide on curricula (now more than 50 percent the program of a given cycle), select and manage non-academic staff and contractual and junior-ranking teachers. Autonomy is leading to attitudinal changes and the obligation for results and good governance within universities. Undertaking internal evaluations by 40 establishments and their openness to external evaluations demonstrate new thinking about accountability. The stakeholders’ workshop acknowledged the important role that autonomy has played in improving the quality of programs, but that greater autonomy will be necessary to give universities the flexibility needed respond to changes in their environment and the needs of the labor markets.

Improving the role of the private sector. Despite negligible results in increasing private-sector participation, this

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policy choice has gained in strength as a priority objective to respond to the demand for post-secondary education in the Government’s recent strategy documents. Several solutions have been proffered, such as allowing students with scholarships to enroll in private institutions, creating partnerships between public and private universities and revising regulations attractive to foreign participation, but the move to implement these solutions has not materialized.

Improving the strategic management capacity in higher education. Greater university autonomy calls for a change in the role of the MoHE, with the focus shifting from the day-to-day management of universities to strategic planning, setting policy priorities, and monitoring and evaluation. Some activities benefited the MoHE such as carrying out studies evaluating the impact of policy reforms and the emerging issues facing higher education which helped to develop a framework for future policy choices. A policy seminar to discuss studies stimulated proactive and constructive thinking from the government and beneficiaries. Study tours and training intended to expose high ranking officials and other staff to international experiences and advanced project management practices, and procurement procedures have reinforced MoHE management capacity. The overall impact of improving MoHE's management capacity has been modest as its role in quality assurance and evaluation did not materialize and the oversight role of the steering committee was not used to its full extent. The MoHE has indicated that it intends to undertake a systematic institutional evaluation and develop an operational plan to strengthen its capacity to manage a system defined by greater autonomy for universities.

4.6. Beneficiary survey and workshop:A beneficiary survey and a stakeholders’ workshop were carried out from October to December 2004. The objectives of the survey were to collect opinions and information from beneficiaries on their assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the project, as well as their suggestions for improving a future project. Focus groups were set up with representatives from 10 establishments (7 public and 3 private), including 32 students, 56 teachers, 54 university presidents, and senior staff of universities and the MoHE.

The findings of the survey identified project achievements as having a significant impact in the following areas: (i) pedagogic and curricula reform; (ii) maintaining the size of pedagogic groups at reasonable levels; (iii) expansion of short, professional programs at universities and ISETs; and (iv) contracting out maintenance, security and cleaning services to the private sector. Contrary to these positive results, the survey indicated that there were insufficient quantity of educational equipment (laboratories and IT equipment), limited Internet coverage, slow development of the private sector in providing training and constraints to university autonomy with respect to the hiring of professors, student enrollment, and budget and financial management. The survey pointed out other concerns such as skepticism of students and parents concerning private-sector participation in higher education because of perceptions of poor quality and high cost; concerns about reduction in course time, complexity of exams under the credit system, poor diversity in specialties within recruitment juries, complaints by deans of faculties and schools that their new reporting relationships to universities rather than directly to the MoHE has reduced their management flexibility; and the resistance of students to greater cost-recovery.

A stakeholders’ workshop was held in December 2004 to validate the survey findings and to make suggestions for a future project. The workshop was attended by students, teachers, presidents of public and private universities, senior staff of the MoHE and experts from the World Bank. There was a consensus that a more autonomous university was necessary to have the flexibility and adaptability to respond to changes in the sector. Universities still lack adequate autonomy for managing their own budgets, even those resources they have generated. This lack of financial autonomy is one of the main factors undermining their ability to purchase and maintain IT equipment, which is a crucial element in the pursuit of excellence. University presidents acknowledged that effective decentralization will demand stronger accountability mechanisms, including quality assurance and monitoring of processes and results according to the rules of good governance. Other conclusions of the workshop were: (i) the reforms implemented under the project improved higher education in terms of accessibility, quality and governance; (ii) the impact of the project on beneficiaries was significant in several areas, as reflected by the survey; (iii) efforts to improve accessibility to information technology, Internet and laboratories need to be pursued; (iv) the diversification of short streams and ISETs has had a significant positive impact on the quality of tertiary education and needs to be extended; (v) greater private-sector involvement in higher education was endorsed as a good path to follow; and (vi) the participatory approach to assess project performance was useful.

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5. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome

5.1 Factors outside the control of government or implementing agency:None.

5.2 Factors generally subject to government control:Improving the financial sustainability of higher education was an important aspect of the program. Political commitment to implement these reforms would have been the main force to bring about the expected changes to re-engineer the financing of the system using a combination of improving efficiency in using public resources, greater private-sector participation and increasing student contributions. Government actions in ensuring financial sustainability remained limited. Two principal reasons explain why financial reforms did not happen: (i) the political sensitivity to increasing student contributions to the cost of education in a society accustomed to a generous subsidy; and (ii) a deliberate practice of the government to guarantee free access to higher education, regardless of the cost, to as many as possible in order to demonstrate its commitment to social equality.

The government acted clearly and consistently on: (i) accommodating rising enrollment through a combination of policies; (ii) decentralizing management to universities; and (iii) sanctioning pedagogic reforms. These actions offered opportunities for significant strengthening of university autonomy and pursuing academic improvements.

The role played by the Commission Nationale des Marchés was rather counterproductive in many instances of the procurement process with some undesirable outcomes particularly for IT purchases. These problems included confusion between the procedures for national bidding and those stipulated in the loan agreement, long delays due to questions relating to technical specifications after bidding documents had been received and long delays in processing documents.

5.3 Factors generally subject to implementing agency control:During the mid-term review in April 2002, the Bank and the Borrower agreed to correct serious implementation problems aimed at improving the performance of those departments responsible for implementation. These changes included: (i) naming a full-time coordinator devoted to coordinating the project, whose concentration on project management proved to be an important boost to reverse the negative performance trends into positive ones during the last 18 months of the project; (ii) appointing administrative assistants to the coordination unit which helped enormously in transmission of documents to the Bank; (iii) nominating heads of components and subcomponents with clearly defined responsibilities; (iv) restructuring some components in order to focus better on results; (v) providing all management structures with logistical support and training in project management and procurement procedures; and (vi) establishing an internal procurement review process which improved the management and quality of procurement documents. By September 2004, the disbursement rate reached 70 percent with an 80 percent disbursement rate for civil works, up from 20 percent in 2002.

The Steering Committee was supposed to have played a major role in seeking solutions to the sector problems addressed by the project. However, it met infrequently and was unable to address implementation problems early on or fill the gap of a lack of political vision and cohesiveness of actions when needed.

5.4 Costs and financing:The project was implemented between May 1998 and December 2004 at an original estimated cost of US$106.6 million, of which US$80 million, or FRF 476.1 million, represented the loan amount. In January 2001, when the Euro (EUR) became effective, the loan amount was converted into the new currency. By the project's closing date, EUR 53.1 million was disbursed out of the total loan amount of EUR 72.5 million; EUR 12.5 million was cancelled in October 2004 and EUR 5.43 million was not disbursed. The undisbursed amount corresponds to invoices that were not sent to the Bank by the project closing date, uncommitted funds for equipment, and cancelled procurement activities.

The original closing date was December 31, 2003. However, it was extended by one year to December 31, 2004. This extension was granted at the request of the Government of Tunisia to enable the MoHE to achieve its

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development objectives. Given the fact that the project had improved its implementation and had achieved most of the development objectives, the extension was warranted.

6. Sustainability

6.1 Rationale for sustainability rating:The results of the project are likely to be sustainable.

The project financed investments in construction, rehabilitation of public facilities, equipment and furniture which are likely to be sustainable for the following reasons: (i) the budget for higher education makes provisions for maintenance of public buildings and their equipment; however, this budgetary line is executed at the central level whereas its delegation to the universities could improve its efficiency; (ii) scientific and IT equipment is the responsibility of universities. Availability of funds enhances ownership and could facilitate the maintenance and repair or replacement of this equipment, especially with greater financial autonomy.

Pedagogic and institutional reforms have made steady progress under the project. Their impact is likely to be felt after the project since practices have become entrenched within the higher education institutions. Other reasons for the continuity of these impacts are attributable to: (i) the political commitment of the government to pursue decentralization; (ii) the proven experience that universities and their establishments are able to make good management decisions and to take advantage of the autonomy in the sense of implementing positive changes in academic matters as well as in management activities (such as improvements made through the introduction of modular systems, the reduction of internal inefficiency and the implementation of some attractive curricula with market-led orientations); (iii) albeit slow to be fully materialized, the pattern of role change within the central administration is perceptible as MoHE senior staff are inclined to leave more daily management responsibilities to university managers. Not all universities have the capacity to take advantage of the opportunities that come with decentralization. Discrepancies between universities in terms of implementation capacity may slow the move to greater autonomy. Systematic efforts at capacity building for weaker institutions should be actively pursued while a criteria-based system granting greater autonomy to stronger universities could be envisaged.

The financial sustainability of the system improved through: (i) increasing student:teacher ratios to internationally accepted levels and thus lowering unit costs by 47 percent; (ii) improving repetition and pass rates which incurred savings representing 9 percent of government recurrent expenditures; and (iii) increasing higher education’s share of government resources to 2.0 percent of GDP. The long-term sustainability of the system is still questionable because there will not be enough public resources to finance the inputs necessary to respond to the growing demand for higher education over the next five years. The government currently finances 98 percent of all expenditures in higher education (representing 2 percent of GDP). It is unlikely that the public effort can go further than this. Strategies to increase cost-recovery and for universities to generate additional resources were developed in the studies financed by the project. With effective communication and risk management these strategies could be implemented.

6.2 Transition arrangement to regular operations:There is no need to establish transition modalities as project activities are part of the reform program carried out by the MoHE.

7. Bank and Borrower Performance

Bank7.1 Lending:Satisfactory. The Bank’s performance during preparation was satisfactory. The Bank engaged in a very fruitful dialogue with the Borrower based on extensive and participatory sector work as well as consensus building activities. The project design was in accordance with the government’s development plan and the CAS. The project laid emphasis on resolving the emerging issues of higher education in order to make the sector more efficient. Project design helped to identify these issues and to assign objectives which were well adapted to the goals of the Borrower. One of the reasons for not giving a highly satisfactory rating is that the Bank did not fully

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ensure readiness for implementation as roles and responsibilities of the coordinator and the Steering Committee were not understood and a manual of procedures was not prepared. These factors explained for the most part the initial weak implementation of the project.

7.2 Supervision:Satisfactory. Bank supervision is rated satisfactory. The Bank team developed good relations and understanding with the Borrower (authorities and staff), fostering constructive dialogue and shared views on major issues and their solutions. The mid-term review was of high quality and extremely effective as it identified major problems and proposed solutions that led to improve project performance. The Bank team was competent and dedicated, and the transition of task team leaders (three in total) was smooth, favoring continuity of project activities. A QAG supervision review in FY05 rated supervision as satisfactory but noted that greater use of world class experts during supervision could have pushed ahead the policy dialogue on financial sustainability and greater support in procurement and financial management. In retrospect, the Bank team could have pushed much sooner for improvements in implementation arrangements rather than wait until the mid-term review.

7.3 Overall Bank performance:Satisfactory. Overall Bank performance is rated satisfactory for the following: (i) using participatory approaches in sector work and consensus-building to prepare the project; (ii) good team work and good communications and relations with the Government; (ii) making numerous field visits and meetings with universities and other stakeholders; (iii) undertaking an intensive learning ICR that was praised by beneficiaries and stakeholders; and (iv) maintaining excellent files and information. The Bank could have been more active in promoting the implementation of cost-recovery and private-sector participation, as well-reputed experts could have helped to increased decision-makers' awareness about the dynamics of change.

Borrower7.4 Preparation:The government performance is rated satisfactory during preparation and appraisal due to involvement in sector work and consensus building workshops but lack of a manual of procedures and clear responsibilities for the coordinator slowed down implementation.

7.5 Government implementation performance:Overall government performance is rated unsatisfactory. The difficulties impeding the implementation of the reform agenda on financial sustainability meant that there were insufficient resources for quality improvement and the long term sustainability of the systems was not adequately addressed. Its strengths rested on support to achieve objectives related to expanding access, reforming and modernizing the pedagogic system and pursuing decentralization.

7.6 Implementing Agency:Implementation performance until the mid-term review was weak as reflected in low disbursements and weak performance of the project coordination unit to carry out activities. The Steering Committee did not play the role it should have played in monitoring performance and resolving problems. On the other hand, project managers and staff demonstrated openness to accept changes that were needed to enhance their working capacity. Project implementation improved significantly after recommendations provided during the mid-term review were implemented; this was recognized in the beneficiary survey. The overall performance of the implementing agency was satisfactory because of this improvement.

7.7 Overall Borrower performance:Borrower performance is satisfactory. Satisfactory progress was made with the introduction of major reforms to accommodate increasing enrollments and maintain quality. However, the project suffered major implementation problems which were not dealt with by the Steering Commitee. After the mid-term review, the Borrower/implementing agency applied the bulk of measures intended to accelerate the project implementation, explaining why more progress was made in the latter part of the project.

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8. Lessons Learned

The beneficiary and stakeholder workshops, discussions of the findings of the ICR with the client and the policy workshop held in March 2004 (to discuss the studies financed under the project (on decentralization, quality assurance and financing) provide valuable lessons and perspectives that are being taken into account in the preparation of a new project. These lessons learned are summarized below.

Implementing sensitive policy reforms requires political commitment, careful sequencing and an effective communication strategy. Policy reforms and institutional changes are protracted processes calling for continued strong political leadership to ensure that sector reforms such as cost recovery are implemented. There are tensions and sequencing issues between cost-recovery and quality and maintaining social equity that need to be made operational. The functions of policy advocacy, canvassing support, policy oversight and the monitoring of reforms need adequate support. Departments in charge of financial reforms should have clear responsibility and accountability to carry out the demanding and influential tasks pertaining to politically sensitive reforms. Staff involved in the conception and implementation of reforms should receive appropriate training to be able to perform their duties with efficacy.

Greater university autonomy is integral to improving the relevance and quality of higher education. Universities and their establishments are the actors responsible for improving program quality. The more autonomy they have the better decisions they will be able to make to meet the accountability criteria for quality enhancement and to respond flexibly to changes in their operating environment. In Tunisia, universities performed well in implementing the pedagogic and curriculum reforms that led to system-wide improvements in internal efficiency because of increased autonomy in these areas. However, a more complete vision of autonomy is required if universities and their institutions are to respond to the new challenges to improve the quality and relevance of their services.

Enhancing the financial sustainability of the higher education system, which ultimately will include introducing some cost-recovery, depends on universities’ capacity to deliver programs of good quality and relevant to the job market because consumers are more willing to pay for services if they are satisfied with their quality. Today, computers, Internet connectivity and IT equipment need to be integrated into teaching to improve the quality of post-secondary education. The main constraint confronting universities and their institutions is not only the lack of financial resources but also an incentive system for universities to generate and manage their own resources so that adequate maintenance, replacement and upgrading of systems can occur. Both the beneficiary survey and stakeholders’ workshop confirmed the notion that greater autonomy would enable university leaders and administrators to be more responsive to the reality of IT.

Participation of beneficiaries and stakeholders in monitoring will strengthen accountability mechanisms and project performance. Effective monitoring systems will develop approaches to improve accountability of project implementation units to beneficiaries and stakeholders. Involving beneficiaries in feedback sessions, sharing impact analysis with stakeholders and disseminating information about project implementation provides built-in accountability mechanisms allowing groups to demand improvements, offer solutions and have greater buy-in to the reform process.

Better assessment of the Borrower’s implementation capacity can prevent implementation delays and improve project design. Systematic evaluation of institutional capacity for implementation allows better diagnosis of implementation weaknesses and the design of remedies for reinforcing implementation structures and ultimately project implementation. Operations manuals are essential for clarifying roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships and systems and procedures.

Strong coordination and project oversight ensures good communication and problem solving. The backbone of successful implementation for complex sector projects involves a dedicated steering committee and strong project coordination when different institutions and departments are involved. A strong steering committee should meet on a regular basis to provide guidance for implementation and make collective decisions to address and solve issues. In addition, the project coordinator should ensure fluid information flow between implementing units as

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well as with the Bank. She should be available and qualified to take on operational functions. She should also have the necessary authority and receive adequate support to ensure effective collaboration among monitoring and implementing units.

9. Partner Comments

(a) Borrower/implementing agency:The Borrower's own report is presented in Annex 10. The Borrower informed the Bank that it found the Bank's assessment of the project satisfactory. In general the ICR reflects the project achievements. However, the MOHE felt that the rating for government performance should be satisfactory rather than unsatisfactory because the project disbursed 75 percent of the loan amount which, in fact, was a significant achievement over the previous project. Regarding lessons learned about autonomy, the MOHE argues that as a first step, more attention needs to be directed to reinforcing the management capacity of univerisity and in particular, training staff to understand existing procedures.

(b) Cofinanciers:Not Applicable.

(c) Other partners (NGOs/private sector):Not Applicable.

10. Additional Information

None.

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Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix

Outcome / Impact Indicators:

Indicator/Matrix

Projected in last PSR1

Actual/Latest Estimate

Enrollment rates (by gender)1998: 155,120 enrolled; 14,6% (male of age group 19-24), 45.9% (women of age group 19-24).

2002/03: total enrollment 224,972 2004: Total enrollment : 360,342 Rate: 24.0 per cet (58 per cent female).

Retention rates (by gender) [calculated as average undergraduate retention rate] 2004. With the introduction of credit system, it was decided that retention rate is no longer relevant, and pass rate should be used as the indicator (64.5% in 2001).

-- 2003/04: 69.5 per cent pass rate: 60 per cent (minimum); 99.4 per cent (maximum)

Degree of devolution of managerial responsibilities from ministry services to universities. Baseline was to introduce new status to universities.

Texts promulgated in 2000 and largely applied. Universities have acquired significant academic autonomy (in developing new programs and in developing local courses), but have limited effective administrative and financial autonomy (subject as they are to prior review for most budgetary decisions).

Set up selection panels (juries) to use criteria for staff career decisions

New criteria have been adopted with regards to recruitment, promotions and appointment of staff. Training plan set up.

Level of institutions' responsibility and accountability

Universities can make decisions for one-third of the teaching modules. Greater authority for hiring of staff and financial management.

Level of cost-recovery for academic services No increase of academic fees for regular courses: fees introduced for evening courses "a la carte".

Level of students' contribution to non-academic services and increase of scholarship / loans from 70/30 in 1998 to 45/55 at end of project.

Ratio scholarship/loans reached 63/37 by 2003.

Existence of a regulatory framework to provide an incentive for private initiative

Regulatory framework created. Creation of 18 private universities and 148 private non-academic services.

Output Indicators:

Indicator/Matrix

Projected in last PSR1

Actual/Latest Estimate

Civil works (sub-component A1) and equipment implementation progress

100% of civil works completed

Introduction of the use of new technologies by students, faculties (20 computers for 1000 students and teachers at the end of 1999), as well as by management and administration. Networking of 3 universities.

100% completed. 5000 seats were added in the ISETs and 10800 seats were created in faculties and institutes (representing 56% of the total increase or 5% of total capacity estimated in 2004)

Acquisition of pedagogic tools and new technologies (52 computers for 1000 students and teachers in 2003, among which 85% are connected). Networking of 1 university out of 3.

Teacher assessment system abandoned in favor of institutional evaluation system; first phase (self-evaluation) tested in April 2002 in 40 volunteer institutions, to be followed by

External evaluation completed. External evaluation completed, but action plans to implement recommendations not yet discussed.

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second phase (external evaluation) in 5 to 10 of these institutions

Development of sector financing strategy No strategy in place to meet costs of rapidly expanding HE system. Contributing study was completed in November 2004 and will provide a good basis for the Government to diversify sources of financing for higher education.

1 End of project

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Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing

Project Cost by Component (in US$ million equivalent)AppraisalEstimate

Actual/Latest Estimate

Percentage of Appraisal

Component US$ million US$ millionA. SUPPLY RESPONSE 64.10 64.60 100.7B. QUALITY & RELEVANCE 0.43 1.50 348.8C. GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT 1.70 0.90 52.9D. INTENSIFIED USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES 19.54 12.63 64.6E. FINANCING 0.40 0.07 17.5

Total Baseline Cost 86.17 79.70 Physical Contingencies 7.60 Price Contingencies 12.70

Total Project Costs 106.47 79.70Total Financing Required 106.47 79.70

Project Costs by Procurement Arrangements (Appraisal Estimate) (US$ million equivalent)

Expenditure Category ICBProcurement

NCB Method

1

Other2 N.B.F. Total Cost

1. Works 32.60 32.60 0.00 0.00 65.20(22.80) (22.80) (0.00) (0.00) (45.60)

2. Goods 18.60 12.10 1.30 0.00 32.00(16.10) (9.90) (1.10) (0.00) (27.10)

3. Services 0.00 0.00 8.77 0.00 8.77(0.00) (0.00) (7.30) (0.00) (7.30)

4. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.50(0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00)

5. Miscellaneous 0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

6. Miscellaneous 0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

Total 51.20 44.70 10.07 0.50 106.47(38.90) (32.70) (8.40) (0.00) (80.00)

(*) Other = Selection based on Consultants' qualification and single source selection.The figures in parentheses indicate amounts financed by the Bank loan.

Project Costs by Procurement Arrangements (Actual/Latest Estimate) (US$ million equivalent)

Expenditure Category ICBProcurement

NCB Method

1

Other2 N.B.F. Total Cost

1. Works 15.44 34.19 0.00 0.00 49.63(12.34) (26.93) (0.00) (0.00) (39.27)

2. Goods 18.40 5.67 0.00 0.00 24.07(12.60) (2.00) (0.00) (0.00) (14.60)

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3. Services 0.00 0.00 6.00 0.00 6.00(0.00) (0.00) (5.00) (0.00) (5.00)

4. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00(0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00)

5. Miscellaneous 0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

6. Miscellaneous 0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

0.00(0.00)

Total 33.84 39.86 6.00 0.00 79.70(24.94) (28.93) (5.00) (0.00) (58.87)

(*) Actuals were not received by Government. Figures are approximate.1/ Figures in parenthesis are the amounts to be financed by the Bank Loan. All costs include contingencies.2/ Includes civil works and goods to be procured through national shopping, consulting services, services of contracted staff

of the project management office, training, technical assistance services, and incremental operating costs related to (i) managing the project, and (ii) re-lending project funds to local government units.

Project Financing by Component (in US$ million equivalent)

Component Appraisal Estimate Actual/Latest EstimatePercentage of Appraisal

Bank Govt. CoF. Bank Govt. CoF. Bank Govt. CoF.A. SUPPLY RESPONSE 60.00 20.00 52.28 14.10 87.1 70.5B. QUALITY & RELEVANCE

0.40 0.03 1.30 0.70 325.0 2333.3

C. GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

1.20 0.50 0.55 4.70 45.8 940.0

D. INTENSIFIED USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

18.00 6.10 4.67 1.33 25.9 21.8

E. FINANCING 0.40 0.03 0.07 0.00 17.5 0.0

(*) Actuals were not received by Government. Figures are approximate.

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Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits

1. Principal results of cost-effectiveness analysis. The cost-effectiveness analysis focuses on the impact of reforms on the sector. Results were achieved from efficiency gains and a greater degree of cost-recovery and diversification of programs being offered. Specifically, reform measures that were taken and implemented during the project allowed for the following results:

• A reduction in government expenditures in higher education, caused by greater private sector provision following legislative and regulatory reforms (Component A)

• An improvement in internal efficiency (lower repletion and drop-out rates) due in part to: (i) organizational reforms such as the introduction of the credit and modular approach in under-graduate programs (Component B); (ii) greater articulation between programs and greater ease for students to transfer from one program to another (component B); as well as (iii) pedagogic reforms such as teacher training, career development, and using more systematically new technologies (Component B and D).• Strengthening cost recovery for tuition and cafeteria and dormitory services (Component E)

Other measures, which are more difficult to quantify, could have been generated by the project, such as reforms aimed at improving governance by strengthening university autonomy (Component C). Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of costs and benefits of the project as appraised for the period 19998-2003. Quantifiable project benefits concerned three areas; (i) improvement in internal efficiency; (ii) improvement in contribution from the private sector; (iii) increases in tuition and fees. The sector benefits were estimated to be 2.8 times greater than the costs of the project due primarily to greater cost recovery for cafeteria and dormitory services, accounting for 31.6 percent of benefits, and improvement in internal efficiency accounting for 30.3 percent. From a component perspective the benefits were distributed as follows:

• Component A2 (private sector involvement) 14.1%• Components B and C (internal efficiency gains) 30.3%• Component E2 (increases in tuition fees ) 24.0%• Component E3 (greater cost recovery for cafeteria and dormitory fees) 31.6%

Figure 1 : Costs and Benefits of Project

-152

61

130

103

135

-2

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

Com ponents A1 & D Component A2 Components B & C Components E2 Component E3

Costs

Advantages, gains of efficiency measurable

Advantages, recovery of the costs

M TD

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2. Economic Analysis of the project. 2.1 Project Impact on improving internal efficiency. The reforms that were implemented since the beginning of the project have given tangible positive results in terms of improving the internal efficiency of higher education. Improvement in pass rates which began in the mid-1990s was consolidated under the project. The average pass rate increased from 45 percent in 1996 to 60 percent in 2003. Average repetition rates were halved from 48 percent to 24 percent during the same period. About 31 percent of all students repeated in 1996, representing inefficient usage of Government expenditures, without counting for the loss in opportunity costs of repeter students. The proportion of students repeating declined to 18.8 percent in 2003. The impact of internal efficiency improvements are estimated to represent at TND 176 billion or a saving of 9.4 percent of the Ministry of Higher Education’s operating budget between 1998 and 2003. The impact would be greater if one included investment expenditures in the analysis.

Table 1 :Economic benefits due to improvements in internal efficiency

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 TotalActual trends

Number of Students 137 024 155 120 180 044 208 000 226 102 262 502 1 168 792Operational Budget (M DT) 224,2 249,8 288,8 327,0 358,0 437,3 1 885,1

Trends without improvements Number of Students 143 083 165 032 194 831 228 593 252 020 294 527 1 278 087Operating Budget (M DT) 234,1 265,8 312,5 359,4 399,0 490,7 2 061,5Improvement (M DT) 9,9 16,0 23,7 32,4 41,0 53,4 176,4

Figure 2 illustrates trends in the Ministry of Higher Education’s recurrent budget during the project period, and compares that to the case where efficiency gains had not been made. The difference constitutes the savings due to improvements in repetition and pass rates due to the pedagogic and organizational reforms implemented under the project. (Component B and D):

Figure 2 : Gains from improvements in internal efficiency: impact on the Ministry of Higher Education's recurrent budget 1998-2003

491

234

437

224200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Valued evolution of the recurrent budget w ithout improvement of the internal eff iciency

Evolution observed of the recurrent budget

M TDM TD

Gains

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2.1 Financing: Revenue diversification and beneficiary contributions. The reform defines a judicial framework for provate services in higher education did not provide intended results. Under the Tenth Plan, goals were set for the private sector to provide places to 30 000 students by 2006. Private higher education has been institutionalized since 2000, however, their contribution remains marginal. In 2004/2005, students enrolled in private schools remained at 2,700, and no permanent teachers were recruited at these institutions.

The role of the private sector in providing lodging and cafeteria services has also been less than expected. Its lodging capacity is estimated to be approximately 6,600 beds (11 percent of room supply) with an occupation rate between 40 and 70 percent. The constraints to expansion are due to: (i) administrative difficulties to get approval of proposals; (ii) rents are expensive for poor students; (iii) difficulties in getting space near universities. Nevertheless private sector expansion of residential services has reduced the proportion of students living in public sector and subsidized residences from 30 percent 1998-99 to 19.2 percent 2003-2004 and as a consequence lessened the burden on the MoHE’s recurrent budget. On the other had, the proportion of students receiving scholarships increased from less than 25.0 percent to more than 30 percent during the same period as illustrated in Figure 3. While student’s contribution to their cost of living has increased, their contribution to school costs has not. While student fees were introduced in 1995 and 1997, efforts were not marshaled during the project and as a result the anticipated resources which would have increased resources and given greater budget flexibility to the government were not materialized.

Figure 3: Trends in lodging and scholarships (1998 – 2003)

26,2%24,6%

23,5%

21,3% 19,2%

28,8%30,1%

29,0%

30,9% 30,4% 30,0%

24,7%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004

Proportion of benefiting students from lodging services Proportion of students receiving scholarship

Overall, the project contributed to efficiency improvements in higher education in Tunisia. The analysis shows that the gains increased private provision of housing and gains from improved internal efficiency were offset by increases in the proportion of students receiving scholarships. The greatest efficiency gains were due to the continued reduction in unit costs and to cost per diploma. In real terms, the average cost of a diploma, based on recurrent costs fell by 17 percent during the project. Figure 4 shows the evolution of unit recurrent costs and diplomas between 1990 and 2004. This was achieved by increasing student teacher ratios from 1:113 to 1:22 over the project period. Other quantifiable benefits for individuals (such as higher income after degree from higher education) and social benefits (effects from having a large mass with higher education degree) are areas that need to be integrated in the economic analysis of the project.

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Figure 4 : Average cost per student and per diploma (constant prices 1990)

1 007

1 723

1 184

9 246

7 671

20 374

0

200

400

600

800

1 000

1 200

1 400

1 600

1 800

2 000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 20040

5 000

10 000

15 000

20 000

25 000Cost per Student Cost per Graduate

TD (1990)TD (1990)

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Annex 4. Bank Inputs

(a) Missions:Stage of Project Cycle Performance Rating No. of Persons and Specialty

(e.g. 2 Economists, 1 FMS, etc.)Month/Year Count Specialty

ImplementationProgress

DevelopmentObjective

Identification/Preparation05/19/1997 5 TM - ECONOMIST (1) -

SPECIALIST PUBLIC ADMIN (1) - SPECIALIST HIGHER EDUCATION (1) - SPECIALIST PROJECT MANAGEMENT (1)

S S

Appraisal/Negotiation09/26/1997 7 TM - ECONOMIST (1) -

SPECIALIST PUBLIC ADMIN (1) - ARCHITECT (1) - SPECIALIST HIGHER EDUCATION (1) - SPECIALIST EDUCATION (1) - FMS (1)

S S

Supervision

05/28/1998 4 TM - ECONOMIST (1); ARCHITECT (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); CONSULTANT (1)

S S

12/07/1998 5 TEAM LEADER (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); MIS SPECIALIST (1); HIGHER EDUC. SPEC. (1); ARCHITECT (1)

S S

06/30/1999 5 TEAM LEADER (1); MIS SPECIALIST (1); ARCHITECT (1); HIGHER ED. SPECIALIST (1); OPERATIONS OFFICER (1)

S S

12/13/1999 3 TEAM LEADER, ED.ECON. (1); OPERATIONS OFFICER (1); ARCHITECT (1)

S S

06/24/2000 6 TASK TEAM LEADER (1); OPERATIONS OFFICER (1); PROCUREMENT ASSISTANT (1); PORTFOLIO MANAGER (1); ARCHITECT (1); HIGHER EDUCATION SPEC. (1)

S S

11/24/2000 5 TTL/EDUCATION (1); PROJECT ANALYST (1); IMMEDIATE PAST TTL (1); ARCHITECT (1); HIGHER ED SPECIALIST (1)

S S

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06/09/2001 5 TTL (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); PROGRAM ASSISTANT (1); ARCHITECT (1); HE SPECIALIST (1)

S S

12/07/2001 6 TTL (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); PROGRAM ASSISTANT (1); EDUCATION SECTOR LEAD (1); ARCHITECT CONSULTANT (1); HIGHER EDUCATION SPEC. (1)

S S

07/10/2002 3 TEAM LEADER (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); SECTOR MANAGER (1)

U S

11/08/2002 3 TEAM LEADER (1); SECTOR MANAGER (1); EDUCATION SPECIALIST (1)

S S

01/24/2003 5 Task Team Leader (1); Education Specialist (1); Operations Analyst (1); Distance Learning Spec (1); Governance Spec (1)

S S

05/02/2003 6 TASK TEAM LEADER (1); EDUCATION SPECIALIST (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); EDUCATION ECONOMIST (1); PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST (1); ARCHITECT (1)

S S

11/06/2003 5 TASK TEAM LEADER (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (2); SENIOR PROCUREMENT SP. (1); ARCHITECT (1)

S S

01/26/2004 4 TASK TEAM LEADER (1); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); EDUCATION SPECIALIST (1); SREDUCATION SPECIALIST (1)

S S

ICR09/24/2004 5 SR. EDUCATION SPEC.

(2); OPERATIONS ANALYST (1); EDUC. TECHNOL. SPEC. (1); FINANCIAL SPEC. (1)

S S

(b) Staff:

Stage of Project Cycle Actual/Latest EstimateNo. Staff weeks US$ ('000)

Identification/Preparation n.a.Appraisal/Negotiation n.a. 313.5 /aSupervision n.a. 657.6

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ICR n.a. 109.1Total n.a. 1 080.2 /b

/ a Includes all preparation and identification phases /b Includes all travel fees

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Annex 5. Ratings for Achievement of Objectives/Outputs of Components(H=High, SU=Substantial, M=Modest, N=Negligible, NA=Not Applicable)

RatingMacro policies H SU M N NASector Policies H SU M N NAPhysical H SU M N NAFinancial H SU M N NAInstitutional Development H SU M N NAEnvironmental H SU M N NA

SocialPoverty Reduction H SU M N NAGender H SU M N NAOther (Please specify) H SU M N NA

Private sector development H SU M N NAPublic sector management H SU M N NAOther (Please specify) H SU M N NA

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Annex 6. Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance

(HS=Highly Satisfactory, S=Satisfactory, U=Unsatisfactory, HU=Highly Unsatisfactory)

6.1 Bank performance Rating

Lending HS S U HUSupervision HS S U HUOverall HS S U HU

6.2 Borrower performance Rating

Preparation HS S U HUGovernment implementation performance HS S U HUImplementation agency performance HS S U HUOverall HS S U HU

(*) Governement implementation performance : MU (moderately unsatisfactory)

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Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents

· Supervision aide-mémoires· Early Implementation Review (LN4297– TUN)· Quality Assurance Review (LN4297-TUN), September 2004· Country Assistance Strategy, 2000-2004· Republic of Tunisia, IX and Xth Development Plan· Mid-term review report, April 2002· “Capacité de gestion des universités” - Formation Management Conseil «FMC», December 2004· “Financement de l’enseignement supérieur en Tunisie” - Social Consult, December 2004 · Loan Agreement nr. 4297– TUN and supplemental letters· Evaluation Report on Tunisian Virtual Universities (Rapport d’évaluation du projet UVT)· Report on Beneficiary Assessment and Stakeholders Workshop - Professor Alouane, December 2004 (Rapport d’évaluation participative du PARES – December 2004)· Compendium of laws and decrees on Tunisian higher education (Textes fondamentaux)· Tunisia : “Note de politique sectorielle sur les dépenses de l’enseignement supérieur” – World Bank Document, August 2004.

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Annex 8. Beneficiary Survey Results

Results of the survey of beneficiaries and results of the workshop with stakeholders

INTRODUCTION

The following report was prepared under the terms of reference for the recruitment of a national consultant to make a participatory assessment of PARES.

Under these terms of reference, "the main objective is to encourage the actors and partners, on the basis of the comments and suggestions offered by the beneficiaries on the strengths and weaknesses of the project, to strive to improve the capacities and conditions of future actions. In order to meet this objective, focus group sessions and interviews were held with the beneficiaries and partners for the purposes of:

- evaluating the main achievements compared to expectations;- examining the major problems encountered, which the actors either solved or failed to solve during

project execution;- making suggestions on how to better attain the development objectives of the sector.

The areas of interest of the survey of beneficiaries, and the workshops involving the borrower and the stakeholders, covered the major project operations, as follows:

(i) extension of educational infrastructures and university facilities, purchase of laboratory equipment, and library collections;(ii) computer equipment and the Internet;(iii) various training programs;(iv) educational improvements;(v) support for teacher training;(vi) educational, institutional, and financial reforms;(vii) decentralization, autonomy, and governance;(viii) contributions from students;(ix) promotion of the private sector."

This report is presented as a follow-up to a mission organized and led by Prof. Youssef Alouane, former president of Tunis El Manar University, with the participation of Mrs. Aïda Boukhris El Majdi and Mr. Lotfi Slimane, assistant professors at Manouba University.

I- METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT

I.A- the participatory assessment

The participatory assessment carried out during this mission aimed to assess project beneficiaries and stakeholders; perception of the project benefits and provide guidance on future priorities

A whole range of issues (teaching, laboratory and computer equipment, documents collection, university facilities, etc.) were covered by the assessment, proceeding from the individual to the general and from the local to the global, while conducting an essentially qualitative analysis.

By listening to the participants (institutional officials and beneficiaries) and learning from what they said, we came to understand their points of view and arrive at a common perception of the conditions for executing the project. The participatory assessment consisted of determining the strong and weak points of the project, based on collective thinking about the actions undertaken and the development of proposals for future action. The participatory assessment is thus part of a process of encouraging action to:

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(i) take stock of results obtained;(ii) evaluate the impact of actions taken;(iii) combine and disseminate information in order to create a learning and training environment;(iv) draw “lessons” to inform and strengthen future projects in terms of greater visibility and better capitalization;(v) ensure that assessment recommendations are more suitable.

Therefore, an assessment that has been established by consensus and in a participatory manner, and one that has been validated by all the actors, serves as a point of departure for improvements and/or modifications either of the objectives or of the future program of actions.

Participatory assessment is not just a report of experts. It is not solely a self-evaluation of actions taken by operators. It has the advantage of mobilizing and involving all the actors, enabling them to respond to an action in order to judge its effectiveness and compare it with expectations.

In the development policy adopted by the Ministry of Higher Education, which is the subject of the project financed by loan number 4297-TUN, the areas of interest are capacities, quality of teaching, internal and external output, use of ICTs, decentralization, and the financial sustainability of the university system.

I.B- Actors and institutional choices

I.B.1- Actors involved

The actors involved were divided into three categories:

Users: the students who "consume" the proposed services (laboratories, new technologies, premises, teaching, l

university facilities, etc.);Operators: (teachers/researchers, teachers/technicians, administrators) who are both beneficiaries and l

managers of actions. Thus, their involvement in the assessment made it possible to improve the conduct and management of the project; Institutional officials: (university presidents, project managers at the central level, etc.) who were called upon l

to provide analytical meaning to the results of the assessment as to whether the project objectives had been achieved.

I.B.2- Institutional choices

Institutional choice refers to 10 schools:

7 November University, represented by two schools:l

Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management (FSEG) in Nabeul; l

Faculty of Sciences in Bizerte.l

Virtual University of Tunis;l

ISET in Kairouan, ISET in Cherguia, ISET in Radès ;l

Private universities (Mediterranean School of Business, l’Ecole Supérieure Privée d’Ingénierie et de l

Technologie, L’Université Privée de l’Enseignement Supérieur, Time University).

Summary table of assessment interviewsStudents Teachers Administrators

7 November University FSEG Nabeul

10/27/2004at 11 a.m.No. of participants: 5*

11/24/2004at 3 p.m.No. of participants: 9*10/27/2004at 9 a.m.

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No. of participants: 5*Fac of Sc Bizerte 10/20/2004

at 1 p.m.No. of participants: 9*

10/20/2004at 11:30 a.m.No. of participants: 10*10/20/2004at 9 a.m.No. of participants: 4*

ISET Kairouan 11/3/2004at 10 a.m.No. of participants: 8*

11/3/2004at noonNo. of participants: 23*

11/3/2004at 2 p.m.No. of participants: 9*

Virtual UniversityISET CharguiaISET Rades

11/11/2004 at 10 a.m. & 12/9/2004 at 10 a.m.

No. of participants : 3* No. of participants : 2 * No. of participants : 5 *

Private universitiesUniversité Privée de l’Enseignement Supérieur

11/25/2004 at 11 a.m.

Ecole Supérieure Privée d’Ingénierie et de Technologie

11/25/2004 at 9 a.m.

Mediterranean School of Business 11/25/2004 at 9 a.m.Time University 11/30/2004 at 10 a.m.

* List of participants: Annex 1

I.C- Topics covered in interviews

We considered topics relating to:

Adaptation of capacities, including issues such as overcrowding, scheduling, improvement of equipment and l

documents collections, the role of outsourcing, the role of the private sector and its contribution to education and university facilities, etc. (A);

Improvement of educational quality and relevance, including issues such as the restructuring of courses, l

adapting them to the needs of the job market, freedom of schools in this regard, students’ familiarity with content of curricula, job opportunities, and the status, recruitment, and career advancement of teachers (B);

Governance and management of higher education institutions, including such issues as decentralization l

and its progress, difficulties encountered and the new roles assigned to institutions, the role of administrative staff, the strengthening of this staff category, the missions of each actor, coordination between different levels, streamlining of administrative procedures (C);

Information and communication technologies, including questions relating to the availability of computer l

equipment and its use by students, teachers, and administrators of institutions, and linkages between institutions (D);

Sustainability of financing, including questions directed to administrative staff, teachers, and students. For l

the administrators and teachers, the questions related to their own resources, the possibility of increasing and diversifying them, and constraints on their development. For the students, we asked for their views on their own financial contribution, both to teaching and to university facilities (E).

The interview guides will be found in annex 2.

I-D: Recapitulation and focus groups

I-D.1: Recapitulation sessions: students and teachers

Two recapitulation sessions and one focus group session were held on December 14, 2004.

The recapitulation sessions for students (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.) and teachers (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) were held at

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INSAT.

These two sessions were focused on four objectives:

to validate the observations on the assessment;l

to consolidate the preliminary conclusions;l

to elicit comments on these conclusions;l

to obtain suggestions for future actions.l

Accordingly, two activities were proposed for each group.

For the student group (list of participants and program: annex 3)

Activity 1: evaluation of sub-components -- rating method

On the basis of individual work (aided by a card game), and then in small groups, participants were asked to rate the project sub-components according to three levels of satisfaction (whether they were satisfied, somewhat satisfied, or dissatisfied).

This was followed by a presentation of the preliminary conclusions resulting from the participatory assessment interviews, and a discussion on a number of points. This discussion dealt with, among other things, discrepancies between the interviews and the participants' discussions, and points that were given the most unsatisfactory ratings.

Activity 2: suggestions for future actions – brainstorming

In this activity, the students made suggestions for improvements, primarily concerning the points that elicited the greatest dissatisfaction.

For the teacher group (list of participants and program: annex 4)

Activity 1: evaluation of sub-components -- rating method

On the basis of small group work, with each group representing an institution or other type of school, the participants were asked to rate the project sub-components in three sub-categories (green sheet: points rated “satisfied”; orange sheet: points rated “somewhat satisfied”; red sheet: points rated "dissatisfied").

A spokesperson for each group presented the results, and a discussion was then held on the points of disagreement between the groups

This was followed by a presentation of the preliminary conclusions resulting from the participatory assessment interviews.

Activity 2: suggestions for future actions – brainstorming

In this activity, the teachers made suggestions for improvements, primarily concerning areas of dissatisfaction.

I-D.2: Focus group sessions: university presidents and ministry officials

A focus group session was held at a dinner debate held at a hotel in Tunis. Public and private university presidents and officials of the Ministry of Higher Education were invited to attend this meeting (see list in annex 5).

The discussion focused on:

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University autonomy physical and human resources l

decision-making powerl

Financing of higher educationdiversification of own resources l

student participationl

Development of private higher educationobstacles to its development l

partnership with public institutionsl

Educational innovation and the quality of teachingteacher training l

ICTs in teaching and researchl

What are the future priorities?

II- OBSERVATIONS

II.A- Adaptation of capacities

II.A.1- Overcrowding and scheduling

Overcrowding is experienced differently depending on the age of the establishment and the discipline. Schools that are housed in new buildings have enough space for their current enrollments. On the other hand, all the respondents complained of overcrowding in computer technology courses. It should be noted that the teachers seem satisfied with their schedules and the size of their TD classes (tutorials), which tend to average at about 40 students, whatever the nature of the establishment and discipline.

II.A.2- Laboratory equipment and documents collection

Overall, the respondents saw an improvement in the acquisition of laboratory equipment. However, they felt that this equipment was still insufficient, especially for research. Moreover, they said that these acquisitions suffered from three major dysfunctions:

delays owing to the time-consuming procedures for the conclusion of contracts; The procedures are considered l

to be very time-consuming. Respondents felt that this slowness was even more burdensome in the case of purchases funded by the World Bank. The centralization of the procedure and the Bank’s requirements for vendors meant that bid packages were often unsuccessful, and the whole process had to be started over.uneven distribution of equipment between the laboratories of different disciplines;l

quality of acquisitions, In the case of equipment, the principle of “lowest acceptable bid” was very much l

criticized by the users. entailing many incidents of damage and breakdowns soon after purchase.

Document collections seem to be improving more slowly. Out of five establishments visited, only one The Faculty of Sciences in Bizerte received a supplementary loan of TND 20,000. had received supplementary loans to upgrade its documents collection, which was considered satisfactory. The documents collection is considered inadequate in all the other schools. This generally slow progress does not seem to be due to financing difficulties alone, but to the time-consuming procurement procedures. According to some respondents, 50 percent to 70 percent of expected acquisitions are not completed because, once the bottlenecks have been overcome, more than half the documents are out of stock. None of the establishments visited showed any significant progress in digital documentation.

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II.A.3- Private-sector participation

Despite the establishment of a regulatory mechanism to organize and promote the private higher education sector, the inclusion of a list of private universities in the orientation guidebook, and many other support measures, the development of private universities (about 3,000 students enrolled in the 17 universities surveyed) remains limited and is concentrated in large cities (Tunis, Sousse, Sfax).

The reasons for this slow progress, according to private providers, are as follows:

considerable skepticism With regard to the quality of teaching and recognition of diplomas by potential l

employers. on the part of students and their parents;costs are seen as high (TND 2,000 to 5,000 a year);l

the almost free cost of public higher education;l

incentives considered not only insufficient by providers, but also rarely forthcoming in reality;l

competition from foreign universities;l

investment in private education is deemed both expensive and highly risky.l

According to providers in this sector, the development of the latter is dependent on encouragement from government authorities, which could be provided by further measures, such as:

“outsourcing.” This would not only relieve the enrollment pressure on public universities but also reduce State l

expenditures on subsidies;development of a partnership between public and private universities.l

The strengthening of this sector by foreign providers seems to be favorably perceived, provided that it is subject to the control of the Ministry of Higher Education, especially in respect of curricula and examinations.

On the other hand, private-sector participation in student housing seems to be making progress, especially since, according to the beneficiaries, public university facilities have not expanded in proportion to the increase in student enrollment. Nonetheless, the students consider the cost Between TDN 40 and TDN 80 per bed. of private housing to be relatively high. II.A.4- Recourse to outsourcing

Outsourcing involves activities such as caretaking, housekeeping, and gardening. It appears that the actors are satisfied with it and are thinking of expanding this formula to the maintenance of computer and laboratory equipment. In their view, outsourcing seems to have solved the problem of absenteeism and shortage of personnel. University officials expressed some doubts, however, about the integrity and behavior of the service providers.

II.B- Improvement of educational quality and relevance

II.B.1- Educational organization

Respondents were unanimously satisfied with the contribution of the reform to the greater diversification of course offerings Increase from 3 to 12 majors in the Faculty of Sciences in Bizerte. and the flexibility of second-cycle course contents. The reforms seem to represent a positive step in terms of job opportunities. As for the rest, the restructuring of courses Only schools established before the reform expressed their views on this issue. was evaluated from different points of view, depending on the respondents.

For the teachers, the reform had led to some problems because of the change to semesterization and a modular system, which they felt resulted in:

shorter teaching periods for a virtually unchanged curriculum (overload, condensation, lack of depth), and l

more material to be covered in less time;proliferation of supplementary courses, meaning that students tend to succeed at the expense of more basic l

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subject matters;reduction of tutorials (TD) and practical exercises (TP);l

lack of partial examinations for the preparation of final examinations;l

long and stressful examination periods.l

For the administrators, the reform had led to greater complexity in terms of the organization of courses, especially examinations.

The respondents seemed unanimous in their interest in short programs of study. They primarily stressed their relative adaptation to the needs of the job market, not only nationally but regionally. The success of graduates from these courses is therefore considered satisfactory, but everyone wonders "for how long?".

These short study programs also seem to be characterized by high success rates (about 80 percent), owing to the small class size at the entry-level, but also to the students' greater motivation, which makes them work harder.

The major difficulty seems to be the costs of these courses, which are much higher than those of traditional courses, and a relative lack of interest on the part of companies to provide internships and training.

For scientific subjects, secondary teaching is the main career option. The number of available posts is not the same for all disciplines. The physical sciences seem to be the most in demand (there are as many posts as graduates). The Bizerte Faculty alone produced a surplus of about 75 percent of posts, especially in biology. In economics and management, besides problems of job opportunities, the students feel that, despite diversification, there is little innovation in the programs, a lack of specific information in the courses, Same subject matter = same curriculum, whatever the field of study. and little or no updating of courses, so that they intend to lag behind current management practices.

Moreover, educational organization seems to be more dependent on physical constraints (facilities, equipment) then on financial ones. Cost control seems to be a problem mainly affecting the first cycle, where conditions are considered less satisfactory. The respondents felt that concern for quality was more visible at the level of short programs and masters' degrees.

As for information on course content, some schools have information brochures on their courses, but they do not seem to distribute them to the students. This would explain the students’ dissatisfaction in this regard.

Information on job opportunities, according to respondents, is also a weak point. Indeed, other than what they learn from a few information forums and workshops, students do not seem to have a precise idea about job opportunities. Moreover, they feel the companies lack information on the kind of training being given.

II.B.2- Management of teaching posts

The increase in the number of teachers seems to have been proportionate to the growth of student enrollment; some adjustments were made, however, by using adjunct faculty, increasing the number of extra hours, and raising class size. It should be noted that the number of temporary posts Temporary replacements are mainly eminent university teachers from other schools or specialized professionals in the subject matter being taught. is tending to become stable or even decline.

As for teachers, access to posts still seems to raise some problems. Teacher-researchers mentioned some difficulties with hiring juries or committees. On one hand, some indicate that the juries are often, because of their membership, favorable to one discipline over others, whereas their composition is supposed to be more diversified. This leads to the mass hiring of specialists in certain disciplines at the expense of others, without any justification as to real need. On the other hand, jury members often belong to the same institution, a factor which runs the risk of encouraging a certain favoritism in hiring. Moreover the advancement of teachers in their career seems to raise several problems. Research is the only thing that matters. Teaching ability, training, and administrative activities are not taken into account in the development of their careers. This seems to discourage confirmed teachers, who

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are increasingly less willing to accept having to supervise students or act as head of department, for example.

For technology teachers, the problems seem to come mainly from two sources. First, adjunct faculty members at the ISETs have to compete with new graduates with master’s degrees. Secondly, the juries are composed of teacher-researchers, who have the same hiring criteria as for the universities, whereas technology teachers are a specific group, identified as such, and are not supposed to be considered the same as the body of teacher-researchers.

II.C- Governance and management

II.C.1- Decentralization of responsibilities

The relationship between schools and the Ministry has tended to weaken, owing to decentralization. University officials consider the relationship satisfactory. Nevertheless, universities seem to be faced with a heavier burden now that they have replaced the Ministry in virtually all activities, without receiving enough physical and human resources to do their job. Centralization seems to have moved from the Ministry level to that of the University.

Decentralization has now been implemented, and is being applied within the limits of the law. According to administrators, if problems persist, they are not due to the failure to enforce the laws, but to the laws themselves, which are sometimes out of date and impede the proper functioning of the structures.

Of course, decentralization (from Ministry to universities) has made it possible to cut down on administrative delays in general; however, there is a form of centralization, at university level, of some activities for which the individual schools used to be responsible. First, acquisition of equipment, which is now the University’s responsibility, is lagging behind in applying the principle of procurement consolidation. Formerly, registration for the master’s degree was internal. Today the University must give its endorsement, which delays registrations for three months to a year. This results in a « flight » of students to other schools. Moreover, internal changes from one course of study to another require approval from the University. Other activities remain centralized at the Ministry level, including marketing committees, While this assessment was in progress, a law was issued providing for a marketing committee at each university. schedules of conditions, and invitations to tender that may take up to three years to be completed. Moreover, according to some respondents, government controllers overstep their responsibilities by deciding whether an item of expenditure is appropriate rather than simply verifying the availability of financial resources.

II.C.2- Support for central and decentralized management

Universities and educational institutions have benefited from a supplementary staffing of managers specializing in higher education and university facilities. Administrator-counselors trained by ISCAE (World Bank project). At the university level, they are responsible for various services. At the institutional level, they are assigned to posts as directors of finance and tuition fees (bursars). These managers seem to have been evaluated for the specific training they received and their immediate operational capacity. They were also part of the decentralization process, especially at the university level. Nevertheless, according to the respondents, neither the universities nor the schools provided continuing education programs for the rest of their administrative staff.

II.D- Information and communication technologies

II.D.1- ICTs in education

The actors seemed to be unanimous on the subject of the insufficiency of computer equipment. Three or four students are often forced to work at the same station, which considerably reduces the effectiveness and interest of the courses. Moreover, they rarely have the use of a self-service computer center, where access is still limited to senior-level students.

In most of the schools visited, the teachers did not use ICTs in their classes. In the others, only 10 percent of the

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teachers used them. As for digital materials, they were virtually nonexistent because of their scarcity and cost. Apart from the pedagogical semester introduced in the master's programs, few teachers had taken teacher training courses, and such courses, in fact, did not include ICTs.

In another context, tutors or coordinators of distance education raised other problems:

Students do not have computers at home (only one or two students out of 40 have one). This results in a major l

contradiction: students take distance courses while actually being “present;”Only a limited number of computers and distance education (EAD) laboratories16 On the one hand, because l

of the delays experienced by EAD, it is available to only a few schools. On the other hand, only two of the 10 schools that have been set up are currently in operation; moreover, they are having many problems, especially in terms of the availability of space and the maintenance of computer equipment. exist in the schools, while the number of distance learning modules continues to increase;Problems with connectivity, data transfer, overcrowding, and maintenance force teachers to provide the course l

content on CDs;Students’ difficulties with comprehension are so great that a part of the TD sessions is reserved for reviewing l

the contents of the course;Tutors’ working hours are difficult to account for (a problem in terms of remuneration);l

Shortage (or absence) of computer maintenance technicians.l

According to the respondents, there is a thus a risk of discrediting the recent distance learning efforts, especially those undertaken at the virtual university level.

II.D.2- ICTs in research

For research, students and teachers noted that, without properly equipped computer laboratories and hook-ups, they are forced to work outside the establishment. In schools that have good connectivity, work sessions are often disturbed by problems of network maintenance, Few technicians have been hired and few local specialists are available. transmission speed, server, and connection failures.

II.D.3- ICTs in administration

The use of ICTs in administration, basically for school services and finance, has made it possible to reduce part of the workload and delays in handling student files, and to rationalize university administration.

The ICT problems, it seems, are elsewhere. Although enough equipment is available, difficulties arise as to its use (shortage of trained, competent staff), the lack of software, and the absence of maintenance staff in most schools.

II.E- sustainability of financing

II.E.1- Contribution to tuition fees and university facilities

Apart from the students’ share, which represents between 10 percent and 20 percent of the operating budget of the schools, efforts to find other resources have been limited. Moreover, administrators and teachers, and especially students, feel that the contribution from students is already quite substantial.

Their view is explained by the costs of education, which they judge to be high. They vary from TDN 120 to TDN 150 a month, and the item “private housing” represents over half this amount.

The actors seem to be reluctant to discuss the issue of financing and the students’ contribution. They expressed reservations on what they call a questioning of the principle of equal opportunities, and its impact on the less well-off students.

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II.E.2- Development of own resources

The respondents, even those who are in favor of increasing the institution’s resources for training or business consulting, seem to have great difficulty in doing so for various reasons:

Problematic relations with companiesl

Shortage of staff to arrange contracts with companies;l

Few companies convey their needs to the schools;l

Recourse to foreign experts where necessary;l

Bureaucratic delays l

Low pay (equivalent to hourly supplement)l

III- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

III.A- Summary: level of satisfaction with the various sub-components of the project

The summary is based on the level of satisfaction observed at the time of the participatory assessment interviews, which was then rectified or validated during the recapitulation sessions.

The levels of satisfaction are summarized for the two populations (students and teachers) in the two tables below.

III.A.1- Level of satisfaction of students

PROJECT SUB-COMPO

NENTS

SATISFACTORY FAIRLY SATISFACTORY

UNSATISFACTORY

1 Class size 87.5% S 0% MS2 Private-sector participation in university

housing 62.5% S 0% MS

3 Employability of graduates of short programs and ISETs 50% S 37.5% MS

4 Availability of private housing 50% S 37.5% MS

5 Quality of private housing 12.5% S 75% MS

6 Information on course content 0% S 62.5% MS

7 Registration fees 37.5% S 50% MS

8 Tuition 25% S 50% MS

9 Development of short programs and ISETs 12.5% S 50% MS

10 Employability of graduates 0% S 50% MS

11 Private-sector participation in education 0% S 50% MS

12 Contribution to costs of public university facilities 25% S 37.5% MS

13 Size of computer technology calsses 25% S 37.5% MS14 Size of TD, TP classes 25% S 37.5% MS15 Restructuring of degree programs 0% S 37.5% MS16 Quality of public university facilities 12.5% S 37.5% MS17 Documents collection (books, journals, etc.) 12.5% S 37.5% MS18 Laboratory equipment 25% S 12.5% MS19 Cost of private housing 12.5% S 25% MS20 Use of ICTs in teaching 0% S 37.5% MS21 Information on job opportunities 0% S 37.5% MS22 Availability of computer equipment 0% S 25% MS23 Digital documents collection 0% S 0% MS24 Access to self-service computer laboratories 0% S 12.5% MS25 Digital teaching material 0% S 0% MS26 In-house Internet access 0% S 0% MS

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27 Availability of public housing 0% S 0% MS

S·: Satisfactory - ·MS: Fairly satisfactory – I: Unsatisfactory

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Ratings of sub-components by degree of satisfaction of students

Sub-components eliciting the greatest satisfaction1Class size2Private-sector participation in university housing 3Employability of short program and ISET graduates4Availability of private housing

Sub-components eliciting average satisfaction

1Quality of private housing2Information on course content3Registration fees4Tuition5Development of short programs and ISETs6Employability of graduates7Private-sector participation in education8Contribution to costs of public university facilities9Size of computer technology classes10Size of TD, TP classes

Sub-components eliciting the most dissatisfaction

1Restructuring of degree programs2Quality of public university facilities3Documents collection (books, journals, etc.)4Laboratory equipment5Cost of private housing6Use of ICTs in teaching7Information on job opportunities8Availability of computer equipment9Digital documents collection10Access to self-service computer laboratories11Digital teaching materials12In-house Internet access13Availability of public housing

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III.A.2- Level of satisfaction of teachers

Project sub-components Gr 1* Gr 2* Gr 3* Gr 4*1 S S S · S2 Use of ICTs for outside research S S S MS · mostly S3 Development of short programs and ISETs S S S I · mostly S4 Employability of short program and ISET graduates S S S I · mostly S5 Students’ financial contribution to education S S S I · mostly S6 Class size MS S MS MS · mostly MS7 Employability of degree graduates MS MS MS MS · mostly MS8 Career advancement of teachers MS MS S I · mostly MS9 Information on course content MS MS MS I · mostly MS10 Relations with companies I MS MS MS · mostly MS11 Linkages between institutions S I S I ··equality S/I12 Connectivity and data transfer rate S I S I ··equality S/I13 Access to self-service computer laboratories S I S I ··equality S/I14 Laboratory equipment for teaching MS I MS I ··equality MS/I15 Size of TD, TP classes I I MS MS ··equality MS/I16 Documents collection (books, journals, etc.) MS I MS I ··equality MS/I17 Access to status of permanent faculty MS I MS I ··equality MS/I18 Availability of computer equipment MS I MS I ··equality MS/I19 Use of ICTs for in-house research MS I MS I ··equality MS/I20 Training in the educational use of ICTs I I MS MS ··equality MS/I21 Laboratory equipment for research S I I I · mostly I22 In-house Internet access S I I I · mostly I23 Own resources (training, business consulting, etc.) I I MS I · mostly I24 Private-sector participation in education I MS I I · mostly I25 Information on job opportunities MS I I I · mostly I26 Size of computer technology classes I I MS I · mostly I27 Research MS I I I · mostly I28 Use of ICTs in teaching I I MS I · mostly I29 Hiring committee (jury) I I MS I · mostly I30 Digital documents collection I I I I · mostly I31 Maintenance of computer and laboratory equipment I I I I · mostly I

Group 1: Faculty of Sciences in Bizerte, Group 2: FSEG Nabeul, Group 3: ISET – tertiary, Group 4: ISET – industrial

S·: Satisfactory - ·MS: Somewhat satisfactory - I: Unsatisfactory

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Ratings of sub-components by degree of satisfaction of teachers

Sub-components eliciting the most satisfaction

1Restructuring of degree programs2Use of ICTs for outside research3Development of short programs and ISETs4Employability of graduates of short programs and ISETs5Students’ financial contribution to educationSub-components eliciting average satisfaction

1Class size2Employability of degree graduates3Career advancement of teachers4Information on course content5Relations with companies

Sub-components eliciting a limited level of satisfaction

1Linkages between institutions2Connectivity and data transfer rate3Access to self-service computer laboratories4Laboratory equipment for teaching5Size of TD, TP classes6Documents collection (books, journals, etc.)7Access to status of permanent faculty8Availability of computer equipment9Use of ICTs for in-house research10Training in the educational use of ICTs

Sub-components eliciting the most dissatisfaction

1Laboratory equipment for research2In-house Internet access3Own resources (training, business consulting, etc.)4Private-sector participation in education5Information on job opportunities6Size of computer technology classes7Research8Use of ICTs in teaching9Hiring committee (jury)10Digital documents collection11Maintenance of computer and laboratory equipment

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III.A.3- Comparison between levels of satisfaction of teachers and students

ETUDIANTS ENSEIGNANTS1 Employability of short program and ISET graduates S S2 Class size S MS3 Development of short programs and ISETs MS S4 Information on course content MS MS5 Employability of degree graduates MS MS6 Restructuring of degree programs I S7 Size of TD,TP classes MS/·I MS·/I8 Size of computer classes MS·/I I9 Access to self-service computer laboratories I S·I

10 Documents collection (books, journals, etc.) I MS·/I11 Laboratory equipment I MS·/I12 Private-sector participation in education MS·/I I13 Availability of computer equipment I MS·/I14 Information on job opportunities I I15 Digital documents collection I I16 Use of ICTs in teaching I I17 Digital teaching materials I I18 In-house Internet access I I

S: ·Satisfactory - ·MS: Somewhat satisfactory - I: Unsatisfactory

Other than the particular problems of teachers, such as recruitment juries and research, and of students, such as housing and tuition, the evaluations of both groups seem to support each other. This is especially evident with regard to computer technology, ICTs, digital teaching materials, research, and other areas. It appears,therefore, that the elements that elicited the greatest dissatisfaction should be the subject of future efforts.

III.B- Conclusions

The preceding observations and responses given by respondents have led us to put forward the following conclusions:

The capacities of universities have followed the growth of student enrollment at least quantitatively. At the qualitative level, the size of classes could be considered satisfactory. On the other hand, the size of TD classes, especially computer classes, raises pedagogical problems;

Private housing is gradually gaining headway on dormitory housing, a fact which has partly solved the student l

housing problem. It is beginning to be accepted in the student "culture." The cost of rent, however, has raised the cost of education, which is considered to be high.

Private education, aside from its limited development, is far from having lived up to expectations. Skepticism l

on the part of students and their parents seems to offset government incentives and efforts by private providers. More efforts could definitely be made at this level.

Diversification of courses of study and the development of short-term and ISET courses are considered l

positive aspects, especially with regard to the employability of their graduates compared to that of traditional courses of study;

Decentralization of responsibilities from the Government to the University has definitely occurred, and it has l

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resulted in greater flexibility for universities, although the latter have lost some of their prerogatives at the same time. The universities no longer have title II, Equipment Budget, available to them. Decentralization efforts continue to strengthen, with the most recent measure concerning the establishment of a marketing committee in each university;

Information for students on course content and, especially on job opportunities, is often lacking;l

The new technologies have suffered delays in terms of their implementation and use in research, teaching, and l

administration. The unavailability of computer equipment, digital teaching materials, digital documents collection, together with difficulties related to gaining access to the Internet and problems of connectivity and data transfer, are some reasons why these technologies have not been as fully developed as the government authorities would like.

In conclusion, the reforms seem to have significantly improved the functioning and governance of Tunisian universities. Concerns are still being raised concerning the autonomy of schools, the still preponderant role of the administration, access to information and communication technologies, and the role of the private sector.

IV- RECOMMENDATIONS

Educational innovation and the quality of teaching

Teachers: their profession and careerØ Encourage the ongoing training of teachers: - Pedagogy - ICTsØ Use of softwareØ Build up teacher training resources through a specific platformØ Set up strict criteria for recruitment of teachersØ Increase the number and specialization of recruitment juries or committeesØ Place a value on partnership with companies (employability, training, etc.) as a criterion for the career advancement of technology teachers

TeachingØ Diversify and professionalize short-term and degree programs of studyØ Develop distance education to promote self-teachingØ Make the award of degrees more flexible by adopting a system of units of creditØ Grant the universities more autonomy in order to establish degree programs with better value on the job market.

Autonomy

Ø Strengthen the universities’ educational autonomyØ Provide universities with human resources, including managers specialized in higher education administration and university facilities.Ø Make government accounting rules more flexible.

ICTs

Ø Develop and renew computer stockØ Expand connections between institutions Ø Acquire software for the training of students

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Financing

Ø Diversify the schools’ own resources, by means of continuing education and business consulting. In this context, it will be useful to:

- give universities more latitude in managing their relations with the environment- allow them more flexibility in managing their own funds

Ø Increase the students’ financial contribution by changing the loan formula.

Private higher education

Ø Participation of national juries in the recruitment of private-sector teachersØ Government assistance to private-school students (some form of voucher system could be studied)Ø Integration of private higher education into the university orientation systemØ Establishment of an accreditation and evaluation body to reassure parents and students and give more credibility to private schools.

Annex: INTERVIEW GUIDES

A- : Interview guide: Students

A : Adaptation of capacitiesA1: Public infrastructures A1.1 Is your school overcrowded? Is the situation getting any better?A1.2 Is your schedule satisfactory?A1.3 Do you think there is enough housing in public university facilities?A1.4 Is the quality of meals in university restaurants satisfactory?A2: Replacement of laboratory equipmentA2.1 Is your laboratory better equipped?A2.2 Do you have enough equipment for practical exercises (TP)?A3: Documents collectionA3.1 Is your library more complete? A3.2 Has digital documentation improved?A4: Private-sector participation, recourse to outsourcingA4.1 What is the extent of private-sector participation in student housing?B : Improvement of quality and relevanceB1: Educational organizationB1.1 Has the restructuring of degree programs been satisfactory?B1.2 Is the course content better targeted to the needs of the job market?B1.4 Does the course content match the specific descriptions of the subject matter to be taught?B1.5 Does the educational organization meet the imperatives of quality or cost control?B1.6 Are you better informed about the content of programs?B1.7 Are you better informed about job opportunities for graduates of the programs?D : New technologiesD1: Computer equipment and networksD1.1 Do you have enough work stations available for your courses?D1.2 Do you have access to self-service computer laboratories?D2: New technologies as teaching materials

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D2.1 Do your teachers use ICTs in their courses? D2.2 Have digital teaching materials been introduced in your courses?D2.3 Do you use ICTs in your research work?E: Sustainability of financingE2: Contribution to tuition feesE2.1 How do you perceive your financial contribution to your education?E3 Coverage of costs of university facilitiesE3.1 How do you perceive your financial contribution to your room and board?

B- Interview guide: Teachers

A : Adaptation of capacities A1: Public infrastructuresA1.1 Is your school overcrowded? Is the situation getting any better?A1.2 Is your schedule satisfactory?A2: Replacement of laboratory equipment

A2.1 Is your laboratory better equipped?A2.2 Do you have enough equipment for practical exercises (TP)?A3: Documents collectionA3.1 Is your library more complete? A3.2 Has digital documentation improved?A4: Private-sector participation, recourse to outsourcingA4.1 What do you think of private-sector participation in higher education? How do you evaluate it? How would you improve it? A4.2 What problems do you think are being faced by private higher education? How might they be solved?A4.3 Should foreign investors be encouraged to invest in the private higher education sector?B : Improvement of quality and relevanceB1: Educational organization

B1.1 Has the restructuring of degree programs been satisfactory?B1.2 Is the course content better targeted to the needs of the job market?B1.3 Should the schools be given more latitude in choosing course content?B1.4 Does the course content match the specific descriptions of the subject matter to be taught?B1.5 Does the educational organization meet the imperatives of quality or cost control?B1.6 Are students better informed about the content of programs?B1.7 Are the students better informed about job opportunities for graduates of the programs?B2: Management of teaching postsB2.1 Is the increase in the number of teachers proportionate to the growth of student enrollment?B2.2 Is the proportion of temporary replacements on the decline?B2.3 Do competitive examinations make it easier to find a teaching post?B2.4 Do you think career advancement has become easier?D : New technologiesD1 Computer equipment and networks

D1.1Do the students have enough work stations available for their courses?D1.2Do the students have access to self-service computer laboratories?D2: New technologies as teaching materialsD2.1Do you use ICTs in your courses? Are they available in sufficient quantity?D2.2Do you use ICTs in your research? Are they available in sufficient quantity?

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D2.3Have you introduced digital materials in your teaching?D2.4Have you taken teacher training courses?D2.5Were ICTs an important part of this training?

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C- Interview guide: Administrators of schools of higher education

A : Adaptation of capacitiesA1: Public infrastructures

A1.1 Is your school overcrowded? Is the situation getting any better?A1.2 Do you have any constraints in preparing schedules?A2: Replacement of laboratory equipment

A2.1 In the past three years, have you received more loans for replacing laboratory equipment? A2.2 Is your laboratory better equipped? A2.3 Do you have enough equipment for practical exercises (TP)?A3: Documents collection

A3.1 In the past three years, have you received more loans for building up your documents collection? A3.2 Is your library more complete?A3.3 Has digital documentation improved?A4: Private-sector participation, recourse to outsourcing

A4.1 What do you think of private-sector participation in higher education? How do you evaluate it? How would you improve it? A4.2 What problems do you think are being faced by private higher education? How might they be solved?A4.3 Should foreign investors be encouraged to invest in the private higher education sector?A4.4 Do you use outsourcing? In what areas? For what percentage of your budget?B : Improvement of quality and relevanceB1: Educational organization

B1.1 Has the restructuring of degree programs been satisfactory?B1.2 Is the course content better targeted to the needs of the job market?B1.3 Should the schools be given more latitude in choosing course content?B1.4 Does the course content match the specific descriptions of the subject matter to be taught?B1.5 Does the educational organization meet the imperatives of quality or cost control?B1.6 Are students better informed about the content of programs?B1.7 Are students better informed about job opportunities for graduates of the programs?B2: Management of teaching posts

B2.1 Is the increase in the number of teachers proportionate to the growth of student enrollment?B2.2 Is the proportion of temporary replacements on the decline?C : Governance and ManagementC1: Decentralization of responsibilities

C1.1 How do you view your relationship with the Ministry of Higher Education and with the universities?C1.2 Is there a common vision of decentralization?C1.3 Do bureaucratic procedures hinder decentralization? If so, which ones?C1.4 Are the roles and responsibilities of the various actors well defined?C1.5 Do they need a definition of new terms?C1.6 Are you having any problems in exercising your areas of competence?C1.7 Is more time needed for everyone to do so?C1.8 Are there delays in the decentralization process? If so, how do you explain the situation? What areas are affected? C1.9 What is your view on the existing coordination between the three levels? What could be done to improve it?

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C2 Support for central and decentralized managementC2.1 Do you think that an improvement in physical and human resources could help promote this

decentralization?C2.2 Has your staff been trained to help implement this decentralization?C2.3 Has your administrative staff been strengthened?C2.4 Has decentralization resulted in faster bureaucratic procedures?C2.5 If not, why not?C2.6 Do you think that the universities should have greater autonomy? In what area?C2.7 How could a posteriori control help develop such autonomy?

D : New technologiesD1 Computer equipment and networksD1.1 Do you think that enough use is made of ICTs in administration? D1.2 Have ICTs helped relieve the administrative burden?D1.3 For what activities do you use ICTs the most?D1.4 Do you work on a network?D1.5 If so, what are its advantages?D1.6 Do you have enough equipment for the successful performance of your duties?D1.7 Do the students have enough work stations available for their courses?D1.8 Do the students have access to self-service computer laboratories?

E: Sustainability of financingE1 Financing strategy

E1.1 How do you explain the actors’ reluctance to discuss the issue of financing modalities?E1.2 Apart from subsidies and student contributions, what other sources of financing do you have? How

much do they amount to?E1.3 How does it happen that new sources have not been developed? Which ones could be developed on

the short and medium term?E1.4 What do you think of continuing education as a way to increase your own resources?E2 Contribution to tuition feesE2.1 What share of your budget is represented by tuition fees?

Interview guide: University Presidents

A : Adaptation of capacitiesA1. Public infrastructures

A1.1 Have all the planned building projects been completed?A1.2 If not, what has caused the delay in the building of new facilities?A1.3 Have the completed building projects substantially relieved the pressure of increased enrollments?A1.4 What projects have made the most progress?A1.5 What projects have made the least progress? Why?A2 - Replacement of laboratory equipment

A2.1 In the past three years, have you received more loans for replacing laboratory equipment in the schools belonging to your university? A3 - Documents collectionA3.1In the past three years, have you received more loans for building up the documents collection in the schools belonging to your university? A4 -Private-sector participation, recourse to outsourcing

A4.1 What do you think of private-sector participation in higher education? How do you evaluate it?

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How would you improve it? A4.2 What problems do you think are being faced by private higher education? How might they be solved?A4.3 Should foreign investors be encouraged to invest in the private higher education sector?A4.4 Do you use outsourcing? In what areas? For what percentage of your budget?B : Improvement of quality and relevanceB1- Educational organization

B1.1 Has the restructuring of degree programs been satisfactory?B1.2 Is the course content better targeted to the needs of the job market?B1.3 Should the schools be given more latitude in choosing course content?B1.4 Does the course content match the specific descriptions of the subject matter to be taught?B1.5 Does the educational organization meet the imperatives of quality or cost control?B1.6 Are students better informed about the content of programs?B1.7 Are the students better informed about job opportunities for graduates of the programs?B2 - Management of teaching posts

B2.1 Is the increase in the number of teachers proportionate to the growth of student enrollment?B2.2 Is the proportion of temporary replacements on the decline?C : Governance and managementC1- Decentralization of responsibilities

C1.1 How do you view your relationship with the MESRST and with the schools?C1.2 Is there a common vision of decentralization?C1.3 Do bureaucratic procedures hinder decentralization? If so, which ones?C1.4 Are the roles and responsibilities of the various actors well defined?C1.5 Do they need a definition of new terms?C1.6 Are you having any problems in exercising your areas of competence?C1.7 Is more time needed for everyone to do so?C1.8 Are there delays in the decentralization process? If so, how do you explain the situation? What areas are affected?C1.9 What is your view on the existing coordination between the three levels? What could be done to improve it?C2 - Support for central and decentralized management

C2.1 Do you think that an improvement in physical and human resources could help promote this decentralization?C2.2 Has your staff been trained to help implement this decentralization?C2.3 Has your administrative staff been strengthened?C2.4 Has decentralization resulted in faster bureaucratic procedures?C2.5 If not, why not?C2.6 Do you think that the universities should have greater autonomy? In what area?C2.7 How could a posteriori control help develop such autonomy?

C3 - Support for project managementC3.1 What impact has decentralization had on project execution?C3.2 Have you set up a structure (department, office, etc.) to monitor the progress of projects?D : New TechnologiesD1 Computer equipment and networks

D1.1 Do you think that enough use is made of ICTs in administration? D1.2 Have ICTs helped relieve the administrative burden?D1.3 For what activities do you use ICTs the most?

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D1.4 Do you work on a network?D1.5 If so, what are its advantages?D1.6 Do you have enough equipment for the successful performance of your duties?D2 New technologies as teaching materialsD2.1 Have you organized teacher training courses for teachers in your university?D2.2 Do ICTs have an important place in such training?E: Sustainability of financingE1 Financing strategy

E1.1 Do you think that the current system for financing higher education is capable of ensuring its sustainability?

E1.2 How do you explain the actors’ reluctance to discuss the issue of financing modalities?E1.3 Apart from subsidies and student contributions, what other sources of financing do you have? How

much to they amount to?E1.4 How does it happen that new sources have not been developed? Which ones could be developed in

the short and medium term?E1.5 What do you think of continuing education as a way to increase your own resources?

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Annex 9. Stakeholder Workshop Results

See Annex 8.

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Additional Annex 10. Borrower's Report

1. Evaluation du Choix des Objectifs, de la Conception du Projet, et de l’Etat de Préparation lors du DémarrageLe projet d’appui à la réforme de l’enseignement supérieur avait pour objectifs d’aider le Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur à :

§ Développer les capacités d’accueil de l’enseignement supérieur tout en préservant sa qualité;§ Améliorer l’efficacité interne et externe ainsi que la cohérence du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur public; et§ Améliorer la viabilité financière des établissements publics d’enseignement supérieur.

1.2 Révisions Apportées aux ObjectifsNON

1.3 Composantes du ProjetEn vue d’atteindre ses objectifs, le projet d’appui à la réforme de l’enseignement supérieur avait cinq composantes :

§ Composante A : Adaptation des capacités d’accueil§ Composante B :Amélioration de la qualité et de la pertinence§ Composante C : Gouvernance et gestion§ Composante D : Intensification de l’usage des nouvelles technologies§ Composante E : Pérennisation du financement

1.4 Révisions Apportées aux Composantes

Aucune révision n’a été apportée à la structure générale du projet d’appui à la réforme de l’enseignement supérieur.

1.5 Qualité au Démarrage du Projet

Lors de sa préparation, le projet était jugé satisfaisant dans sa totalité. Comme il a été classé parmi les priorités du ministère entraînant ainsi un dialogue et une coopération étroite entre la Banque et l’emprunteur.

2. Réalisation des Objectifs du Projet

2.1 Evaluation de l’impact du projet – réalisation des objectifs

Le projet d’appui à la réforme de l’enseignement supérieur a atteint la plupart de ses objectifs initiaux notamment en ce qui concerne les composantes A, B, C, et E . Les raisons de la non réalisation de quelques objectif sont détaillées dans le point 5 ci-après.

2.2 Réalisations du projet

§ Composante A : en ce qui concerne le volet génie civil, les travaux de construction d’établissements d’enseignement et d’œuvres universitaires : 122 800 m2 ont été bâtis dans le cadre du PARES créant 12 établissements pour un coût total de 76.461.790,972 DT. Ces nouvelles constructions ont étendu la capacité d’accueil des établissements d’enseignement de 16000 places, des établissements d’hébergement de 2400 places, des établissements de restauration de 2500 places

Ces travaux ont été achevés aux mois de Septembre 2002, 2003 et 2004 à l’exception de la Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion de Nabeul dont les travaux ont été achevés durant l’année de prorogation.

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En ce qui concerne le volet équipements des nouvelles constructions, six appels d’offres ont été lancés et entièrement exécutés au profit de la Faculté des sciences de Gabès (sauf trois marchés de l’AOI 07/02 qui n’ont pas pu être réalisés).

En ce qui concerne le volet services afférents aux travaux de constructions, les contrats des concepteurs (phase étude) ont été entièrement réalisés, les contrats concepteurs (phase suivi) des sous-projets ont été réalisés à 90%, vu qu’ils sont tributaires du degré d’avancement des travaux, et les contrats des marchés des études sur l’environnement ont été entièrement exécutés.

En ce qui concerne le volet construction des instituts supérieurs des études technologiques tout le programme a été totalement exécuté c’est à dire la construction d’un noyau universitaire au Kef constitué d’un ISET, un foyer et un restaurant universitaire, des noyaux similaires à Kairouan, à Gabès, et à Nabeul , aussi un ISET à Jendouba.

Quant au volet équipements des ISETs, les acquisitions programmées ont été lancées en six AO, trois marchés de gré à gré et une consultation internationale. Deux de ces AO ont été déclarés infructueux, ainsi que les items du marché de génie mécanique qui n’ont pas pu être relancés en raison des courts délais restants pour l’achèvement du projet. Quant au programme de formation des formateurs, démarré en 1994, il concerne les volets scientifiques, technologiques et pédagogiques. Il a permis de réaliser la formation des huitième, neuvième et dixième promotions dans les six établissements d’enseignement supérieur en Tunisie qui ont pris en charge les deux premiers volets de formation pour délivrer des diplômes spécialisés des futurs enseignants technologues. Pour le volet pédagogique, matérialisé par les stages, il a été exécuté au sein des ISETs puisqu’ils ont atteint ces dernières années un niveau pédagogique satisfaisant qui leur permet d’encadrer les futurs enseignants des ISETs.

En ce qui concerne le volet renouvellement des équipements scientifiques ( 06 laboratoires), un appel d’offres international de 47 lots a été lancé dont 42 ont été exécutés et cinq déclarés infructueux.

En ce qui concerne le volet rénovation des fonds documentaires (totalement exécuté) trois consultations restreintes, ainsi que onze marchés de gré à gré ont été lancés aux fins avec différents éditeurs.

En ce qui concerne l’appui du secteur privé de l’enseignement supérieur, deux séminaires ont été organisés aux fins :le premier séminaire a été réalisé le 22 Janvier 2002 portant sur les perspectives de l’investissement privé dans le secteur éducatif et le deuxième a été organisé le 21 Octobre 2003 portant évaluation du secteur après deux années de démarrage. Ces séminaires ont réuni des participants des secteurs public et privé de l’enseignement supérieur, et plusieurs autres intervenants a formé une occasion pour aborder des thèmes relatifs au financement du secteur privé, du partenariat public-privé et public-privé-institutions étrangères, aux expériences étrangères, à l’innovation pédagogique dans le secteur privé et l’adaptation de la formation au marché d’emploi , aux moyens de promotion du secteur privé de l’enseignement supérieur, aux contraintes qu’il fait face, et au cadre réglementaire.

§ Composante B : En ce qui concerne la création et l’équipement de centres des ressources pédagogiques, neuf centres ont été crées ( dans 9 Universités) dont cinq sont en activité. Chaque centre a été doté d’équipements informatiques ( deux micro-ordinateurs, une imprimante, un micro-ordinateur portable), d’équipements audio-visuels ( deux vidéo-projecteurs, un tableau numérique interactif) ainsi que d’équipements de reprographie.

En ce qui concerne le renforcement de la formation pédagogique des enseignants, deux sessions de formation pédagogique ont été réalisées.

En ce qui concerne le volets études inscrites dans le cadre de l’amélioration de la qualité et de la pertinence, l’étude sur le suivi longitudinal visant à assurer le suivi, l’évaluation et l’analyse de la situation des diplômés de l’enseignement supérieur ainsi que la connaissance de leurs taux d’insertion a été totalement exécutée.

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Aussi pour l’évaluation externe des établissements universitaires, une opération pilote a été mise en place en vue de contribuer à améliorer les rendements interne et externe du système universitaire.

§ Composante C : En ce qui concerne la décentralisation des responsabilités de gestion, un nouveau cadre législatif a été mis en place, depuis Juillet 2000, en vue de consacrer la notion de décentralisation universitaire qui a été suivi par un ensemble de mesures réglementaires visant à responsabiliser les gestionnaires des universités quant à la qualité de leur gestion et de les inciter à une meilleure utilisation de leurs ressources matérielles et humaines, en leur donnant plus d’autonomie et de souplesse nécessaire dans la gestion.

Dans ce cadre une étude sur la capacité de gestion des universités a été faite qui a pour objectif de procéder à un diagnostic sur la capacité de gestion actuelle des universités afin de soutenir les points forts et d’envisager les actions correctives pour pouvoir combler les lacunes dégagées. Cette étude a pu présenter une photographie synoptique sur la capacité de gestion des Universités Tunisiennes.En ce qui concerne l’appui au management aux niveaux central et décentralisé, les universités ont été dotées de gestionnaires qualifiés, issus notamment du cycle de formation des gestionnaires des établissements d’enseignement supérieur et d’œuvres universitaires crée avec l’appui du précédent projet. En outre, plusieurs formations ont été organisées au profit du personnel du Ministère et des Universités (informatique, gestion des bureaux d’ordres, …)Via La gestion par objectif le Ministère a cherché à renforcer des capacités aux niveaux central et local et ce en vue d’insérer un système de pilotage adéquat. Une action pilote a été entamée par l’Université de Sfax, qui a organisé un séminaire en Juin 2004. comme plusieurs missions d’études ont été offertes en vue de s’assurer de la bonne compréhension de cette nouvelle notion et de permettre de généraliser l’expérience pour tous les établissements universitaires.Une étude sur l’évaluation du cycle de formation des gestionnaires des établissements d’enseignements supérieur et d’œuvres universitaires a été programmée en vue de mesurer les résultats de huit années en terme de formation et en terme de pertinence qui n’a pas pu, malheureusement, être élaborée.

§ Composante D : En ce qui concerne l’intensification de l’usage des nouvelles technologies, plusieurs appels d’offres ont été lancés et ce en vue de :

• Equiper des salles d’enseignement en ordinateurs,• Equiper les institutions,• Installer des systèmes de câblage ( réseaux internes) au sein des institutions,• Acquérir des équipements informatiques, des serveurs et un logiciel au profit des bibliothèques universitaires.

A cet effet, 196 ordinateurs ont été acquis afin de doter les administrations des institutions utilisant le logiciel de gestion de scolarité, 1193 laboratoires ont été acquis au profit des institutions à des fins d’enseignement, 830 ordinateurs ont été acquis au profit des bibliothèques universitaires.Par ailleurs, dans le cadre du projet BIRUNI, des serveurs ont été acquis et installés ainsi qu’un logiciel afférent à la gestion des bibliothèques.Enfin, en ce qui concerne l’installation des réseaux locaux, 19 institutions ont été entièrement câblées, à savoir la Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte ( AO individuel lancé en 1999) et 18 institutions relevant de l’ancienne Université du Centre( couvrant les Universités de Sousse, Monastir et de Kairouan actuellement) et l’Université de Tunis El Manar (AO groupé).A ce niveau, il y a lieu de noter que, bien que les cahiers des charges pour le câblage de 51 institutions aient été établies (un appel d’offres par institution dans un premier temps, puis deux AO groupés), l’exécution de câblage a été entravée par des contraintes diverses. En ce qui concerne les nouvelles technologies comme support d’enseignement, il y a eu création d’une nouvelle université à savoir l’Université Virtuelle de Tunis, qui en vue d’assurer un démarrage et un fonctionnement réussi, plusieurs actions ont été programmées et exécutées, notamment la formation à l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies pour l’enseignement à distance, la production des modules numérisées, la mise en place de programmes de formation des formateurs, l’organisation de séminaires

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sur la pédagogie numérique et l’usage des technologies de l’information et de la communication, ratification des conventions de partenariat avec des universités ayant l’expérience en matière d’enseignement à distance, et la mise en place d’un projet pilote de formation à distance aux ISETs et dans les différents autres établissements universitaires.Plusieurs marchés d’acquisition d’équipements informatiques, audio-visuels, de système de visioconférence de câblage ont été exécutés, en vue d’assurer une introduction des nouvelles technologies comme support d’enseignement.

Enfin quant à l’appui à la décentralisation et à la gestion universitaire, une étude sur le système d’information universitaire a été élaborée en vue de mettre en place un système de gestion informatisé destiné à appuyer les efforts actuels pour doter l’administration centrale, les universités ainsi que les diverses composantes du système d’information universitaire au pilotage du système d’enseignement supérieur et une meilleure gestion des ressources matérielles et humaines.

§ Composante E :en ce qui concerne la pérennisation du financement, et notamment la mise en place d’une stratégie globale de financement, une étude sur le financement de l’enseignement supérieur a été élaborée dont l’objectif est de chercher à mettre en place un schéma global assurant la pérennité du financement du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur, prenant en ligne de compte la projection des effectifs, l’estimation des coûts d’investissement et de fonctionnement, ainsi que les ressources budgétaires et le niveau escompté du recouvrement des coûts.

2.3 Impact sur le développement institutionnel

Bien que l’implantation des mesures de réforme soit récente, l’impact sur le développement institutionnel est important. Quatre grands facteurs ont marqué le processus de réforme de l’enseignement supérieur, le premier concerne l’appui du secteur privé par un ensemble de mesures législatives et réglementaires et de moyens pédagogiques et financiers ce qui a permis d’initier un dialogue durable avec les promoteurs du secteur privé et de réfléchir sur une somme de propositions opérationnelles pour la promotion du secteur, le deuxième concerne l’amélioration de la qualité et l’efficacité de l’enseignement supérieur par la mise en place d’un programme de formation pédagogique d’une part et le recours à l’assistance technique en vue d’analyser la situation et d’apporter les remèdes nécessaires aux faiblesses pédagogiques d’autre part ce qui a permis d’adapter les programmes et les méthodes pédagogiques et d’améliorer les qualifications du corps enseignant, le troisième concerne le renforcement de l’autonomie des Universités et ce par l’instauration d’un cadre législatif et réglementaire adéquat ce qui a permis de décentraliser les responsabilités de gestion administrative et financière au profit des Universités et de renforcer les capacités de gestion aux niveaux central et décentralisé, le quatrième concerne l’introduction des nouvelles technologies de la communication par la création d’une nouvelle Université, l’Université Virtuelle de Tunis, la mise en place de nouveaux logiciels de gestion des bibliothèques universitaires (projet Biruni), et le lancement d’un programme de câblage universitaire ce qui a permis de « banaliser » l’utilisation de l’informatique et d’introduire les NTIC comme support d’enseignement et de gestion administrative.

3. Principaux Facteurs AYANT INFLUENCE l’Exécution et les Résultats

3.1 Facteurs hors du contrôle du Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur

Facteur ayant un impact négatif.

v Changement de la méthodologie d’évaluation des offres, d’une méthodologie basée sur l’octroi des points pour chacun des critères vers une méthodologie évaluative globale ;v Changement du cahier des clauses administratives type ;v Absence d’un manuel de procédures définissant les tâches, les responsabilités et les procédures à suivre en matière de passation des marchés;v Regroupement massif des appels d’offres internationaux ;v Changement des membres de l’équipe de la Banque ;v Divergences entre les avis des instances nationales et celles de la Banque.

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Facteurs ayant un impact positif.

v L’existence d’une assistance technique offerte par la Banque

3.2 Facteurs sous contrôle des agences d’exécution

Facteurs ayant un impact positif.

v Implication de tous les chefs de files dans le processus d’exécution du projet ;v Création d’un comité de contrôle de qualité des documents de passation des marchés ;v Renforcement de la cellule de coordination ;v Recours à des expertises d’appoint.

Facteurs limitant l impact positif.

v Les insuffisances du logiciel de gestion financière du prêt ;v La multiplicité des intervenants dans la réalisation du projet.

3.3 Coûts et financement

Au début, le prêt de la Banque d’une contre-valeur de 476.100.000 FRF devait financer :

§ 70% des travaux de génie civil et ;§ 80% des équipements achetés localement et dont les montants sont libellés en monnaie nationale ; et§ 100% des équipements dont les montants sont libellés en devise ; et§ 100% des équipements produits localement ( prix départ usine)§ 100% des services de consultants, formation et missions d’études.

Ce financement a été modifié en Juin 2002, en relevant à 80% de la catégorie travaux de génie civil.En Octobre 2001 la portion active du prêt a été convertie en euros.A la clôture des comptes du prêt, les décaissements étaient comme suit 55 425 772 d’euros (N.B : nous attendons encore l’avis de débit) avec une annulation de 12.579.167 d’euros. 4. Pérennité du Projet

4.1 Explications de la note de pérennité

La pérennité du projet est certaine. Le projet est placé au centre de la stratégie du Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur de « qualité », bénéficiant d’un engagement ferme des autorités. Les acquis du projet continueront à se consolider compte tenu des objectifs visant à préparer son économie aux nouvelles exigences économiques mondiales.

Par ailleurs, le IXe plan de développement a consacré un chapitre entier aux réformes du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur.

Au niveau des politiques institutionnelles, des actions sont en cours pour renforcer les acquis du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur. Une série de réformes législatives ont été mises en place pour instaurer un nouveau cadre juridique.

4.2 Modalités de transition à une opération régulière

Il n’y a pas lieu d’établir des modalités de transition étant donné que les activités du projet font partie intégrante du programme de réforme assumé par le MES.

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5. Performance de la BIRD et de l’Emprunteur

BIRD

5.1 Préparation

la performance de la Banque durant les trois phases du processus de préparation du projet (identification, préparation et évaluation) est considérée satisfaisante. La Banque a déployé de nombreux efforts pour la réalisation du projet et a travaillé en collaboration étroite avec le MES pour affiner la stratégie à long terme du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur.

5.2 Supervision Dans son ensemble la performance de la Banque est considérée satisfaisante. En tenant compte de l’envergure du projet et de la complexité de la réforme, la Banque a déployé des efforts notables et a accompli sa tâche avec diligence. Elle a pu établir une coopération fructueuse avec ses partenaires tunisiens et fournir une assistance technique de haut niveau.Les responsabilités fiduciaires ont été remplies avec satisfaction. La passation des marchés et la gestion financière du projet ont fait l’objet de discussion et de revue dans les missions d’évaluation, de suivi, et d’analyse, bien que quelques difficultés méritent d’être relevées à cet égard.

5.3 Performance de la Banque

La performance de la Banque est jugée satisfaisante globalement.

Emprunteur

5.4 Préparation

la performance du MES durant la phase de préparation du projet est jugée satisfaisante. Il a bénéficié d’un don japonais pour réaliser des études qui ont aidé à l’analyse et l’identification des problèmes du secteur. En outre le MES a fourni une vision nette de sa stratégie de réforme.

5.5 Mise en Oeuvre

La performance du MES durant la phase de l’exécution du projet est jugée satisfaisante. Cette performance est caractérisée par un engagement vis à vis des objectifs du projet. Ceci s’est traduit par une étroite collaboration avec la Banque durant les périodes où le projet présentait des difficultés d’exécution.

5.6 Entité responsable de la mise en œuvre

Le Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur, la cellule de coordination, les directions générales et les Universités

5.7 Performance de l’Emprunteur

La performance de l’Emprunteur est jugée satisfaisante dans son ensemble. Le taux de réalisation de ce projet s’élevait à 76% contre pour l’ancien projet

6. Principaux Enseignements Tirés du Projet

Leçons positives§ L’élaboration d’une stratégie globale du secteur définissant les priorités du secteur et en cohérence avec

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les plans de développement ;L’introduction de la notion de gestion par objectifs dans la gestion administrative et financière du secteur.

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