Enhancing Education Development Project

Project’s General Information For the successful completion and closure of any project, the key project attributes such as scope, schedule, budget, and customers must be handled effectively. The scope of a project represents the functional elements that, upon completion, constitute the end deliverables for the project. The scope of a project needs to be determined prior to the start of the project so as to give the project better chances of success. The project schedule entails the actual time needed to produce the project deliverables. Project deliverables of a project are the end results of the project. The second component of the EEDP project is the development of education at the school level. The project’s task under this component will be promoting strategic initiatives to enhance the schools’ performance.

This second component of the project will support various sub-components that will include: The School Quality Assurance and Teacher Development Awards (QATDA); Strengthening School-Based Professional Development (SBPD) for school staff such as teachers; modernizing quality assurance for the improvement of schools; and school-based management. The third component of the EEDP project will entail the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the project, and the development programs. This third component will have the major objectives of supporting the education ministry to undertake the development of programs in key areas for the future of the country’s education system, undertaking the monitoring and evaluation of outcomes and results, and facilitating the coordination of project components. For the EEDP, the total budget is $11 million. Out of this total, $1 million will be financed by debt while $10 million will be financed by DBA grant.

The expected disbursement over the period of the project will be as shown below Financial year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Annual disbursement $1 million $1. 5 million $2. 35 million $2. This population consist of about 320,000 Maldivian residents and approximately 90,000 expatriate workers. The country faces a significant challenge in the national quality of education at all levels. For example, learning outcomes in both primary and secondary education are modest, with substantial regional disparities. In this context, the direct customers of the EEDP project will be about 500 education administrators and managers, 220 principals, approximately 5,000 school teachers, and about 50,000 school students. The indirect project customers will be school communities of approximately 220 schools; households of the schools; suppliers of education, and the contractors of school infrastructure. • Better quality education at both the primary and secondary levels.

• Increased community awareness on the importance of education Verifiable Indicators A 10% increase in transition rate of school students from primary school education to secondary school education. 100% percent of the population appreciates the value of education Means of Verification • Records from primary and secondary schools from across the country. • Household surveys Assumptions External factors not under the direct control of the project implementation which could restrict the outputs leading to the outcome. Activities • Training school management and leadership • Creation of awareness in the communities • Procurement of equipment for setting up additional schools. This is one of the steepest falls between higher secondary education and lower secondary education in the world. One identified reason for the sharp drop in the enrollment at the higher secondary education in Maldives is the relatively small number of schools providing education between 11-12 grades.

In approximately 230 schools in the country, only five offer higher secondary education. Other than the low enrollment rate in secondary education, the enrollment rate in tertiary education is also significantly low. The enrollment in tertiary education in Maldives is only at 3%. By expanding the development of human capital in Maldives, the country will increase the number of qualified and well-educated citizens. Ultimately, it will lower the dependence on foreign labor on sophisticated and high-level skills which is often too expensive. Another important objective is promoting education quality and access by expanding secondary and tertiary education access in the country. Through this objective, the country aims at increasing the number of educated citizens which will have a positive impact on the available economic opportunities for residents.

Ultimately, the country will achieve sustained economic growth. Through a project plan, it becomes easy to communicate the status of a project to a project team. A project plan comprises of the project tasks, activities, milestones, dependencies, and timelines for the successful completion of a project. From a project plan, a project manager can determine the critical path of the project. A critical path provides the manager with information on the key project tasks. The critical path enables the identification of all the tasks necessary for the successful completion of the project while determining which tasks control the project completion. Capacity risks Some of the project objectives require extensive capacity in terms of geographical space and human capital. As such, not all school communities across Maldives have the capacity to support the initiatives stipulated in the EEDP.

Moreover, some key stakeholders in the project implementation might lack necessary intellectual capacity on financial management policies and procurement procedures; hence, potentially hampering the project success. An appropriate way of handling this risk factor is initiating capacity building and training of school communities in the new programs, and the programs should be introduced in phases. c. e. Risks associated with the program donors The EEDP is funded by the World Bank. This donor is the only one of its type that provides large-scale support for educational programs. As such, the risks associated with this donor are low. f. Moderate. The development of domestic sophisticated and high-level skills is a long-term initiative whose impact will be felt several decades ahead. Cause and Effect Diagram The cause and effect diagram is used in exploring all the potential or real causes (or inputs) that result in a single effect (or output).