Viet Nam : Lower Secondary Education for the Most Disadvantaged Regions Project

Education / Secondary - social protection initiatives

Health / Nutrition

Information and communication technology / ICT strategy and policy, and capacity development

ADB has been supporting Viet Nam's secondary education. Universal secondary education is one of the Government's policy goals committed in the 5-year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2006-2010. It is noted that secondary schooling in the most difficult regions continues to be unfilled, and limited access and quality of schooling of the ethnic minority youth and girls are considered as a critcal obstacle for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the Education Strategic Development Plan 2001-2010, and the National Education for All Action Plan 2003-2015. The Project will complement ADB's suport to universal lower secondary education. The Project is included in the CSP 2007-2010.

The Project is expected to promote universal secondary education and, hence, greater social and economic inclusion for Viet Nam's disadvantaged groups.

Its outcome will be improved lower secondary education participation rates, particularly for girls and ethnic minorities, in 103 of the most disadvantaged districts in 17 provinces.

1. Access to lower secondary education is improved for the poor, especially girls and ethnic minorities, in 103 targeted districts.

2. The quality and relevance of secondary education are enhanced for ethnic minorities and girls.

3. Innovative approaches to improving educational access and equity for ethnic minorities and girls are pilot-tested and evaluated.

4. Planning and management capacity for lower secondary education for the disadvantaged groups and regions is strengthened.

A total of 820 new LSS classrooms (against the original target of 819) have been completed and are operational. All contracts have been fully paid. Inspection of the newly-built facilities has been likewise completed.

All 48 classrooms and 8 toilets have been constructed and are operational.

Equipment and furniture were also been provided.

A total of 959 semi-boarding rooms/dormitories have been completed (out of the target 960) and are operational. All contracts have been fully paid. Inspection of the newly-built facilities has been likewise completed.

All 48 classrooms and 8 toilets have been constructed and are operational.

Equipment and furniture were also been provided.

Completed A total of 6,151 TTC students received training for 3 years (3,738 female partipants or 61%).

Year 1: 2,212 trainees (1,324 female; 1,324 ethnic minorities)

Year 2: 1,968 trainees (1,239 female;1,129 ethnic minorities)

Year 3: 1,971 trainees (1,175 female; 1,252 ethnic minorities)

467 (against the revised target of 449) teacher housing units built by the project were completed and handed over.

61 libraries (against the revised target of 61) were completed. Equipment provision has been completed.

Completed training average of 33,190 LSS teachers in 17 project provinces have been trained in 6 modules.

INSETT and PRESETT materials and handouts have been developed and delivered to core trainers, key teachers and TTC students during INSETT and PRESETT courses. Delivery of supplementary materials for teachers in their respective lower secondary schools has also been completed in December 2012. Printing of supplementary instructional materials as follows:

- Materials for LSS management: 101 management situations in education of the LSSs in the most disadvantaged regions

- Materials for LSS teachers: (i) handbook on lesson planning in active learning; (ii) handbook on CPD for LS teachers; (iii) handbook for LS teachers in the most disadvantaged regions; (iv) pedagogical situations in LSSs in the most disadvantaged regions.

- Materials for LSS students: (i) Pupils' Book: Vietnamese as a second language for ethnic minorities; and (ii) set of materials: Support LSE stduents in the most disadvantaged regions with learning skills (7 books for 7 main subjects at LSE including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, and literature.

Completed training 1,028 core trainers on 7 modules (475 female participants).

All instructional materials developed by the project to date have been uploaded onto project website as educational resources for teachers in remote areas. A pilot e-mentoring system has been implemented and completed in 3 TTCs of 3 project provinces of Dien Bien, Dak Lak and Soc Trang provinces and 9 LSSs. The pilot network started in November 2010.

A total of 205 students (original target 235 scholars) were selected for this scholarship program. After 3 years of scholarship provision, the number of scholars was reduced to 205 (89 male, equivalent to 43% and 116 female, equivalent to 57%). The reduced number of recipients could be attributed to the following reasons: (i) transfer to other universities; (ii) receipt of scholarship grants from other sources; (iii) personal reasons; and (iv) serious violation of TTCs regulations. To date, 205 out of 206 students receiving scholarships completed TTC program successfully, one failed due to the recipients violation of the TTCs regulations.

A consulting firm has been engaged to develop the evaluation report of the effectiveness of the scholarship programs. Findings of the evaluation report will be presented in the final workshop of the Project scheduled in July 2014.

Of the total target of 75 laboratories (against the revised target of 75), 78 were constructed and handed over. Equipment provision has been completed.

Completed. Students were provided scholarship twice a school year for each term:

Year 1 (SY2009-2010) - First provision: 781 LSS students received scholarships, of whom 392 are male and 389 are female; Second provision: 771 LSS students received scholarships, of whom 392 are male and 379 are female

Year 2 (SY2010-2011) - 721 LSS students received scholarships

Year 3 (SY2012-2013) " 605 students received scholarships.

After the program was piloted in 3 provinces of Dien Bien, Dak Lak and Kien Giang, lessons were drawn and applied in the dissemination of the public awareness campaign in all remaining project districts. By end of July 2012, 100 core trainers from 14 project provinces which had not participated in the pilot program were trained on the content of the campaign and the method to conduct the campaign effectively. The 100 core trainers then trained 1,231 staff in charge of conducting the campaign in communes and villages. A total of 1,336 communes, with 535 LSSs and 801 CECs, have participated.

Printed materials for the campaign, including 13,166 leaflets on childrens rights; 13,166 leaflets on womens rights; 26,332 story booklets; 13,172 posters; and 13,166 handbooks for conducting the campaign have been distributed to all target districts. The public awareness campaign was implemented in May 2012 and completed in 1,336 communes, in which 535 LSSs and 801 CECs participated. All activities under 3-b have been completed.

To meet the requirement that rice will be provided for semi-boarding students staying in semi-boarding schools with newly-built semi-boarding facilities by the project, the feeding program had to follow the progress of civil works; therefore, the program started quite late in school year 2010-2011.

Rice was distributed to 2,784 students in school year 2010-2011 and to 7,606 in school year 2011-2012. For school year 2012-2013, 8,080 students from 12 provinces have received rice. A visit to a target school in Kon Tum province was fielded, where NPIU confirmed the successful implementation of this program in terms of stakeholders acceptance.

All 5 research studies have been completed.

The management training courses to a total of 4,558 MOET, DOET, and BOET staff, were organized for consecutive 3 years: 2009, 2010, and 2011 covering performance management, education planning and management, and teachers standards, continuing professional development. In 2009, 1,415 principals and DOET/BOET staff have participated in intensive training programs on performance management. In 2010, 1,537 principals and DOET/BOET staff have been trained on education planning and management. In 2011, 1,606 staff have been trained on teachers standards, principals standards and continuing professional development (CPD). All training activities have been facilitated by the National Institute of Education Management. Final OST on the management training was completed in 2013 and final payment was made.

The Project provided general ICT training for more effective education planning and management of rural schools and has not been involved in the development of the new EMIS (MOU Nov 2009).

ICT training was integrated into the training program for education planners, school principals and administrators in 2010.

The management training courses to a total of 4,558 MOET, DOET, and BOET staff, were organized for consecutive 3 years: 2009, 2010, and 2011 covering performance management, education planning and management, and teachers standards, continuing professional development. In 2009, 1,415 principals and DOET/BOET staff have participated in intensive training programs on performance management. In 2010, 1,537 principals and DOET/BOET staff have been trained on education planning and management. In 2011, 1,606 staff have been trained on teachers standards, principals standards and continuing professional development (CPD). All training activities have been facilitated by the National Institute of Education Management. Final OST on the management training was completed in 2013 and final payment was made.

Overall, the Project is on track towards achieving GEMAP targets at an aggregate level. The increased availability of semi-boarding schools and school feeding is undoubtedly positively impacting upon enrolment and completion for girls and ethnic minority children. Project implementation mechanisms are evidently prioritizing allocation of benefits towards girls and ethnic minority students as intended, and community and education sector awareness of the need for such targeting is increasing. The Project is also promoting the role and capacity of female teachers through ensuring their participation in teacher training, as well as incorporating gender equality content into training curriculum.

The last review mission identified challenges such as: limited systematic management, and reporting and analysis of data disaggregated by sex and ethnicity; limited awareness and ownership of the GEMAP by project staff at all levels; ensuring the full achievement of GEMAP targets at provincial and district/school levels, including through prioritizing attention on districts/schools which are under-target; over-crowding of boarding and sanitation facilities and inconsistent quality of infrastructure, which have disproportionate gender impacts; and limited proactive approaches to the psychological and emotional wellbeing of students, especially girls. NPIU committed to undertaking all measures to address these gaps especially in the implementation of staff development, and scholarship programs.

The Project provided a total of 489 person-months of consulting services-74 international and 415 national. The international consultants comprised experts in project facilitation (3 person-months), education planning and management (18; this consultant will also be the team leader), procurement (14), resettlement (1), teacher training design and planning (16), Information and Communications Technology (ICT) (4), gender and ethnic minority education planning (8), monitoring and evaluation (6), and scholarship policy and planning (4). The national consultants' expertise was in national civil works and procurement (48 person-months), construction supervision (51), resettlement (10), school-based In-service-teacher training (24), pro-poor Pre-service teacher training (48), ethnic minority education management (48), gender education management (24), scholarship policy and management (48), project facilitation and management (12), education planning (26), education management and administration (52), ICT/Education Management Information System management (12), and monitoring and quality control (12). The overseas training programs have been/will be provided by an international training provider, which will be selected through consultant qualification. Detailed terms of reference and selection criteria for the overseas training provider has been developed by National Project Implementation Unit (NPIU) with the assistance of international consultants during implementation.

The international and national consultants to be financed under the Project have all been selected and hired according to ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants. For smooth start-up, the project facilitation adviser has been selected and hired individually to help NPIU develop a solid implementation framework. The remaining services will be provided by an international firm, to be selected and hired through quality- and cost-based selection (QCBS). The QCBS weighting will follow the standard quality-cost ratio of 80:20.

ADB-financed goods and works will be procured according to ADB's Procurement Guidelines. The National Project Implementation Unit, in close cooperation with relevant Provincial Project Implementation Units and Bureau of Education and Training, will be responsible for all procurement. National competitive bidding consistent with ADB's Procurement Guidelines will be carried out. Modifications and clarifications that need to be made regarding the Borrower's national competitive bidding procedures must be agreed on by ADB and the Borrower. Given the broad geographic range of the Project, and the resulting high number of relatively small contract packages anticipated, all civil works contracts will be procured through national competitive bidding.

Contracts for goods estimated at $1 million equivalent or more will be awarded through international competitive bidding, and those for goods (other than instructional materials) estimated at less than $1 million but more than $100,000 equivalent through national competitive bidding. Contracts estimated at less than $100,000 equivalent will follow shopping procedures. Instructional materials will be procured through national competitive bidding or direct contracting. Awareness-raising materials will be procured through least-cost selection. Details of procurement packages and technical specifications will be submitted to ADB for approval before procurement. MOET will take advance procurement action for the recruitment of individual consultants in the case of the international project facilitation adviser and the national project facilitation and management adviser, to expedite implementation. ADB's concurrence to advance action does not commit ADB to finance related expenditure under the Project or to finance the Project.