World Bank Supports Education Sector in Mauritania with US$15 Million Credit

Washington,  August 3, 2004 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors Thursday approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit* of US$15 million to support Mauritania’s efforts to improve education service delivery.

The Higher Education Project will improve the quality of the learning environment and the relevance of education courses to the labor market. It will establish pedagogic, administrative, and financial management systems in the country’s institutions of higher education.  It will also help the government to implement its strategy of producing qualified graduates with the skills needed for increased productivity and diversification of the economy.

The first component of the project, which focuses on enhancing the quality and relevance of higher education, will contribute towards modernizing university education, making it more relevant to the needs of Mauritania’s economy.  The project will assist the university and institutions of higher education in developing professional links with key employers in different sectors of the economy. The latter will identify priorities and offer advice on course content and objectives.

Under the new University Master Plan, the project will finance the construction and equipment of a new central library and distance learning center to serve as the focal points for internet access and for university-wide dissemination of information.

The second component will help implement the new policy framework for higher education with an emphasis on the transfer of autonomy to the university and other institutions of higher education. Areas of support in autonomy administration will provide strategic goal setting, budget planning and management, educational programs, and personnel management.

Activities under the project will also include “the training and upgrading of the skills of administrative and managerial staff of institutions of higher education in the areas of planning, student services, finance, and personnel management,” said Mercy Miyang Tembon, the World Bank Task Team Leader for the project. “High priority will be given to the development of new leaders at the rector and vice rector levels and to the training of deans of faculty in academic planning and human resource management. Special attention will be paid to collaborative team work.”

Poverty reduction and social development have been a key part of the Mauritanian Government’s economic development strategy. The combination of economic growth and increased education expenditures not only has improved access to basic and secondary education but has also had a positive impact on social welfare and significantly reduced poverty.

Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of Mauritanians living below the poverty line fell from 56.6 percent to 46.7 percent.  Gross enrollment rates increased from 46.7 percent in 1990/91 to 91.6 percent with near universal intake at the primary level in 2002/03. Gross enrollment rates at the secondary level rose from 14.7 percent to 24.5 percent during the same period.

* The credit is on standard International Development Association (IDA) terms, with a commitment fee of 0.35 percent and a service charge of 0.75 percent. The credit’s period of maturity is  40  years, including a 10-year period of grace.

For more information on the World Bank’s work in sub-Saharan Africa visit:  http://www.worldbank.org/afr

For more information on the World Bank’s work in Mauritania visit:

  www.worldbank.org/afr/mr