Public Disclosure Authorized

Document of
The World Bank
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Public Disclosure Authorized

Report No: 25659

IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION REPORT

(IDA-31100)

ON A

CREDIT

IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 3.7 MILLION (US$4.8 MILLION EQUIVALENT)

Public Disclosure Authorized

TO THE

REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNICAL

TRAINING PROJECT (LIL)

July 16, 2003

Public Disclosure Authorized

Human Development III

Africa Region

This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their
official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.
 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(Exchange Rate Effective 12/18/2002)
Currency Unit = CFA Francs
CFA Francs 100 = US$ 00.15
US$ 1 = CFA Francs 642

FISCAL YEAR
July 1 June 30

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CAS Country Assistance Strategy

DCA Development Credit Agreement
ETES Etablissements Techniques de l'Enseignement Supérieur
GICAM Professional organization of enterprises
ICR Implementation Completion Report
IUT Institut universitaire technologique
LIL Learning and Innovation Loan
MOHE Ministry of Higher Education
MINESUP Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur
PAD Project Appraisal Document
PMU Project Management Unit
PSR Project Status Report
TTL Task Team Leader

Vice President: Callisto Madavo

Country Director: Ali Khadr
Sector Manager: Laura Frigenti
Task Team Leader: Mourad Ezzine
 CAMEROON
HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNICAL TRAINING PROJECT
(LIL)

CONTENTS

Page No.
1. Project Data 1
2. Principal Performance Ratings 1
3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry 2
4. Achievement of Objective and Outputs 4
5. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome 8
6. Sustainability 9
7. Bank and Borrower Performance 11
8. Lessons Learned 13
9. Partner Comments 13
10. Additional Information 14
Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix 15
Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing 16
Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits 18
Annex 4. Bank Inputs 19
Annex 5. Ratings for Achievement of Objectives/Outputs of Components 21
Annex 6. Ratings of Bank and Borrower Performance 22
Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents 23
Annex 8. Summary of Borrower's End-of-Project Evaluation 24
Annex 9. Photographs of IUT Douala
Project ID: P055684 Project Name: HIGHER EDUCATION
TECHNICAL TRAINING PROJECT
Team Leader: Mourad Ezzine TL Unit: AFTH2
ICR Type: Core ICR Report Date: July 21, 2003

1. Project Data
Name: HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNICAL L/C/TF Number: IDA-31100
TRAINING PROJECT
Country/Department: CAMEROON Region: Africa Regional Office
Sector/subsector: Tertiary education (100%)
Theme: Education for the knowledge economy (P); Administrative and civil
service reform (S)

KEY DATES
Original Revised/Actual
PCD: 10/17/1997 Effective: 05/22/1998 04/16/1999
Appraisal: 02/27/1998 MTR: 11/01/2002 11/01/2002
Approval: 06/24/1998 Closing: 11/30/2001 01/31/2003

Borrower/Implementing Agency: GOVERNMENT OF CAMEROON/DOUALA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Other Partners:

STAFF Current At Appraisal

Vice President:
Country Director:
Sector Manager:
Team Leader at ICR:
ICR Primary Author:
Callisto E. Madavo Jean-Louis Sarbib
Ali Khadr Serge Michailof
Laura Frigenti Nicholas R. Burnett
Mourad Ezzine Nicholas L. Bennett
Jean-Paul Peresson; Myrina D.
McCullough

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: SU
Bank Performance: S
Borrower Performance: S

QAG (if available) ICR

Quality at Entry: U
Project at Risk at Any Time: No
No Quality at Entry review was done. A Quality of Supervision Review, carried out in 1999, gave an
overall rating of "S" to project implementation.
3. Assessment of Development Objective and Design, and of Quality at Entry
3.1 Original Objective:
The Project Development Objective was to introduce, develop, and test a new and improved model
of public higher technical education in Cameroon in the Institut Universitaire Technologique (IUT)
Douala. If successful, the model could then be used as a basis for reforming other higher education
institutions in Cameroon.

The project objective was relevant to the main issues in the higher education system. Its primary
rationale was to contribute to the reform of the Cameroon University system, which had been preparing
students with full degree courses, but with only limited links to the needs of the labor markets. The
University decentralization reform of 1993 and the introduction of the IUT system provided an opportunity
for some institutions to improve their academic offering. The IUT Douala was among the most advanced in
this process, with the best potential to achieve progress. IDA perceived that it could serve as a relevant
reference for change to other institutions.

The project objective was realistic and demand-driven since it was based on an on-going
experiment launched by the IUT Douala. The primary objective of the IUT was to establish a professional
diploma focused on middle-level technicians, inspired by the French IUT model. This initiative was also
strongly motivated by the financial crisis of the mid-90s and the resulting decline in the financial resources
available to higher education, which forced institutions to generate revenues (the new decentralized system
permitted, on a de facto basis, the institutions to retain 60 to 70% of resources generated, the remainder
being transferred to the University treasury to which the institution belonged). The IUT location in the main
industrial city, Douala, provided potential opportunities for the development of services to enterprises and
the emergence of a cooperative relationship between the IUT and enterprises (internship of students,
retraining of workers). Finally, the objective was in line with support which the IUT was receiving from
the French Cooperation for the development of an “IUT model” in Cameroon. The main risks identified
were related to implementation (replacement of director, appropriate training of teaching staff and
procurement).

3.2 Revised Objective:

The Development Objective remained unchanged throughout the life of the Project.

3.3 Original Components:

Originally, the Project had three components: (i) strengthening three existing disciplines by
introducing new options requested by local industries and developing an additional discipline requested by
the private sector ($1.2 m); (ii) developing new disciplines both to strengthen existing disciplines and to
respond to the demands of local enterprises ($2.5 m); and (iii) ensuring the development and sustainability
of institutional development, evaluation and follow up, and the sustainability of policy initiatives ($1.4m).

The design and articulation of these components : The Project was designed as a LIL. As such, it
was structured to provide the necessary conditions to the IUT Douala for testing and developing a model to
improve the system of technical higher education institutions, to effectively meet the needs of the private
productive sector and be financially sustainable by: (i) involving actively private sector enterprises in the
management, the selection of courses and the development of pre-service and in-service curricula; (ii)
increasing the quality and efficiency of the IUT, and expanding its curriculum; (iii) increasing the number
of its educational departments; and (iv) strengthening its institutional capacity.

Within this framework, the project provided for:

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• The technical and material means to develop and implement courses that are demand driven
through the design of new curricula, the acquisition of equipment, and the refurbishing/construction of
buildings,
• An institutional setting capable of ensuring the feasibility and the sustainability of the changes
initiated by the experiment, through strengthening of its operational capacity, as well as teacher, research
and administrative staff training.

3.4 Revised Components:

The three components remained unchanged during the life of the Project.

3.5 Quality at Entry:

Overall Quality at Entry is considered as unsatisfactory. Although the project had not been
identified in the related Country Assistance Strategy (March 1996), it did align itself with the third
objective of this CAS (to create a climate favorable for private sector development so as to set the stage for
faster growth). Previous education projects had been set in the perspective of poverty alleviation; the
positioning of this project emphasized the links with the private productive sector and the contribution of
higher technical education to increased productivity, competitiveness, and employment.

The overall design of the project took careful account of the country’s experience and major
constraints encountered in the introduction and implementation of education reforms, as well as in the
results of other education projects. The decision to structure the project as a LIL and to capitalize on an
on-going experiment, which had started showing positive results, was pragmatic.

The selection of the IUT concept was sound since it had been successful in other countries,
including neighboring African countries. Its diploma level and its focus on practical and job-oriented
programs were intended to draw support from local enterprises. It also integrated lessons from earlier
reforms in the French higher education system and remained consistent with the support given to the IUT
by the French Cooperation.

While the overall approach for setting a credible basis for reform in this part of the technical higher
education system was sound, the structural and operational design of the project had some critical flaws,
making the overall quality at entry unsatisfactory:

(a) At a structural level, the project design aimed at establishing the IUT Douala as a pilot to be
replicated, once fully developed and tested, to other higher education technology institutions. This was to be
achieved by providing the IUT Douala with specific institutional arrangements to ensure that it would
effectively introduce a new model of public higher education in Cameroon. As such, the project design
implied granting the IUT a special (and unique) status that would provide the grounds for developing the
model. Two key conditions for the institutional model to be adequately developed and tested were identified:
(i) financial autonomy of the IUT, which would be granted by decree and (ii) an increased participation of
representatives from the private sector in the IUT Governing Board. Conditions were set as dated
covenants in the DCA (expected to be signed before the end of December 1998). However, the Project did
not secure the MOHE’s support and ownership of this approach. In fact, despite the signing of the Credit
Agreement, the MOHE was not ready to grant a separate statute to the IUT Douala and would later opt for
a different, large scale reform of the institutional process which it saw as a more appropriate and feasible
way to achieve the reform objectives for public higher technical education (cf. section 4.1). At the time the
project was effectively launched (April 1999), the covenants were still not signed and the conditions were
not effectively in place.

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(b) The linkage between the project objectives and the measurable outputs was weak. Outputs were
defined as a mix of project deliverables and means (“Private sector involved in the management and
curriculum development” is a deliverable, “assist in the full development of the innovation of the IUT
Douala” or “study to define criteria of financial autonomy” are means). The articulation between the 11
outputs and the three project components did not indicate a clear cause and effect relationship. Moreover,
the description of the components did not clearly indicate what elements had to be in place, established, or
achieved if the outputs were to be produced. In fact, the content of activities for each of the components
were not defined. This design did not provide a good basis for development of an implementation plan.

(c) As a LIL, the project was structured to develop the institutional model through a trial and error
basis to help improve its relevance and feasibility. Under this approach, the IUT needed to have a minimum
level of managerial and institutional capacity. No assessment of this capacity was made during preparation
despite the need to have the capability to manage the institutional and operational arrangements to
implement the project activities and achieve the expected institutional development.

(d) The project provided a series of outcome indicators to guide the process of building-up the model.
The quantitative and time elements of the indicators were appropriate, but the qualitative dimension was
insufficiently defined and could provide only partial information and direction to project implementation
(Eg., "an average of 150 students/ day will use the library" does not monitor what is done in the library,
particularly given the limited number of books available; "all students will participate in at least 6 month
internship" does not monitor any link to the curricula or whether the students are used to their potential or
simply as cheap labor, as one company mentioned).

The project was approved on June 26, 1998. Effectiveness was initially planned for September 1998, but
was delayed until April 16, 1999.

4. Achievement of Objective and Outputs

4.1 Outcome/achievement of objective:
The outcome rating is satisfactory. As reflected in Annex 1, the project met most of its
quantitative objectives. The project had defined eight indicators to evaluate the achievement of the
development objective in establishing a new model for technical higher education. The indicators provided
a measure of the involvement of the private sector and of the impact on students (participation in the
development of new curriculum and selection of equipment, internships and recruitment of students,
in-service training). Except for two indicators which were dependent on the granting of full financial
autonomy, all the other indicators were fully met. The establishment of cooperation between local
enterprises and the IUT was slow, since there had been very limited comparable experience in the country,
but it gave all stakeholders, at the national as well as at the IUT level, the opportunity to assess the
complexity of the partnership work (understanding the needs from the enterprise side as well as from the
IUT). It also helped identify the institutional, political and technical constraints to be faced and overcome,
especially at the university level in the difficult context of higher education which has prevailed in the
country.

Further to these explicit objectives, the MOHE chose to introduce the institutional reform process
on a larger scale, by focusing on the technical higher education sub-system as a whole, by progressively
building up an institutional framework to be adopted by all similar institutions. Within this context, the
IUT Douala project activities were utilized as a testing ground to provide guidelines for the broader reform,
rather than a model to be copied by other institutions. This approach allowed for a more structured

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perspective of the reform by focusing on the sub-system of technical higher education. It involved, from the
beginning, the key stakeholders, including representatives from GICAM as well as representatives from the
other technical institutes of higher education and from the universities. Consensus-building was slow,
particularly in as much as it was going against the grain of traditional approaches of francophone tertiary
education systems, where pilot experiments developed with the express aim of replication are unusual.
However, little by little a consensus among the stakeholders was built up.

The reform was first formalized by the signature of an agreement between the Ministry and the
representatives of the enterprises (1999). This agreement aimed at establishing the necessary conditions for
technical institutes of higher education to meet labor market needs. It was followed by a series of seminars
and meetings with the stakeholders to outline a legal foundation for the technical institutes of higher
education that would meet the expectations of all parties and ensure their support to the objectives of the
reform. This contributed to the drafting of two important decrees which aim at radically changing the
statutes of the technical institutes of higher education by increasing their pedagogical and financial
autonomy, and of their personnel by bringing useful change to the recruitment procedures of teachers and
trainers and improving the hiring of appropriately skilled personnel. This reform, albeit not fully
completed, had a much broader scope than originally hoped and is based on a solid consensus. All this is in
large part a result of the pilot project. In this respect the project outcomes exceeded initial expectations.

4.2 Outputs by components:

Component 1: Strengthening of Existing Disciplines (US$ 1.36 million)

The component included the strengthening of the four existing disciplines by introducing new
training options requested by local industries. Buildings were to be refurbished and constructed. The
private sector was to be involved in the definition of the curriculum content and the selection of equipment.
Teachers were to receive refresher training.

Overall, the output of the component was satisfactory. The component produced its anticipated
objectives. The implementation of this first component provided the basis for the development of
procedures for collaboration between the IUT Douala and the private sector to work on the identification of
needs, their translation into curriculum, and the choice of equipment . It also gave the participating
enterprises a better understanding of the challenges of curriculum design and of the challenge to ensure a
continued relevance.

The construction and/or refurbishing of buildings for teaching space and laboratories was
completed, although it took more time than expected due to delays in the training of the school procurement
staff to apply bidding procedures acceptable to IDA.

The work with private enterprises to modernize the existing curricula (based on the French IUT
system curriculum) and introduce new training options was done thoroughly. The process was slow, since
it implied the mobilization of local enterprises by the IUT on an individual basis. Enterprises had not
previously been involved in such activities with tertiary education institutions and were prudent not to be
used as a pretext for implementing Project activities. Moreover, the Board composition had not been
modified to include private enterprises and, therefore, could not provide the impetus for such work during
the first phase of implementation of this component. It took three full years of continuous exchanges to
build up a relationship with the enterprises through visits and meetings. In the end, the four existing
programs introduced new streams that took into consideration the needs of the private sector. New and
complementary equipment was procured according to these new streams. This initiative was subsequently
used for new disciplines, helping to reinforce the involvement of the GICAM in the national reform process.

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Component 2: New Disciplines and System Coherence (US$ 2.75 million)

The component included the development of new disciplines both to strengthen the four existing
disciplines and to respond to the demand of local enterprises. New buildings were to be constructed. The
private sector was to be involved with the content of the curriculum and the selection of equipment.
Teachers were to be trained in the new disciplines.

The overall output of the component was satisfactory. The component produced most of its
anticipated objectives but with significant delays due to the wider reform process, to continued
shortcomings in the bidding procedures and the procurement of goods and services by the PMU, and to
delays in the execution of work (including non-compliance by one of the contractors). However, most
procurement and construction activities were completed before the revised closing date.

Three new curricula were selected for development with the approval of enterprises : (i) electrical
engineering and industrial computing, (ii) thermal engineering and energy, and (iii) mechanical engineering
and productivity. The three disciplines had already been identified in the PAD. The curricula, also based
on the French IUT programs, were adapted to the specific context of local enterprises. As a result, a core
program for the three disciplines was designed for the first year and structured around the questions related
to maintenance. The program aimed at improving the flexibility and polyvalence of the skills required by
local enterprises. Teachers were trained primarily through the IUT of Strasbourg.

The development of a virtual university which had been programmed as part of this component has
not yet been put into operation due to the following technical constraints: (i) lack of proper transmission
lines on the campus (expected to be resolved by end school year 2003), (ii) lack of space to accommodate
the service, (iii) need for properly trained personnel to operate the service, and (iv) the high operating costs
of the service (around $10,000 per month). Internet-based services are programmed to be developed under
another project currently financed by the French Cooperation.

Component 3: Institutional Development, Evaluation and Follow up, and Sustainability of Policy
Initiatives (US$ 1.62 million)

This component included the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the IUT Douala through
financial management tools as well as staff training, follow-up of employment of graduates, small scale
enterprise development by students, studies and seminars on topics relevant to higher education.

Activities which had been planned under the component were, for the most part, effectively
implemented. Every student benefits from an internship program composed of two on-the-job training
periods in a company, for a total of 6 months during his/her school years. This process had been started
prior to the Project launch and was applied to all students. A review, with enterprises, of the internship
showed a good connection between the field work and the subject of specialization. There is evidence that
in some cases students contributed to help solve technical problems faced by enterprises. The IUT is
discussing the possibility of introducing a “dual” type training system in a few specialties, which would
significantly lengthen the duration of these internships. This output demonstrates the growing relevance of
the cooperation between the IUT and the private sector.

No internal function has yet been established to monitor the employment of graduates. This work
is expected to be sub-contracted to an outside firm, but preliminary results of a follow-up survey shows
that 211 of 282 graduates were employed (75%). Courses in small-scale enterprise creation were

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systematically added to the program for students interested in starting their own trade. Within the
framework of the course, the candidates prepare business plans which can be used as “pre-investment
studies” planned by the project. The impact of these courses on the creation of enterprises has not been
evaluated. Projects submitted as business plans were well-structured and dealt primarily with
technology-based services, but remained quite theoretical.

Seminars were regularly organized to review and discuss institutional and development issues.
Study tours in India and Tunisia were instrumental in providing useful examples of higher education
reforms in other countries and in helping participating key stakeholders to better recognize the complexity
of the reform process.

On the less successful side, the IUT has not yet developed an efficient managerial structure.
Functions have not been identified and translated into an organizational structure capable of meeting the
operational requirements of the IUT responsibilities (curriculum development, relations with enterprises,
students recruitment, etc.), and procedures are not always well established. The organization chart is too
complex and is more administrative than operational. Essential managerial tools, such as a financial and
accounting systems capable of providing accurate costs and budgets, are not in place. The project had
planned for the development of an accounting system, but this action failed because the proposal was
structured around the needs of a private company and the fulfillment of the Bank’s financial management
requirements. It was considered by the Borrower to be too complex and expensive. In terms of training, the
project focused primarily on the PMU staff to ensure proper handling of its responsibilities for the project
implementation (procurement, disbursement), but only partially met the management skills required in such
an institution.

4.3 Net Present Value/Economic rate of return:

An economic assessment was made during preparation of the project. Unit costs per student,
recurrent and amortized capital costs were estimated. At present, the IUT does not have an accounting
system that can provide reliable information on costs per type of program. These costs would have a
strong impact on investment and recurrent costs. As a result, no valid calculation related to specific
programs could be carried out. Given the fact that most students find employment with salaries that range
between 2 and 4 million CFA, which is significantly higher than what was evaluated at Project appraisal (1
to 2 million CFA), and that there have been only minor overall salary increases in Cameroon, the rate of
return to the investment is expected to be higher than in the initial assessment. Moreover, these figures
illustrate the quality and relevance of IUT graduates education to the needs of enterprises.

4.4 Financial rate of return:

Neither a financial rate of return nor other financial indicators were calculated for the project.

4.5 Institutional development impact:

While the institutional reform was not implemented as initially planned, the project impact on
institutional development is substantial.

The institutional reform, at the national level, has achieved the following: The two decrees which
have been prepared go beyond the expected development impact of the Project by comprising the whole
sub-system of higher education technological institutions (IUT, Polytechnic) and by covering a wider scope
of institutional reforms. These reforms include a new statute of the personnel, which will significantly
improve the capacity to hire competent teachers. The groundwork for the preparation of the decrees has
been accomplished through the participation of key stakeholders from the University and the private sector,
which reinforces their commitment and support of the national institutional reform. The signing of the

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agreement between Government and the GICAM for the development of technology higher education was
one of the major steps towards the institutionalization of the reform process.

At the IUT Douala level, the Project has contributed to the following institutional developments:
Relations with the private sector have been structured around two “clubs” composed of a core group of
enterprises. These clubs have contributed to progressively institutionalize some of the key functions upon
which the partnership between the IUT and enterprises is being built : curriculum choice and development,
internship for students coherent with their educational programs, applied research and in-service training
for workers. Although the clubs have not yet been “formalized,” the relations have been built on mutual
understanding and benefits, and thus on a realistic and well defined long-term basis.

As noted before, a preliminary study shows that about 75% of the graduates have found
employment. In light of the current unemployment rates within the country and the employment rates of
other universities within the country and the region, such a figure is exemplary. The reputation of
IUT-Douala, and therefore indirectly the IUT stream in general, has significantly improved. The
enthusiasm and involvement of both students in the enterprises and vice-versa, is setting a precedent for a
new mode of interchange.

Overall, as presented in 4.1 & 4.5, the institutional development impact has benefited from the
complementary work carried out at the national and IUT levels, increasing the relevance and sustainability
of the reforms. Institutional change would have certainly been rated more positively if the two decrees,
which have been sent to the Government, had been signed.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the organizational and managerial structure of the IUT still
require technical support to operate efficiently in the future. This structure was not adequately designed or
sufficiently developed at project start-up (no well-defined functions or procedures, inadequate management
and administrative tools - cf. section 4.2.3.)

5. Major Factors Affecting Implementation and Outcome

5.1 Factors outside the control of government or implementing agency:
Most private sector companies have little or no experience of cooperation with the education
system and of the benefits they can gain from it. Except for a few among them, most enterprises apply low
levels of technology and have just emerged from a difficult period of economic slowdown which did not
encourage investment. Internships for students have not been part of the University system, and there could
be a risk of using students as free labor for tasks not related to their studies. A few international companies
did provide some groundwork for launching exchanges and partnerships. The support of the French
Cooperation was instrumental in achieving such results.

Slow clearance procedures at customs generated significant delays in the procurement and delivery
of equipment for the new disciplines. However, this apparently did not hinder the development and
implementation of the new courses.

5.2 Factors generally subject to government control:

The delay in project launch was primarily due to the slowness in ratifying the legal agreement.

The choice of a broad-based reform strategy by the MOHE had a significant impact on project
implementation. The MOHE had a pro-active role in the institutional reform process by bringing together
the main stakeholders, unused to a tradition of working together, by signing an agreement with the private

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sector, and by regularly organizing seminars and meetings to establish the legal and institutional
foundations of the reform, including the national seminar on technical higher education at the closure of the
project. There was also continuity in the policy supported by the MOHE throughout project
implementation.

5.3 Factors generally subject to implementing agency control:

The Project Management Unit (PMU) was established at Project launch, but officially confirmed in
December 1999. In the PAD, implementation was to be the responsibility of a project coordinator (the
director of the IUT) and members of his management team. A separate PMU was created to reinforce the
implementation process of the project activities. Delays were primarily due to recruitment of specialists
(the director remained project coordinator), acceptable to the Bank.

The need for intensive and repeated training and technical assistance to the PMU staff slowed
down the procurement process and caused delays in construction, rehabilitation, and the purchase of
equipment, especially during the first two years of project implementation.

5.4 Costs and financing:

The closing date was initially set for January 31, 2002. Because of the delay in the project launch,
the disbursement plan fell behind schedule. Consequently the closing date was extended for 12 months
(January 31, 2003) in order to conclude all outstanding commitments and fully disburse project funds.

The pace of disbursements was very slow at first, due to the MOHE’s focus on a wider scope
reform. Disbursement was at 25% at end 2001, but achieved 95.8% at Project close.

6. Sustainability
6.1 Rationale for sustainability rating:

Institutional

The probability of maintaining and capitalizing on the institutional achievements of the project,
based on a duplication of the results accomplished at the IUT Douala to the technical institutes of higher
education sub-system, is high despite some risks. First, the IUT is developing a sustainable institutional
organization, although it is still in the first phases of this process. Second, the groundwork for institutional
reforms at the national level is impressive and built upon a step-by-step involvement and commitment of the
main stakeholders, which are (i) at the national level with the edict with the GICAM and the preparation of
the decrees for the reform the higher education technology institutes and (ii) at the IUT level with the
developing institutionalization of the private sector involvement (curriculum, internship, field research,
hiring of graduates). Because the reform process was widely shared with stakeholders at all levels, and the
decrees were at the prime ministerial level at the time of ICR publication, the risk of the reform being
reversed at this point are very small. Furthermore, the MOHE indicated its intent to pursue and to upscale
the reform process to the higher education technology institutions sub-system (see letter, section 9 (a)). The
national seminar on the reform launched at the initiative of the MOHE at the closure of the project did
indicate support and mobilization of all the key stakeholders. The IUT Douala project is perceived by the
school itself, by the enterprises, and by the universities as positive, and there is a strong impetus to pursue
and expand the reform process.

Financial

The financial sustainability of the project will depend on the financial autonomy of the technical

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institutes of higher education, which in turn depends on the approval and signature of the decree relative to
the statutes of these institutions. Without this autonomy, the IUT Douala could only partially cover the
equipment and building maintenance costs, as well as the material costs for using the equipment during
classes. Financial sustainability is also dependent on the design and implementation of an efficient and
relevant financial and accounting system necessary to identify and manage real costs, account adequately
for the revenues the IUT generates from contracts with enterprises and prepare appropriate budgets. While
such a system is currently lacking, it would not be difficult to hire staff with relevant expertise in
accounting and financial management once IUT-Douala becomes autonomous.

The development of clearly defined functions for the relations with enterprises is also a
requirement in order to sustain the in-service and retraining activities that generate revenues. The level of
revenues has recently dropped in comparison with the results previously accomplished with the direct
involvement of French Cooperation technical assistance. An efficient organization of this function and the
training of the staff is a requirement to improve results. However, IUT-Douala has demonstrated such a
strong potential in this area, which could easily be developed with better trained personnel.

6.2 Transition arrangement to regular operations:

The Ministry of Higher Education has indicated its strong interest for a continued support by the
Bank to pursue the reform process by implementing it in a larger number of technical institution of higher
education once the new statutes of these institutions are approved. The GICAM has also expressed interest
in the development of private higher education institutions.

In the perspective of a possible follow-up project, the main focus would be the dissemination of the
reform process on the basis of the experience and lessons drawn from the project implementation as a LIL.
To that effect, a well defined operational framework for activities to be carried out, on the basis of the
Douala IUT experiment and results, needs to be completed in order to capitalize on the broad reform and
piloting approach implemented in the project. The national seminar, held at the close of the project, already
indicated some of the major lines of intervention and constraints to be overcome.

The final approval and publication of the two decrees on the statutes of technical institutes of
higher education, as they now stand, would be a pre-requisite to the broadening of the reform process.

Among the activities which appear necessary, stands the identification of a management system
with well defined functions and procedures, adapted to the specific environment in which these institutes
operate, as well as the training of the staff to implement the system. This has not been developed under the
present project and needs to be developed and implemented in the all institutes that will be part of the
reform, including in the IUT Douala. Strict indicators for financial management, as well as more general
indicators for the setting up of functions would have to be defined to monitor these activities.

The institutional achievements of the project could have a useful and positive impact on the tertiary
education system as a whole. The University decentralization reform of 1993 has established a system
which could learn from the project results to initiate institutional changes to improve the relevance of the
current system. For instance, the decrees will modify the financial and pedagogical roles of the University
with regard to the higher education technological institution, which are significant elements of change for
the system. In a more general perspective, the lessons from the project could provide a useful source of
experience to the other reform projects in other countries.

A new education sector operation is currently under preparation and will likely include a higher

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education component that will assist the Government on building on the results and lessons drawn from this
LIL.

7. Bank and Borrower Performance

Bank
7.1 Lending:
The project adequately identified (i) the opportunity the IUT Douala could provide in introducing a
much needed reform in the University system, and (ii) the need to proceed, through a LIL, to initiate a
step-by-step reform acceptable to the MOHE and the University hierarchy.

Nonetheless, the project did not adequately appreciate the MOHE’s resistance to the reform of the
institutional framework, leading to the non-compliance at start-up with one important dated covenant
(Project Agreement, Article III, section 3.07). Although no formal paper work to this effect was found, it
seems that the Bank took the decision to disregard this covenant and allow the Government to move ahead
with the project despite the failure to enact the autonomy of the IUT Douala. In retrospect this decision
had a positive impact as it allowed the project to achieve a broader reform.

7.2 Supervision:
Site supervision was regular, with an average of two visits per year, as well as systematic
exchanges with the IUT from the resident mission and headquarters. Continuity in supervision staff was
also a positive factor. The supervision staff had to face some difficult conditions at the launch of the
project, in particular designing implementation plans for each of the components and to deal with the lack
of readiness of the PMU staff. It was also affected by the slow process of building up a relationship
between the IUT and the private sector. As a result, implementation of the project during the first year
focused on very specific, step-by-step, activities especially as they concerned its more material aspects
(construction).

The supervision reaction to the broader reform process engaged by the MOHE for the Technical
Institutes of Higher Education was pragmatic and cautious. On the one hand, it understood the complex
“political” dimension of the approach, and on the other hand, it supported the reform objectives by ensuring
that the institutional changes were effectively implemented at the IUT Douala, to serve as a reference and
support to the larger process. The project team insisted, throughout project implementation, on the
importance of establishing a well-defined statute for the IUT Douala as a reference for the reform and as a
genuine basis for institutional and financial sustainability, and later insisted on the signature of the decrees.
The supervision staff rightly focused on the need for giving a legal basis to the reform that may have
influenced the pace of preparation of the two decrees to be presented later to the Government. However,
during the first phase of implementation, the project team did not involve itself sufficiently with the key
stakeholders and the work that was done to set the basis for the wider reform (e.g. the agreement between
the MOHE and the GICAM). This was later offset by the support to study tours in countries which had
undergone higher education reforms that could provide relevant lessons.

The supervision team decided not to modify the design of the project despite its flaws. The wider
reform was making progress, as well as the day-by-day implementation of the IUT project activities,
especially with the private sector. The LIL provided enough flexibility in operations to adapt to the overall
approach, while maintaining the more focused line of developing an improved IUT that could serve as a
“model.” In fact, changes in the project could have sent the wrong messages to the different stakeholders,
at the national as well as at the IUT levels, especially in the complex environment in which the reform was
unfolding.

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 The IP rating on the final supervision PSR was "U" because at that time (February 2003), the
decree for the IUT statute had not yet gone to the Prime Minister's office, and the disbursement rate was
still relatively low due to outstanding import contracts blocked at the port. Since that time, the decree has
moved towards signature, the blocked equipment has been released and delivered, and a letter indicating
Government's commitment to this reform has been received (cf Para. 9a).

7.3 Overall Bank performance:

In spite of some of the weaknesses identified in the project design, the overall Bank performance
was satisfactory. It identified and provided support to a creative and innovative project, well positioned as
a LIL, and was key in the launch of a crucial Higher Education reform.

Borrower
7.4 Preparation:
The project took its genesis from an existing experiment at the IUT Douala, that was presented to
the Bank in 1996. The Director of the IUT was already in place and was thus involved in all the stages of
project preparation. He provided the initial list of indicators for achieving the project development
objective. There was strong commitment from the MOHE to the project during preparation. Other
stakeholders, especially from the private sector, were only marginally involved with the preparation of the
project.

7.5 Government implementation performance:

The overall implementation performance of the Government was satisfactory. The MOHE
showed strong and sustained commitment to the project. The MOHE policy focused on a reform of the
technical institutes of higher education as a sub-system and positioned the project as the dynamic element
of the reform of the University. It retained the contributions of all key stakeholders from the University
system and from the private sector through successive national seminars and meetings. The national
seminar organized by the MOHE for the closure of the project is a good indicator of its commitment and
active involvement in the reform. However, the unsigned decrees remain an issue.

7.6 Implementing Agency:

The PMU staff benefitted from a series of training and repeated short term technical assistance
throughout Project implementation. Serious shortcomings were identified during the execution of the
project implementation, especially in the fields of procurement and financial management. This situation
did contribute to the slowness of implementation of the project activities and of disbursement.
Improvements were noted in 2001 and 2002, especially in financial management. At the end of the project,
the PMU had achieved an acceptable level of proficiency.

7.7 Overall Borrower performance:

Overall Borrower performance was satisfactory.

8. Lessons Learned
Project Design and Management

l Institutional reform can be more efficient when articulated around two complementary levels : a broad
institutional reform process which involves the key stakeholders and an experimental reform process in
one of the system institutions that serves as a pilot and a reference to advance and structure the broader
reform. The two levels are mutually reinforcing each other (e.g. private sector involvement) and lead to
institutional changes that are more relevant and acceptable to all concerned stakeholders, rather than
the duplication of a model developed separately as an experiment.

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l The choice of an institution to provide the piloting process for a wider reform is more effective when
designed around an on-going experiment that has already shown some positive results.
l The development of a pilot in an institution requires an assessment of the organizational and
managerial capacity of the institution to carry out the experiment and to ensure that it has the
capability to implement activities according to objectives and the flexibility to adapt to results.
l During project implementation, it is crucial to keep identifying and to clearly articulate key success
factors needed to achieve the development objective, especially when the implementation process is
different from what had been initially planned·
l Well defined qualitative indicators are crucial to help pilot the implementation process, especially in a
LIL.

Sector Technical Lessons

l Reform in francophone tertiary education systems can be more effective if it uses successful reforms
already carried out in the French system (here the IUT system) that can be relevant to the country labor
market environment.
l Development of a cooperative process with the private sector for higher education institutions is more
effective when built around a core group of enterprises which are motivated to work with the institution
and understand the objectives, rather than from a pre-established institutional set-up.
l Developing a cooperative relationship with the private sector, when weak at project preparation, takes
time. Private sector needs to be convinced that real and sustainable benefits can be gained from this
cooperation. The complementarity of the two levels of implementation (national and IUT) contributes to
strengthen the involvement of the private sector.
l Research, especially when done as technical support to enterprises, can be a very efficient and useful
approach to (i) provide a better understanding of the technological needs of enterprises and, as a result,
reinforces the relevance of teaching content, (ii) earn self generated resources for the institution, (iii)
help improve the productivity of enterprises and (iv) build-up the image of the institution and its
cooperation with the private sector.
l Study tours by key stakeholders to countries which have undergone a similar process is a useful activity
to gain support for the reform and build momentum.

9. Partner Comments
(a) Borrower/implementing agency:
A letter from the Ministry of Higher Education was received on June 18, 2002, acknowledging
reception and review of the World Bank Implementation Completion Report. The letter corroborates the
major conclusions of the Bank regarding the project and ratifies the Government's non-objection to having
the report published by IDA, confirms the Government's intention to fully implement the institutional
development component by signing the decrees granting full autonomy to the technological institutions, and
welcoming the idea of commissioning one last audit report covering the last year of operations.
(b) Cofinanciers:

(c) Other partners (NGOs/private sector):

10. Additional Information

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Annex 1. Key Performance Indicators/Log Frame Matrix

Output Indicators

Indicator/Matrix Mid-Term Review Actual End of Project actual

Regular students
participating in internship
programs in local
100% 100%
enterprises for 6 mos
during 3-yr. program

Number of students using

library building per day 150 180

Proportion of graduate
students employed within
60% 80%
6 mos. of graduating

Number of students
enrolled in part-time over 400 741
evening training
Non-salary operational
resources generated by N/A N/A estimated 80%
IUT
Number of enterprises
involced in institute 12 12
curricxula
Non salary operating
expenses devoted to
N/A N/A estimated 20%
cover equipment
maintenance

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Annex 2. Project Costs and Financing

Project Cost by Component (in US$ million equivalent)

Appraisal Actual/Latest Percentage of
Estimate Estimate Appraisal
Component US$ million US$ million
Existing disciplines 1.30 1.19 92
New disciplines and System Coherence 2.70 2.35 87
Institutional Devp., Evaluation, Sustainability of Policy 1.60 0.74 46
Initiatives
Total Baseline Cost 5.60 4.28
Physical Contingencies 0.00
Price Contingencies 0.00
Total Project Costs 5.60 4.28
Total Financing Required 5.60 4.28

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

1
Procurement Method
Expenditure Category ICB 2 N.B.F. Total Cost
NCB Other
1. Works 1.10 0.18 0.30 0.00 1.58
(0.90) (0.15) (0.25) (0.00) (1.30)
2. Goods 2.40 0.25 0.25 0.00 2.90
(1.95) (0.20) (0.20) (0.00) (2.35)
3. Services 0.00 0.00 0.37 0.00 0.37
Consultants (0.00) (0.00) (0.37) (0.00) (0.37)
4. Studies and TRG 0.00 0.00 0.73 0.00 0.73
(0.00) (0.00) (0.68) (0.00) (0.68)
5. Operational 0.00 0.00 0.17 0.00 0.17
(0.00) (0.00) (0.17) (0.00) (0.17)
6. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
(0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00) (0.00)
Total 3.50 0.43 1.82 0.00 5.75
(2.85) (0.35) (1.67) (0.00) (4.87)

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

1
Procurement Method
Expenditure Category ICB 2 N.B.F. Total Cost
NCB Other
1. Works 0.66 0.43 0.00 0.00 1.09
(0.56) (0.37) (0.00) (0.00) (0.93)
2. Goods 2.53 0.35 0.00 0.00 2.88
(2.49) (0.29) (0.00) (0.00) (2.78)
3. Services 0.41 0.26 0.05 0.00 0.72
Consultants (0.41) (0.22) (0.04) (0.00) (0.67)

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4. Studies and TRG 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
(0.00) (0.00) (0.10) (0.00) (0.10)
5. Operational 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
(0.00) (0.00) (0.08) (0.00) (0.08)
6. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
(0.00) (0.00) (0.08) (0.00) (0.08)
Total 3.60 1.04 0.05 0.00 4.69
(3.46) (0.88) (0.30) (0.00) (4.64)

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.

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Annex 3. Economic Costs and Benefits

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Annex 4. Bank Inputs
(a) Missions:
Stage of Project Cycle
Month/Year
Identification/Preparation
1/10/1998
No. of Persons and Specialty Performance Rating
(e.g. 2 Economists, 1 FMS, etc.) Implementation Development
Count Specialty Progress Objective
1 TTL resided in Cameroon; no
formal mission for LILs at that
time

Appraisal/Negotiation
3/15/1998 4 EDUC SPEC; PROC.
SPEC.; OPER. ANALYST;
PROG ASST.
Supervision

10/17/1998 2 EDUCATION SPECIALIST; S S

PROGRAM ASSISTANT
06/19/1999 3 TASK TEAM LEADER ; S S
PROGRAM ASSISTANT ;
ARCHITECT
06/19/1999 3 TASK TEAM LEADER; S S
PROCUREMENT SPEC.;
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
06/01/2000 4 TASK TEAM LEADER; S S
ARCHITECT; PROCUREMENT
SPECIALIST; TASK
ASSISTANT
11/10/2000 4 TTL; FINANCIAL SPECIALIST S S
; PROCUREMENT
SPECIALIST ; STAFF
ASSISTANT
08/27/2001 4 CONSULTANT; S S
PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST;
DISBURSEMENT ASSISTANT;
TEAM ASSISTANT
06/01/2002 7 TTL ; PROCUREMENT SPEC.; S U
FINANCE SPEC.;
DISBURSEMENT SPEC.;
ASSISTANT;
IMPLEMENTATION/ARCHIT.;
EDUCATION SPEC.
ICR
1/27/2003 2 TECH. EDUC. SPEC.; S S
OPER ANALYST

(b) Staff:

Stage of Project Cycle Actual/Latest Estimate

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 No. Staff weeks US$ ('000)
Identification/Preparation n.a. 22,113
Appraisal/Negotiation n.a. 22,100
Supervision n.a. 359,321
ICR n.a. 81,415
Total n.a. 484,949

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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)
Rating
Macro policies H SU M N NA
Sector Policies H SU M N NA
Physical H SU M N NA
Financial H SU M N NA
Institutional Development H SU M N NA
Environmental H SU M N NA

Social
Poverty Reduction H SU M N NA
Gender H SU M N NA
Other (Please specify) H SU M N NA
Private sector development H SU M N NA
Public sector management H SU M N NA
Other (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 HU
Supervision HS S U HU
Overall HS S U HU

6.2 Borrower performance Rating

Preparation HS S U HU
Government implementation performance HS S U HU
Implementation agency performance HS S U HU
Overall HS S U HU

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Annex 7. List of Supporting Documents

l Loi d'orientations de l'Enseignement Supérieurs de avril 2001Liste des entreprises qui ont participé
dans l'établissement des curricula
l Note de service du MINESUP (5/10/1999) aux chefs d'établissements universitaires sur les Universités
d'état
l Procès verbaux des réunions de l'association des entreprises
l Projet-thèses d'étudiants
l Compte-rendu de la "Journée des Entreprises pour la Maintenance Industrielle"
l Lettres des entreprises qui refletent l'appréciation de l'IUT
l Rapport d'Evaluation Finale du PFTES, Mariette Bissene Moulongo, Consultante, Janvier 2003

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Additional Annex 8. Summary of Borrower's End-of-Project Evaluation
1

HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNICAL TRAINING PROJECT

JUNE 1998 – JANUARY 2003

REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON

SUMMARY OF BORROWER’S END-OF-PROJECT EVALUATION

IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT

The relevance of the PFTES became evident following the innovations instituted at the
Douala IUT by the management team, as noted in the introduction to this document. The
evaluation of the Douala IUT model was made on the basis of performance indicators, the level of
which in the present phase stands at 90%, a score that can be considered most encouraging.

It is true that the Douala IUT is viewed as a model of success in the Cameroonian
university environment on the basis of the following four criteria:

o The quantity and quality of its infrastructure facilities;

o The training provided in terms of alignment with employment opportunities;
o The steps taken to generate and efficiently manage the IUT’s own financial resources;
o The original methods employed for cooperation with industry.

However, the Douala IUT’s greater merit lies in the fact that it has initiated and
conducted, in the context of the PFTES, a study on the institutional development of all Higher
Technological Education Establishments [ETES] in Cameroon.

This study, which mobilized the principal players at both the decision and the professional
levels (President of the Republic, Prime Minister, Ministry of Higher Education, Private Sector),
prompted the preparation of 10 draft decrees which constitute the Reform Project submitted for
adoption by the Government. This significant body of work suggests three major concerns for the
present moment:

1. Signature of the decree setting out common provisions concerning the ETES;
2. Signature of the decree creating the corps of technology teachers;
3. Signature of the order reorganizing the Douala IUT.

The adoption of the reform texts, together with the degree of accomplishment of the
development objectives of the Douala IUT Project, could amply justify the impact of the program

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on the university landscape and thereby encourage financing for the continuation and expansion of
the reform to the Higher Technological Education Establishments in Cameroon as defined in the
1993 university reform.

Following the analysis made of the relevance of the Project and its impact on the Higher
Technological Education environment, it appears that the Project’s sustainability should be
appreciated at three levels:

1. At the microscopic level

The Douala IUT, despite having provided a framework for a pilot project, remains a
model whose sustainability is contingent on two parameters:

o The capacity of the Douala IUT to assume the maintenance of the significant quantities of
equipment required throughout their optimum useful life;
o The observance of certain recommendations and in particular the one connected with
graduate follow-up and the establishment of support arrangements for self-employment.

2. At the macroscopic level

Institutional development remains the essential condition that will shape the Douala IUT
over the long term by favoring its internal reorganization and making it possible to envisage
expansion of the reform program to all Higher Technological Education Establishments [ETES].

3. At the human level

If the Project is to be sustainable, the human dimension must be taken into account. In
point of fact, a project owes its success to the vision of the individual responsible for its
implementation. The Douala IUT Project owes its effective implementation to the Director of the
Douala IUT, who had already undertaken internal reforms.

In other words, if, in the future, a larger-scale project is envisaged, the quality of the
people responsible for managing such a project will be a decisive factor for its success.

At present, all the data are not yet in for satisfactorily evaluating the PFTES as a whole.
A further evaluation would be recommended after about one year, which would focus on:

- An audit of the equipment maintenance policy;

- An audit of the policy for generating own resources;
- An audit of institutional development;
- An audit of graduate placement.

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Additional Annex 9. Photographs of IUT Douala

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