Community Fund to Promote Basic Education and Reconstruction of Municipal Infrastructure Phase III

completed

The FC measure is a supplementary project to the completed phases I and II of the program to promote basic education and rebuild municipal infrastructure (BMZ No. 2002 66 429, EUR 6 million or FC grant; BMZ No. 2005 66 315, EUR 11 million FC grant). The aim of the FC measure (module objective) is to improve learning conditions in primary and secondary schools by providing and adequately using a qualitatively appropriate and partially expanded school infrastructure in the Khatlon program region. This is intended to contribute to improving basic education in the program region through improved physical infrastructure (development policy objective). The target group of the FC measure includes all school-age children in the region. The program plans to replace around 15 dilapidated school buildings, wagons or private houses that are used as schools with appropriate, energy and cost-efficient school buildings with furniture, power connections, heating and sanitary facilities. In addition, the newly built schools are to be given training workshops where appropriate to enable technology lessons to be taught. Cooperation with the TC program Reform of Education Systems in Central Asia is planned for this. Furthermore, as in the previous phases, the project plans to set up and train parent-teacher committees (ELCs) at the program schools as part of an accompanying measure. In addition to the investment measures, consulting services will be financed to support the program sponsor in implementing the project. The program sponsor is the National Social Investment Fund of Tajikistan (NSIFT). The total cost of the project is estimated at around EUR 6.41 million. This will be financed with FC grants of EUR 5.5 million for investments and EUR 10 million for training. EUR 0.5 million is proposed for the accompanying measure. The financial contribution of the Tajik government consists of a contribution to the administrative costs of NSIFT amounting to EUR 100,000 and a VAT exemption for the construction companies involved (corresponding to around EUR 740,000 million). The contribution of the beneficiaries within the target group is estimated at just under 2% of the construction costs.