Post Secondary Education Project

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The Post Secondary Education Project will directly support one of the Government's primary national development, and sectoral goals as identified in Ethiopia's Poverty Reduction Strategy: the expansion and strengthening of human capacity, to lead the transition from an agrarian economy, to a service and production oriented one. The two main project components will: 1) improve university undergraduate and post-graduate education, through a) institutional development grants to support basic capital expenses of eligible institutions, on a proportionate basis in accordance with the Government's new funding formula for block grants; b) support provided to: the Quality and Relevance Assurance Agency (QRAA), the Ethiopian Higher Education Strategy Institute (EHESI), the National Pedagogical Resource Center (NPRC) and Institutional Pedagogical Resource Sub-centers, and, the central ministry in the form of resources for some capital expenses, research, seminar development, equipment, publications, and technical assistance; and, c) through the Development Innovation Fund (DIF), as the centerpiece of the Bank's support to university development in Ethiopia. The Fund is a flexible mechanism designed to stimulate innovation, promote modernizing changes, and reward quality-enhancing efforts within universities; and, 2) expand and deepen the system reform activities currently spear-headed by the Ministry of Education, by developing the capacities to implement the system changes which are under way. These capacity development efforts will provide a foundation for the five pillars of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Innovation Program transformation: Decentralization of service design and delivery; Strengthening partnerships among stakeholders, especially between training providers and employers; Development and implementation of a trades testing, and certification system; Cost-sharing by beneficiaries; and, Market-based demand orientation that shapes training.