Program to improve school infrastructure

completed

The aim of the project to improve school infrastructure is to improve access to high-quality basic education in disadvantaged rural and peri-urban regions in Honduras, building on the experience gained with the community support program through the Fondo Hondureño de Infraestructura Social, FHIS (FHIS VI and VII) and the basket funding of the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EfA-FTI). The program sponsor is FHIS as the implementing institution, which is supported by the Ministry of Education, the Secretaría de Educación (SE), as the normative sector ministry. The most important individual measures concern (i) the construction and equipment of school facilities (preschool and school years 1-9), preferably within the framework of school networks (redes educativas), (ii) preparatory and further training measures with a view to improved planning bases and an improved learning environment (revision of building standards and prototypes), (iii) program-related strengthening of SE at all levels (ministry, provinces, districts) and the FHIS, and (iv) consulting services. The project is to be carried out in cooperation with the GTZ project Programa de Educación y Desarrollo Social (PROEFA). The total costs are estimated at around EUR 12 million. Of this, EUR 10 million will be provided from FC funds as HH loans. The project - in conjunction with EfA-FTI and PROEFA - is primarily intended to make a contribution to achieving the sectoral MDGs in selected provinces of Honduras. For this purpose, the planning and standardization capacity of the SE in the infrastructure sector is to be strengthened. The implementation of the investment projects is the responsibility of the FHIS, although - as before - the municipal administrations and village communities carry out the projects independently.