Uruguay

All three projects for Uruguay - The Vocational Training and Technological Development Project, and the First and Second Basic Education Quality Improvement Projects... Show More + - had satisfactory outcomes, likely or highly likely sustainability, substantial institutional development impact, and satisfactory Bank performance. Borrower performance for the Vocational Training Project was satisfactory, while the two Education Quality Improvement Projects had highly satisfactory Borrower performances. This assessment confirms a number of education sector lessons: 1) Preschool attendance helps reduce grade repetition and improves long-term academic achievement for low-income students. 2) A longer school day may improve test scores for disadvantaged students. To maximize performance in higher grades, students in lower grades might spend part of the extra time practicing the prerequisite basic skills. 3) Educational quality depends on a strong and functional supervisory chain that supervises teachers closely to see that government policies and learning activities are carried out effectively. 4) Enhance project efficiency through instructional methods that enable most of the students to achieve educational objectives within the prescribed instructional time. Further research and experimentation will help determine which instructional activities are more cost-effective in the Uruguayan context. 5) Vocational-technical education project appraisals may overestimate the number of likely graduates and not adequately take into account dropout rates or changing demand for training. In future project appraisals take into account country experience on dropout rates as well as demand changes during times of economic hardship. Show Less -