World Bank loan to help & expand higher education in Yemen [Archives:2002/27/Business & Economy]

FOR THE YEMEN TIMES
The World Bank approved a US$5 Million Learning and Innovation Credit (LIC) to the Republic of Yemen to support the government reform of the higher education system. The LIC will be applied towards developing a higher education reform strategy aimed at expanding enrollment in non-traditional academic fields and responding to the needs of Yemens labor market.
Yemens higher education sector experienced a dramatic expansion in the last decade, with annual enrollment rate increasing by 16 per cent each year since 1990. Most of enrollment as many as 88 per cent of students however, is concentrated in the social sciences and arts field. In an effort to develop relevant curricula that would meet the demand for specific skills in the economy, the Government of Yemen decided to undertake a major reorientation of higher education. The ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) was established last year to spearhead this effort.
The Government of Yemen has already enforced a decision to reduce student admission in oversubscribed faculties, implementing this policy across all universities said Ousmane Diagana, Task Manager for the higher education project. This has led to a 50 per cent reduction in the number of students admitted to the arts, social science and commerce faculties compared to last year, which is an encouraging indication of the governments capacity to implement future reforms he added.
The LIC responds to the Governments request for assistance in developing the capacity of the newly-created Ministry to implement the higher education reforms. It will introduce financial tools to strengthen resources management in two pilot universities. The LIC will also seek to improve learning and increase opportunities for students and faculty in select faculties such as medicine, education and commerce. This will include the piloting of network that would facilitate faculty and student exchange through the Internet as well as providing access to information and resources on the Internet.
The International Development Agency (IDA), an arm of the World Bank Group which provides internet-free development assistance to the poorest countries, will issue the credit. The overall project cost is US$5.3 million. The World Bank credit of US$5 million will be disbursed on standard IDA term with a 10-year grace period and a maturity of 40 years. The Government of Yemen will contribute US$ 3Million.

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