WB provides US$13 mln to Yemen Higher Education

SANA'A, April 30 (Saba)- The Yemen
Higher Education Quality Improvement Project (HEQIP) has been approved by the Board
of Directors
for the amount of US$13 million, the World Bank reported on Friday.
"The proposed support aims to create the enabling conditions for the enhancement of
the quality of university programs and graduate employability", the WB said in a
press
release.
"The aims and interventions of the proposed project are consistent with the
objectives of the 2010-2013 Country Assistance Strategy which aims to promote human
and social
development, build the human capital needed for economic growth and improve
governance".
The project will finance four components, including Quality Improvement in
University Programs for the amount of US$8.2 million, Quality Assurance for the
amount of US$1.3
million, Institutional Capacity Development for the amount of US$1.4 million and
Monitoring and Evaluation and Project Management for the amount of US$2.1 in
relation to
the activities undertaken under the other three components.
"The government confirms its commitment to improve the higher education sector but
can only do that with much of the help from its development partners. We look to
the Bank
for its experience and knowledge to provide support to the higher education sector
in Yemen" said Saleh Basura, the Minister for Higher Education and Scientific
Research.
The higher education sector in Yemen is expanding, but its quality and relevance is
still at low levels. There are currently 8 established public universities and 13
private
universities.
Enrollments in higher education have grown rapidly in recent years due to the
establishment of new private universities and the introduction of fee-paying
parallel programs.
In addition, enrollments are disproportionately concentrated in social science
streams with little relevance to either local or regional labor markets.
Although the physical, pedagogical, managerial, human and financial conditions
needed to improve the learning environment are still missing and the low academic
standards
attained by students do not make them easily employable, the government is conscious
of those severe shortcomings of the system, and has developed a Higher Education
Strategy
to address them. Similarly, the MoHESR developed a National Strategy for the
Development of Higher Education designed to address the challenges faced by the
sector.
"The global experience of IDA staff in higher education , provides compelling
grounds for the resumption of IDA support to the sector and its involvement in
response to
the government's request, and will contribute to the holistic vision outlined in the
higher education sector strategy", commented Lianqin Wang, the Task Team Leader.
The project will be located in Aden, Amran, Dhamar, Hadramout, Hodeidah, Ibb,
Sana'a and Taiz universities.