iv. In spite of successful physical implementation, the project did
not fully achieve its educational objectives. Enrollment at the end of the
project was 34 percent below the projected target in project schools, while
overall enrollment was 21 percent below target. This is partly a result of
overly optimistic enrollment forecasts at appraisal but is mainly due to
reasons beyond the control of this project including: (a) high tuition and
opportunity costs, (b) scarce employment opportunities following
graduation, (c) low quality of schooling compared to urban schools, (d)
irrelevance of educational content as perceived by parents, and (e)
parents' preference for six-year secondary schools which have bettE, chance
of leading to higher education. Equality of educational opportunity as
measured by transition rates from primary to lower secondary education
declined rather than increased, particularly in small schools, leading to
greater disparities among regions. The transition rates after graduation
also favored larger urban schools.