Liberia - Improving Results in Secondary Education (IRISE) Project

Overview & Synopsis

Ratings of the Improving Results in Secondary Education (IRISE) for Liberia were as follows: outcome was moderately unsatisfactory; Bank performance was moderately unsatisfactory; M&E quality was modest. Apply fragile-specific design rules to right-size project complexity and implementation approach by limiting scope to a small number of components using a single financing modality, concentrating resources on fewer interventions, and sequencing modalities from Investment Project Financing (IPF) to Results-Based Financing (RBF) only after capacity is demonstrated; deploy specialized implementation partners strategically for technically complex or administratively intensive functions while the Ministry of Education (MoE) retains decision-making on politically sensitive areas; strengthen outcome measurement by supplementing national indicators with project-attributable metrics, including equity measures where relevant, establishing comparison groups at baseline, and investing in routine administrative data systems; and enhance fiduciary oversight through strengthened procurement protocols that assess financial and technical capacity, use risk-weighted evaluation criteria, and apply prior review triggers based on contextual risk. Establish clear operational protocols for the Project Development Team (PDT) that balance technical capacity with institutional ownership and accountability to the MoE, specifying decision rights, regular reporting, ministry staff participation in activities, and knowledge transfer pathways, and include sunset provisions and transition plans to absorb PDT functions into permanent structures. Scale and sustain high-impact gender interventions by institutionalizing and expanding the female guidance counselor model, integrating positions into the sector budget, extending coverage to junior secondary schools, and aligning with successor programs such as Excellence in Learning in Liberia (EXCEL) and the planned Education Development Center initiative to ensure continuity and maximize impact on girls’ retention and completion.