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Lesson
While customized, survey-based performance targets can be useful, they should not account for the bulk of the targets such that the overall outcome of the program depends simply on one’s ability to replicate the survey. In this case, 4 of 6 outcome targets were generated by custom surveys which, for reasons unknown, could not be replicated. Also, proxy data could not be located for three of the targets. Thus, the program’s effectiveness, despite evidence to the contrary, was compromised simply by a lack of data and an inability to confirm progress.

Project Number: 49117-002, 49117-003, 49117-004
Project Name: Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program (Subprograms 1, 2, and 3)
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Lesson
More formal and comprehensive systems, supported by the TA, are needed to track and validate compliance with gender-based performance targets. The first two subprograms were classified effective gender mainstreaming, and subprogram 3 was classified gender equity as a theme. Explicit targets were set to prioritize women in multiple areas, including entry into labor activation programs and training, and covering both job seekers and government staff. Yet, tracking was less than robust and required significant follow-up to evaluate program performance.

Project Number: 49117-002, 49117-003, 49117-004
Project Name: Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program (Subprograms 1, 2, and 3)
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Lesson
Budget allocations and actual expenditures to continually achieve project objectives are an indication of its sustainability. As there was a general lack of a strong legal framework or related reform to support the sustainability of the project, ADB should have used information on budget allocations and actual expenditure for the higher education sector after project implementation to more substantially confirm the sustainability of the project’s results.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
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Lesson
It is important to include in the design and monitoring framework (DMF) the extent to which capacity-building activities improve trainees' perception of their capacity to perform project-related tasks to gauge the effectiveness of such activities. Most project activities were capacity building. However, DMF targets measuring capacity-building activities were limited to the number of trainees reached which was purely informational for project accountability.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
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Lesson
Changes in scope could cause a lack of alignment between outcomes and outputs in the project’s results chain. The outcome target indicator for the increased number of disadvantaged students enrolled in HEIs was not linked to the output activity and indicator that the project design intended. By associating an outcome target with a potential output activity that can contribute to its achievement, project implementation activities would be purposeful.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
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Lesson
Most of the results were output based. There was limited evidence on the impact that the program was expected to have on reducing skill gaps in the labor market. A closer focus on the employability of students (through tracer studies) would help demonstrate program effectiveness.

Project Number: 48101-003
Project Name: Guizhou Vocational Education Development Program
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Lesson
Active support of relevant government agencies and strong ownership of the project management units contribute significantly to project success. In developing member countries where institutional capacity is weak, it is critical that concerned agencies are both capacitated and committed in achieving the intended results.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
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Lesson
An appropriate Implementation arrangement is key to delivering a successful project. The project could have had greater impact if it had the Nanning Education Bureau as implementing agency (IA). Project deliverables could have been more institutionalized and led to the deepening of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reform in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Nanning Development and Reform Commission played an overall coordination role but lacked direct supervision authority over the two TVET schools.

Project Number: 46047-002
Project Name: Guangxi Nanning Vocational Education Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The green campus policy could align more closely with climate change mitigation and adaptation practices with measurable and quantifiable indicators so that the amount of energy saved and emissions reduced could be reportable and verifiable. Since the green campus concept was already incorporated at an output level in the design and monitoring framework, more specifications could have been provided at the project design stage, rather than just the formulation of campus policy.

Project Number: 46047-002
Project Name: Guangxi Nanning Vocational Education Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Replacing higher-level skills courses with in-demand entry-level courses can raise the job placement performance of projects. Industry associations initially expected a strong demand for mid- or higher-level technical skills; however, job placements from these courses were more challenging than those from more entry-level courses. Therefore, the outcome indicator related to increased shares of higher-level skills was not increased, and was instead pegged at just about 18%l, which proved more realistic.

Project Number: 42466-015
Project Name: Skills for Employment Investment Program - Tranche 1
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Lesson
Accessibility of healthcare data in Azerbaijan needs to be improved. Reports from the Ministry of Health Care are not publicly available on its website. In addition, the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance considers healthcare information to be highly sensitive. Accordingly, this information is not contained on its website. Information related to daily coronavirus infections and vaccinations was released publicly. It would be useful for the agency to disseminate gender, age, and region-disaggregated information to the public.

Project Number: 55073-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
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Lesson
Insufficient up-to-date macroeconomic data on government websites, which could hinder timely and effective planning especially during crisis periods, needs to be rectified. The State Statistical Committee (SSC) has numerous macroeconomic indicators on its website. However, in most cases, very recent data are missing. International organizations such as ADB, the IMF and the World Bank release forecasts of macroeconomic indicators for upcoming years, and SSC should consider following the same approach.

Project Number: 55073-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
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Lesson
Ensuring the direct link between supported activities, outputs, and outcome, and relevance of their indicators is critical. For example, this program failed to achieve or achieved only in part some outcome indicators even though all planned outputs were delivered.

Project Number: 46537-002
Project Name: Strengthening Education System Sector Development Program
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Lesson
Lack of capacity in governmen to continue reforms without external support puts the sustainability of reform projects' outputs at risk. Reforming the sector requires strong ownership and commitment in terms of providing sufficient financing and policy changes to support the reform. Some project outputs—including the textbook rental scheme and textbook provision, online training modules and attestation for teachers, curricula review system, and financing of innovative schools' additional functions—are incomplete as the government still has not implemented them countrywide.

Project Number: 46537-002
Project Name: Strengthening Education System Sector Development Program
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Lesson
Limited baseline data could lead to unrealistic performance Indicators and targets. Because this was ADB’s first TVET grant project in Timor-Leste, which introduced a new area of formalized skills development, baseline data for the targets were limited. This led to some unrealistic performance Indicators and targets. For example, the number of students and trainers to be trained appeared to be modest, whereas the target of 65% of graduates to find employment within 3 months of graduation was overambitious.

Project Number: 45139-001
Project Name: Mid-Level Skills Training Project
Report Date: