The executing agency will be Peru's Ministry of Education (Minedu), through the Executive Unit 118: Improvement of Early Childhood Education Program.

The IDB loan is for a 25-year term with a 5.5-year grace period and a variable interest rate based on LIBOR.

The program will foster safe schools, improve teaching methods, and support the participation of parents in the educational development of children 3 to 5 years of age in the Andean departments.

A major focus of the program is teacher training and support, which are critical for improving the learning process.

The project will be carried out in these three departments because they have high poverty levels as well as high rates of grade repetition among school children.

The program will include equipping, rehabilitating, or replacing 190 education centers and providing maintenance plans for an additional 296 centers.

The program will also include training teachers in improving communication skills and instructional methods, use of teaching materials, multiculturalism and bilingualism, and the promotion of parent involvement in education of their children.

(END) JPC/JPC/RZZ/EEP