The Azerbaijani government has set up the initial review of a memorandum on mutual understating on the project on early childhood development to be implemented at the financial supports of the Asian Development Bank. The government told Trend that at the moment it is planned to re-submit the document to the Ministry of Economic Development, the Health Ministry and the bodies involved in social sector. After the proposals by the Ministries and relevant bodies will be accorded and summarized in a unified form for further submission to the donor.
"At present it is planned to spend $18m in financing the project, including the public funds. The project has a positive effect, as it stipulates the implementation of many components, including the trainings, deliver of equipment, construction of kindergartens for law-incomes families. It is premature to speak about the signing of a credit agreement, while it can be inked even this year,” a government source underlined.
The initial cost of the project is $13.4m. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) planned to allot $10m of the sum on its terms, while the respect was to be covered by the government.
The project was developed by Helsinki Consulting Group and its sub-contractor ASPI Consulting Engineers Inc, which set up relevant work on 1 February and completed on 8 August at the expense of the ADB grant of $750,000 allotted out of the Japanese Fund. A grant agreement was undersigned by Azerbaijan Premier Elchin Efendiyev in November 2004. Their proposals envisage organization of work on rehabilitation of pre-school institutes in 10 Azerbaijan regions out of Baku through involving 900 pre-school institutes.