The bank is providing three-quarters of the US$240 million (Pounds 160m) budget for the five-year programme, which is half-way through and covers all 9,000 state-funded primary schools, 92 per cent of pupils and 80,000 teachers.

The World Bank team said changes were evident from the moment they entered classrooms. Students now sat with their desks grouped together, referring to written texts and working independently, in contrast to the old system where teachers dictated material and students scribbled it down and were expected to memorise it.