The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Getting to Best in Education (P162089) WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA | Liberia | Education Global Practice | Recipient Executed Activities | Investment Project Financing | FY 2018 | Seq No: 8 | ARCHIVED on 28-Jun-2022 | ISR51303 | Implementing Agencies: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 17-May-2018 Effectiveness Date: 25-Jun-2018 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 30-Nov-2020 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: 30-Nov-2020 Original Closing Date: 30-Jun-2022 Revised Closing Date: 30-Jun-2022 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The Project Development Objectives (PDOs) are to : (a) improve equitable access to early childhood education, teacher quality in early childhood education (ECE), and primary education in targeted disadvantaged counties, and (b) strengthen National School Accountability Systems. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Improving the Quality and Access to Early Childhood Education in Targeted Counties:(Cost $2.90 M) Supporting Teacher Training and Certification in Targeted Counties:(Cost $1.60 M) Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring:(Cost $2.00 M) Achieving Better Learning through Improved Equity, Efficiency, and Accountability:(Cost $3.57 M) Project Management and Sector Program Support and Coordination:(Cost $1.00 M) Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Risk Rating Moderate Moderate Implementation Status and Key Decisions The Getting to Best in Education Project is in its fourth year of implementation and currently scheduled to close on June 30, 2022. It is currently being restructured to address implementation delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation including fuel price increases. A restructuring request was received from the Government on March 24, 2021, with an addendum letter specific to restructuring the Disbursement- Linked Indicator (DLI) 2.1 received on April 16, 2021. A letter requesting the cancellation of US$444,000 under the project's variable part for DL1 2.2 was received on April 19, 2022. On May 27, 2022, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Board approved the restructuring proposal for the project including a 12 month no- cost extension. The official notification of the GPE Board restructuring approval was received on June 1, 2022. A restructuring package will be submitted for World Bank approval. 6/28/2022 Page 1 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Based on mission findings, the project is on track to achieve its PDOs by the proposed June 30, 2023 closing date. Progress has been made on all four Project Development Objective (PDO)-level indicators: (i) the number of direct project beneficiaries surpassing the end target of 43,000, reaching 61,872; (ii) the share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in the targeted counties surpassing the end target of 60 percent, reaching 69 percent; (iii) the net enrollment rate (NER) in ECE in the targeted counties was calculated for year 2 of the project with the release of the Annual School Census (ASC) and projections for years 3 and 4 were possible; and (iv) the percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in the targeted counties was confirmed at 55 percent, surpassing the project target of 50 percent. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance Substantial Moderate Moderate Macroeconomic Substantial Substantial Substantial Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate Moderate Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial Substantial Substantial Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Substantial Moderate Moderate Sustainability Fiduciary Substantial Substantial Substantial Environment and Social Moderate Moderate Moderate Stakeholders Moderate Moderate Moderate Other Substantial Substantial Substantial Overall Substantial Moderate Moderate Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes Improving the quality and access to ECD in targeted disadvantaged counties IN01137560 ►Direct project beneficiaries (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 56,540.00 61,872.00 43,000.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 This figure as of June 2022 includes: Year 3 school grants for 523 schools with student enrollment of 58,754 (48% girls), 1,104 school grants administrators trained in 40 districts, 60 ECE community Comments: caregivers in ECE care centers under subcomponent 1.2, 1,150 children enrolled in the ECE centers under subcomponent 1.2, teachers having graduated with C certificates (184 ECE teachers and 185 primary teachers) under subcomponent 2.1 and 2.2, 395 principals having graduated with C certificates 6/28/2022 Page 2 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) under subcomponent 3.2, and 40 District Education Officers (DEOs) having receiving training under project subcomponent 3.1. IN01137563 Female beneficiaries (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 48.00 48.00 47.00 IN01137564 ►Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 53,497.00 58,754.00 45,000.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 Comments: IN01137565 Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning - Female (Number, Corporate Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 25,494.00 28,202.00 20,000.00 IN01137566 Early Childhood Education - Total Number (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 53,497.00 58,754.00 40,000.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137567 Early Childhood Education – Total Female (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 25,144.00 28,202.00 20,000.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137568 Primary Education – Total Number (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,000.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137569 Primary Education - Total Female (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/28/2022 Page 3 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,500.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137570 ►Teachers recruited or trained (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 794.00 794.00 2,420.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 Under this Project, this CRI reflects number of teachers trained. Under the current project design, 1,400 teachers were expected be trained to improve their effectiveness to teach ECE and primary-level students. In addition, 1,500 principals were expected to benefit from principal certification training. Given that most principals in Liberia also have a teaching load, this figure includes principal training. In the proposed project restructuring, these end targets have been revised down to 370 ECE teachers receiving certification, 345 primary teachers receiving certification, and 850 principals receiving certification. As of June 2022, so far, 198 unqualified ECE teachers completed the first cohort of training to receive the Comments: ECE C Certificate, 196 unqualified primary teachers completed the first cohort of training to receive the primary C Certificate and 400 principals completed the first cohort of training in the new national certificate program to be certificated. Of those who participated in training, 184 ECE teachers passed the certification exam, 185 primary teachers passed the certification exam and 395 principals passed the certification exam. The end target for this CRI is aligned to the Project Results Framework for consistency and continuity. IN01137571 Teachers recruited or trained - Female (RMS requirement) (Number, Corporate Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 203.00 203.00 847.00 IN01137572 ►Large-scale primary/secondary learning assessments completed (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 The number of Bank-supported completed large-scale assessments at the primary level. Under the Project, this refers to the annual student learning assessment for grades 3 and 6 in English and Math (DLI Comments: 3) for which one round will be funded following the creation and adoption of the National Assessment Policy and piloting of the assessment which happened in 2021. Increasing enrollment and improving access to education IN01137559 ►Net Enrollment Rate (NER) in ECE in the targeted counties (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 23.00 23.00 55.00 27.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 6/28/2022 Page 4 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) As of June 2022, this is the first year of the project that data have been available and reported on this indicator. NER data is validated for Year 2 of the project given that the ASC released in March 2022 was for the 2019/2020 academic year. Based upon this, estimates were offered for the remaining years with Comments: the understanding that the NER for project Years 3 and 4 would become available by November 2022 when the next two censuses for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years are delivered. Supporting Teacher training and certification in the targeted counties IN01137561 ►Share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in the targeted counties (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 45.77 69.00 69.00 60.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring IN01137562 ►Percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in targeted counties (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 55.00 50.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 For this indicator, the actual is being revised to 0 as this indicator measures DEOs conducting visits to public schools to discuss the SQA reports and this has not yet commenced. The project will fast track Comments: these visits to begin reporting on this PDO-level indicator. Overall Comments PDO As of the May 2022 mission, progress was made on all four PDO-level indicators: (i) the number of direct project beneficiaries surpassed the end target of 43,000, reaching 61,872; (ii) the share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in the targeted counties surpassed the end target of 60 percent, reaching 69 percent; (iii) the net enrollment rate (NER) in ECE in the targeted counties was calculated for year 2 of the project with the release of the Annual School Census (ASC) and projections for years 3 and 4 were possible; and (iv) the percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in the targeted counties was confirmed at 55 percent, surpassing the project target of 50 percent. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components Access to ECD in targeted counties IN01137574 ►Percentage of eligible public schools receiving ECE grants in targeted counties (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/28/2022 Page 5 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Value 0.00 92.00 92.00 90.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 523 schools out of 570 school eligible to receive the school grants (as captured in the Project documents) is 92 percent. Comments: Ten (10) additional schools benefitted from grants in year 2, bringing the total number of beneficiary schools to 523. Support teacher training and certification in targeted counties IN01137575 ►Number of trained ECE caregivers placed in community-based ECE centers in the targeted counties (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 All 60 caregivers have been trained and deployed and all centers are operational. Comments: IN01137577 ►Number of teachers receiving ECE C certificate (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 184.00 184.00 560.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137579 ►Number of primary teachers receiving accelerated C certificate (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 185.00 185.00 560.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 IN01137580 ►Number of school principals awarded certification (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 395.00 395.00 1,300.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring IN01137576 ►Percentage of SQA reports completed for public schools in targeted counties (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/28/2022 Page 6 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Value 0.00 79.00 79.00 75.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 The project has already exceeded the intermediate result indicator end target. Comments: IN01137578 ►Establishment of national school quality standards (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No No No Yes Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 On May 24, 2021, the MoE shared the draft NSQS seeking the feedback of development partners. The Ministry of Education is expected to finalize the National School Quality Standards and share the Comments: Standards with the Local Education Group (LEG) by June 30, 2022. Project Management and sector program support and coordination IN01137573 ►Number of annual project progress reports publicly accessible (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 Date 29-Dec-2017 16-Mar-2022 16-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 The GPE Year 1 Implementation report, to meet GPE and World Bank requirements, was offered No Objection in January 2020 and subsequently shared with the GPE. The GPE Year 2 Implementation Comments: report was offered No Objection in May 2021 and shared with the GPE. The GPE Year 3 Implementation Report was offered No Objection and shared with the GPE in February 2022. Performance-Based Conditions Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P162089 TF-A7093 Effective USD 11.07 11.07 0.00 7.02 4.05 63% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P162089 TF-A7093 Effective 17-May-2018 19-Jun-2018 25-Jun-2018 30-Jun-2022 30-Jun-2022 6/28/2022 Page 7 of 8 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Getting to Best in Education (P162089) Cumulative Disbursements Restructuring History Level Approved on Related Project(s) P170418-Liberia GPE Getting to Best MCA 6/28/2022 Page 8 of 8