The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 11/13/2018 | Report No: ESRSC00065 Nov 27, 2018 Page 1 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Argentina LATIN AMERICA AND P168911 CARIBBEAN Project Name Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Program-for-Results 2/15/2019 4/30/2019 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Ministerio de Hacienda Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura, Ciencia y Tecnologia Proposed Development Objective(s) Public Disclosure The objectives of the program are to reduce dropout rates in basic and higher education for the most vulnerable nationwide and to strengthen student, teacher and institutional evaluation systems. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 300.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The Operation would provide technical assistance to strengthen the institutional capacity of the National Directorate of Scholarships (NDS), the NTA, and SEE including: (i) NDS: improvement of information and management systems; studies; an impact evaluation on the results of the program; (ii) NTA: evaluations; fine-tuning of the EWS; improvement of the digital information system; (iii) SEE: support development of the process of evaluation and accreditation of teacher training technical institutes, including the development of standards, training of external peer reviewers, development of a database, pilot implementation of an external evaluation, and the institutional Nov 27, 2018 Page 2 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) strengthening of the National Evaluation Commission of Teacher Training Institutes. Moreover, this Component would also support costs related to the implementation of APRENDER. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Project location(s) and salient characteristics relevant to the ES assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The TA will be implemented at the national level, over a diversity of jurisdictions with different environmental, social and institutional settings. This IPF will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. In this sense, the activities supported by the TA are not expected to have any negative environmental impacts. Social risks are linked to potential exclusion of vulnerable students either by inefficiencies on outreach to these groups to ensure their participation, or by conscious or unconscious discrimination processes under the current system. The IPF will finance technical assistance (TA) to strengthen the institutional capacity of National Directorate of Scholarships, the National Team of ASISTIRE (e.g. improving of information and management systems; impact evaluation) and the Secretariat of Education Evaluation (support to the process of evaluation and accreditation of teacher training technical institutes development, including the development of standards, training of external peer reviewers, development of data base, pilot implementation of external evaluation, and the institutional strengthening of the National Evaluation Commission of Teacher Training Institutes). Regarding these last activities, an assessment will be carried out prior to appraisal to determine if activities could exacerbate social conflict and identify stakeholders to be consulted during preparation and during project implementation. The stakeholder engagement plan will incorporate agreed actions and a plan for future participatory activities. The TA will also support costs related to the implementation of the APRENDER’s evaluation. APRENDER (The national systems of education quality assessment) is a census-based student standardized learning assessment that covers the last grades of primary and secondary education. An environmental Public Disclosure and social assessment of the TA activities will be carried out following the ESF as part of Project Preparation. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The Ministry of Education has experience working with World Bank Safeguards. Nevertheless, the Ministry's record on citizen engagement and beneficiary feedback has been moderately satisfactory since although it has several informal channels to address questions, complaints and/or proposals from different stakeholders; it lacks a formal grievance and redress mechanism in place. Support to the activities under this IPF will require the Ministry to carry out a participatory approach and this might entail the strengthening of its citizen engagement and beneficiary feedback mechanisms. PROGRESAR´s team, that will coordinate Project´s implementation, has been executing this and other scholarship programs and its environmental and social specialists have experience working with international financial organizations' policies and procedures. Nevertheless, an assessment will be carried out prior to appraisal to determine if there are any actions needed to strengthen borrower´s capacity to meet the objectives of the WBG Environmental and Social Standards. This team has some flexibility to revise the conditions for access to scholarships to ensure that vulnerable groups do not face any barrier to benefit from these programs and is already carrying out a stakeholder engagement process to inform these decisions. Preliminary consultations with some vulnerable groups have already provided relevant data (e.g. indigenous communities required to review the due dates for inscription and trans community members required to change the age threshold). II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Nov 27, 2018 Page 3 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) Environmental Risk Rating Low This IPF will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. In this sense, the activities supported by the Program are not expected to have any negative environmental impacts. No rehabilitation or construction of new infrastructure or other actions having an impact on the environment will be financed through the TA. The Project will be implemented at the national level, over a diversity of jurisdictions with different environmental, social and institutional settings. However, the overall risks and potential adverse environmental impacts are considered not significant. Social Risk Rating Moderate The Project is expected to have only positive impacts on vulnerable and systematically excluded groups and no negative social effects. The Ministry of Education has experience working with World Bank Safeguards. Nevertheless, the support to these programs will require the Ministry to carry out a participatory approach and this might entail the strengthening of its social communication processes, citizen engagement and beneficiary feedback mechanisms, to ensure inclusion and active participation of beneficiaries from vulnerable groups and avoid any kind of discrimination that might be present in the current system. As stated above, the Ministry of Education needs to strengthen these processes and mechanisms to ensure a successful and inclusive implementation of the Project. The Stakeholder engagement process is expected to provide inputs to generate strategies to avoid, minimize or mitigate the risks mentioned above. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered Public Disclosure B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: The Project includes technical assistance to the Ministry of Education that will include activities that support the institutional capacity building of both PROGRESAR and ASISTIRE teams and to the Secretariat of Education Evaluation, particularly a program that aims to ensure quality of education in tertiary education Institutions. During preparation, an assessment will be carried out to determine if the range of these actions might create or exacerbate conflicts with stakeholders, such as student or teacher unions. Based on this information, the environmental and social assessment will determine the need to define a communication or consultation strategy that may contribute to avoid, minimize or mitigate this potential risks associated to the TA. The social assessment to be carried out by the borrower will identify potential risks for disadvantaged or vulnerable groups (i.e. Afrodescendants, people with disabilities and people belonging to LGBTI groups) and women. The main challenges related to these groups are linked to the lack of reliable data and to unidentified sources of exclusion.The design of the TA activities will take into account the findings of this assessment to contribute to avoid or minimize risks and potential negative impacts. In addition, the ESCP will include actions to enhance data on these groups by enhancing the Government’s ability to generate data on beneficiaries, with particular focus on IPs and other vulnerable groups. This could be part of the TA. The Operation will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. In this sense, the activities supported by the TA are not expected to have any negative environmental impacts. Areas where reliance on the Borrower’s E&S Framework may be considered: Given the characteristics of the activities that will be financed by the Technical Assistance, reliance on the Borrower's Environmental and Social Framework may be considered for ESS2 (Labor and Working Conditions). Argentina's legal Nov 27, 2018 Page 4 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) framework is in line with the principles of this Standard and the Project will be mainly implemented by Staff from the Ministry of Education (Government Civil Servants and other Direct Workers). ESS3 (Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management), ESS4 (Community Health and Safety), ESS5 (Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement), ESS6 (Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources), ESS8 (Cultural Heritage) and ESS9 (Financial Intermediaries) are not currently relevant for this Project. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The borrower will prepare a Stakeholder engagement plan that will include consultations with other government institutions and organizations from the civil society. Based on a preliminary assessment these consultations should include at least the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, the Human Rights Secretary of the Ministry of Justice (including its referents for afro descendant people and for LGBTI population, as well as the National Agency for Disability) and other areas of the Ministry of Educations that don´t have a role in project implementation but which can offer valuable information for the social assessment including the identification of barriers, such as the National Directorate for Socio-educative Policies. The plan should also include organizations from the civil society that represent vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples’ representatives, members of the afro descendant community, referents of the LGBTI community and organizations related with people with disabilities. The social assessment will consider the scope of the activities of the TA related to ensure quality of education in tertiary education institutions and will determine if these actions might create or exacerbate social conflict. As a result of this assessment, the necessary consultations with stakeholders such as teachers or student organizations will be included in the stakeholders engagement plan. Public Disclosure B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions Activities under the Technical Assistance are not expected to have any negative impacts related to labor and working conditions. The applicable national legal framework is in general similar to the principles of ESS2. the Project will be mainly implemented by Staff from the Ministry of Education (Government Civil Servants) and consultants hired through an agreement with the OEI - Organization of Iberoamerican States for Education and Culture- (other Direct Workers). An assessment will be carried out before appraisal to determine if working conditions of staff working under the project are materially consistent with ESS2. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management The TA will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. No rehabilitation or construction of new infrastructure or other actions having an impact on the environment will be financed through this IPF. In this context, the Project will not make use of resources like water, energy and/or raw materials, and it is not expected that any activities financed by the Project will generate any kind of pollution. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Nov 27, 2018 Page 5 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) The TA will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. No rehabilitation or construction of new infrastructure or other actions having an impact on the environment will be financed through this IPF. In this context is not expected to generate any negative impact on the community health and safety. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The Technical Assistance will not require land acquisition that would result in the impacts covered under ESS5. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources The TA will neither finance nor support any civil works activities. This IPF will finance technical institutional capacity building. In this context is not expected to generate any negative impact on the Biodiversity Conservation and Living Natural Resources. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities The Technical Assistance will be focused on strengthening the institutional capacity of the National Directorate of Scholarships, the National Team ASISTIRÉ, and the Secretariat of Education Evaluation. Moreover, this IPF would also support costs related to the implementation of APRENDER. It is not expected that none of the activities related to PROGRESAR or ASISTIRÉ will have a direct negative impact on Indigenous Peoples. The main challenge related to these groups is linked to the lack of reliable data and to unidentified sources of exclusion. For that reason, these Public Disclosure groups will be part of the stakeholder engagement process, and relevant recommendations that may result from their participation will be taken into consideration for the final design of the activities. In addition, the project action plan will include actions to enhance data on these groups by enhancing the Government’s ability to generate data on beneficiaries, with particular focus on IPs and other vulnerable groups. This could be part of the TA. APRENDER is a national standardized test that does not have any impact on IPs. The team doesn't have knowledge of any specific complaints from indigenous peoples so far, regarding the implementation of this test. This issue will also be addressed during consultations with stakeholders. ESS8 Cultural Heritage The TA will finance improvement of information and evaluation systems and technical institutional capacity building. In this context is not expected any possibility of directly or indirectly affecting tangible or intangible cultural heritage. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries The TA will not imply the use of Financial Intermediaries. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks All risks associated to the TA have been described in the sections above. The environmental and social assessment will be prepared to evaluate any other potential risk that may be connected to the activities that will be financed under the IPF. The assessment will be carried out considering the core principles set in the WGB Environmental and Nov 27, 2018 Page 6 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) Social Standards and will define if any action is required to move forward (these actions, if required, will be incorporated in the ESCP). C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No The Project will not affect international waterways as defined in the Policy. Therefore, this Policy is not triggered. OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No The Policy is not triggered because the Project will not be implemented in areas known to involve disputed areas. III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: The borrower will carry out an environmental and social assessment prior to appraisal to evaluate if there are any risks associated with the proposed activities under the TA, incorporate mitigation measures and other proposed actions to improve the design or implementation of the TA activities. The Borrower will also develop a stakeholder Public Disclosure engagement plan which will establish the consultations to be made during project preparation and implementation. The plan will be consulted and disclosed prior to appraisal. The borrower will also prepare a National Indigenous Peoples Plan that will include all agreed actions with representatives of indigenous peoples. Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): Possible issues to be addressed include: (i) the lack of reliable data on indigenous peoples, afrodescendants and other systematically excluded grous (i.e. people with disabilities and people that belong to LGBTI groups); the enhancement of the social communication strategy and the GRM for the program. C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 31-Jan-2019 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Santiago Scialabba Title: Program Analyst Telephone No: 5260+3742 / Email: sscialabba@worldbank.org Contact: Elba Lydia Gaggero Title: Senior Environmental Specialist Nov 27, 2018 Page 7 of 8 The World Bank Improving Inclusion in Secondary and Higher Education (P168911) Telephone No: 5260+3668 / Email: egaggero@worldbank.org Contact: Eleonora Beatriz Camalli Title: Consultant Telephone No: Email: ecamalli@worldbank.org Contact: Claudio Luis Daniele Title: Consultant Telephone No: Email: cdaniele@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Ministerio de Hacienda Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura, Ciencia y Tecnologia V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Public Disclosure Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Marcelo Becerra, Francisco Haimovich Paz, Helena Rovner Nov 27, 2018 Page 8 of 8