INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: ISDSA7182 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 18-Dec-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 11-Dec-2013, 20-Dec-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: Armenia Project ID: P130182 Project Name: Education Improvement Project (P130182) Task Team Mario Cristian Aedo Inost Leader: Estimated 09-Dec-2013 Estimated 13-Mar-2014 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: ECSH2 Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: GEF Focal Area: Sector(s): General education sector (50%), Tertiary education (30%), Pre-primary education (20%) Theme(s): Education for the knowledge economy (70%), Education for all (30%) Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP No Public Disclosure Copy 8.00 (Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 30.00 Total Bank Financing: 30.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 15.00 International Development Association (IDA) 15.00 Total 30.00 Environmental B - Partial Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? 2. Project Development Objective(s) / Global Environmental Objective(s) Page 1 of 7 A. Project Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objectives (PDO) are to improve school readiness of children entering primary education, improve physical conditions and the availability of educational resources in Public Disclosure Copy upper secondary schools, and support improved quality and relevance in higher education institutions in Armenia. B. Global Environmental Objective(s) 3. Project Description The proposed project aims at supporting the Government of Armenia in two main endeavors: enhancing the quality of pre-primary and general education, and fostering the relevance of tertiary education through mainstreaming the Competitive Innovation Fund, or expanding it from a pilot program to one with full implementation. The Project consists of 3 components: Component 1: Enhancing the Quality of General Education Subcomponent 1.1: Promotion of School Readiness and equal opportunities at the start of General Education - The objective of this subcomponent is two fold: first, it will support the Government’s efforts to increase preschool enrollment, focusing on vulnerable populations, as a means of improving the school readiness of five and six-year-old children entering primary education. By the end of 2017, it is expected that 90 percent of five and six-year-olds would be enrolled in preschool institutions. Second, this component will finance activities aimed at improving the quality of preschool education offered by community-based initiatives. Establishment of sustainable, community-based preschool education units will be supported under a competitive grant financing scheme. Public Disclosure Copy Subcomponent 1.2: Enrichment of Upper Secondary Schools - The objective of this subcomponent is to strengthen the recently established network of high schools by supporting the rehabilitation of selected facilities in poor physical condition and improvements in all high schools in teaching and learning conditions, including the provision of contextualized digital learning materials in classrooms and modern equipment. This subcomponent will support the rehabilitation and refurbishment of a limited number of high schools recently designated by the Government. Subcomponent 1.3: Strengthening key institutions for monitoring educational outcomes and monitoring student learning in Armenia - This component will improve the capacity of the National Center of Education Technology (NACET) to monitor schools in Armenia and provide them with adequate ICT coverage. This subcomponent will also provide financing for the participation of the country in large-scale international student assessment studies. Subcomponent 1.4: Support to further improvements in the quality of education through curriculum revisions - The objective of this subcomponent is to bring the National Curriculum Framework for grades 1-12 into conformity with the requirements of the General Education and State General Education Curriculum law approved by the Government Decree No. 1088, dated July 28, 2011. Component 2: Mainstreaming of the Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF) for Higher Education Institutions (HEI) into full implementation Page 2 of 7 The objective of this component is to support the roll-out of the competitive grant program for HEIs that was developed and piloted under the Second Education Quality and Relevance Project (EQRP2). Public Disclosure Copy The fund was designed to support the best proposals prepared by HEIs with the aim of improving the quality, modernization and particularly the labor-market relevance of the academic programs and increasing efficiency, equity and the development of new academic programs of HEIs. This component will support the assessment of the piloting of the CIF implemented under EQRP2 and reviewing the grant-financing scheme based on the findings of this assessment. Representatives of HEIs will be encouraged to participate in the CIF program and would be trained on proposals preparation, project and financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation. Component 3: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation The objective of this component is to provide continued s upport for the management and monitoring of project implementation activities and outcomes. This component would provide funds for monitoring and evaluation studies and for audits of project financial statements and grants implementation. The Center for EducationProjects (CEP) under the Ministry of Education, acting as a project implementation unit, will provide day-to-day management of the project, including procurement, disbursement, safeguards, monitoring and evaluation, and will be responsible for reporting on the implementation progress. 4. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The Project will be implemented country-wide. Beneficiary educational facilities are not pre- identified and, therefore, their locations are not known at present. A Feasibility Study will be carried out to select them. 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists Darejan Kapanadze (ECSEN) Public Disclosure Copy Sarah G. Michael (ECSSO) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes The Project will support upgrading of the BP 4.01 selected school buildings. Rehabilitation works are expected to have some temporary negative impacts typical for reconstruction / rehabilitation of small to medium size buildings. OP/BP 4.01 Environmental Assessment is triggered. According to the principles of this safeguard policy, and based on the outcome of environmental screening, the Project is classified as Category B. Environmental risks of the Project implementation will be of the modest scale, and limited to the construction sites and to the period of construction works. Managing these impacts and keeping them to the acceptable minimum will be achieved effectively by adhering to the good construction practice and applying specific Page 3 of 7 mitigation measures to be provided in the Environmental Management Plans (EMPs). An Environmental and Social Management Public Disclosure Copy Framework (ESMF) was developed as part of the Project preparation process, while the site- specific EMPs will be worked out later on, as the beneficiary institutions get identified and detailed designs for their rehabilitation become available. Possible minor repair works in the interiors of preschool institutions under sub-component 1.1 will fall under Category C and will not require environmental management planning. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/ Yes School buildings suggested for rehabilitation BP 4.11 with support of the Project are predominantly old and there is some likelihood of some of these buildings carrying a historical value. OP/BP 4.11 is triggered to ensure that the process of school selection will involve checking if any of the buildings are formally entered into the list of the nation's historical and/or cultural heritage. In such cases the building renovation designs will be Public Disclosure Copy cleared with the national authorities responsible for the preservation of cultural heritage to ensure that historic/cultural value of such buildings are not compromised as a result of improvement works. These provisions are included into the EMF. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP No All rehabilitation works under the project are 4.12 expected to take place within the existing footprint of educational facilities and no land acquisition/use is expected. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 Page 4 of 7 II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues Public Disclosure Copy 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The Project will finance upgrading of the existing school premises, which is associated with modest environmental and social risks limited to the construction period and to the construction sites. An important principle for selecting school buildings and for preparing adequate design documents for their upgrading will be to screen them against any structural damage and instability, and to address these faults or drop buildings which are beyond repair of structural problems. If the designed works imply replacement of damaged roofs, there is a high likelihood of encountering asbestos-containing old roofing materials. Handling of such hazardous construction waste at the work site and its disposal will require close supervision and control, in order to minimize exposure of construction workers and avoid future risks to public health that may arise in case of improper dumping. It would be preferable to schedule rehabilitation works during school breaks. However if and where that is not doable and works will be undertaken in buildings where classes are being held, there may be a risk of disruption of the teaching process and to the health and safety of students and teachers. Therefore, proper planning will be required for the provision of alternative temporary teaching space, and for preventing children's entrance to the area of ongoing works and to the locations where construction materials and waste is being stored. Minor indoor repair works may be undertaken in the premises of preschool institutions under sub-component 1.1, which are not likely to have any measurable negative impacts on the natural and/or social environment. As all civil works will be rehabilitation of existing buildings (within their existing footprint) and no new construction is expected, no resettlement is expected under the project. Moreover, no civil works will be permitted under the Competitive Innovation Fund grants program. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: Rehabilitation of school buildings is expected to have strong positive long term social impact and Public Disclosure Copy to be neutral for the environment. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Analysis of alternatives will be part of selecting schools for the Project support. This multi-criteria selection process will include screening of buildings with significant structural damage and severe seismic instability. If reasonable investment into school rehabilitation cannot eliminate risks of instability, such building will be excluded from the Project's work program. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. According to the Project design, civil works will be implemented in multiple locations to be identified during at a late stage of the Project preparation and early into implementation. The nature of works to be undertaken in all of these locations will be pretty similar, with generally well known environmental and social impacts. Therefore, an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) was developed as part of the Project preparation process, while the site- specific EMPs will be worked out later on, as the beneficiary institutions get identified and detailed designs for their rehabilitation become available. The simplified EMP Checklist for Small Construction and Rehabilitation Activities will be used for the predominant number of construction sites, while a fuller version of EMP may be required in an unlikely case of higher risk Category B works. A template of monthly field monitoring report is also provided in the ESMF, as Page 5 of 7 a user-friendly tool for tracking environmental performance of works contractors and for reporting on the compliance with EMPs. Public Disclosure Copy The Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) is the implementing agency for the Project. CEP, under the MoES, will act as the Project implementation unit responsible for day-to-day management of the Project implementation, including procurement, disbursement, safeguards application, and M&E. Although MoES and CEP have been involved in the implementation of the Bank-supported project in the past and performed well in that capacity, their experience in the application of safeguards policies is modest as in difference from the present Project, the previous activities did not include civil works are were classified as environmental Category C. The Bank team discussed with the CEP institutional arrangements to close the gap in human capacity for safeguards application. It was agreed, that for the period of the Project preparation CEP management will appoint one of the staff members as a focal point for overseeing required safeguards compliance work, and will hire an environmental and social safeguard specialist once the Project enters into operation and resources become available. The specialist should have relevant experience and skills, and will receive on-the-job coaching from the Safeguards Specialist of the World Bank Task Team promptly upon recruitment. Hiring and maintaining a safeguards specialist in CEP throughout the period of civil works performance under the Project will be a legally binding commitment of the Borrower. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. Schools, targeted by the project for upgrading of their premises, are under the MoES and hence this Ministry is the main recipient of the Project assistance. Administrations and personnel of the schools selected for rehabilitation, as well as the students attending these schools will directly benefit from the Project interventions. The advanced draft of the ESMF document was disclosed in-country in Armenian and English languages by posting on the web page of the MoES. It was published through the Bank’s InfoShop Public Disclosure Copy as well. A public consultation meeting on the draft ESMF was held in Yerevan on 12/10/2013. The ESMF was then finalized and re-disclosed in-country and through the InfoShop. Site-specific EMPs, once drafted, will also be disclosed nation-wide, with special emphasis on their accessibility to project-affected local communities. Draft EMPs will be open for public feedback, after which they will be finalized and get included into tender packages. EMPs will be attached to contracts to be concluded with works providers, and become mandatory for implementation. B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank 02-Dec-2013 Date of submission to InfoShop 11-Dec-2013 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure Armenia 04-Dec-2013 Comments: The ESMF was posted in the web site of the Ministry of Education and Science, including the announcement of public consultation date, time and venue. The link of the Ministry’s web site is as follows: http://edu.am/index.php? id=-6432&topMenu=4&menu1=-1&menu2=4&arch=0 Page 6 of 7 If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/ Audit/or EMP. Public Disclosure Copy If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] report? If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Sector Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] Manager (SM) review and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the credit/loan? OP/BP 4.11 - Physical Cultural Resources Does the EA include adequate measures related to cultural Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] property? Does the credit/loan incorporate mechanisms to mitigate the Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] potential adverse impacts on cultural property? The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] World Bank's Infoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Public Disclosure Copy Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Mario Cristian Aedo Inost Approved By Sector Manager: Name: Andrea C. Guedes (SM) Date: 20-Dec-2013 Page 7 of 7