COMBINED PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENTS / INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET (PID/ISDS) . Report No.: 120211 Date Prepared/Updated: 09-29-2017 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Jordan Project ID: P162407 Parent Project ID: N/A Project Name: Education Reform Support Program (P162407) Parent Project Name: Region: MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Estimated Appraisal Date: 27-Sept-2017 Estimated Board Date: 30-Nov-2017 Practice Area (Lead): Education Lending Instrument: Program for Results with an IPF lending component Borrower(s) Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC) Implementing Agency Ministry of Education (MOE) Financing (in USD Million) Financing Source Amount IBRD with Concessional Financing 192.00 for PfR; 8.00 for IPF component Financing Gap 0.00 Total Project Cost 200.00 Environmental Category C Decision Defer appraisal until revisions to PAD are completed Other Decision (as needed) Is this a Repeater project? No Is this a Transferred No project? (Will not be disclosed) . . B. Introduction and Context Country Context Despite strong economic and social progress in previous decades, Jordan continues to face challenges that are stagnating growth and development and that have been amplified by the Syrian crisis. On the economic front, growth has declined from 6.5 percent on average over the 2000-2009 period to 2.5 percent as of 2010. Indicators of human development and living standards have stagnated beginning in 2009, despite strong improvements from 1990-2008. The Human Development Index (HDI), which measures long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development (a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living), has stagnated at 0.742 since 2008, placing Jordan in the 86th position out of 188 in the HDI ranking.1 This situation is explained by several factors: the effects of the Syrian crisis, the fallout from the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, and debt increases brought about by decisions in the electricity sector among other macroeconomic challenges. Jordan faces a significant demographic challenge with the influx of large numbers of Syrian refugees. The Syrian refugee crisis adds to the fiscal stress and puts serious strains on the Government’s ability to provide public services, including health and educati on. As of August 2017, Jordan hosts 660,5822 registered Syrian refugees, out of which 232,8683 are school age children requiring the provision of education services. 80 percent of refugees live in host communities, representing 10 percent of Jordan’s population, while the remaining live in dedicated refugee camps. Per the recent 2016 governmental census, the total number of Syrians in Jordan reached an estimated 1.265 million, representing 13.2 percent of population.4 Education services to refugee children should respond to the nature of the challenges they face in the Jordan education system. C. Proposed Development Objective(s) Proposed Project Development Objective(s) The Program Development Objective (PDO) would be to support the Government of Jordan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) to expand access to early childhood education, and to improve student assessment and teaching and learning conditions for Jordanian and Syrian refugee children. D. Project Description The results areas of the PforR Program are embedded within the government program themes. Results Area (RA) 1 aligns fully with the access and quality themes of the government program, while RA 2 and RA 3 fall under the quality theme for basic education. RA 4 cuts across the access and quality thematic areas of the government program. The following paragraphs present an overview of the PforR Program Results Areas: The first Result Area is expanded access and improved quality of early childhood education. This includes increasing access to Kindergarten (KG) for girls and boys, by supporting expansion in public provision and providing technical assistance to help the government set up public-private partnerships (PPPs) (see Annex 6). It also includes supporting the development and implementation of a harmonized quality assurance system for public and private KGs, and rolling-out an in-service 1 Human Development Data (1990-2015); Human Development Report 2016. 2 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), August 6, 2017. 3 Brussels Conference Paper, 2017. 4 Department of Statistics (DoS); National census November 2016. training program to improve teaching practices in KG classrooms. The training program will include a number of thematic modules, such as the early socioemotional development of children, and integrating play-based learning in the classroom, as identified by a diagnostic study of teaching practices. This Results Area is fully aligned with the ECE strategic objectives of the NESP. The Ministry of Education (MOE) recognizes that the largest gains in education can be made by investing in ECE. However, it has struggled so far to secure financing and technical expertise to achieve all intended objectives within this realm. The PforR Program will incentivize focused interventions to be undertaken to expand access to and enhance quality of ECE provision. The second result area aims to achieve improved teaching and learning conditions by focusing on improving the school physical environment (enhancement of maintenance services in schools) as well as the capacity of teachers and school leaders (through a better selection, preparation, and management of teachers and school leaders), and fostering positive student and teacher behavior and civic awareness towards schools and their communities. The focus of this result area is both on the physical school infrastructure and on the softer environmental factors that create a school climate that is conducive for learning, for example peer and teacher modes of communication, school values, etc. By tackling both aspects together, the aim is to establish positive school environments that inspire and motivate students, teachers and principals to fulfil their aspiration without prejudged expectations and imposition of ascribed roles. The third result area is a reformed student assessment and certification system that will focus on strengthening MOE’s ability to measure and monitor student learning at all grade levels and to bridge the gap between learning and certification. This notably includes the reform of Tawjihi and the institutionalization of an early grade diagnostic learning assessment. The fourth result area is a strengthened education system management by focusing on supporting MOE and strengthening its capacity to manage an increasing number of schools and students, notably due to the expansion of early childhood education and to the enrollment of a large number of refugee children in Jordanian schools. The focus of this result area is to provide and enhance the tools and resources available to MOE for decision-making and implementation. These tools include information systems such as the operationalization of the GIS, which will allow MOE to map school construction, expansion, and rehabilitation needs, and the strengthening of the existing OpenEMIS. This result area will also support MOE in securing budget additionality to the sector in an efficient and effective manner to ensure that resources are available for undertaking the necessary reforms. Environmental and Social Systems Assessment will be the primary analytical instrument that will be used to evaluate environmental and social risks and benefits associated with the proposed operation. The proposed TA component will not support program activities that are judged to be likely to have significant adverse impacts that are sensitive, diverse, or unprecedented on the environment and/or affected people. This ISDS was prepared to address the TA component of the proposed operation. This Operation is proposed as a hybrid Program for Results (PforR), consisting of two parts: the Program and a technical assistance (TA) component, which uses the Investment Project Financing (IPF) approach. The design of the proposed Operation builds on the track record of collaboration between the Jordanian government and the Bank using results-based financing in the education sector, (IPF using a results-based financing approach), which highlights the need for a strong technical assistance component to support the implementation of the government’s programs. PHCOMP Comments (optional) E. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The Program is national in scale, however, the proposed TA component under the Operation has no physical footprint and there will be no adverse environmental and social risks and impacts. The TA component activities do not trigger any of the Bank’s safeguards policies. At this stage, the MOE is in the planning phase, and it yet to determine the specific site selection for investments. . F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Tracy Hart, Amer Abdulwahab Ali Al-Ghorbany (GEN05) Mariana T. Felicio (GSU05) II. IMPLEMENTATION The implementation arrangements of the proposed Program will be:  Ministry of Education (MOE) is the Government’s responsible entity for implementing the program, with the administrative support of the Development Coordination Unit (DCU). Under the leadership of the Minister, MOE directorates will be responsible to plan and implement activities related to their component. The MOE is ultimately accountable for meeting the program objectives, providing program oversight through the General Policy Steering Committee (GPSC), monitoring and evaluation, and technical support to the various MOE directorates involved in implementation, and coordinating activities among various stakeholders and donors.  The Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MOPWH), which was mandated to manage the construction and extension of schools under ERfKE II, will continue to be responsible for the procurement processing and implementation of civil works under the proposed Program. MOPWH will be commissioned by MOE for any works contract over the threshold limit of JOD 250,000. Program coordination Program level: Given its extensive experience in coordinating multi-donor programs such as ERfKE II, the DCU will be the focal point for the program and will be responsible for: (1) facilitating the coordination of implementation with MOE management; (2) monitoring and reporting on project implementation progress through the production of progress reports; (3) preparing interim unaudited financial reports (IUFRs) for the TA component of the Program ; and (4) coordinating with other donor partners to ensure that parallel financed activities are synchronized with overall program implementation. Given the scope of the program, the capacity of the DCU will need to be significantly strengthened through recruiting and training additional staff. With the financial and technical assistance support from donors, the DCU will be reinforced with one senior program manager, one monitoring and evaluation expert, one finance officer and one construction and maintenance expert. Additionally, additional staff will be recruited in MOE’s Land Acquisition Section and a staff at the DCU will be hired and/or assigned to conduct adequate compliance with environmental and social management guidelines provided in the Standard Operating Procedures. While this TA does not trigger environmental and social safeguards policies, Jordan has demonstrated its commitment to mitigating adverse social and environmental impacts in the implementation of a range of World Bank projects, including category A projects. There are adequate legal and institutional frameworks in the country to ensure compliance with World Bank safeguards policies. In Jordan, the Ministry of Environment (MoEnv) is responsible for setting policy guidelines on environmental issues and ensuring compliance with national environmental standards. It has different departments with field offices in every Governorate of the country. At Governorate level, the Education Directorates will be responsible and accountable for all safeguard issues. . III. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP Yes As part of the overarching Program-for- 4.01 Results (PforR), an Environmental and Social Systems Assessment has been prepared to identify potential risks, assess country systems and capacities, and put into place a program action plan with mitigation measures. The technical assistance (TA) activities in the accompanying Investment Project Financing (IPF) are in early concept phase. It is anticipated that Environmental Assessment OP 4.01 will apply to two of these TAs covering Results Areas 1 and 2. These are (i) the design and implementation of public- private partnership (PPP) setups and corresponding financial modalities and (ii) strengthening MOE’s capacity on land acquisition and environmental and social assessments. TORs have been developed which contain provisions to examine the environmental and social implications of any downstream institutional or policy changes and/or physical structures. The TA on strengthening MOE’s capacity on land acquisition and environmental and social assessment will incorporate any needed OP 4.01 related support for the PPP TA. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No N/A Forests OP/BP 4.36 No N/A Pest Management OP 4.09 No N/A Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP No N/A 4.11 Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No N/A Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No N/A Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No N/A Projects on International Waterways No N/A OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No N/A 7.60 . IV. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 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 risks reflected in the Environmental and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) (Substantial due to land acquisition) will be mitigated through specific actions as proposed in the Program Action Plan most of which will be financed through the IPF-financed Technical Assistance (TA). It is envisaged that the Program will not include any Category-A type investments, nor pose any risk to natural habitats or physical cultural resources. Only Results Area 1 will have some environmental impact as it includes construction of new schools. The other Results Areas consist of soft type of activities related to the educational system and the provision of computers. The TA will consist of a bundle of services for the Ministry of Education spanning diagnostic studies, impact evaluations, TA for quality assurance, etc. none of which have environmental and social safeguards implications. However, the following two TAs have the following environmental and social implications: 1) Land Acquisition and Environmental and Social Assessments TA: (i) there may be regulatory changes in the Land Acquisition Law and/or the need for acquiring land, (ii) there may be inappropriate application of methods of land acquisition, such as willing-buyer willing seller and voluntary land donation approaches. The TA will finance the development of standard operating procedures and guidelines, establishing grievance redress mechanism to handle complaints with land acquisition and resettlement, and will develop screening mechanism to ensure no Category-A type activities are financed. 2) Advise on Public-Private Partnerships in relation to school construction and maintenance: ensure that the qualifications of technical specialists are adequately assessed, including those responsible for maintenance services, including central and directorate level MOE staff; and the need for assessing the budgeting capacity to allocate costs throughout construction phases, to ensure that sufficient funds for operations and maintenance. Consultations were held in Amman on September 20th, 2017 to be attended by beneficiaries, government entities, donors, partners, international and local NGOs, during which time the findings and recommendations to mitigate potential risks were discussed and are being finalized. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: The anticipated indirect impacts associated with the “expanded access to ECE� results area, which finance studies that would lead to construction are the following: * Worker health and safety; * Dust, noise and odor due to small-scale rehabilitation; * Disposal of construction wastes; * Pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic diversions and/or limited accessibility of public spaces of short duration; * Water (wastewater, surface water discharge, storm water) during construction and operation; * Remote potential of “chance finds� with respect to cultural heritage assets; * Possible need for land acquisition; * Indirect economic and social impacts could include loss of land, assets and income, access to assets or housing resulting in adverse impacts to livelihoods as a result of land acquisition. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Project alternatives were not considered as the PforR is financing a government Program that already exists. Instead, the TA component is the entry point to ensure quality, build capacity, and to minimize any potential risks, (social, environment, and others) during Program implementation. 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. The applicable federal and governorate environmental and social management systems in Jordan, from a legal, regulatory, and institutional perspective, are considered to be generally appropriate and comprehensive. Therefore, no significant changes to the overall structure of these management systems are required or proposed. However, enforcement of the legal framework governing compliance on child protection, labor and environmental standards is weak. In order to strengthen MOE’s capacity in addressing safeguard policy issues the Technical Assistance component is being introduced which will (a) strengthen the capacity of the MOE in land acquisition processes through recruitment of staff, development of standard procedures aligned with World Bank standards, and training; (b) update of Jordan school construction standards to emphasize design alternatives with low-to-no maintenance costs; and (d) pilot of private sector contracts for school operations and maintenance, among others. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The Environmental and Social Systems Assessment was disclosed in country on September 13 th. A Consultation bringing together over 80 stakeholders took place on September 20th, and included Ministry of Education (Communications Affairs, Land Acquisition Departments, Maintenance and Planning, Gender Divisions, Counseling and Early Childhood Divisions), Heads of Field Directorates, Ministry for Social Development, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, beneficiary schools, parents, teachers, students, donors, partners (UNICEF, etc.), international and local NGOs working in the education sector. . B. Disclosure Requirements (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission to InfoShop September 26, 2017 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure Resettlement Action Plan/Framework/Policy ProcessPHResDelete Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission to InfoShop "In country" Disclosure Pest Management PlanPHPestDelete Was the document disclosed prior to appraisal? N/A Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission to InfoShop "In country" Disclosure 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. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why:: . C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level (to be filled in when the ISDS is finalized by the project decision meeting) (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) PHCompliance OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including Yes [x] No [] NA [] EMP) report? If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Manager (PM) review and approve the EA Yes [x] No [] NA [X] report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP Yes [x] No [] NA [] incorporated in the credit/loan? PHCompliance OP 4.09 - Pest Management Does the EA adequately address the pest management Yes [] No [X] NA [] issues? Is a separate PMP required? Yes [] No [X] NA [] If yes, has the PMP been reviewed and approved by a safeguards specialist or PM? Are PMP requirements Yes [] No [] NA [X] included in project design?If yes, does the project team include a Pest Management Specialist? PHCompliance OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy framework/process framework (as appropriate) been Yes [] No [] NA [X] prepared? If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for Yes [] No [] NA [X] safeguards or Practice Manager review the plan? Is physical displacement/relocation expected? Yes [] No [] TBD [X] Is economic displacement expected? (loss of assets or access to assets that leads to loss of income sources or Yes [] No [] TBD [X] other means of livelihoods) PHCompliance The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to Yes [X] No [] NA [] the World Bank's Infoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are Yes [X] No [] NA [] understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? PHCompliance All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of Yes [X] No [] NA [] measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been Yes [X] No [] NA [] included in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and Yes [X] No [] NA [] measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower and the same been adequately Yes [X] No [] NA [] reflected in the project legal documents? V. Contact point World Bank PHWB Contact: Karine Pezzani . Title: Senior Operations Officer . . Borrower/Client/Recipient . . Implementing Agencies Ministry of Education Suleiman Al Nabulsi Street 10 . Amman, Jordan . . VI. For more information contact: . The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VII. Approval Task Team Leader(s): Name: Karine Pezzani Approved By: PHNonTransf Safeguards Advisor: Name: Nina Chee Date: September 27, 2017 Practice Manager: Name: Safaa El Tayeb El-Kogali Date: September 27, 2017 Country Director: Name: Saroj Kumar Jha Date: September 27, 2017