The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) Project Information Document/ Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (PID/ISDS) Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 21-Apr-2017 | Report No: PIDISDSC21680 Mar 31, 2017 Page 1 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data OPS TABLE Country Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Project Name Ethiopia P163608 GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) AFRICA May 12, 2017 May 26, 2017 Education Lending Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education Economic Development Proposed Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objective is to improve learning conditions in primary schools in targeted regions including in the pre-primary O classes. Financing (in USD Million) Financing Source Amount Education for All Supervising Entity 30.00 Total Project Cost 30.00 Environmental Assessment Category Concept Review Decision C-Not Required Track I-The review did authorize the preparation to continue Mar 31, 2017 Page 2 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) B. Introduction and Context Ethiopia is a large, landlocked and diverse country with more than 90 ethnic and linguistic groups and a population of over 99 million (World Bank, 2015). With an annual growth rate of 2.5 percent, Ethiopia’s population is expected to reach 130 million by 2025. The country has experienced fast economic growth over the past decade. According to official data, real GDP growth averaged 10.9% annually (8% per capita) in 2004-14. The recent El Niño drought slowed growth in 2015-16, but even in this year GDP growth was estimated at 8.5%, a rate that still places Ethiopia among the fastest-growing economies in the world. Nonetheless, Ethiopia remains the 13th poorest country in the world. More than 80% of the population lives in rural areas, although urbanization is increasing as workers move from agriculture towards manufacturing and services jobs. The country has achieved impressive progress in economic, social and human development that is important to sustain. Ethiopia is among the countries that have made the greatest progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): primary school enrollments have quadrupled, child mortality has been cut in half, and the number of people with access to clean water has more than doubled. The central objective of Ethiopian national strategies is to progress to a lower middle-income economy by 2025. Strong and robust economic growth and development will necessarily have to rely on the country's human capital. The Government recognizes the importance of education and is implementing the Education Sector Development Program V 2016-2020 (ESDP V) aimed to ensure quality education equitably across all levels and to provide schooling that is aligned with the needs of Ethiopia economy in line with the country’s middle income status aspirations. Sectoral and Institutional Context Since 2009 the Ethiopian Government has worked to put into place the elements critical to improving students' learning outcomes and completion rates. Funded by multiple donors, a comprehensive program to improve quality (the General Education Quality Improvement Program, or GEQIP) has supported this effort. The focus of this program has been to increase the supply and deployment of qualified teachers; provide teacher training, textbooks, and learning materials; and disburse school grants. Student-input ratios and the quality of inputs have improved markedly. Equally significantly, learning outcomes at the primary level have modestly improved. Both achievements are commendable, especially given the huge increases in enrollments. Ethiopia has avoided the deteriorating education quality that often accompanies a rapid expansion of access. Inevitably, progress has not been uniform. In some critical areas, problems, although in some cases diminishing over time, have persisted for years (for example, dropouts in particular in early grade, gender and regional inequities). Relationship to CPF The proposed grant supports the implementation of the ESDP V and is aligned with the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Ethiopia FY2013-FY2016. The second pillar of the CPS aims to support Ethiopia in improving the delivery of social services and developing a comprehensive approach to social protection and risk management. This includes equitable access to quality education services. The Project also contributes to all three pillars of the Bank’s Education 2020 strategy, namely: “investing smartly� in education, “investing early’ and “investing for all�. The proposed grant builds on the achievements and lessons of Ethiopia General Education Quality Improvement Project (GEQIP) I and II, financed by IDA, the development partners (including DFID, Finland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, UNICEF, and USAID), and the Global Partnership for Education under a pooled funding arrangement. Mar 31, 2017 Page 3 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) C. Proposed Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objective is to improve learning conditions in primary schools in targeted regions including in the pre-primary O classes. Key Results (From PCN) The expected results of the proposed grant are the following:  Reducing the proportion of low performing primary schools (Level 1 in inspection standards) in the region with highest share of these schools;  Improving the learning environment of O-classes (pre-primary class) in two emerging regions by increasing the capacity of O-class facilitators to deliver an early childhood education curriculum package;  Improving the gender balance in school leadership by increasing the number of trained female primary school principals;  Encouraging more inclusive learning environments by increasing the School Grant allocation to support special needs;  Reducing Grade 1 dropout rates in the region with the highest Grade 1 dropout rate. D. Concept Description The proposed grant from the Global Partnership for Education will have synergies with the ongoing GEQIP-II national flagship program, which focuses on improvements in general education, from pre-primary to secondary level. GEQIP-II finances activities in six areas: (i) curriculum implementation and textbook and learning material provision; (ii) teacher and school leader development; (iii) school improvement program; (iv) strengthening system management and capacity building; (v) improving education quality through information and communication technology (ICT); and (vi) program planning and coordination, monitoring and evaluation. The proposed grant aims to incentivize the government of Ethiopia to deliver transformational education outcomes in some of the most educationally disadvantaged regions of the country. Through these intensive interventions, strategies to address serious problems in the education system will be identified, implemented and monitored. Effectively, these interventions will serve as pilots, which will then be used to develop models that will be scaled up nationally to address these issues. The Government’s and regions’ willingness to pilot these interventions in the most disadvantaged regions can be extremely beneficial for GEQIP-II success in the remaining time and will be informative for new Program for Results in the education sector, currently under preparation. In addition, the proposed grant aims to provide support for special needs students and to promote gender equality as cross-cutting issues. Mar 31, 2017 Page 4 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) SAFEGUARDS A. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The proposed project grant will be implemented in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia including National Regional State of Afar, Gambella, Benishangul Gumuz and Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regions. The proposed grant does not involve any physical works, civil works or rehabilitation, thus has no interaction with the physical environment relevant to safeguards analysis, but will strengthen local technical skills in education sector and there will be no land acquisition or restriction of access in this IPF. B. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies The institutional capacity on Social Safeguards implementation and reporting mechanism is characterized by lack of proper reporting and documentation of Social safeguards activities and non-availability of a dedicated safeguards focal person for the project. This project will provide technical support to address this gap. C. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Chukwudi H. Okafor, Samuel Lule Demsash, Yacob Wondimkun Endaylalu D. Policies that might apply Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International Waterways No OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No E. Safeguard Preparation Plan Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage PID/ISDS May 01, 2017 Mar 31, 2017 Page 5 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing should be specified in the Appraisal Stage PID/ISDS The proposed grant does not introduce new social risks or environmental risks; and foreseen impacts are likely to be positive. No construction is foreseen under the grant. CONTACT POINT World Bank Anna Olefir, Girma Woldetsadik Education Spec. Borrower/Client/Recipient Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Fisseha Abera Director Multilateral Organization Department fabberak@gmail.com Implementing Agencies Ministry of Education Eshetu Asfaw Director Planning and Resource Mobilization Directorate esheshe_2010@yahoo.com 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 APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Anna Olefir, Girma Woldetsadik Mar 31, 2017 Page 6 of 7 The World Bank GEQIP II Results-Based Program (P163608) Approved By APPROVALTBL Safeguards Advisor: Nathalie S. Munzberg 21-Apr-2017 Practice Manager/Manager: Sajitha Bashir 24-Apr-2017 Country Director: Carolyn Turk 26-Apr-2017 Mar 31, 2017 Page 7 of 7