The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Combined Project Information Documents / Integrated Safeguards Datasheet (PID/ISDS) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 26-Nov-2020 | Report No: PIDISDSA30675 Oct 29, 2020 Page 1 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Project Data Country Project ID Project Name Parent Project ID (if any) Myanmar P175567 Additional Financing for P163389 the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project Parent Project Name Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Inclusive Access and Quality EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC 24-Nov-2020 18-Feb-2021 Education project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Education Investment Project Republic of the Union of Ministry of Education Financing Myanmar Proposed Development Objective(s) Parent To improve equitable access to, and quality of, basic education delivered through formal, alternative and complementary institutions and providers. Components Component 5: Supporting continued learning, recovery, and resilience in the education sector in conflict-affected states in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Component 1: Improving quality and increasing inclusion in formal basic education schools Component 2: Improving access to quality education for children at risk of being excluded Component 3: Strengthening systems Component 4: Operational Support PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 14.00 Total Financing 14.00 of which IBRD/IDA 0.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 Non-World Bank Group Financing Oct 29, 2020 Page 2 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Trust Funds 14.00 Education for All - Fast Track Initiative 14.00 Environmental Assessment Category B-Partial Assessment Decision The review did authorize the team to appraise and negotiate Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context Country Context Although resource rich, Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. It has a population of approximately 54 million and a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of US$1,275 (2016).1 The poverty headcount was estimated at 25 percent in 2017, a reduction from 48 percent in 2005, and concentrated particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas (Ministry of Planning and Finance [MOPF] and World Bank [WB] 2019). In 2011, the country embarked on multiple transitions: from a planned to an open market economy, from military to civilian rule, and from conflict to peace. The country held democratic national elections in 2015 and 2020, with the National League for Democracy achieving landslide victories in both years. It experienced strong economic growth (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth in Myanmar was projected to reach 6.3 percent in FY2019/20 and 6.4 percent in FY2020/21), a substantial reduction in poverty, and other significant changes in all sectors of society, and progress—albeit somewhat limited—on the nationwide peace process, which led to the signing in October 2015 of a national ceasefire agreement (NCA) between the government and many, but not all, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs).2 Despite the progress made in the past decade, significant challenges remain regarding conflict, income, location and ethnic disparities, as well as social inclusion. The country has around two dozen major EAOs,3 many of which have been engaged over decades in a struggle to preserve their languages and cultures while retaining control over political and economic life in their areas. About 273,000 displaced people remain in camps or camp-like situations after fleeing violence in Kachin, Kayin, Shan and Rakhine 1 See World Bank Open Data. http://data.worldbank.org. 2 Eight of 20 EAOs around the country initially signed the NCA, and two others did so in 2018. 3 Myanmar is thought to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the region. The precise breakdown of ethnic groups is contested. The government officially recognizes 135 distinct ethnic groups, which are referred to in the constitution as “national races.� The country has more than 100 living languages. The majority Bamar population is widely believed to account for approximately 65 percent of the national population. Oct 29, 2020 Page 3 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) states.4 People all over Myanmar, particularly poor people, have limited access to basic services and infrastructure, including clean water, education, health care, and electricity. Lack of access to markets and services correlates with location, ethnicity, religion, and citizenship status. Gender equality indicators have slowly improved in recent years, but social norms continue to delineate spaces available to men and to women to a large extent, significantly affecting, among other things, access to the labor market (MOPF and WB 2017). Humanitarian needs in Myanmar are driven by multiple factors including armed conflict, inter- communal violence, and vulnerability to natural hazards. The situation is aggravated by chronic poverty, protracted displacement, food insecurity, limited social support networks, and underlying inequalities including statelessness, segregation, discrimination, and gender disparities that exacerbate the needs, vulnerabilities and marginalization of people in many parts of the country. Civilian populations in Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine and Shan states—the conflict-states identified by Myanmar’s Humanitarian Response Plan 2020 (HRP 2020)—are particularly exposed to significant protection risks that threaten their dignity, physical and mental wellbeing, and living standards. More than 985,000 people in Myanmar need humanitarian assistance. Of these, some 864,000 people are experiencing critical problems related to physical and mental wellbeing, and approximately 973,000 are suffering from critical problems related to living standards. Townships in Rakhine state, which hosts most of the people in need (76 per cent of the total), are the most severely affected among conflict-affected states (although all locations have pockets of extreme need). Rakhine suffers from underdevelopment, intercommunal conflict, and lingering grievances toward the central government. The humanitarian situation in Rakhine State has deteriorated significantly since August 2017, when security operations by the Myanmar Armed Forces, in response to armed attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, caused an exodus of more than 740,000 refugees – mostly Muslims who self-identify as Rohingya5 – to Bangladesh. Such violence has exacerbated communal tensions and deepened social fractures. An estimated 600,000 Muslims currently remain in Rakhine. In addition, there are other particularly vulnerable people who continue to require special attention or support because of different factors including, inter alia, armed conflict, statelessness, movement restrictions, malnutrition and severe psychological distress. The impact of this protracted displacement is compounded by movement restrictions, especially in Rakhine, that continue to limit access to livelihoods and essential services such as education and healthcare, deepening vulnerability and dependence on humanitarian aid.6 The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to Myanmar’s economy and society. Starting from an initial very low number of confirmed COVID19 cases,7 the number of infected people is now rising fast, with more than a 1,000 confirmed cases per day in late September 2020. Economic growth in a baseline scenario is projected to drop from 6.8 percent in FY18/19 to just 0.5 percent in FY2019/20, according to the World Bank’s Myanmar Economic Monitor. If the pandemic is protracted, the economy could contract by as much as 2.5 percent in FY2019/20, with the expected recovery in 2020/21 subject to further 4 For the remaining of the documents we will use the term IDP camps for the official camps in central Rakhine State and IDP sites for camp-like situations elsewhere. 7In accordance with the Kofi Annan Advisory Commission report on Rakhine State (2017) and with the United Nations, we do not use the terms “Bengali� or “Rohingya� but refer to this population as “Muslims� or “the Muslim community in Rakhine.� This does not include the Kaman Muslims in Rakhine or other Muslims in the country. 6 Humanitarian Needs Overview Myanmar; issue December 2019 7 350 confirmed cases and 6 deaths as of 28 July 2020 Oct 29, 2020 Page 4 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) downside risks. The government’s COVID19 response has highlighted deep fragmentation across Myanmar society, in particular along ethnic lines. Large parts of the population, especially in rural and ceasefire areas, have not had similar access to government health services and support, and have instead been relying on civil society or ethnic armed groups. Rakhine is one of the worst affected states in the country.8 Sectoral and Institutional Context The education sector in Myanmar is a complex web of systems and providers that cater to over 9.1 million school students and 830,000 university students. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is the largest provider of education services in Myanmar. Accounting for 83 percent of public spending in the sector, it manages more than 47,000 public schools and oversees 134 higher education institutions. MoE also runs school-based early childhood education (ECD) programs in about 4,000 schools with some support from UNICEF and different NGOs, and some local faith-based organizations have been implementing ECD programs using the community-based approach9. In addition, more than 1,500 monastic schools registered with the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) deliver the MOE curriculum while providing food and board for almost 297,000 children from the poorest communities and households. Ethnic basic education providers (some affiliated with ethnic armed organizations) provide education services of varying quality to more than 300,000 children, with well-established systems operating in Kachin, Kayah, Kayin and Mon states. Public spending on education has increased significantly in recent years reflecting the priority given by the government to the education sector. Public spending on education rose from US$230 million in 2011- 12 to more than US$1.4 billion equivalent in 2018–19. This increase in the growth of the education budget is greater that the budget in increase in most other sectors. Nevertheless, at approximately 7.7 percent of government expenditures and 2.5 percent of GDP in 2018-19, public education spending is considerably lower than in neighboring and comparator countries. The country has made remarkable gains during the past decade in ensuring access to school education (kindergarten to grade 11) and has achieved gender equity in access. The average net enrollment rate in the country increased from 88 percent in 2009-10 to 97 percent in 2016-17 in primary schools, from 52 percent to 71 percent in middle schools, and from 26 percent to 44 percent in high schools. The school education sector in Myanmar is characterized by a high degree of gender equality in access, especially at the primary level. Some gender gaps open as children progress through the education system, with boys dropping out of school at greater rates than girls in middle and high school. Some progress has also been made in recent years in initiating reforms focused on enhancing the quality of school education. For example, multiple rounds of early grade reading and mathematics assessments (EGRA and EGMA) have been implemented by MOE, with technical support from the World Bank, for the 8The Asia Foundation. 2020. COVID19 and Conflict in Myanmar. Briefing Paper Series No.1 9The Ministry of Social Welfare, Resettlement and Rehabilitation is the focal/lead ministry for early childhood care and development, but has limited budget and manpower. Oct 29, 2020 Page 5 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) purpose of informing quality reforms. A teacher mentoring program has been implemented to enhance the pedagogical skills and content knowledge of teachers. A major curriculum reform, including revision of the content and pedagogical strategies and the move to a kindergarten-to-12th grade structure have been initiated. New classrooms have been added and many more have been renovated to reduce overcrowding and improve the quality of school infrastructure. And many new teachers and teaching assistants (assigned to classrooms to help non-Myanmar-speaking students) have been recruited. The government has in place the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2016-21 to guide education reforms in the country. The NESP 2016-21 provides the government, education stakeholders and citizens with a 'roadmap' for sector-wide education reform, in order to improve access to, and quality of education for students at all levels of the national education system. It is the first of its kind in Myanmar. The MoE, with the support of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and development partners, has begun the work of drafting the next NESP, which is expected to be a 10 year strategy (2021 – 2030) aligned with the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP) and the Global Sustainable Development Goals. Despite these achievements, however, major challenges remain in the school education sector, especially in the areas of quality and equity. The coverage of ECD is estimated at 25%, which is the lowest among the countries in the region. At the national level, it is estimated that less than 30 percent of grade 3 students in government schools achieve fluency in reading grade-appropriate text in the Myanmar language, and less than 40 percent achieve proficiency in solving basic mathematical problems. According to the Human Capital Index, a child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 9.8 years of schooling by his or her 18th birthday (expected years of school), but only 6.7 years when factoring in what children actually learn. The problem of equity spans multiple dimensions. There are significant disparities in access and learning outcomes across children from different income groups, geographical areas, and language groups. Dropout rates are especially high for children and youth from poorer households, as is the prevalence of out-of-school children.10 Students from poorer households also perform significantly worse on EGRA. The gap in nonattendance rates for youth between the state with the highest prevalence of nonattendance (Shan East) and the region with the lowest (Chin) is 38 percentage points. Students who predominantly use the Myanmar language at home perform significantly better on EGRA. There is also an urgent need to ensure equitable and unbroken access to quality education in conflict-affected areas, and among internally displaced population groups. Children in conflict-affected areas face multiple challenges in accessing education. In Kachin, Shan and Chin states, while girls and boys in government-controlled areas are able to enroll in government schools, challenges including overcrowding, limited availability of teaching and learning materials, and the lack of multi-lingual education using children’s first language remain. These first two challenges are even more pronounced in EAO-controlled areas. In Rakhine, the security situation affects access to quality and inclusive education for children in IDP camps (because of the protracted crisis since 2012), children affected by the escalation of conflict in 2017 in northern Rakhine as well as children displaced by the ongoing conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces and the Arakan Army. Further, ongoing movement 10According to the 2014 census, approximately 23 percent of children aged 5 to 16 were out of school in 2015–16, having dropped out or never attended school. Some are working and over-age and are highly unlikely to ever enroll in formal schools. Others are from displaced or migrant households and face difficulties accessing schools because of their mobility and, when they do, generally receive lower quality services Oct 29, 2020 Page 6 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) restrictions mean that many stateless children are only able to access primary education within NGO- supported temporary learning classrooms (TLCs) in camps or in community schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has added further challenges to the education system. Because of COVID-19, schools are currently closed, and it is unclear when they will reopen as the number of confirmed COVID19 cases in Myanmar is increasing. Since schools were closed for holidays during the months of March, April and May, disruptions in schooling due to lost school days are not as high as in many other countries; but this could change as the situation evolves and if the spread is not brought under control in the foreseeable future. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the risks and challenges, especially in conflict-affected areas, and highlighted the need for strengthening system-level preparedness and response mechanisms for education, with greater collaboration between the Ministry of Education and education sector partners. MOE has prepared a comprehensive COVID19 response plan—the Myanmar COVID-19 National Response and Recovery Plan for the Education Sector (COVID-19 RRP)--that identifies the major potential impacts of COVID-19 on education access, equity, quality and management, and outlines a set of recommended measures for tackling these problems. While MOE has started implementing a number of these measures to tackle the problems arising from the pandemic, partly through a GPE financed project specifically for responding to COVID-19 (being managed by UNICEF), more needs to be done. GPE has further resources available to countries experiencing conflict, and MOE has requested the Bank to manage these resources to also support its COVID19 response efforts. The Bank is supporting Myanmar to meet many of the above challenges in the basic education sector through two operations—the Decentralizing Funding to Schools Project (DFSP) and the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (IAQE). DFSP is the first lending project supported by the Bank in Myanmar’s education sector. Started in 2014 with a focus on helping the government to improve its school grants and student stipend programs, it was extended in 2018 with additional financing and added programmatic priorities to improve the inclusiveness of school funding management and enhance support to teachers’ professional development. IAQE, the parent project for this AF, aims to improve equitable access to, and quality of, basic education. However, there is a need for increased investment to support key activities in MOE’s response plan with a specific focus on conflict-affected areas in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. C. Proposed Development Objective(s) Original PDO To improve equitable access to, and quality of, basic education delivered through formal, alternative and complementary institutions and providers. Current PDO To improve equitable access to, and quality of, basic education delivered through formal, alternative and complementary institutions and providers. Oct 29, 2020 Page 7 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Key Results • Improving planning and funding of basic education schools • Enhancing skills and practices of teachers and head teachers • Expanding access to quality education services for marginalized children • Moving toward partnerships with ethnic basic education providers (EBEPs) • Strengthening public financial management (PFM) systems • Strengthening human resources management (HRM) systems • Improving access to and quality of formal basic education in conflict areas • Improving access to, and quality of, alternative education in conflict-affected areas • Strengthening management support and school-based planning for education delivery D. Project Description The proposed AF will add a fifth DLI-based component and some activities to the existing fourth component (Operational Support) of the Inclusive Access and Quality Education (IAQE) project, the parent project. Building upon and complementing the activities in Components 1, 2 and 3 of the parent project, the activities under Component 5 will continue to support improvements in the quality of and equitable access to both formal basic education and non-formal or alternative education (AE), specifically targeting the most vulnerable children in selected townships within the conflict-affected states of Chin, Kachin, Rakhine, and Shan North. These activities will respond to the educational needs brought about by escalating conflict and intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the AF will also finance technical assistance and goods to support effective implementation and monitoring of Component 5. These goods and services will be added to Component 4 of the parent project. 1. Additions to Component 4 (Operational Support) of IAQE (US$5.65 million): The additions to this component include AF financed goods, consultancy services, and non-consultancy services aimed at supporting effective implementation and monitoring of activities under component 5. These goods and services will be procured centrally at the Union level by MOE. a. Teaching-learning material and other supplies for students and schools to improve the quality of the learning environment. These materials will be provided to children and schools in both formal basic education and Alternative Education (AE), giving priority to townships with greater number of children directly affected by conflict and other emergencies, prioritizing townships affected by COVID19.11 The specific goods to be financed are as follows: • Learning kits (including ethnic language textbooks for grades 1-3) for all primary level students in the targeted schools for use both in school and at home. • Student kits—which include school bags, uniforms, sandals, stationery, and raincoats/umbrellas— for all primary level students in the targeted schools and for all learners in AE centers in the targeted townships. • Teacher kits—which include uniforms, T-shirts with logo, bags, stationary, umbrellas and id cards— for all facilitators in AE centers and TLCs in the targeted townships. 11The locations and timing for provision of these materials will be discussed with EiE partners at the sub-national level to ensure planned distributions of similar materials by EiE partners are complementary. Oct 29, 2020 Page 8 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) • School kits—which include, inter alia, blackboards, chalk, dusters, ledger books, student register books, office supplies, and sanitation and hygiene materials for COVID19 prevention—for all targeted schools12 and all AE centers in the targeted townships. • Classroom book corners with age-appropriate children’s books for independent reading (in multiple languages) in all the primary education classrooms in the targeted schools.13 • Materials and supplies to support pre-vocational activities in targeted NFME centers. b. ICT equipment and technical assistance to support self-learning and distance-learning by teachers (through digital versions of continuous professional development [CPD] modules) and students (through MOE’s Digital Teaching & Learning Toolkit [DTLT]). The AF will finance the provision of MP3-4 players or tablets—preloaded with the CPD modules and instructions for self-learning for primary school teachers, AE facilitators, and AE Township Monitors (TMs) and Regional Monitors (RMs). Providing ready access to digital versions of the CPD modules will enable teachers to continue with their learning activities even when face-to-face CPD delivery is disrupted due to conflict and other emergencies, thereby enhancing system resilience. It will also finance the development of videos lessons in selected subjects and grades, the distribution of locally accessible MOE DBE Boxes14 containing digital content to a number of schools, TLCs and AE centers to support alternative means of delivering instruction for student learning , and the provision of laptops, LCD projectors, and projection screens in a subset of these institutions to support the delivery of video lessons and other digital content in the classroom. c. Technical assistance to enhance MOE monitoring and evaluation capacity. There is a need to strengthen the capacity of MOE to collect timely monitoring data and conduct more rigorous applied research on conflict-affected areas. To address this need, the AF will finance technical assistance in the form of consultancy services to undertake the following tasks: • Update existing smart-phone based (Open Data Kit [ODK] based) online/offline data collection instruments to capture key information related to the impact of COVID19, violent conflict, and other emergencies, and update the dashboard for the ODK based application to include more analytical tools and provisions for generating standard summary reports. Taking into account potential connectivity issues in conflict-affected areas, these applications will have provisions for offline data collection and delayed batch upload of saved data. • Upgrade MOE’s web-based Communication for Management (C4M) application and the EMIS system to enable the integration of data from the ODK applications. • Expand/scale up the use of the ODK based smart-phone based applications by school heads in conflict-areas for timely data collection and dispatch. • Conduct a census or a representative survey of children (both in-school and out of school) in conflict-affected areas to collect updated information on the number of out-of-school children, 12 Adequate number of school kits will be provided to cover all primary education classrooms in the targeted schools. 13 Note: To ensure the effecting use of these book corners, teachers and school heads will receive orientation on appropriate strategies for nurturing the reading habit among children and promoting reading for fun. 14 A DBE Box is built on the Raspberry Pi mini-computers, and includes routers that enable mobile phones to access the content of the Box. Hence, it can provide access to digital content even in conflict-affected areas and rural areas where the internet is not available. Oct 29, 2020 Page 9 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) challenges facing these children, and reasons for their dropping out of school or not attending school regularly. • Support DBE’s Planning and Statistics unit in triangulating data from different sources, and producing research notes to inform interventions targeted at conflict areas, including notes on barrier analysis of out of school children and analysis of the impact of COVID19. As part of its efforts to enhance system capacity to effectively monitor implementation progress and outcomes in conflict-affected areas, especially in times of emergencies, MOE will also strengthen its collaboration and interactions with the EiE sector to collect, discuss and validate data/information gathered from hard to reach areas, and inform interventions. d. Support for teacher training in contested conflict-affected areas not reached by government institutions and services. The AF also seeks to enhance access to quality education for students affected by conflict and other emergencies in areas where it is not possible to deliver educational services through government institutions. The AF will support the training of primary level community teachers, focusing mainly on early grade teaching, TCSF beginner competencies and psycho-social support. The training will be conducted in three batches either by MOE trainers (if training venues outside the contested areas can be utilized) or through partnerships with ethnic basic education providers (EBEPs) or non-consultancy service contracts with non-government education providers which can operate in these areas. This training can be viewed as a possible pilot intervention, in-line with component 2.2 of the IAQE, possible only if all parties agree. 2. Component 5: Supporting continued learning, recovery, and resilience in the education sector in conflict-affected states in the context of the COVID19 pandemic (US$8.50 million). The activities proposed financed under this component are organized into three sub-components—one focused on Formal Basic Education, another focused on Alternative Education (AE), and the third focuses on management and planning. 3. Formal basic education includes basic education services that schools sanctioned by or falling under the purview of the government deliver, following the official MOE curriculum, within the regular school grade structure and hours. Government schools managed by MOE and monastic schools registered with the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) fall under this category. Facilities of these schools are generally permanent but can also be in the form of temporary learning centers (TLCs). On the other hand, AE is provided in accelerated and flexible learning programs following an integrated curriculum that allows students to achieve critical end-of-cycle competencies in fewer years than in formal schools and delivered at a time and place that suits the learners better. Currently MOE is operating AE centers in 92 Townships across Myanmar. The centers are classrooms in schools, community centers, religious venues such as monasteries, etc., with classes often held outside regular school hours. While AE is currently limited to non-formal primary education (NFPE), a small pilot on non-formal middle school education (NFME) has been implemented with the support of UNICEF in a limited number of townships. 4. The three subcomponents are described below. The first and second subcomponents focus on improving access to and quality of basic education in the targeted areas. The third subcomponent focuses on strengthening management and planning for dealing with emergencies. Oct 29, 2020 Page 10 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) 5. Subcomponent 5.1: Improving access to and quality of formal basic education in conflict- affected areas for continued learning (US$5.62 million). This subcomponent will finance activities that seek to improve the quality of the classroom learning environment through the enhancement of teacher capacity, address the problem of teacher shortage, provide academic support to children at risk of repetition and dropping out, and provide additional classroom space in schools facing space constraints in the targeted conflict-affected areas in Kachin, Chin, Rakhine and Shan (North).15 While improving teacher capacity and teacher availability are primarily quality-focused interventions, providing support to children at risk of repetition and drop out and expanding classroom space help to address both quality and access issues.16 Unless stated otherwise, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) at MOE will be responsible for leading the implementation of activities under this subcomponent. a. Strengthen the capacity of primary level teachers in formal schools and TLCs operating in camps for internally displaced people (IDP). The capacity building of teachers, in both schools and TLCs, will focus on training teachers to provide special support to students who are lagging behind in literacy and numeracy, address disparities in learning levels of students, and provide psycho-social support to students affected by conflict and other emergencies, particularly the COVID19 pandemic. The specific activities to be financed to support capacity building of primary level teachers in schools include a rapid needs assessment of teachers and schools to determine what should be included in the in the training package and also identify the schools most in need; the development of a comprehensive teacher training package for delivering remedial education; and the delivery of a five day training using this package. The training package will cover, inter alia, approaches to • assessing the learning levels of students and identifying students needing remedial education in literacy and numeracy, • classroom organization and management for dealing with disparities in learning levels and responding to the needs of different students with different learning levels, • delivering dedicated remedial classes to children lagging behind, and • providing psycho-social support to children affected by conflict and other emergencies. When developing this training package, existing teacher training modules with necessary updates will be utilized as relevant. The above activities will be implemented jointly by DBE and DEPRT. The training will be delivered by DERPT and DBE core trainers’ team in small batches in each of the targeted states to ensure adequate social distancing. 15The following eighteen townships with high need are being targeted in these states: Waingmaw, Myitkyina, Hpakant, Shwegu in Kachin; Paletwa in Chin, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Rathaedaung, Myaybon, Ponnakyun, Kyaukphyu, Sittwe and Ann in Rakhine; and Laukkai, Kutkai, Muse, Hseni, Namkhan in Shan (North). 16To further support MOE’s efforts at improving the quality of the classroom learning environment, the AF will also finance the provision of student kits, school kits, and classroom book corners in the targeted schools through Component 4 of the project. Details are provided in the description of Component 4. Oct 29, 2020 Page 11 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) The capacity building of TLC teachers/facilitators in IDP camps17 will utilize a modified version of the above training package, which will give special attention to approaches to early grade reading and math teaching, teaching to children with disabilities, peace and inclusion, and providing psychosocial support to students directly affected by conflict and other emergencies. The early grade reading and math teaching module will be based on the Early Grade Teaching (EGT) manuals developed under IAQE. TLCs targeted for receiving this training package will be identified through a rapid phone survey of needs and interests.18 The training will cater to existing volunteer teachers and newly recruited volunteer teachers19 associated with these TLCs. As there are restrictions on the movement of individuals working in camps, these teachers will be trained in three batches in small groups for a 20- day residential training program conducted within their respective states/regions using Teacher Educator Trainers from Education Colleges and Core Trainers from State/District Education Offices. These activities will be implemented jointly by Department of Education Research, Planning and Training (DERPT) and DBE in collaboration with Department of Higher Education (DHE) and EiE sector partners, under the leadership of DERPT. The capacity building of both primary school teachers and AE facilitators will also include training in the effective use of DTLT, which MOE plans to develop and implement in schools and AE centers. The core element of the DTLT will be its digital curriculum content, which will include professionally produced videos of expert teachers teaching lessons for different grades and subjects, and in different languages. This content will be made available to schools, teachers and students through MOE’s DBE Boxes, which are stand-alone offline units (containing digital content) distributed to individual schools. The AF will also finance, through Component 4, the distribution of DBE boxes to schools, TLCs and AE centers in the targeted townships implementing DTLT; the provision of laptops, LCD projectors, and projection screens to a subset of these schools and TLCs and AE centers; and the development of videos of lessons in selected subjects and grades. This will help contribute to increasing the resilience of the education system in conflict affected areas to deal with future emergencies and unexpected school closures, and help -bridge the digital divide for the most disadvantaged populations. In addition to the above activities, the AF will support the development/updating and distribution of CPD modules to enhance system resilience in the longer term. More specifically, the following CPD modules will be updated or added: beginner level module on pedagogy, assessment, classroom management, and communication in alignment with the Teacher Competency Standards Framework (TCSF); teaching to children with disabilities module; peace and inclusion module; remedial education module; and, module on providing psycho-social support to children affected by conflict or other emergencies. Digital versions of these CPD modules will be developed and made accessible to all 17 These include camps established before 2017 (excluding camps declared closed by the government) and not covered by the parent IAQE project. 18 When implementing this survey and other needs assessments, MOE will work in collaboration with the EiE sector partners to triangulate the information obtained from the surveys with information available to the EiE sector. 19 As volunteer Teachers are recruited from the communities residing in the camps, they speak the same language as the children studying in the TLCs. Oct 29, 2020 Page 12 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) teachers through the ministry’s Myanmar Digital Education Platform (MDEP), a dedicated web-based training platform for teachers.20 The AF will also finance, through component 4, the provision of MP3- 4 players or tablets --preloaded with the CPD modules and instructions for self-learning--to primary school teachers in the targeted beneficiary schools and TLCs. b. Increase the number of teachers in schools with teacher shortage. This activity aims to enable adequate social distancing in classrooms and improve the quality of the classroom learning environment in the targeted schools by reducing the teacher-student ratio in each classroom. To achieve this goal, the AF will finance the implementation of a rapid needs assessment to identify institutions with a teacher shortage, and the recruitment, training and deployment of volunteer teachers, language teachers and teaching assistants in these schools. Given that most children in the target states use ethnic languages other than Myanmar, efforts will be made to address language issues by ensuring that these teachers are from the local communities. c. Provide extra academic support to children at risk of repetition and dropping out of school. This activity aims to address the disparity in learning levels among students, enable lagging students to catch up, and motivate them to remain in school. Special support will be provided to early grade students who are lagging behind in literacy and numeracy, particularly due to school closures resulting from conflict and the COVID19 pandemic. The specific sub-activities to be financed include the development (by MOE) of classroom-based assessment instruments to enable teachers to identify students lagging behind significantly in literacy and numeracy, and areas/topics where special support is needed; assessment of the learning levels of students in primary grades to identify students needing remedial education as well as to track students’ progress; and the delivery of remedial education to the identified students to help them catch up with other students. Remedial education classes will be held either during or outside regular school hours, and will be conducted using the remedial education package developed under the MOE GPE COVID19 Project. Procedures and mechanisms to enable teachers to remain connected to students remotely will be implemented more systematically to ensure that all students, including the most at-risk children, are adequately supported even during potential extended school closures in the future. d. Provide additional temporary classroom space in existing schools and in TLCs in IDP camps with inadequate classroom space. This activity aims to ensure that schools in the beneficiary townships and TLCs in the targeted open camps for IDPs have the necessary classroom space and furniture to enable students to maintain adequate physical distance from each other and prevent overcrowding. The specific sub-activities to be financed include the implementation of a needs assessment to identify and prioritize existing schools and TLCs in IDP camps that are most in need of additional classroom space; provision of additional temporary classroom space in existing schools and TLCs in IDP camps according to the priority list; provision of individual moveable desks in these classroom spaces with seating appropriately organized to maximize physical distances between students; and infrastructure enhancements to ensure that classrooms and WASH areas are accessible to differently abled children. These additional temporary structures21 and infrastructure enhancements in schools will be financed 20 These modules can also be accessed through DBE Boxes, which contain teacher training content and teaching aids for teachers in the form of video, short stories, poems, and illustrated materials for learners. 21 These addition temporary structures can be established either through new construction or by refurbishing existing rooms currently used for other purposes. Oct 29, 2020 Page 13 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) by funds transferred to beneficiary schools as supplements to the SIF.22 The SISP OGs will be updated to include this new funding stream. In the case of TLCs, funds for expanding these temporary structures will be transferred as block grants through the township education offices to committees comprised of a majority of PTA members, and these committees will undertake the construction using locally hired workers. TEO offices are responsible for quality assurance of TLC construction. 6. Subcomponent 5.2: Improving access to, and quality of, AE23 in conflict-affected areas for continued learning (US$2.53 million). Aligned with NESP chapter 10, strategies 2 and 3 (components 1, 2, and 3 of each strategy), and chapter 6, strategy 2 (component 1), this subcomponent will expand AE services for over-age out-of-school children in the targeted conflict affected areas. The component will finance activities that seek to enhance access to quality AE (NFPE and NFME) for children who are affected by conflict and emergencies (including COVID19), and are unable to join formal schools, by offering an alternate pathway towards educational attainment and accreditation. The current NFPE and NFME classes are run in “AE centers� – which are ordinary schools, community centers, and religious venues such as monasteries, but with most classes often conducted outside of regular formal school hours. The activities to be implemented include (a) enhancing access to quality AE through MOE and other AE providers, (b) 7. improving the quality of the learning environment for children attending non-formal/AE programs, and (c) strengthening the capacity of facilitators to deliver quality instruction in institutions offering AE in conflict affected areas. a. Expand access to quality AE for children who are affected by conflict and emergencies and are unable to join formal schools. DAE will increase the provision of quality non-formal primary education (NFPE) and non-formal middle school education (NFME) through AE centers.24 Priority will be given to 10 townships in Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states25 where there are large numbers of children directly affected by conflict and other emergencies, including COVID19. Around fifty percent of the targeted NFME students, including students in Rakhine, will also be provided access to pre-vocational education, which will be integrated in the NFME curriculum as additional modules relevant to the conflict-affected context for the purpose of giving the children exposure to certain relevant vocational subjects.26 The specific activities to be financed include a needs assessment to determine the number and locations of additional NFPE and NFME classes that need be established in conflict affected areas, along with the required number of facilitators, TMs and RMs; the establishment of NFPE and NFME classes in learning centers along with the necessary teaching learning kits and facilities, in accordance with the current modalities; design of pre-vocational modules integrated in the broader NFME curriculum; and delivery of the NFPE and NFME curriculum, including pre-vocational modules 22Note that schools in townships covered by the IAQE parent project will be eligible to receive up to $15,000 in SIF funding to undertake major repairs. Hence under the AF, only schools in townships not covered by the IAQE parent project will be eligible to get funds for additional temporary classroom space. 23 Currently MOE uses the term Alternative Education (AE) to cover a range of education initiatives delivered through alternative means, this includes Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE), Non-Formal Middle School Education (NFME); Accelerated Learning Programs and adult literacy programs. 24 AE centers are in the vast majority of xxx in the MoE DBE schools xxx 25 Paletwa (Chin); Mansi, Shwegu, Waingmaw (Kachin); Sittwe, Mrauk-U, Buthidaung (Rakhine); Muse, Namkhan, Namtu (Shan) 26Provisions can be made to provide these NFME graduates with certificates indicating that they have also taken pre-vocational courses. Oct 29, 2020 Page 14 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) integrated in the NFME package.27 The flow of funds will be channeled through the Township Education Offices28, as the DAE does not have a decentralized presence in the Townships. b. To improve the quality of the learning environment for children attending AE in conflict-affected areas, the AF will support the recruitment of facilitators,29 TMs, and RMs and their deployment in the newly established NFPE and NFME centers. The facilitators will primarily be recruited from the local communities and schools to address language issues. In addition, the AF will support the provision of additional WASH facilities in the learning centers, ensuring that they are accessible to differently abled learners and are gender sensitive. These improvements in the quality of the learning environment will be reinforced by the provision of student kits to all targeted students in the selected townships through Component 4 of the project. c. To strengthen the capacity of facilitators to deliver quality instruction in institutions offering AE in conflict affected areas, the AF will finance a rapid needs assessment of facilitators and centers to determine what should be included in the updated AE Facilitator Training Package (FTP), the updating of the FTP based on this assessment, and the delivery of facilitator training using the updated FTP. Preliminary analyses of the existing training package, feedback from the facilitators, and the need to adjust the training content towards children in conflict affected areas, suggest that the training should emphasize, inter alia, i) pedagogy, assessment, classroom management, communication; ii) diagnostic assessments of students; iii) understanding the needs of and teaching to children with disabilities module; iv) peace and inclusion education modules; and v) psycho-social support to the most vulnerable children affected by conflict and/or other emergencies. The updated FTP package will also include training on teaching pre-vocational subjects. Digital versions of these modules will be made accessible to all facilitators through the MOE website. The availability of these modules will enhance system resilience and have longer-term benefits. The training using the updated FTP will be conducted in small batches to ensure adequate social distancing. Complementing the training of facilitators, including those working in the temporary learning centers (TLCs) and camps for IDPs, a peer networking and mentoring system for facilitators will also be developed and implemented. The AF will also finance, through component 4, the provision of MP3-4 players or tablets to facilitators in the beneficiary AE centers. 8. DAE will lead the subcomponent, and will be responsible for the implementation of the AEP and the preparation of related OGs and training modules.30 It will also oversee consultations with state and regional authorities and other stakeholders; design of OGs and training modules; and monitoring of overall implementation and progress. At the state, regional, and township levels, state and region education offices (SREOs) and township education offices (TEOs) will be tasked with coordinating and overseeing implementation of the AEP in accordance with the relevant OGs. 9. Subcomponent 5.3: Strengthening management support and school-based planning for education delivery during conflicts and other emergencies (US$0.2 million). This subcomponent aims to build the capacity of MOE officials to deal with conflicts and emergencies and support schools to 27 In addition, materials and supplies to support pre-vocational activities will be provided to NFME centers through Component 4. 28 These offices are under DBE. 29 Facilitators is the term used by MOE for teachers working in the NFPE and the NFME centers. 30 Currently the DAE trainings are conducted by the Myanmar Literacy and Resource Center (MLRC). Oct 29, 2020 Page 15 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) effectively plan for potential emergencies and subsequent recovery. To build the capacity of officials, it will finance the training and sensitization of key MOE staff, district and township education officers, and Teacher Educator Trainers on challenges faced by schools, parents, students and local officials in the face of emergencies and conflict, including challenges in ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities, and on approaches to responding to such crises. The strengthening of school-based planning for emergency response will focus on enabling schools to plan effectively for the COVID recovery phase. More specifically, it will support preparation of school-based plans to resume face-to-face classes safely and to prepare responses to potential future COVID19 outbreaks and other emergencies through the provision of funding and standardized planning templates. The plans will also be aligned with MOE's Emergency Preparedness Response Framework (EPRF). The AF will also finance the provision of psycho-social support to teachers and students affected by conflict and other emergencies (including, inter alia, counseling services, preparation and distribution of materials, and establishment of appropriate mechanisms for monitoring the status of the affected individuals). E. Implementation Institutional and Implementation Arrangements The implementation arrangements, including those for financial management, procurement, environmental and social risk management, and monitoring, will largely remain the same as in the parent project. The overall responsibility for implementation will continue to rest with MOE departments at the central level and MOE officers and teachers at the decentralized levels. The relevant MOE departments will include the IAQE-AF supported activities in their department budgets, following the regular MOE budget preparation and approval cycles. Once the budgets are approved and effective, funding will be available to the departments for implementation. MOE will then make funding available to states/regions, districts, townships, schools, and AE service providers in accordance with Government Financial Rules and Regulations and OGs to be agreed upon with the World Bank. The implementation of procurement under the AF will continue to follow the parent project procedures and protocols for Component 4. As in the parent project, MOE will be allowed to request disbursements from the World Bank twice a year (typically in October and April), except for the initial disbursement which can take place immediately after project effectiveness. The governance arrangements also remain unchanged. The governance structure consists of four key committees: (a) Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) with representation at the deputy director general (DG) level from each department, and chaired by one of the deputy DGs, (b) DG level Technical Working Group (TWG), chaired by the DG of one of the lead departments, (c) Project Steering Committee (PSC) chaired by the MOE deputy minister, and (d) Capacity Development Management Committee (CDMC), chaired by the MOE union minister. These committees also include representation from the DPs, including the World Bank. The MEWG, TWG, and PSC meet every six months. The MEWG reviews implementation progress, identifies issues and challenges, and provides recommendations for future action. The TWG reviews these recommendations, along with project progress, and makes decisions on the recommended actions. The PSC, which is accountable for overall funding, implementation, and achievement of results, decides on higher-level recommendations from the TWG. The CDMC ensures coordination of project activities with other capacity development efforts in the sector. Oct 29, 2020 Page 16 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Given the special focus of the AF on conflict areas and education in emergencies, it is being proposed that representation in the MEWG, TWG and PSC be expanded to also include the EiE sector coordinator. Furthermore, meetings with the EiE sector representatives and the World Bank will be organized every two months by the DBE EiE focal point to jointly discuss project implementation progress in the geographical areas targeted by the AF. The implementation of the AF financed activities will be led by DBE and DAE. The two departments will work in close collaboration with other contributing departments, including DERPT, Department of Monitoring and Evaluation-Research (DM&E-R), Department of Myanmar National Languages (DMNL) and DHE. While DBE will have overall responsibility for subcomponents 5.1 and 5.3, DERPT will lead the development of training packages and modules, and the central level training of trainers contributing to the Subcomponent 5.1. Similarly, DBE will implement subcomponent 5.3 in collaboration with DAE and DM&E-R. DAE will lead the implementation of subcomponent 5.2, working in close collaboration with DBE, DM&E-R, DMNL. The AF supported activities under Component 4 will be implemented by the relevant lead and contributing departments, which will be responsible for procuring the financed goods and services. The MOE finance department under the Minister’s office will be responsible for coordinating overall financial management and financial reporting. . F. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The AF activities for school improvement support, in-service training, and alternative or non-formal education will target selected townships within the conflict-affected states of Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan North, as well as IDP camps located in these states. Selection of townships is based on education, health, hardship and deprivation indicators. The project scope reflects that basic education in Myanmar faces identifiable social exclusion issues, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence points to conflict and remoteness, ethnicity, language, religion, disability, and poverty being important factors affecting access, completion, and learning. The project will also support needs-driven small scale infrastructure investments by MOE into schools in the selected townships, in response to the COVID-19 context and the need for additional space to allow social distancing. These may include renovations and upgrades, and construction of additional temporary classrooms and complementary facilities such as latrines within existing footprints of the school. The parent project already operates in and provides funding to all four states covered in the AF. The focus on the project on disadvantaged groups will include those likely to be more remote, closer to the border of the country, more ethnically diverse, and more likely to be affected by conflict than the average. Types of schools to be supported are equally representative of the diversity present in Myanmar: public, ethnic, monastic and non-formal schools. Risks related to working with in this complex social context are detailed in the social assessment as well as risk sections of this document. Oct 29, 2020 Page 17 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) G. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Martin Fodor, Environmental Specialist Marcel Robert Frederik, Social Specialist Alkadevi Morarji Patel, Social Specialist Khine Thwe Wynn, Environmental Specialist Thiha Ko Ko, Social Specialist SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY SAFEGUARD _TBL Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Given the small scale of school construction works, the environmental category is ‘B’. Proposed school civil works sub-projects will involve the need-based upgrading, rehabilitation and upgrading and expansion of schools in selected townwhips and will be confined to existing school premises. There are likely to be some concerns relating to inconveniences or nuisances (e.g., dust, noise, and construction waste) to surrounding areas during construction, as well as potential labor and working conditions and community health and safety issues. These potential human health and environmental impacts are regarded as minor, site specific, and reversible in nature, and for which mitigation measures can be readily identified. School civil works Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Yes is not specifically covered by the Myanmar Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure, and sub-projects are therefore not subject to an EIA or initial environmental assessment (IEE) or required to prepare an environmental management plan (EMP). Instead, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) of the parent project has been revised to reflect Additional Financing activities and risks, and now includes a revised Environmental Code of Practice (ECoP), Labor Management Procedures (LMP), Codes of Conduct of gender- based violence and violence against children, and COVID-19 specific measures. Oct 29, 2020 Page 18 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Social risks related to the project are considered high, and have been described in more detail, in the Summary of Key Safeguards Issues section below They include risks related to community and worker health and safety during civil works, land acquisition, exclusion of ethnic groups or vulnerable groups, and conflict. The Social Assessment (SA) prepared for the parent project was revised to cover additional financing activities and risks, as well as COVID-19 risks, as identified through free, prior and informed consultations held during project preparation in October 2020. In addition to the ECOP and to many processes integrated into project design for inclusion, the ESMF includes a Community Participatory Planning Framework (CPPF) and a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) to manage these risks and describes how the existing MOE grievance system will be strengthened across all activities. There are also additional measures and eligibility criteria for Rakhine in the ESMF. Performance Standards for Private Sector The project does not finance any private sector No Activities OP/BP 4.03 activities. Within selected townships, interested schools will submit a request to implement a civil works subproject. Schools will be selected on the basis of the quality of their request, alignment with their school improvement plan and arrangements to Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No respect the ESMF. Being limited to existing school premises, sub-project locations are likely to be located in or near to towns. The project will therefore not cause any degradation of natural habitats as defined under the safeguard policy. The project will not degrade critical forest areas as Forests OP/BP 4.36 No defined under the safeguard policy. The project will not involve any procurement of Pest Management OP 4.09 No pesticides nor cause any increased use of pesticides. No significant impacts on physical cultural resources are anticipated. The ESMF includes information about the procedure for obtaining government Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No clearance if physical cultural resources are affected. Moreover, the ESMF includes provisions for addressing chance finds should they occur. Oct 29, 2020 Page 19 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) The project will be implemented in townships where ethnic minorities are present. The government has developed the CPPF to ensure that ethnic groups, as well as other vulnerable or hard-to-reach groups, have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from the project. The principles and procedures of CPPF are being integrated in the government’s Operational Guidelines for the different programs. Local social/vulnerability assessments will be conducted in all schools and non-formal education centers and school or center level Community Participation Plans (CPP) will be prepared in line with the CPPF. CPPs will incorporate all elements of Indigenous Peoples Plan (IPP) as defined under OP 4.10, and ensure that there is Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 Yes broad community support for activities through free, prior and informed consultations. The CPPF also includes adapted requirements and eligibility criteria for schools in the three northern townships of Rakhine (Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Yatedaung) including the added requirement that the Bank conducts a prior review and provides no objections to CPPs before program implementation and disbursement. It also stipulates that if prior review of CPPs and/or monitoring identifies areas where the right of displaced persons to the restitution of the housing, land, and/or property they were forced to abandon (Pinheiro principles) is in question, the non- compliance with the CPPF allows for expenditures channeled to education providers in these areas to be declared ineligible for WB support. The rehabilitation, upgrading, and expansion of existing schools may require minor land acquisition. This presents a risk of involuntary land acquisition. The RPF describes (i) activities supported by IAQE and IAQE AF that can have land acquisition impacts; (ii) the objectives and principles of the RPF, the Myanmar national legal framework, and the gaps Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 Yes between Myanmar law and Bank policy; (iii) eligibility criteria, noting that any activity requiring involuntary land acquisition will be ineligible for project financing and prescribing specific eligibility criteria for any potential voluntary land donation; (iv) procedures to be followed for voluntary land donation; and (v) institutional arrangements, monitoring arrangements and the grievance Oct 29, 2020 Page 20 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) mechanism. The RPF is not relevant for the schools in the three northern townships in Rakhine (Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Yathedaung) given that these schools will not be eligible for civil works subprojects. Other project activities involve no risk related to land acquisition. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No The project does not involve any dams. Projects on International Waterways The project does not involve international No OP/BP 7.50 waterways. The project will not be located in any known Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No disputed areas as defined in the policy. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT OPS_SAFEGUARD_SUMMARY_TBL 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: Environmental The project is not expected to have any major environmental impacts and is therefore classified as ‘Category B’. OP/BP 4.01 is triggered and only partial environmental assessment is required. An ESMF including detailed ECOP was prepered for the parent project. The ESMF was revised to reflect the AF activities, as well as COVID-19 specific risks and now includes additional sections on Labor Management Procedures (LMP_and COVID-19 specific labor management and stakeholder engagement guidelines. The project will involve civil works in selected townships and in schools to be identified during implementation. The expected civil works will involve upgrading, rehabilitation and expansion of existing schools. Potential construction impacts are expected to be minor, site-specific, and reversible in nature, and for which mitigation measures can be readily identified. Potential adverse impacts associated with school civil works may include community and construction worker health and safety arising from air pollution caused by dust generated by excavation, inappropriate storage of construction materials and site waste management practices, noise and vibration generated by construction equipment and trucks, solid waste generation and disposal, communicable disease, traffic safety, and lack of and inconsistent use of personal protective equipment. In addition, due to COVID- 19, there may be risks for increased transmission among workers and communities. These risks are managed through the embedding of the ECOP, the LMP and related aspects of the ESMF in the program operational guidelines and good construction practices. The LMP also covers policies against child labor and and the use of child labor during construction will be closely monitored. Other risks are associated with hazardous building materials such as asbestos containing materials, and paints used on the school buildings. Such risks will be addressed through application of good international practice relating to handling and disposal of hazardous materials. Social The main potential social risks of the rehabilitation, renovation, and expansion of existing schools relate to possible minor land acquisition, health and safety risks, labor and working conditions risks, and violence against children and gender-based violence risks during construction. Impacts are expected to be minor, not significant and reversible. Risks related to land acquisition are dealt with through project design, ineligibility criteria, screening, and clear guidelines on what is eligible. Furthermore, the Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) makes clear that any involuntary Oct 29, 2020 Page 21 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) land acquisition will not be eligible for project funding, includes screening procedures to exclude any involuntary land acquisition from project funding, and includes clear guidelines and eligibility criteria for voluntary land donation of minor strips of land. , all of which will need to be monitored. Risks related to labor and working conditions and health and safety will be managed through effective implementation and monitoring of standardized ECOP and LMP across civil works with support through training. The ESMF includes Codes of Conduct to manage gender-based violence and violence against children risks, and the grievance redress system includes separate procedures and trained designated staff to deal with serious grievances on these issues. Other social risks relate to working with ethnic minorities and marginalized populations, the need for free, prior and informed consultations, and possible impact of the programs on conflict dynamics and local tensions in ethnic areas. The government has revised the Community Participatory Planning Framework (CPPF) prepared for the parent project to ensure that ethnic groups, as well as other vulnerable or hard-to-reach groups, have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from the project. Local social/vulnerability assessments will be conducted and Community Participation Plans (CPPs) will be prepared in line with the CPPF. Measures include the preparation of detailed operational guidelines, which integrates principles and procedures from the CPPF, for all programs, including relevant guidelines on localized conflict risk mitigation as well as commitment to non-discrimination and implementation of inclusive consultations and outreach, to be regularly updated and disseminated with support from the fragility, conflict, and violence anchor of the Bank and building on the extensive stakeholder engagement conducted with relevant ethnic stakeholders across the country during project preparation. The social assessment report has documented the engagement process. There will also be training and monitoring, at various levels, on assessment of conflict sensitivity risks and on how to mitigate those risks, and opportunities to promote social inclusion and cohesion. To ensure that benefits of the project also serve children educated by Ethnic Basic Education Providers (EBEPs), as part of project preparation, an assessment of the state of ethnic education across Myanmar and the degree and circumstances under which the EBEPs will be willing and able to collaborate and engage was undertaken. This assessment has formed the basis project subcomponent 2.2 which includes intrinsic risk management through the planned engagement and facilitated dialogue with EBEPs, piloting of joint technical initiatives, and participatory approach to development of a partnership framework, partnership agreements, and roadmaps. In Rakhine, supporting of Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs) serving Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) include risk of support to policies and/or practices of segregation, exclusion, and lack of freedom of movement and access to inclusive education services and potential mis-alignment with engagement of other partners with IDPs. Mitigations include: discussions and agreements during preparation and implementation on the best translation of the humanitarian position on engagement of partners in the IDP camps into concrete processes and criteria; stringent eligibility criteria based on the consultative preparation of a plan for inclusive service delivery reviewed on a site-by- site basis, requiring alignment with humanitarian partners and safeguards policies as well as endorsement by members (government; development partners, CSOs) of the education, technical and vocation training sector coordination group (ETV SCG) and yearly confirmation of the satisfactory implementation of that plan through rigorous monitoring and evaluation including site visits; ineligibility of expenditures to build permanent structures to serve IDPs; and, M&E strategies that include visits to all schools/TLSs for which plans are prepared or approved. Key M&E and supervision objectives in these schools/TLSs will focus on confirming that eligibility criteria are met (including holding appropriate consultations) and proposed strategies for promoting non-segregation are as ambitious as they can be. Outside of the camps, risks relate to supporting discriminations and impact conflict dynamic and local tensions. Oct 29, 2020 Page 22 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Support to schools/centers in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Yathedaung potentially risk reinforcing the divide between communities and/or maintain/reinforce patterns of exclusion or bias toward marginalized groups. This could happen if, for example, activities are perceived as favoring one community over the other, funding is disbursed to schools/providers discriminating against certain students, or schools do not immediately receive the needed support (when trying to reopen upon refugee return.). Measures include ring-fencing of investment in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Yatehdaug through specific set of disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), M&E including WB-financed parallel M&E work through regular supervision mission and recruited external agent(s), as well as portfolio-level third party monitoring. In the state in general, M&E work will emphasize documenting and understanding access to education for different populations, the composition of parent-teacher associations and other school committees, impact of segregation of the student population within schools in mixed communities, and inclusiveness of the consultations embedded in programs’ design. All the information gathered will be analyzed and discussed on a bi-yearly basis at a minimum and will feed in improvement of processes and procedures to promote social cohesion and minimize potential negative impacts on the peace process. Legal covenants will be in place on access for implementation and monitoring to allow for remedy. There is potential preferential treatment and exclusion from the benefits of some groups, including, but not limited to, ethnic minorities. These risks are addressed through project design including operational guidelines, capacity building, training, targeting and eligibility criteria. Indicators and participation by staff in at different level of selection on townships, schools, groups to be supported will further ensure inclusion. Finally, during civil works, stakeholder engagement or other project activities, there is an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission and outbreaks. The revised ESMF for the AF factors in such risks and provides additional guidelines to manage COVID-19 risks in the ECOP, the LMP, in stakeholder engagement activities and the grievance redress mechanism (GRM). The sections above on the social policies provide further detail as does the PAD which details how these risks will be managed through project design. A strengthened grievance redress mechanism (GRM) was also developed under the revised ESMF, and will need to be communicated and operationalized to ensure numerous channels to submit feedback and complaints and resolution in a timely manner, and which are documented, and reported. The strengthened GRM includes policies and procedures for routine grievances, serious grievances (involving violence against children and gender-based violence), worker grievances and COVID-19 related grievances. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: Due to the project’s nature, sub-project civil works will be limited to small scale construction and repairs of which do not pose significant environmental or safety risks. Potential environmental impacts are minor, temporary, localized, and reversible and can be avoided, minimized or mitigated through appropriate measures set out in the ECOP and the LMP. Potential adverse indirect, induced or long term impacts are not anticipated as a result of project activities. The project expects to benefit the most disadvantaged communities and expects positive longer terms impacts for those communities and children that will benefit from the project. The context of working in remote areas, diverse communities and through different education systems, presents both challenges and opportunities. The project will have to address exclusion and potential for discrimination. These risks are mitigated through a parallel support to ethnic basic education providers, support to non-formal education services being delivered by non-state partners (CSOs, NGOs), use and monitoring of service delivery standards including non-discrimination, continued dialogue with MOE on the use of ethnic languages as medium of instruction including in the context of, for example, designing of the in-service training for teachers on early grade teaching and reforming human resource management, and continuous Oct 29, 2020 Page 23 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) monitoring and evaluation. Potential adverse indirect, induced or long term impacts are not anticipated as a result of project activities. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Not applicable. 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. Environmental Given the nature and small scale of proposed civil works under the project, a formal EIA or IEE report or EMP is not required. For the purpose of enhancing environmentally-friendly measures and mitigating any adverse impacts caused by construction activities, the parent project’s ESMF was revised, including a detailed ECOP and a newly added LMP. Once a sub-project is identified, the ESMF,ECOP and the LMP will be applied. The ECOP serves as checklist for construction and rehabilitation activities, and covers standard avoidance, minimization and mitigation measures. The LMP described basic policies and procedures for labor and working conditions. Specifications to address environmental issues, including construction dust and noise control, waste management and disposal, site management, and occupational and community health and safety measures are addressed in the ESMF. The ECOP and the LMP (as well as the Codes of Conduct to manage gender-based violence and violence against children risks) will be included in bidding documents and contracts. The institutional capacity to supervise school civil works varies depending on the nature of civil works being undertaken. Standard design guidance is already available for new school buildings, but guidelines for building rehabilitation remain to be prepared. Recommended measures to ensure satisfactory project environmental performance include: (i) development and consistent application of school rehabilitation and construction guidelines, (ii) building capacity at the township level on monitoring of good construction practice and safeguards implementation, and (iii) regular monitoring of construction work and quality assurance. Additionally, capacity building of township authorities to apply environmental avoidance, minimization and mitigation measures is considered necessary to ensure adherence with the ESMF and overall satisfactory safeguard performance. Capacity building, monitoring and quality assurance of school civil works, and application of environmental avoidance, minimization and mitigation measures will benefit from the support of professional engineers specially recruited for this purpose by MOE and deployed to all selected townships. In order to efficiently address identified environmental safeguard capacity gaps, implementation of the ESMF will be integrated into overall project implementation and the operational guidelines of subcomponent 1.1 and in the standard annual training curriculum delivered by MOE to all TEOs, and by TEOs to school principals and committees. MOE will incorporate ESMF, RPF, CPPF, ECOP, LMP, Codes of Conduct and grievance requirements into the operational procedures and training curriculum and will have these ready before the next school year, starting in May 2021. Social The project had drafted a Social Assessment (SA) report, a Community Participatory Planning Framework (CPPF), and a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF)for the parent project. These were revised to reflect the AF activities and the COVID-19 context, as well as to include policies and procedures for labor management, for management of risks relateting gender-based violence and violence against children, enhanced stakeholder engagement and grievance redress. These social documents and the ECOP have been grouped together under an umbrella Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for easier operationalization by MOE. Oct 29, 2020 Page 24 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) These documents build on the lessons learned in the current Myanmar decentralizing funding to school project (DFSP) and the parent project , summarize extensive stakeholder engagement in project preparation with ethnic groups, donors and civil society, expand the scope of social risk management measures, include measures to strengthen the existing grievance system, and include enhanced monitoring measures. The safeguards instruments can be summarized as follows: (a) SA report. (i) Describes activities supported by IAQE and the AF, (ii) reviews legal and institutional framework applicable to project, (iii) summarizes baseline information on social, cultural and political characteristics of ethnic groups and vulnerable groups, (iv) describes consultations had with ethnic groups and vulnerable groups during project preparation, (v) based on these free, prior and informed consultations, identifies potential adverse and positive effects of the project, and (vi) identifies measures necessary to avoid negative impacts or ensure that positive benefits are culturally appropriate. It includes a BMY-specific annex on recent developments and related social risks and the MOE’s current and anticipated challenges to ensure quality education services to all communities in the three townships. (b) CPPF. (i) Describes activities supported by the IAQE and the AF, (ii) presents relevant lessons learned from other project implementations, (iii) identifies potential positive and adverse impacts, (iv) proposes a framework for conducting local social/vulnerability assessments; (v) describes the CPPF processes to be carried out at the different levels, to identify ethnic minorities and marginalized populations, ensure free, prior and informed consultations and formulate Community Participation Plans (CPPs) during project implementation (vi) describes the grievance mechanism and monitoring mechanism, and (vi) explains the institutional arrangements for the implementation of the CPPF. It also includes BMY-specific requirements and eligibility criteria for schools in the three townships, including the non-eligibility of BMY schools for SIF 2.0B (major repairs) and added requirement that the Bank conducts a prior review and provides no objections to CPPs in BMY before program implementation and disbursement. (c) RPF. (i) Describes activities supported by IAQE and the AF that can have land acquisition impacts, (ii) describes briefly the objectives and principles of the RPF, the Myanmar national legal framework, and the gaps between Myanmar law and Bank policy, (iii) defines eligibility criteria, noting that any activity requiring involuntary land acquisition will be ineligible for project financing and prescribing specific eligibility criteria for any potential voluntary land donation, (iv) describes procedures to be followed for voluntary land donation, (v) describes institutional arrangements, monitoring arrangements and the grievance mechanism. The RPF is not relevant for BMY given that schools in these three townships will not be eligible for SIF2.0B funding. (d) LMP. The LMP provides policies and procedures applicable to project workers, contractors and civil servants based on Myanmar national legislation, WB standards and guidance on COVID-19 risk at construction sites. The LMP also includes provisions for a worker grievance redress mechanism, which should be response to routine worker grievances, COVID-19 related grievances, and more serious grievances on sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment. (e) Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence Codes of Conduct. The Codes of Conduct aim to minimize the risk of child abuse and gender-based violence that may occur at schools or near construction sites by providing basic principles and guidance. The Code of Conduct applies to all project staff, contractors, teachers. (f) COVID-19 Specific Stakeholder Engagement Measures. This section of the ESMF offers guidelines for managing public consultations and stakeholder engagement, when due to the outbreak and spread of COVID-19, people have been advised or mandated by national law to exercise social distancing and specifically to avoid public gatherings to prevent and reduce the risk of the virus transmission Oct 29, 2020 Page 25 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) (g) GRM. MOE has an existing grievance mechanism, which is largely limited in scope to grievances on financial management and is not systematic in response to, resolution of or documentation of other types of feedback. The ESMF, CPPF and RPF propose measures to strengthen this grievance system in an integrated manner. Such measures include (a) communication leaflets in local languages to be hung in all schools/centers indicating that people can submit grievances/questions through multiple channels; (b) grievance boxes in all schools/communities; (c) detailed process for submitting, reviewing, resolving, escalating, documenting, and reporting grievances/feedbacks so that this is part of the regular reporting as described in the OGs, and including this process in the training material for all township education officers and school heads; (d) assigning a union focal point for collecting and documenting grievances received and producing a quarterly report; (e) installing specific procedures for serious grievances on gender-based violence and violence against children; and (f) designating and training grievance counsellors to specifically work on serious grievances. Furthermore, a call center approach will be put in place and piloted in the 2019–2020 school year (with BETF funding). The approach will include both upstream (hotline that individual can call) and downstream (systematic calling and texting to request feedback) options. Provision will be made for anonymous reporting. The LMP has provisions for a worker grievance mechanism, including steps to ensure that COVID-19 related grievances will be responded to swiftly. MOE knowledge of specific World Bank policies is not extensive. However, MOE has demonstrated its capacity to effectively implement elaborated safeguards arrangements in the context of the stipends program since 2014-15 and by expanding the local social assessment process and development of CPPs to all schools in 2019-20. MOE also has extensive capacity in conducting cascading training on its Operational Guidelines on an annual basis, reaching all township officers and school heads. Building on this success of the DFSP and the IAQE, measures in the ESMF will be operationalized through this system, incorporated directly into the MOE’s Operational Guidelines for the different WB-supported programs and training of all townships officers and schools heads. Once integrated into its own system, it is assessed that MOE also has good capacity to monitor application of these safeguards arrangements and report on these through aggregating school- level reporting at the township, state/region and union level. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. In preparation for the parent project, consultation meetings and other stakeholder activities were conducted in 2018, covering project beneficiaries, parents and students, school teachers and committees, union, state/region and township level MOE staff, ethnic basic education providers, civil society organizations, alternative education providers, donors and development partners across the country. The Social Assessment summarizes these extensive consultations and includes a map of all the townships covered under consultations. Overall, stakeholders expressed strong support for measures that aim to ensure that the project will benefit vulnerable and ethnic groups, and measures that aim to increase dialogue and cooperation between MOE and ethnic basic education providers. The AF activities are based on Myanmar COVID-19 National Response and Recovery Plan for the Education Sector, which the MOE developed on consultation with development partners working in the Education Sector Coordination Group in Myanmar and with education stakeholders in states and regions. The AF will fund a subset of activities in line with the Myanmar COVID-19 National Response and Recovery Plan for the Education Sector, and activities were selected in close consultations with all stakeholders to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts and funding is used most effectively. For the AF, the drafts of the revised SA report and the ESMF, comprising the CPPF, RPF,ECOP, LMP, Codes of Conduct and COVID measures, were disclosed for consultations by MOE on October 2, 2020. Consultations on all safeguards Oct 29, 2020 Page 26 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) documents were organized as virtual meetings in Yangon on October 9, in Chin and Kachin States on October 27, and Rakhine and Shan North States on October 28. Feedback from consultations were integrated into relevant safeguards documents for appraisal and finalized versions will be disclosed by the government and by the Bank after clearance from the Bank and before project appraisal. OPS_SAFEGUARD_DISCLOSURE_TBL B. Disclosure Requirements (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) OPS_EA_DISCLOSURE_TABLE Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other For category A projects, date of Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors 28-Sep-2020 18-Nov-2020 "In country" Disclosure Myanmar 02-Oct-2020 Comments OPS_RA_D ISCLOSURE_T ABLE Resettlement Action Plan/Framework/Policy Process Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 28-Sep-2020 18-Nov-2020 "In country" Disclosure Myanmar 02-Oct-2020 Comments OPS_I P_DIS CLOSURE_TAB LE Indigenous Peoples Development Plan/Framework Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 28-Sep-2020 18-Nov-2020 "In country" Disclosure Myanmar 02-Oct-2020 Comments Oct 29, 2020 Page 27 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) OPS_PM_ PCR_TABLE 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: OPS_COMPLIANCE_INDICATOR_TBL 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) OPS_EA_COMP_TABLE OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? No OPS_I P_COM P_TABLE OP/BP 4.10 - Indigenous Peoples Has a separate Indigenous Peoples Plan/Planning Framework (as appropriate) been prepared in consultation with affected Indigenous Peoples? Yes If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards or Practice Manager review the plan? Yes If the whole project is designed to benefit IP, has the design been reviewed and approved by the Regional Social Development Unit or Practice Manager? NA OPS_IR_ COMP_TAB LE OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy framework/process framework (as appropriate) been prepared? Yes If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards or Practice Manager review the plan? Yes Is physical displacement/relocation expected? No Is economic displacement expected? (loss of assets or access to assets that leads to loss of income sources or other means of livelihoods) No OPS_ PDI_ COMP_TAB LE The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Oct 29, 2020 Page 28 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank for disclosure? Yes Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? Yes OPS_ALL_COMP_TABLE All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Yes Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project cost? Yes Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Yes Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? Yes CONTACT POINT World Bank Saurav Dev Bhatta Senior Economist Borrower/Client/Recipient Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Soe Win Minister of Planning and Finance mofinance.ird@gmail.com Implementing Agencies Ministry of Education Myo Thein Gyi Minister of Education profmyotheingyi@gmail.com Oct 29, 2020 Page 29 of 30 The World Bank Additional Financing for the Inclusive Access and Quality Education Project (P175567) 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): Saurav Dev Bhatta Approved By Safeguards Advisor: Nina Chee 23-Nov-2020 Practice Manager/Manager: Tobias Linden 24-Nov-2020 Country Director: Mariam J. Sherman 26-Nov-2020 Oct 29, 2020 Page 30 of 30