INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE . Report No.:ISDSA22109 Date ISDSPrepared/Updated: 09-May-2017 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed 08-Jun-2016 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: China Project ID: P154621 Project Name: China: Guangdong Compulsory Education Project (P154621) Task Team Leader(s): Amer Hasan Estimated Appraisal 24-Apr-2017 Estimated Board 07-Sep-2017 Date: Date: Managing Unit: GED02 Financing Investment Project Instrument: Financing Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP No 8.00(Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 267.40 Total Bank Financing: 120.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 147.40 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 120.00 Total 267.40 Environmental Category: B - Partial Assessment Is this a Repeater project? No 2. Project Development Objective(s) The project development objective is to improve learning facilities and teaching quality in selected public primary and junior secondary schools in project counties. 3. Project Description The project development objective is well aligned with the pillars of the government's program, which are focused on strengthening the existing basic education system and modernization. Specifically, the project will support the following activities: Component 1: Improve school equipment and facilities. This component will have two subcomponents. (a) Subcomponent 1 will focus on school equipment. It will support the installation of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment in classrooms. It will also support the development of digital Page 1 of 8 educational content as well as a management system for a virtual learning community of teachers. (b) Subcomponent 2 will focus on school facilities. It will support the construction of classrooms. It will also support the construction of accommodations for teachers, particularly in rural locations. This subcomponent will be financed by counterpart funds. Component 2: Strengthen the training and assessment system for teachers and principals. This component will have three subcomponents. (a) Subcomponent 1 will support improvements in existing training content for in-service training of teachers (including regular and backbone teachers) and principals as well as the development of new training content. The training content that will be developed will be shared online. (b) Subcomponent 2 will support improvements in the current system for delivering training and providing mentoring to teachers. (c) Subcomponent 3 will assist in strengthening the quality assurance, monitoring, and evaluation (QAME) system for teacher continuous professional development (CPD). This system will use classroom observations to assure the quality of training teachers receive. Component 3: Pilot reforms to improve equity and quality of education. As the government of Guangdong seeks to modernize the basic education system, a number of initiatives are under consideration. This component will allow the government to pilot initiatives focused on two core issues: equity and quality. The component will support activities that will evaluate these pilots for impact, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. As such, the component will have three subcomponents: (a) Subcomponent 1 will support pilots to improve equity in compulsory education. This will include: (i) Providing support to left-behind children in public primary and junior middle schools. It will ensure that relevant equipment and teaching resources are available to support their well-being. (ii) Enabling inclusive education in primary and junior middle schools with a particular emphasis on children with mild to moderate disabilities. It will ensure that relevant equipment and teaching resources for learning are available to all students, including those with disabilities. To this end, selected schools will be outfitted with equipment for allowing children with disabilities to participate in education in mainstream schools. (iii) Providing mobile labs to schools that do not have laboratory equipment. (b) Subcomponent 2 will support pilots to improve the quality of compulsory education by improving the existing system of school partnerships to support teacher mentoring. Component 4: Project management and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). This component will strengthen and build capacity for monitoring and evaluation and project management. As such, this component will finance the costs associated with technical assistance, supervision of the project, M&E including sample-based survey for the results framework, training of project implementation personnel, study tours, workshops, seminars, office equipment, and office consumables In order to build a strong evidence base for policymaking, the pilots will be evaluated. Lessons to guide future decision making will be distilled in a policy paper capturing the recommendations from the pilots and their evaluations. Guidance based on the findings of these evaluations will be issued by the Department of Education. As an example, an evaluation will be carried out to assess whether the improvements in the training system carry through to changes in teaching practices in the classroom. This evaluation will rely on classroom Page 2 of 8 observation of a random sample of teachers at two points in time and will compare their progress over time to that of similar teachers who have not yet received the training. An intermediate outcome will be whether or not teachers' knowledge changed as a result of the training they received. This will be assessed through a knowledge test that will be taken by a sample of trainees. The knowledge test will be designed as relevant for each type of training. 4. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Aimin Hao( GSU02 ) Yiren Feng( GEN2A ) 6. Safeguard Policies That Might Apply Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Yes Component 1 of the proposed project will finance the construction of standardized classrooms, teacher dormitories, and mobile laboratories. Both the classrooms and the teacher dormitories for each participating school will be within the existing campus, and no land acquisition or relocation of people is anticipated. Depending on the equipment loaded into the van at any given time, the mobile lab can be configured to be a physics, chemistry, biology, or computer lab. Currently there are 16 participating project counties. In total, 250 standardized classrooms will be built for the 16 counties, each classroom will be 100 square meters; the teacher dormitories will be 35 square meters each with less than a 5- or 6-floor building planned. The total construction area will be less than 1,000 square meters within the existing campus of each participating school. The scale and size of the building within the existing campus of each participating school is very small. Considering the type, location, sensitivity, and scale of the proposed project, the project is proposed to be classified as Category B due to the potential impacts that are small scale and limited to the site. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been prepared for the civil works of the project and the labs to cover the environmental management activities of the project. The Environmental Code of Practice (ECOP) is part of the EMP to address generic construction impacts. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No The civil works of the project are within the existing campuses, the project will not affect any natural habitats or critical natural habitats as Page 3 of 8 defined under the policy. Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Project activities will not affect forest areas; it will not involve any logging or planting activities in forest areas. Pest Management OP 4.09 No The project will not procure pesticides or increase use of pesticides. Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Both the classrooms and the teacher dormitories will be constructed within the existing campus of each participating school. The EA team visited each proposed participating school and confirmed there are no physical cultural resources within the campuses as defined by the policy. Chance finding procedure will be included in the ECOP, and relevant clauses will be included in all construction contracts. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Ethnic minority students account for 0.5 percent of total number of students in the 16 project counties. However, no ethnic minority concentration is found in these counties. No ethnic minority has been identified satisfying the four criteria stated in OP/BP4.10 policy. Based on the social assessment, all ethnic minority students are from communities where there are predominantly Han people, and they mostly speak fluent Mandarin. There are no language barriers for these students to receive equal education at school. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 Yes The proposed project will improve the quality of compulsory education in selected counties through improved school infrastructure and improving teachers' quality. Construction of classrooms and teachers' accommodations will take place within current campuses with land use rights, and no land acquisition is expected. This has been confirmed by the social assessment. However, in order to ensure that schools that do not have adequate land and will need land acquisition in the future can equally benefit from project investment, a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) has been prepared on a provisional basis. The RPF will guide the land acquisition process when such needs arise. Based on the Social Assessment report, temporary impacts will be caused to teachers already living on the campus during dormitory rebuilding. An Abbreviated Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has been prepared to guide proper treatment of these teachers. The social assessment report also mentioned impacts on the welfare of local communities during construction, and this will be Page 4 of 8 covered by the EMP. This will be monitored during project implementation. The Resettlement Policy Framework has been disclosed locally on April 29, 2016. The Abbreviated RAP has been disclosed locally on April 28, 2016. These documents were re-disclosed in China on June 12, 2016 and May 4 2017 and at the World Bank InfoShop on June 20, 2016 and on May 7 2017. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No The project will not finance construction or rehabilitation of any dams as defined under this policy. Projects on International Waterways OP/BP No The project is not located in any international 7.50 waterways as defined under the policy. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No The project is not located in any known disputed areas as defined under the policy. . II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The proposed project will finance the construction of school buildings, teacher dormitories, and mobile laboratories. The project will have very limited adverse impacts during the construction and operation phase. OP4.01 Environmental Assessment (EA) is therefore triggered. The project is classified as Category B by considering the type, location, sensitivity, and scale of the proposed project and the potential environmental and social impacts. All planned civil works will be built on existing land within the campus of the project schools. The project will have very limited adverse impacts during the construction and operation phases. The negative environmental impacts during construction include ambient air, water, noise, solid wastes, and worker safety. These negative impacts will be limited, short-term, temporary, and site-specific. During the operational stage, the main environmental impacts are expected from domestic waste management. No potential large-scale, significant, and irreversible impacts were identified during the EA process. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: This project will play a significant role in improving learning facilities and teaching quality in selected public schools in Guangdong. As such, it will benefit project schools, teachers, and students. The project will benefit approximately 984,200 students, who will benefit from the project through improved learning facilities and teaching quality, which is equivalent to 41 percent of students in the project counties. The project will concentrate its efforts towards children in poverty by focusing on improvements in learning facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools with large student populations located in project counties. The project will train approximately 22,800 teachers, equivalent to approximately 15 percent of all teachers in compulsory education in the project counties. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. This project will play a significant role in improving learning facilities and teaching quality in selected public schools in Guangdong. As such, it will benefit project schools, teachers, and students. The project will benefit approximately 984,200 students, who will benefit from the project through improved learning facilities and teaching quality, which is equivalent to 41 percent of students in the project counties. The project will concentrate its efforts towards children in poverty by focusing on improvements in learning facilities in public Page 5 of 8 primary and junior secondary schools with large student populations located in project counties. The project will train approximately 22,800 teachers, equivalent to approximately 15 percent of all teachers in compulsory education in the project counties. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. The project owner contracted an accredited environmental assessment institution to conduct the Environmental Assessment for the project. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was selected as the EA instrument due to the nature of the project. The EMP was prepared based on national norms, practice proven in similar Bank- financed projects and the practice recommended in the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines. The EMP includes the Environmental Code of Practice (ECOP) to address generic construction impacts. It specifies each aspect of environmental management during the whole project cycle, including but not limited to, site preparation, construction dust management, air pollution control, noise impact control, water pollution control, waste management, public and workers' health and safety, and traffic management. The EMP also includes mitigation measures to address site-specific impacts and the wastes produced by the mobile labs. The waste liquid from the chemical or biological experiments will be sent to the local Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) for final treatment to ensure no secondary pollution. The due diligence review for the WWTPs was conducted and included in the EMP. It also includes the institutional arrangement, the training and capacity building, environmental monitoring plan, reporting, and supervision arrangements for the implementation phase of the project. Proper implementation of the mitigation measures required by the project will minimize the impacts to an acceptable level or eliminate them entirely. The temporary impacts on teachers living on campus was addressed in the Abbreviated RAP, and the impacts on the welfare of local communities and other impacts defined under OP4.01 were covered in the SA of the project. Both impacts and the mitigation measures were included in the EMP. The EMP was reviewed by the Bank safeguards team and found to be satisfactory. The EMP will be included in the bidding documents and the corresponding contracts. The World Bank has supported several projects in education and vocational training in Guangdong Province, and this is the first education project managed by the provincial Project Management Office (PMO) established under Guangdong Provincial Education Department. However, there are no major safeguards policy issues as noted above. The Bank assessment indicates that the borrower has reasonable capacity to conduct construction and project implementation consistent with EMP and RAP. The PMO is staffed with six full-time staff; one staff will be responsible for safeguard-related work. The Bank's safeguards specialists will provide further training on safeguards during the project implementation phase. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. During the project preparation, the project schools, PMOs, environmental, and social consultants carried out public consultation and information disclosure through posters, questionnaire survey, interviews, and public meetings in project schools and counties. The key stakeholders include teachers, students, and students' parents of the project schools, communities nearby, and local relevant government agencies. Public opinions were properly incorporated into the project design and safeguard reports, including EMP, SA, RPF, and RAP. Prior to project appraisal, the EMP, Social Assessment Report, and RPF were disclosed locally at the website of the Guangdong Provincial Education Department, and the main newspaper Nanfang Daily of the Guangdong province on April 29, 2016, and are publicly available on the websites of the education bureaus of the participating counties, and through the posters of the project schools. These reports were also disclosed at the World Bank Infoshop on May 3, 2016. Revised versions of these documents were re-disclosed in China on June 12, 2016 and on May 4 2017 and at the World Bank on June 20, 2016 and on May 7 2017. . B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Page 6 of 8 Date of receipt by the Bank 20-Jun-2016 Date of submission to InfoShop 20-Jun-2016 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure PHENVCTRY China 12-Jun-2016 Comments: The most recent revised versions were disclosed on the website of the Department of Education on May 4 2017 and on the World Bank website on May 7 2017. Resettlement Action Plan/Framework/Policy Process Date of receipt by the Bank 20-Jun-2016 Date of submission to InfoShop 20-Jun-2016 "In country" Disclosure PHRESCTRY China 12-Jun-2016 Comments: The most recent revised versions were disclosed on the website of the Department of Education on May 4 2017 and on the World Bank website on May 7 2017. If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why:: C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level PHCompliance OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) Yes [X] No [] NA [] report? If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Yes [] No [] NA [X] Manager (PM) review and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP Yes [] No [] NA [X] incorporated in the credit/loan? PHCompliance OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy Yes [X] No [] NA [] framework/process framework (as appropriate) been prepared? If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards Yes [] No [] NA [X] or Practice Manager review the plan? Is physical displacement/relocation expected? Yes [] No [X] TBD [] Is economic displacement expected? (loss of assets or access Yes [] No [X] TBD [] to assets that leads to loss of income sources or other means of livelihoods) PHCompliance The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [X] No [] NA [] World Bank's Infoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a Yes [X] No [] NA [] public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? PHCompliance All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [X] No [] NA [] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of Page 7 of 8 measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been Yes [X] No [] NA [] included in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [X] No [] NA [] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [X] No [] NA [] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. Approval Task Team Leader(s): Name:Amer Hasan Approved By: Practice Manager/Manager: Name: Harry Anthony Patrinos Date: 09-May-2017 (PMGR) Page 8 of 8