Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: PP1314 INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVLOPMENT PROJECT PAPER ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$ .59 MILLION TO THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN FOR A STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IMPROVED EDUCATION SERVICES IN JORDAN PROJECT MAY 2015 Education Global Practice MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective April 30, 2015) Currency Unit = Jordanian Dinar (JD) JD 0.71 = US$1 FISCAL YEAR January 1 – December 31 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CPS Country Partnership Strategy MoE Ministry of Education EQAU Education Quality and Accountability Unit SDDP School and Directorate Development Program ERFKE Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy MWGA Ministers Working Group on Accountability SICI The Standing International Conference of Inspectorates CIDREE Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe DCU Development Coordination Unity Regional Vice President: Hafez Ghanem Country Director: Ferid Belhaj Senior Global Practice Director: Claudia Costin Practice Manager: Harry Patrinos Task Team Leader: Samira Halabi JORDAN Strengthening Accountability for Improved Education Services in Jordan (P154047) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT .................................................................................................1 A. Country Context ............................................................................................................ 1 B. Sectoral and Institutional Context ................................................................................. 2 C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes .......................................... 4 II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ................................................................5 A. PDO............................................................................................................................... 5 B. Project Beneficiaries ..................................................................................................... 5 C. PDO Level Results Indicators ....................................................................................... 5 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................................5 A. Project Components ...................................................................................................... 5 B. Project Cost and Financing ........................................................................................... 7 IV. IMPLEMENTATION .......................................................................................................8 A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements .......................................................... 8 B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation .............................................................................. 9 C. Sustainability................................................................................................................. 9 V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ..........................................................10 VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY ..............................................................................................10 VII. WORLD BANK GRIEVANCE REDRESS ..................................................................10 Annex 1: Results Framework and Monitoring .........................................................................12 APPRAISAL DATA SHEET Jordan Strengthening Accountability for Improved Education Services in Jordan (P154047) PROJECT PAPER MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 0000009057 Report No.: PP1314 Basic Information Project ID EA Category Team Leader(s) P154047 C - Not Required Samira Halabi Lending Instrument Fragile and/or Capacity Constraints [ ] Investment Project Financing Financial Intermediaries [ ] Series of Projects [ ] Project Implementation Start Date Project Implementation End Date 7-Jun-2015 31-Oct-2016 Expected Effectiveness Date Expected Closing Date 17-May-2015 15-Dec-2016 Joint IFC No Practice Senior Global Practice Country Director Regional Vice President Manager/Manager Director Harry Anthony Patrinos Claudia Maria Costin Ferid Belhaj Hafez Ghanem Approval Authority Approval Authority CD Decision Responsible Agency: Ministry of Education Contact: Firyal Aqel Title: Ms. Telephone No.: 962795245356 Email: Firyal.Aqel@MOE.GOV.JO Project Financing Data(in USD Million) Total Project Cost: 0.59 Total Bank Financing: 0.59 Financing Gap: 0.00 i Financing Source Amount Miscellaneous 1 0.59 Total 0.59 Expected Disbursements Fiscal 2015 2016 2017 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 Year Annual 300000. 287800. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 00 00 Cumulati 300000. 587800. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 ve 00 00 Institutional Data Practice Area (Lead) Education Contributing Practice Areas Cross Cutting Topics [ ] Climate Change [ ] Fragile, Conflict & Violence [ ] Gender [ ] Jobs [ ] Public Private Partnership Sectors / Climate Change Sector (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100) Major Sector Sector % Adaptation Mitigation Co-benefits % Co-benefits % Education General education sector 100 Total 100 I certify that there is no Adaptation and Mitigation Climate Change Co-benefits information applicable to this project. Themes Theme (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100) Major theme Theme % Public sector governance Other public sector governance 50 Human development Education for the knowledge economy 50 Total 100 ii Proposed Development Objective(s) The PDO is to improve governance of the education sector through the establishment of an accountability and quality assurance mechanism that will incentivize stakeholders in the system to improve learning in Jordan’s public schools. Components Component Name Cost (USD Millions) Capacity building for the EQAU 0.14 Knowledge exchange 0.10 Communications for advocacy and awareness 0.16 Equipment for the EQAU 0.17 Compliance Policy Does the project depart from the CAS in content or in other significant Yes [ ] No [ X ] respects? Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies? Yes [ ] No [ X ] Have these been approved by Bank management? Yes [ ] No [ ] Does the project meet the Regional criteria for readiness for implementation? Yes [ X ] No [ ] Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 X Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 X Forests OP/BP 4.36 X Pest Management OP 4.09 X Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 X Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 X Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 X Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 X Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 X Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 X Legal Covenants Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency Description of Covenant iii Conditions Source Of Fund Name Type Description of Condition Team Composition Bank Staff Name Role Title Specialization Unit Samira Halabi Team Leader Education Spec. GEDDR (ADM Responsible) Lina Fares Procurement Senior Procurement GGODR Specialist Specialist Jad Raji Mazahreh Financial Sr Financial GGODR Management Management Specialist Specialist Juan Manuel Moreno Team Member Lead Education GEDDR Olmedilla Specialist Marie Roger Augustin Counsel Legal Analyst LEGAM Maya Abi Karam Counsel Senior Counsel LEGAM Yogita Mumssen Window Manager Senior GWADR Infrastructure Economist Vidya Narasimhan Finance Officer Finance Officer WFALN Extended Team Name Title Office Phone Location Locations Country First Location Planned Actual Comments Administrative Division Consultants (Will be disclosed in the Monthly Operational Summary) Consultants Required ? Consultants will be required iv I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT A. Country Context 1. Jordan has achieved upper-middle income status as a result of steady improvements made in overall economic and social well-being. However, relative performance in health and education has dropped, due to external shocks stemming from the economic crisis, the Arab Spring, and the influx of refugees. 2. More than a third of the population is under the age of 24, while population growth is expected to grow at 1.35% over the next decade. The working age population will be larger than the dependent population for the next 2 years, necessitating improvements in education and labor force participation. To reap the positive effects of the demographic dividend and to raise prosperity levels, educational quality and attainment should improve. 3. Jordan has been impacted by regional political upheaval in the form of economic shocks and demands for stronger citizen voice, greater accountability, and improvements in living conditions. The Government has responded to these pressures by adopting constitutional reforms and creating an enabling environment for an effective political party democratic system. 4. Jordan’s vision is to pursue a knowledge-based economy, leveraging the country’s strong human capital base and creating jobs. Increased transparency and accountability have been identified as necessary conditions to bring Jordan to the next level of economic and social development. Improved governance is a primary goal, along with job creation, private sector development, and addressing challenges in energy and water. The CPS for FY12-FY15 was designed to help lay the foundation for sustainable growth and job creation through three main areas: 1) strengthening fiscal management and increasing accountability, 2) strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth with a focus on competitiveness, including the development of skilled human resources, and 3) enhancing inclusiveness through social protection and local development. 5. The issue of government transparency and accountability features strongly in Jordan’s blueprint for sustainable growth. Setting high standards of excellent government performance requirements and information disclosure to citizens specifically is an important foundation for effective transparency. Jordan is the first and only country to be part of a multilateral transparency initiative called the Open Government Partnership. Jordan has a national action plan to improve the delivery of public services, strengthen public integrity and improve on the management of public resources. To support strong accountability to citizens, the information provided by government must be relevant, accurate, accessible, easily understood and timely. There is significant room to improve public disclosure of performance data on key outcomes of relevance to citizens, such as graduation rates from schools and other quality indicators. 1 B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 6. While the Kingdom’s education system was once a strength, available evidence suggests that Jordan’s education system has begun to stagnate particularly in the public school system. International and national education sector outcomes suggest a decline in the standards of quality and excellence. 7. The quality of education in Jordanian public schools has not improved at the rate expected given the considerable policy reforms and financial investments undertaken in the sector in recent years as measured by national and international assessments. Youth exit the system without adequate skills and face difficulty finding suitable work. The challenges to the education sector are numerous, and currently exacerbated by an influx of refugee populations that require additional support. 8. Public school quality is highly variable across the kingdom. Administration of the public school system is highly centralized, but the intention is to begin to increasingly devolve resources and decision-making to the field. Currently, school administrators and teachers have little effective control over their resources. Other major issues afflict the system, including the ability of the public sector to attract high-quality teachers. Teacher recruitment has begun to change with the Ministry’s adoption of more selective recruitment methods. The absorption of refugee students into the public system has also placed pressure on existing schools in the form of shortened hours and double shifts. 9. Amid the challenges, positive indications have begun to emerge as the current leadership has shown commitment to improving quality by taking steps to strengthen the education governance structure by reallocating human resources, and by increasing decentralization of school management. The MoE envisions transforming the role of the Ministry from one of administrator of everyday tasks to policymaker and regulator. 10. The current project will fund the establishment of a powerful and effective national accountability and quality assurance mechanism. This mechanism will function by providing a regular detailed assessment of the quality of each school according to established national standards and criteria, and – by focusing on the school’s professional and public accountability - will do so in a way which powerfully incentivizes schools to focus effectively on improving actual student achievement. This quality assurance and accountability process will be the principal function of the new Education Quality and Accountability Unit (EQAU). This Unit will move away from current ineffective bureaucratic and mechanistic processes and will act as the main driver of actual education improvement to one that drives actual improvement – particularly in fields identified as central to government policy priorities. 2 11. Currently, 85% of schools in Jordan participate in the School and Directorate Development Program (SDDP)1, the official model for participatory school self-assessment, planning, and improvement that includes students, parents, teachers, and community members. The SDDP was successful in introducing a new approach to school governance at the local level, creating education clusters that directly engage community members in identifying school needs and planning for school improvement2. This SDDP was designed as the first, and largest, strand of a powerful three-strand national strategy for driving up quality in the Kingdom’s schools. The strategy recognized international good practice by focusing on the school as the key unit in actually delivering educational improvement. The three strands of the strategy are: 1) building capacity in schools and communities to improve through a process of school self-evaluation and development planning (the successful SDDP); 2) the decentralization of control of administrative processes and resources to the schools; and 3) building an appropriate and powerful system of school accountability. 12. While Jordan has to a large extent successfully implemented the first strand of the strategy described above, and while plans for the second are presently underway, up till now, the third strand is largely missing. The absence of this third strand has two important sets of consequences. First, in the absence of the safety net of controls formerly provided by centralized systems, most schools will not implement changes which run the risk of apparent waste and misuse of resources. Decentralization is most effective when the local or state government can effectively evaluate and support schools on a continuous basis, so strengthening local and central government capacity to ensure education quality is especially important in decentralized systems. Second, in the absence of powerful public and professional accountability systems, there is no internal dynamic driving the system forward powerfully. The process of empowerment and devolution of responsibilities must be matched by parallel processes of generating broader public and professional accountability for each school. The current project provides a mechanism for the MoE, the public body with overall responsibility for schools, to monitor and respond to quality issues and enables the driving forward of the process of school improvement. 13. The proposed activity builds on three operational and analytical projects currently underway in Jordan: 1. The Second Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy (ERfKE II) (P105036): Component 1 of ERfKE II (2010-2015) introduced the SDDP that has become the official national model for participatory school self-assessment, planning, and improvement. The SDDP was successful in introducing a new approach to school governance at the local level, creating education clusters that directly engage community members in identifying school needs and planning for school improvement. To date, the SDDP is being implemented in 75% of Jordan’s schools with all schools targeted by mid-2016. In 1 The Second Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy II (ERfKE II) is a multi-donor, multi-year education reform currently underway in Jordan. Component 1 of ERfKE II (2010-2016) introduced the School and Directorate Development Program (SDDP). 2 An MDTF grant was used to develop a case study highlighting successful implementation of the SDDP in two Jordanian communities. 3 addition, numerous other ERfKE achievements have been made including policies for teacher professional development and utilization, a new supporting role for supervisors, leadership standards, improvements in ECD, along with vast investments in professional development of staff at all levels, setting in place the components for a coherent system focused on quality public service delivery of education in Jordan. With the end of ERfKE in sight, the Aide Memoire of November 2013 pointed to the critical need to move urgently to establish effective accountability procedures and decentralization processes to ensure these accomplishments are put into action as a robust internal dynamic that drives up the quality of education. In response, the MoE responded by setting up a Minister's Working Group on Accountability which reports to the Minister directly and is charged with planning for the establishment of powerful and effective systems to ensure that all operational levels are held accountable in ways compatible with the overall school-based quality assurance strategy. To this end, the MoE has requested technical assistance for the establishment of the EQAU. This unit is expected to play a quality assurance function as part of a cycle of continuous improvement, playing a key role in raising educational performance, and working harmoniously towards the goals laid out in ERfKE II. 2. Service Delivery in Health and Education (P149808): The goals of this analytical study, funded by the MENA MDTF, are to identify and document local level accountability mechanisms that contribute to positive service delivery outcomes in Jordan. Findings from this work will inform and complement the final accountability mechanism that the EQAU will ultimately implement. 3. Jordan Education Public Expenditure Review (P148394): The forthcoming Public Expenditure Review for the Education sector highlights low learning outcomes in spite of increases in educational expenditures. In focusing specifically on strengthening governance for quality assurance, the proposed project will directly address the institutional factors at the central and school levels that impact accountability for learning outcomes. By improving accountability for education service delivery, the proposed project will contribute to the improvement the efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditures on education. C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes 14. The proposed project’s overall aim to improve governance and accountability in the public sector to enhance the predictability, credibility, and accountability of government is aligned with strategic priorities set in the CPS and Jordan’s blueprint for sustainable growth and prosperity. 4 II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. PDO 15. The PDO is to improve governance of the education sector through the establishment of an accountability and quality assurance mechanism that will incentivize stakeholders in the system to improve learning in Jordan’s public schools. B. Project Beneficiaries 16. The direct beneficiary of the project is the MoE, whose technical capacity to play a quality assurance role will be strengthened. The ultimate beneficiaries are students in Jordanian schools, who will benefit from improved school performance as a result of the accountability measures that will be put in place. C. PDO Level Results Indicators 17. The main expected key results include: i) improved capacity within the Ministry of Education to undertake quality assurance tasks; ii) the establishment of a quality assurance unit within the Ministry; and (iii) evidence that the actions and procedures of the EQAU are effective in beginning to drive up quality in the Kingdom’s schools. III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project aims to establish and develop the EQAU to improve governance of the education sector in the MoE. The project will develop the remit, structure, staffing, administrative location, reporting lines, and procedural guidelines and mode of operation for EQAU. In addition, the project will provide professional development to train the staff of the Agency. Part of the professional development will include learning exchanges with countries that have developed similar structures. Communication, advocacy, and awareness of the reform are built into the project as a fourth component. A. Project Components 18. Successful project implementation will require the completion of four main components, with the Bank providing overall technical assistance. Highly experienced international and local consultants will be expected to provide the technical expertise required for the backbone of the EQAU. International consultants will work closely with the MoE, specifically with the MWGA, 5 to develop the remit, structure, staffing, administrative location, reporting lines, and procedural guidelines and mode of operation for EQAU; the development of curricula for professional development programs, including training modules; and the development of accountability guidelines. The TA component will be Bank-Executed due to the fact that the Government of Jordan may not be able to mobilize recognized international consultants in a timely manner and the 18-month time period for execution will require intense and continuous support for successful implementation. As part of Bank-executed technical assistance, the SABER-School Autonomy and Accountability tool will be implemented to benchmark school autonomy and accountability policies at the beginning of the project as a baseline. Data will be collected upon completion of the project to document progress achieved and to develop further recommendations as needed. The MoE will implement the following 4 components: a. Establishment of the EQAU (Recipient Executed): This component will support the establishment of the EQAU through the acquisition of goods, including, inter alia: (a) office equipment; and (b) information technology hardware and software. b. Capacity building for the EQAU (Recipient Executed): This task will involve the training of 80-100 professionals who will carry out the professional tasks of the Unit. The groups will be led by members of the MWGA, with international technical assistance. The training will be carried out by adopting a “learning community” approach. It will be conducted in three stages, allowing the revision of accountability guidelines, tools and training in between stages. Each iteration (1-3) will successively build up the number of trained professional staff and will further refine the core evaluation instruments and procedures. i. The three phases will also enable the overall mentor/trainee ratio never to exceed 3 to1, and yet will allow the program to reach a figure of 80-100 well trained staff within a reasonable time frame. ii. Each phase will be structured as follows: 1) applications are invited from well qualified and experienced candidates for the Assessor role within the EQAU, according to application processes and selection criteria that will be developed under the TA component, 2) candidates will be selected (12, 30, and 50 for Phases 1, 2, and 3); 3) a pre-induction program of readings, workshops and assignments will be required, and candidates would have to demonstrate progress before moving on to the next stage; 4) an induction program of teaching, workshops, field work, and assignments over a two-week period; 5) a mentored learning program where candidates work closely with full-time mentors using developed Quality Indicator National Framework in schools. At the end of each phase, candidates are assessed for full membership of the EQAU staff team. The target group of 80-100 will be carefully selected for their suitability, commitment, and strong professional record. The training will result in a high level of professional expertise capable of running an effective EQAU and would 6 allow the MoE to respond effectively to its own analysis of development and training needs. c. Knowledge exchange (Recipient Executed): The Minister's Working Group on Accountability and other key staff will participate in knowledge exchanges with two countries (to be determined by September 2015) that have set up and successfully implemented accountability mechanisms. Results stories that capture the lessons learned will be developed by participants and shared with the wider group members and nationally to maximize dissemination. The exchanges will also help establish direct international links and network the Ministry and the EQAU to appropriate international bodies (e.g. SICI and CIDREE). d. Communications for advocacy and awareness (Recipient Executed): This activity will build awareness and promote the goals of the reform to stakeholders throughout the process, through both high level meetings and workshops for Ministry staff at all levels. Communications activities throughout the project, as Field Directorates and school principals will need to be informed of and involved in the process as it scales up. In addition to smaller meetings, communication with the wider education community, including Local Education Councils, will also be necessary. A high-level meeting is expected to be convened when the unit is officially established and begins operations. B. Project Cost and Financing 19. The total cost for the project is $587,800. The project will finance 100% of the components described above from the MNA MDTF, including any operating costs associated with the activities. The project will also finance a project audit. Project Components Project cost Grant Financing % Financing 1. Knowledge Exchange 100,000 100,000 100 2. Capacity Building 140,000 140,000 100 3. Equipment and furniture 170,000 170,000 100 4. Communications / Awareness 160,000 160,000 100 5. Project Audit 17,800 17,800 100 Total Baseline Costs Physical contingencies Price contingencies Total Project Costs 587,800 Interest During Implementation Front-End Fees 587,800 Total Financing Required 7 IV. IMPLEMENTATION A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 20. The Bank will provide technical assistance for the development of accountability guidelines and training throughout the duration of the grant. Activities will be implemented between May 2015 and December 2016. This project is already at an early pre-implementation phase (Phase 0 of the MWGA Plan). Much of the professional development material, accountability guidelines, and quality assurance tools are already at the first trial stage, and are proving successful. The goals for the learning exchange trips are also already under development. The main Phases of the project (Phases 1 to 3 in the MWGA plans) will consist of the delivery of the training, and the organizational development of the Unit. The training will be done iteratively and in batches to ensure maximum impact and to facilitate the fine-tuning and refining of material and processes. The fourth and final phase is essentially the roll-out to full functionality of the Unit, its procedures, and its linkages to the other actors in the school improvement process (School, Field Directorate, local community, Ministry, etc.). This final process will include pilot full- scale school evaluations, produce evaluation reports, and full engagement with the actual national school improvement process. The figure below represents a tentative plan for implementation: 2015 2016 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 Development of training modules Delivery of training Knowledge exchange 1 Knowledge exchange 2 Communications activities Pilot full- scale school evaluation Evaluation reports produced Project Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 21. The MOE will be responsible for the implementation of the project. The formulated MWGA will undertake the initial implementation activities and gradually will hand it over to the Unit. The Unit will be chaired by a director and reports directly to H.E The Minister. 22. The international expert working with the MTWG will draft the Terms of Reference for the unit and the job description for the key positions and local experts as will be identified. 23. The Development Coordination Unit (DCU) will be responsible for project coordination especially with respect to procurement and financial management. The DCU will ensure 8 coordination with other projects and donors and liaise with the WB. 24. With regard to financial management (FM), the DCU will be responsible for the financial management. The same assigned finance officer for ERfKE II will be in charge for financial activities in coordination with the managing directorate of financial affairs. 25. The procurement and supplies department will be responsible for initiating the bidding process for required furniture and equipment using shopping procurement method. Given the MOE familiarity with WB procurement and guidelines, the MOE will follow the same process and documents approved under ERfKE II. B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation 26. Framework: A results framework has been developed and discussed with the MoE. It defines the baselines and targets that will be used to assess progress towards the achievement of the PDO. An output summary report will be submitted to the MDTF Coordination Unit for review 1- 2 months prior to closing of the activity. In addition, Grant Reporting and Monitoring reports will be prepared at 6-month intervals C. Sustainability 27. The sustainability of this proposed project is strong as it builds on progress made under the current operation and is closely aligned with the MoE’s vision to shift its role from detail to policy, from a control function to a steering function, from being responsible for delivery to setting direction and driving systemic improvement. The MoE under the current leadership has been making bold decisions to shift its role and direction with plans to devolve much of the administrative responsibilities to sub-national entities. There is clear commitment on their part to securing national funding for successful initiatives. For example, the prior project leading up to this one, the SDDP, began as a donor-funded activity that built capacity in schools to conduct self-evaluations and create and implement self-improvement plans. Due to its demonstrated success, it is now part of the Ministry’s regular activities and budget. Evaluation, however, needs strong, independent external support and moderation to work well. The EQAU will fulfill that role. Once national capacity has been built for this function, the costs will be subsumed under the Ministry’s budget. 9 V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 28. The ability of the MoE to mobilize the necessary resources for implementation with the required speed is the main risk related to this activity. Given the strong momentum around the reform and positive signals thus far, however, the risk is low. Prior Bank experience with MoE in general and the DCU specifically has shown that close supervision and follow-up will ensure that plans are implemented on time. Overall, the risk to project sustainability is that a number of organizational steps have to be implemented simultaneous to the project-financed interventions for the quality assurance unit to be operational that are not completely under the control of the MoE. These steps include the approval of the organizational mandate and structure of the new unit, approval of new job descriptions, assignment of existing MoE staff to positions in the unit, and appropriation of funding to sustain the EQAU. The communications activities are expected to build the support necessary at all levels, including outside the MoE, to help mitigate this risk. VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY 29. The proposed project aims to develop a mechanism for accountability within the public school system. This mechanism will ensure that public investments in schools and resources available are being used in ways that improve educational outcomes. Beyond the initial cost of the establishing the unit, future costs are to be assumed by the Ministry. A large number of staff will be trained to undertake quality assurance roles so that future training needs can be fulfilled internally. The main focus of the project – the establishment of the EQAU and the development of appropriate professional skills and procedures -- is designed to be inter alia the principal driver for the national program for school improvement. 30. Procurement for the project will be carried out in accordance with World Bank guidelines as stated in Article II of the Standard Conditions. The MoE will be in charge of implementing the activity will have autonomy in managing the grant. The executing agency has experience with World Bank procedures. VII. WORLD BANK GRIEVANCE REDRESS 31. Communities and individuals who believe that they are adversely affected by a World Bank (WB) supported project may submit complaints to existing project-level grievance redress mechanisms or the WB’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS). The GRS ensures that complaints received are promptly reviewed in order to address project-related concerns. Project affected communities and individuals may submit their complaint to the WB’s independent Inspection Panel which determines whether harm occurred, or could occur, as a result of WB non- compliance with its policies and procedures. Complaints may be submitted at any time after concerns have been brought directly to the World Bank's attention, and Bank Management has been given an opportunity to respond. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank’s corporate Grievance Redress Service (GRS), please visit 10 http://www.worldbank.org/GRS. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank Inspection Panel, please visit www.inspectionpanel.org. 11 ANNEX 1: RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING Country: Jordan Project Name: Strengthening Accountability for Improved Education Services in Jordan (P154047) Results Framework Project Development Objectives PDO Statement The PDO is to improve governance of the education sector through the establishment of an accountability and quality assurance mechanism that will incentivize stakeholders in the system to improve learning in Jordan’s public schools. These results are at Project Level Project Development Objective Indicators Cumulative Target Values End Indicator Name Baseline Target Accountability and quality Assurance function/unit is established No Yes within the Ministry of Education (Yes/No) Increased No Yes knowledge and 12 skills of implementation of quality assurance systems among key MoE staff (Yes/No) Intermediate Results Indicators Cumulative Target Values End Indicator Name Baseline Target Accountability standards are developed and No Yes publicly disseminated (Yes/No) Improved capacity among trainees to 0.00 80 perform evaluation roles (Number) Increased awareness of new accountability No Yes structure in the education sector (Yes/No) 13