Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: 86520-GH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT ON A PROPOSED CREDIT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR1O1 MILLION (US$156 MILLION EQUIVALENT) TO THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA FOR A SECONDARY EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT April 24, 2014 Africa Education, Central and West Africa This document is being made publicly available prior to Board consideration. This does not imply a presumed outcome. This document may be updated following Board consideration and the updated document will be made publicly available in accordance with the Bank's policy on Access to Information. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective March 31, 2014) Currency Unit = New Ghana Cedi GH1 = US$0.37 US$1 = GH 2.685 SDR1 = US$1.54524 FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AESL Architectural Engineering Services Limited AfDB African Development Bank BECE Basic Education Certification Exam BER Budget Execution Report CAGD Controller and Accountant General Department CAMFED Campaign for Female Education CENDLOS Center for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling CHASS Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools CSO Civil Society Organization CSSPS Computerized School Selection and Placement System DACF District Assemblies Common Fund DEO District Education Office DEOC District Education Oversight Committee DFID UK Department for International Development DLI Disbursement-linked Indicator DLR Disbursement-linked Result DSSEE Development of Senior Secondary Education- Education III ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EEP Eligible Expenditure Program EFA Education For All EMIS Education Management Information System EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESMF Environmental and Safeguard Monitoring Framework ESPR Education Sector Performance Report ESP Education Sector Plan FM Financial Management FPMU Funds and Procurement Management Unit GAS Ghana Audit Service GDP Gross Domestic Product GER Gross Enrollment Rate GES Ghana Education Service GEU Girls Education Unit GETFUND Ghana Education Trust Fund GIFMIS Ghana Integrated and Financial Management Information System i GLSS Ghana Living Standards Survey GoG Government of Ghana GPEG Ghana Partnership for Education GSGDA Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda ICT Information and Communication Technology ICU Infrastructure Coordination Unit IDA International Development Association IFR Interim Financial Report IGF Internally Generated Funds INSET In-Service Training IPSAS Public Sector Accounting Standards MDG Millennium Development Goal MOE Ministry of Education MOF Ministry of Finance MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework NCCA National Council for Curriculum and Assessment NCTE National Council for Tertiary Education NESAR National Education Sector Annual Review NITA National Information Technology Agency NTC National Teaching Council PBME Planning, Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation PSC Project Steering Committee PTA Parent Teachers Association PTR Pupil Teacher Ratio PIM Project Implementation Manual RAP Resettlement Action Plan RBF Result-Based Financing RCC Regional Coordination Council RPF Resettlement Policy Framework SHS Senior High School SPP School Performance Partnership SPPP School Performance Partnership Plans STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEP Skills Towards Employment and Productivity Survey SRIMPR Statistics, Research, Information Management and Public Relations SPPPs School Performance Partnership Plans SSA Sub-Saharan Africa TPV Third Party Verification USAID United States Agency for International Development WASSCE West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Yusupha Crookes Acting Sector Director: Tawhid Nawaz Sector Manager: Peter Nicolas Materu Task Team Leaders: Deborah Newitter Mikesell and Eunice Y. B. Ackwerh 11 GHANA SECONDARY EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT .................................................................................................1 A. Country Context......................1.......................... B. Sector and Institutional Context............. .................. ..... 2 C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes ................... 6 II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE .............................................................7 A. PDO........................................................ 7 B. Project Beneficiaries ..................................... ........ 7 C. PDO Level Results Indicators......................7.... ............7 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................... 7 A. Project Components ................................................. 7 B. Project Financing ......................................... ..... 10 C. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design..................... 12 IV. IM PLEM ENTATION .................................................................................................. 14 A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements .................... ..... 14 B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation .................................. 14 C. Sustainability......... ........ ............................... 15 V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES......................................................16 A. Risk Ratings Summary Table ...................................... 16 B. Overall Risk Rating Explanation .............................. ...... 16 VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY .........................................................................................16 A. Economic and Financial Analysis summary .............................. 16 B. Technical .................................................... 17 C. Financial Management............................................ 17 D. Procurement ......................................... ......... 19 E. Social (including Safeguards) ...................................... 20 F. Environment (including Safeguards) ................................. 20 iii Annex 1: Result Framework and Monitoring .................................................................... 21 Annex 2: Detailed Project Description..................................................................................31 Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements ............................................................................. 52 Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF)........................................... 80 Annex 5: Implementation Support Plan .............................................................................. 86 Annex 6: Economic and Financial Analysis .........................................................................89 Annex 7: Technical and Social Assessment ......................................................................... 99 MAP: IBRD 33411 iv PAD DATA SHEET Ghana Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project (P1 45 741) PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT AFRICA AFTEW Report No.: PAD902 Basic Information Project ID EA Category Team Leader P145741 B - Partial Assessment Deborah Newitter Mikesell Lending Instrument Fragile and/or Capacity Constraints [ ] Investment Project Financing Financial Intermediaries [ ] Series of Projects [ ] Project Implementation Start Date Project Implementation End Date 20-May-2014 30-Nov-2019 Expected Effectiveness Date Expected Closing Date 01-Oct-2014 30-Nov-2019 Joint IFC No Sector Manager Sector Director Country Director Regional Vice President Peter Nicolas Materu Tawhid Nawaz Yusupha B. Crookes Makhtar Diop Borrower: Ministry of Finance Responsible Agency: Ministry of Education Contact: Enoch H. Cobbinah Title: Chief Director Telephone No.: 2330202030286 Email: chiefdirector@moe.gov.gh Project Financing Data(in USD Million) ] Loan [ ] Grant [ ] Guarantee [X] Credit [ ] IDA Grant [ ] Other Total Project Cost: 156.00 Total Bank Financing: 156.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 International Development Association (IDA) 149.60 V IDA recommitted as a Credit 6.40 Total 156.00 Expected Disbursements (in USD Million) Fiscal 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 0000 0000 0000 Year Annual 31.94 20.92 29.84 29.84 29.84 13.62 0.00 0.00 0.00 Cumulati 31.94 52.86 82.70 112.54 142.38 156.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 ve Proposed Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objective is to increase access to senior secondary education in underserved districts and improve quality in low-performing senior high schools in Ghana. Components Component Name Cost (USD Millions) Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior 140.10 High Schools Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation 15.90 Institutional Data Sector Board Education Sectors / Climate Change Sector (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100) Major Sector Sector % Adaptation Mitigation Co-benefits % Co-benefits % Education Secondary education 100 Total 100 Z 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 % Human development Education for all 50 Human development Education for the knowledge economy 50 Total 100 Compliance vi 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 [ X ] Is approval for any policy waiver sought from the Board? Yes [ ] No [X] 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 Independent Verification 01-Jan-2015 Description of Covenant The Recipient shall, by no later than three (3) months after the Effective Date, appoint external monitoring and evaluation experts ("Independent Verifiers"), to act as third-party verifiers of the proper fulfillment of the DLIs and DLRs set forth in Schedule 4 in the Financing Agreement Conditions Source Of Fund Name Type IDA Project Implementation Manual Effectiveness Description of Condition Recipient has prepared and adopted, in form and substance satisfactory to the Association, the Project Implementation Manual Source Of Fund Name Type IDA Project Steering Committee Effectiveness Description of Condition The Recipient has established the Project Steering Committee with mandate, composition, functions and vii resources satisfactory to the Association Source Of Fund Name Type IDA Technical Implementation Committee Effectiveness Description of Condition The Recipient has established within the Ministry of Education, a Project Technical Implementation Committee with staffmg of adequate qualifications and experience, resources, and terms of reference satisfactory to the Association Team Composition Bank Staff Name Title Specialization Unit Patricio V. Marquez Sector Leader Sector Leader AFTHD Kenneth M. Green Consultant Consultant OPSOR Peter Darvas Senior Education Senior Education AFTEW Economist Economist Stephen Tettevie Team Assistant Team Assistant AFCW1 Luis M. Schwarz Senior Finance Officer Senior Finance Officer CTRLA Martin Fodor Senior Environmental Senior Environmental AFTN3 Specialist Specialist Deborah Newitter Senior Operations Team Lead AFTEW Mikesell Officer Sukhdeep Brar Senior Education Senior Education AFTEW Specialist Specialist Paula F. Lytle Senior Social Senior Social AFTCS Development Specialist Development Specialist Eunice Yaa Brimfah Senior Education Task Team Co-Lead AFTEW Ackwerh Specialist Edith Ruguru Mwenda Senior Counsel Senior Counsel LEGAM Moses Yao Duphey Consultant Consultant AFTN3 Ismaila B. Ceesay Lead Financial Lead Financial AFTMW Management Specialist Management Specialist Beatrix Allah-Mensah Senior Operations Senior Operations AFCW1 Officer Officer Juliana C. Victor- Senior Monitoring & Senior Monitoring & AFTDE Ahuchogu Evaluation Specialist Evaluation Specialist Robert Wallace DeGraft- Senior Financial Financial Management AFTMW Hanson Management Specialist Specialist Janet Omobolanle Adebo Program Assistant Program Assistant AFTEW Bernardo da Cruz Consultant M&E Consultant AFTEW Vasconcellos Charles John Aryee Procurement Specialist E T Consultant AFTPW viii Ashong Elizabeth Hassan E T Consultant E T Consultant LEGVP Non Bank Staff Name Title Office Phone City Kabira Namit Economist Mumbai Alberto Treves Architect Mexico City Locations Country First Location Planned Actual Comments Administrative Division 1x I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT A. Country Context 1. Ghana, located on the west coast of Africa, has an estimated population of 25 million (2010 Census). Ghana experienced rapid economic growth over the past several years resulting in substantial progress in reducing income poverty. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth rose from 8% in 2010 to close to 14.5% in 2011, making Ghana's economy one of the fastest growing on the continent. By 2012, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita reached US$1,940, reflecting Ghana's middle-income status. Poverty has been declining steadily with the number of people classified as poor decreasing from about 8 million (i.e. slightly over 50% of the population) in 1992 to 6.3 million in 2006 (less than 30% of the population). In spite of these improvements, inequalities remain in Ghana, and are reflected in significant disparities in access to economic, social and political opportunities, mainly between the poorer three regions in the north and the rest of the country. 2. Recent macroeconomic instability is putting at risk the gains in poverty reduction achieved. The fiscal deficit reached 12% of GDP in 2012 and 10.9% in 2013, and the current account deficit reached 13% of GDP in both years. The Government of Ghana (GoG) tackled the fiscal imbalances by raising fuel prices as well as electricity and water tariffs, by around 60% in late 2013. The inflationary impact of the adjustment was reinforced by the Cedi (GhC) depreciation. Hence the higher prices imply a lower income in real terms, which has the risk of pushing many near-poor families into poverty. The pressure on household budgets and the impact on poor households have been exacerbated by the lack of liquidity of the government which has paid the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program cash transfers with significant delays as well as the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) which is a mechanism for redistribution of resources at the regional level. Capitation Grant payments to basic schools were also delayed in 2012 and 2013. Macroeconomic constraints disproportionately affect the poorer members of society. 3. Ghana expects to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for income poverty reduction, ending hunger, primary education completion, and gender equality. The primary completion rate is 112% (as a percentage of relevant age group in 2012/13). To accelerate progress towards achieving MDGs, the Government, through the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ghana Education Service (GES), has advanced education reform under the Education Strategic Plan (ESP 2010-2020). Development partners are committed to directing their assistance into the common reform framework represented by the ESP, especially for basic education. 1 B. Sector and Institutional Context 4. During the last decade, senior secondary education has undergone significant changes driven by increasing demand, diversifying supply (including increasing presence of the private sector), changing structure (from four-year to three-year programs) and fast changing financial! budgeting conditions. Secondary education in Ghana is delivered mostly through three years of education providing general arts and science as well as technical, vocational and business education in Senior High Schools (SHS). The enrollment figures projected under the ESP (2010-2020)1 for 2020 (over 700,000 students) have already been surpassed by 20% reaching over 850,000 in 2012-20132 whereas the budget projected by the ESP for 2020 at GhC 286 million (US$220 in 2009 rate) reached over GhC 1 billion in 2013 or in current USD terms more than double the amount projected for 2020. The expansion of the SHS sector as charted in the figure below, shows increasing demand (JHS enrollment increase), increasing SHS enrollment and budget in the last ten years. Figure 1: SHS Enrollment and Expenditure 800 E JHS Public Enrollment 690 700 a SHS Public Enrollment 600 SHS Expenditure 500 400 344 300 261 247 220 2122 200- 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 8 1 2 1 9 8 1 1 5 1 2 6 1 0 5 1 2 4 1 2 5 21 3 100 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 5. Demand for SHS education has increased fueled by increasing population coming out of poverty, completing universal basic education and moving to urban areas and away from agriculture in search of wage employment. However, there remain inequities in this demand as three-fourths of youth typically either do not have adequate qualifications to enter SHS or cannot afford to move or commute to the schools where they are placed by the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). A large portion of students drop out before reaching the basic education completion exam (BECE) and about one-half of those taking BECE do not successfully pass the exam (to qualify them to enter senior secondary education). Those coming from the poorest 20% of the households, the most deprived districts and/or from rural areas are about five to six times less likely to access SHS programs. 1 Government of Ghana, Education Strategic Plan 2010 to 2020 Volume 1 Policies, Strategies, Delivery, Finance (ESP 2010-2020) page 27. 2 Ghana Education Service (GES), Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) based on Education Management Information System (EMIS). Most data is provided by GES through ESPR/EMIS unless otherwise indicated. 2 6. The ESP (2010-2020) recognized these constraints and planned measures to improve BECE completion in deprived districts, subsidize needy students, especially those from northern and other hard-to-reach areas through means tested support to boarding students and subsidized transport for day-students living within 20 kilometers of schools. 7. Despite the stable economic growth of the last decade and the declining poverty rate, the job market has not improved at a corresponding rate. Employment in the formal private sector has declined and is mostly available for those finishing tertiary education. Income does increase significantly for those who finish tertiary education. For those who qualify for and graduate from tertiary education, the successful completion at SHS level is a prerequisite. The majority of SHS graduates, however, are unable to immediately continue at tertiary level. These students need skills that help them improve their position in the job market. According to GLSS 5, senior secondary education helps an individual move into wage employment. The majority of youth without tertiary education are likely to join the informal economy; most will be self- employed starting their own businesses. They will require skills that help improve their earnings, including communication, information and communication technology (ICT), language, mathematics, and applied science and business skills. 8. The Government strategy aims to rapidly expand access and quality making it gradually universal and also progressively free. Among other plans, the Government intends to build about 200 SHS facilities above and beyond recent investments into the SHS infrastructure. The gross enrollment rate (GER) for SHS has hovered around 36%. While this rate puts Ghana among the top countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, the country still lags behind other lower middle income countries with comparable Table 1: Enrollment trends in SHS GDP per capita in Asia or in SHS Enrolment 2008/09 2010/11 2012/13 Latin America (such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ecuador, GER 33.9 36.5 36.8 and Honduras). International NER 17.7 24.3 23.6 experience suggests that countries with a strategic Enrolment 490,334 728,076 842,587 priority of post-basic Transition rate from JHS3 47.2 57.3 61.2 to SHS1 4. 736. education are also more % of pupils in private successful in attracting education 10.0 8.9 8.5 foreign direct investments and Source: 2013 ESPR (EMIS) in terms of creating more competitive global industries or service sectors. Expanding capacity by adding 200 schools would increase GER to around 50%3. An expansion of the SHS system was planned by the ESP (2010-2020) with strategies such as new school construction and efficiency savings through rationalization of boarding, teacher deployment and measures to share costs and engage the private sector. 9. There is significant social and geographical inequity in terms of successful completion of basic education and entry to SHS. More than 750,000 students are enrolled, which represents one third of the relevant age population (37% GER), although less than 25% of the 15-18 year 3 SHS schools have some additional capacities to enroll students starting this year as the last 4th year cohorts graduated during the 2012/13 academic year. 3 olds are in SHS (net enrollment rate - NER). About 75% of the youth typically either do not have physical access to SHS or do not have adequate qualification to enter SHS. In Upper East, Northern and Upper West regions, the BECE pass rate is 11%, 22% and 11% respectively. 10. Supply of SHS education has also increased through new public schools, growth of private education and increasing enrollments to schools. The number of SHSs rose by 69% from 2005 to 828 schools, out of which 535 are public and 62.8% of the private SHS located in rural areas. The average size of secondary schools has risen from 683 students per school to 1,018 students per school in 2013. There is a significant difference between the average size of public and private secondary schools with public schools catering to 1,441 students per school and private schools catering to only 245 students per school. Importantly, among the public schools there are disparities between: (i) schools that are selective, preferred by the majority of students, and oversubscribed; and (ii) community day schools that remain undersubscribed either because they have less quality inputs, services and outcomes, or because families may not be able to afford privately provided hostel facilities or transportation to these schools. In the latter, they have extra space for additional admission leading to persistent inefficiency. Additional facilities at existing community day schools and private schools could significantly contribute to the planned expansion. 11. Quality of SHS programs shows large disparities between the best 100 schools and the rest of the sector. The top schools produce the bulk of those entering tertiary education whereas for those enrolled in the majority of the schools, SHS represents Table 2. Candidates Qualified for Tertiary Education (2013) the terminal form of education. 46% of the students who qualify School Rank Quintile Appeared Qualified % Qualified for tertiary education by 1 - 109 Top 20% 81,562 73,022 90% successfully sitting for the West 110 - 218.4 21 - 40% 76,602 45,256 59% African Senior Secondary 219 - 327 41 - 60% 66,610 24,279 36% Certificate Exam (WASSCE) are from the top twenty percent of 328 - 436. 61 - 80% 56,467 11,815 21% SHS in the country while 8 437 - 543 81 - 100% 54,139 4,366 8% percent of students from the Total 335,380 158,738 47% bottom 20% of the schools (106 schools) qualify for tertiary Source: West African Education Council/EMIS information education. 12. Senior High Schools in Ghana have about 37,300 teachers of whom about 6,000 are untrained. About 32,900 teachers teach in public SHS of whom 4,300 are untrained, leading to a pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 23:1 and a pupil trained teacher ratio of 27:1 - in line with the ESP that projects PTTR at 30:1 by 2020. The average SHS has on average 24 classrooms and there are about 60 students for each classroom. Thus additional classrooms are required by the schools to decongest the student classroom ratio from 45 to 40. About 10% of classrooms are temporary and about a third of them require some rehabilitation (15% of SHSs need major rehabilitation). 13. Fast increasing student numbers, increasing unit costs and escalating overall expenditures represent a significant additional burden on the expansion and sustainability of SHS. Between 2008 and 2012, the costs of SHS increased six-fold from GhC 171 million to over GhC 1,050 million in nominal terms. The escalation may have been driven in 2012 by the full 4 implementation of the single spine salary system with 97% of government funds allocated to compensation, leading to substantial reliance on development partner sources to pay for non- salary activities. Per capita expenditures have also increased significantly by 55% and the unit costs (recurrent expenditures) increased by 40%. This also shows that the enrollment rate increase was surpassed by the expenditure increases. While enrolling all those who for now do not access SHS to the appropriate level is the most immediate challenge for the universality of SHS, the increasing unit costs of expanded SHS represents the biggest challenge for the sustainability of the system. 14. The budget structure and the Government's public wage reform have created fiscal pressures and uncertainties for the strategic plans to expand SHS. The bulk of the Government budget (62.7%) at secondary education level is used for salaries. Relative to basic educational levels, SHS has a relatively high share of the budget for goods and services. However, funding for this category is provided mostly Table 3. Share of Actual Expenditures by Level of Education and by Internally Generated Funds 4 (IGFs), including fees for boarding cao re (2012) and for other services paid mostly Level Salary ServiceS5 Assets (million % out of pocket by guardians and US$) students. These fees have large Pre-school 95.8% 2.8% 1.3% 248.86 8% variations by schools and by Primary 91.8% 5.0% 3.2% 744.55 23% regions and these variations lead to JHS 94.7% 3.1% 2.3% 553.80 17% significant disparities in terms of SHS 62.7% 26.7% 10.5% 604.23 19% goods and services between better- TVET 24.1% 64.6% 11.3% 93.53 3% off schools and those providing SPED 67.3% 15.6% 17.1% 12.41 0% services to more remote and/or NEED 96.9% 2.0% 1.1% 23.17 1% lower income communities. The Tertiary 59.7% 35.1% 5.2% 618.27 19% Ghana Education Trust Fund Maenitaecaegmesnt02) (GETFund), a statutory resource, is Maaeet 83.3% 15.8% 0.9% 360.62 11% used for investmentS6T. However, Total 78.2% 17.2% 4.6% 3,259.44 100% these investments show large variations from year to year and may not follow the Government planning and targeting expectations. In 2013, GETFund was allocated US$40 million for SHS investment but transfers were not forthcoming. 15. There is scope to improve the efficiency of SHS services. Key strategies that the Ministry of Education has introduced include: replacement of allowances paid to trainees of colleges of education (with tertiary student loan), rationalization and improved deployment of teaching staff. This is expected to lead to a gradual abolishment of automatic employment and teachers will be employed based on vacancies at specific schools. The gradual replacement of allowances paid to trainees annually will significantly reduce the wage bill at the basic level17. Source: Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR), 2012. 5Salary expenditure share is considerably lower for SHS- because of the significant IGF. 6 The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is a public trust fund set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to provide funding to supplement the government's efforts to provide education infrastructure from pre-tertiary to the tertiary level. The fund accrues from 2.5 per cent VAT imposed on selected goods and services specifically to bridge the funding gap in education. ' About 9000 teacher trainees enrolled every year resulting in estimated student population of 27,000 and currently represents about rmt of payroll. 5 Currently, there is a teacher rationalization committee undertaking an exercise to streamline teacher numbers and ensure that excess teachers are redeployed to needed areas including the new and expanded schools. A teacher rationalization guideline will be developed to ensure teacher numbers are commensurate with minimum teaching norms. The Ministry has set up a committee to provide recommendations for improving the teaching of Mathematics and Science. This policy reform is expected to improve quality, reduce repetition and improve grade transitions. Furthermore, affordable expansion of secondary could use additional efficiency strategies such as increasing cost recovery (e.g. for boarding, targeting subsidies); forging public-private partnerships, reducing repetition, increasing attendance; and improving school management-all likely to be considered during the implementation of the project. C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes 16. The Government's Education Sector Plan (ESP) covering 2010-2020, aims to "increase equitable access to high quality second cycle education that prepares young adults for the various options available within tertiary education and the workplace. '8 The strategies towards this goal include, among others: (1) making available progressively free public second cycle education and training for those eligible; (2) providing boarding on a needs basis; (3) ensuring equal education opportunities for all academically eligible students; (4) ensuring that central and outlying girls education units are functional and informed by EMIS; and (5) all institutions meet national norms in health, sanitation and safety. The ESP makes a strong commitment to achieve gender equality by 2015 with full gender parity, "enrollment of hard-to- reach and out of school students," high safety and sanitation standards and other actions. Among the quality improvement measures, the key objectives include "adequate access to relevant and up-to-date teaching/learning materials (including ICTs)", school, public and community libraries, and relevant curricula, (including an update in 2014), WAEC level examination and continuous in service teacher training (INSET). 17. The most recent Country Partnership Strategy (CPS FY13-16), approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on September 19, 2013 proposes to assist Ghana to sustain economic growth, accelerate poverty reduction and enhance shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. The CPS seeks to support Ghana to consolidate its transition to lower middle income status, address sources of inequality, and help pave the way to access to International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) funding. The CPS is based on three pillars: (i) improving economic institutions; (ii) improving competitiveness and job creation; and (iii) protecting the poor and vulnerable. The SEIP supports the second pillar in an effort to enable growth and development through improved skills. A key GoG priority is to rapidly expand both access and quality to SHS in poor rural and peri-urban areas in order to resolve the imbalance in capacity and decline in access that has emerged over the last decade with stagnating growth in senior secondary schools and rapid growth in the eligible student population. This is particularly crucial in the three regions in northern Ghana where the imbalance is greatest and the evidence strongly indicates that secondary education makes a significant positive difference for earning prospects as well as for accessing tertiary education which results in even greater earning prospects. As such, it addresses the World Bank twin goals of promoting shared prosperity and reducing extreme poverty. Education Strategic Plan 2010 to 2020. Volume 1: Policies, Strategies, Delivery, Finance (p. 24). 6 II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE A. PDO 18. The Project Development Objective is to increase access to senior secondary education9 in underserved districts and improve quality in low-performing senior high schools in Ghana. B. Project Beneficiaries 19. The project is expected to benefit approximately 30,000 new students in secondary education programs, 150,000 students in low performing schools, 2000 senior high school teachers, head teachers, in addition to education officials. C. PDO Level Results Indicators Access with Equity Increase in Transition Rates from JHS3 to SHSI in targeted districts Increase in SHS educational attainment within two poorest quintiles in targeted districts (disaggregated by gender) Quality of low performing secondary schools WASSCE achievement of 6 credits and abovelo within beneficiary schools (disaggregated by gender) Direct project beneficiaries (of which female) III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION A. Project Components 20. The proposed Project would support the Government's Community Day Senior High School program through two components: (i) Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools; and (ii) Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation. Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools (Total costs including contingencies: US$140.1 million) 21. Component 1 uses a results-based financing (RBF) modality. Disbursements up to a capped absolute amount will be made against specific line items in the Education sector annual budget, referred to as eligible expenditure programs (EEPs). These disbursements will be conditioned on achievement of specified results, as measured by disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs). A matrix of indicators has been developed to measure performance annually and monitor the results achieved (Annex 1). ' Senior secondary education denotes those schools that offer programs to qualify participants to transition to tertiary level (unlike other post-basic programs that provide only terminal vocational or technical training). Secondary education is a broad category of institutions that include technical schools, apprenticeship, etc. For the SEIP, interventions are focused on Senior High Schools only. 10 WASSCE achievement refers to obtaining a minimum of six credits (three core and three electives) which is required for entry to tertiary institutions. 7 22. Policies and interventions to be supported are grouped into two pillars: (i) increasing access with equity (geographic, gender, poverty, etc.); and (ii) improving quality of selected low performing SHS. 23. Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity (Total costs including contingencies: US$125.1 million): The objective of this pillar is to improve access to senior secondary education and improve equity in underserved districts and provide scholarship to students from low income families, especially girls. 24. The SEIP is expected to finance results of the Government's priority program to expand space through the construction of new senior secondary schools in underserved areas, rehabilitation and expansion of existing low performing schools and through support for SHS attainment of disadvantaged students. The Government plans include new construction in the 14 districts where there are no current operating public SHS. In addition, using the agreed selection criteria for eligible student population compared with available school capacity (effective demand) combined with district level poverty indicators, an additional 9 districts have been identified for new construction. The ultimate objective is to create new spaces for those demanding seats in SHS and to fill these spaces with new students coming from previously underserved communities. In addition to new schools, this pillar would focus on improving existing SHS, particularly those with capacity for expansion, demand for SHS places, poor learning outcomes, drawing on a needs assessment which will determine level of deficiency (bathrooms, science labs, computer facilities, etc.) and scope for upgrading. Approximately 125 existing schools would be supported. This pillar will improve the Government's targeting of resources to support increased access by further supporting scholarships to students from low income families, especially girls. 25. Given the operation's focus on under-served areas and promoting access with equity, disbursement will be linked to indicators (DLIs) that measure increases in seat availability in targeted locations for new construction and increased utilization in existing low-performing schools where new seats are made available. Targeting resources for students from low income families, especially girls in underserved communities would further strengthen equity reforms. Therefore, the release of International Development Association (IDA) credit funds will be linked to achievement of the following DLIs: (i) selection based on targeting of school expansion in underserved districts (DLIl); (ii) increase in new seats utilized for SHS students in underserved districts (DLI 2); (iii) increase in utilized seats in existing selected low-performing schools (DLI3); and (iv) increased enrolment in selected SHS for students from low-income families, especially girls (DLI4). 26. Pillar 2: Improve the quality of education in selected low-performing Senior High Schools (Total costs including contingencies: US$15 million): The objective of this pillar is to improve the quality of SHS, with a focus on mathematics and science education in selected low performing schools". The SEIP would also strengthen school management, leadership and expansion of ICT in the 125 selected low-performing schools. In order to improve quality, the Project will support the Government's program to: (i) strengthen school management, leadership "Low-performing schools will be selected based on district criteria for poverty and demand for education and performance ranking as well as size of school population. A needs assessment also would be carried out. 8 and accountability; (ii) target interventions to improve the quality of science and mathematics education; and (iii) introduce School Performance Partnerships (SPPs) based on School Performance Partnership Plans (SPPPs) to capture quality improvements. The SPPs would develop mutual accountability between school management and the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) to improve learning performance with the commitment from government agencies to provide the necessary resources and the responsibility of schools to implement quality improvement activities with verifiable outcomes. In addition to school-based quality inputs, training and financing, this pillar will support the systematic collection and publication of school data for stakeholders to make informed decisions about SHS selection, and for MOE/GES to make informed decisions about planning and financing SHS. 27. The focus on mathematics and science subjects is aligned with the Government strategy to encourage these program areas throughout all education levels. The expansion of ICT wireless connectivity would also allow strengthened science, mathematics and other subject education through digital content for teachers and students. Schools will have access to an education portal12 (i-campus) where teachers and students can utilize multiple online resources that are expected to support improved teaching and learning. ICT will be used for intensive in-service support to teachers to improve content knowledge as well as lesson plan preparation, teaching and learning aids, and videos on good teaching practices and classroom management. The portal could also serve as a platform for knowledge exchange with national and international networks and for participation in relevant discussion forums. The SEIP is expected to provide connectivity to 125SHS. 28. As an intermediate result, completion rates in the targeted schools would be expected to increase. A longer term impact would be an increase in student achievement in learning outcomes (as measured by performance in the WASSCE) which is also a year 4 DLR. For this pillar, release of IDA credit funds would be linked to the achievement of the following DLIs: (i) annual publication of School Performance Report (DLI 5); (ii) School Performance Partnerships (SPPs) in 125 beneficiary schools (DLI 6); and (iii) improved learning outcomes in targeted selected schools (DLI 7). 29. Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation (Total costs including contingencies: US$15.9 million): This component aims to strengthen the implementation capacity of the MOE and GES and its related implementing agencies and assist them to achieve the objectives of the Government's SHS strategy. This component will support monitoring and evaluation (M&E), coordination, planning, communication, financial management, procurement, and safeguards. In addition it will support an active and evolving research agenda to continue to inform Government SHS policy, particularly with regard to financing, social targeting, quality initiatives, teacher rationalization, and curriculum relevance. This component would complement implementation of the program pillars with ongoing analyses, strengthening data collection for school mapping, and establish priorities for new construction, renovations and maintenance. The establishment of a web platform for school reporting and real time monitoring of all SHS implementation activities would enhance and strengthen the Education Management Information System (EMIS) and school mapping in order to help government report on achievement of results. In addition, funding will be provided to 12 Education portal is being established with funding from USAID, GoG and planned support from the Ghana e- Transform project approved by the Bank Board in 2013. 9 support the independent verification of disbursement linked indicators and results. Support would also be provided to help the MOE to design and realize policy reforms, including piloting and evaluating innovative approaches. This component would finance training, recruitment of short and long-term technical experts, procurement of goods needed for specific activities, and incremental operating costs. B. Project Financing 30. Lending Instrument: The proposed project would support senior secondary education in Ghana through a five-year credit of US$156 million using an Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument. The IPF would be executed using a hybrid structure whereby a results-based funding component (Component 1) would be complemented by a traditional investment technical assistance and management component (Component 2) to support the Government's overall program. The credit effectiveness date is expected to be October 1, 2014, and its closing date is November 30, 2019. 31. The lending approach has three salient features. First, disbursements under Component 1 (results-based) are made against selected (eligible) key budget line items of the GoG's annual budget, referred to as Eligible Expenditure Programs (EEPs), up to capped absolute amounts, and at specific predictable disbursement dates. Second, credit disbursements are based on the achievement of pre-specified results, as measured by DLIs. Third, a technical assistance (TA) component (Component 2) would finance essential activities to facilitate the implementation of Component 1 by strengthening the implementation capacity of the MOE and GES to enable them to work towards meeting the disbursement conditions under the DLIs while availing them of the requisite monitoring and evaluation tools. 32. The DLIs under the SEIP reflect government priorities for SHS education as stipulated in the ESP. They include initial results and intermediate performance targets (Disbursement Linked Results - DLRs) that aim to support incremental development changes within a long-term vision for the Ghana secondary education system. The DLIs are independent of each other from a disbursement point of view; i.e., non-compliance with a DLI in a period means that the disbursement of the funds associated with that DLI will be withheld, but disbursement associated with other DLIs will not be affected. All DLIs are weighted equally. 33. The Project is composed of 7 DLIs with yearly result targets (DLRs) from year 0 to year 4. This RBF mechanism ensures continued progress towards planned achievements and objectives while also strengthening government capacity in M&E. With a total of 30 DLRs against all 7 DLIs and a resource allocation of US$140.1 million for the results-based component of the project, each DLR is priced at a value of US$4.64 million (except for DLIl which is priced at US$5.54 million). The DLRs must be met on or before the agreed specified delivery times in order for the Government to receive the amount allocated for each specific DLRs. The period from September to December, each year, will be selected as the measurement and evaluation period for DLRs and this would trigger disbursements against the selected eligible expenditure program line - 'Compensation of Employees - Secondary Education Sub-Function'. 34. Bank financial management (FM) guidelines will be applicable to EEPs, but since the selected EEP for the operation (under Component 1) is technically a non-procurable cost item, the Bank's procurement guidelines will therefore be applicable only to Component 2. 10 Alternatives considered a. The traditional modality of an IPF in place of a results-based modality was considered but found to be less effective in achieving the objectives of this project. A traditional IPF would not be as helpful in providing the fiscal space which the government currently needs as the resources would be tied to inputs. A traditional IPF would focus attention on inputs and mechanistic processes with the attendant risks that the objectives may or may not be achieved. The RBF engagement provides an opportunity for a strengthened dialogue through closer monitoring of government performance against selected DLIs under a results-based IPF. b. The use of the Program for Results (P4R) instrument was considered but rejected because, although it has an ESP, Ghana does not have a well-developed and costed Secondary Education Strategy/Plan yet. The Government did not request a P4R instrument and the persistent delays in budget releases, combined with a limited reform agenda in education also make the P4R instrument inappropriate at this time. Therefore this project is considered an initial step towards a more results-oriented portfolio. c. The use of a series of DPLs was also considered but rejected due to its focus on policy rather than implementation outcomes. A DPL would not be as effective in directly supporting the achievement of the objectives of this project for the following reasons: (i) the results-based DLIs being considered are more disaggregated than DPL prior actions triggers and will make step by step changes possible; (ii) DPLs cannot be easily tranched to effectively support and reward step by step progress on the agenda under the government's Program; (iii) the proposed approach would allow for more intensive Bank team support and assistance; and (iv) the learning outcomes to be derived from the use of an IPF are more readily visible while institutional strengthening implications, including the strengthened education monitoring framework, can gather momentum with direct Bank support during implementation. Project Costs and Financing 35. Government total spending on SHS in 2013 was about US$430 million.13 The estimated program cost of additional activities in 2014-2018 is (an estimated) US$255 million including the investments into creating seats in newly built and expanded schools (i.e. about 75,000) and rehabilitation of schools with improved equity and quality. 36. Assuming a five percent growth in enrolment per year, a recurring unit cost of US$483 per student enrolled, cost of construction at US$4.3 million per school and amortization costs of 1%, the total cost of existing and additional activities for the five year project period is estimated at US$2.140 billion (based on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and in today's exchange rate). The Government plans to increase its allocation to SHS budget in accordance 1 1.096 billion GhC 11 with a medium term expenditure framework (FY13-15). Of the total amount, IDA will finance US$156 million or about 7 percent of the estimated overall SHS costs.14 Table 4: IDA Project Financing Financing source US $ (m) Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools 140.1 Component 2: Management, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation 15.9 IDA Total Project Costs 156.0 New IDA 149.6 Recommitted IDA 6.4 37. The financing under IDA will be limited to a total of US$$140.1 million (90%) for the results based component of the project, and this amount will be applied to financing government expenditures against selected eligible expenditure lines under the secondary education sub- function of the education services function as follows: "Compensation of Employees". 38. Financing for Year 0 under the RBF component will be made available for up to 20% of the total allocation for the component. The amount payable under this arrangement will be represented by the value of 6 DLRs, amounting to a total sum of approximately US$28.74 million. The starting point for determination of the eligible expenditures would be assessment of the actual eligible expenditures incurred and paid for under the identified budgeted line of the MoE/GES budget as part of the EEP during the previous fiscal year (or part thereof). The verification of this amount will be made with reference to the Budget Execution Report (BER). C. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design 39. The design of the project has benefited from lessons learned under previous development partner-funded projects, IDA-financed projects in Ghana and other education operations, particularly results based approach lending projects in other countries. 40. Strong ownership by the Borrower is essential for the momentum of reforms to be sustained. Government commitment at the highest levels will be required to ensure the release of budgeted funds in a timely manner. The relationship between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) would need to be strengthened during the formulation of the secondary education strategy and the implementation of the SEIP. 41. Construction lessons: The Government implemented a SHS construction/rehabilitation program with support from the African Development Bank from 2003-2011. The Development of Senior Secondary Education Project (DSSEP) - Education III aimed to improve the quality of education, increase access and efficiency in deprived areas. The construction process was significantly delayed, suffered from poor site supervision and numerous disputes with 14These estimates are not based on the recent salary increases and a new projection will need to be added to the project cost estimates. However, according to the recent increases, the share of the IDA financing within the five year total SHS program costs is expected to decrease below 5 percent. 12 contractors, particularly regarding delay in payments and significant overruns. This was eventually corrected by the termination of contracts for the supervision consultants and replaced by on site clerks of work directly supervised by the Funds and Procurement Management Unit (FPMU) which eventually led to a 95% completion of the works. The lack of a comprehensive monitoring system or post-occupancy evaluation has limited the government's ability to verify the accomplishment of educational objectives of the civil works.15 The SEIP therefore aims to better mainstream the roles and responsibilities for school construction to encourage greater accountability at all levels. A more balanced mix of structures and quality improvements are needed to impact education outcomes. With the introduction of real time monitoring and supervision of schools, the GoG hopes to better manage contractor deliverables and deal quickly with issues as they arise. DLIs that capture validated designs, bidding documents, facilities management, maintenance, and safeguards screening will strengthen the construction process. 42. Sustainability: The government's strategy to increase access and improve the quality of secondary education has significant fiscal implications for both investment and recurrent costs. Given the current macroeconomic situation, the SEIP aims to encourage greater rationalization of expenditures and prioritization of investments. Under the Education Development Sector Project and the EFA-FTI projects in Ghana, those activities that have been sustained were investments that focused on targeted beneficiaries and/or districts to ensure more equitable financing in the sector to those localities and populations previously underserved. With a long term vision for secondary education progressively universal and free, the project would need to support an incremental and selective investment strategy to balance new construction with upgrading of existing schools and potential innovations for other options to increase access and quality (scholarships, private education, etc.). 43. Targeting: The introduction of targeting to deprived districts under previous IDA and development partner-funded projects has created an enabling environment for better selectivity and prioritization of government resources. Without the application of objective criteria or political leadership to address inequities in the education system, the project would continue the disparities in access and quality to senior high school education with very low basic education completion rates and SHS available per capita in the deprived northern regions of the country. Therefore the project would apply transparent criteria for selection of beneficiary areas and/or schools to address some of these disparities. Focus on incentives and subsidies to poor students is expected to improve targeting and efficiency of government investments in the sector. 44. Monitoring and evaluation: A comprehensive M&E system is critical to achieving and monitoring results. In addition to enabling Government to track and verify the achievement of DLIs, a robust M&E system ensures better-informed decision making by schools, districts, regions and MOE officials. Real time monitoring also allows the flexibility and agility to make changes as programs are implemented and address challenges/issues as they arise. As demonstrated by other RBF projects, many in Asia and some more recently in SSA, a credible M&E system that tracks results helps encourage greater accountability among those responsible for delivering education services. 15 African Development Bank "Development of Senior Secondary Education-Education III" Project Completion Report, November 2012 13 IV. IMPLEMENTATION A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 45. The Project will be implemented over a five-year period from 2014 to 2019. As with previous education projects, a Project Steering Committee (PSC) (a condition of effectiveness) will provide oversight and guidance to facilitate inter-division coordination on implementation activities. It will be chaired by the Minister of Education with the Deputy Minister (Pre-Tertiary) as Vice Chair. Members of the PSC will comprise the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the Financial Controller, the Project Coordinator, Head of the Project Civil Works Team, Head of the Quality and Outcomes Team, and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, GETFund, the Council of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), as well as regional and district representatives. 46. The implementing agency will be the Ministry of Education (MOE) (and its relevant Agencies) which will be responsible for the project's coordination, procurement, contract management, FM, and compliance with safeguards policies. The M&E units in MOE and the GES will be responsible for all sector level monitoring and evaluation with support provided by Ghana Statistical Service, WAEC, Inspectorate Board and other key agencies. Oversight of SEIP implementation will be in the MOE with the GES providing their mandated implementation role for service delivery. The GES will oversee all activities related to senior secondary institutional leadership and teacher training, preparation of SPPs, resourcing of schools for quality improvements, improvement of senior secondary school programs, ICT interventions, and M&E. The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) would oversee activities related to senior secondary subject teacher training. The Regional and District Directorates for Education will supervise all SHS related interventions with respect to SHS institutional heads and will monitor the activities of SHSs in their districts and regions. 47. The Chief Director of the MOE, who reports to the Minister for Education, will lead the technical team by chairing the Technical Implementation Committee (TIC) which will be responsible for the day to day oversight of project implementation. The establishment of the TIC is a condition of effectiveness. A Project Coordinator will be hired to support the TIC, which will be comprised of key officers assigned to a Project Civil Works Team and a Project Quality and Outcomes Team. These teams will have clear terms of reference for the scope and responsibilities related to the SEIP. The project will be implemented in accordance with the Project Implementation Manual (PIM), which also is a condition of effectiveness. B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation 48. The MOE/PBME and GES will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing all M&E activities. The project's M&E framework will build upon established systems and strengthen the Government's capacity to routinely collect, analyze and verify education data from schools, regional authorities, district education offices and budget offices. The MOE will be responsible for providing: (i) status reports on project implementation by activity, including description of outputs and outcomes achieved at the school- and district levels; (ii) status reports on the progress made on all PDO and intermediate-level indicators specified in the results framework (RF); (iii) level of achievement for the various DLRs within each DLI; and (iv) consolidated 14 annual progress reports. Technical assistance will be provided for capacity-building under Component 2. 49. Data Sources. Various sources of data will be used to measure implementation progress and achievement of PDO, intermediate and disbursement-linked indicators (see Annex 1): a) PDO level indicators. Data sources for measuring progress on PDO-level indicators will include: (i) EMIS; (ii) Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS); (iii) WAEC yearly exam results; and (iv) consolidated M&E reports produced by MOE/PBME and GES HQ. b) Intermediate-level indicators. Sources for information on progress on intermediate-level indicators will include: (i) school and district level M&E reports; (ii) independent third party monitoring reports; (iii) data from the web-based platform. c) DLIs. Data on achievement of DLIs and the yearly DLRs will be sourced from: (i) official government reports; (ii) World Bank bi-annual assessments; and (iii) independent third party verification assessments (Independent verifiers will be appointed no later than three months after the Effectiveness Date). 50. Reporting. In addition to the core M&E reports outlined above, a number of analytical studies will be undertaken under Component 2 of the Project. The Bank will also prepare semi- annual implementation status reports (ISRs) which describe project implementation progress and progress towards achievement of PDOs. These reports will be supplemented with the independent third party assessments. C. Sustainability 51. The Government is developing a program based on a long term vision to make secondary education gradually universal and progressively free. This will have significant budget implications but only in the long-term. Whereas there are significant overall, country fiscal challenges (stemming partially from the recent roll-out of the single spine salary system for public employees), the contribution of the US$156 million is manageable. The budget impact comes from expanding the recurrent expenditures to accommodate the additional 30,000 students, which is less than 4-5% increase in the overall enrollment. However, the Government is engaged in a teacher rationalization program which will bring about efficiency gains and will limit the hiring and training of new teachers and may limit the salary implications of the expansion to 2-3%. Non-salary recurrent expenditures may increase by US$1-2 million per year. Demand side interventions, including scholarships will also contribute to the recurrent expenditures. Measures to improve quality also have some recurrent cost implications. As part of its program, the Government will also initiate an expenditure review which will recommend efficiency measures to improve the sustainability of the SHS sub-sector. Better schools may attract more students but this may improve the utilization rate in schools which are presently under subscribed and decongest others that are over-subscribed. Altogether, the investments may increase the recurrent expenditures for SEIP by up to 10%, but the project's social and economic impact of improving equity and quality offset these implications. 15 V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES A. Risk Ratings Summary Table Risk Category Rating Stakeholder Risk Substantial Implementing Agency Risk - Capacity Substantial - Governance Substantial Project Risk - Design Substantial - Social and Environmental Substantial - Program and Donor Low - Delivery Monitoring and Sustainability Substantial Other Risks (computerized placement system and statutory funding sources for education investments Moderate Overall Implementation Risk Substantial B. Overall Risk Rating Explanation 52. The overall risk rating of the project is 'substantial'. Ghana is experiencing fiscal challenges which could hamper achievement of the disbursement linked indicators and ultimately delay project implementation. The lack of familiarity with the results based approach is also a risk to implementation. The project also poses some governance risks given the large construction agenda of the government and the need to ensure transparent and objective criteria for locating the schools in underserved communities. Governance, fraud and corruption risks are considered substantial also because of the persistent teacher time on task issues. The potential institutional challenges vis-a vis the MOF, MOE and GES also pose some concern if roles and accountability regarding project implementation are not well defined and greater responsibility is not devolved to decentralized levels of the system. The Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) in Annex 4 provides details on the flagged risks and proposed mitigation measures. VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY A. Economic and Financial Analysis summary 53. The key economic benefit of the SEIP is the individual benefit from post-basic (SHS and tertiary) education which will be distributed more equitably and should lead to more diversity and better geographical spread of economic development. SHS education attainment improves the likelihood of moving away from non-wage employment and from subsistence agriculture. At the same time, the impact of pre-tertiary education on earnings is constrained by the fact that the formal private sector jobs are scarce. While pre-tertiary education attainment (measured in terms of the highest level of education) may have limited impact on earnings, certain skills do have measurable impact on both employment and earnings. 16 54. The SEIP project will also expand the benefit by improving the quality of SHS programs. For those, who qualify to and graduate at tertiary level, the successful completion at SHS level is clearly a requisite. However, most of the SHS graduates are unable to continue at tertiary level. These students need to acquire skills that help them improve their position in the job market. For those who will not continue beyond SHS, they will require skills that help improve their earnings, including communication, ICT, language, mathematics, integrated and applied science and business skills. By improving the skills of SHS graduates, the opportunity costs for the poor are mitigated and the attraction of SHS for the poor can improve. 55. The SEIP project will lead to better, more equitable public SHS policy in Ghana. As more families and individuals move out of poverty, there will be higher demand for education and sustainability will require better cost-sharing, fairer distribution of public subsidies and more efficient SHS services in which existing capacities are better filled, completion rate and examination pass-rates improve. As the Government expands public education services in parallel with the increasing wage bill, increases in the public costs have significantly surpassed both the rate of increase in SHS attainment as well as the private costs. Therefore, the project's cost-efficiency and sustainability require that the public benefits are maximized relative to the public costs of the SHS services. The World Bank contributes to the Government's program by assisting the development of a more equitable, more relevant and more efficient policy framework for senior secondary education through targeting investments, incentivizing improvements in quality and piloting demand side support. B. Technical 56. With access to primary education becoming near universal in Ghana, new priorities are emerging at post-basic level where the demand for secondary education is fast increasing and the supply of SHS has not kept pace. The SEIP design supports the government strategy to expand the system in an incremental, equitable and more affordable manner. Balancing the results between expansion and quality would also ensure a more robust system as both new and old schools strengthen their utilization and learning outcomes. By prioritizing and better targeting resources, greater efficiencies would result, critical during this time of fiscal constraints. By targeting the school expansion and quality improvements in underserved schools/districts, the SEIP helps to ensure that the project does not create further inequities and disparities among secondary schools and focuses attention on those schools that service the poorer communities. The criteria for selection has been carefully designed to address greatest demand for SHS places, capacity for enrollment and poverty indices to redress the growing disparities in access to quality secondary education. Most importantly, the design of the SEIP aims to incentivize results and actions rather than inputs. It allows for flexibility during the implementation period to use data, ongoing research, and pilot activities to orient investments to reach the target outcomes and results. The research and management component complements the investments with critical technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and capacity building for analyses, technical assessments, and social targeting surveys. Ghana's middle income status will require more SHS graduates with the skills to continue their education and/or enter the labor market. C. Financial Management 57. The implementation of the FM arrangements under this results-based IPF will be anchored by the use of country systems under the respective oversight responsibilities of the 17 MOF, Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD), MOE, and the GES. Thus the project's financial management arrangements will to the extent feasible follow the full use of country systems for Component 1 and adopt some aspects of the country systems for Component 2. The MOE Director of Finance and the Financial Controller (FC) of GES working in collaboration with staff of the CAGD, will be responsible for various aspects of the project's financial management arrangements. These responsibilities are to ensure that throughout implementation there are adequate FM arrangements and the project complies with the financial covenants detailed in the Financing Agreement. 58. From the FM perspective, the key strength of the project is that there is a solid foundation for a strong legal and regulatory framework for public financial management (PFM) in Ghana and this is exemplified by the various laws, regulations and manuals already in place, e.g. Financial Administration Act, 2003 (Act 654), Financial Administration Regulations, 2004 (1802) and the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). In its quest to improve the robustness of the PFM systems and processes, the government continues to pursue the implementation of actions to prevent an uncontrolled accumulation of arrears by introducing the commitment control module of Ghana Integrated and Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), and strengthening the cash forecasting and management processes along with the funds release management process, to impact better predictability of resource flows to service delivery agencies- a feature which will be very critical to the success of the RBF modality adopted for implementation of this project. The MOE and GES are technically well-resourced in accounting and FM and have been involved in satisfactorily implementing previous IDA-funded projects. 59. As government agencies, MOE/GES follow the budget preparation guidelines as per the Financial Administration Act (2003), the Financial Administration Regulation (2004) and also the annual budget guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance. However, since this is a results- based investment lending operation, the budgeting of all program expenditures will be part of the government budgeting process. The program expenditures will be captured in the GOG budget according to functional and object classification codes to capture expenditures for the EEPs and the TA consistent with the government Chart of Accounts. These will form the basis of financial reporting and monitoring of budget appropriations, revisions, releases and expenditures. 60. In terms of accounting and reporting, the GIFMIS will be the primary basis for transaction recording to enable the timely preparation of monthly budget execution reports related to the overall program expenditures, the EEPs, and the TA expenditures and accounting for government finances - managed under the auspices of the CAGD. Currently, the internal control features within the GoG provides for pre-auditing of government expenditure transactions. This form of expenditure validation, as part of the payment processing arrangements, will continue and will cover all expenditures, prior to their approval, including those under the project. In addition the expenditure initiation and related controls will follow the authorization and approval processes as within the MOE/GES. The MOE/GES have functioning internal audit units which help to ensure a sound control environment for transaction processing. 61. With respect to Component 1, disbursement will be made to the sub-consolidated Fund Account of the MOF held with the Bank of Ghana and the funds coded against a budget line created under GIFMIS. The request for funds will be done based on Withdrawal Applications duly signed by representatives from MOF, CAGD and MOE, which will be supported by Interim Unaudited Financial Reports (IUFRs) using the report based modalities and will include Budget 18 Execution Reports (BERs) generated from the GIFMIS together with forecast expenditures against achievement of DLRs. Funds flow for disbursements under Component 2 will follow the standard World Bank procedures using a dedicated and segregated Designated Account operated and maintained by the GES and managed by the Financial Controller, with prior approval of all transactions by the Chief Director. Based on the assessment of FM, the proceeds for Component 2 will be disbursed to the project using report based disbursement (IUFR arrangements), using a forecast of expenditures for six-monthly cycles, updated twice a year. 62. As part of the reporting requirements under the project, quarterly financial statements (in the form of BERs) will be prepared by the MOE showing the uses of funds according to the pre- defined eligible expenditure element financed by the GoG (Component 1). For Component 2, specific IUFR templates will be used for reporting. 63. In line with its mandate as per the Ghana Audit Service Act (Act 584), the Auditor General is solely responsible for the auditing of all funds under the Consolidated Fund and all public funds as received by government ministries, departments, and agencies. Generally, the capacity of the Ghana Audit Service (GAS) is considered adequate and satisfactory to provide required assurances under the project. In this regard, and consistent with the use of country FM systems, the GAS will conduct the audit of the project's financial statements as part of the MOE Annual Audit. Detailed notes to be included in the audited financial statements will incorporate activities financed under the project. Copies of the audit report will be submitted to the Bank, throughout implementation of the project, within one month of statements and reports having been submitted to Parliament, but not later than nine months after the end of the previous year. D. Procurement 64. Procurement for the proposed project will be carried out in accordance with the World Bank's "Guidelines:16 Procurement of Goods, Works, and Non-Consulting Services under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011, and "Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011; and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement. Under Component 1, which utilizes DLIs, all the procurement will be linked with the disbursement indicators, thus the procurement process will be based on country systems acceptable by the Bank. A draft procurement plan was prepared by MOE and cleared by the Bank on April 11, 2014. 65. A capacity assessment was conducted on the proposed implementing agencies, MOE and GES, Headquarters, to ascertain their capacity to implement the project smoothly. A risk assessment has been undertaken which identifies and proposes risk mitigating measures-details can be found in Annex 3. The overall procurement risk is rated Substantial, given the magnitude of the funds, and inherent institutional challenges, as well as the workload of the existing staff who have experienced heads of divisions but supporting staff may lack requisite experience and knowledge in Bank procurement. 16 World Bank Guidelines recognize the use of Country Procurement Systems. 19 E. Social (including Safeguards) 66. Social Safeguards: While the project will avoid, where possible, adverse impacts on people, land and other economic resources and livelihoods, the Involuntary Resettlement policy is triggered as a result of the plan to acquire lands for new school construction. A Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) has been prepared by the government and disclosed in country on April 1, 2014 and in the World Bank Infoshop on April 2, 2014. The MOE has used screening guidelines in acquiring vested lands through donation. These guidelines include avoiding lands which are the active source of a dispute and also avoidance of cultural heritage or sacred sites. The MOE is in the process of acquiring and selecting certain sites for school construction. For the lands already so designated, a resettlement/social audit will be carried out. For sites not yet identified, abbreviated Resettlement Action Plans will be prepared, as the overall possible physical footprint of school construction is not likely to have significant resettlement impacts. Disbursement linked indicators will incorporate the preparation of social due diligence to ensure that land acquisition for school construction is in accordance with World Bank OP 4.12 as well as achieving the learning results for which the construction takes place. F. Environment (including Safeguards) 67. Environmental Safeguards: The proposed project is classified as a Category B investment project. The environmental and social impacts and risks associated with school rehabilitation and construction are not substantial and with proper oversight and due diligence are manageable. Since exact locations of school construction and/or services are not known and this project is based on performance ex post, the Government of Ghana has prepared an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) that identifies a collection of environmental and social provisions to ensure that all school projects meet Ghanaian environmental regulatory requirements as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which meet World Bank safeguard requirements. The ESMF was disclosed in country on March 29, 2014 and in the World Bank Infoshop on March 31, 2014. The MOE will be responsible for establishing a set of procedures in to-be-developed Technical Planning Guidelines that cover all aspects for new school construction as well as rehabilitation including the environmental clauses to be inserted in contractors' bidding documents. In addition, MOE has already updated its environmental and social due diligence processes with a site selection screening form and clarified all EPA submission and permit requirements. These procedures are integrated with the principles established in the RPF in terms of land allocation, etc. Environment and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) will be conducted if necessary. MOE is committed to improving its capacity across these procedures by hiring environmental and social specialists, conducting training across national, district and contractor actors as well as other key community stakeholders. All school construction activities including design and site selection, community engagement, construction etc. will be documented and tracked over time for satisfactory completion of all environmental and social requirements via internal and external third party audits and reporting. 20 Annex 1: Result Framework and Monitoring GHANA: Secondary Education Improvement Project (P145741) Project Development Objective (PDO): The project development objective is to increase access to senior secondary education in underserved districts and improve quality in low-performing senior high schools in Ghana. PDO-level Result Indicators c1 Unit of Baseline Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility Indicator Measure 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Frequency Methodology C Data 20152016201720182019Collection Indicator One: Increase in MoE, PBME Transition Rates Percentage 28% TBD TBD TBD TBD 33% Annual EMIS SRIMPR; GES from JHS3 to SHS I in targeted districts Indicator Two: Population and Increase in SHS Housing Census educational (2010), GLSS 6 attainment within the Estimated at Estimated at (2013) and end MoE, PBME, two poorest quintiles Percentage Male: 10% TBD TBD TBD TBD Male: 15% End of line survey SRIMPR; GES in targeted districts Female: 8%" Female:13% Project measuring the HQ; GSS (disaggregated by highest level of gender) education completed by 19- 21 year-olds Indicator Three: WASSCE Estimated at 8%o for ACEeto the 106 lowest achievement of 6 performing Total:8% Total:8% Total:10% Total:12% Total:14% WAEC/ credits and above Percentage schools(disaggregat Male: TBD Male: TBD Male: TBD Male: TBD Male: TBD Annual EMIS Annual MoE (PBME); wthosbeneficiary ed baseline by Female: TBD Female: TBD Female: TBD Female: TBD Female: TBD WASSCbE league WAEC schools gender not yet (disaggregated by available) gender) Indicator Four: Direct project MoE, beneficiaries Independent MoE, PBME, (students, teachers, Fmale: 0 TBD TBD TBD TBD 150,000 Annual Verification end SRIMPR; GES institutional leaders) Female: 0 line Survey HQ (disaggregated by Report gender) 17 Baseline data will be established once the beneficiary districts and schools are selected. 1s Baseline data currently based on 50 districts with lowest transition rates. Data will be updated once districts are selected. 19 Based on the Population and Housing Census data for the three regions in the North. 21 Unit of Baseline Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility Indicator Measure 2014" 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Frequency Methodology Cl atan Intermediate-level Results Indicators Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in SHS Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts Intermediate Result Indicator One: New (additional) M&E Report SHS seats created Web based MoE, PBME, and utilized by SHS Number 0 0 0 5,000 15,000 15,000 Annual school SRJMPR;GES students in the monitoring targeted schools (cumulative) Intermediate Result Indicator Two: Increase in seats M&E Report created and utilized eportd Mo,PBE within low Number 0 500 1,000 3,000 5,000 10,000 Annual Web based MoE, PBME,S performing soolR ;G beneficiary SHS monitoring schools (cumulative) Intermediate Result Indicator Three: Scholarships are distributed to low income students in M&E Report MoE the participating Number 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 10,000 10,000 Annual Web based PBME,SRIMPR, districts and schools school GES (cumulative) monitoring 22 Unit of Baseline Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility Jniao Measure 2014" 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Frequency Methodology Collection Pillar 2: Improve Quality in low-performing senior high schools Intermediate Result Indicator One: Number Mathematic Teachers s Mathematics: Mathematics: Mathematics: Mathematics: Mathematics: M&E Report participating in Mathematics: 0 M M e i M e i M e i Mathemtics:Web based MoE, PBME, training to upgrade Number Science: 0 0 120 240 360 360 Annual school SRIMPR, GES o Science: 0 Science: 100 Science: 250 Science: 500 Science: 500 monitoring or acquire new skills Science mntrn in Mathematics or Science (cumulative) cumulative Intermediate Result Indicator Two: Increase in School completion rates in Percentage TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD Annual Registry/ MoE, PBME, targeted schools EMIS SRIMPR; GES (disaggregated by gender) Intermediate Result Indicator Three: Number of M&E Report Performance Number 0 0 80 100 125 125 Annual Web based MoE, PBME, Partnerships for school SRIMPR, GES Learning with monitoring beneficiary SHSs established (cumulative) Intermediate Result Indicator Four: SHS ICT packages implemented in M&E Report, beneficiary schools Web-based MoE, PBME, (cumulative) Number 0 0 70 125 125 125 Annual school SRIMPR, GES, monitoring NITA 23 Unit of Baseline Cumulative Target Values Data Source/ Responsibility Measure 2014" 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Frequency Methodology Collection Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation Intermediate Result Indicator One: Monitoring system M&E Report, established and Web-based MoE, PBME, functioning to Yes/No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Annual school SRIMPR, GES annually track data monitoring and publish information on all SHS schools in Ghana Intermediate Result Indicator Two: Research and Sector M&E Report analyses conducted Number 0 0 1 2 3 5 Web based MoE, PBME, to inform elaboration school SRIMPR, GES of Secondary monitoring Education Strategy (cumulative) 24 Annex 1.2: Results Framework and Monitoring Indicators and Description Ghana: Secondary Education Improvement Project (P145741) Project Development Objective Indicators Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.) Increase in Transition Rates from Transition Rate: The rate of SHS 1 admissions over the JH3 enrollments (or JHS3 to SHS 1 in targeted districts successful BECE completers) disaggregated for the selected districts. Baseline figure and end-of-project targets will be calculated for the beneficiary districts under SEIP once districts are selected. Increase in SHS educational The proportion of 19-21 year-olds completing SHS education disaggregated by attainment within the two poorest gender and by income quintile. The baseline figures are estimated based on SHS quintiles in targeted districts (male) educational attainment of the 20-24 year-olds in the Northern regions and will have to be recalculated based on the district selections using the 2010 Population and Housing Census and the GLSS 6. An endline survey will measure attainment at project closing. Increase in SHS educational The proportion of 19-21 year-olds completing SHS education disaggregated by attainment within the two poorest gender and by income quintile. The baseline figures are estimated based on SHS quintiles in targeted districts educational attainment of the 20-24 year-olds in the Northern regions and will (female) have to be recalculated based on the district selections using the 2010 Population and Housing Census and the GLSS 6. An endline survey will measure attainment at project closing. WASSCE achievement of 6 credits The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is and above within beneficiary schools administered by The West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Exam scores (disaggregated by gender) of 50% and above (grades Al -C6) range are considered a "credit", 3 core and 3 elective subject credits are required to qualify for tertiary level. Baseline data will be established for the selected schools using the 2013 WASSCE results. Estimates in the results framework are based on the 20% lowest performing public SHS schools. 25 Direct project beneficiaries Direct beneficiaries are people or groups who directly derive benefits from an intervention (i.e., children who benefit from an immunization program; families that have a new piped water connection). Please note that this indicator requires supplemental information. Supplemental Value: Female beneficiaries (percentage). Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what proportion of the direct project beneficiaries are female. This indicator is calculated as a percentage. Female beneficiaries Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what percentage of the beneficiaries are female. Intermediate Results Indicators Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.) New (additional) SHS seats created Utilization means that students are admitted and enrolled to fill all seats in the and utilized by SHS students in newly built schools. The assumption is that all new (additional) SHS seats will be targeted schools (cumulative) created by Year 5 of the SEIP but enrollments will gradually increase as new schools admit new generations of students. Increase in seats created and utilized Utilization means that additional students are admitted and enrolled to fill all within low performing beneficiary newly established seats in the existing beneficiary schools. SHS schools (cumulative) Scholarships are distributed to low- Scholarships provided to low-income students based on agreed criteria. income students in participating districts and schools (cumulative) Teachers participating in training to This indicator refers exclusively to teachers trained under the project. Training upgrade or acquire new skills in will focus on content knowledge of math and science, as well as strengthening Math (cumulative) pedagogical and classroom management skills. Acquisition of skills will be measured against identified criteria for competencies. The assumption is that all Math and Science teachers will be trained by Year 4 of the SEIP. Teachers participating in training to This indicator refers exclusively to teachers trained under the project. Training upgrade or acquire new skills in will focus on content knowledge of math and science, as well as strengthening Science (cumulative) pedagogical and classroom management skills. Acquisition of skills will be measured against identified criteria for competencies. The assumption is that all 26 Math and Science teachers will be trained by Year 4 of the SEIP. Increase in completion rates in This indicator is calculated by dividing the total number of pupils belonging to a targeted schools (disaggregated by school-cohort who reached SHS3 by the number of pupils in the school-cohort i.e. gender) those originally enrolled in SHS1, (SHS 3t /SHS1 t-2)* 100. Baselines and end-of- project targets will be calculated once beneficiary schools are selected. Number of Performance Partnerships Signed performance agreements between DEOC and SHS to increase performance for Learning with beneficiary SHSs and improve management based on school performance partnership plans established (cumulative) supported under the project. The assumption is that all school performance partnerships will be established by Year 4 of the SEIP. SHS ICT packages implemented in ICT packages defined as connectivity and ICT equipment, software, training beneficiary schools (cumulative) around i-campus roll-out. Monitoring system established and Potential to use web-based platform using mobile technology and improved functioning to annually track data government system of real-time monitoring of all schools. and publish information on all SHS schools in Ghana. Research and Sector analyses Possible studies could include teacher issues, constraints to quality/enrollment, conducted to inform elaboration of Service Delivery Indicator study/survey, Public Education Expenditure Review, Secondary Education Strategy Secondary Education Vision/strategy 27 Table A1.3: Disbursement Linked Indicators and Disbursement Linked Results description Results Indicator YEAR 0 YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 Comments Focus Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts DLI 1: Targeting of Agreed targeting criteria Criteria for selection Expansion of school expansion applied to identify list of based on model agreed SHS and improvement in Districts and schools for during the March 2014 underserved expansion and improvement appraisal mission. districts and selected under the Project as set forth Selection of school sites low performing in the PIM for new construction in:(i) schools districts with no operating SHS; (ii) district prioritization based on the following objective targeting criteria: (a) demand for SHS places; (b) district size; and (c) district poverty index Selection of rehabilitation/upgrading of existing school sites based on specified criteria and targeting methods based on needs assessment. DLI 2: Increase in DLRI: Pre-construction DLR2: About 30% of DLR3: About DLR4: About DLR5: About Safeguards compliance new seats for SHS requirements met for new all construction works 80% of all 5,000 new seats 15,000 new through ESMF and RPF students in construction in 23 selected completed (aggregated) construction created in seats created verified in all new underserved districts districts. works completed underserved in construction sites. (aggregated) districts underserved (screening and RAPs (cumulative) districts completed). (cumulative) Validation of site selection applied in school construction implementation plan, bidding documents and safeguards reviews. Package of final bidding 28 Results Indicator YEAR 0 YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 Comments Focus documents completed for new construction in 23 districts in line with appraised design. Facilities maintenance plans drafted. DLI 3: Increase in DLR1: Pre-construction DLR2:About 500 seats DLR3: About DLR4: About DLR5: About Bidding Documents utilized seats in requirements met for utilized 1,000 utilized 3,000 utilized 5,000 utilized reflect identified existing low- upgrading of selected schools seats (cumulative) seats seats needs/scope of performing schools (cumulative) (cumulative) expansion/rehabilitation in selected low performing schools. District Assembly report on safeguards screening, site visits and civil works tendering. Demand side DLI 4: Increased DLRI: Selection and DLR2: At least 2,000 DLR3: At least DLR4: At least DLR5: At Link to PDO indicator 2 intervention enrolment in contracting of implementing SHS students receiving 4,000 SHS 6,000 SHS least 10,000 for identification of s to selected SHS for partner to administer scholarship in selected students receiving students SHS students beneficiaries for encourage students from low scholarships completed and schools. scholarship in receiving receiving incentives as defined in enrollment income families, criteria for selection of selected schools. scholarship in scholarship in the PIM. Schools report and especially girls beneficiaries of scholarships (cumulative) selected schools selected on number of students completion developed (cumulative) schools receiving scholarships per of SHS (cumulative) year for their three year SHS program. Disbursement scaled according to number of scholarships awarded per ________________________ __________________ _______________year. Pillar 2: Improve quality in low-performing senior high schools Improve the DLI 5: Annual DLR2: School DLR2: DLR3: DLR4: Greater sensitization and quality of publication of mapping of all SHS Publication of Publication of Publication communication about teaching and School Performance completed school updated school of updated SHS- outreach to JHS, up learning in Report performance data performance school to date data on school selected low- for FY 2016 data for FY1 7 performance details. performing online and in online and in data for secondary brochure brochure FYin8 online schools andin brochure 29 Results Indicator YEAR 0 YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 Comments Focus DLI 6: School DLR1: Guidelines on DLR2: Training on DLR3: 80 selected DLR4: 100 DLR5: 125 SPPPs would include Performance preparation of school school improvement schools signing selected schools selected details on ICT packages if Partnerships in 125 performance partnerships planning and performance signing schools needed, leadership and beneficiary schools (SPPs) developed and implementation partnerships performance implementing management training, distributed to selected provided for 125 partnerships performance competencies, strategy for schools. selected schools. (cumulative) partnerships improving in-service based on teacher training, SPPPs mentoring and materials. Survey to be conducted for beneficiary schools. Improvemen DLI 7: Improved DLR1: Report on review of DLR2: Training DLR3: ICT based DLR4: ICT DLR5: Year 4 DLR corresponds ts in learning outcomes in the quality of teaching and modules rolled out for instruction rolled based Increase in to PDO indicator teaching and 125 selected SHS learning for mathematics and mathematics and out in about 50% instruction number of 6 learning in (with quality science in SHS science teachers and of selected SHS. rolled out in all credits and At least 125 existing targeted package) ICT based instruction selected SHS above schools expected to schools developed for school WASSCE receive quality package- use in selected SHSs scores on (will roll out to new average in schools once they are total selected functioning) SHS. 30 Annex 2: Detailed Project Description GHANA: Secondary Education Improvement Project 1. Government Program/Strategy: The SEIP supports the Government's long term vision for expansion of Secondary Education. Government strategy aims to rapidly expand both access and quality of secondary education making it gradually universal and also progressively free for students who are unable to afford access to secondary education. Among other plans, the Government is proposing to build about 200 secondary schools above and beyond recent investments into the current infrastructure documented in a recent policy document, the Community Day School Construction Program. This program lays out a national program to improve access to senior high school over the next ten years, assuring that all 216 districts have at least one public SHS. The proposed project is aligned with the medium term plan to proceed with the sequencing of the first 50 districts to benefit from this national program. In addition to the phasing of the construction expansion, the SEIP would also support a phased roll out of targeted quality investments to ensure adequate learning in both the new schools and underperforming existing schools. Additional efficiencies are also expected from various education policies such as a teacher rationalization policy launched in 2014. 2. The project development objective is to increase access to senior secondary education in underserved districts and improve quality in low-performing senior high schools in Ghana. The SEIP will support the implementation of the government's Community Day Senior High School program through two components: (i) Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools; and (ii) Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation. SEIP Targeting 3. Criteria for selection of beneficiary new schools: The prioritization and better targeting of resources will help ensure more equitable availability of SHS and redress the growing disparities in access to quality secondary education. A political redistricting policy has meant an expansion in the number of districts from 170 to 216 in the last 18 months. Therefore, the new districts will require SHS if they do not already have one. The government has applied an objective and transparent criteria for the selection of districts for new construction. The criteria to be applied are as follows: a) Districts with no operating public SHS (most are newly created districts) b) Districts with high demand for SHS places (available places for BECE graduates in existing SHS in the district- student congestion) c) Districts with large SHS age populations d) District poverty index 4. The criteria include poverty and population pressures to ensure that the project does not create further inequities and disparities among secondary schools. A ranking has been developed that prioritizes the districts for investment. Since the SEIP will include a results based funding modality, the project documentation will not specify the number of schools expected to be constructed, but instead will focus on the resulting seats created. The ranking therefore serves as 31 an objective guideline for the sequencing of investments given limited funding in the short to medium-term. Table A2.1: New districts that do not have any Public SHS S/No Region District, Town Course offered 1 Central Awutu Senya East, Kasoa Science 2 Greater Accra Kpone Katamanso, Katamanso Science 3 Greater Accra Ga Central, Sowutwuom General 4 Northern Sagnerigu, Sagnerigu General 5 Northern North Gonja, Daboya Technical 6 Northern Mion, Sang Technical 7 Upper East Pusiga, Pusiga Science 8 Upper East Binduri General 9 Volta Krachi Ntsumuru, Chinderi Science 10 Western Bia East, Adabokrom General Table A2.2: List of old districts that do not have any Public SHS S/No Region District, Town Course offered 1 Greater Accra Ga East, Abokobi Science 2 Greater Accra Adentan, Adentan Science 3 Northern Gonja Central, Buipe Science 4 Western Wassa Amenfi Central, Manso General Table A2.3: Prioritization of Districts2o for new construction applying agreed criteria Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 1 105 BAWKU MUNICIPAL 0.743 1 1,038 1 0.009 1 1.00 2 43 PRU 0.476 1 1,258 1 0.005 2 1.25 3 95 MAMPRUSI WEST 0.566 1 1,176 1 0.006 2 1.25 4 110 GARU-TEMPANE 0.743 1 1,418 1 0.006 2 1.25 5 55 ASSIN NORTH MUNICIPAL 0.284 2 1,537 1 0.007 1 1.30 6 138 AMENFI WEST 0.293 2 1,467 1 0.008 1 1.30 7 107 BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL 0.673 1 699 2 0.008 1 1.45 20 2013 EMIS only captures 170 districts. This will be updated to reflect all 216 districts by the end of 2014. 21Poverty data are sourced from the CWIQ (Ghana Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire 2003) and GLSS 5 (2005). The Poverty Index was created by ranking districts according to the level of poverty and classifying districts into quartiles (with 1 being the poorest and 4 being the wealthiest). 22Shortage of Available Spaces in SHS data are sourced from 2013 EMIS. The Shortage Index was created by ranking districts according to shortfall in spaces available at the SHS level and classifying districts into quartiles (with 1 indicating those districts with the highest shortfall of spaces at the SHS level and 4 indicating those districts with the lowest shortfall of SHS spaces). 23Data to determine district size are sourced from the 2013 EMIS. The district size (for this purpose) is calculated by dividing the JHS 3 population in the district by the total population of JHS 3 students. The District Size Index was created by classifying districts into quartiles (with lindicating districts with the largest relative size and 4 indicating districts with smallest relative size). 32 Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 8 94 MAMPRUSI EAST 0.584 1 1,140 1 0.005 3 1.50 9 96 NANUMBA NORTH 0.573 1 1,192 1 0.005 3 1.50 10 102 TOLON-KUMBUNGU 0.485 1 1,177 1 0.004 3 1.50 11 120 WA WEST 0.79 1 921 1 0.003 3 1.50 12 133 NKWANTA SOUTH 0.455 1 959 1 0.004 3 1.50 13 12 ADANSI SOUTH 0.263 2 906 1 0.005 2 1.55 14 18 AMANSIE WEST 0.303 2 1,006 1 0.006 2 1.55 15 20 ASANTE-AKIM SOUTH 0.295 2 1,376 1 0.005 2 1.55 16 21 ATWIMA MPONUA 0.291 2 904 1 0.005 2 1.55 17 32 ASUNAFO NORTH MUNICIPAL 0.299 2 1,034 1 0.006 2 1.55 TWIFO-HEMANG-LOWER 18 62 DENKYIRA 0.262 3 1,139 1 0.007 1 1.60 19 74 KWAEBIBIREM 0.219 3 931 1 0.008 1 1.60 20 127 HOHOE MUNICIPAL 0.212 3 1,303 1 0.008 1 1.60 21 141 BIBIANI-ANHWIASO-BEKWAI 0.178 3 1,061 1 0.007 1 1.60 22 146 SEFWI-WIAWSO 0.249 3 888 1 0.006 1 1.60 23 150 ATWIMA-KWANWOMA 0.242 3 1,533 1 0.007 1 1.60 24 88 BUNKPURUGU-YUNYOO 0.584 1 887 2 0.005 2 1.70 25 103 YENDI MUNICIPAL 0.518 1 739 2 0.006 2 1.70 26 108 BONGO 0.783 1 644 2 0.005 2 1.70 27 22 ATWIMA NWABIAGYA 0.291 2 754 2 0.012 1 1.75 28 44 SENE 0.535 1 1,002 1 0.003 4 1.75 29 134 NORTH TONGU 0.363 2 861 2 0.007 1 1.75 30 15 AHAFO ANO SOUTH 0.311 2 1,228 1 0.005 3 1.80 31 33 ASUNAFO SOUTH 0.299 2 1,085 1 0.004 3 1.80 32 132 KRACHI WEST 0.396 2 1,395 1 0.004 3 1.80 33 76 KWAHU WEST MUNICIPAL 0.18 3 1,283 1 0.006 2 1.85 34 139 AOWIN-SUAMAN 0.256 3 1,139 1 0.006 2 1.85 35 140 BIA 0.254 3 1,696 1 0.005 2 1.85 36 143 JUABOSO 0.254 3 1,131 1 0.005 2 1.85 37 144 MPOHOR WASSA EAST 0.261 3 1,372 1 0.005 2 1.85 38 26 KUMASI METROPOLITAN 0.082 4 2,562 1 0.060 1 1.90 39 28 OBUASI MUNICIPAL 0.123 4 1,278 1 0.010 1 1.90 40 81 ACCRA METROPOLITAN 0.13 4 8,849 1 0.058 1 1.90 41 84 GA EAST MUNICIPAL 0.076 4 1,246 1 0.012 1 1.90 42 85 GA WEST MUNICIPAL 0.076 4 950 1 0.011 1 1.90 43 86 TEMA METROPOLITAN 0.035 4 2,596 1 0.020 1 1.90 44 149 AFIGYA-KWABRE 0.164 4 1,526 1 0.008 1 1.90 45 159 AWUTU-SENYA 0.097 4 2,340 1 0.013 1 1.90 46 160 GOMOA EAST 0.158 4 1,027 1 0.007 1 1.90 47 178 PRESTEA HUNI VALLEY 0.142 4 1,169 1 0.008 1 1.90 33 Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 48 40 KINTAMPO NORTH MUNICIPAL 0.451 1 527 2 0.004 3 1.95 49 99 SAVELUGU NANTON 0.562 1 754 2 0.004 3 1.95 50 172 KASSENA-NANKANA WEST 0.688 1 772 2 0.004 3 1.95 51 11 ADANSI NORTH 0.263 2 858 2 0.005 2 2.00 52 17 BEKWAI MUNICIPAL 0.269 2 533 2 0.006 2 2.00 53 25 EJURA SEKYIDOMASE 0.313 2 563 2 0.005 2 2.00 54 39 JAMAN SOUTH 0.388 2 769 2 0.005 2 2.00 55 56 ASSIN SOUTH 0.284 2 744 2 0.005 2 2.00 56 137 AMENFI EAST 0.293 2 830 2 0.005 2 2.00 57 16 AMANSIE CENTRAL 0.269 2 954 1 0.003 4 2.05 58 66 WEST AKIM MUNICIPAL 0.234 3 764 2 0.007 1 2.05 59 79 SUHUM-KROABOA-COALTAR 0.228 3 861 2 0.007 1 2.05 60 54 ASIKUMA-ODOBEN-BRAKWA 0.131 4 1,050 1 0.006 2 2.15 61 89 CENTRAL GONJA 0.546 1 671 2 0.002 4 2.20 62 101 TAMALE METROPOLITAN 0.292 2 436 3 0.021 1 2.20 63 117 SISSALA WEST 0.818 1 733 2 0.002 4 2.20 64 119 WA EAST 0.79 1 659 2 0.002 4 2.20 65 130 KETU SOUTH 0.274 2 340 3 0.006 1 2.20 66 14 AHAFO ANO NORTH 0.312 2 539 2 0.004 3 2.25 67 38 JAMANNORTH 0.388 2 515 2 0.004 3 2.25 68 42 NKORANZA MUNICIPAL 0.332 2 733 2 0.003 3 2.25 69 50 WENCHI MUNICIPAL 0.354 2 663 2 0.004 3 2.25 70 64 AFRAM PLAINS (KWAHU NORTH) 0.343 2 745 2 0.004 3 2.25 71 122 AKATSI 0.306 2 847 2 0.004 3 2.25 72 175 KETU NORTH 0.274 2 714 2 0.004 3 2.25 73 23 BOSOMTWE 0.242 3 852 2 0.006 2 2.30 74 49 TECHIMAN MUNICIPAL 0.142 4 641 2 0.011 1 2.35 75 118 WA MUNICIPAL 0.79 1 -54 4 0.007 1 2.35 76 167 ASHAIMAN MUNICIPAL 0.035 4 691 2 0.007 1 2.35 77 168 GA SOUTH MUNICIPAL 0.076 4 519 2 0.014 1 2.35 LEDZEKUKU-KROWOR 78 169 MUNICIPAL 0.13 4 812 2 0.010 1 2.35 79 35 ATEBUBU-AMANTIN 0.476 1 194 3 0.003 3 2.40 80 106 BAWKU WEST 0.796 1 271 3 0.003 3 2.40 81 112 TALENSI-NABDAM 0.673 1 274 3 0.005 3 2.40 82 115 NADOWLI 0.851 1 133 3 0.004 3 2.40 83 151 BOSOME FREHO 0.269 2 814 2 0.002 4 2.50 84 70 ATIWA 0.179 3 775 2 0.004 3 2.55 85 53 AJUMAKO-ENYAN-ESSIAM 0.16 4 832 2 0.005 2 2.60 86 59 GOMOA WEST 0.158 4 759 2 0.005 2 2.60 87 83 DANGME WEST 0.154 4 605 2 0.006 2 2.60 34 Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 88 114 LAWRA 0.817 1 23 4 0.005 2 2.60 89 166 ADENTA MUNICIPAL 0.035 4 544 2 0.005 2 2.60 90 41 KINTAMPO SOUTH 0.451 1 221 3 0.002 4 2.65 91 87 BOLE 0.539 1 214 3 0.002 4 2.65 92 90 EAST GONJA 0.546 1 168 3 0.003 4 2.65 93 97 NANUMBA SOUTH 0.573 1 370 3 0.002 4 2.65 94 98 SABOBA 0.637 1 363 3 0.003 4 2.65 95 100 SAWLA-TUNA-KALBA 0.539 1 401 3 0.003 4 2.65 96 113 JIRAPA 0.824 1 103 3 0.003 4 2.65 97 170 KPANDAI 0.546 1 418 3 0.003 4 2.65 98 173 LAMBUSSIE-KARNI 0.824 1 132 3 0.002 4 2.65 99 176 NKWANTA NORTH 0.455 1 353 3 0.002 4 2.65 100 46 TAIN 0.354 2 332 3 0.004 3 2.70 101 135 SOUTH TONGU 0.327 2 327 3 0.004 3 2.70 102 37 DORMAA MUNICIPAL 0.194 3 355 3 0.006 2 2.75 UPPER DENKYIRA EAST 103 63 MUNICIPAL 0.206 3 460 3 0.005 2 2.75 104 71 BIRIM NORTH 0.254 3 520 2 0.003 4 2.80 105 72 BIRIM CENTRAL MUNICIPAL 0.175 4 434 3 0.006 1 2.80 106 148 TARKWA-NSUAEM MUNICIPAL 0.142 4 468 3 0.007 1 2.80 107 161 UPPER DENKYIRA WEST 0.206 3 486 2 0.003 4 2.80 108 162 AKYEMANSA 0.254 3 604 2 0.003 4 2.80 109 109 BUILSA 0.767 1 -431 4 0.003 3 2.85 110 111 KASSENA-NANKANA EAST 0.688 1 -222 4 0.004 3 2.85 111 180 SHAMA 0.046 4 566 2 0.004 3 2.85 112 29 OFFINSO MUNICIPAL 0.276 2 -315 4 0.005 2 2.90 113 34 ASUTIFI 0.303 2 -33 4 0.005 2 2.90 114 24 EJISU-JUABEN MUNICIPAL 0.258 3 -299 4 0.008 1 2.95 115 123 ANLO (KETA) MUNICIPAL 0.232 3 - 561 4 0.007 1 2.95 116 126 HO MUNICIPAL 0.245 3 -414 4 0.009 1 2.95 117 128 JASIKAN 0.356 2 63 3 0.002 4 2.95 118 131 KRACHI EAST 0.396 2 183 3 0.003 4 2.95 119 152 OFFINSO NORTH 0.276 2 450 3 0.003 4 2.95 120 156 NKORANZA NORTH 0.332 2 357 3 0.002 4 2.95 121 165 UPPER MANYA KROBO 0.283 2 240 3 0.002 4 2.95 122 174 BIAKOYE 0.356 2 268 3 0.003 4 2.95 123 30 SEKYERE EAST 0.204 3 277 3 0.004 3 3.00 124 73 FANTEAKWA 0.25 3 421 3 0.004 3 3.00 125 52 AGONA WEST MUNICIPAL 0.094 4 110 3 0.006 2 3.05 KOMENDA-EDINA-EGUAFO- 126 60 ABIREM MUNICIPAL 0.146 4 296 3 0.006 2 3.05 127 82 DANGME EAST 0.159 4 226 3 0.005 2 3.05 35 Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 128 142 JOMORO 0.155 4 272 3 0.005 2 3.05 129 91 WEST GONJA 0.546 1 -321 4 0.003 4 3.10 130 92 GUSHIEGU 0.686 1 -379 4 0.002 4 3.10 131 93 KARAGA 0.686 1 -28 4 0.001 4 3.10 132 104 ZABZUGU-TATALE 0.611 1 -67 4 0.003 4 3.10 133 116 SISSALA EAST 0.818 1 -167 4 0.002 4 3.10 134 171 CHEREPONI 0.637 1 -93 4 0.001 4 3.10 135 77 LOWER MANYA KROBO 0.283 2 -1,269 4 0.005 3 3.15 136 13 SEKYERE SOUTH 0.219 3 - 1,566 4 0.006 2 3.20 137 19 ASANTE AKIM NORTH MUNICIPAL 0.199 3 -615 4 0.006 2 3.20 138 31 MAMPONG MUNICIPAL 0.209 3 -182 4 0.005 2 3.20 139 65 EAST AKIM MUNICIPAL 0.179 3 -541 4 0.006 2 3.20 140 27 KWABRE EAST 0.164 4 - 1,497 4 0.009 1 3.25 141 36 BEREKUM MUNICIPAL 0.161 4 -97 4 0.007 1 3.25 142 45 SUNYANI MUNICIPAL 0.154 4 - 122 4 0.008 1 3.25 143 58 CAPE COAST METROPOLITAN 0.08 4 -3,125 4 0.008 1 3.25 144 61 MFANTSEMAN MUNICIPAL 0.162 4 -216 4 0.009 1 3.25 145 68 AKWAPIM SOUTH MUNICIPAL 0.146 4 -659 4 0.006 1 3.25 146 78 NEW JUABENG MUNICIPAL 0.051 4 -2,646 4 0.008 1 3.25 147 121 ADAKLU-ANYIGBE 0.245 3 330 3 0.002 4 3.25 148 125 SOUTH DAYI 0.223 3 369 3 0.002 4 3.25 SEKONDI-TAKORADI 149 147 METROPOLITAN 0.046 4 - 1,231 4 0.018 1 3.25 150 154 SEKYERE CENTRAL 0.209 3 182 3 0.002 4 3.25 151 155 DORMAA EAST 0.194 3 396 3 0.002 4 3.25 152 179 SEFWI AKONTOMBRA 0.249 3 485 3 0.002 4 3.25 153 177 ELLEMBELE 0.175 4 219 3 0.004 3 3.30 154 129 KADJEBI 0.336 2 - 88 4 0.003 4 3.40 155 48 TANO SOUTH 0.249 3 - 160 4 0.004 3 3.45 156 69 ASUOGYAMAN 0.201 3 - 979 4 0.004 3 3.45 157 80 YILO KROBO 0.181 3 - 111 4 0.004 3 3.45 158 124 NORTH DAYI 0.223 3 - 197 4 0.004 3 3.45 159 67 AKWAPIM NORTH 0.158 4 -2,969 4 0.006 2 3.50 160 136 AHANTA WEST 0.153 4 -32 4 0.005 2 3.50 161 57 EFUTU MUNICIPAL 0.097 4 233 3 0.003 4 3.55 162 145 NZEMA EAST MUNICIPAL 0.175 4 381 3 0.003 4 3.55 163 47 TANO NORTH 0.249 3 - 150 4 0.003 4 3.70 164 75 KWAHU SOUTH 0.18 3 -594 4 0.003 4 3.70 165 153 SEKYERE AFRAM PLAINS 0.204 3 -451 4 0.003 4 3.70 166 164 KWAHU EAST 0.18 3 -524 4 0.003 4 3.70 167 51 ABURA-ASEBU-KWAMANKESE 0.175 4 -223 4 0.005 3 3.75 36 Shortage Shorta Distri Ran Distri Povert of ge Distric ct Combin k ct District Poverty y Available Index t Size Size ed Code Index Places in 22 Index Index SHS 23 168 157 SUNYANI WEST 0.154 4 -276 4 0.004 3 3.75 169 158 AGONA EAST 0.094 4 -400 4 0.004 3 3.75 170 163 BIRIM SOUTH 0.175 4 -617 4 0.003 3 3.75 5. Criteria for selection of beneficiary low-performing schools for facilities and quality improvements: In addition to new schools, the project will support the government's strategy to raise the quality of existing poor performing schools in an effort to increase their utilization and strengthen their learning environment. The selection of the low performing schools focuses attention on those under performing schools that also exhibit high demand for SHS and have significant upgrading needs. The criteria ensure better targeting of resources to those schools that require upgrading, quality inputs and improved teaching and learning. Fifty (50) existing senior high schools will benefit from facilities plus quality improvement under the SEIP. An additional 75 existing senior high schools will benefit from quality improvement bringing the total to benefit from either facilities and quality improvement or quality improvement only to 125 existing senior high schools. 6. Selection of schools for facilities improvements will be based on the following criteria: a. Stage 1: Rank districts based on: (i) demand for senior secondary school places (defined by the ratio of JHS3 pupils in year x to SHS1 pupils in year x+1 for the same district); (ii) district poverty index; and (iii) size of school population. Criteria have equal weights in the ranking which is staged. b. Stage 2: The bottom 100 districts are selected based on the above criteria ranking all the 216 districts in Ghana. All schools in the selected 100 districts have equal chance of being selected for facilities improvement and quality improvement based on their WASSCE best results in six subjects (three core: English, Mathematics, Science and three electives). c. Stage 3: The 50 existing senior high schools ranked from the bottom after applying the WASSE results will then be subjected to a more detailed facilities needs assessment to determine what facilities are required at each individual school level and the cost of facilities improvement. The possible facilities to be improved in senior secondary schools include the following: Major facilities improvements i. science laboratory ii. school library iii. program blocks i.e. vocational, technical, business iv. additional classrooms v. teachers/staff flat vi. school canteen 37 vii. toilets and bathrooms viii. furniture for classrooms, lab, teachers Minor facilities improvement ix. roofing of existing structures x. strengthen structural frames xi. enclosing wall, windows and doors xii. ceiling, wall furnishing and floor finishing xiii. decoration of structures xiv. painting of buildings 7. These 50 senior high schools will also benefit from quality improvement through the school performance partnership plans. In the case that any of the 50 schools which rank at the bottom after applying the WASSCE results does not require additional facilities, it will be replaced by the bottom ranked school in the next 75 existing schools benefiting from quality improvement only. The 75 existing senior high schools which rank above the bottom 50 senior high schools will be supported under their school performance partnership plans for quality improvement only. This selection will only be determined once the updated household survey data and population census are used to determine the poverty index. 8. The application of the agreed criteria described above is the first disbursement linked indicator with the release of funding provided in year zero upon verification of the Government's list of districts and schools with data on each indicator applied and the indication of the beneficiary districts and schools. SEIP Project Description Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in SHS (Total costs including contingencies: US$140.1 million) 9. Component 1 uses a results-based financing (RBF) modality. Disbursements up to a capped absolute amount will be made against specific line items in the Education sector annual budgets, referred to as eligible expenditure programs (EEPs). These disbursements will be conditioned on achievement of specified results, as measured by disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) and yearly targets for disbursement linked results (DLRs). A matrix of indicators with yearly disbursement linked results has been developed to measure performance annually and monitor the results achieved as reflected in the results framework (see Annex 1). 10. Policies and interventions to be supported under the first component of SEIP are grouped into two pillars: (i) increasing access with equity (geographic, gender, poverty, etc.); and (ii) improving quality of selected low performing SHS. 11. Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts (total cost: US$125.1 million): The objective of this pillar is to expand and facilitate access to higher secondary education in underserved districts providing additional educational 38 opportunities to school age children from low income families. This pillar would support and monitor key activities to accomplish the government's strategy of expanding access through the construction of new schools and the improvement of selected low performing existing schools. The SEIP is expected to finance results of new construction in the 14 districts where there are no current operating public SHS. In addition, using the agreed selection criteria for student population (effective demand) and school capacity (SHS seats) combined with poverty indicators for the district, an additional 9 districts have been identified for potential new construction. In addition to new schools, this component would focus on improving existing SHS, particularly those with capacity for expansion, low WASSCE scores, and larger school age population in addition to a needs assessment which will determine level of deficiency (bathrooms, science labs, computer facilities, etc.). The third major intervention includes the roll out of demand side incentives (e.g., scholarships) to encourage enrollment among students from low income families, especially girls. This pillar would aim to improve the government system to strategically allocate resources to promote equity and efficiency. SEIP support focuses on the first several years of the longer term secondary education strategy. 12. Increase in seats through new construction: The SEIP will support additional seats in Community Day Schools. In the Districts where there are no SHSs facilities, the construction of one school in each district will provide approximately an additional 1,080 new seats (initially) that conform to all the educational and administrative requirements that the MoE has at the present time. The school designs include some flexibility to adapt to possible changes in the future. The possible expansion of these schools will be limited by the current policy of the MoE of not exceeding an enrollment of more than 1500 students in a single school. The construction of 14 schools in new districts would be complemented by the plans for an additional 9 districts for new construction for a total of 23 new SHS. 13. School sites should not exceed 5 Hectares and a minimum side of about 180 meters on the main entrance area is required. The new schools will be self-sufficient structures of several buildings that are organized according to the conditions of each site, orientation, accesses, etc. All new schools follow the same architectural program and the same generic lay- out. The main components that constitute the architectural program is described below: a. An E bloc that includes: i. 24 classrooms of 63 m2 for 45 students each ii. 6 labs of 90 m2 each. These labs will be flexible and could be adapted for teaching: basic science, physics, chemistry, and biology. iii. Computer room to support the ICT program which at the same time supports all academic subjects iv. Library, which includes computers for research v. Teachers' lounge vi. Administrative space vii. Bathrooms for students and staff b. Other separate buildings include: i. Canteen/ multipurpose room: that will be used for students to have a light meal that will be cooked outside of the school facilities. Byre-arranging tables and chairs, the same space will be used for other educational activities like: physical 39 education (gymnastics, yoga, aerobics) representations, music, etc. as well as community meetings, civic acts, etc. ii. Vocational block: that will include facilities for the vocational subjects like: home economics, visual arts, etc. These workshops will be also flexible as subjects may change and requirements will be different in the future. iii. Technical Block will be placed in the schools offering Technical Program and will comprise 4 flexible workshops, for ceramic, woodwork, metal work, and masonry. iv. External works. 14. The decision to include housing will be made on a case by case basis. Most of the new schools will have a bungalow for the Headmaster, and depending on the availability of acceptable lodging in the nearby area, some schools will also include staff apartments. Specific programs offered at each school will determine the type of additional facilities to be constructed. 15. Designs have been commissioned to a government sponsored agency, Architectural Engineering Services Limited (AESL). The schematic designs will be used as a basis for site specific designs adapted to site conditions, topography and soil bearing capacity. Designs for new construction build on recent design experiences on a SHS project financed by the African Development Bank. They have been reviewed extensively by the MOE and GES and for now, they constitute the standard that the GOG will adopt for this project and for other SHS projects to come in the future. As the whole senior high school strategy is developed and the curriculum is reformed, it is very likely that the design standards will evolve to allow for a better teacher student ratio in the classroom, more use of educational technology for all subjects, etc. 16. Depending on the demand pressure there are two options for phasing: a. Full building construction of all the buildings in the campus. This will be done only if at least 50% of the seats can be filled in the first academic year that the building is built. b. Building only the E Block for occupancy in the first year, and other buildings such as vocational block or canteen/multipurpose in the second year. In this case some of the classrooms and labs that may not be occupied immediately can be adapted to the functions of the vocational block or canteen/ multipurpose. 17. The cost per m2 of new construction is estimated at GhC 1480/M2 or US$577/ m2 assuming an exchange rate of 2.55 GhC/ Dollar. This value is the result of a detailed analysis of the bill of qualities of the E block, which is assumed to be a good median between the most and least expensive buildings. This value also represents a median of the construction cost of all the regions of Ghana. This cost includes only the necessary facilities for students with disabilities in the ground floor. The construction cost includes furniture and equipment but not costs for architectural fees, supervision, statutory permits, etc., which are estimated to be 6% of the cost of construction. The actual costs will be monitored and evaluated during implementation. 40 Disbursement linked Indicator 2: Increase in new seats utilized for SHS students in underserved districts 18. Key activities and milestones: a. Safeguards compliance achieved through ESMF and RPF guidelines/actions; b. Schematic and site specific designs completed; c. Package of final bidding documents completed for new construction in line with appraised design; d. Facilities maintenance plan developed and implemented; e. Construction activities undertaken and completed according to agreed standards; and f. Number of new seats created in underserved districts and occupied by new students 19. Verification Source/Entity: Adherence to safeguards would be verified through site selection environmental screening and completed Resettlement Action Plans in all beneficiary districts. Completion of schematic and site specific designs, package of final bidding documents for new construction in line with appraised design and development and implementation of facilities maintenance plan will be completed by GoG and submitted to the World Bank for clearance and approval as "pre-construction requirements". These actions would constitute the year zero disbursement linked results. Construction progress and completion would be verified by project supervision firm reports, construction certificates and mobile monitoring system. The third and fourth year DLRs would report against the number of new seats created in underserved districts as assessed by a Third Party Verification (TPV) agency and based on construction supervision certificates/reports, subsidy collection lists, EMIS enrollment data as well as District/Regional progress reports. However, the World Bank would allow for an acceptable range in the absolute quantity to determine the indicators "achieved" based on the principle that the spirit of the DLR has been met regardless of a slight difference in the absolute figure. For example, if the target is 1,000 utilized seats and verification confirms 975 seats, the indicator may be considered "met". The range for the construction related indicators would allow for a 5% differential to be further elaborated in the Project Implementation Manual. 20. Expansion and upgrading of existing low-performing schools: The SEIP will support approximately 50 schools to expand and improve their infrastructure to make their schools more attractive for students to attend, to create greater capacity for new students and to improve the learning environment overall. These schools would also receive additional support through the "quality package" described under pillar 2. The MOE already collects data in the EMIS on the number of classrooms available in each school and the condition of each school's infrastructure. Once the analysis is conducted to select the schools, a needs assessment would be conducted to verify the scope of the infrastructure deficits. 21. The physical improvements to be made in these schools will range from very simple up keeping and maintenance activities to the construction of new blocks that would provide additional capacity for new students and/or an improvement in capacity by adding, when necessary, a computer room, or a set of laboratories, etc. The standards to be followed will be the same as for new construction. The decision of what to do where will be made on a first level of screening or needs assessment, based on information collected every year by EMIS about the condition of facilities. Such information is provided by Headmasters and will be verified by 41 proper engineering teams that will write the specific scope of work for each school to be improved. 22. In addition, these schools will also receive the planned quality improvement packages (for teaching and learning). These packages would also be provided to the newly constructed schools once those schools are functional. In addition, another subset of schools that do not receive the infrastructure packages will be eligible to receive the quality improvement packages only. The determination for the specific schools for all these interventions will be done by effectiveness based on the analysis of EMIS and subsequent verification survey to be conducted by the GES. Disbursement-linked Indicator 3: Increased utilized seats in existing low-performing schools 23. Key activities and milestones: a. Selection of rehabilitation/upgrading of existing school sites: The selection of existing school sites for rehabilitation/upgrading will be based on transparent targeting criteria developed on the ranking by poverty, demand for SHS places, and WASSCE performance. A needs assessment would then be conducted for each selected school to verify scope of upgrading. b. Detailed plans and scope of rehabilitation/ expansion of schools developed including safeguards compliance through environmental screening; c. Package of final bidding documents completed for rehabilitation/ upgrading; d. Facilities maintenance plan drafted, endorsed and operational; and e. Number of utilized seats 24. Verification Source/Entity: Pre-construction requirements will be verified by the MOE, World Bank and District Assemblies. The civil works will be verified by construction supervision reports, certifications and updates from the mobile monitoring system. In addition the District Education Oversight Committee would provide quarterly reporting to be validated by a third party verification agency. The World Bank would verify whether the documentation meets agreed technical standards. The number of new seats utilized in the low performing schools would be verified by Third Party Validation (TPV). And as indicated above, the range for the "about number of seats utilized would be 5% and further elaborated in the PIM. 25. Demand Side interventions for students from low-income families, especially girls: The objective of these incentives is to remove the bottlenecks for students who come from low income families or face other kinds of exclusion to attaining SHS education. The social assessment identified several constraints on the demand side, including inability to pay the fees and other kinds of out of pocket expenditures, high opportunity costs, distance from school, and relevance of SHS education for some students and families. Consequently, addressing these constraints through subsidizing SHS education for these students will help to achieve the project objectives, including improving equity, access and even quality (by assuring that the supported students successfully complete SHS). This activity will also contribute to improved efficiency as it will help address dropping out from school. 26. Some of the SHSs benefitting from support to expand and to improve quality will also be selected to provide scholarship for students entering SHS and who come from low income family 42 background and from the communities surrounding the schools. The selection will assure that the schools are (i) not participating in other, similar programs supporting students; (ii) have limited services; and (iii) serve poor communities and is accessible, albeit by overcoming distance, for students from local communities. 27. The selected students will receive support at the time they enter SHI and will continue to receive support throughout the three years of SHS education. Students will be identified and selected on the basis of need with participation of the District Education Officers, the Girls Education Officers, the school leadership and the representative of the parental community. Since gender disparities are persistently significant as students enter SHS level, priority will be given to girls. The Government is considering that approximately 60 percent of the support will go to girls. The support will be comprehensive, including all fees, costs of supplies and costs of transportation. The performance of the beneficiary students will be monitored by the school and reported to the District. Using prior lessons and best practices, a mentor will be identified in each participating school to assure that the beneficiary students regularly attend and maximize their school performance but also that they get support, advice and help for any problems they encounter. 28. This program will draw on the lessons from recent similar activities including the Support to Girls Secondary Education administered by CAMFED and other similar agencies. The program will be coordinated by MOE/PBME and GES. The MOE will issue an RFP for non-governmental agencies to administer, implement, monitor and report the program and will select a partnering program administrator agency through a transparent process which will help identify a partner agency with relevant experience and proven performance. 29. The Government, together with the partners, will monitor and evaluate the impact of the scholarship support scheme and will relay the lessons, experiences and evidence of the program's effectiveness to policy makers for mainstreaming. The Government will assure that all students that start benefitting from the scheme will continue until they finish their SHS program and adequate funding will be made available so that the program doesn't get disrupted for the beneficiary students. The Government will also consider an impact evaluation that will monitor the impact of the scheme compared to the other activities pursued under the SEIP. 30. Beneficiaries: During the implementation of the SEIP, a total of about 10,000 SHS students will be expected to benefit from scholarships within a subset of the 125 beneficiary schools based on schools' absorption capacity and need. In each case, the proportion of female scholarship beneficiaries will be around 60 percent for females and 40 percent for male beneficiaries. The schools are those receiving support under SEIP for quality packages and quality plus expansion, in addition to students entering the newly constructed SHS after year 3 given the time it will take for the new schools to function and enroll students. Disbursement-linked Indicator 4: Increased enrolment in selected SHS for students from low- income families, especially girls) 31. Key activities and milestones: a. Selection of an agency to administrate scholarship scheme b. Criteria developed for selection of scholarship beneficiaries. 43 c. Incremental provision of incentives to students targeted under selection criteria 32. Verification Source/Entity: The first DLR will require the contracting of an implementing partner to administer the planned scholarship scheme. This contract would indicate the administrator's methodology for selection of girls and low income students to benefit under the SEIP based on agreed criteria set forth in the PIM. The DLRs would be verified by District Education Offices through a school scholarship report. TPV would also be used to sample survey beneficiaries from the scheme. Pillar 2: Improve Quality in low-performing Senior High Schools (Total cost: US$15 million): 33. The objective of this pillar is to improve the quality of SHS, with a focus on mathematics and science education, and expansion of ICT in selected low performing schools. Quality packages would be provided to schools receiving infrastructure expansion (50 expansion schools) as well as an additional 75 targeted schools for quality packages. These "Quality plus expansion" or just "Quality" packages would aim to support school level efforts to improve teaching and learning. The interventions would seek to strengthen school management, improve teacher competencies and expand ICT capabilities in the selected schools. In order to achieve this, the Project will support the government's program to (i) strengthen school management, leadership and accountability; (ii) target interventions to improve the quality of science and mathematics education; and (iii) introduce School Performance Partnerships (SPP) based on School Performance Partnership Plans (SPPP). The low performing schools typically have inadequate infrastructure, learning resources and sources of external funding. In addition to school-based quality inputs, training and financing, this pillar will support the systematic collection and publication of school data for stakeholders to make better informed decisions about school choice. The School Performance Partnerships would develop mutual accountability between school management and the DEOC to improve learning performance with the commitment from government agencies to provide necessary resources. The focus on mathematics and science subjects is aligned with the government strategy to encourage these program areas throughout all education levels. The expansion of ICT wireless connectivity would also allow strengthened science and mathematics education through digital content for teachers and students. As an intermediate result, completion rates in the targeted schools would be expected to increase. A longer term impact would be an increase in learning outcomes (as measured by performance in the WASSCE of 6 credits and above) which is a year 4 DLI. 34. Improving learning outcomes in low performing schools: Poor test scores are often a result of: limited availability of teaching learning materials, weak teacher capacity, and poor supporting infrastructure such as science laboratories/required equipment. In order to support the low performing schools to make the leap to improved quality, a comprehensive package of capacity strengthening will be prepared for the identified beneficiary schools to enable them to deliver on the mandate of improved quality by empowering schools through improved management and by channeling resources towards their most critical needs in the areas targeted for improvement. Since 2006, Ghana students write the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination administrated by the West African Examination Council- a standardized 44 test for many countries24 from the region that credits secondary school students from with a common certificate. a. Strengthening management, leadership and accountability: i. Leadership and Management Training. The objective is to improve school planning, leadership and management with a focus on results, and efficient and optimum use of school resources, physical and human. In order to achieve this, the heads of institutions and their assistants from the beneficiary low performing schools will receive customized training in managing school resources for results. The methodology for training may be flexible using the established education portal. ii. Accountability: School performance report published annually with key performance indicators are made available to the public with particular attention to sensitization campaigns in underserved areas. This school brochure would combine data from EMIS, school mapping, web-platform and WAEC reports to give critical information on the school including enrollment, programs offered, performance on WASCCE, etc. Disbursement linked indicator 5: Annual publication of School Performance Report 35. Verification Source/Entity: Report on school mapping and data collection will be provided and published as a report by GoG for the 2016 NESAR. The publication of school performance data on an annual basis would be verified through online availability of school data as well as brochure publications available at the district and school levels. Verification would also be done by the Word Bank during semi-annual supervision missions. 36. School Performance Partnerships (SPPs): All beneficiary schools will be required to enter into annual performance partnerships. These SPPs will be based on School Performance Partnership Plans (SPPP) with a particular focus on measures that lead to improved learning outcomes. SPPs for each successive year will include reporting on achievements against SPPS of the preceding year. These performance partnerships, signed between the school heads and the DEOC provide mutual accountability for attaining results at the school level. These results would be based on best practice guidance gleaned from international training modules, SPP manual developed by experts in secondary education school management, and annual workshops organized with top performing Ghana SHS. The partnership allows for more resources to be directed to quality investments specific to each school and procured at the local level (district assemblies, regional district education offices Funds flow will be outlined in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM) and the Government may opt to include these transfers as a new expenditure item in their MTEF in future years. Activities likely to be included would focus on improving learning outcomes in areas of school determined priority including paying for laboratory consumables, textbooks, learning materials and holding remedial classes. The amount of SPP transfer will be determined by school size/enrollment. The SPP would include yearly training for participating schools, mobile monitoring of execution of the SPP and 24 Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia take the WASSCE. 45 qualitative audit of the SPP (school survey) to better capture details on how schools improve quality. Disbursement linked indicator 6: School Performance Partnerships in 125 beneficiary schools 37. Key activities and milestones: a. Guidelines on preparation of school performance partnership plans developed and distributed to selected schools. b. Training for selected schools in school improvement planning and implementation. c. Plans and scope of quality improvements of selected schools developed d. Number of beneficiary schools signing performance partnerships based on SPPPs 38. Verification Source/Entity: All activities will be jointly verified by district and region monitoring reports, third party validation and the World Bank. School SPPP progress reports will also be used to validate implementation of the partnership activities once schools are benefitting. The signed SPPs will be on file in District education offices. A sample survey would be conducted to do further analysis about the activities implemented by schools and their costs. 39. Improving the quality of science and mathematics education a. The Ministry has established a committee on improving the teaching of mathematics and science with representation from the two teaching universities to provide guidelines for reviews of content and training of teachers in mathematics and science. The expected policy guidelines will assist in improving the teaching and learning of mathematics and science from the basic level through to the second cycle level. The guidelines are expected to be ready for implementation in the first year of the project and shall support the roll out of the training during implementation. b. Infrastructure, including laboratories, in many low performing schools is in poor condition and needs refurbishment. The facilities improvement needs of low performing schools will be identified and a plan for refurbishment drawn up in conjunction with the plans for expanding access under Component 1, pillar 1. c. Although equipment has been supplied over the years, any shortfalls arising need to be filled, and adequate provision needs to be made for consumables and teaching- learning materials. Equipment has been supplied to schools over the years. However, its relevance to the curriculum needs to be assessed. There may also be loss due to damage and wear and tear. Along with the assessment on the state of the school laboratories, the need for supplemental equipment may be assessed and school recurrent costs adjusted to provide for consumables needed by the schools. d. Teachers' competencies need to be upgraded. Teacher effectiveness is a combination of strong content knowledge, the ability to deliver this knowledge in a manner that is easily comprehensible to students; manage classroom interaction with students including student assessment, in particular identifying students who may be falling behind; and having the teaching/learning materials to support classroom teaching. 46 Teacher training can be effective only if the content of the training and its delivery incorporates the key attributes- for both content and delivery, and effective classroom management- required of good teachers. e. The Ministry through the National Teaching Council (NTC) will commence the implementation25 of the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Professional Development and Management Policy from June 2014. This is in line with the mandate of the NTC to register and license all teachers including second cycle education teachers and ensuring that the career path of teachers is tied to an array of well-designed training programs through INSET and improvements in actual application of pedagogy to improve learning outcomes. The NCTE will also provide support for strengthening the in-service training for teachers based on the recommendations of the ongoing teaching review. f. The replacement of teacher trainee allowances with students' loan will contribute to savings under compensation which resources in the medium term could be used to employ additional new teachers required under the provisions of new community SHSs. g. The rationalization exercise will help to reduce the excess number of teachers in management positions and at some schools in the urban areas. These teachers will then be equipped where necessary under the support from pillar 2 to teach at the newly established SHSs. h. The on-going review of human resource management practices and policies will assist to streamline human resource management and ensure that teachers are employed, where their services are needed. i. The Ministry has declared zero tolerance for teacher absenteeism. Currently a committee with representation from the MoE, GES, National Inspectorate Board, teacher unions and National Teaching Council is addressing modalities for ensuring effective use of time on task. This is expected to feed into quality improvements in the delivery of the project. 40. Teacher training: Consultative workshops will be held to determine an improved training curriculum to ensure that stakeholders are properly consulted and involved in the training content. Teachers from the beneficiary schools will be clustered according to their individual capabilities and training will be targeted accordingly. For example, for teachers identified as having weak content knowledge will undergo a compact training program aimed specifically at improving knowledge. All teachers would be provided cluster and school based training in all areas that impact teacher behavior in the classroom. The training programs will emphasize the traits recognized to have positive impact on student learning: classroom management, student engagement, and content delivery. The University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba have responsibility for producing teachers for the secondary level. These institutions will be tasked to bring about change in the way training is perceived and 25 Implementation arrangements and support from JICA will commence in June 2014. 47 imparted. Furthermore, they will be supported to: (i) guide the development and delivery of training; (ii) undertake periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the training and provide feedback for improvements. The advantage of this approach will be: (i) better qualified teachers; (ii) incremental improvements in capacity of the two teacher training universities to produce better qualified teachers: (iii) the institutional strengthening will benefit both in-service and pre- service programs; and (iv) encourage innovation in teacher training. Additionally, piloting the twinning approach will open up opportunities for greater collaboration between schools towards sharing resources to improve quality of learning. 41. Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in Schools: The World Bank is supporting ICT interventions for SHS schools through a US$97 million equivalent credit for an eTransform Ghana Project. The recently approved project supports: (i) an education portal for teachers and children; (ii) wireless networks for selected secondary schools; (iii) capacity building for teachers and educational leaders; and (iv) developing digital education content. The SEIP will extend the coverage to the SHSs supported under the project (low performing schools and the new schools to be constructed) that are not covered by the eTransform project. Schools will be required to include the ICT package in their improvement plans in accordance with the e- Transform guidelines. 42. Education portal: As in the e-Transform project, the schools will have access to an education portal where teachers and students will have multiple online resources to strengthen content and learning methodologies to help improve quality of teaching and learning. The portal (i-campus) is already under development and the SPP would support its provision to all beneficiary schools. The uses of the portal are multipurpose, providing necessary content both through internet and intranet for learning, teaching and curriculum supplements. In addition to on-going training support to teachers in the use of computer/internet aided education, ICT will be used for intensive in-service support to teachers to improve content knowledge as well as have access to resources such as lesson plan preparation, teaching and learning aids, and videos on good teaching practices and classroom management. The Portal would also serve as a platform for knowledge exchange with national and international networks and for participation in relevant discussion forums. SEIP will provide connectivity to 125 secondary schools and support the identification of key training and other education resources, particularly for science and mathematics. ICT will also provide a platform for strengthening communication among schools and sharing of resources. Disbursement linked indicator 7: Improved learning outcomes in 125 selected low-performing schools (with quality package) 43. Key activities and milestones: a. Consultative workshops held to strengthen and improve an inclusive curriculum/training; b. Design of in-service teacher training curriculum to introduce innovations based on required teaching competencies for mathematics and science; c. Teachers trained in mathematics and science training courses; d. Roll out and maintenance of ICT improvements in schools; e. Education portal available to selected schools, with i-campus implemented and functional; 48 f. Selection of distance education content to further strengthen science and mathematics teaching methodologies; and g. Increase in WASSCE achievement in beneficiary schools 44. Verification Source/Entity: Verification for the teaching reviews and consultations/workshops would be based on a report by National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA). Design of in-service teacher training and its roll out would be verified by annual school surveys and TPV. ICT plans developed, implemented and functional will be verified by Districts and MOE. In addition, the ICT mechanism for content delivery, supplemental learning and training would be established with connectivity provided by NITA. The ICT DLRs would be verified by NITA service contracts and Center for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) reports. Ultimately the verification of learning outcomes would be conducted by MOE in its analysis of the WASSCE annual results. Table A2.4: Link between Project Indicators (PDO, KPIs and DLIs) Project DevelopmentI .oject ve Key performance indicators Disbursement-linked indicators Obj ective PILLAR 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts DLI 1: Targeting of school expansion in underserved districts Increase in Transition Rates from DLI 2: Increase in new utilized seats for Increase access in JHS3 to SHSI in targeted districts SHS students in underserved districts senior secondary education in DLI 3: Increased utilized seats in underserved districts existing low-performing schools Increase in SHS educational attainment within the two poorest DLI 4: Increased enrolment in SHS in quintiles in targeted districts targeted districts and schools for students (disaggregated by gender) from low-income families, especially PILLAR 2: Improve Quality in low performing SHS DLI 5: Annual publication of School Performance Report Improve quality in low- WASSCE achievement of 6 credits DLI 6: School Performance performing senior high and above within beneficiary Partnerships in 125 beneficiary schools schools schools (disaggregated by gender) DLI 7: Improved learning outcomes in 125 selected low performing schools (quality package) 45. Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation (Total costs including contingencies: US$15.9 million): This component aims to strengthen the implementation capacity of the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service and its 49 related implementing agencies, (1) to improve the effectiveness of the SEIP project management, coordination and implementation towards project development objectives and towards the objectives of the Government's broader strategic SHS agenda; (2) to monitor the project results and the sector performance; and (3) to advise SHS policy through continuous research and diagnostics. This component would complement implementation of the program pillars (under Component 1) with technical assistance given for project management and coordination, ongoing analyses, collection of data and evidence about school planning, construction design, maintenance, cost effectiveness and sustainability of selected activities and various options for improvement and expansion of the SHS system. These activities would be financed following standard investment lending procedures and would enhance the capacity for monitoring and reporting as well as sector analysis to inform the government program and strengthen the available data for policy makers. This component would finance training, recruitment of short and long-term technical experts, procurement of goods needed for specific activities, and incremental operating costs. 46. Project Management: This component would finance essential technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of the MOE, GES and other key implementing agencies to carry out project activities and help assure results can be achieved. A capacity needs assessment would be conducted to identify areas for support in addition to key trainings that will be required throughout the life of the project. An annual work plan will identify the incremental operating costs, goods and services required to support the key agencies. In addition, the SEIP would support the intra-sectoral and inter-governmental collaboration including MOE, GES, MOF, GSS, WAEC, District Assemblies and Schools. 47. Monitoring and Evaluation: The monitoring and evaluation system will monitor, report and inform the implementation of the project and also the performance and achievements of the SHS sub-sector. The M&E system will be built on the existing governmental structures and capacities enhancing their productivity, reliability and relevance. These will include the MOE's Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation (PBME) Department, the Statistics, Research, Information Management and Public Relations (SRIMPR) Department, Education Management Information System (EMIS) and the National Education Sector Annual Review (NESAR) process. The monitoring of the project activities will be built up from the ground, from school level to district, regional to central GES and will also include a web-based monitoring system (below.) Both project and sector monitoring will establish a baseline data and baseline report and both will also require an endline survey and end-line analysis. 48. Web-based school monitoring: To enhance program implementation, the project will adapt a suitable ICT platform, e.g., 'Taarifa', to ensure close monitoring of works as well as provide school profiles using key performance indicators through a dedicated website accessible to the general public. The establishment of a user friendly web platform for school reporting and real time monitoring of all SHS would enhance and strengthen the EMIS in order to help government report on achievement of results. 'Taarifa' is a dynamic Smartphone and web-based ICT-based monitoring and evaluation system that helps provide real-time information accessible to all stakeholders to closely track progress of key project activities and to report on Project outputs in a timely manner. The tool (already used in Ghana in other sectors) also allows monitoring of site visits by the email identity or phone number allocated. This is particularly useful since the tool allows recording not only the number of times the school has been visited, 50 but by whom. This allows random verification of the number of site visits and helps introduce accountability for those tasked with supervision and monitoring. Benefits of the Taarifa platform include supporting the realization of project outcomes, strengthening capacity of program partners in addressing immediate challenges in program implementation, and promoting participation of stakeholders in development program management. Key features of the tool include the capability to plot reports geo-spatially in real-time, seamless integration with SMS, applicability as a real-time GIS, and the power to immediately appraise officials responsible for addressing issues through automatic e-mail notifications and periodic reminders. 49. Independent verification of DLIs: Funding will be provided to support the independent verification of disbursement linked indicators and achievement of results. Sector monitoring will include the school mapping, school performance monitoring, an EMIS system that integrates WAEC test scores, GSS administered population and household statistics, expenditure and payroll data. 50. School Mapping: The GoG has initiated a pilot school mapping exercise to GPS locate all schools with key basic data to help inform decision making about resources, teacher allocations, computerized selection and rehabilitation/upgrading needs. The SEIP provides support to scale up this activity. 51. Secondary Education Sector Diagnostic and Research agenda: Component 2 will also finance research and diagnostic activities to advise on SHS policy and strategy. This component would provide essential capacity building and technical and advisory support related to the GOG secondary education strategy. In addition to training and hiring of key expertise to build knowledge within government agencies, this component would also finance selected analyses, surveys and impact assessments/impact evaluations. It could finance the review of education financing and projections, social targeting, definition of minimum standards, analysis of unit costs; analysis of the relevance of the curriculum, teacher competencies, private sector participation, etc. The research agenda is expected to complement ongoing investments and activities implemented by the government. Support for strengthening the partnership between the MOE, MOF, NDPC, WAEC and the Ghana Statistical Service would also be funded. 51 Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements GHANA: Secondary Education Improvement Project Project Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 1. The proposed Secondary Education Improvement Project will be implemented over a five year period from 2014 to 2019. As with previous education projects, a Project Steering Committee will provide oversight on the project's implementation activities. During the initial implementation phase, the PSC will meet on a monthly basis to provide the necessary launch to the project's implementation. Subsequently, the PSC will meet each quarter to provide guidance and to help resolve key implementation bottlenecks. The establishment of the PSC is a condition of effectiveness. 2. The implementing agency will be the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and other relevant agencies under the MOE. The MOE will be responsible for the project's coordination, procurement, contract management, financial management, and compliance with safeguards policies. Oversight of SEIP implementation will be in the Ministry of Education (MOE) with the Ghana Education Service and other relevant agencies providing their mandated implementation role for service delivery. The M&E units in Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service will be responsible for all sector level monitoring and evaluation under the SEIP. The GES will oversee all activities related to institutional leadership training, preparation of school partnership for quality plans, resourcing of schools for quality improvement, improvement of mathematics and science teaching, improvement of senior secondary school programs, ICT interventions, monitoring and evaluation. The National Council for Tertiary Education would oversee all activities related to senior secondary subject teacher training. 3. The Chief Director, MoE, who reports to the Minister for Education, will lead the technical team and chair the Technical Implementation Committee (TIC), responsible for the day to day oversight of project implementation. The TIC establishment is a condition of effectiveness. A Project Coordinator will be hired to support the TIC, which will be comprised of key officers assigned to a Project Civil Works Team and a Project Quality and Outcomes Team. These teams will have clear terms of reference for the scope and responsibilities related to the SEIP (included in the PIM). The Regional and District Directorates for Education will be responsible for supervising all SHS related interventions with respect to senior high school institutional heads and will monitor the activities of SHS in their districts and regions. 4. Implementation will be carried out using country disbursement, funds flow and financial management arrangements. The inclusion of the program expenditures as part of the overall Government budget will be the responsibility of the Budget office of the MOF, the execution management and control of the budgeted expenditures will fall within the administrative domain of the MOE, while the accounting for the expenditures and their reporting will fall within the ambit of the MOE, using country financial management systems. Annual Work Plans and budgets containing all activities proposed to be carried out in the following fiscal year under the 52 project will be prepared and shared with the World Bank (for approval) no later than November 30 of each year during the implementation of the Project. 5. Independent Verifiers will provide regular reports ("EEP Spending Reports") every calendar semester starting six months after the Effective Date, prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Project Implementation Manual. The reports would also include a procurement plan progress report, describing the status of all procurement activities under Component 1 of the Project as described in the Procurement Plan, as well as expected changes to the Procurement Plan. 6. The EEPs shall comply with the eligibility criteria and procedures elaborated in the Project Implementation Manual. Approved EEP budget codes will be provided by no later than December 31 of each year during the implementation of the Project. 53 Figure A3.1: SEIP IMPLEMENTATION/INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE PROJECT COORDINATOR Civil Works Team Quality & Outcomes Team RCC M&E - (MOE & GES) RCC Project Supervision Projct SpervsionResearch/Studies - PBME Consultancy Firms GES - Web Based School Profiles NIB - SHS Performance monitoring Contractors Contractors NCTE/NTC - Teacher Training NCCA - Curriculum Reform District Education WAEC - Examinations/Data Oversight Committee (DEOC) GSS - Poverty indicators/Data NITA - e-Campus, ICT CENDLOS - ICT for learning School Performance Partnership Management New Construction Facilities Improvement Quality Improvement NHS eHS Esting SHS Existing SHS ] Exiig SHS Existing SHS 54 National Level 7. The Project Steering Committee (PSC) is responsible for providing high level oversight and guidance to facilitate inter division coordination and implementation. It will be chaired by the Minister for Education with the Deputy Minister (Pre-Tertiary) as Vice Chair. Members of the PSC will comprise the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, a representative from the Ministry of Finance, GETFund, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the Financial Controller, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), the Project Coordinator, Head of Civil Works Team, Head of the Quality and Outcomes Team as well as Regional and District representatives. The PSC shall be responsible for, inter alia: (i) providing strategic guidance and overseeing Project implementation; (ii) reviewing progress made in implementation of the Project; (iii) facilitating the prompt resolution of implementation challenges and obstacles; (iv) ensuring coordination among key implementing agencies; and (v) such other functions as provided in detail in the Project Implementation Manual. 8. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for policy formulation, programming, coordination and monitoring and evaluation in the education sector. This responsibility includes: (i) coordination and support of all implementing departments of the SEIP; (ii) reporting on progress against the indicators and DLIs, DLRs, EEPs and TAs; (iii) ensuring timely and comprehensive reporting of results for disbursements; (iv) procurement; (v) overseeing financial management aspects of the Project under the GES; (vi) ensuring compliance with the applicable safeguard instruments including Environment and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) as necessary; (vii) ensuring timely planning and communication of project activities to all stakeholders; and (viii) such other technical, administrative, organizational and financial functions as set forth in the PIM. The specific responsibilities of the various units are outlined in Table A3.1. 9. At the head of the MOE is the Chief Director who leads the technical team and who reports to the Minister for Education. The Chief Director chairs the Technical Implementation Committee (TIC) which will be responsible for the day to day oversight of project implementation and will be comprised of a Project Civil Works Team and a Project Quality and Outcomes Team. Project Supervision Consultancy Firms will be hired and directly supervised by the Project Civil Works team which will also directly supervise various contractors. The Civil Works Team will include expertise from infrastructure planning, GES, FPMU, Infrastructure Coordinating Unit (ICU), Environmental and Safeguards consultants, SRIMPR, Technical Director of the GETFund, and the Project Coordinator. The Quality and Outcomes Team will comprise a team of staff from the MOE and GES management, PBME, Secondary Education Unit, Science Education Unit, Teacher Education, National Teaching Council (NTC), CENDLOS, NITA, National Inspectorate Board, WAEC and GSS to oversee monitoring and evaluation, quality improvements, scholarships, training, school performance partnerships, and policy development. In addition, the Quality and Outcomes Team will oversee all non- construction activities as well as the monitoring of the DLIs, DLRs and the Results Framework. 10. The GES serves as the implementing agency for the education sector and will be responsible for improving the quality of teaching and learning in selected low-performing SHS through: (i) coordinating teacher training; (ii) institutional leadership training; (iii) preparation of school performance partnership plans; (iv) resource management programs; (v) improvement of 55 mathematics and science teaching; (vi) improvement of SHS programs and ICT interventions; and (vii) ensuring timely implementation of project activities at the district and school levels and ensuring compliance with school standards and quality assurance. The GES will also ensure timely submission of Credit Withdrawal Application and ensure that Bank fiduciary (financial reporting, procurement) regulations and requirements are followed. Regional Level 11. The Regional Director has a role in coordinating and supervising all school-level activities under the SEIP. The Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) will also monitor various projects in senior high schools in their regions. District Level 12. SEIP sub-programs to implement School Performance Partnerships in 125 beneficiary schools will require management and supervision at the district level. The Chairman of the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) will follow up on the signing of MOUs with selected SHSs and will provide first level vetting of School Performance Partnership Plans (SPPPs) for the beneficiary schools before collating for onward transmission to the Ghana Education Service. The district will also provide the first level of collation of school mapping and other data collection from the SHSs and lead the sensitization, communication and outreach to stakeholders on the SEIP. They will participate and in some cases, lead the training of SHSs on the information and data requirements and the preparation of SPPPs. At the District Level, the District Education Oversight Committee will work with the District Assemblies on ensuring that social and environmental safeguards guidelines are adhered to. 13. District Directors of Education and their teams in the selected districts will have key responsibilities to (i) work with the District Education Oversight Committees (DEOC) to ensure that sites are ready for new SHS construction; (ii) assist in undertaking the needs assessment for selected secondary schools to benefit from rehabilitation and other facilities and quality improvement; (iii) assist in the preparation of detailed plans for rehabilitation and other facilities improvement in selected SHSs; (iv) assist in the dissemination of minimum standards for SHS; (v) review facilities maintenance plan; (vi) work with the Scholarship Administrator to apply criteria for identifying needy students to benefit from scholarships and other incentives; (vii) collate SHS data for school mapping; review and validate SHS online profile information and data on school performance; (viii) lead activities on school performance partnership to identify scope of needs; collate school performance partnership plans for submission to GES; (ix) witness/sign SPP MOU between SHS and the DEOC; (x) participate in consultative workshop to determine improved science and mathematics curriculum; (xi) participate in roll-out of training modules for science and mathematics; (xii) collate ICT school improvement packages for selected SHS for onward transmission to GES; and (xiii) establish monitoring system to track information on SHS in Ghana. Selected Senior High Schools 14. At the senior secondary education level, selected senior high schools, School Governing Boards and PTAs are expected to play important roles in implementing various aspects to the 56 SEIP. The responsibility of the selected senior highs schools are: (i) respond to needs assessment request from MOE and districts speedily; (ii) provide school site plans for construction and rehabilitation of key facilities on the school compound; (iii) participate in environmental and social safeguards training; (iv) contribute to determining and agreeing on minimum standards for SHS; (v) assist the districts and Scholarship Administrator in identifying needy students to benefit from scholarships and other incentives; (vi) provide SHS data for school mapping; review and validate online school profile information/data about school performance; (vii) provide data/information on school performance partnerships and provide scope of needs for quality improvement; (viii) sign SPP with DEOC; (ix) identify science, mathematics and ICT teachers to benefit from science and mathematics training; (x) provide data/information on scope of ICT needs for quality improvement; and (xi) provide all school level data requests speedily; (xii) sensitize Governing Boards, PTA, and all stakeholders on SEIP; and undertake enrollment and sensitization drives targeted at potential students from catchment junior high schools. Table A3.1: Implementation Arrangements Tasks Implementing Agency(s) COMPONENT 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts MOE DLI 1: Targeting of school expansion in underserved districts Infrastructure Coordination * Select school sites for new construction in: (i) districts with no operating SHS; Unit/ district prioritization based on the following objective targeting criteria: (a) demand PBME/GES, Secondary for SHS places; (b) district size; and (c) district poverty index Education Division . Select existing low performing schools for rehabilitation/upgrading based on specified criteria, targeting methods and needs assessment. MOE DLI 2: Increase in new seats utilized for SHS students in underserved districts Infrastructure Coordination Unit * Preconstruction requirements met for new construction and Safeguards compliance PBME achieved through ESMF and RPF guidelines/actions. MOE; Procurement Unit * Complete and package final bidding documents for new construction in line with appraised design. GES, Secondary Education Division; PBME * Define, agree on and disseminate minimum standards for SHS DLI 3: Increased utilized seats in existing low-performing schools MOE;PBME/GES Financial M Maa Eent/GSona* Prepare detailed plans and scope of rehabilitation/ expansion of schools developed, Management/Secondary including: types of facilities needed/eligible based on design and technical standards Education Unit agreed upon between the GoG and Bank Infrastructure Coordination Unit/FPMU * Facilities Maintenance Plan GES Secondary Education Division/PBME * Number of schools upgraded and number of utilized seats DLI 4: Increased enrolment in SHS in selected districts and schools (for students from GES Secondary Education low-income families, especially girls) Division, GEU, CSOs 57 Implementing Tasks Agenev(s) *vIdentify Scholarship administrator to administer scholarships * Agree on criteria for selecting scholarship beneficiaries * Administer scholarships to needy SHS students in beneficiary schools. Pillar 2: Improve the quality of low-performing SHS DLI 5: Annual publication of School Performance Report GES ICT unit/EMIS * School mapping and data collection completed for all SHSs in Ghana GES FM/ Secondary Publish online and in brochure SHS information and performance data Education Division * Select schools for quality improvements based on needs assessment DEOC, DEOs * Sensitize, communicate and reach-out to stakeholders including guardians and wards at JHS level DLI 6: School Performance Partnerships in 125 beneficiary schools GES FM/ Secondary School Performance Partnerships to identify scope of needs and incorporate learning into Education Division implementation * Training for selected schools in school improvement planning and implementation. GES Financial Prepare and distribute guidelines for School Performance Partnership Plans to selected Management/Secondary schools including-- scope of quality improvements of selected schools developed, Education Unit/PBME including details on: competencies, strategy for improving in-service teacher training (including performance evaluation), networking, mentoring and needs for training DEOC, DEOs, Selected SHSs materials Vet, submit and implementation of School Performance Partnerships Plans * Signing of School Performance Partnership MOU between DEOC and SHSs. Transfers released to schools based on their SPPPs. DLI 7: Improved learning outcomes in low performing schools GES, Teacher Education Hold consultative workshop to review curriculum and teacher training Develop and design and establish in-service teacher training curriculum based on DEonr DEDucte Ss required teaching competencies for mathematics and science Ucnivery ofcapeon Co s n * Roll-out training modules and curriculum for mathematics and science teachers from University of rsenior high schools in targeted districts DiebCEDy o ICT plan implemented in targeted schools WinebaCENLO Select distance education content to further strengthen science and mathematics teaching methodologies Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation MOE/PBME/GES * Establish monitoring system to track information on all SHSs in Ghana MonitoringGES Secondary Management: training, research agenda and capacity building, audits, operating costs Education Division Independent validation consultancies Secondary education strategy E Impact assessment/evaluation 58 Table A3.2 Entities Responsible for Implementation of the SEIP Results Area Implementing Entity COMPONENT 1 1 Increase access with equity and quality School expansion in underserved districts MOE, PBME (ICU), (Procurement), GES School expansion and improvement in existing SHSs MOE, PBME (ICU), (Procurement), GES Incentives for equitable access to SHS GES, DEOs, CSOs, Scholarship administrator 2 Improve quality in low-performing SHS Annual publication of school performance report GES (ICT), PBME (EMIS), GES (FM), (SED) School Performance Partnerships GES (FM), (SED), PBME, DEOs, SHSs Improve Mathematics and Science teaching, curriculum GES (TED), NCTE, NTC NCCA, Improve ICT capacity in SHSs for improved learning MOE, NITA, GES (SED), (FM), (ICT), PBME, EMIS, CENDLOS COMPONENT 2 3. Management, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Secondary Education Strategy MOE Monitoring and Evaluation PBME, GES (M&E), GES (SED) Web-based monitoring GES, Consultant Web-based school profile, performance MOE, GES, Consultant or Firm Research GES, Consultant School mapping MOE, GES, Consultant or Firm Independent verification of DLIs MOE, GES, Consultant or Firm Management Agency for Scholarship Administration MOE, World Bank Impact Assessment/Evaluations MOE, GES, Firm Financial Management, Disbursements and Procurement Financial Management and Disbursement 15. Country issues: Ghana's fiduciary environment for utilizing both budgetary funds and development partner funds is considered adequate and satisfactory. Under the GIFMIS project funded by the Bank and other development partners, Ghana has embarked on a comprehensive PFM reform that caters for, among others: (a) systems-based good practice treasury management premised on a renewed set of in-built re-engineered business processes; (b) adoption of a harmonized chart of accounts and budget classification across the whole government, consistent with Government Finance Statistics 2001; (c) refining the MTEF approach using a program- based budgeting approach rather than an activity based-line item one; (d) adoption of a Treasury Single Account for improved cash management; (e) improvement in resource allocation and budget release predictability; and (f) introduction of human resources management information systems, with in-built establishment control, to manage personnel costs. Ghana continues to score well on the budget planning and formulation processes and has sustained the successes it registered in the implementation of a three-year rolling Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) that is updated annually. 16. As part of the roll out of the GIFMIS, a number of activities (revision of rules, business processes, and centralization of treasury activities under the overall control of the Controller and Accountant General) will continue to be carried out to soften the impact of the more serious PFM weaknesses before the full mitigation benefits are achieved. A solid foundation for a strong legal 59 and regulatory framework for PFM in Ghana continues to exist as exemplified by the various laws, regulations and manuals already in place. As a result of the enabling legislations, PFM continues to perform at an average level and occasionally above-average standards. Equally, the country's public financial management systems continue to operate in a reasonably reliable manner with processes and procedures defined for the various budget management and control systems at play. In its quest to improve the robustness of the PFM systems and processes, the government continued to pursue the implementation of actions to prevent an uncontrolled accumulation of arrears by introducing a commitment control module for all MDAs as part of the GIFMIS implementation. It also continues to strengthen the cash forecasting and management processes, along with the funds release management process, so as, also, to impact better predictability of resource flows to service delivery agencies. 17. GoG has also demonstrated its commitment to continue its PFM reforms by developing more efficient public financial management systems and ensuring transparency by strengthening state oversight institutions including the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament which has recently been holding public hearings on instances of financial irregularities and allegations of fraud and corruption. 18. Project components and financing: The project will be implemented under two (2) distinct components. The design feature of the proposed project caters to the requirements of a hybrid structure, embodying a results-based component 1 and a traditional investment financing component 2 - all within the Investment Project Financing instrument of the World Bank. 19. Results-based approach (Component 1-US$140.1 million): This represents part of a five year program of expenditures, and will be based on the education sub-sector's three year medium term expenditure framework (FY2014-16), plus two subsequent years (FY2017 and FY2018) covering the next MTEF. Given that the MTEF is prepared each year to cover the medium term (3-year period) it provides an opportunity to guide the budget to fund priority areas of government. For purposes of incentivizing the government, the project will denominate FY2014 as Year 0 - i.e. up to 12 months to the signing of the Financing Agreement for the Credit. The contribution of the project component to the overall sub-sector financing will be limited to a capped annual value for 'secondary education,' excluding 'Technical Institutes' budget line - Chart of Accounts Code. This budget line of the Government will serve as the 'eligible expenditure program' (EEP) under the component, and disbursements under the project (while capped at specific limits as defined in the disbursement schedule) will be contingent on MOE's meeting of the disbursement linked indicators (DLIs) at each of the scheduled verification dates for each of the years of project implementation. Funds flow and disbursements 20. Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools, provides for achievement of a total of 7 DLIs over the five year period. These DLIs are considered significant indicators of performance that will influence behavioral and policy reforms required for achieving visible outcomes in senior secondary education access, quality and equity. With a total resource allocation of US$140.1 million to the component, and using an equal price per DLR (with 30 DLRs as defined), this translates to US$4.64 million as the equivalent value of a DLR. On the assumption that the MOE meets the annual DLRs, the 60 estimated equivalent amount of funds to be disbursed to the Government's sub-consolidated fund for education for the achievement of results in each of the 5 fiscal years (including the retroactive year, FY 2014) is as follows: Table A3.3: Summary of DLIs by year Number of Number of DLRs Disbursement amount Fiscal Year DLIs (US$ million) FY 2014(Yr. 0) 7 6 28.74 FY 2015 (Yr. 1) 7 6 27.84 FY 2016 (Yr. 2) 7 6 27.84 FY 2017 (Yr. 3) 7 6 27.84 FY 2018 (Yr. 4) 7 6 27.84 Total 7 30 140.1 21. The underlying principle will be to disburse, after project effectiveness, the value of the 6 DLRs defined for Year 0 (amounting to US$28.74 million) upon verification by the Bank during the period September to December 2014, of their achievement. Along with this, an advance equivalent to 50 percent of the value of the 7 FY 2015 (Year 1) DLIs, equivalent to half of $27.84 million (i.e. US$14.42 million) would be disbursed in early 2015, based on the potential achievement of the Year 1 DLRs at verification during the last quarter of FY 2015 calendar year. 22. At the second and subsequent verification periods in late 2015 and beyond, the value of any prior period DLRs not met will be recovered from any advances payable, noting however that only one DLR can remain unmet for a prior period to allow for disbursement of any further advances against the potential for meeting future period DLRs. 23. Table 3.2 below presents the allocation of IDA disbursement schedule for Component 1 under the project. The respective allocated amounts represent the 100 percent capped expenditure limits from the IDA allocation, on the assumption that DLRs have been met. Table A3.4: Disbursement Linked Indicators and Disbursement Linked Results and Verification Protocol DLIs Actions to be Completed Amount of the Verification Verification Protocol DLRs Financing Source/entity Allocated per DLR (US$) DLI 1: Year 0 - FY 2014 US$5.54 Government Government list of districts and Targeting of DLR 1.1: Agreed million Report schools with data on each school targeting criteria applied indicator and indication of SEIP expansion in to identify list of districts World Bank selection based on agreed underserved and schools for expansion selection criteria for: school and improvement as set districts forth in the PIM. New construction districts: Identification of districts with no operating SHS; for remaining 61 districts, selection of school sites for new construction based on objective targeting criteria: (a) demand for SHS places; (b) district size; and (c) district poverty index. Expansion/improvement in low performing schools: ranked by WASSCE; demand for SHS places (school size); and infrastructure needs assessment. DLI 2: Year 0 - FY 2014 Environmental Safeguards compliance through Increase in DLR 2.1: Pre- US$4.64 m Screening ESMF and RPF verified in all new seats construction requirements Report; new construction sites for SHS met for new construction Resettlement (screening and RAPs completed students in in 23 districts Action Plans in 23 districts). underserved school YEAR 1- FY 2015 Review of Complete package of final districts DLR 2.2: About 30% of Bidding bidding documents for new all construction works US$4.64 m Documents construction in 23 districts in completed (aggregated) line with appraised design and World Bank including facilities maintenance YEAR 2- FY 2016 plans. DLR 2.3: About 80% of Third party all construction works US$4.64 m verification GoG report which includes completed (aggregated) schematic and site specific designs based on agreed criteria YEAR 3 - FY 2017 and technical analysis. DLR 2.4: About 5,000 US$4.64 m Construction implementation new seats created in reports verified by mobile underserved districts monitoring and monthly construction supervision reports. YEAR 4 - FY 2018 DLR 2.5: About 15,000 US$4.64 m Seat occupancy verified by new seats created in school enrolment records, underserved districts TOTAL: subsidy collection list and (cumulative) $23.20 m construction certificates. DLI 3: Year 0 - FY 2014 Environmental Safeguards compliance through Increase in DLR 3.1: Pre- US$4.64 m Screening ESMF verified in all number of construction requirements Report; expansion/upgrading sites seats met for upgrading of (environmental screening). utilized in selected schools Review of Complete package of final existing Bidding bidding documents for new low- YEAR 1- FY 2015 Documents construction in 23 districts in performing DLR 3.2: About 500 line with appraised design and schools seats utilized (cumulative) US$4.64 m District including facilities maintenance Assembly plans. YEAR 2 - FY 2016 certification DLR 3.3: About 1,000 Detailed school specific plans seats utilized US$4.64 m World Bank include (i) types of facilities (cumulative) needed/eligible based on design Third party and technical standards agreed YEAR 3 - FY 2017 verification upon between the GoG and DLR 3.4: About 3,000 World Bank seats utilized (cumulative) US$4.64 m 62 Construction implementation YEAR 4 - FY 2018 reports verified by mobile DLR 3.5: About 5,000 US$4.64 m monitoring and district quarterly seats utilized (cumulative) reports. Total:$23.20 m DLI 4: Year 0 - FY 2014 Government Contract with scholarship Increased DLR 4.1: Selection and US$4.64 m report based on agency signed and inclusive of enrolment in contracting of guidelines from methodology and criteria for SHS in implementing partner to PIM for selection of beneficiaries (as targeted administer scholarships selection of agreed in PIM). districts and completed and criteria for schools and schools for selection of beneficiaries adoption of List of beneficiaries for targeted students of scholarships developed scholarship districts available in District from low- criteria for education offices. income YEAR 1- FY 2015 incentives. families, DLR 4.2: At least 2,000 Incentives provided in the form especially SHS students receiving Scholarship of cash transfers to schools and girls scholarship in selected agency contract students through scholarship schools US$4.64 m and TOR agency. School survey report aggregated YEAR 2 - FY 2016 School by scholarship agency (yearly) DLR 4.3: At least 4,000 scholarship SHS students receiving reports Mobile monitoring reports scholarship in selected aggregated by verifying receipt of scholarships schools (cumulative) US$4.64 m scholarship at beginning of school year. scheme agency YEAR 3 - FY 2017 DLR 4.4: At least 6,000 Third Party SHS students receiving Verification and scholarship in selected World Bank schools (cumulative) supervision US$4.64 m YEAR 4 - FY 2018 DLR 4.5: At least 10,000 SHS students receiving scholarship in selected US$4.64 m schools (cumulative) Total:US$23.20 m DLI 5: YEAR 1- FY2015 US$4.64 m Report on school Spatial and geographic mapping Annual DLR 5.1: School mapping based on verifiable data and a publication Mapping of all SH exercise and data number of key indicators; of School schools completed provided to published as report for 2015 Performance Bank (including NESAR. Report YEAR 2 - FY 2016 code book) DLR 5.2: Publication of US$4.64 m Annual Publication includes updated school Online school analysis of school-level data performance data for performance with particular emphasis on FY15/16 online and in data learning outcomes, equity brochure Linked to MOE (including participation of girls), website and web new student enrollment, as well YEAR 3 - FY 2017 platform for as infrastructure conditions. DLR 5.3: Publication of mobile updated school US$ 4.64 m monitoring 63 performance data for FY16/17online and in World Bank brochure YEAR 4 - FY 2018 DLR 5.4: Publication of US$ 4.64 m updated school performance data for FY17/18 online and in Total:$18.56 m brochure DLI 6: YEAR 0 - FY 2014 World Bank Guidelines approved and School DLR 6.1: Guidelines on US$4.64 m distributed to targeted schools. Performance preparation of SPPs District/Regional Detailed report on school level Partnerships developed and distributed Education training on school improvement in 125 to selected schools offices annual planning and management. Beneficiary reports Schools YEAR 1- FY 2015 School plans are developed by DLR 6.2: Training on US$4.64 m Third party schools in collaboration with school improvement validation- local communities, district and planning and School audit regional education directorates implementation provided using guidelines in the PIM. for 125 selected schools; School SPP GoG reviews proposals and YEAR 2 - FY2016 survey focuses on providing support to essential quality improvements, DLR 6.3: SPPs for 80 US$4.64 m including activities which selected schools strengthen teacher (cumulative) signed competencies, improve training and skills of students and YEAR 3 - FY 2017 teachers in math and science DLR 6.4: SPPs for 100 Signed partnership agreements selected schools US$4.64 m available for audit in District (cumulative) signed education offices. They include information on: school location, YEAR 4 - FY 2018 identified needs and action plan DLR 6.5: 125 Selected (including time frame and Schools implementing US$4.64 m budget) and linked to predefined performance learning objectives. partnerships based on SPPPs (cumulative) Financial management quarterly IUFR reports transfers to x Total:$23.20 m number schools for SPPP partnerships. DLI 7: YEAR 0 - FY 2014 NCCA report Preliminary curriculum review Improved DLR 7.1: Report on US$4.64 m and workshop report on consultations and learning review of the quality of proceedings workshops held (participants, outcomes in teaching and learning agendas, recommendations) 125 selected for mathematics and Curriculum can be used SHS i-campus content throughout country and adheres (quality and modules to best practices in strengthening package) YEAR 1- FY 2015 finalized, rolled skills in mathematics and DLR 7.2: Training out and reported science mDLe7. raini outby Center for modules rolled out for US$4.64 m Distance GoG endorsement of curriculum mathematics and Learning and training plan- science and ICT based communicated to all selected instruction developed World Bank schools. 64 for school use Annual school Training plan includes YEAR 2 - FY 2016 survey identification of key DLR 7.3: ICT based competencies, training instruction rolled out in WASSCE report timeframe, tracking about 50% of targeted participation, certification of schools (cumulative). US$4.64 m Third party completion. validation YEAR 3 - FY 2017 ICT equipment provided to all DLR 7.4: ICT based selected schools, including i- instruction rolled out in campus packages (core all targeted schools US$4.64 m curriculum modules and on and (cumulative). off-line capabilities); NITA provided Wi-Fi connectivity YEAR 4 - FY 2018 verified by service contracts. DLR 7.5: Increase in number of 6 credits and Annual Report includes above WASSCE scores US$4.64 m information on: roll out averaged in total selected activities, targeting, planned SHS Total: US$ attendance, number of teachers 23.20 m successfully completing training and demonstrating improved content knowledge in mathematics and science, pedagogical and classroom management skills WASSCE in mathematics and science increases measured as average of all selected schools. Total: US$ 140.1 m Table A3.5: Schedule for Disbursement of Component I (100% IDA financing, including Taxes) Category Amount of Credit Date on which Withdrawal May be Made Allocated in USD _________________________ (millions) __________________________ First Withdrawal 28.74 Oct. 1, 2014 or by effectiveness date if said date is later than Oct. 1, 2014. Second Withdrawal 13.92 January 15, 2015 (First Advance of 50%o of Year 2-2015 DLR Values) Third Withdrawal 13.92 Oct. 1, 2015 (Second Final 50t of Year 1 - 2015 DLR Values, netted with values of Year 1 DLRos not met) Fourth Withdrawal 13.92 January 15, 2016 (First Advance ofsc0 of Year 2 - 2016 DLR Values), subject to only 1 out of the 6 DLRs for Year 1 (2015) having not been met. Fifth Withdrawal 13.92 Oct. 12016 (Final 50 M of Year 2 -2016 DLR Values, netted with values of Year 2 Year_1_DLRs not met) 65 Sixth Withdrawal 13.92 January 15, 2017 (First Advance of 50% of Year 3 - 2017 DLR Values), subject to only 1 out of the 6 DLRs for Year 2 (2016) having not been met. Seventh Withdrawal 13.92 Oct. 1, 2017 (Final 50% of Year 3 - 2017 DLR Values, netted with values of Year 3 DLRs not met) Eight Withdrawal 13.92 January 15, 2018 (First Advance of 50% of Year 4 - 2018 DLR Values), subject to only 1 out of the 6 DLRs for Year 3 (2017) having not been met. Ninth Withdrawal 13.92 Oct. 1, 2018 (Final 50% of Year 4 - 2018 DLR Values, netted with values of Year 4 DLRs not met) TOTAL AMOUNT 140.1 Reimbursements and Retroactive Financing 24. In respect of component 1, reimbursements not exceeding 20% in value of Year 0 DLRs will be disbursed upon meeting the DLRs at evaluation in the last quarter of 2014 calendar year. The total value of Year 0 DLRs, being US$28.74 million, falls within the 20% limit. As regards component 2, retroactive financing shall be applicable for up to 20% of the total allocations under the component. This translates to a total of US$3.18 million (if and when requested) which will be available to be applied for eligible expenditures under the component paid by the GoG on or after January 1, 2014 and up to the signing of the Financing Agreement. 25. Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs): Meeting the defined DLRs as identified in Annex 1 of the PAD will constitute the primary basis for triggering credit disbursements under the Project's EEP i.e. Component One. The 30 DLR's have been equally priced at US$4.67 million each, and as such the eligible disbursement amount will be the sum of the achieve DLRs multiplied by the unitary monetary value (price) as per the Disbursement Schedule. 26. As highlighted above, for any DLRs not met by the verification date, the equivalent advance made in the prior disbursement based on the forecast EEPs, will be deducted from the final equivalent amount of EEPs to be disbursed at the next following disbursement date. Equally, any balance of the IDA allocated EEP disbursement not disbursed at any disbursement cycle may be carried forward to be paid during a subsequent disbursement cycle once there is evidence that the DLR has been achieved. 27. Where achievement of a DLR cannot be certified, an amount equivalent to the unitary DLR price will be withheld. This amount will be paid at any later date, during project life, and at the discretion of the Bank's task team when such achievement can be verified. The task team may consider that a later achievement of the DLR performance would not qualify for disbursement against the unmet DLR if it determines that the on-schedule achievement of the DLR is critically fundamental to achieving the overall objectives of the project. In such circumstances, the allocation of the undisbursed amount against the particular DLR may, at the discretion of the Bank, be cancelled from the credit. 66 28. Government Expenditure Program: The overall government program of expenditures to be supported under the component is as below. As the selected EEP item in the Chart of Accounts of the Government (Compensation of Employees - Secondary education), is not a procurable item, the expenditure will not attract any procurement actions under the Bank's procurement guidelines. Table A3.6: GoG Expenditure Program Second Cycle Budget (2014-2018) GIFMI BUDGET ACTUAL MTEF FORECAST S CoA CLASSIFIC BUDGET DATA PROJECTED (At 5%) Codes ATION 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 TOTAL GHC GHC GHC GHC GHC GHC 2100000 Compensation 689,845,380 693,253,364 693,253,364 693,253,364 727,916,032 3,497,521,504 Use of Goods 2200000 & Services 63,633,788 61,544,906 62,163,395 62,163,395 65,271,564 314,777,048 Investments 2300000 (Fixed Assets) 1,350,000 1,350,000 1,363,500 1,363,500 1,431,675 6,858,675 Total 754,829,168 756,148,270 756,780,259 756,780,259 794,619,271 3,819,157,227 USD Equiv. (@ GHC2.60/$ 290,318,911 290,826,258 291,069,330 291,069,330 305,622,797 1,468,906,626 29. Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation (Total costs including contingencies: US$15.9 million): This component entails the provision of technical assistance and investment requirements to enable the achievement of outcomes in component 1. About 10% of the project's financing is allocated for this component. The activities supported under this component focus on strengthening systems, capacity and mechanisms to support SHS expansion, equity and quality results. The component will also ensure that research and monitoring systems are in place to report on progress, issues, challenges and areas for further reform in the sector. 30. Funds flow and disbursement arrangements: Component 2 will be implemented under the principles of traditional investment project financing arrangements whereby the allocated resources will be advanced to the GES's designated account on the basis of a six-monthly forecast of expenditures, and replenished quarterly for further periods of six months. This follows the report based disbursement, using interim financial reports generated from the GIFMIS in GES, validated by the Financial Controller and approved by the Chief Director. The processing of expenditures will be undertaken through the GES Finance Office. The World Bank procurement guidelines shall govern the procurement activities under the component but the Government's financial management systems (budgeting, accounting, and reporting) shall apply. 31. Disbursement Categories: As highlighted above, the project will have two components. Each of the components will constitute a separate disbursement category. The disbursement category for component I will be DLI-based and the disbursement category expense line will be for the selected EEP - i.e. - Secondary Education as per GoG's chart of accounts/budget 67 classification code. Component 2 will include all categories - "goods, works, consulting services, non-consulting services, training, research, and operating expenses Table A3.7 Disbursement Categories Expenditure Category Amount (US$ Million) 1. Results Based Expenditure Program Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High 140.1 Schools (Eligible Expenditure program) 2. Investment Component 2 Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation (goods, works, consulting 15.9 services, non-consulting services, training, research, operating expenses) TOTAL 156.0 32. Project financial management systems and assurance: A comprehensive review of the proposed financial management arrangements under the project concluded that, overall, the Government's financial management systems and practices in place, including those under the auspices of the MOE and GES, are adequate to provide the requisite fiduciary assurances under the project. 33. Financial management arrangements: The project will be mainstreamed into, and implemented by, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service. However, in terms of financial management, the functions will be anchored around: (i) the Budget Directorate (MoF) - ensuring that the budget outlays are included under the appropriate government budget heads and the funds are released on front-loaded basis to allow for better predictability of commitment expenditures; (ii) the Controller & Accountant General's Department - ensuring that the expenditures from the funds released are transacted timely and comprehensively, and are accounted for and reported through the use of the government financial management information system (GIFMIS); (iii) the Financial Controller of the Ghana Education Service, as the focal person ensuring that all component 2 expenditures are validated before they can be paid; and (iv) the Ghana Audit Service (GAS) to provide the requisite assurance on the EEP spending (and consistency with the achievement of the DLRs) under component 1, as well as the component 2 expenditures. 34. The MOE Director of Finance and the GES Financial Controller PCU will directly manage the FM systems (budgeting, accounting, and reporting) for component 1 and 2 of the proposed project respectively. The project funds will be on-budget and included in the annual allocation in the Government budget as a development item. Funds released (based on the sources of funds under the project) will be the notional equivalent of the funds received through Withdrawal Applications submitted to the Bank. The use of the funds will be transacted through the GIFMIS which is currently being rolled out in the MOE. The funds will be disbursed into segregated designated accounts of the project, being denominated as a sub-account of the consolidated fund, 68 held with a Bank approved by government and the World Bank, and managed under existing MOE and GES financial management practices. 35. Accounting and reporting under component 1: The GIFMIS will be the primary basis for transaction recording to enable the timely preparation of monthly BERs related to the overall program expenditures. The Financial Controller, through the CAGD, will be responsible for accounting and reporting on the EEPs. With respect to Component 1 - (Disbursements for EEPs) disbursement will be made to the sub consolidated Fund Account of the MOE/MOF held with the Bank of Ghana and the funds coded against a budget line created under GIFMIS CoA. Accounting and reporting under Component I will follow the normal reporting pattern as per government budget execution reports generated by the MOE. As the funds disbursed to the Government under this component will flow into the government sub-consolidated fund (as the designated account) and will not be segregated, the IFRs required for withdrawals were agreed at negotiations. However, since the disbursements against Component 1 will entail reimbursements and advances, two separate designated accounts (both being sub-accounts of the consolidated fund) will be established to receive the funds. 36. The request for funds will be done based on WA duly signed by representatives from MOF, CAGD and MOE/GES, which will be supported by IUFRs using the report based modalities and will include Budget Execution Reports (BERs) together with forecast eligible expenditures. In each fiscal year, advances for Component I will be provided for the following half-year (based on the value of 50% of the year's DLRs) to cater to the projected expenditures under the EEP. Subsequently actual expenditure will be recorded using IUFRs and matched against the advance and netted off for the remaining half-year (representing the remaining DLR values for that particular year), and on the basis of which the net amount of funds to be disbursed will be determined. Information regarding the approved EEP budget codes for the Project will be provided no later than December 31 of each year. 37. The Governments budget execution for the education sector will include the expenditure program supported by the project under component 1. The transactions related to this component will form part of the transactions managed under the auspices of the Treasury but for which the records and reports will also be available to MOE through GIFMIS. The provision of a consolidated project financial statement will be managed outside the GIFMIS simply by drawing in the required information from the budget execution statement in respect to component 1, and adding the information contained in the IFMIS reports. 38. Although the disbursements by IDA will flow into the GoG consolidated fund account for both project components/disbursement categories, there will not be the need for bank statements as part of the reporting requirements in respect of component 1 as IDA funds will constitute just a minor proportion of overall GoG balances on pooling basis. As regards component 2 - TA - however, this will be held in a designated account and the bank statements will form part of the reporting. 69 Figure A3.2 Funds Flow Diagram - Component 1 - Result Based Financing ............. ID A < .................. ...... Tranfersin te fom ofTransfers in the form of Tr.. danfes in thegformtof Reimbursements to GoG ... ADvsgance to un geA Sub CFT Account B for > Flow of funds ............ . > Reporting Notes * There will be two bank accounts under the project to receive funding under the RBF Component * Designated Account (A) - a segregated designated account for receiving advance for each year. * Account B - GoG Sub Consolidated Fund Account for receiving annual reimbursement upon meeting the respective yearly DLRs 39. Accounting and reporting under component 2 will be carried out under the auspices of the GES, using the government project accounting system. Disbursements for Component 2 will follow the standard World Bank procedures using a dedicated Designated Account. Funds for implementing activities under this component will all be channeled to a designated account operated and maintained by the Ghana Education Service and managed by the Financial Controller, with prior approval of all transactions by the Chief Director. Based on the assessment of financial management, the proceeds for Component 2 will be disbursed to the project using report based disbursement procedures. Interim Unaudited Financial Reports - (comprising at the minimum, the 'sources and uses of funds according to components and sub-components', 'use of funds according to detailed project disbursement sub-categories - goods, works, services', and 'use of funds according to project activities') will constitute the reporting requirements under the component. The IFRs (including the 'procurements subject to prior reviews' and 'designated account reconciliation statement') will also serve as the basis for withdrawals from the Bank. The initial disbursement will be based on the expenditure forecast for six months, subject to the Bank's approval of the estimates. Subsequent replenishments of the DA (being the third account to be established under the project) would be done quarterly based on the forecast of the net expenditures for the subsequent half-year period. 40. External audit and independent assurance: In line with its mandate as per the Ghana Audit Service Act (Act 584) the Auditor General is solely responsible for the auditing of all 70 funds under the Consolidated Fund and all public funds as received by government ministries, departments and agencies. In general, the capacity of the GAS is considered satisfactory. The CAGD continued, as usual, to submit annual public accounts for the preceding fiscal year on the Consolidated Fund to the Auditor General within the legally established timeframe (end-March), using, largely, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) cash basis of financial reporting as an output from the modified cash basis accounting that the government is maintaining. The statements are presented in a consistent format and the published financial statements include a statement of the accounting policies applied in the preparation of the statements along with a full set of notes and schedules that provide disclosures of the accounting standards adopted. 41. In this regard, and consistent with the use of country FM systems, the Ghana Audit Service (GAS) will conduct the audit of the project's financial statements as part of the MoE MDA Annual Audit. The financial statements will include, by way of detailed notes, the activities financed under the project. Copies of the audit report will be submitted to the Bank, during the life of the project, within one month of such statements and reports having been laid in Parliament but certainly not later than nine months after the end of the previous year. The independent audit of public accounts, conducted by the Auditor General, continued to achieve good progress, and the audit processes have been strengthened, with greater compliance with INTOSAI26 standards. While the focus is on regulatory and transaction basis, some performance audits and systems audits were also undertaken. The audit reports on the consolidated fund are produced timely - i.e. within 3 months of receipt of the draft accounts from the CAGD and within 6 months of the end of the fiscal year. 42. Supervision Plan: The hybrid approach in project design constitutes an innovative approach for the Government and intensive supervision will be required for the first two years after effectiveness to review the continued adequacy in the implementation of the FM arrangements and to provide the requisite support to the financial management team. A financial management specialist, supported by a lead specialist will be providing the implementation support as part of the project's task team. Procurement 43. Procurement will be carried out in accordance with World Bank's: (i) "Guidelines: Procurement of Goods, Works and Non-Consulting Services under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011; (ii) "Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers" dated January 2011, and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement; and (iii) "Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants", dated October 15, 2006, as revised in January 201 land the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement. For each contract to be financed by the Loan/Credit, the different procurement methods, or consultant selection methods, the need for pre-qualification, estimated costs, prior review and methods requirements, and time frame are agreed between the Borrower and the Bank in the Procurement Plan. The Procurement Plan will be updated at least annually or as required to reflect the actual project implementation needs and 26International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions 71 improvements in institutional capacity. A draft procurement plan was approved during negotiations held on April 11, 2014. 44. Procurement of Works: The procurement will be done using the Bank's Standard Bidding Documents (SBD) for all International Competitive Bidding (ICB) and National SBD under National Competitive Bidding agreed with or satisfactory to the Bank. Relevant NCB works contracts, which are deemed complex and/or have significant risk levels, will be prior-reviewed. Such contracts will be identified in the tables and also in the procurement plans. While using the NCB, the project must ensure that: (i) foreign bidders shall be allowed to participate in NCB procedures without any restrictions; (ii) bidders shall be given at least one month to submit bids from the date of the invitation to bid or the date of availability of bidding documents, whichever is later; (iii) no domestic preference shall be given for domestic bidders; and (iv) in accordance with paragraph 1.14(e) of the Procurement Guidelines, each bidding document and contract financed out of the proceeds of the Financing shall provide that: (a) the bidders, suppliers, contractors and subcontractors shall permit the Association, at its request, to inspect their accounts and records relating to the bid submission and performance of the contract, and to have said accounts and records audited by auditors appointed by the Association; and (b) the deliberate and material violation by the bidder, supplier, contractor or subcontractor of such provision may account to an obstructive practice as defined in paragraph 1.14(a)(v) of the Procurement Guidelines. Contracts would be procured using shopping procedures based on a model request for quotations satisfactory to the Bank. Direct contracting may be used where necessary, but it will be subject to Bank's no objection. 45. Procurement of Goods: The procurement will be done using the Bank's SBD for all ICB and National SBD agreed with or satisfactory to the Bank. Procurement may be done under NCB and Shopping depending on the thresholds. However, relevant NCB goods contracts, which are deemed complex and/or have significant risk levels, will be prior-reviewed. Such contracts will be identified in the tables and also in the procurement plans. Again, under the NCB, the project must ensure that: (i) foreign bidders shall be allowed to participate in NCB procedures without any restrictions; (ii) bidders shall be given at least one month to submit bids from the date of the invitation to bid or the date of availability of bidding documents, whichever is later; (iii) no domestic preference shall be given for domestic bidders; and (iv) in accordance with paragraph 1.14(e) of the Procurement Guidelines, each bidding document and contract financed out of the proceeds of the Financing shall provide that: (a) the bidders, suppliers, contractors and subcontractors shall permit the Association, at its request, to inspect their accounts and records relating to the bid submission and performance of the contract, and to have said accounts and records audited by auditors appointed by the Association; and (b) the deliberate and material violation by the bidder, supplier, contractor or subcontractor of such provision may account to an obstructive practice as defined in paragraph 1. 14(a)(v) of the Procurement Guidelines. Contracts would be procured using shopping procedures based on a model request for quotations satisfactory to the Bank. Direct contracting may be used where necessary, but it will be subject to Bank's no objection. 46. Procurement of non-consulting services: Procurement of non-consulting services will follow procurement procedures similar to those stipulated for the procurement of goods, depending on their nature. 72 47. Selection of Consultants: Consultancy services would be provided under the project and includes the following categories: financial, technical and procurement audits, economic and technical feasibility and design studies, supervision of construction works, institutional studies, monitoring and evaluation studies and technical assistance to the implementing ministries. In accordance with the threshold, methods of procurement will include Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS); Selection Based on Consultants' Qualifications (CQS); while selection under Quality Based (QBS); Selections under Fixed Budget (FBS) and Least Cost Selection (LCS) methods will be applied in the circumstances as respectively described under paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6 of the Consultants Guidelines. For all contracts to be awarded following QCBS, LCS and FBS the Bank's Standard Request for Proposals will be used. Procedures of Selection of Individual Consultants (IC) would be followed for assignments that meet the requirements of paragraph 5.1 and 5.3 of the Consultant Guidelines. LCS procedures would be used for assignments for selecting the auditors. Single-Source Selection (SSS) procedures would be followed for assignments that meet the requirements of paragraphs 3.10-3.12 of the Consultant Guidelines and will always require the Bank's prior review regardless of the amount. 48. Assignments estimated to cost the equivalent of US$300,000 or more would be advertised for expressions of interest (EOI) in Development Business (UNDB), in DG Market and in at least one newspaper of wide national circulation. In addition, EOI for specialized assignments may be advertised in an international newspaper or magazine. Foreign consultants who wish to participate in national section should not be excluded from consideration. 49. Capacity Building and Training Programs, Seminars, Conferences, Workshops, etc.: All training and workshops will be carried out on the basis of the project's Annual Work Plans and Budget which will have been approved by the Bank on a yearly basis, and which will interalia, identify: (i) the envisaged training and workshops; (ii) the personnel to be trained; (iii) the institutions which will conduct the training and selection methods of institutions or individuals conducting such training; (iv) the justification for the training, how it would lead to effective performance and implementation of the project and or sector; (v) the duration of the proposed training; and (vi) the cost estimate of the training. Report by the trainee upon completion of training would be required. 50. Operating Costs: Project operating costs would be procured using the implementing agency's administrative procedures, which have been reviewed and found acceptable to the Bank. The procurement procedures and SBDs to be used for each procurement method, as well as model contracts for works and goods procured will be presented in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM). Procurement Capacity Assessments of Implementing Agencies 51. As part of the Bank's fiduciary requirements to ensure that implementing agencies have systems, structures and capacity to administer procurement in compliance with the Bank's Procurement and Consultants' Guidelines under the proposed project, a procurement assessment was conducted at the Ministry of Education, with the objective of (a) assessing the capacity of the Ministry and the adequacy of procurement and related systems in place, to administer procurement; and the risks (Ministry, political, organizational, procedural, etc.) that may negatively affect the ability of the Ministry to carry out procurement; (b) develop an action plan 73 to address the deficiencies detected by the capacity analysis and to minimize the risks identified by the risk analysis; and (c) to propose a suitable Bank procurement supervision plan for the project compatible with the relative strengths, weaknesses and risks revealed by the assessment. 52. MOE: It is proposed that MOE will be implementing agency of the proposed project, in collaboration with GES. For the DLI approach, procurement execution and management performed by the Procurement Directorate of MOE supported technically by the Infrastructure Coordination Unit of MOE. It is noted that MOE is in compliance with the country's procurement law. Procurements undertaken are derived from their approved work plan and budget and procurement plan. The MOE has an Entity Tender Committee and a Ministerial Tender Review Board as final decision making authorities at the sector level. In addition, it has adequate internal technical and administrative controls and anti-corruption procedures. The review also noted the existence of satisfactory appeals mechanisms for bidders. MOE has a well set-up procurement unit headed by a qualified, experienced (both development partner and PPA) and trained procurement personnel with a Master's degree in Procurement, and member of CIPS. He is supported by five other qualified procurement staff who do not have as much experience and knowledge in Bank procurement. The Director of procurement is noted to have executed procurement financed by World Bank, AfDB, USAID, DFID, etc. in the past. It was also noted that the procurement unit has significant experience in using procedures and bidding under the Ghana Public Procurement Law. The procurement unit, in its present strength, has adequate capacity to manage procurement under the project. The assessment concludes that MOE is in compliance with the procurement law, has some experience in implementing World Bank- financed projects, and is capable to handle the proposed project. 53. GES: It is proposed that GES will be implementing activities under the proposed project, with procurement execution and management performed by the Supplies & Logistics Division of GES. GES is an agency under the MOE responsible for service delivery. It is noted that the GES is in compliance with the country's procurement law. Procurements undertaken are derived from their approved work plan and budget and procurement plan. It has an Entity Tender Committee in addition to adequate internal technical and administrative controls and anti- corruption procedures. The review also noted the existence of satisfactory appeals mechanisms for bidders. GES has a well set-up procurement unit headed by qualified and trained procurement officer with a Master's degree in Procurement and a member of CIPS. She is supported by four other qualified procurement staff who do not have as much experience and knowledge in Bank procurement. GES's procurement unit is noted to have implemented, in the past, aspects of World Bank funded education projects, including the recently completed Ghana Education Sector Project (EdSEP) as well as the ongoing Ghana Partnership for Education Grant Project (GPEG). It was also noted that the unit has significant experience in using shopping procedures and bidding under the Ghana Public Procurement Law. The procurement unit, in its present strength, has adequate capacity to manage procurement under the project. The assessment concludes that GES is in compliance with the procurement law, has some experience in implementing World Bank-financed projects, and is capable to handle the proposed project. 54. The overall risk assessment is rated Substantial, prior to mitigation. The key risks for procurement are (i) Possible delays in evaluation of bids and technical proposals leading to implementation delays and poor quality of contract deliverables; (ii) limited knowledge of IDA current procurement policies, procedures and guidelines; and (iii) Inconsistencies between the 74 National Procurement procedures and the Bank procurement guidelines in the use of National Competitive Bidding. Table A3.8 Action plan to strengthen capacity and mitigate procurement risks Risk Risk Description Rating Risk Mitigating Measures/Remarks Responsibility Due Date Low level of M Preparation of Project Implementation Manual GES HQ & Prior to knowledge about with a section on procurement, detailing out MOE Effectiveness IDA procurement instructions for handling procurement and policies and clarifying that Bank Guidelines should be procedures, and in followed in case of conflict between National particular the Procurement Law and the World Bank Project changes in the latest Guidelines and the Financing Agreement. Launch version of the Priouremethe adOrganize a workshop to update procurement Conultant' staff on current changes in Bank procurement GES HQ & Guidelines procedures and work closely with Bank PS. MOE & WB continuous Provide continuous support and guidance basis through hand holding to implementing and attendance of WB Procurement Clinics Delays in taking S Close monitoring of procurement plans on a Project Throughout procurement actions monthly basis and closely monitor and exercise Coordinator project life like preparation of quality control on all aspects of the BD, RFPs, BER, procurement process, including evaluation, TER, etc. selection and award. Bank PS Help lAs to Identify and apply the full range of flexibilities available in the Guidelines Poor Records M Institute a structured filing and identification GES & MOE Throughout handling and system. project life Management posing Refresher training to be provided to relevant a challenge to easy procurement staff on IDA guidelines on filing identification and and records management systems. retrieval of procurement and contract records, and undermines progress reviews. Fraud and S Enforce provisions of World Bank Guidelines, MoE's Chief Throughout Corruption the Public Procurement Act, the Financial Director project life Administration Act and Internal Audit Agency Act on Fraud and Corruption. Observed cases to be referred to Auditor General for further External investigations. Auditors Annual project audit including procurement and financial management Lack of adequate S Hiring of competent Supervision Consulting MOE & GES On a contract management Firms; HQ continuous skills, especially for Training of GES & MOE Directors in WB infrastructure contracting, management and monitoring to basis assure delivery of quality outputs, value for 75 money, accountability and transparency. Strong field presence of Bank team to provide support and directions to lAs Overall Risk Rating S H - High S - Substantial M - Moderate L - Low Procurement Plan 55. Under Component 2, MOE and GES will prepare an annual work plan that contains a procurement plan. The procurement plan will be for the first 18 months of the project showing individual contract packages, and for each package its estimated cost, procurement method, and processing times for key activities until completion. Three months prior to the start of each subsequent fiscal year, the MOE/GES will submit updated versions of the procurement plans for the following 18 months to IDA review. The Tender Committees of the procurement entities shall ensure that the procurement plans are published in the Procurement Bulletin in accordance with the Public Procurement Act. Any revisions to the formally agreed procurement plan shall require the concurrence of entity Tender Committee. Project implementing agencies shall apply the most competitive method of procurement that is appropriate to the circumstances of the specific procurement activity as described in the project Operational Manual and in the table below. Implementing agencies may select a more competitive method for a particular procurement activity if they wish to do so. However, IDA concurrence will be required to use a less competitive method other than the one set out in the table below and in the agreed Procurement Plan. Absence of this concurrence may result in mis-procurement. Table A3.9 Threshold for Procurement Methods and Prior Reviewa All-National Prior Review Threshold Procurement Method Threshold Shortlist of Consultants Consultants ICB NCB Shopping IT Systems+ Goods + Goods + Goods + RISK RATING Works Goods Non Con. Firms Individua Works Non Con. Works Non Con. Works Non Con. Sew Serv Serv Serv $0.3 Mil (All) SUBSTANTIAL >$10Mil $1Mil $1Mil $0.5Mil $0.2Mil $151Mil $3 Mil <$15