The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 03/06/2019 | Report No: ESRSC00304 Mar 12, 2019 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Rwanda AFRICA P168551 Project Name Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Investment Project 6/27/2019 9/20/2019 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education, Economic Planning, Republic of Rwanda Republic of Rwanda Proposed Development Objective(s) Public Disclosure To improve student learning and progression in basic education in Rwanda. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 150.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] ISSUES TO ADDRESS: Despite impressive gains in basic education, Rwanda faces key challenges. Only 21 percent of children are enrolled in pre-primary education, and only 45 percent of students in grade 2 and grade 5 meet grade level expectations for Kinyarwanda and English, respectively. There is a weak progression in early grades, and low transition from primary to lower secondary education (71 percent). Moreover, there are inadequate learning materials and facilities; there is a shortage of infrastructure and primary classrooms are overcrowded, with some classrooms filled with 80–90 students. Double shifting, a practice in Rwanda, limits instructional time to a mere 4 hours per day, contributing to poor student learning outcomes. There is a weak progression in early grades of primary school, and low transition from primary to lower secondary (71 percent). Teacher Training Colleges are poorly Mar 12, 2019 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) resourced and supported and as a result, the graduates are not ready to provide quality teaching. English is the language of instruction from grade 4 onward, but both teachers and students struggle to acquire a level of English language proficiency required for teaching-learning success. There is also a scarcity of qualified teachers in mathematics and science. Education currently spends only 5 percent of total GDP, which is low for a country like Rwanda with a large population of children and youth, partially resulting in very low primary teacher salaries. In addition, Rwanda is not yet participating in regional and international learning assessments, making it difficult to benchmark and track progress as compared to other countries. PDO: The Proposed Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve student learning and progression in basic education in Rwanda. PROPOSED PROJECT: The proposed project (IPF) aims at overcoming some critical constraints to student progression and learning in basic education in Rwanda. The project focuses on the following principles: (1) aligning with the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and coordinating with development partners’ programs and initiatives; (2) targeting critical areas to achieve transformational change in basic education; (3) using technology and innovative approaches for accelerated learning and improved classroom practice; and (4) building models and scaling up successful pilots for system-wide impact. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Project location(s) and salient characteristics relevant to the ES assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The proposed scope of the project will be focusing on key education development priorities identified by MINEDUC, REB and other stakeholders, and will be organized in four components. Activities within these components will leverage the innovative approaches currently being piloted in the country and will focus on the use of technology to bring about transformative change in the basic education sector. Specifically, the project will prioritize learning to Public Disclosure build a solid human capital foundation, target critical areas to achieve transformational change in basic education, and use technology to create an enabling environment and tools for accelerated learning and improved classroom practice. Additionally, it will build model schools and scale up successful pilots and align with the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and coordinate with programs and initiatives of development partners. The project sites will be primary, secondary schools and TTCs located in various Districts across the Country. The specific schools in each District to benefit from this project are yet to be identified. The project activities under component 1, 2 and 3, will involve rehabilitation and construction of new class-rooms, toilets, laboratories, supply of ICT equipment’s, development of e-learning platforms. Rehabilitation of existing structures will involve limited amount of civil works. New classrooms to be constructed under this project are likely to be small and dispersed in various schools in rural areas. The civil works activities will be confined within the school land that belongs to the GoR and hence no land acquisition anticipated under this project. However, experience from the Human Resources Development Program funded by the bank in 2000 in Rwanda, the ICR indicated that rehabilitation and constructions of new classrooms in existing schools encountered the issue of encroachers who had cultivated the vacant school land. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and Rwanda Education Board (REB) (a semi-autonomous institution under MINEDUC), will be the key implementing agencies under the project. The University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE), also a semi-autonomous institution under MINEDUC, is likely to be an implementation agency as well. The project would be led at the strategic level by the MINEDUC’s Project senior management team (the Minister, the Minister of State, the PS of MINEDUC, DG of REB, and Dean of UR-CE), and coordinated by the Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) within MINEDUC. The MINEDUC SPIU currently has a project coordinator and a monitoring and evaluation specialist, but the unit needs additional staff to meet fiduciary, environmental and social standards compliance requirements. The identified project implementation agencies have no experience in Mar 12, 2019 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) implementing a World Bank- financed IPF project. The recent Bank operation they have been involved in is a program for results on enhancing priority skills for growth; and it lacked significant compliance requirements in terms of implementing Bank safeguards policies. The SPIU staff would need to be trained in the World Bank ESF and relevant procedures. Mentoring and intensive implementation support would also be needed, particularly in the early stages of implementation. However, the Rwandan environmental and social management framework, under which the project could be implemented, is quite robust; but will be further assessed. The SPIU will recruit full-time Environmental & Social specialists to handle the environmental & social aspects. The project will also consider incorporating interventions to strengthen the environmental and social capacity of the implementing agencies. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Environmental Risk Rating Moderate The project proposes, under component 1, to undertake works for basic infrastructure for improved learning conditions. The civil works will include rehabilitation of existing classrooms and facilities and construction of additional classrooms. These works will pose a moderate threat to the environment. The project potential risks and impacts to the environment, are typical to construction activities and manageable within the confines of the constructions sites. Social Risk Rating Moderate Public Disclosure The SRR is Moderate at this stage because, the potential adverse risks and impacts on human population are not likely to be significant. The primary social risks include the possibility of encroachers on existing school land needing to be resettled for the project’s small-scale construction to take place and the possibility of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors due to works being undertaken in schools. Both risks are considered moderate and mitigation measures will be required to manage them. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: The project proposes to undertake basic infrastructure works for improved learning conditions. The works will include rehabilitation of existing classrooms and facilities such as laboratories; and construction of additional classrooms. The potential environmental and social risks and impacts from the works will mainly be generic construction works that include noise, dust emissions, vegetation clearance, soil erosion, accidents and injuries etc... The project could also involve some agricultural encroachers on school land who will need to be resettled in accordance with ESS5 if identified. The severity of these risks and impacts will further be assessed when the construction activities are confirmed. As the civil works will take place in existing school compounds, there may be a risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) of minors that will need to be managed. The project offers an opportunity for gender and disability-inclusive basic education. This approach will be mainstreamed into the project, targeting those under risk. This would include gender-appropriate facilities designed for universal access. Rwanda’s Education Mar 12, 2019 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) emphasizes the need for a more innovative approach to inclusive education to improve enrollment, progression, transition and completion rates of the most vulnerable populations and the project will support this endeavor. It is envisaged that the project will prepare the following instruments: Resettlement Policy Frame Work (RPF), Environment and Social Management Frame Work (ESMF), Labor Management Procedures (LMP) and Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP). The E&S instruments will be disclosed in country and on the Bank’s website. Details of the disclosure dates will be agreed upon and included in the Environment and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). The instruments prepared will incorporate relevant guidance from the World Bank’s Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSG) i.e. general and sector specific guidelines. During project implementation, also EMPs and RAPs will be prepared as appropriate. Areas where reliance on the Borrower’s E&S Framework may be considered: The project will rely on the Bank ESF during project preparation and implementation. The location, nature and scale of planned works have not been confirmed yet. It is anticipated that some activities would require the preparation of environmental management plans during implementation. Further consultations with the client will determine the extent to which the Borrower Environmental and Social Framework will be utilized. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The project implementation is likely to involve several stakeholders that include the following, MINEDUC, REB, UR- CE, TTCs, Schools, Digital Media Institute, Districts, economically-displaced squatters, community members around the schools, parents associations, NGOs, CSOs, marginalized community members, disability commission and Gender Monitoring Office. The client (MINEDUC) will prepare and disclose a SEP as part of the project preparation and Public Disclosure implementation. The SEP could build on existing community engagement platforms such as "Umuganda, Akagoroba kababyeyi" among other fora to engage community members. The SEP will provide details on how this will be done in practice including the setup of the GRM. The client has shared a tentative list of stakeholders that will be finalized once the project implementation mechanism is confirmed. The stakeholders so far identified are the usual sector players that include the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC); Rwanda Education Board; and University of Rwanda. The stakeholders at the level of decentralized governance units i.e. districts and sectors, are yet to be identified. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions Anticipated key labor risks and impacts are mainly associated with the planned construction works. There may be instances of child labor associated with the use of local labor. The client must provide appropriate measures for the protection of vulnerable project workers such as women and people with disabilities. The majority of those involved will be existing government civil servants. As such, these employees will remain subject to the terms and conditions of their existing public-sector employment. Workers to rehabilitate and construct class rooms are likely to be few in number but may require skilled workers from outside of the area of work, e.g. for the installation of technical equipment). Due to the discreet nature of these activities labor camps and influx are not anticipated. These individuals will however be subject to the requirement of ESS2 in relation to labor and working conditions including occupational health and safety and grievance mechanisms. Likewise, any technical consultants contracted by the Project will also need to adhere to such standards. To ensure health and safety of workers during the construction Mar 12, 2019 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) and operational phases of the project, a Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) plan in line with Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) will be prepared as part of the ESMF. During operation, this will include detailed requirements for the transport, handling and disposal of chemicals/ reagents and other hazardous materials. The plan will include procedures on incident investigation and reporting, recording and reporting of non-conformances, emergency preparedness and response procedures and continuous training and awareness to workers. In addition, the project will need to develop and implement written labor management procedures that will set out the way in which project workers will be managed. The LMP will be prepared prior to appraisal for this project. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. The project design could explore the use of hydra-form bloc technology where possible and limit the use of baked bricks during classroom construction to reduce the need for firewood, avoiding detrimental impacts on the environment. The classroom rehabilitation activities could explore landscaping to prevent erosion and planting of sapling shade trees, re- vegetation which contribute towards the carbon sequestration process and reducing soil run off. Using energy saving bulbs for the school lighting or solar should also be considered. The following will be further assessed during project preparation: • Promoting the sustainable use of construction materials and other raw materials extracted from the natural environment; • Promoting sustainable use water and energy resources. The project could consider installing tanks for rain water storage to supplement current water supply or alternative energy solution for cooking fuel; and • Adoption of good practices for managing e-wastes. There is also a potential of rehabilitation activities that could involve demolition or replacement of existing infrastructure’s containing hazardous materials such as asbestos Public Disclosure and the ESMF will include Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) guidelines and measures to consider for removal and disposal of hazardous materials such as asbestos ESS4 Community Health and Safety As the project will involve civil works, the community health and safety issues related to this project could potentially include, sexual exploitation and abuse given the fact that the construction work will be carried out in close proximity to classrooms. Toilets construction will require portable water where possible to improve hygiene in and around schools. However, in case the toilets to be constructed are pit latrines, such latrines in schools especially in rural areas are usually not clean and represent a potential health risks to students and the surrounding community. The following will be further assessed during project preparation: • Health and safety risks likely to be caused by incidences of labor influx as a result of the project; • Gender-Based Violence (GBV) or Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) of students which may arise from interactions with construction workers; and • Incidences of increased erosion, runoff and landslides affecting local community properties; and • Considering the application of universal access in rehabilitation and construction of new buildings. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The civil works activities are planned to be confined within the existing school perimeters on Government land. However, as the subproject sites are yet to defined, this claim cannot be verified and for this reason, the relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. In addition, experience from the Human Resources Development Program funded by the Bank in 2000 in Rwanda, the ICR indicated that Mar 12, 2019 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) rehabilitation and construction of new classrooms in existing schools encountered the issue of encroachers who had cultivated vacant school land. This contingency would encounter a key gap between Rwandan Law and practices and ESS5. As such this contingency must be planned for during preparation in accordance with this ESS. In addition, the project will establish the legal status of the land to ensure it has been lawfully expropriated before encroachers are removed from land. The client will prepare an RPF before appraisal to address the risks mentioned under this standard. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources Relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. The project is not anticipated to have activities with impacts on biodiversity or living natural resources. The project implementation sites will be located in modified landscapes i.e. already used for schools, training centers and universities. However, the ESMF will include specific measures to avoid or minimize this negative impacts. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities Relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. At this stage the project sites are not yet identified. We expect to explore the relevance of this standard as we get more information especially about selected locations for the subproject sites. ESS8 Cultural Heritage Public Disclosure Relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. Although no impacts to cultural heritage are anticipated, the project will incorporate “chance find” procedures in the ESMF when physical cultural resources are encountered during construction. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Relevance of this ESS will be further assessed during project preparation as part of the ESA process. The project is not anticipated to have Financial Intermediaries as project implementation entities. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks Preliminary assessment does not indicate high reputational and/or political economy risk that could adversely influence or hinder the project from achieving environmental and social standards compliance. This will further be assessed during project preparation. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No Mar 12, 2019 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners None at this stage B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: The project will prepare ESMF, SEP, LMP and RPF Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): Preparation of the following documents 1. ESIA's 2. RAPs 3. LMP 4. SEP Public Disclosure C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 24-May-2019 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Emmanuel Muligirwa Title: Environmental Specialist Telephone No: 5396+3335 Email: emuligirwa@worldbank.org Contact: George Bob Nkulanga Title: Social Development Specialist Telephone No: 5396+3355 Email: gnkulanga@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Republic of Rwanda Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education, Republic of Rwanda Mar 12, 2019 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development in Rwanda (P168551) V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Lianqin Wang Safeguards Advisor ESSA Nathalie S. Munzberg (SAESSA) Cleared on 12-Mar-2019 at 07:34:27 Practice Manager Safaa El Tayeb El-Kogali (PMGR) Concurred on 12-Mar-2019 at 13:11:29 Public Disclosure Mar 12, 2019 Page 9 of 9