INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Public Disclosure Copy Report No.: ISDSC9157 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 18-Jun-2014 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 19-Jun-2014 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Belarus Project ID: P148181 Project Name: Belarus Education Modernization Project (P148181) Task Team Igor Kheyfets Leader: Estimated 16-Feb-2015 Estimated 15-Sep-2015 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: GEDDR Lending Investment Project Financing Instrument: Sector(s): Secondary education (50%), Primary education (25%), General education sector (25%) Theme(s): Education for all (50%), Education for the knowledge economy (50%) Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 50.00 Total Bank Financing: 50.00 Public Disclosure Copy Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.00 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 50.00 Total 50.00 Environmental B - Partial Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? B. Project Objectives The objective of the proposed Project is to: (i) support the Government’s efficiency reforms by ensuring an adequate learning environment in general secondary education and (ii) strengthen the use of information in education system management. C. Project Description The proposed Project is organized into three components: COMPONENT 1: Increasing efficiency in general secondary education by supporting the Government’s school network optimization program. Public Disclosure Copy The objective of this component is to ensure that school consolidation efforts are supported with adequate learning environment and technology in receiving schools, and by introducing efficiency- enhancing school financing mechanisms. This component will implement activities at the level of schools and local authorities. Sub-component 1.1: Implementing minimum learning environment standards in institutions which receive (or plan to receive) students from closed or reorganized schools. The objective of this sub-component is to ensure that a network of receiving schools created as a result of the optimization program provides an adequate physical environment for the affected students. Sub-component 1.2: Improving access to and use of laboratory equipment and information technologies in the educational process. The objective of this sub-component is to ensure that the schools rehabilitated in sub-component 1.1 are equipped with the necessary scientific materials and information technology to provide an adequate learning environment. Sub-component 1.3: Developing and introducing efficiency-enhancing resource allocation mechanisms in general secondary education. The objective of this sub-component is to encourage the efficient allocation of resources to schools through the use of a formula-based per-student financing mechanism. Public Disclosure Copy COMPONENT 2: Modernizing system management through the enhancement of education quality assessment systems and evidence-based policymaking. The objective of this component is to bring current methods of gathering and utilizing information about the education system in line with modern global practices of evidence-based policymaking. This component will implement activities at the level of central authorities tasked with managing the general secondary education system. Sub-component 2.1: Improving the national student assessment system. The objective of this sub-component is to revise the current system of national sample-based assessments for monitoring of educational quality in grades 4, 9, and 11 to bring it in line with international best practices. Sub-component 2.2: Supporting participation in international student assessments. The objective of this sub-component is to enable the Belarus authorities to prepare for and join an internationally recognized system of student learning assessments. Sub-component 2.3: Developing a modern EMIS and strengthening the use of data analysis for informing sector management decisions. The objective of this sub-component is to modernize the systems and practices of data collection and Public Disclosure Copy analysis in the education sector. COMPONENT 3: Supporting project implementation. The objective of this component is to ensure adequate implementation of the proposed Project activities. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The Project will be implemented country-wide. Beneficiary educational facilities are not pre- identified and therefore their locations are not known at present. A set of criteria for selection of schools to benefit from the Project will be developed during preparation. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies Overall responsibility for project implementation will rest with the Ministry of Education. Because this is the first ever World Bank investment operation in the education sector of the Republic of Belarus, a capacity assessment will be performed during project preparation to understand the Ministry’s capabilities and to inform them of Bank procedures. The Ministry may also benefit from existing capacity in the country from other entities that are familiar with Bank procedures and safeguards policies. Based upon the results from preparation, appropriate safeguard capacity strengthening actions will be proposed as part of the Project. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Solvita Klapare (GENDR) Robert H. Montgomery (GENDR) Klavdiya Maksymenko (GURDR) Public Disclosure Copy II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes Component 1 of the proposed Project includes BP 4.01 activities to rehabilitate school facilities. Exact nature of rehabilitation needs will be assessed during project preparation, but may include work on external walls, roofs, windows, floors, basements, laboratories, gymnasiums, and heating and sewer systems. Rehabilitation works are expected to have some temporary negative impacts typical for reconstruction/ rehabilitation of relatively small size constructions. The potential negative impacts are perceived to be relatively minor and readily mitigable with standard procedures, and the works to be performed within existing school site. Based on the policy and given the expected nature of the works, the project team proposes the project to be classified as Category B. Since the exact location of schools to be Public Disclosure Copy refurbished are not known and will not be known prior to project appraisal, the potential environmental impacts and risks will be managed by development of an Environmental Management Framework (EMF). The EMF will present: the nature of the proposed investments; potential environmental impacts; applicable laws, policies and procedures; procedure for environmental screening, procedure for preparation of environmental mitigation measures (e.g., Environmental Management Plan/EMP) given the type of sub-project; and implementation responsibilities. Environmental risks of the project are expected to be modest and limited to the construction sites and to the period of construction works. Managing these impacts and keeping them to the acceptable minimum will be achieved effectively by adhering to the good construction practice and applying mitigation measures to be provided in the site-specific Environmental Management Plans (EMPs or simplified EMP Checklists for buildings requiring minor reconstruction). Public Disclosure Copy An important principle for selecting buildings for rehabilitation and preparing design documents will be to screen them for revealing any structural damage and instability to address these faults. The screening will include potential environmental issues, such as asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint and adequate waste water disposal. The EMF will include measures for the project sub- component that may finance upgrade of school laboratories and purchase of equipment, including design aspects (e.g., ventilation hood if applicable), operating procedure and disposal of old equipment. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/ No All project works are anticipated to occur within Public Disclosure Copy BP 4.11 the existing school site and it is unlikely that any of the school buildings selected for the rehabilitation will have a historic value and/or have present physical cultural resources. Nevertheless, as part of the environmental management under OP/BP 4.01, the EMF will include procedures for addressing physical cultural resources encountered during implementation (‘chance finds’). Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP No All rehabilitation works under the project are 4.12 expected to take place within the existing footprint of educational facilities and no land acquisition is expected. The actual situation in Belarus is supported by the well-enforced regulatory framework that prohibits squatters and vendors within territory of the school compound, thus permanent or temporary physical or economic displacement as the result of the project is not expected. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Public Disclosure Copy Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 03-Feb-2015 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: Social implications of the project activities will be analyzed by a Social Assessment to be performed during the project preparation. Since the exact location of schools to be refurbished are not known and will not be known prior to project appraisal, the potential environmental impacts and risks will be managed by development of an Environmental Management Framework (EMF). The EMF will present: the nature of the proposed investments; potential environmental impacts; applicable laws, policies and procedures; procedure for environmental screening, procedure for preparation of environmental mitigation measures (e.g., specific Environmental Management Plans/EMPs to be prepared for each individual site) given the type of sub-project; and implementation responsibilities. EMF will be disclosed in English and in Russian in country through the web site of the Ministry of Education. If any of the sub-projects are identified before appraisal, EMPs of these sub-projects 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons. will also be disclosed in the same way. In addition, hard copies of site-specific EMPs (if any) will be delivered to the administrative or community centers of the beneficiaries. Public consultation on the safeguard documents will include nation-wide discussion of the EMF to be held in Minsk, Public Disclosure Copy and consultation on site-specific EMPs (if any) with local communities in an appropriate format. IV. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Igor Kheyfets Approved By: Regional Safeguards Name: Agnes I. Kiss (RSA) Date: 18-Jun-2014 Coordinator: Sector Manager: Name: Andrea C. Guedes (SM) Date: 19-Jun-2014 Public Disclosure Copy