The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) REPORT NO.: RES33148 RESTRUCTURING PAPER ON A PROPOSED PROJECT RESTRUCTURING OF LESOTHO EDUCATION QUALITY FOR EQUALITY PROJECT APPROVED ON MAY 26, 2016 TO KINGDOM OF LESOTHO EDUCATION GLOBAL PRACTICE AFRICA Regional Vice President: Hafez M. H. Ghanem Country Director: Paul Noumba Um Senior Global Practice Director: Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi Practice Manager/Manager: Halil Dundar Task Team Leader: Harisoa Danielle Rasolonjatovo Andriamihamina The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CBC Community Based Construction CCT Community Construction Team DRT District Resource Teacher EA Environmental Assessment EFU Education Facilities Unit EMIS Education Management Information System ESF Environmental and Social Framework ESMP Environmental and Social Management Plan FM Financial Management IRI Intermediate Results Indicator LEQEP Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project MoET Ministry of Education and Training PDI PDO-level Indicator PDO Project Development Objective PMI Progressive Mathematics Initiative PSI Progressive Science Initiative SIP School Improvement Plan SRC School Report Card The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) BASIC DATA Product Information Project ID Financing Instrument P156001 Investment Project Financing Original EA Category Current EA Category Not Required (C) Not Required (C) Approval Date Current Closing Date 26-May-2016 30-Jun-2021 Organizations Borrower Responsible Agency Ministry of Finance The Kingdom of Lesotho Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. OPS_TABLE_PDO_CURRENTPDO Summary Status of Financing Net Ln/Cr/Tf Approval Signing Effectiveness Closing Commitment Disbursed Undisbursed IDA-58200 26-May-2016 10-Jun-2016 08-Jul-2016 30-Jun-2021 25.00 13.76 11.59 Policy Waiver(s) Does this restructuring trigger the need for any policy waiver(s)? No The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) I. PROJECT STATUS AND RATIONALE FOR RESTRUCTURING 1. The Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (LEQEP) was approved by the World Bank Board of Directors on May 26, 2016, and became effective on July 8, 2016, following the signing of the Financing Agreement by the Lesotho Minister of Finance and the World Bank Country Representative on June 10, 2016. 2. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. Achievement of the PDO is measured against four indicators which are listed in Table 1 below. The progress towards achievement of the PDO is rated Moderately Satisfactory. In addition, except for one indicator on primary school teachers trained, all of the intermediate indicators’ targets have either been exceeded or achieved in 2018. 3. The baseline information on primary school teacher content knowledge became available in December 2018. Teacher content knowledge at the primary and junior secondary level and the student learning assessment at junior secondary showed very low outcomes at the national level but much lower in the targeted schools. With regard to the dropout rates, at appraisal stage, the calculation of the dropout rates was based on the projection from 2013 and 2014 data available during project preparation. As it takes two years for the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to have Education Management Information System (EMIS) data, the dropout rates in the targeted primary schools are available only for 2015 and 2016. In the targeted primary schools, the dropout rates were 16 percent in 2016, lower than the 18 percent estimated at appraisal. In the targeted junior secondary schools, the dropout rates were 21 percent in 2016, similar to the rate estimated at appraisal. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 1. STATUS OF PDO-LEVEL INDICATORS AS OF END DECEMBER 2018 PDO-level Indicators (PDIs) Cumulative Target Values Baseline 2016 YR 1 YR 2 YR 3 YR 4 YR 5 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Overall score increase Overall score increase PDI 1a: Improvement in teacher content 0 n.a n.a by 2 percentage n.a by 5 percentage knowledge in targeted primary schools points from baseline points from baseline Actual 39.3%* PDI 1b: Improvement in teacher content n.a n.a Overall score increase Overall score increase knowledge in targeted junior secondary 0 by 2 percentage n.a by 5 percentage schools points from baseline points from baseline Actual 0 49.4%* PDI 2: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 1 18% n.a 18% 17% 15% 13% to Grade 6) in targeted primary schools Actual 16% PDI 3: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 8 to Grade 9) in targeted junior secondary 21% n.a 20% 19% 18% 16% schools Actual 21% n.a *These are baseline values 4. The overall implementation progress rating is Moderately Satisfactory. The project activities are progressing satisfactorily, except for the provision of some learning and teaching materials for targeted primary schools and subsequently the training of primary school teachers. The procurement rating is Satisfactory and the financial management (FM) rating is Moderately Satisfactory due to the delay in submission of the audit report for the year ended March 2018. Project disbursements were reported at US$13.95 million or 54 percent of the total financing as of January 31, 2019. This figure is 10 percentage points lower than the planned disbursement of US$15.90 million at the end of 2018. In addition, the actual expenditure was only 34.61 percent of the total resource envelope, reflecting low absorption capacity that necessitates increased implementation momentum to trigger a higher rate of spending. The following paragraphs summarize the project status by component. Component 1: Improving the Teaching and Learning Environment in Targeted Primary and Junior Secondary Schools (US$15.11 million). This component aims at raising the quality of classroom service delivery at both the primary and junior secondary school levels to help create a youth population with strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, and reasoning skills. In the last implementation status report (ISR), the implementation progress under Component 1) was rated Moderately Satisfactory as most of the key activities are on track. However, there were delays in the procurement of some key learning materials and subsequently the training of primary school teachers. The results achieved so far under Component 1 are summarized in Table 2. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 2. RESULTS FOR COMPONENT 1 AS OF END DECEMBER 2018 Cumulative Target Values Baseline YR 2 Intermediate Results Indicators (IRIs) YR 1 YR 3 YR 4 YR 5 2016 2018 2017 2019 2020 2021 (December) IRI 2: Primary teachers trained 0 0 1,400 1,400 1,400 1,400 Actual 0 65 IRI 3: Math and science teachers at junior 0 0 100 150 200 200 secondary trained Actual 202 254 IRI 4: Schools with readers and supplementary 0 0 312 312 312 312 reading materials Actual 0 0 IRI 5: New Lesotho model for Grade 8 developed No No No No No Yes and implemented in targeted schools Actual No No Subcomponent 1a: Strengthening Primary School Teaching and Learning (US$9.79 million) 5. The training of primary school teachers and the procurement of key learning materials such as numeracy kits and readers are delayed but all the learning materials including wall charts, literacy kits and readers in English, and book shelves, have been procured. The coaching and the monitoring mechanism of teachers is in place. Subcomponent 1b: Implementing a New Math and Science Curriculum and Assessment Support in Junior Secondary Schools (US$2.29 million) 6. The training of secondary school teachers on the new curriculum in mathematics and science and the provision of learning materials for visually impaired students are on track. Subcomponent 1c: Demonstrating the Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI) and Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Development of the New Lesotho model for Teaching Math and Science at Junior Secondary School Level (US$3.03 million) 7. All activities under this subcomponent are on track. Training of teachers on the new approach of teaching and learning mathematics and science through technology and a student-centered approach were successfully conducted. Science equipment and digital technology equipment were delivered to all schools piloting the PMI-PSI. In addition to the piloting of the PMI-PSI and a visit to the Gambia to view the Gambia experience on the PMI-PSI, MoET representatives visited Shanghai, China to see the Shanghai model of teaching and learning mathematics and science. Based on the findings from the pilot and these study tours, it is expected that MoET will be in a good position to develop its own model of teaching and learning mathematics and science. Component 2: Strengthening School Accountability for Student Learning and Retention in Targeted Schools (US$4.78 million). This component aims to empower key actors at the school level—school boards—to collectively deliberate on and carry out actions that contribute to retaining students and enabling them to learn. Implementation progress under Component 2 was rated Satisfactory as all the key activities are on track and yearly objectives are on track to be achieved or have been exceeded. The results achieved so far under Component 2 are shown in Table 3. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 3. RESULTS FOR COMPONENT 2 AS OF END DECEMBER 2018 Cumulative Target Values Baseline YR 2 IRIs YR 1 YR 3 YR 4 YR 5 2016 2018 2017 2019 2020 2021 (December) IRI 6: School Boards trained 0 0 377 377 377 377 Actual 239 374 375 a IRI 7: Schools with approved SIPs 0 0 100 300 377 377 Actual 0 326 362 a IRI 8: Schools submitting report cards 0 0 0 100 300 377 Actual 238 374 375 a IRI 9: Schools spending 50 percent or more of the total school grant 0 0 0 50 250 377 Actual 0 0 Note: a. As of mid-March 2019. Subcomponent 2a: School Improvement Planning (US$3.01 million) 8. Activties under this subcomponent are on track. The school improvement plan (SIP) manual was developed and SIP facilitators were recruited, trained, and deployed to schools. MoET staff, DRTs, inspectors, and subject advisors, and a total of 375 school boards over the initially planned 377 school boards were trained as two schools closed.1 MoET and school principals reported improved governance at the school level because the SIP facilitators were on board. This is a very encouraging impact of the SIP as schools have not used the grant yet, but an accountability mechanism has been set up (lower rates of teacher and student absenteeism; increased community and parents’ engagement in school life; and increased protection of the physical environment in schools (e.g., less vandalism). MoET plans to expand the SIP mechanism without the SIP grant to all schools in Lesotho to improve accountability. Subcomponent 2b: Provision of School Grants (US$1.50 million) 9. Activities under this subcomponent are on track; however, the lengthy teacher strike has placed the successful implementation of the SIP at risk. Of the 375 school boards trained in developing SIPs, 370 schools developed their SIPs of which 362 have been approved and 241 schools have received 50 percent of their allocated grant amounts in their special accounts. However, none of the schools have spent their money as schools were closed until end March 2019. Subcomponent 2c: Strengthening the Capacity for Reporting, Monitoring of Results, and Oversight Mechanisms (US$0.27 million) 10. The targets for 2018 have been exceeded. Designing and printing of school report cards (SRCs) was completed in 2017 as part of the finalization of the SIP manual. All schools that submitted their SIP submitted the first SRC which will serve as baseline. Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project Management (US$5.11 million). This component focuses on strengthening and developing the capacity of MoET to deliver its agenda, support project implementation activities, and project management. The subcomponent was rated Moderately Satisfactory as most of the activities are on track; however, the baseline study on the teacher content knowledge was delayed (PDO-level indicators). 1 MoET is in the process of replacing these schools. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 4. RESULTS FOR COMPONENT 3 AS OF END DECEMBER 2018 IRIs Baseline Cumulative Target Values 2016 YR 1 YR 2 YR 3 YR 4 YR 5 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 (December) IRI 10: National Assessment in Grade 9 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Actual No Yes 11. The student national assessment in Grade 9 was completed in 2018. All the equipment for the implementing departments were procured and are being used, and most of the key studies have been completed except for the study on teacher demand and supply which was terminated without the final output as the consultant could not complete the assignment. The overall M&E strategy and a communications strategy have been developed, but they are yet to be implemented. A. Rationale for Restructuring 12. The project aims to support the Government of Lesotho in its efforts to improve the equity of basic education and enhance the skills of Basotho students with the aim of contributing to positive social and economic outcomes particularly for the poorest in the country. The main rationale for project restructuring is to provide basic facilities such as classrooms and latrines that are needed to improve learning conditions in the most deprived, poorest and lowest performing schools targeted by the project in order to achieve the PDO. Without the provision of basic school infrastructure in the targeted schools, other activities aiming at improving retention and quality of education (including effective use of new teaching and learning materials, implementation of the SIP, student attendance, etc.) are difficult to implement, which makes achieving the PDO by the project Closing Date highly unlikely. At the primary level, all of the 300 poorest performing schools targeted by the project are located in rural areas with 60 percent located in the mountainous regions. Many of these schools also lack basic facilities such as classrooms, latrines, water sources, and playgrounds. For many of the schools that are located in the higher altitude mountain areas of Lesotho, there is often an early onset of winter which can be bitterly cold. The lack of proper shelter2 increases absenteeism and dropout of learners and teachers, making it extremely difficult to implement activities that aim to achieve the PDO. 13. The provision of basic infrastructure will not only contribute to the achievement of the PDO, but also bring about environmental and health benefits to the school community. The request for restructuring is needs-driven in the context of nationwide increasing demand for school infrastructure because of the general decline of enrollment and increase of dropout in primary schools due to inadequate or a total lack of infrastructure. Restructuring is also a result of an evidence-based need for school infrastructure by the mostly remote primary and junior secondary schools targeted by the project, whose consistent feedback from the SIP confirms the dire need and requests for school grants to construct classrooms and other infrastructure. 14. Supply for school infrastructure continues to lag substantially behind actual needs despite. In Lesotho, however, school construction is generally not cost effective or sustainable as the average unit cost of school construction is very high, ranging from US$22,139 to US$53,096 per classroom. Against this background, the original LEQEP core areas of intervention, by design, excluded the provision of school infrastructure because of previously experienced implementation challenges. The project has instead made provision for analytical work in the form of development of a sustainable construction strategy to support evidence-based solutions to adress the school construction challenge including high unit 2 Some of the targeted primary schools have as their only shelter, poorly constructed church hall buildings that accommodate all the seven grades. In the targeted schools the student-classroom ratio can be as high as 270. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) cost. This analytical work is led by the planning department. The approach and the outine have been developed by the team and the construction strategy is expected to be finalized and approved by end 2020. 15. A community-based approach is proposed for school construction under the restructuring. It will involve the use of local labor force and is expected to be more cost effective and more efficient in use of resources compared to the costly traditional approach of using contractors. The approach also promotes use of locally available construction materials, generates jobs for the local communities, empowers both the communities and school management on construction management, and promotes ownership. A consultant (technical firm) will be recruited to support the Education Facilities Unit (EFU) to review and update the existing standard drawings, encourage the use of the currently in-country available materials, and prevalent construction methodologies, to visit sites to prepare topographical surveys and geographical investigations, to adapt type designs to site-specific slopes as well as other capacity-building/technical support as needed. The experience from this pilot on a new and sustainable approach of school construction will inform the school construction strategy for Lesotho to address the issue of high unit cost. 16. The project restructuring is expected to improve project performance through reallocation of resources from non-performing activities that may not be fully implemented by the project Closing Date and activities which do not contribute directly to the PDO. Activities to be cancelled are explained in the next section. The proposed reallocation addresses the following challenges, among others: (a) the sector-wide demand and supply imbalances in the provision of school infrastructure; (b) project-specific demands for school infrastructure as reflected in the requests for school grants to provide school infrastructure under Component 2; and (c) low absorption rate of the project because of delays in implementation of some activities. 17. The Government requested this project restructuring on March 20, 2019. II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGES 18. The proposed restructuring would include the following: (a) addition of a new component, Component 4: School Construction (US$4.334 million), to address urgent education access demands through construction of minimum infrastructure including furnished classrooms, latrines, and low-cost multipurpose playgrounds in the schools targeted by this project; (b) reallocation of funds from Components 1 and 3 to fund school construction; (c) inclusion of necessary implementation arrangements to support the addition of the new activities under school construction; (d) a change in the environmental and social safeguards categorization from Category C to Category B; and (e) revisions to the Results Framework to accommodate the proposed changes. The PDO will remain the same because school construction will contribute to improving service delivery and student retention in the targeted schools. A. Addition of a New Component 19. A new component - Component 4: School Construction - US$4.334 million – would be added to the project to address urgent education access demands through construction of minimum infrastructure including furnished classrooms, separate latrines, and low-cost multipurpose playgrounds in the schools targeted by this project. Out of a prioritized list of 63 schools, 20 schools have been identified as part of the first group of schools to benefit from additional classrooms and latrines. Each of the 20 schools will be provided with an additional two to four furnished classrooms accessible to children with limited mobility and separate latrines for boys (three blocks), girls (five blocks), and teachers (two blocks, male and female). A total of 63 disability-friendly classrooms and 57 gender- and disability-friendly latrine The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) blocks will be constructed as additional project activities3 In addition, five combined schools4 (i.e, Mosiroe, Mokhoro, Masaleng, Makintane, and Amohelang) will be provided with low-cost multipurpose playgrounds. The playground could include soccer, basketball, netball, and volleyball. The number of facilities currently proposed is based on the cost estimates of schools constructed by contractors. There is an expectation of savings using community construction as opposed to working with contractors. The list of the 20 priority schools for disability friendly classrooms and latrines is in Annex 1. B. Reallocation of Funds (a) Reallocation of funds from Components 1 and 3 to fund school construction (Component 4) 20. Based on project performance and history, several activities which do not contribute directly to the PDO or are not expected to be completed by the project Closing Date will be dropped to release project funding for school construction. Funds from the activities under Components 1 and 3 will be partially or fully reallocated to finance the proposed construction activities as shown under (b) and (c). (b) Reduction of total cost of Component 1 (initial amount US$15.11 million, new amount US$11.39 million) 21. Approximately, US$3.71 million will be reallocated from Component 1 to Component 4. Activities to be reduced in scope include number of trainings of primary and secondary teachers, saving from readers5, and mathematics/science textbooks for Grade 10 students. Mathematics/science textbooks for Grade 10 students will be procured by the Government of Lesotho using its internal funding at a later date once the new curriculum is in place. (c) Reduction of total cost of Component 3 (initial amount US$5.11 million, new amount US$4.50 million) 22. Funds have been reallocated from studies that are scheduled for later implementation and merging some studies with similarities such as third-party verification of the SIP and the assessment of the SIP program to save costs. Other activities to be cancelled are the dissemination of technical education and vocational training and the development and implementation plan for the school health and nutrition policy. Table 5 shows the reallocation of funds for new construction component and new reallocation of fund by category is in Table 6. TABLE 5. REALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION COMPONENT [US$] Proposed Reallocation Initial Amount Revised Allocation Component Amount (US$, millions) (US$, millions) (US$, millions) Improving the Teaching and Learning Environment 1 15.11 3.72 11.39 in Targeted Primary and Junior Secondary Schools Strengthening School Accountability for Student 2 4.78 0.00 4.78 Learning and Retention in Targeted Schools Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project 3 5.11 0.61 4.50 Management 4 School Construction — — 4.334 Total 25.00 4.33 25.00 3 The distribution of classrooms and latrines per school may change based on the actual need during the on-site assessment. 4 Primary school and secondary school combined in the same premises. 5 The readers for Grades 1 – 3 are already included in the literacy kits for both English and Sesotho, and the readers in English were less expensive than planned. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 6. NEW REALLOCATION OF FUNDS BY CATEGORY [XDR] CATEGORY CATEGORY DESCRIPTION Initial Allocation Disbursed Revised Allocation 1 Goods, Non Consulting Services, Consulting Services, 14,480,000.00 4,725,573.00 Training, Operating Costs part A, B1,C 11,718,604.00 2 Goods, Non Consulting Services, Consulting Services, 3,255,000.00 1,003,349.00 Training, Operating Costs part B2, B3 3,255,000.00 3 PPF Refinancing 365,000.00 18,453.00 18,453.00 4 Works, Goods, Non Consulting Services, Consulting - - Services, Training, Operating Costs part D 3,107,943.00 TOTAL 18,100,000.00 5,747,375.00 18,100,000.00 Exchange Rate 22-February 2019 1XDR = USD1.391580 C. Change in Project Implementation 23. Additional implementation arrangements are needed to support the inclusion of new activities (e.g., school construction). Because this new component requires a new method of management (community-based construction), the following steps need to be taken before construction begins: (a) Recruitment of a technical firm to review, update, and improve the designs, drawings, and specifications for classrooms, latrines, and other associated works; survey school sites and produce site-specific topographic and building drawings; undertake site surveys; supervise construction; and develop a construction manual. (b) Development of additional financial and procurement manuals to guide the rollout of this component. The financial and procurement manuals for school construction have been developed by MoET and approved by the Bank. (c) Strengthening understanding of school boards – training them on both FM and procurement aspects of community-based construction as the school boards will be acting as the CCCs (see paragraph 29). As there will be 20 targeted schools, at least 20 school boards will be trained. (d) Conducting study tours to strengthen the capacity of implementing agencies like the Education Facility Unit (EFU), Department of Planning, Procurement Unit, and Inspectorate Unit to manage the new community approach. 24. The following units/teams will be established and empowered to manage the new component: (a) Education Facility Unit (EFU) The EFU, which is the unit responsible for school construction within MoET, will be responsible for managing the new component and supervising the construction activities with support from the technical firm. The head of the unit will be responsible for the overall construction activities whereas the quality surveyor will be the focal point for the project. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) (b) Inspectorate Department The Inspectorate Department through District Education Office within MoE shall be responsible for oversight function on the activities undertaken by amongst others, the School Boards at schools’ level. Inspectorate Department will provide linkage between EFU and the School Boards and other stakeholders including PFU. (c) Community Construction Committee (CCC) The CCC will be the school board established under the Education Act of 2010 as the school governing body. It will be constituted as follows: (a) two proprietor representatives (one of them as chairperson), (b) three parent representatives (one of them as deputy chairperson), (c) school principal (secretary), (d) teachers’ representative, (e) village chief, and (f) councilor. The CCC will be responsible for confirming the proposed school needs (e.g., number of classrooms, number of latrine blocks, and playgrounds) and availability of land for construction purposes, identifying and assembling members of the Community Construction Team (CCT), signing individual contracts with the members of the CCT, mobilizing the CCT for commencement of construction works, and appointing a foreman among them and monitoring the CCT through the foreman and with the assistance of the consultant’s clerk of works. All these activities will be conducted under the guidance of a site supervisor who will be provided by the technical firm. (d) Community Construction Team (CCT) A team of artisans and laborers will be identified and appointed by the CCC with the assistance of the EFU and the technical firm for each site. As a minimum, the team will consist of bricklayer, steel-fixer, carpenter, and laborers. The required caliber and numbers per category, per site will be prescribed by the consultant and approved by the EFU. Generally, the responsibility of the CCT will be to carry out construction works in accordance with the approved drawings and specifications. 25. The implementation arrangements needed for the environmental and social management to support the new activities is as follows: (a) EFU will be responsible for the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) implementation. EFU will be supported by the technical firm responsible for providing technical assistance to EFU during implementation. The technical firm will post an engineer per site for construction supervision, to provide technical assistance to CCC and CCT for construction and to monitor ESMP related issues. (b) Department of planning will have the overall responsibility to oversee the all activities under the project including the building construction activities supported by PFU. (c) The PFU will be the main agency for coordinating activities of EFU, procurement and finance. 26. The project implementation manual will be revised to reflect the revised implementation arrangements for civil works. Particularly, the financial and procurement manuals will be attached as annexes to the Project Implementation Manual. D. Change in Environmental and Social Safeguards Categorization from Category C to Category B 27. The LEQEP was originally classified under Category C because the activities supported by the project did not include construction works. As a result, no Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) was originally required for the The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) project. With the proposed restructuring, there will be some minimal environmental and social impacts resulting from the construction activities. Potential adverse impacts include waste generation and poor disposal of construction rubble and potential issues around the use of pit latrines (possible contamination/pollution especially of downstream ground/well water if the latrines are not well located, as well as fumes and smell from poorly maintained pit latrines, potential outbreak of disease, and unsupervised children falling into the latrines). Other risks include poor construction quality, possible traffic flow obstruction and risk of road accidents, threat of school infrastructure insecurity because of exposure of unprotected school premises to trespassers, and community disputes arising from recruitment of skilled and unskilled labor force. These are site specific and limited in scope and can be readily addressed through mitigation measures. Since the land in Lesotho is generally hilly, the buildings will be placed such and the land around the buildings will be graded so as not to obstruct the natural drainage of water. As the new activities do not involve rehabilitation of existing building involve only the construction of new classrooms, it is not expected to move the student temporally during construction. The risk of potential temporary affectation of students during construction is low. An ESMP has been developed to address these risks focusing on mitigation measures, monitoring frameworks, training and capacity building, management, and contingency planning. E. Extension of the Project Closing Date to Facilitate Implementation of New Activities 28. The original Closing Date is maintained as of June 30, 2021. F. Change in the Results Framework (a) PDO-level indicators 29. As discussed earlier, the PDO will remain the same—to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. There will be no changes to the PDO indicators; however, as the baseline studies on primary and junior secondary school teacher content knowledge (PDI 1a and 1b) were completed only in December 2018, it is proposed to remove the midline assessment in 2019 and conduct only one end line assessment in 2021. The end line target values do not change. 30. For PDO-level indicators 2 and 3 on dropout rates, it is proposed that, going forward given the challenges of collecting EMIS on time,6 and to ensure that there is consistency and verification of the data reported, the SRC from the SIP and mobile monitoring have been added as additional data sources to calculate the dropout rates. (b) Intermediate Results Indicators (IRIs) 31. The following new IRIs are proposed for the new component on school construction.  IRI 11: Number of additional classrooms built by the project  IRI 12: Number of toilet blocks constructed  IRI 13: Number of classrooms furnished  IRI 14: Number of playgrounds prepared, upgraded and completed 32. The changes are detailed in Table 7. 6 In February 2019, the baseline data on 2015 and 2016 were available but the data for 2018 were not yet available. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) TABLE 7. CHANGES IN INDICATOR DESCRIPTION Indicator Name Definition Changes in the Special Notes/Comments PDIs 1a. Improvement in Teacher performance of Grades 1–4 Although originally, a full baseline on teacher competencies was planned for October 2016, it teacher content teachers on written exam testing was only undertaken in the last quarter of 2018. A randomized sample of all Grade 1–4 teachers knowledge in targeted competencies in numeracy and literacy. in at least 40 percent of the targeted primary schools was tested. Average scores reported primary schools disaggregated for literacy and numeracy. The baseline result for primary teachers was 39.3 percent. The indicator was planned to be measured thrice during the project cycle (2016 baseline, 2019 midterm, and 2021 end line) by a third party. However, because of the delay, it is practically impossible to undertake midline assessment in 2019 and as a result only the end line assessment shall be conducted in 2021. 1b. Improvement in Teacher performance of Grades 8–10 Although originally a full baseline on teacher competencies was planned for October 2016, it was teacher content teachers on written exam testing only undertaken in the last quarter of 2018. A randomized sample of all Grade 8–10 teachers in knowledge in targeted competencies in mathematics and at least 40 percent of the targeted primary schools was tested. Average scores reported junior secondary science. disaggregated for literacy and numeracy. The baseline result for primary teachers was 49.4%. The schools indicator was planned to be measured thrice during the project cycle (2016 baseline, 2019 midterm, and 2021 end line) by a third party. However, because of the delay, it is practically impossible to undertake midline assessment in 2019 and as a result only the end-line assessment shall be conducted in 2021. 3. Reduction in dropout Dropout rate of Grade 1–6 students in With adjusted figures for repeaters and non-repeaters, the Grade 1–6 national average for rate (Grade 1 to Grade targeted primary schools. Number of dropout was 9.7 percent and average dropout in targeted schools was 16.2 percent in 2016. 6) in targeted primary students who left school in year (t) as a Following the national trend from 2008 to 2013, the dropout rate was projected to rise by 0.4 schools proportion of the total number of percentage points per year. With the project’s interventions, it is expected that it will be reduced students of Grade 1–6 in year (t-1). It is to 13 percent in targeted schools in 2021. As implementation of project activities will only begin calculated by subtracting the sum of at the end of 2016, the project was not expected to be able to have an impact on the dropout promotion rate and repetition rate from rate at the beginning of 2017. While all schools will be monitored through the project, for the 100.a calculation of dropout rates at primary level, the project will target only the 300 lowest- performing schools selected using the criteria detailed in annex 2 of the project appraisal document (PAD). 4. Reduction in dropout Dropout rate of Grade 8–9 students in With adjusted figures for repeaters and non-repeaters, the Grade 8–9 national average for rate (Grade 8–Grade 9) targeted junior secondary schools. dropout was 18.3 percent and average dropout in targeted schools was 20.9 percent in 2016. in targeted junior Number of students who left school in Following the national trend from 2008 to 2013, the dropout rate was expected to drop 0.2 secondary schools year (t) as a proportion of the total percentage points per year. With the project’s interventions, it is expected to be reduced to 16 number of students of Grade 8–9 in year percent in targeted schools in 2021. As implementation of project activities only began at the (t-1). It is calculated by subtracting the end of 2016, the project was not expected to be able to have an impact on dropout rate at the sum of promotion rate and repetition beginning of 2017. rate from 100.b The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Indicator Name Definition Changes in the Special Notes/Comments IRIs A count of completed classrooms built The update to the indicator is expected at least nine months after the first date of started works. 11. Number of (handed over to the school board after The time proposed is premised on the fact that the proposed community approach might require additional classrooms certificate of completion has been some time relative to the conventional approach. It is expected that the process will be quicker built by the project issued) by the project once the approach pilot phase is completed. A count of completed toilet blocks built 12. Number of toilet (handed over to the school board after Each school is expected to have three blocks (one for boys, one for girls, and another for blocks constructed certificate of completion has been teachers). issued) by the project A count of classrooms (not schools) for The number of classrooms per school will vary according to the final list of schools premised on 13. Number of which furniture has been procured, an assessment made on the needs. Classrooms number range from 2 to 4 classrooms per school. classrooms furnished delivered, and installed. The furnishing of the classrooms will be ensured by the CCC at the school level. 14. Number of A count of playgrounds prepared, playgrounds prepared, upgraded, and completed and already in upgraded and use by the schools completed Note: G = Grade. a. Promotion rate (G1 to G6) t-1/t = [(No. non-repeaters G2 to G7 in (t)) / (No. students G1 to G6 in (t-1))] × 100 Repetition rate (G1 to G6) t-1/t = [(No. repeaters G1 to G6 in (t)) / (No. students G1 to G6 in (t-1))] × 100 Dropout rate (G1 to G6) = 100 - promotion rate - repetition rate b. Promotion rate (G8 to G9) t-1/t = [(No. non-repeaters G9 to G10 in (t)) / (No. students G8 to G9 in (t-1))] × 100 Repetition rate (G8 to G9) t-1/t = [(No. repeaters G8 to G9 in (t)) / (No. students G8 to G9 in (t-1))] × 100 The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) FIGURE 1. RESULT CHAIN FOR COMPONENT 4 Construction of fully furnished 63 primary disability-friendly Improved Improved basic classrooms and 57 gender- and school education disability-friendly toilet blocks infrastructure sevice Technical assistance to support and learning delivery and school boards and communities to environnment student coordinate and monitor school retention construction G. Update of the Disbursement Forecasts 33. The disbursement estimates have been modified to reflect the actual disbursements, and revisions have been made to the disbursement forecasts until the end of the project. Most of the disbursement should occur in 2019 with the training activities and the procurement of readers and numeracy kits, and then in 2020 with the undertaking of school construction. The expected cumulated disbursement is US$18.10 million by end-2019 and US$21.60 million by end-2020 as shown in Table 8 below. TABLE 8. EXPECTED DISBURSEMENTS (IN US$, MILLIONS) Fiscal Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Annual 4.16 8.14 5.80 3.50 3.40 Cumulative 4.16 12.30 18.10 21.60 25.00 H. Procurement Manual for School Construction 34. Given a new School Construction Component (Component 4), a specific procurement manual for community school construction has been developed to give guidance to all stakeholders who will be involved in dealing with procurement functions when implementing activities, particularly those who are directly or indirectly involved in the procurement cycle. It is intended to provide unambiguous rules, procedures, and guidelines for carrying out procurement activities without compromising the key principles of attaining value for money. The specific procurement manual for community school construction will be an annex to the project Implementation Manual. A Procurement Plan will also be developed to further ensure timely implementation of activities related to procurement. Given the challenges experienced with the previous school infrastructure development project, a technology-based platform, including use of mobile applications, will be deployed to facilitate project management and contract monitoring. The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) I. Financial Management Manual for School Construction 35. With the new approach to school construction a community-based school construction financial procedures manual as annex to the project implementation manual has been developed to provide guidance on the flow of documents to facilitate disbursement and timely processing of payments to meet the time lines for construction activities. The manual will help to ensure that the activities that are implemented at school level maintain the FM requirements and follow procedures. I. SUMMARY OF CHANGES Changed Not Changed Results Framework ✔ Components and Cost ✔ Reallocation between Disbursement Categories ✔ Disbursement Estimates ✔ Safeguard Policies Triggered ✔ EA category ✔ Institutional Arrangements ✔ Procurement ✔ Implementation Schedule ✔ Environmental Analysis ✔ Implementing Agency ✔ DDO Status ✔ Project's Development Objectives ✔ Loan Closing Date(s) ✔ The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Cancellations Proposed ✔ Disbursements Arrangements ✔ Overall Risk Rating ✔ Legal Covenants ✔ Financial Management ✔ APA Reliance ✔ Other Change(s) ✔ Economic and Financial Analysis ✔ Technical Analysis ✔ Social Analysis ✔ IV. DETAILED CHANGE(S) OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_COMPONENTS_TABLE COMPONENTS Current Current Proposed Proposed Cost Action Component Name Component Name Cost (US$M) (US$M) Component 1: Improving the Component 1: Improving the teaching and learning teaching and learning 15.11 Revised environment in targeted 11.39 environment in targeted primary primary and junior secondary and junior secondary schools schools Component 2: Strengthening Component 2: Strengthening school accountability for student school accountability for 4.78 4.78 learning and retention in student learning and retention targeted schools in targeted schools Component 3: Strengthening Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project 5.11 Revised Institutional Capacity and 4.50 Management Project Management Component 4: School 0.00 New 4.33 Construction TOTAL 25.00 25.00 OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_REALLOCATION _TABLE REALLOCATION BETWEEN DISBURSEMENT CATEGORIES The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Financing % Current Allocation Actuals + Committed Proposed Allocation (Type Total) Current Proposed IDA-58200-001 | Currency: XDR iLap Category Sequence No: 1 Current Expenditure Category: Gds,NCS,CS,TRG,OC part A,B1,C 14,480,000.00 4,725,573.12 11,718,604.00 100.00 100.00 iLap Category Sequence No: 2 Current Expenditure Category: Gds,NCS,CS,TRG,OC part B2,B3 3,255,000.00 1,003,349.48 3,255,000.00 100.00 100.00 iLap Category Sequence No: 3 Current Expenditure Category: PPF REFINANCING 365,000.00 18,452.84 18,453.00 iLap Category Sequence No: 4 Current Expenditure Category: Works, Gds,NCS,CS,TRG,OC part D 0.00 0.00 3,107,943.00 100 Total 18,100,000.00 5,747,375.44 18,100,000.00 OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_DISBURSEMENT_TABLE DISBURSEMENT ESTIMATES Change in Disbursement Estimates Yes Year Current Proposed 2016 0.00 0.00 2017 5,278,144.30 5,278,144.30 2018 16,806,722.72 13,806,722.72 2019 5,833,738.44 6,833,738.44 2020 6,806,028.22 3,500,000.00 2021 0.00 3,400,000.00 OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_COMPLIANCE_TABLE The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) COMPLIANCE Safeguard Policies Safeguard Policies Triggered Current Proposed Environmental Assessment (OP) (BP 4.01) Yes Yes Performance Standards for Private Sector No No Activities OP/BP 4.03 Natural Habitats (OP) (BP 4.04) No No Forests (OP) (BP 4.36) No No Pest Management (OP 4.09) No No Physical Cultural Resources (OP) (BP 4.11) Yes Yes Indigenous Peoples (OP) (BP 4.10) No No Involuntary Resettlement (OP) (BP 4.12) No No Safety of Dams (OP) (BP 4.37) No No Projects on International Waterways (OP) (BP No No 7.50) Projects in Disputed Areas (OP) (BP 7.60) No No OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_EA_TABLE Environmental Assessment (EA) Category Change of EA Category Original EA Category Yes Not Required (C) Current EA Category Proposed EA Category Not Required (C) Partial Assessment (B) . The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) . Results framework COUNTRY: Lesotho Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project Project Development Objectives(s) The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. Project Development Objective Indicators by Objectives/ Outcomes RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 4 5 To improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targetted areas PDI 1a. Improvement in teacher content knowledge 39.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 in targeted primary schools (Percentage) Action: This indicator has been Revised PDI 1b: Improvement in teacher content knowledge 49.40 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 in targeted junior secondary schools (Percentage) Action: This indicator has been Revised PDI 2: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 1 to Grade 6) in 16.00 0.00 18.00 17.00 15.00 13.00 13.00 targeted primary schools (Percentage) Action: This indicator has been Revised The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 4 5 PDI 3: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 8 to Grade 9) in 21.00 0.00 20.00 19.00 18.00 16.00 16.00 targeted junior secondary schools (Percentage) Action: This indicator has been Revised PDO Table SPACE Intermediate Results Indicators by Components RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 4 5 Component 1: Improving the teaching and learning environment in targeted primary and junior secondary schools (Action: This Component has been Revised) Direct project beneficiaries 0.00 0.00 67,000.00 73,500.00 80,000.00 86,500.00 86,500.00 (Number) Female beneficiaries 52.00 0.00 52.00 52.00 52.00 52.00 52.00 (Percentage) Primary teachers trained 0.00 0.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 (Number) Math and science teachers at junior secondary trained 0.00 0.00 100.00 150.00 200.00 200.00 200.00 (Number) Schools with readers and supplementary reading 0.00 0.00 312.00 312.00 312.00 312.00 312.00 materials (Number) New Lesotho model for No No No No No Yes Yes Grade 8 developed and The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 4 5 implemented in targeted schools (Text) Component 2: Strengthening school accountability for student learning and retention in targeted schools School Boards trained 0.00 239.00 377.00 377.00 377.00 377.00 377.00 (Number) Schools with approved SIPs 0.00 0.00 100.00 300.00 377.00 377.00 377.00 (Number) Schools submitting report 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 300.00 377.00 377.00 cards (Number) Schools spending 50 percent or more of the total 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 250.00 377.00 377.00 school grant (Number) Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project Management National Assessment in No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Grade 9 (Text) Component 4: Construction Works (Action: This Component is New) IRI 11: Number of additional classrooms built by the 0.00 0.00 0.00 63.00 project (Number) Action: This indicator is New IRI 12: Number of toilet blocks constructed 0.00 0.00 57.00 (Number) Action: This indicator is New The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 4 5 IRI 13: Number of classrooms furnished 0.00 0.00 57.00 (Number) Action: This indicator is New IRI 14: Number of playgrounds prepared, 0.00 0.00 5.00 upgraded and completed (Number) Action: This indicator is New IO Table SPACE The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Annex 1. List of the 20 priority schools Priority Name of District Students Number of Number of Proposed Proposed Latrines School Classrooms Students per Number of (Number of Stalls/Urinals) Class Classrooms 1 Teu Primary Mokhotlong 270 1 270 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 2 Lebakeng Qachas Nek 266 1 266 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 3 Lihloahloeng Thaba-Tseka 218 1 218 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 4 Khakeng Quthing 212 1 212 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for (1995) girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 5 Likhameng Maseru 180 1 180 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 6 Ketane Mohales 140 1 140 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for (Hlalele) Hoek girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Primary Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 7 Bosco Primary Berea 503 5 101 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 8 Ribaneng Lec Mafeteng 88 1 88 2 Students’ latrines: 5 for girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 9 Mahateng Leribe 69 1 69 2 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 10 Letlatsa Mokhotlong 214 1 214 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 11 Masia Primary Quthing 140 1 140 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 12 Mafika-Lisiu Mohales 130 1 130 2 Students’ latrines: 5 for RC Primary Hoek girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 13 Kubake Maseru 120 1 120 2 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + The World Bank Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Priority Name of District Students Number of Number of Proposed Proposed Latrines School Classrooms Students per Number of (Number of Stalls/Urinals) Class Classrooms 1F) 14 Motsoanakab Thaba-Tseka 350 6 58 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for a Combined girls and 3 + urinal for boys; School Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 15 Mohlapiso Qacha's Nek 354 7 51 3 n.a. Combined School 16 Popa Thaba-Tseka 242 8 30 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for Combined girls and 3 + urinal for boys; School Double VIP latrines (2M + 2F) 17 Mongobong Mokhotlong 180 1 180 3 Students’ latrines: (5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 18 Khotso Thaba-Tseka 176 1 176 4 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 19 Mosehle Thaba-Tseka 155 1 155 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F) 20 Lekorana Thaba-Tseka 155 1 155 3 Students’ latrines: 5 for Primary girls and 3 + urinal for boys; Double VIP latrines (1M + 1F)