Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No.: 75025-SD EMERGENCY PROJECT PAPER ON A PROPOSED GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$76.5 MILLION TO THE REPUBLIC OF THE SUDAN FOR AN BASIC EDUCATION RECOVERY PROJECT March 29, 2013 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS BEP Basic Education Project BERP Basic Education Recovery Project CA Coordinating Agency CSU Cluster Support Unit CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement ECG Education Coordination Group EFA Education for All EMIS Education Management Information System ERG Emergency Recovery Grant ESR Status of the Education Sector in Sudan Report ESSAF Environmental and Social Screening and Assessment Framework EU European Union GDP Gross Domestic Product GER Gross Enrollment Rate GMT Grassroots Management Training (GMT) GoNU Government of National Unity GoS Government of Sudan GoSS Government of South Sudan GPE Global Partnership for Education GPEF Global Partnership for Education Fund iBES Interim Basic Education Strategy ICB International Competitive Bidding IDP Internally Displaced People IFR Interim Financial Report iPRSP Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper LDG Local Donor Group M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDGs Millennium Development Goals MDTF Multi-Donor Trust Fund MENA Middle East and North Africa MoFNE Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MoFNE) MoGE Ministry of General Education NCB National Competitive Bidding NCCER National Center for Curriculum and Educational Research NDP National Development Plan NGO Non-Governmental Organization ORAF Operational Risk Assessment Framework PETS Public Expenditure Tracking Survey PIU Project Implementation Unit RoS Republic of Sudan SAF Sudanese Armed Forces SDG Sudanese Pounds SPLA-N Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army – North SSA Sub-Saharan Africa UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USD United States Dollar Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Bella Bird Sector Director: Ritva Reinikka Sector Manager: Sajitha Bashir Task Team Leader: Elizabeth Ninan REPUBLIC OF SUDAN BASIC EDUCATION RECOVERY PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS A. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 B. Emergency Challenge: Country Context, Recovery Strategy and Rationale for Proposed Bank Emergency Project ................................................................................. 1 C. Institutional Context: Government Strategy and Donor Collaboration ..................... 7 D. Bank Response: The Project .......................................................................................... 10 E. Appraisal of Project Activities ....................................................................................... 18 F. Implementation Arrangements and Financing Plan ................................................... 26 G. Terms and Conditions for Project Financing ............................................................... 31 Annex 1: Detailed Description of Project Components .......................................................... 33 Annex 2: Results Framework and MonitorinG ....................................................................... 46 Annex 3: Summary of Estimated Project Costs ...................................................................... 51 Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) ............................................... 53 Annex 5: Financial Management and Disbursement Arrangements ..................................... 59 Annex 6: Procurement Arrangements ...................................................................................... 63 Annex 7: Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ................................................... 74 Annex 8: Project Preparation and Appraisal Team Members ............................................... 77 Annex 9: Environmental and Social Screening and Assessment Framework (ESSAF) ...... 78 Annex 10: Economic and Financial Analysis ......................................................................... 104 Annex 11: Documents in Project Files .................................................................................... 109 Annex 12: Statement of Loans and Credits ............................................................................ 111 Annex 13: Country at a Glance ............................................................................................... 112 Annex 14. Country Map ........................................................................................................... 114 Basic Information Country Director: Bella Bird Sectors: Primary Education (70%); Secondary Sector Director: Ritva Reinikka Education (30%) Sector Manager: Sajitha Bashir Themes: Education for all (100%) Team Leader: Elizabeth Ninan Environmental category: B, Partial Assessment Project ID: P128644 Expected Closing Date: 28 February 2017 Expected Effectiveness Date: 30 April 2013 Joint IFC: Lending Instrument: Emergency Recovery Loan Joint Level: Project Financing Data [ ] Loan [ ] Credit [ X ] Grant [ ] Guarantee [ ] Other: Proposed terms: Financing Plan (US$m) Source Total Amount (US $m) Total Project Cost: US$76.5 million Co financing: Borrower: 0 Total Bank Financing: IBRD 0 IDA 0 Global Partnership for Education Fund US$76.5 million Client Information Recipient: Republic of Sudan Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of General Education (MoGE) Contact Person: H.E. Mrs. Suad Abdelrazig Seed, Federal Minister of General Education (MoGE) Telephone No.: +249 120 966 811Fax No.: NA Email: minister@moe.gov.sd Estimated disbursements (Bank FY/US$m) FY FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 Annual US$4.0 US$20 US$25 US$20 7.5 Cumulative US$4.0 US$24 US$49 US$69 76.5 Project Development Objective and Description ii Project development objective: The project development objectives are to improve the learning environment in targeted areas; to increase the availability of textbooks; and to strengthen education planning and management mechanisms in the Sudan. Project description: The proposed project would include the following components: Component 1 – Improvement of learning environment (US$ 36.2 million) Sub-component 1.1: Classroom construction  Construction of about 2000 classrooms (including associated facilities, namely latrines and offices) for elementary schools1 in targeted areas, through provision of goods, works and services (including technical assistance to be provided to communities to facilitate their involvement in classrooms construction). Sub-component 1.2: Launching a School Grants Program  Design and implementation of School Grants Program in elementary schools in a subset of targeted areas where activities under sub-component 1.1 have been taken. Component 2 – Increasing the availability of textbooks and learning materials (US$ 25.8 million) Sub-component 2.1: Improving the policy framework for textbooks provision Provision of technical assistance to assist the Recipient revise its procedures, guidelines and practices for textbooks delivery – including textbooks development, production, procurement and distribution – as well as management and monitoring of the use of textbooks. Sub-component 2.2: Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning materials Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning materials to schools to support basic education in the Sudan, provision of training to teachers on the use of such textbooks and teachers’ guides and monitoring of distribution and utilization of the textbooks.   Component 3 – Strengthening the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system (US$ 14.5 million)  Development and launching of the National Learning Assessment System.  Development and implementation of teacher management and monitoring system.  Carrying out of a program of activities to operationalize Education Management Information System (EMIS).  Development of the Recipient’s education sector strategic plan for 2012 through 2016.  Carrying out of a program of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the Project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project. 1 ‘Elementary schools’ refer to the basic education cycle in Sudan covering grades 1 -8 iii Safeguard and Exception to Policies Safeguard policies triggered: Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) [ X ]Yes [ ] No Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04) [ ]Yes [X] No Forests (OP/BP 4.36) [ ]Yes [X] No Pest Management (OP 4.09) [ ]Yes [ X] No Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11) [ X]Yes [ ] No Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10) [ ]Yes [ X] No Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) [ X]Yes [ ] No Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) [ ]Yes [ X] No Projects on International Waterways (OP/BP 7.50) [ ]Yes [ X] No Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP 7.60) [ ]Yes [ X] No Does the project require any exceptions from Bank policies? [X]Yes [ ] No Have these been approved by Bank management? [X]Yes [ ] No Permission has been granted by the Board of Executive Directors on an absence of objection basis for the World Bank to administer GPE funds in Sudan (serving as the supervising entity of the BERP). Key Non-Standard Conditions and Legal Covenants: Grant Agreement Reference Description of Condition/Covenant Date Due Article IV, 4.01 The Project Implementation Unit has Effectiveness been duly established and the key staff namely the Project manager, financial manager, procurement officer and civil works engineer, all with qualifications and terms of reference satisfactory to the World Bank, have been duly recruited. Article IV, 4.01 The Recipient has adopted the Effectiveness Operations Manual in form and substance satisfactory to the World Bank. Schedule II, Section II, B4 The Recipient shall, not later than Not later than 12 months twelve (12) months following the after effectiveness Effective Date, recruit the Project’s monitoring agent with terms of reference, qualifications and experience satisfactory to the World Bank iv A. INTRODUCTION 1. This Emergency Project Paper (EPP) details a proposed Global Partnership for Education Fund (GPEF) grant in the amount of US$76.5M to support a Basic Education Recovery Project (BERP) in Sudan. The Bank has applied its “guiding principles� for rapid response to crises, as identified in OP 8.0, in the preparation of this operation. In this context, it is intended to support the Government of Sudan (GoS) to address some of the most critical immediate and medium term pressures on the Basic Education System, in line with the Interim Basic Education Strategy (IBES) recently developed with support and endorsement of donor partners. 2. This proposed operation is expected to be financed through a grant from the GPEF, which would play an important part in complementing other partnership assistance to the GoS’s efforts to build and develop basic education. The World Bank has been asked to serve as the supervising entity for the Project and the Bank team has worked closely with the Government’s designated Task Team, consulting and coordinating with the Local Education Sector Group, coordinated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Permission has been granted by the Board of Executive Directors on an absence of objection basis for the World Bank to administer GPE funds in Sudan (serving as the supervising entity of the BERP). B. EMERGENCY CHALLENGE: COUNTRY CONTEXT, RECOVERY STRATEGY AND RATIONALE FOR PROPOSED BANK EMERGENCY PROJECT 3. A 2008 census estimated the total population for the then “Northern states� (now Republic of the Sudan) at 30.9m, with the share of 5-16 year-olds comprising 31.9 percent of the total population. 2.7m Sudanese, or 8% of the total population, were defined as pursuing nomadic livelihoods. Historically the agriculture sector, centered on the Nile, provided over two-fifths of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employed the majority of the population and earned the bulk of the country’s foreign exchange. The discovery of oil reserves by Chevron in 1979, and the achievement of commercially viable extraction capacity in 2000, revolutionized the Sudanese economy and led to large scale investments in extractive industries, especially on the part of China. As a result, the value of agricultural exports as a proportion of GDP dropped considerably for Sudan. Today, Sudanese agriculture largely caters to the domestic market. Its growth, and that of many of other secondary sectors, is undermined by high input costs, a lack of infrastructure, and poor supply chain logistics with high transactions costs. 4. Civil war has defined the post-colonial developmental trajectory of the Sudan. Conflict between southern insurgents and the Government, initially flared at independence in 1956. The signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972 established a tentative peace and significantly decentralized government and administration. But conflict persisted in large swathes of the country to varying degrees, complicating emergency and recovery operations. 5. The human and developmental costs of the civil war have been devastating to Sudan, and have contributed to the destabilization of the region as a whole: approximately 2 million people died – many through starvation and famine – and up to 4 million citizens were internally displaced, with a further 600,000 Sudanese fleeing into exile. In addition, the forced displacement of rebel and civilian groups into neighboring countries has linked the Sudanese civil war to regional insurgencies in Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. Large-scale internal conflict was finally quelled through the internationally brokered Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005. 1 6. After decades of conflict, the signing of the CPA opened unprecedented opportunities for peace, development, and economic prosperity. The CPA established the basis for power sharing pending the outcomes of elections; constituted the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) with administrative authority over the 10 states of the South; entrenched an oil revenue sharing agreement whereby the Government of National Unity (GoNU) and GoSS divided evenly revenues derived from exploitation of oil wells in Southern Sudan. It further substantially decentralized decision-making and spending powers to States; provided for a referendum on the status of South Sudan (the outcome of which led to creation of the new state of South Sudan in July 2011), as well as a referendum on the final status of the Abyei region, and public consultation processes to establish the final status of South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. The post-CPA period was marked by significant economic growth, rapidly rising per capita GDP, and the expansion of government spending on development programs. Between 2005 and 2010, GDP grew on average 7.05% per annum, driven in large part by expanded oil extraction capacity. The size of the Sudanese economy, measured by nominal gross national product, grew fivefold - from US$10 billion in 1999 to US$53 billion in 2008. This strong economic growth was accompanied by an expansion of the public sector: Total government spending grew from 11 percent of GDP in 2000 to 17 percent of GDP in 2009 (excluding spending at state and locality levels derived from own revenue sources). 7. Notwithstanding the huge opportunities for development arising through the end of the civil war, medium term uncertainties in the aftermath of the recent secession of South Sudan are likely to negatively impact the GoS’ ability to entrench and accelerate recent developmental achievements. The re-escalation of conflict in Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile through the course of 2011 and 2012 continues to underscore the fragility of the peace established through the CPA. The UN estimates that upwards of 500,000 citizens have been displaced internally, and to neighboring states, as a consequence of recent fighting in Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Any emergency and reconstruction efforts need to be tailored to address the specific needs of communities affected by conflict. Some areas and populations have been directly influenced by protracted (Darfur), intermittent (Blue Nile, South Kordofan, Red Sea, Kassala, Gadarif), and current conflict. Other areas have remained relatively peaceful, but have been affected indirectly by the need to accommodate displaced persons, as well as through the opportunity costs of resources diverted from human development and infrastructure spending to security measures. The differential impact of conflict on communities will be especially pertinent in addressing recovery in education, where the localized legacy of conflict, and differential infrastructure investments have resulted in pronounced variance in the delivery of basic services, and access to quality educational infrastructure. 8. The legacy of the civil war, limited infrastructure and the inequitable distribution of public goods and services, continue to present obstacles to stronger and more inclusive growth. Sudan remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with over 46 percent of the population living below the statutory poverty line of SDG114 per month (approximately US$30). Indigence is spatial and regional in character with only 26.5 percent of urban dwellers below the poverty line, compared to 57.6 percent of the rural population. Displaced populations, nomadic groups, rural populations, children, and female children in particular, are especially vulnerable to higher incidences of poverty, and poverty- related health problems. The interaction of high levels of poverty, social exclusion, spatial inequality and fragile social cohesion underpin ongoing rivalry over scarce resources, mass group mobilization and conflict. 2 9. The economic impact of curtailed petroleum supply is explicitly evident in recent economic data: a healthy current account surplus of US$ 2.7 billion during January-June 2011 deteriorated into large deficit of US$ 1.2 billion in July-September, and deepened further to US$ 1.5 billion deficit during October-December. Concurrently inflation has increased to 22.4 percent (March 2012) and black market rates for SDG-USD exchange are nearly double that of the official exchange rate. Fiscal adjustments required to accommodate depleted revenue sources, will have a profound impact on the education system’s continued recovery and progress towards the achievement of MDG goals. The magnitude of the fiscal shock is likely to increase through the course of 2012 and 2013 as a consequence of South Sudan’s decision in January 2012 to halt the transport of oil through the Sudanese pipeline. Prior to the oil supply shutdown the World Bank estimated that federal spending could fall by up to 26 percent and that federal transfers to states would decline by at least 20 percent, inclusive of heavy cuts to development transfers (45 percent). In light of minimal capacity to raise state revenue, large cuts in transfers to states have a strong and negative effect on state spending, particularly through sharp reductions in development spending on basic service facilities, including education, and the running expenses required for adequate provision of basic services. The most recent (April 2012) World Bank estimates for economic performance predict a 5 percent reduction in GDP for 2012. Given the fluidity of political events in the region, and aggressive diplomatic overtures to suspend hostilities and establish the conditions for enduring peace, the full magnitude of the crisis could increase exponentially, or be significantly diminished. Basic Education Sector Context 10. The positive impact of the CPA has been demonstrated through significant increases in basic school enrollment in Sudan as a whole, and especially in communities previously affected by conflict. Basic school enrollments for Sudan increased by almost a million between 2004/05 and 2008/09, corresponding to average annual growth of 5.7 percent, compared to the pre-CPA period spanning 2000/01 and 2004/05 when on average annual enrollments increased 4.2 percent. The peace dividend is evident in the dramatic increases in access to education in states previously affected by conflict (the Darfur states, states bordering Southern Sudan and the Eastern states) with an average annual enrollment growth rate in basic education of between 8 to 15 percent since 2005 (See Figure 1). Figure 1: Average Growth Rates for Basic School Enrollments between 2004/05 and 2008/09, by State 15% 11% 12% 13% 14% 15% 8% 8% 8% school enrollments 10% 5% 6% 6% Average annual growth in basic 5% 0% 0% 2% 0% (%) -5% -2% -1% Source: The Status of the Education Sector in Sudan, 2012. 11. Data for vulnerable populations’ (Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs), nomadic communities and rural communities) access to education is similarly encouraging. In 2008/09, twelve percent of all basic education schools in northern Sudan were either nomadic schools (8.7 percent), IDP schools (1.6 percent), or village schools2 (2.1 percent). According to the latest available statistics, these schools account for 8 percent of total basic education enrollments. Nationally the Gross 2 Village schools are rural multigrade schools that usually only offer the first 4 grades of the primary cycle; nomadic schools are schools catering to children from nomadic populations and IDP schools are schools catering for children who have been internally displaced. 3 Enrollment Rate (GER) has increased by 17 percentage-points for pre-schools, 15 percentage-points for basic schools and 8 percentage-points for secondary schools since 2000-01. The latest available data (2008-09 school year) suggest that the GER for pre-school was 37 percent, 72 percent for basic school and 34 percent for secondary school. In higher education, there were 1,500 students per 100,000 inhabitants in the 2007-08 academic year. 12. While the Government’s efforts to achieve Education For All (EFA) are evidenced in the expansion of basic education coverage in the post-CPA period, the basic school GER - at 72 percent in 2008-09 - remains low from an international comparative perspective. For international comparability, the GER for the first 6 years of basic schooling is a more standardized measure: Sudan’s GER-6 of 76 percent does not compare favorably to the average GER for basic education in lower middle-income Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries (105 percent) and lower middle-income Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries (106 percent). The GER for Sudan is only higher than that that of Eritrea and comparable to countries such as Central African Republic, Chad and Cote d’Ivoire. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) for basic education of 0.90 is lower than the average for Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Tunisia at 1.09 and the average for Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. 13. Spatial inequity in service provision and the legacy of the impact of conflict on access is clearly evident in the performance of the Sudanese education system. GERs vary tremendously from one state to another with pre-school GER spanning 13 to 65 percent, basic school enrollment varying from 65 to 94 percent3, and secondary enrollment from 15 percent to 61 percent. Table 1 below illustrates differences by state on various economic and education indicators. The gray cells isolate indicators wherein states perform notably worse than the national average. Spatial inequity is evident in the clusters of poor performance in the lower half of the table, and the strong association with higher incidences of poverty. Wide disparities, particularly for basic education, suggest highly variable systems of education within the country, with comparatively advanced education provision in central states relatively untouched by the civil war, and weak education provision in conflict affected and/or peripheral states. Table 1: Poverty and Education Indicators by State ( gray cells identify indicators wherein states perform notably worse than the national average) Prob of % pop being Gross Gross Basic educ Student % of which is Teachers Poverty out of Intake Enrollment completion to class Retention total pop classified per class Incidence school Rate Rate rate ratio in Sudan as rural (age 10-24) Sudan 80.0% 72.0% 54.0% 63.0% 47.7 1.47 67.6% 100% 46.5% 39% Northern 79.4% 83.8% 65.8% 82.0% 31.9 1.93 83.0% 1.8% 36.2% 32.4% Sinnar 75.3% 73.8% 62.6% 79.0% 49.8 1.54 83.2% 4.2% 44.1% 48.6% River Nile 92.2% 87.3% 69.9% 72.0% 36.8 1.65 75.8% 3.6% 32.2% 35.6% White Nile 92.8% 80.7% 64.5% 66.0% 51.3 1.71 69.5% 5.6% 55.5% 39.3% Khartoum 96.6% 93.3% 88.3% 18.0% 50.6 1.70 91.4% 17.1% 26.0% 27.8% Gezira 94.0% 83.8% 70.1% 82.0% 46.7 1.68 74.6% 11.6% 37.8% 38.9% South 79.6% 79.3% 73.0% 77.0% 38.6 0.99 91.7% 4.6% 60.0% 43.2% Kordofan West 83.7% 80.5% 69.9% 79.0% 63.8 0.99 83.6% 4.2% 55.6% 41.0% Darfur 3 This range excludes some states, for which it has not been possible to determine a realistic GER for basic school due to problems with either enrollment or population data. 4 Blue Nile 80.5% 56.3% 32.0% 74.0% 48.7 2.33 39.8% 2.7% 56.5% 43.7% Red Sea 65.8% 47.3% 20.4% 23.0% 40.6 1.56 31.1% 4.5% 57.7% 40.0% Kassala 80.0% 54.3% 24.6% 71.0% 49.4 1.74 30.8% 5.8% 36.3% 59.4% Gadarif 78.3% 68.1% 40.1% 73.0% 48.4 1.33 51.2% 4.4% 50.1% 47.0% North 75.8% 71.8% 54.4% 80.0% 45.7 1.11 71.8% 9.5% 57.9% 48.8% Kordofan South 57.0% 39.9% 21.7% 65.0% 56.1 1.28 38.1% 13.3% 61.2% 35.3% Darfur North 79.7% 65.0% 44.4% 83.0% 49.1 1.05 55.6% 6.8% 69.4% 26.0% Darfur Source: constructed from the Census 2008, Household Survey 2009 and Education Yearbook 2009 data 14. Location, gender and poverty remain very influential in determining a child’s likelihood of attending school. Whether a child lives in an urban or rural area is the single most powerful predictor of whether a child will access schooling: urban children being 17 percentage-points more likely than rural children to attend school. Moreover boys are 8 percentage-points more likely than girls to access school, and rich children are 2 percentage-points more likely to access school than poor children. A poor rural girl is the most disadvantaged and is about 25 percentage-points less likely to ever access basic school than a rich urban boy. In village schools, which are rural by nature, only 41 percent of enrolled students are girls. 15. The Status of the Education Sector in Sudan report (ESR, 2011) produced by the MoGE, with technical support from World Bank and other partners, provided a detailed diagnostic of the education sector and suggested underlying reasons for poor learning performance, including teacher deployment; teacher utilization; distribution of textbooks; the learning environment and the health status of learners. 16. Learning assessments suggest that the quality of education delivered is poor. A 2010 learning assessment that tested a representative sample of grade 5 students in four states (Blue Nile, South Kordofan, Red Sea and North Darfur) returned poor scores, with the average Sudanese student answering only 28 percent of mathematics and 28 percent of reading questions correctly.4 Location and vulnerability reinforced the effects of inequity in learning with rural and IDP students performing worse, on average, than their urban and settled counterparts. Supply-side inputs, such as the availability of textbooks, teacher experience and deployment, and the quality of school infrastructure were also important predictors of performance. 17. Teachers are poorly deployed and under-utilized. ESR data shows that teachers are unevenly distributed across schools. A comparison between the need for teachers based on pupil numbers, and the supply of teachers in each school reveals a low correlation, described in ESR as a “degree of randomness� in teacher deployment. System-wide, the degree of randomness is around 48 percent, higher than all but two comparator countries (see Figure 3). The data also demonstrated large differences in the randomness of distribution of teachers between states in Sudan. The ESR also found that at any one time, on average, a third of teachers are not in class and that the average student receives 714 instructional hours; a third fewer than the MoGE’s standard of 1,050 hours required for an annual course of basic education. While these indicators are relatively blunt assessments of human resource utilization and teacher management, they underline entrenched inefficiencies within the system that impact the quality of learning delivered. 4 World Bank (2012). “Student Learning in Four States in Sudan: School Inputs and Teachers Matter. Findings from the 2010/11 Basic Education Service Delivery Survey�. Draft. Washington, DC: World Bank. 5 Figure 2: International comparisons –Randomness in teacher allocations in basic education 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Senegal Gabon Ghana Cameroon Zambia Namibia Niger CAR Guinea Liberia Mozambique Mauritania Mali Madagascar Lesotho Rwanda Uganda Malawi Burundi Sudan North Burkina Faso Cote d'Ivoire Chad Togo Congo, Rep. Benin Guinea-Bissau Ethiopia Congo, Dem. Rep. Sao Tome&Princ. Sierra Leone Source: Status of the Education Sector in Sudan, 2011. 18. Textbook distribution is inefficient and sub-optimal, with the potential to reinforce spatial inequities. In a survey of schools in four states, it was found that the ratio of students to textbooks averaged 3:1, a third higher than the national standard of 2:1. In 50 percent of urban grade 1 and 15 percent of urban grade 5 classrooms surveyed, no textbooks to aid reading or mathematics comprehension were evident. These figures rose to 53 percent and 30 percent respectively for observed rural classrooms. 19. The stock of school infrastructure is poor and in many cases falls short of providing an environment conducive to learning. A baseline study undertaken in 2008 by the MoGE in conjunction with UNICEF found that half of Sudanese classrooms required rehabilitation or replacement. A subsequent service delivery study estimated that 59 percent of classrooms in Blue Nile, 61 percent in North Darfur and 68 percent in South Kordofan needed to be scrapped or significantly overhauled. The same study found that over half of rural schools observed, and 42% of urban schools lacked access to running water. 20. The poor health profile of many Sudanese children limits early cognitive development and the potential for children to learn. Data collected through the 2009 Household Survey demonstrated that in 12 of the 15 northern Sudan states, more than 34 percent of children are considered underweight compared to the sub-Saharan African (SSA) average of 28 percent. The average percentages of underweight children in Sudan are consistently higher for all states, excluding Khartoum and Gezira, than the 26 percent average in sub-Saharan Africa, and 8 percent in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Fifty five percent of children in North Darfur are underweight while 69 percent of children in Kassala are stunted. 21. Budgetary allocations to education have increased, but remain insufficient to address backlogs and the achievement of EFA goals in the short and medium term. In 2008, Sudan spent 2.7 percent of its GDP towards education services though this amount is lower than comparator countries: Egypt (4 percent), Morocco (6 percent) and Tunisia (8 percent). Education spending was 12 percent of Government spending in 2009. Despite the Government’s continued commitment to education, the threats of the fiscal shock are likely to undermine progress. Without short and medium external support, the gains of the CPA period remain tenuous. 22. The majority of spending is absorbed by teacher salaries, leaving few resources for running costs, infrastructure development and teaching aides. The practice of perpetuating state education 6 budgets on the basis of previous years’ payroll obligations, means that recurrent spending accounts for the vast majority (91 percent) of total education spending, with only 9 percent of total education spending allocated to development spending. For basic education, teachers’ salaries accounted for 77 percent of recurrent spending, while goods and services accounted for 5 percent and non-teachers’ salaries 18 percent. The shortfall in running costs has necessitated out-of-pocket spending by parents with the average household contribution towards school running costs - SDG 15 per student in 2008-2009 – outweighing that of the public spending on running costs at SDG 12 for the same year. 23. Data collection is insufficient to target inequity and provide evidence-based service delivery. Improved targeting of resources requires that accurate data are collected and analyzed on a regular basis. While the national accounts provide details on federal transfers to the states, the Federal Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MoFNE) does not collect data related to spending by the education sector at the state level. This makes it difficult to assess whether regions and population groups that are lagging behind in terms of educational inputs, outputs and outcomes are receiving greater attention and more resources. The recently implemented Education Management Information System (EMIS) is not yet fully operational and the old system of information collection using year-books has been abandoned. C. INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT: GOVERNMENT STRATEGY AND DONOR COLLABORATION Government Strategy 24. The GoS has demonstrated its commitment to EFA through the coordination and production of a status report of the entire sector, finalized in 2011 and by designating “investing in human resources� as one the primary pillars of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy (iPRSP). Due to the current fiscal shock affecting the country, medium term economic uncertainty, government restructuring, and ongoing conflict in the South and East of the country, the GoS and partners have agreed to pursue interim education and poverty reduction strategies. A subsequent consultative process involving states as well as donor partners has underpinned the formulation of the Interim Basic Education Strategy (iBES). 25. The iBES represents a significant strategic step in a continuum of policy interventions. The iBES explicitly links urgent service delivery to improve access to and the quality of education alongside the development of the education system as a whole, in order to strengthen the foundation for the long- term sustainability of the sector. The expansion of the iBES into a five year Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP 2012-2016) will continue as the environment becomes more stable. It is envisaged that in light of existing contextual uncertainties, the iBES will constitute the first phase of the medium term plan. The GoS is committed to a full plan based on its vision through 2020, and the MoGE is engaged in developing, with support of its partners, a framework for the education sector component of this plan to complement the finalization of the interim iPRSP and National Development Plan. Donor Collaboration 26. The Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) established in 2005 to support the CPA, committed a number of major donors to the country. The donors have supported a US$15 million Basic Education Project (BEP) that is ongoing and performing moderately satisfactorily. Donors, such as the Italian Cooperation, European Union, UNICEF and the World Bank, have been specifically involved in the education sector since 2005 through the MDTF and the Education Program for Development Fund, that financed the development of the education sector status report in 2011. In June 2011, the Bank together with the other primary donors to the Sudanese education system commenced a series of meetings to 7 support the work of the MoGE to develop its strategic plan, and ensure adherence to the provisions of the Paris Declaration (2005) and the Accra Agenda for Action (2008). The MoGE requested that UNICEF fulfill the role of coordinating agency and the World Bank be the supervising entity for the purposes of the Government’s application to the GPEF. DFID was moreover requested to act as the convener of donor discussions in the sector. 27. Through the course of 2011, the MoGE and donors convened to lend greater structure to initiatives in support of the strategic plan resulting in an agreement on a structured partnership, modes of consultation, and collective collaboration with government. Education Coordination Framework 28. The Education Coordination Framework (see Figure 3) agreed between the MoGE and donors defines the roles and responsibilities of coordinating and consultative bodies to support the implementation of the iBES, and coordinate technical and financial resources among all partners. Figure 3: Education Coordination Framework Federal Ministry of General Education Education Coordinating Local Donor Group Coordinating Agency Group (ECG) (LDG) Note: the LDG forms part of the ECG, providing regular updates on harmonization and implementation efforts in the Education sector of Sudan. Education Coordination Group (ECG) 29. The Education Coordination Group (ECG) is led by the MoGE and consists of representatives of the ministry, donors, international partners, civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The ECG meets regularly to discuss issues pertinent to the sector as a whole, including, but not limited to:  The coordination of support to the education sector by different stakeholders and agencies in line with agreed upon education priorities.  The promotion of government-donor dialogue, alignment and harmonization and ensuring that partners are kept abreast of progress and challenges in the sector. This includes information sharing on domestic and external funding of the education sector.  The provision of technical support on policy and strategic issues to address challenges to the education system.  Monitoring and evaluation of sectoral commitments in line with agreed upon timelines. 8 Local Donor Group 30. The Local Donor Group (LDG) includes local representatives from bilateral and multilateral development partners and other donors. The LDG supports the implementation and monitoring of the iBES as well as the development of the ESSP. In addition, the LDG will work together to help mobilize technical and financial support for the long term on a predictable basis. The LDG also informs the ECG on annual funding commitments and actual disbursements as well as indicative expenditure plans for the iBES. The LDG participates in the Joint Sector Reviews. Coordination Agency 31. The Coordination Agency (CA), UNICEF, will take the lead in coordinating annual joint sector reviews to monitor the implementation of the iBES and will ensure the timely commitment and disbursement of funds. The CA will report on the progress of IBES implementation, including funding commitments and disbursements to all Partners on an annual basis. UNICEF serves as the primary communication link between the MoGE, ECG and the LDG. Supervising Entity 32. As Supervising Entity (SE), the World Bank is supporting the preparation of the GPE application in collaboration with the GoS. The SE assumes full fiduciary oversight over the GPEF and supervises the implementation of the GPEF by the GoS or other implementing agency. Rationale for GPEF/Bank Involvement 33. The GoS and the MoGE have demonstrated their commitment to achieving education-for- all and other MDGs through the expansion of basic services, which have brought about significant developmental gains since the signing of the 2005 CPA. In addition, the MoGE has been keen on identifying the pressure points affecting the access and quality of education in the country, as demonstrated by its coordination and production of the ESR finalized in 2011. Despite these efforts, the secession of South Sudan in July 2011 and the impact of ongoing conflict, amongst other factors, have resulted in substantive revenue reductions for the Sudan. 34. This drastic reduction has the potential to undermine the pro-poor human development interventions achieved through the CPA period. A predictable fiscal environment will remain uncertain pending a sustainable negotiated settlement regarding the sharing of oil revenues in the post- CPA period. Expected changes in government as well as the need for constitutional reforms necessitated by the expiration of the Interim National Constitution (INC), deepen these uncertainties. Moreover, the sustainability of the peace remains at risk due to the reemergence of conflict in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, and escalating tensions with South Sudan. 35. Given these circumstances, the GPE has allowed the GoS to submit an interim financing request for 48 months aligned with an interim education strategy. The financing application to the GPE focuses on (i) preserving and bolstering the learning environment for basic education with a focus on equity, and (ii) supporting the GoS to build the institutional foundations for the sector in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the education system. This will ensure a more rapid response to the externalities associated with the fiscal shock, and deliver financial resources for service delivery quickly in the context of short term austerity measures. 36. The project financing will cover a period of 48 months (as opposed to 36 months of regular GPE Project financing) given that the country is conflict-affected. The extended implementation period will allow for more time to build the requisite capacity to deliver results. 9 D. BANK RESPONSE: THE PROJECT World Bank Strategy of Emergency Support 37. Since 2009, working with partners to the LDG, the World Bank has been engaged in the Sudan education sector establishing productive relationships and serving as a source of support and technical expertise. Bank-supported analytical work has provided a vehicle for strategic dialogue and has helped the Government leverage financial support towards the further development of the education sector. The ESR has informed the formulation of the iBES 2012-2014; a prerequisite for funding eligibility from the GPE Fund. 38. Based on this ongoing involvement, the World Bank has accepted the GoS’ request to serve as the supervising entity to the implementation of the proposed Basic Education Recovery Project (BERP). Sudan’s current standing with the Bank renders it ineligible for financing by the Bank for this project. If approved, the project will be financially supported by the GPEF. 39. The justification for processing as an emergency project stems from major adverse economic and social impacts arising from the impending fiscal shocks in what is now the Republic of the Sudan, and the instability caused by the conflict in parts of the country. The Project seeks to provide critical direct assistance to the education sector during Sudan’s recovery transition , which began with the signing of the CPA in 2005. If the GoS is to reach its ambition of achieving EFA and sustain recent progress, it will require more assistance from international partners in order to mitigate the negative consequences of the fiscal crisis, that have the potential to reverse the development gains of the last seven years. External support is imperative to maintain and expand access to education, address inequities within the system, and increase the quality of education delivered. 40. The Project is aligned with the priorities set out in the iBES: targeting improvements in access, the consistent delivery of quality education, and overall systems strengthening to build the capacity of education delivery in the Sudan. The objectives of the iBES itself build on an agreed upon National Strategic Framework developed through a consultative process convened by the MoGE. The iBES aims to deliver on a limited number of urgent priorities for which adequate data and system capacity exist, and upon which development in other subsectors and areas depend. Although all priorities cannot be addressed in the short term, addressing some of the most urgent issues over the next four years will lay the foundation for a full sector plan, build the capacity of the education system as a whole for delivering on a multi-sector, long-term plan, and reinforce and bolster the developmental gains of the recent past. It will also help mitigate some of the risks of negative repercussions resulting from a potential reduction in Government revenues. Project Development Objective: 41. The project development objectives are to improve the learning environment in targeted areas; to increase the availability of textbooks; and to strengthen education planning and management mechanisms in the Sudan. Summary of Project Components 42. The following components have been proposed for financing from the GPE Fund to support the achievement of the iBES goals stated above: 10 Primary Components Sub-components 1. Improvement of the 1.1 Classroom construction learning environment 1.2 Launching a school grants program 2.1 Improving the policy framework for textbooks provision 2. Increasing the availability 2.2 Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, of textbooks and learning associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning materials materials 3.1 Development and launching of the national learning assessment system; 3.2 Development and implementation of teacher management and monitoring system; 3. Strengthening the 3.3 Carrying out of a program of activities to operationalize EMIS; monitoring and 3.4 Development of the education sector strategic plan for 2012 management mechanisms through 2016; of the education system 3.5 Carrying out of a program of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project Component 1: Improvement of the learning environment (US$36.2M): This component focuses on improving the learning environment for children in targeted areas with a particular focus on children in rural locations, girls and other vulnerable groups such as IDPs and nomads. Through this component, two main interventions are proposed which will be targeted towards specific States in the country: 43. Sub-Component 1.1: Classroom construction (US$31.2M): The project will target school construction interventions towards rural communities within states with lower educational outcomes relative to other states, particularly states with low GERs, low completion rates, and large numbers of out- of-school children. It will also focus on states that have a relatively large percentage of its population in rural areas that do not receive sufficient financing relative to its needs. 44. The project aims to construct 2000 classrooms to alleviate the rising student-to-classroom ratio in the medium and long term, as enrollments continue to rise. These classrooms will be built according to specific design standards currently under development by the Ministry (minimum package to include 2 classrooms, office/storage space, latrines with washing facilities, water point, and fence). To achieve this target in the available four years of project implementation, the Government will utilize a combination of conventional and community based procurement methods. While the community based approach will require close to a year to train communities in procurement and management of classroom construction, international experience has shown that this type of approach has the following advantages: (i) cost savings; (ii) potential to scale up over time; (iii) efficiency in remote areas; (iv) increased contribution to the local economy; (v) increased capacity at the local level; and (vi) increased community ownership. However in light of the effects of the current fiscal crisis and of the urgent need to sustain gains achieved in the last years during the recovery period, classroom construction for the first year will be undertaken through conventional procurement methods. In the second year, classrooms will be procured through a combination of conventional and community based approaches, and by the third and last years of the project, community based procurement will be the dominant method for classroom construction. 11 45. As a first step of the component, the Project will support the MoGE to develop a national school construction strategy with design standards that detail the minimum requirements of a “school�. The GPE will also finance the development of a chapter in the project operations manual for the implementation of the community-based approach to school construction, detailing the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. This will include the provision of training for communities on procurement methods and financial management. Taking into account existing constraints in the country, the community-based implementation will be complemented by the use of a private-sector enterprises approach (depending on their comparative advantage). Both approaches will require significant training and technical assistance during the first year to build the capacity of the MoGE and state education ministries, to oversee and guide community managed construction activities and associated procurement arrangements. 46. Sub-Component 1.2: Launching a School Grants Program (US$5M) - In line with the iBES goal to reduce the burden on households and communities to finance uniforms and other running costs, the BERP proposes the design and launch a school grants program that will target resources to schools in low income communities. The unfolding financial crisis in Sudan has already resulted in inflationary pressure and there is discussion on the introduction of fiscal austerity measures, the removal of price controls, and the disruption of the planting season in Blue Nile and South Kordofan due to conflict in those states. These pressures could further erode marginal livelihoods and push more people into poverty with concurrent destabilizing effects. 47. The school grants component seeks to support families in low-income communities to ensure that parents are not overburdened with contributions to schools as a consequence of the economic crisis. The MoGE recognizes that there will be more operating expenses associated with the classroom construction component and the grants component seeks to relieve some of the pressure from parents to contribute towards these costs. The component is designed to make small grants available rapidly to schools within the same localities targeted by the classroom construction component, on the basis of a simple school action plan. Action plans will include a simple situation analysis, and a proposal for expenditure of the grant on priority items identified within the project’s list of allowable expenditure. The grant would focus on operational expenditure on items such as learning supplies, furniture and equipment, and some recurrent costs such as water supply, which needs to be justified. In the first stage, schools will be able to use the grants to purchase only items on a list that excludes new construction. Payments against the grant will be managed by an intermediary support provider contracted to manage payments and account for the expenditure of the grants. The existence of local school bodies (education councils or PTAs) with representation of school authorities, parents and communities in almost all schools represents a substantial institutional asset that provides a good starting point for introduction of a school grants system. 48. The proposed school grants program to be financed from the GPE includes: (i) selection and contracting of organizations to serve as the intermediary support provider and to coordinate capacity- building for the school grants program in each target state; (ii) orientation of local stakeholders including the locality education officials to the program; (iii) identification of school grant facilitators in each locality; (iv) facilitation of each school council/PTA committee to conduct needs analysis and prepare brief action plan and budget; (v) review and approval of the action plan by a locality grants committee that would include locality education officials and representatives of the intermediary organization; (vi) disbursement of the grant to school committees or direct procurement of goods or services by the intermediary agent on the basis of the action plan and budget. At the end of each cycle the intermediary agent will present a report on the grants indicating outputs and accounting for expenditure. This will be presented to the locality grants committee and to the state grants coordinator for forwarding to the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). 12 49. This means that grants to schools in respect of around 150,000 students in approximately 750 schools will be paid over the course of the program. The grants program will be designed in close consultation with state and locality officials, and implemented, where appropriate, with selected locality offices where school construction is taking place to enable consolidation of administration. Eligibility for school grants will be open to all schools within those localities, so long as they submit the necessary workplans/proposals and meet the eligibility criteria. The initiative will draw on expertise of organizations working in Sudan that have experience building capacity of school communities to manage schools and grants to serve as intermediary support providers. 50. Components 1.1 and 1.2 will be limited to selected target states due to the high costs associated with construction and activities to be financed by school grants, and the limited financing available. The school grants program will be rolled out in the same localities as the classroom construction program. Table 2 below shows the differences across states according to key indicators such as GER, completion rate, the proportion of the population that is rural, poverty incidence, and probability of school age kids being out-of-school (national average shown in Table 1). Initially the project was targeting nine of the worst performing states, according to the criteria reflected in the table below (Blue Nile, El Gadarif, Kassala North Darfur, Red Sea, South Darfur, Northern State, Sinnar, and North Kordofan). 51. During the preparation of this project the 3 Darfur states were split into 5 states with new boundaries. North Darfur remains the same as before, while South Darfur has been split into two states (South and East Darfur). Since data is not yet available for the 5 new demarcated Darfur states in order to redo the scoring by the relevant criteria below, the project will focus on 10 states now including North, South and East Darfur. Table 2: Selection of States Based on Educational and Poverty Outcomes (gray areas indicate States to be selected under the Project) Score (difference between state average and average for Sudan) Gross Gross Completion % of pop Poverty Prob of Aggregate Intake Enrollment Rate considered Incidence being out score Rate Rate ‘rural’ of school (age 10- 24) Khartoum 16.6 21.3 34.3 45 -20.5 -6.2 90.5 White Nile 12.8 8.7 10.5 -3 9 5.3 43.3 South Kordofan -0.4 7.3 19 -14 13.5 9.2 34.6 West Darfur 3.7 8.5 15.9 -16 9.1 7 28.2 River Nile 12.2 15.3 15.9 -9 -14.3 1.6 21.7 Gezira 14 11.8 16.1 -19 -8.7 4.9 19.1 North Kordofan -4.2 -0.2 0.4 -17 11.4 14.8 5.2 Sinnar -4.7 1.8 8.6 -16 -2.4 14.6 1.9 Sudan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northern -0.6 11.8 11.8 -19 -10.3 -1.6 -7.9 Gadarif -1.7 -3.9 -13.9 -10 3.6 13 -12.9 Red Sea -14.2 -24.7 -33.6 40 11.2 6 -15.3 North Darfur -0.3 -7 -9.6 -20 22.9 -8 -22 Blue Nile 0.5 -15.7 -22 -11 10 9.7 -28.5 Kassala 0 -17.7 -29.4 -8 -10.2 25.4 -39.9 South Darfur -23 -32.1 -32.3 -2 14.7 1.3 -73.4 13 52. Component 2: Increasing the availability of textbooks and learning materials (US$25.8M) - The iBES identifies several key inputs which have been known to have a positive impact on the quality of learning based on results in other similar countries. Among these inputs are: (i) upgrading learning environments, (ii) improving the quality of teaching, (iii) provision of learning materials, and (iv) the strengthening school supervision. While it is not possible to address all aspects of quality in the GPE application, the project proposes to focus on the development of the new textbook policy, delivery of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides, and supplementary learning materials. 53. Sub-Component 2.1: Improving the policy framework for textbook provision (US$24.3M): During the first year of the project implementation, the BERP will focus on improving the existing procedures, guidelines and practices for textbook procurement and provision, including the development, production, distribution, management and monitoring of the use of textbooks, as well as selection of appropriate titles of textbooks for reprint. A technical note outlining the gender and conflict-sensitive analysis review process has been developed and following this will ensure that textbooks procured under the BERP are both gender and conflict sensitive. The following years of the project life will be focused on actual procurement and distribution of the textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and supplementary learning materials, as well as monitoring of textbooks delivery and utilization. By the end of the project, approximately 5 million children will have benefitted from this intervention. 54. Sub-Component 2.2: Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning materials (US$1.5M): Given the significant shortage of textbooks in Sudan, especially in schools affected by conflicts and in IDP camps, approximately 9.85 million textbooks for basic education will provided under the Project for all schools throughout the country. It will finance reprinting of textbooks and associated teachers’ guides, distribution and delivery to schools. In addition, the BERP financing will ensure an adequate monitoring of textbooks utilization, as well as training for teachers on the use of the newly printed textbooks and teachers’ guides. Before any titles are reprinted, their appropriateness for reprinting will be evaluated by the MoGE’s relevant textbook experts. The procurement of titles selected for reprinting would be s ubject to competitive procurement procedures that conform to the World Bank’s guidelines for textbooks procurement. 55. Component 3: Strengthening the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system (US $14.5m): The iBES highlights the need to build the capacity of the MoGE and the education system as a important element to delivering quality basic education in Sudan. Central to these efforts will be the development of systems and practices to implement the iBES, and, further, to develop and expand the emergency intervention into a full ESSP. In line with these objectives and OP/BP 8.00 the GPE seeks, through systems strengthening, to preserve the gains of the CPA period in delivering essential services, and assisting government in the crucial initial stages of building capacity for longer- term reconstruction. The BERP will focus on the strengthening the capacity of the MoGE to collect, analyze and utilize key information/data for planning purposes, through the following interventions: 56. Sub-component 3.1: Development and launching of the National Learning Assessment (NLA) system - One key aspect of the iBES is the development of a NLA in order to inform educational policy and practice in Sudan. In the absence of system-level information on learning outcomes it is difficult to tell whether public investments in basic education translate into the provision of quality education and learning for all students. There is a growing support in Sudan to establish a NLA system and BERP proposes interventions under this component that are aimed at building a foundation for an effective learning assessment system. 14 57. Aside from a few pilot and state level surveys, there is no national system of periodic assessment of student learning achievements. As the country’s education system expands, it is important to put in place assessment practices and to develop the capacity of the MoGE to ensure that in the long-run high- quality data on learning outcomes is available to decision makers and all stakeholders (teachers, parents, students). This component seeks to: (i) create an enabling environment for developing a national learning assessment system; (ii) launch a pilot assessment exercise that is nationally representative, subject to the security situation that allows for a field work, and (iii) develop capacity within the FMoGE to interpret and use results to examine current provisions in the curriculum and textbooks and for the initial and in- service training of teachers. 58. Sub-component 3.2: Development and implementation of Teacher Management and Monitoring System - The iBES outlines a series of interventions to strengthen teacher management in Sudan to respond to identified inefficiencies in teacher management. Key among these is the establishment of a system to enable the MoGE to monitor performance of states with regard to teacher supply utilization and development, and help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the national teaching force. The BERP will initiate the development and piloting of this system through a study of teacher supply and demand in all states. The study will establish the distribution, qualifications, age and experience of the existing teaching force, as well as assess work load, utilization and training needs. The information will be captured in the form of a database which will become the core of the teacher management monitoring system. Teacher management and utilization indicators, performance standards and reporting protocols will be established for regular reports from each state to be incorporated into an annual teacher management report. 59. Sub-component 3.3: Carrying out of a program of activities to operationalize the Education Management Information System (EMIS) – An EMIS has been established with support from other donors but it is not yet operational at the level required to produce the data necessary for effective oversight of education activities, or to build the statistical base for the deployment of evidence-based planning. Data collection and analysis are vital for the MoGE, without which it cannot develop proper evidence-based plans to address urgent need. The BERP will complement existing initiatives undertaken by UNICEF, the EU and the Government to ensure that EMIS becomes fully operational. This may include: regular collection of data; clear assignment of roles and responsibilities with the national team with respect to the collection, data management, and analysis of the EMIS data; capacity building; and the development of a more user-friendly questionnaire and software. 60. In addition, the BERP proposes the development of a supplementary tool – the Rapid Results EMIS – to ensure availability of required data within 6-7 months of the start of the school year and to provide data necessary for project monitoring. The Rapid EMIS will consist of a one-page questionnaire with selected indicators for all schools. The tool will use standard software widely available within the MoGE (e.g., Access, SPSS). For the first year of implementation, data entry will be centralized at the Federal level with one IT person and one data entry specialist per state supervised by a central level IT specialist in order to build state-level capacity building. The tool is expected to provide baseline data for the project in 2013 and update data annually. Concurrently, exposure to the tool will help to develop complementary skills, experience and capacity within the MOGE towards the realization of an optimized EMIS. 61. Sub-component 3.4: Development of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) for 2012- through 2016 - This component will support the GoS to develop the full five-year ESSP. The development of a full sector strategic plan will require the coordination and articulation of all state plans within the overarching National Framework to guide interventions across all education subsectors: pre- school, basic education, secondary education, technical and vocational training, out of school (including adult literacy), higher education, and thematic areas. The institutional arrangements formed to support the 15 development of the iBES (LDG, ECG, CA, etc.) will also be used to support the development of the full ESSP. In addition, the development of a full plan will taking into account input and technical expertise from states, civil society, NGOs, and international partners. Support for this component will include state level consultations, regional and national workshops, capacity building and technical support for the development of the ESSP. The project will seek to build on good practices by facilitating state-to-state information sharing as well as exposure to lessons learned in comparator countries with similar systems of decentralized service delivery, teacher management, curriculum development and post-conflict reconstruction. 62. Sub-component 3.5: Carrying out of a program of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the Project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project. - The objective of this component is to strengthen key management capacities of the MoGE, State Ministries of Education (SMoEs) to manage large scale education projects. It will finance the administrative cost of management of the BERP. Activities under this sub-component are aimed at providing the technical assistance to support planning and budgeting, policy analysis and monitoring capacities within the FMoGE. Terms of Reference (ToRs) for technical assistance will emphasize fluency in both Arabic and English and will also require selected individuals and firms to work closely with national counterparts to strengthen its capacity. Project funds will also be used to strengthen capacity in units of the MoGE and SMoGEs related to particular aspects of grant implementation, including capacity building in civil works engineering, financial management, procurement and in any other areas that are deemed necessary. In addition, the project will support the institutional strengthening and learning of the MoGE by facilitating exchange of knowledge through activities such as study tours and conferences. 63. Interventions relating to project management and monitoring are aimed at ensuring that project activities are implemented on time and in a satisfactory manner, using an implementation mechanism that promotes ownership and capacity building within the MoGE. The project will be implemented by the MoGE, with support from additional expertise housed in the FMoGE’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU) which, in turn, will be responsible for the daily management, administration and coordination of the project, including project accounting, procurement and disbursement, management of the Special Account, preparation of progress reports, and ensuring timely audits and monitoring activities. The component will support and finance activities of the MoGE and PIU relevant to the project management, grant supervision activities and recurrent incremental expenditures associated with the project implementation and supervision: (i) rehabilitation/update the PIU office space to allow for an adequate infrastructure and working conditions; (ii) office equipment, supplies, and a project vehicle; (iii) annual external audit of the project; (iv) translation services; (v) public information support to the project; and (vi) incremental operating costs for the PIU, including vehicle and equipment operation and maintenance, communications costs, banking fees, transportation costs, meeting expenses, advertisement fees, representation, and office security arrangements. Eligibility for Processing under OP/BP 8.00 64. The justification for processing under OP/BP 8.00 stems from the major adverse economic and social impacts arising from the current fiscal shock in Sudan and the instability caused through conflict in some states. The project has been designed in line with the “guiding principles� identified in OP 8.00, constituting a “rapid policy response to address [a] major adverse econo mic and/or social impacts resulting from an actual or imminent natural or man-made crisis�, in support of the Bank’s mandate to aid “peace-building objectives and relief to recovery transitions�. The project will support specific objectives identified in OP 8.00 to be supported through emergency assistance, including (i) rebuilding and restoring physical assets; (ii) preserving or restoring essential services and; (iii) supporting 16 measures to mitigate or avert the potential effects of imminent emergencies or crises in countries at high risk. Consistency with Interim Strategy Note 65. The new Sudan Interim Strategy Note is expected to be finalized by mid-2013 and cover the period 2013 – 2015. Based on preliminary consultations, the Strategy is built on the principle of partnership and focuses on the Bank’s engagement with the GoS and the donors in four areas (pillars): (i) managing the transition; (ii) promotion of growth; (iii) developing human resources; and (iv) mitigating conflict. The proposed GPE funded operation has relevance for all the pillars, with specific emphasis on developing human resources. In this context, the project aims to support the GoS continue to make human capital investments. 66. The project is also consistent with the Africa Regional Strategy as it focuses on a fragile state, efforts to address public sector capacity building and systems strengthening to improve accountability and effectiveness. It is also in line with two of Sudan’s iPRSP pillars, namely: strengthening governance and institutional capacity of the public sector, and developing human resources. Specifically, the project complements the focus areas identified in the iPRSP’s pillar of “Developing Human Resources� where increasing access to education in line with education-for-all goals, eliminating gender disparities in access, increasing access for IDPs and rural learners, improving the quality of learning to reduce drop-outs, improving literacy, and reducing household spending on education are all highlighted as priorities. Expected Outcomes 67. Given the length (four years) of the operation, improvements in outcome indicators cannot be assessed before the closing date, but successful implementation of the project and iBES will lay the groundwork to achieve the goals envisioned for 2020. 68. As such, this operation will specifically focus on a sub-set of indicators (shown in the table below) that feeds into the iBES results framework. These outputs as measured by these indicators will be attributable to the project intervention. PDO Key Performance Indicators Use of Information 1. Direct project beneficiaries (number)5 The project development objective is 2. Number of direct project beneficiaries with access to to improve the learning environment textbooks in targeted areas; increase the 3. System for learning assessment, at the primary level Monitor the overall progress on availability of textbooks; and (rating scale) in place the achievement of the project's strengthen the education planning and objectives 4. Timely annual production of data through EMIS management mechanisms in the Sudan. Supplementary Tool 5. Full ESSP developed by October 2013 However, given that this project falls under the umbrella of the iBES, there are some overall outcome indicators which the project will seek to track in order to assess overall performance of the education 5 Students enrolled in primary schools built by the project. Number of classrooms built per year times average classroom size for 2013/2014 (55.0) and 2014/2015 (53.3) 17 sector in Sudan. These include, but are not limited to: (i) Gross Intake Rate; (ii) Gross Enrollment Rate; (iii) Pupil-Classroom Ratio; and (iv) Primary Completion Rate. E. APPRAISAL OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES Summary of Economic and Financial Analysis 69. Despite the significant progress in expanding enrollment in basic education , there are still a significant numbers of children who are out-of school. In 2009, 27 percent of 10-19 year olds in Sudan were out of school.6 Based on the results of the ESR, school learning environments and school fees are among the critical factors impeding access to basic education. Further, a learning assessment conducted in 7 of Sudan’s 15 states, found that Grade 5 students performed very poorly on mathematics and reading. This suggests that not only are a large proportion of school-age children out of school but even when in school, many students are not learning as expected. 70. International evidence shows that basic education of six years provides the highest benefit in terms of social outcomes per education dollar spent compared to lower and upper secondary education. The table below shows the positive contribution that one year of basic, lower secondary and upper secondary schooling, respectively, contributes to total social outcome (defined as the average across the social outcomes of child bearing, antenatal health, child health and development and poverty, HIV/AIDS and the use of media). Table 3: Contribution to Social Outcomes by Year of Education, Average for Sub-Saharan Africa Lower secondary Upper secondary Basic education education education (6 years) (4 years) (2 years) Share of total change in social outcome (0-12 years) contributed by (average across all 47.7% 34.0% 18.3% social dimensions) Contribution to total social outcome per year of 8.0% 8.5% 9.2% schooling (a) Per student cost per year of schooling (expressed 11.5 24.4 57.1 in multiples of GDP per capita) (b) “Benefit to cost ratio� (a/b) 69 35 16 Source: Majgaard and Mingat, 2011 71. Each year of basic education contributes 8.0 percent to the total impact, compared with a slightly higher 8.5 percent for each year of lower secondary year, and 9.2 percent for each upper secondary year. The benefit-to-cost ratio, defined as the ratio of the contribution to total social outcome of each year of schooling to per student cost per year of schooling is 69 for basic education. Given the much higher costs of secondary education, the benefit-to-cost ratio drops to 35 for lower secondary, and to 16 in the case of upper secondary education. This implies that it is much more cost-effective to invest in basic education than in secondary education. Further, the fact that many of the desired social outcomes are related to women’s and mothers’ education suggests that investing in girls’ education yields particularly high returns.7 72. Given the cost-effectiveness of investing in primary education, and the imperatives of the EFA and MDG goals within a resource-constrained environment, and in line with the prescriptions of the iBES, the project will focus specifically on eight years of basic education. The project plans to finance classroom construction and initiation of a school grants program in order to increase access to 6 World Bank 2012b. 7 Majgaard and Mingat, 2011 18 basic education in general and for vulnerable groups in particular. School construction will be targeted towards rural areas states with relatively weak education performance and high poverty incidence. Further, international evidence shows that community involvement can be more effective in saving money, facilitating scaling up over time, building capacity at the local level, contributing to the local economy, and reaching successful outcomes in remote areas, rather than a central approach. Preliminary results of school grants program in SSA have also been largely positive with improvements in student enrollment and attendance. 73. A factor influencing the quality of education delivered is the availability of textbooks. The official student-textbook ratio in Sudan is 2:1 yet many schools have a shortage of and some completely lack textbooks.8 Evidence from four states in Sudan indicates that the student-textbook ratio is the best predictor of student performance in mathematics.9 The project proposes to finance the procurement and distribution of 9.85 million textbooks. When textbooks are available students generally perform better and some studies find that having textbooks can reduce performance differences across rural and urban students and also improve performance of poorer students.10 Regression analysis based on a sample from the four survey states in Sudan strongly suggest that both rural and urban students in classrooms with a student-textbook ratio of 3:1 or higher perform significantly worse and that the student-textbook ratio is the best predictor of student performance.11 74. To address and support institutional capacity strengthening and to help raise education sector performance, the project proposes to focus on five aspects that will enable timely sector planning and policy adjustments. The inclusion of the development and launch of a NLA; a system to monitor teacher supply and utilization; as well as a functioning EMIS, will enable the MoGE to plan and develop policies utilizing timely and accurate information. The project would also support the GoS in developing the full five-year ESSP 2012-016, which will include state-level consultations, workshops, capacity building, and technical support and sharing of best practices across states. Finally, the project would support strengthening the capacity of management staff within the MoGE and the establishment of a PIU to support the implementation and monitoring of the project. Technical 75. The project is designed to support activities that address some of the key issues in basic education identified by the 2011 ESR as well as drawing on lessons from the current MDTF supported BEP (see lessons learned section for more details on the BEP). 76. Project objectives and performance targets are based on detailed financial analysis and simulations using assumptions for basic education enrollment, student repetition, student-teacher ratios, class size, the exchange rate, and economic growth where data were not readily available. These objectives and targets are financially feasible if the national education budget is supported by external funding. The selected activities draw on international experiences and best-practice and also past projects in Sudan and elsewhere as relevant. Institutional 77. An Institutional Assessment was carried out in February-March 2012 to review the overall institutional context and arrangements, and to assess the capacity of implementing agencies to effectively execute the activities spelt out in the GPE-funded components of the iBES. The 10 Fehrler, Michaelowa, and Wechtler 2009, Heyneman, Farrell, and Sepulveda-Stuardo 1978, Jamison et al. 1981, Lockheed and Hanushek 1988, Michaelowa 2001, Postlethwaite and Ross 1992. 11 World Bank 2012b. 19 assessment identified specific concerns regarding capacity constraints and implementation readiness of implementing entities and makes recommendations with regard to capacity strengthening to ensure the effective delivery of the project. 78. The institutional landscape of the education sector in Sudan consists of a bloated MoGE with overlapping functions that lack clarity, with units at federal level mirroring equivalent departmental units and functions at the state level, and overall weak strategic and financial planning capacity. Further, the institutional picture that emerges from the UNICEF/EU review of states and localities conducted by the EMIS PIU, and the very narrow sample of interviews undertaken within the scope of the Institutional Assessment by the World Bank, presents a sub-national education system with many of the same weaknesses as those afflicting the federal level, with additional challenges particular to states and localities. 79. This catalogue of institutional weaknesses is a cause for concern in terms of MoGE’s in- house capacity to implement a GPE-funded project. On balance, the institutional assessment finds the institutional conditions in Sudan to be as favorable as one could hope to find in a post-conflict country for projects of a GPE scale. Specifically, the country has the following attributes:  Broad Political Context: The President has declared 2012 as the ‘Year of Education’ and has taken a personal interest in driving change in the sector by appointing the present Minister to her post, associating himself personally with a national education conference which adopted a range of recommendations which have seen increased public investment in the sector.  Political Will: The Education Sector is led politically by a transformational leader, a respected Federal Minister committed to working opportunistically and pragmatically within given institutional constraints.  Administrative support: The federal ministry is headed by an experienced Under Secretary with the capacity to manage transactional changes.  Change Management: The Minister has a clear change management strategy for the implementation of iBES. A key aspect of this is that she intends to establish dedicated technical support teams, directly accountable to the Minister’s office, to drive the implementation of iBES and the formulation of the ESSP.  Organizational culture: All the senior positions in the education sector at the Federal and State levels are occupied by educators, i.e. retired teachers who have been promoted up the ranks of an effectively closed system. While there are criticisms of this culture, it must also be recognized that the core values of the organization are inherently education-orientated.  Openness to change: There are no overt signs of organized or latent resistance to structural change. Many of the deep financial and human resource problems affecting the education sector (e.g. constrained budgets; proportion of technical to ancillary staff; appointments and transfer policies) are endemic to the public service generally, and require public sector reform, not just sector-specific reforms. These issues can reasonably be seen to be beyond the scope of the GPE project. 80. The more immediate challenge is to build capacity to implement the GPE project in a way that is consistent with the long term goal of capacity building. The FMoGE is the principal executing agency of the BERP and it will nominate a focal staff in each department relevant to the implementation of the Project. This focal staff will include high performers from within the system who will form an internal technical team and will be supported by an additional expertise financed by the project. This 20 external expertise will cover core areas such as procurement, financial management, civil works, monitoring and evaluation and will be housed within the Ministry PIU. Given the current minimal capacity of the MoGE at both federal and state levels, this external expertise will have the mandate not only to support implementation of project activities, but also to strengthen the capacity of the key MoGE appointed focal staff at the federal and state levels through specific training and learning-by-doing approach. A time-bound capacity building and Skills Transfer Plan will be developed and monitored during project implementation to ensure progressive transfer of responsibilities from BERP contracted experts to their counterparts within the MoGE. Similarly, the school grants and the community-based approach to school construction will employ the services of intermediary support entities to build the capacity of communities and locality officials to undertake these programs in the long-run. 81. The Minister has signaled her intention to create a cross-donor Projects Implementation Unit, responsible for implementation of all donor-funded projects. The unit will be staffed with high performers from within the system. The intention is to build a cadre of staff who become familiar with international models of good practice in project management, deal directly with MoFNE and donors to ensure the speedy implementation of iBES, and bring fresh approaches to the management of the education system. The detailed ToRs for this unit has not yet been defined, and this will be a useful area of further discussion and assistance to MoGE during the GPE implementation period, given that this model has been used in other countries and there may be valuable lessons of interest to all parties which could help improve the institutional design. Fiduciary Financial Management: 82. The project design includes some non-traditional activities that entail the establishment of special financial management arrangements to accommodate the associated risks. These are mainly the activities of the subcomponents involving school construction by communities and the school grants program. As a result, the inclusion of an independent monitoring agent will be of high importance. The monitoring agent will verify service delivery and to provide a control measure over the use of funds as discussed below. The project operations manual will lay down a detailed description of these procedures and the controls around them. A project operations manual satisfactory to the Bank is a condition of effectiveness. Social 83. The project is designed to have a positive social impact by raising student learning levels and productivity through increased and more equitable access to quality education. The project beneficiaries are not limited to children who are out of school or who are in schools with weak infrastructure and lack learning materials. Teachers and communities in targeted areas will also benefit from different activities of the project. The project activities with a direct social impact include targeted classroom construction, the school grants program, and the provision of textbooks. 84. The main issues of concern are the large proportion of out of school children in Sudan; inequity in access to education across states, rural and urban areas, boys and girls, and for IDP and nomadic children; and the quality of education services provided. Project activities are targeted towards rural areas within states that are lagging behind in terms of education performance and that contain comparatively large nomadic and/or IDP populations. By focusing on these areas the project will primarily benefit groups who are: (i) overrepresented among out of school children, (ii) at greater risk of dropping out, and (iii) more likely to be in schools that lack resources to provide a quality education. 21 85. The targeted classroom construction and school grants program will serve to increase access and improve equity in access for multiple beneficiaries. Students who previously could not attend school due to distance will benefit from improved availability of learning opportunities. Moreover, the targeted classroom construction and school grants to be managed by communities will provide these with income generating opportunities and instill ownership with positive effects for school maintenance over time. This approach of community-empowerment for classroom construction will include grassroots management training of communities to manage grants provided to them by the MoGE to implement their school construction project, including financial, procurement and communication management. Such empowerment can also increase social cohesion, community self-esteem, builds trust amongst community members as well as trust between communities and education officials. 86. The projects also aims to increase access and improve the quality of education through the school grants program in selected areas, which together with the provision of textbooks, will reduce the cost of schooling for households and improve the learning environment. The school grants will be targeted towards rural areas in lagging states and will therefore primarily benefit children in rural areas, including rural girls who are the least likely to be in school, as well as IDP and nomadic children. The textbook component is national in scale and improved availability of textbooks will contribute to better student learning outcomes in general, and in particular, for students in rural and IDP schools as textbook shortages are generally more severe in these schools. Environment and Social Safeguards 87. The project will target school construction interventions towards rural communities, targeting states which have a relatively large percentage of its population in rural areas. In general, the construction and rehabilitation of the schools will not cause significant social and/or environmental adverse impacts. The project is classified as Environmental Assessment Category B, since potential adverse environmental and social impacts associated with construction and rehabilitation of schools and school staff housing are generally small-scale and site specific, thus, manageable to an accepted level. In accordance with OP/BP 8.00 and to guide the environmental assessment and mitigation process, an Environmental and Social Screening and Assessment Framework (ESSAF) has been developed (see Annex 9). The ESSAF provides guidance on the approach to be taken during project implementation for the screening and design of sub-projects and planning of mitigation measures. During implementation, Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) and/or Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) or Abbreviated Resettlement Action Plans (ARAPs) will be prepared as and when necessary once sub- project sites and plans for civil works are finalized. 88. The construction activities may cause environmental impacts such as site contamination from waste materials during construction, disturbances resulting in dust, noise and environmental contamination during operation of the facilities resulting from inadequate sanitation triggering Environmental Assessment OP 4.01. 89. The project also triggers OP 4.11 on Physical Cultural Resources, as the proposed activities will include civil works and the location of subprojects is not known at the time of project preparation. The ESSAF includes provisions for the treatment of physical cultural resources discovered during project implementation and operation (also referred to as “chance finds�). 90. Depending on the type of facility to be financed (whether new or a replacement of an existing facility), these infrastructure may require land acquisition, thus triggering Involuntary Resettlement Policy OP 4.12. The most important considerations associated with construction of new schools and teachers housing is that the land acquired for construction is compensated for, the location and siting of school is undertaken in consultation with the community, and that there is an adequate provision of 22 potable water, waste management and sanitation facilities. The ESSAF describes a screening mechanism for land acquisition and proposes follow up procedures (i.e. RAP preparation). Lessons Learned from other projects in Sudan: 91. The implementation of the MDTF-funded BEP was hampered by weak capacity to coordinate activities at the decentralized (State) level. It attempted a decentralized model of implementation with a federal PIU responsible for coordination, monitoring and technical support of activities across subsidiary state implementation units. However, poor communication and uneven capacity across states resulted in uncoordinated activities across the project and delays in implementation in a few states. This required the restructuring of the project from five stand-alone implementation units (4 at state level and 1 at federal) to one central PIU linked to each state through relevant focal people within the respective SMoGEs. While a switch from five-stand-alone implementation units into one central unit might have been adequate for a project that is phasing out and will be closing in 12 months, similar implementation arrangements may not work for project of the size and scope of the BERP. The new project aims to build on lessons learned and proposes a cluster-based approach to strengthen implementation and monitoring support at the state level. The proposed cluster approach for implementation consists of a central PIU at the federal level and Cluster Support Units (CSU) at the state level. For the cluster approach to work effectively clear ToRs will have to be developed defining PIU and CSU roles and responsibilities; ToRs for all staff members will have to be clearly defined; reporting, information sharing and decision-making mechanisms to be agreed upon; coordination and information needs of all implementation structures, including the MoGE and SMoGE, are taken into account and are being met through regular meetings and communication, thus ensuring the respect for the principles of greater accountability and partnership. 92. Building in adequate time to strengthen the capacity of communities to procure and manage civil works activities: The Community Development Fund (CDF) project funded through the MDTF in Sudan has instituted a community driven development model for the delivery of the school construction/rehabilitation. This is the same model that was initially employed for the BEP. However, through the course of implementation it became clear that the procurement and contract management capacity of the CDF staff at the local level was overestimated considering the size of the civil works activities under the BEP (US$250,000 per contract). The GPE project similarly envisages a community empowerment approach to deliver smaller sized contracts which can be administered by rural communities. A critical component of this strategy will entail a clear definition of the respective roles, expectations and capacities of communities. Building the capacity of project implementation staff to effectively draw on the expertise of communities, and channel their participation into productive implementation will also be given particular attention. 93. The 21 day in-service teacher training course implemented through the BEP yielded mixed results. A pre and post test assessment showed that while teachers’ subject knowledge increased after the Core (Grade 1-3 course) and Arabic courses by an average of 30 percent, it increased minimally for the Math (19 percent) and English (9 percent) components of the program. These results point to some issues in Math and English training which may underlie a lack of knowledge of these subjects or that the training curricula is not adequately tailored for the teachers. Further, there is yet to be an assessment of whether the training courses make a difference in actual teaching in the classroom. Given these uncertainties around teacher training, the GPE will focus on improving teacher deployment and utilization policies through the establishment of a database to track the teacher supply, demand and training needs in all states. Teacher training will continue to be funded through other donors (particularly UNICEF) though there is increased scrutiny on the effectiveness of the training. 23 94. builds on an array of experiences in Sudan. Firstly, several communities have already successfully developed their own schools through fund-raising and the management of these funds by school education councils. Secondly, there are numerous examples of NGO-supported schools (such as Plan Sudan and Save the Children) which have been able to successfully develop sustainable models of schools with income-generating gardens and inclusion of green activities into the curriculum. 95. Attracting qualified contractors with sufficient capacity to remote areas. The BEP targeted the construction of classrooms in remote areas of Sudan. Part of the challenge of building schools in remote areas is that it is both expensive and unattractive to larger contractors who are based predominantly in the locality centers. The BEP attracted mostly medium sized contractors, which while good for developing more local capacity, were not performing well in terms of timeliness and quality of works. A combination of low post-qualification financial and technical criteria and of poor procurement capacity of local bid opening and evaluation committees often led to contract award to poorly qualified contractors. This was compounded by the poor supervisory and contract management capacity of CDF staff. The result was that several winning bidders were unable to raise the required performance security (10% of the contract value) on time, leading to delays in the commencement of construction. Further, the quality of works was poor across several sites and the capacity of some contractors to work on more than one site simultaneously was demonstrably poor. The works will be organized in smaller bid packages awarded through local competitive bidding, thus opening business opportunities to a larger number of smaller contractors, some of them closer to the concerned communities, therefore increasing competition. Concurrently targeted training will provided under the Project for communities in procurement management and for qualified technical assistance to the MoGE and SMoEs. 96. Increasing the number of classrooms alone does not necessarily lead to an increase in enrollment rates. As evidenced in the BEP, unforeseen factors- such as food inflation, political instability, conflict- as well as a lack of awareness of the importance of education can adversely affect the project’s ability to attract children from rural communities into schools. Interestingly, once in sc hool, girls tended to stay on, whereas drop-out rates for boys were particularly high in the BEP. To offset this, as part of the community training on procurement and management of civil works, the project will also include specific campaigns that speak directly to the long-term benefits of education. Lessons learned from similar projects in other countries: 97. It is important to be able to demonstrate quick and visible results in a context of longer- term capacity building, and system strengthening. Studies of Bank reconstruction projects in 52 conflict-affected countries emphasized the importance of projects to quickly respond to the most immediate needs of the sector, such as keeping schools operational, supporting teachers and providing students with the necessary educational materials while concurrently building capacity so that the groundwork for improving the system is laid. Improved education and systems management is central to the GPE intervention. This will ensure that interventions not only respond to emergency needs, but that implementation lays a foundation for a full ESSP and medium-term but accelerating improvements in systems and education management. Capacity-building - through interventions to, inter-alia, improve EMIS, teacher management, the establishment of a NLA and the empowerment of communities through construction initiatives – will provide the link between emergency reconstruction and the improvement of the system as a whole. Quick and demonstrable wins, in the context of longer-term change, also help to build morale and momentum, and can help to insulate projects from the effects of political instability and changes in senior personnel. 98. Coordinated communication across units in the early stages of project implementation is critical to identifying and rectifying early challenges and delays. Implementation and development 24 objectives will be revisited frequently to assess progress and to allow implementation units to diagnose problems quickly and institute change on a timely basis, where necessary. Sustained coordination and assessment of progress on the part of the ECG, with support from the LDG, is envisaged to fulfill this critical role. 99. Ensuring a sustainable and capacitated institutional base – as opposed to a small group of people or ‘champions’ – while difficult to achieve in the short term is more likely to engender sustainable returns in the long run. In a context of political and institutional flux it is imperative to build systems for delivery that can weather a rapidly changing environment. A good institutional base includes several staff and/or units that can handle all aspects of the management of information to inform policy, including budget planning and expenditure tracking, technical inputs and processes and evaluation functions. While very difficult to achieve through the course of a three-year project, particularly in a post- conflict environment characterized by instability, these factors underscore the need to build these core competences. As such the implementation arrangements for the GPE project will seek to transfer skills from the PIU to the MoGE staff through the course of the project. 100. . This approach is a sustainable mechanism, as illustrated by Mauritania since 1990, able to deliver in the most remote locations, and is expected to lower cost compared to previous methods, as evidenced in many countries such as India, Laos, Senegal, Benin. This shift also increases the impact to local economy as well as communities’ ownership on their school. 101. When accountability mechanisms are adequate and when communities are empowered, community-based construction programs are highly successful. The Community Empowerment approach (CE) provides useful lessons learned: accountability is only strengthened if there is a clear definition of the roles and accountabilities of the stakeholders involved, and through monitoring and evaluation and information flows. Empowerment is fostered through community organization, full information, appropriate procedures, and capacity development. Sudan has the means to exploit this model as a consequence of: (i) the dynamic and resilient local communities (ii), the vibrant subsector of small local construction-contractors, and (iii) the new group of young skilled technicians. 102. Community Empowerment can only work if the necessary stakeholders – federal, state, community, private sector, and facilitators – have adequately defined roles and are capacitated to deliver on their mandates. The GPE project makes specific arrangements in this regard to define and empower stakeholders to deliver: (i) the FMOGE plays the strategic policy setting, financing, capacity building and regulatory role; (ii) SMOGE’s are empowered to develop and implement state education plans; (iii) Communities, through participatory forums implement school projects and lend monitoring and oversight capacity to the implementation edifice as a whole, (iv) private contractors/consultants deliver works, supply and deliver furniture and teaching materials, and provide supervision and control services; and (v) NGOs/Agencies provide training services to communities for capacity-building, fiduciary services to channel the funds to participating communities, and information on the progress of the program implementation (see technical note in annex for more details). Exceptions to Bank Policies 103. The project has been prepared under OP/BP 8.00. A waiver allowing the Bank to serve as supervising entity for this GPE funded operation was sought from the Bank’s Board of Directors’ and received no objections as of March 23rd, 2012. No other exceptions to Bank policies are needed at this point. 25 F. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS AND FINANCING PLAN Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 104. Overall Sector Coordination. The iBES is a sector-wide program implemented by SMoGEs with FMoGE playing a leading role. The iBES implementation is based on a three-year sector plan in basic education which was approved by the MoGE in February 2012. The local donor group endorsed the iBES in April 2012. Strong donor coordination through regular meetings and joint reviews, has been the practice since the inception of the education status report in 2009 and through the iBES development process. This coordination seeks to ensure that execution of each donor intervention is consistent with the objectives iBES. 105. Executing Agencies and Implementation Arrangements: In view of the recovery nature of GPE operation and relatively short implementation period of 48 months, this project has been designed to make full use of the institutional and implementation arrangements that are already in place and aims to strengthen the MoGE’s capacity in various areas while ensuring smooth evolving of the project activities. The FMoGE will have an overall responsibility for the implementation of the project and will assign focal staff from its relevant departments/units. This internal technical team will be supported by an additional expertise in areas such as procurement, financial management, civil works and monitoring and evaluation. The additional expertise will be housed in the FMoGE’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU), which, overall, will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project activities, working closely on all technical matters with the Ministry’s internal technical team. The PIU and the assigned by the FMoGE focal staff will constitute a BERP project team. 106. As guardian of overall finance, the Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MoFNE) is accountable for the utilization of the Project’s financial resources. The MoFNE will be a co -signatory with the MoGE on all withdrawal applications. Aside from opening a bank account for the Project, the MoFNE has committed to providing supplemental government financing towards the Project. In addition, the MoFNE will closely monitor project activities under the respective line ministries and state authorities as well as following up on World Bank missions to Sudan. 107. A cluster approach for implementation on the ground will be adopted in order to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services and outputs under the project. Under the cluster approach, the institutional and implementation architecture of BERP proposes a central BERP project team based in Khartoum and up to three Cluster Support Units (CSU) at state level in order to provide close supervision and back stopping at the state levels. 108. Overall, the PIU and CSUs, will be responsible for: (i) strengthening the capacity of the key MoGE departments at the federal and state levels and transfer of skills through specific training and learning-by-doing; (ii) communicating with relevant state MoGEs on all implementation matters related to project activities; (iii) implementation and monitoring of outcome and output indicators; (iv) supporting the targeted States specifically with classroom construction and school grants activities; (v) preparing and submitting regular reports to the MoGE, the World Bank as supervising entity, and UNICEF as coordinating agency (including the baseline and values of specific implementation indicators by component and activity); (vi) resolving implementation issues; (vii) screening and monitoring for environmental and social safeguards; and (viii) facilitating implementation through Financial Management (FM), procurement of goods and services and Technical Assistance (TA) in accordance with World Bank guidelines and procedures. 26 109. Strategic guidance and oversight of the Project will be provided by two established bodies: (i) ECG; and (ii) the project management Steering Committee. Both the ECG and the Steering Committee already have defined terms of reference and have demonstrated their utility in producing the iBES and overseeing the implementation of the BEP respectively. The Steering Committee’s overall role is to support the PIU and federal MoGE’s relevant departments with project planning, implementation and provision of timely inputs, resolving implementation issues, as well as liaising with state level education authorities. The Steering Committee will meet on a quarterly basis and will include state level Director Generals from respective project target states. 110. Coordinating and Supervising agencies. UNICEF is a Coordination Agency for GPE-funded operation, while the World Bank acts as a Supervising Entity and assumes full fiduciary oversight. 111. Fiduciary support. In addition to the procurement staff hired into the PIU, the Recipient will the recruit a qualified fiduciary firm/individuals with international experience to support and accelerate the disbursement process by assisting in pre-screening and making recommendations on withdrawal applications submitted by the projects’ implementing agencies, and unclogging delays caused by capacity challenges in financial management or procurement administration. 112. Monitoring Agent. The Recipient will recruit an independent Monitoring Agent that will conduct physical verification (spot checks) on the progress of project implementation through field visits to the implementing projects to enhance quality and sustainability of outputs. It will monitor the status of compliance with legal covenants in the Grant Agreement and report to the World Bank. 113. Further details on the implementation arrangements are presented in Annex 7. Summary of Financing 114. The MoGE has estimated that full implementation of the iBES will cost US$1,792.7 million, of which it is envisioned that US$1,621.7 million would be derived from domestic resources. This leaves a financing gap of US$171.1 million that needs to be supported through external resources. In this context, Sudan faces two primary challenges: (i) given the worsening economic context, this gap is likely to be larger than initially anticipated; and (ii) donor financing of the education sector in Sudan is dwindling as it has been primarily focused on humanitarian assistance. IDA support is not feasible at this point given the country is in arrears with the Bank. Despite the lack of external resources in the country, the Government continues to engage with willing partners to deliver on the commitments laid out in the iBES in the forthcoming three years, as the first step in rolling out the full ESSP. 115. The number of classrooms to be built through the project is a third of the required 6000 classrooms to accommodate rising student enrollment in basic education. The project seeks to build holistic schools, with classrooms, latrines, fences and access to water. The cost of the component has also been minimized to the once-off procurement and distribution of 9.85 million textbooks in basic education. 27 Components Subcomponents Financing Costs Component 1: Classroom construction US$31.2 million Improvement of the US$5.0 million learning Launching a school grants program environment Improving the policy framework for textbooks US$1.5 million Component 2: provision Increasing the Production, procurement and distribution of US$24.3 million availability of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and other textbooks and learning materials supplementary learning materials Development and launching of the national learning assessment system US$2 million Development and implementation of teacher US$2 million management and monitoring system Component 3: Carrying out of a program of activities to US$3 million Strengthening the operationalize EMIS monitoring and Development of the Recipient’s education US$0.5 million management sector strategic plan for 2012 through 2016 mechanisms of the education system Carrying out of a program of activities to US$7 million strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the Project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project. TOTAL PROJECT COSTS US$76.5 million Financial Management and Disbursement Arrangements Financial Management (FM) 116. Detailed cost estimates serve as the basis for annual budgets that are aligned with annual work programs. During project implementation, annual budgets will be monitored closely by GoS and the Bank to ensure that the resources are used within the agreed upon allocations and for the intended purposes. The Recipient will maintain a computerized accounting system to record its transactions, prepare interim financial reports and annual financial statements that will be audited by auditors acceptable to the World Bank. The audit reports will be submitted to the Bank not later than six months after the end of each fiscal year. Within 45 days following the end of each 6 (six) months period, an interim financial report (IFR) will need to be submitted to the World Bank in accordance with the format agreed between GoS and the Bank. Given the size and nature of activities at the community level, the inclusion of an independent monitoring agent is of high importance. The monitoring agent will be used to verify service delivery and to provide a control measure over the use of funds. The detailed mechanism and procedures will be described in the project operations manual. Disbursement arrangement 117. The project will use transaction-based disbursement arrangements, including advances to the designated account, reimbursement and/or direct payments. The Recipient will open a designated account (DA) in Euro to receive the amounts to be withdrawn from the grant account. The Recipient will also 28 maintain a bank account in local currency in each of the states in which the project operates. Provided it is within the agreed ceiling, an initial advance to the DA equivalent to 6 months disbursement forecast will be released upon effectiveness and replenished regularly through withdrawal applications. The Recipient will submit a bank statement and a reconciliation of the designated account and the project account together with the withdrawal application. For payments above the threshold indicated in the disbursement letter for each disbursement category, the Recipient will submit a list of payments with records evidencing eligible expenditures (e.g. copies of contracts, invoices, and payment evidence). For payments below that threshold, the Recipient will submit Statements of Expenditures (SOEs) listing the detailed payments made without attaching the supporting records. All supporting documentation for SOEs will be retained at the Project Implementation Unit and must be made available for review by the World Bank implementation support missions and Project auditors (internal and external). 118. The PIU will be in charge of managing the project flow of funds in line with the grant agreement, disbursement letter provisions, and the World Bank disbursement guidelines. Payments for most project activities will be made to project suppliers, contractors and consultants. Special funds flow arrangements for school construction by communities and for school grants program are described in the FM annex. Based on the assessment of implementation risk and current FM arrangements, the overall FM risk is “Substantial�. Procurement Arrangements 119. School PTAs/education councils, or their equivalent, legally established entities, will procure some of the works contracts under Component 1, except those contracted through intermediary/ies, e.g. NGOs, and those procured by State PIUs. Procurement will be carried out in accordance with the “Guidelines: Procurement of Goods, Works, and Non-Consulting Services Under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants� dated January 2011, the “Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans & IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers�, dated January 2011, the “Guidelines On Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants�, dated October 15, 2006 and revised in January 2011, and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement. In addition, the provisions of OP/BP 8.00, Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies, and the related Streamlined Procurement Procedures, June 2009, will be applicable to procurement under the project. Based on procurement capacity assessment and experience on the ground the overall project risk for procurement is rated High. Procurement of Works and Goods 120. Procurement arrangements for contracts related to the community approach of school construction will present some differences depending on the two types of geographical location: a) construction of school facilities in urban/dense human settlements and b) construction of school facilities in rural areas and peri-urban areas. Common features for both include: community targeting, small volume of works (two classroom-block and one latrine-block), and the type of contract (one contract for works, one for furniture and one for individual consultant for technical site supervision/control). The school PTA/education council will be empowered to carry out the full responsibility for the procurement and contract management, including payment of contractors/supplier/site controller, and reporting to the focal people in the locality. To perform these new responsibilities, communities will receive capacity- building training as well as fiduciary support from NGOs acting as intermediaries. It is estimated that the Community Approach will involve an urgent preparation of the methodology, tools (bidding, evaluation and contract documents, contract management guidelines, financial management documentation, etc.), and procedures that will require a good part of the first project year, but shall be completed by the start of the second year at latest. 29 121. From the first year and in the following two years, SMoGEs will carry out procurement of school works following conventional NCB procedures addressed to small and medium-size contractors. The Recipient will establish and implement a methodology for a comparative assessment of the progress and performance of the two approaches and distribute the construction workload according to the finding and recommendations of the assessment. 122. The major item in the procurement of goods will consist in the manufacturing of about 9.85 million copies of textbooks, teachers’ manuals and supplementary learning materials under ICB procedures. The bid will be invited by the PIU under the “slice and package� approach and include Lots of size adequate to the capacity of the local printing industry. Minor contracts for school seats will be managed directly by the communities or SMoGEs, depending on the procurement approach followed for the construction of the school. The PIU will also carry out the procurement of office equipment and supplies, vehicles, printing of survey forms and related reports/yearbooks, etc. under NCB or Shopping procedures depending on the estimated amount of the contract. 123. The PIU will also be responsible for the procurement of Non-Consulting Services, consisting mainly in the transport from SMoGEs warehouses and distribution to schools of textbooks and in the transport and distribution of surveys questionnaires. Procurement of Consultants 124. The PIU will procure all consulting services required by the BERP. Due to the procurement workload anticipated during the initial stages of the project, the PIU will contract the services of an international firm initially to assist in all procurement aspects of the project. Consulting services for BERP will include also NGOs for school construction TA to communities and as financial intermediaries for school grants, as well as firms and individuals for various studies, TA and training. Results Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) 125. Framework: A monitoring and evaluation framework has been prepared and discussed with the Government. The results framework in Annex 2 defines the baseline and the targets to assess the progress made towards achieving the project development objectives. These baselines and targets are based on data provided during project preparation. 126. System Under the leadership of the MoGE, the PIU will be responsible for M&E activities, in close collaboration with the other technical staff of the PIU and the Ministries. To the extent possible, the Recipient will use EMIS, supporting the establishment of this robust monitoring and evaluation system which will track sector indicators by the third year of the project. Third party validation/evaluation, through a reputable Monitoring Agent, and stakeholder consultations will also be incorporated in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of implementation and fiduciary performance. Third party validation will assess the delivery of services under the project and data collected by the PIU and State Ministries on an annual basis. Design and implementation of third party validation will be carried out by an appointed Monitoring Agent. 127. Reports A progress report would be prepared quarterly on the status of program implementation and outcomes and include updated data on performance indicators. Analytical work would also be carried out, including on student learning assessments and other aspects of the emergency program such as on the school grants program, school construction, and results-based teacher training approaches. Project timeline 128. The project is expected to be implemented over four years with an anticipated starting date of 30 April 2013 and closing date of 28 February, 2017. 30 Key Risks and Mitigating Measures 129. A “High� risk rating has been assigned to this project. Sudan is a conflict-affected country with a fragile peace process and substantial political and fiduciary risks. The re-emergence of new conflict in 2011, and the risk of contagion threaten developmental progress directly in five states, and could result in resource diversion. The decision on the part of South Sudan to suspend pumping oil through the Sudanese pipeline to Port Sudan will deepen the financial crisis on both sides of the border. The full impact of the emerging fiscal crisis, moreover, remains unknown, and is subject to yet-to-be finalized negotiations with South Sudan with regards to the sharing of oil revenues, with potential spillovers for the sustainability of project interventions. While the country has a history of implementing Bank and other donor financed projects, isolation from the international community through the past 15 years may mean that staff recruited under the new government may not be familiar with donor procedures. This could lead to a slow down of implementation or non-compliance with World Bank policies. Furthermore, the GoS is still in the process of accommodating significant reforms that have devolved service provision (including education), through decentralization, to sub-national units. Ongoing reforms and restructuring, and significant variance in capacity across states, localities and stakeholders to the project could slow down the speed of project implementation. 130. A detailed risk assessment and mitigating arrangements are detailed in the Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) contained in Annex 4. Specific interventions to mitigate fraud and corruption, and to ensure social and environmental safeguard compliance are articulated in Annex 6 (Procurement Arrangement) and Annex 9 (Environmental and Social Screening Assessment and Assessment Framework [ESSAF]) respectively. G. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR PROJECT FINANCING 131. The project will be financed through an Emergency Recovery Grant (ERG). Loan/credit conditions and covenants Effectiveness conditions 132. The Recipient has adopted the Operations Manual in form and substance satisfactory to the World Bank. 133. The Project Implementation Unit has been duly established and the key staff namely the Project manager, financial manager, procurement officer and civil works engineer, all with qualifications and terms of reference satisfactory to the World Bank, have been duly recruited. Dated Covenant 134. The Recipient shall, not later than twelve (12) months following the Effective Date, recruit the Project’s monitoring agent to be responsible for inter alia carrying out post reviews of procurement actions, technical audits of goods and services delivered and works implemented, and monitoring of physical progress of the Project against financial disbursements. Other conditions: 135. Retroactive financing: Withdrawals up to an aggregate amount not to exceed US$500,000 equivalent may be made for payments made on or before 15 December 2012 but before the Grant Agreement effectiveness date to cover eligible expenditures under Category 3 of the Grant Agreement. 31 32 ANNEX 1: DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT COMPONENTS Components Proposed sub-Components for GPE Application Component 1 1.1 Classroom construction Improvement of the learning 1.2 Launching of a school grants program environment 2.1 Improving policy framework for textbooks provision Component 2 2.2 Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, Increasing the availability of associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning textbooks and learning materials materials 3.1 Development and launching of the national learning assessment system; 3.2 Development and implementation of teacher management and monitoring system; Component 3 3.3 Carrying out of a program of activities to operationalize Strengthening the EMIS; monitoring and 3.4 Development of the education sector strategic plan for management mechanisms 2012 through 2016; of the education system 3.5 Carrying out of a program of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project Component 1: Improving the learning environment (US$36.2 million) Sub-Component 1.1: Classroom construction (US$31.2 million) 1. In terms of educational facilities, the main issues to be addressed are the following: (i) global lack of facilities largely contribute to over 1 million children and youth never attending school, 80% of them in rural areas; (ii) huge deficit of durable facilities among existing infrastructure stock: only 46% of the classroom-stock are built with solid walls (2010 SDS2); (ii) very low access water and sanitation: 50% of rural schools have no access to water and 40% no functioning toilets: (iii) long distances between students’ homes and schools particularly in rural areas with negative impact on access, retention and achievements: 52% of rural students walk more than 30 minutes and 17% more than one hour; (iii) overcrowded classes, even in rural areas: 44% of rural classrooms in Kassala for example accommodate more than 50 students. So far, government’s response to address these challenges has been inefficient. Government interventions were based on construction programs utilizing the services of a small number of medium/large-size firm contracts ($250,000) procured by the State administration, or the Community Development Fund, the latter with community involvement to express their needs. Despite the limited scope of these interventions, delivery was slow, due to the weak capacity of contractors and poor supervision. However, other strengths have emerged, and appear to be underutilized. They include: (i) strong communities: despite lack of resources, communities often manage to create/develop school facilities with few resources, in some instances of a high standard; (ii) a dense network of small-scale contractors, so far precluded from past school construction programs, and probably acting as informal subcontractors; and (iii) a large reservoir of civil-works technicians whose qualifications may be contracted by communities to technically supervise small-scale construction projects. 33 2. . The community approach to construction will target approximately 500 rural communities within the targeted states that do not receive large amounts of financing relative to their educational needs, with low educational outcomes and high incidence of poverty. In the context of the project, the term “rural communities� includes “peri-urban� human settlements that may be “urban� by administrative definition but often remain mostly “rural� from sociologic and economic points of view. 3. . The Project will employ both the conventional model of school construction and a more community-driven approach in which communities will be empowered to manage the implementation of their own school construction project. The strategy builds on strengths identified in the diagnostic: strong communities, existing dense networks of small contractors, and a reservoir of civil technical expertise. The approach is expected to be more sustainable in the long-term and harness more capacity to scale up in the medium-term as compared to previous approaches. International experience shows that, when properly implemented, the community empowerment approach may achieve the following results: (i) cost savings; (ii) potential to scale up over time; (iii) efficiency in remote areas; (iv) increased contribution to the local economy; (v) increased capacity at the local level; and (vi) increased community ownership.12 4. The community empowerment approach strategy is based on a learning-by-doing approach. This approach should be considered as the first step of a longer-term learning approach. It should comply with a few strategic features including: (i) small volume of community-projects: accommodating both the range of community management capacity and small-contractor technical and financial capacity; large scale of projects may be considered in a longer term; (ii) priority should be provided to communities that have already taken the initiative to create/expand a school with non-durable buildings. Communities without a school will be considered in the longer term after assessing and responding to eventual demand issues. Community based implementation will be complemented by “conventional� implementation based on national competitive bidding process, administered by the MoGE and SMoEs, for the procurement of school works and furniture. This approach will be progressively phased out when the capacity building of communities reaches the level required to ensure completion of the construction program within the project period. 5. The strategy implies technological choices that are the basis for possible scale-up. The technology needs to: (i) be a “classic� one, i.e. well known by small contractors, (ii) easy to improve through simple adaptations, (iii) avoid radical technological innovations, (iv) use construction materials easily available on local markets; (v) be tolerant for errors. These requirements are similar to these provided by the Word Bank, in its Handbook: that draws on lessons learned through recent international reconstruction interventions. 6. A School Construction Strategy Document will be developed by the MoGE during the course of the project, drawing on lessons learned from comparable projects, utilizing participatory construction methods. The document will include the following: (i) a stock-taking exercise documenting lessons learned from past and current experiences, (ii) norms and standards necessary to achieving EFA, (ii) standard design specifications for facilities for the short-term and for the medium term perspectives; (iii) participatory planning processes; (iv) implementation arrangements through community- empowerment; (v) flow of funds; (vi) capacity building approach, method and tools; (vii) monitoring system and tools, (viii) communication and transparency, and (ix) evaluation mechanisms . 12 School Construction Strategies for Universal Primary Education in Africa. Should Communities Be Empowered to Build Their Schools? The Word Bank, Fast Track Initiative, 2009. 13 Safer Homes, Stronger Communities, A Handbook for Reconstructing after Natural Disaster. The World Bank, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), 2010. 34 7. . Communities will be targeted by participating states on the basis of a demand-driven process premised on requests from communities, with decisions taken on the basis of: a) eligibility criteria and b) priority criteria. Eligibility criteria may include: (i) minimum population in the village; (ii) existence/absence of a school; (ii) gap between the number of school-age children and the number of children going to school; (iii) proportion of non-durable buildings in the school and (iv) maximum ratio student/classroom. Priority criteria may include: (i) population size of the community; and (ii) number of years of a school’s existence without durable construction. 8. . Roles and responsibilities of actors will be, in summary, as follows:  The MoGE will be responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the National School Construction Strategy (NSCS), i.e. (i) norms and standards, including specifications for designs, (ii) planning criteria, (ii) roles and responsibilities of all actors including State- and community-empowerment, (iii) funds availability, (iv) procurement and financial mechanisms, (v) capacity building programs at all levels, (vi) transparency and accountability, (vii) overall monitoring and evaluation, and (viii) donor coordination. To perform these responsibilities, the MoGE will be assisted by a PIU which, for this sub-component, will be staffed with a Senior Civil Engineer and a specialist in Social Mobilization and Grass-roots Capacity-Building..  SMoGEs responsibility will be to: (i) inform and mobilize communities, (ii) appraise communities’ submissions for support, and sign a financial agreement identifying eligibility/priority, (iii) and closely monitor the execution of these agreements. To perform these responsibilities, State Ministry’s staff will be complemented by a Technical Assistant (civil engineer) who will also work closely with the PIU’s experts.  Communities will be responsible to implement their school construction project through financial agreements signed with their respective SMoGE. In this context, each community will: (i) organize themselves to implement the school project and manage related funds, (ii) assess their needs, (iii) submit a request for support and, if eligible, sign a financial agreement, (iv) procure and manage contracts for works, furniture and service of technical site supervision/control, (v) pay the contractor/supplier on the basis of certification of works done, certified by the site supervisor, (vi) monitor the works, and (vii) report upwards and communicate to the entire community group regarding all information related to the management of the school project and particularly on funds received and expenditures done.  Competent NGOs selected by the MoGE will be responsible for: (i) provision of support to communities to help them successfully implement their school construction project, (ii) provide fiduciary support to channel funds to communities, and monitor the execution of the funds by communities, and (iii) report to SMoGEs on the use of funds by communities.  The private sector will provide: (i) works and furniture through small-scale firms selected by communities through open Local Competitive Bidding, and (ii) technical site supervision through individual technicians selected by communities on the basis of short lists extracted from a long list of accredited candidates compiled and updated by the MoGE on the basis of responses to a Solicitation of Expression of Interest (SEIs) 9. During project preparation, an Operations Manual, specifically dedicated to this component, will be developed by the MoGE to provide a description of the community-project cycle and detail the roles and responsibilities of all actors. The draft will be developed incorporating technical assistance with the support of senior experts familiar with the CDD approach. The development of this 35 Project Operations Manual, outlining all the steps required in the CDD approach will be a precursor to construction of classrooms incorporating community participation. 10. . Some immediate information on the new approach will be provided to selected staff through study-tours to countries with long-term experience in community-empowerment to school construction, such as Mauritania. However, the capacity-building (CB) program is premised on a learning-by-doing approach commencing on two concurrent tracks: (i) a pilot phase to build the minimum capacity required to initiate the community empowerment model, and (ii) a Grassroots Management Training (GMT) program to build a long-term sustainable capacity. The CB program is conceived to build on lessons learned from existing programs in other countries such as Mauritania and Benin. In this context, the CB framework will incorporate international technical expertise to assist the MoGE in designing and rolling out of the initial phase.  Pilot operation. A pilot program will be carried out at project start in each participating state. Each of the six parallel pilot operations will be carried out in a cluster of 10 pilot communities specifically identified for the pilot (i.e. complying with the eligible criteria plus a geographical proximity with the state capital to reduce transport constraints). The objective of the pilot will be three fold: (i) to test the draft operation manual, procedures and all related tools, (ii) train the SMoE staff and the communities to become familiar with the new procedures, and (iii) prepare all actors for the expansion of the program. Implementation will be supported by: a) experienced technical assistance from the successful Mauritanian education program through a Memorandum of Agreement between the two projects and b) the Technical Assistant civil-engineer at the state level recruited under the Project.  Expansion program with Grassroots Management Training (GMT). A GMT program will be implemented during the expansion of the program to solidify communities’ capacity to manage procurement and funds. This GMT program will be adapted from past and current programs developed in countries like Benin and Togo, translated, and adapted to the local environment. It will be implemented through the help of international technical assistance paired with national counterparts to encourage the transfer of knowledge early in the project cycle. Typically, a GMT program builds communities’ capacity in: (i) community organization and responsibility management, (ii) participatory needs assessment, (iii) participatory planning, (iv) community-based procurement and financial management, (v) participatory monitoring and transparency, and (vi) maintenance of facilities. The objective of the GMT program will be two fold: (i) adapt the GMT methodology and tools to the Arabic language and train Sudanese GMT trainers, and (ii) deliver the GMT program to participating communities with a view to generating village-based GMT trainers, for further expansion in the long run. The emergence of village-based GMT experts was evident in past CDD projects in Senegal14 and Benin15; where they constituted the basis for affordable and timely scaling-up of projects. 11. . Activities eligible for project financing under this subcomponent include: (a) to communities that have signed a Financial Agreement with the MoGE to implement a project composed of one 2-classroom block and related furniture, 2 latrine blocks, and one water point; (b) with governments for the exchange/sharing of experience and technical assistance regarding Community Empowerment to build schools; (c) contracts with: (i) NGOs selected on a competitive basis to provide fiduciary services, training and technical assistance to communities, (ii) firms to perform a final Beneficiary Assessment; (iii) individuals to provide technical assistance to the 14 See: JSDF-Award Best-Practice: Senegal, Making Community-Driven Development Work in a Post Conflict Environment in Casamance. Japan Social Development Fund, JSDF-Day January 2011. See also: Senegal, Social Development Fund Project, ICR, December 2006. 15 See Benin, National Community-Driven Development Support Project. Aide memoires and on-going ICR. 36 MoGE and SMoGEs to: develop, implement and supervise the sub-component; perform technical audits, and ex-post reviews of community procurement; perform final assessment of the progress of communities’ capacity, etc. (d) of MoGEs staff including international study-tours, training of communities including transport, food and lodging, and stationery; (e) for appropriate logistic/transport and bureaucratic and (f) Operational costs for MoGE and SMoGE to implement and closely supervise the sub-component. 12. . Monitoring of this subcomponent is the responsibility of the MoGE (through the PIU) and will involve participating SMoGE (through the TA-civil engineer) with the support of NGOs. A monitoring system and tools will be developed during project preparation to be included in the Operations Manual. Basic information will be provided by communities through reporting on the implementation progress of their Financial Agreements. Data will be consolidated at the State and Federal level to provide weekly status updates on implementation in the form of simple reports available to top decision makers. Evaluation of the component will be based on six pillars: (i) yearly financial audits with a specific opinion of the auditors on the financial management of communities, (ii) an intermediate (mid- term review) and final technical audits of the construction program, focusing on the quality of the works and the proper use of the funds according to agreed procedures, (iv) an intermediate (at mid-term review) and final beneficiary assessment designed to assess the degree by which each actor has actually been able to perform the tasks given to him/her by the Operations Manual; (v) quarterly ex-post reviews of procurement activities carried out by communities; and (vi) a final evaluation of increased capacity on the part of communities to manage sub-projects. Sub-Component 1.2: Launching a School Grants Program (US$5 million) 13. The BERP proposes the design of a school grants program that will target resources to schools in low income communities, in line with the iBES goal to reduce the households and communities’ costs on education incurred through parental contributions, uniforms and other direct costs. The program is designed to make small grants available rapidly to target schools on the basis of a simple school action plan. Action plans will include a simple situation analysis, and a proposal for expenditure of the grant on priority items identified from a list by the school council. The grant would cover operational expenditure on items such as learning supplies, furniture and equipment, and minor repairs. In the first stage schools will be able to use the grants for purchase of only items on a list that excludes new construction. Payments against the grant will be managed by an intermediary contracted to make payments and account for the expenditure of the grants. The existence of local school bodies (education councils) with representation of school authorities, parents and communities in almost all schools represents a substantial institutional asset that provides a good starting point for introduction of a school grants system. 14. The proposed school grants program to be financed from the GPE will include: (i) selection and contracting of organizations to serve as financial intermediaries and to coordinate capacity-building for the school grants program in each target state; (ii) selection of target localities on the basis of criteria that include low enrolment rates, high drop-out rates and significant gender disparities in enrolment, (iii) orientation of local stakeholders including the locality education officials to the program; (iv) identification of school grant facilitators in each locality; (v) facilitation of each school council/PTA committee to conduct needs analysis and prepare brief action plan and budget; (vi) review and approval of the action plan by a locality grants committee that would include locality education officials and representatives of the intermediary organization; (vii) disbursement of the grant to school committees or direct procurement of goods or services by the intermediary agent on the basis of the action plan and budget. At the end of each cycle the intermediary agent will present a report on the grants indicating outputs and accounting for expenditure. This will be presented to the locality grants committee and to the state grants coordinator for forwarding to the project PIU. The grants program will be designed in close 37 consultation with state and locality officials, and be implemented where appropriate with and through locality offices where school construction is taking place to enable consolidation of administration. However, eligibility for school grants will be open to all schools within those localities, so long as they submit the necessary workplans/proposals and meet the eligibility criteria. The initiative will draw on experience of organizations working in Sudan that have expertise in building capacity of school communities to manage schools and grants. 15. A total of 750 schools covering about 150,000 students will have received school grants through the school grant program, by the fourth year of Project implementation. Initial grants will use clustering of schools for capacity-building and grants supervision. The initiative will build on existing initiatives in school-based grants, and draw on the institutional capacity and methodologies already in use. Capacity-building and grants management costs are expected, on the basis of other experience, to cost up to 30% of the total value of the grants program. 16. Components 1.1 and 1.2 will be limited to selected target states due to the high costs associated with construction and activities to be financed by school grants, and the limited financing available. Further, the school grants program will be rolled out in the same localities as the classroom construction program. Table 2 below shows the differences across states in key indicators such as GER, Completion rate, % rural population, poverty incidence, and probability of school age kids being out-of-school (national average shown in Table 1). Ten of the worst performing states will be targeted in accordance with the criteria reflected in the table below (Blue Nile, El Gadarif, Kassala, North Darfur, Red Sea, South Darfur, East Darfur, Northern State, Sinnar, and North Kordofan). Localities and schools within these states will be finalized within the Operations Manual. Table 4: Selection of States Based on educational Educational and Poverty outcomes (gray areas indicate States to be selected under the Project) Score (difference between state average and average for Sudan) Gross Gross Completion % of pop Poverty Prob of Aggregate Intake Enrollment Rate considered Incidence being out score Rate Rate ‘rural’ of school (age 10- 24) Khartoum 16.6 21.3 34.3 45 -20.5 -6.2 90.5 White Nile 12.8 8.7 10.5 -3 9 5.3 43.3 South Kordofan -0.4 7.3 19 -14 13.5 9.2 34.6 West Darfur 3.7 8.5 15.9 -16 9.1 7 28.2 River Nile 12.2 15.3 15.9 -9 -14.3 1.6 21.7 Gezira 14 11.8 16.1 -19 -8.7 4.9 19.1 North Kordofan -4.2 -0.2 0.4 -17 11.4 14.8 5.2 Sinnar -4.7 1.8 8.6 -16 -2.4 14.6 1.9 Sudan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northern -0.6 11.8 11.8 -19 -10.3 -1.6 -7.9 Gadarif -1.7 -3.9 -13.9 -10 3.6 13 -12.9 Red Sea -14.2 -24.7 -33.6 40 11.2 6 -15.3 North Darfur -0.3 -7 -9.6 -20 22.9 -8 -22 Blue Nile 0.5 -15.7 -22 -11 10 9.7 -28.5 Kassala 0 -17.7 -29.4 -8 -10.2 25.4 -39.9 South Darfur -23 -32.1 -32.3 -2 14.7 1.3 -73.4 38 Component 2: Increase availability of textbooks and learning materials (US$25.8 million) 17. The component seeks to develop the capacity of the MoGE to procure and distribute textbooks, and also ensure that textbooks are being utilized efficiently by the students and that teachers know how to use the books to enhance learning. Given the significant shortage of textbooks in Sudan, especially in schools affected by conflicts and in IDP camps, the Project seeks to provide 9.85 million textbooks, plus associated teachers’ guides and supplementary learning materials for basic education for all schools throughout the country. 18. Studies carried out on textbook availability in Sudan found that in schools fortunate enough to have textbooks, the physical quality of textbooks was often inadequate: books are poorly assembled; not well bound and fall apart within the first year of use; paper quality is deficient, pages wither or are missing, and ink quality is fading. The BERP will ensure timely provision of textbooks of the adequate physical quality and durability by helping the government to improve its existing procedures, guidelines and practices for textbook procurement and provision, including the textbook development, production, distribution, management and monitoring of the use of textbooks. 19. As part of the joint donor efforts to address the issue of textbooks shortage and quality, UNICEF commissioned an assessment of Sudan’s textbook provision system which provided information on the current textbook procurement and distribution practices, unit costs for the procurement and distribution of textbooks and teachers’ guides, identified challenges and capacity constraints, and provided recommendations on ways to improve and strengthen the system. The results of this assessment and follow-up fact-finding missions by the World Bank will help to develop a new textbook procurement, provision and management policy and revise technical specifications for improved textbooks in terms of paper quality and durability, binding, ink quality, etc. An international technical assistance will be brought in to provide support in developing a national textbook policy. All these efforts will help the Government of Sudan to address the textbook demand across the country, especially hard to reach and conflict-affected areas, and move towards sustainable provision of good quality textbooks. 20. The rapid assessment by the project preparation team and the assessment commissioned by UNICEF on the capacity of the local printing houses to produce textbooks have found the local market to be sizable with experience in reprinting textbooks for the MoGE, as well as for commercial sale. However, local printing houses have to import most of the raw materials for the production of textbooks, which has implications for cost. Moreover, local printing houses have limited knowledge regarding international competitive bidding processes and contracting with international organizations. To address this challenge, a pre-bid meeting will be held for all potential bidders in order to receive and clarify questions from the bidders and to illustrate and explain procedures and requirements for international competitive bidding. International technical assistance on procurement processes will be required to facilitate such a meeting. Sub-component 2.1: Improving policy framework for textbooks provision (US$1.5 million) 21. The mandate of the National Center for Curriculum and Educational Research (NCCER) includes the development of both curricula and learning and teaching materials for Sudanese schools. Given its limited authorship and publishing capacity, it is necessary to strengthen the Centre’s capabilities so that it can produce quality learning and teaching materials. 22. The BERP will provide US$1.5 million of technical assistance, in order to help address the capacity constraints of the NCCER in textbook development and publishing, as well as those of MoGE in terms of state level textbook procurement and federal level textbook monitoring. 39 Sub-component 2.2: Production, procurement and distribution of textbooks, associated teachers’ guides and other supplementary learning materials (US$24.3 million) 23. There are currently 15 titles for Math, English, and Science for basic education, which the Government of Sudan requests support from the GPEF to finance. The total number of required textbooks at 9.85 million was calculated based on the MoGE’s 2009-2010 enrolment statistics and textbook supply to be one textbook per one student. The cost of printing the 15 titles of textbooks has been estimated to be US$14.1 million based on the average US$1.40 cost of each book, carefully calculated by the contracted international consultant. Twenty eight percent has been added to the local prices in 2011-12 to account for inflation and instability of the Sudanese Pound. An exchange rate of SDG4.2 to US$1 has been used to arrive at a total cost of US$14.1 million for the printing of the textbooks. 24. The cost of printing the 15 associated teachers’ guides for the textbooks is estimated at US$300,000. The textbooks and teachers’ guides will be distributed to approximately 15,000 public schools16 across Sudan at a cost of US$4 million based on the unit cost of US$1.87 for procurement and transportation and average cost of distributing textbooks per school amounting to US$267 per school. Based on these costs, the estimated cost of procuring and distributing the textbooks and associated teachers’ guides to all public schools in Sudan is US$18.4 million. 25. Given the renewed focus on learning in the country and to ensure effective use of textbooks in the classroom, the training for the teachers on the use of textbooks and teachers’ guides is necessary. In 2008/09, there were 132,000 teachers and volunteers in basic education schools in Sudan. The number of teachers has increased by about 11,000 since then and estimated training costs amounted to about US$35 per teacher. The total cost for training all public basic education teachers in the use of the textbooks and associated teachers’ guides would thus amount to about $5 million. 26. The procurement of textbooks is now decentralized with States being responsible for the procurement process. The fact-finding mission led by the World Bank has identified some shortcomings related to procurement at the state level and monitoring of textbook provision at the federal level. An additional US$900,000 has been allocated towards the monitoring and textbook distribution and utilization. A survey of a sample of schools will be conducted every year following distribution of the textbooks. Component 3: Strengthening the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system (US$14.5 million) Sub-component 3.1: Development and launching of the National Learning Assessment System (US$2 million) 27. This sub-component seeks to: (i) create an enabling environment for developing a national learning assessment system; (ii) launch a pilot assessment exercise that is nationally representative, subject to the security situation that allows for field work, and (iii) develop capacity within the FMoGE to interpret and use results to examine current provisions in the curriculum and textbooks and for the initial and in-service training of teachers. The grant will aim at: (i) setting of clear policies; (ii) creating stronger organizational structures, including acquisition and provision of goods and services (to be specified in the 16 The number of schools benefiting from the component interventions will be updated according to the latest EMIS data available at the time of the development of the bidding package 40 annual procurement plan) required for the carrying out of the assessment activities; and (iii) providing effective qualified human resources, including the selection and contracting of a pool of qualified technical individuals. The focus will be on strengthening or building the capacities of existing institutions (like, inter-alia, theFederal and State Ministries of General Education, the National Centre for Curriculum and Education Research (NCCER), etc.) in the area of student performance assessment through training, learn-by-doing opportunities, technical assistance and study visits to learn from other country experiences in assessment and in quality interventions in education. 28. The Project will seek to establish an enabling context for learning assessments through (a) creating a new system or strengthening existing systems, structures or institutions that formulate learning goals and carry out assessments of student learning, and (b) strengthening existing or developing new policies to use learning outcomes data to improve teaching and learning. 30. As a first step in building MoGE’s institutional and technical capacity in the field of assessment of student learning outcomes , it is proposed to conduct a consultative meeting involving key stakeholders. This is expected to lead to the establishment of a NLA Governing Committee (Governing Committee) that would comprise, inter alia, members of the FMoGE, drawn from such Directorates as Education Planning, Examinations, NCCER; representatives from SMoGE and Sudan Teachers Union. The Governing Committee will serve as a platform for debate and exercise of the vision, leadership and a broader policy framework toward establishing an enabling context for assessment activities. 31. Discussions within the Governing Committee need to be facilitated by international and local assessment experts in determining the overall future NLA system : at what stage to assess students, to what extent or how widespread the assessment will be, what to assess, how frequently, and how to report and utilize the findings. This discussion is critical since it serves to make explicit the purposes and goals of the NLA, how the results will be used and reported – essentially, it lays the foundations for the integration of the outcomes into the educational planning and policy process. The enabling context is important to get right because it is a key driver of the long-term quality and effectiveness of an assessment system and no assessment system is sustainable in its absence (World Bank, 2010). 32. The assessment exercise to be carried out under this component is aimed at gaining an understanding of literacy and numeracy at the end of Grade 3 (the conclusion of the first cycle of the basic education). A modified Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) will be used to assess reading (accuracy, fluency, and comprehension), speaking, and listening. The exercise will also include an assessment of early numeracy, specifically concepts such as spatial relations, quantity and time. It is proposed that this is a sample-based assessment covering all 15 states, subject to a security situation that allows for a field work. It is proposed that the assessment in repeated after a period of two years in order to establish trend data. 33. The pilot of the assessment exercise will be initiated with a preparation phase. It is proposed that a National Task Team (NTT) comprising of members with requisite technical knowledge and expertise is set up to develop a work plan including the design and construction of instruments, and the drawing of a probability sample. A strong technical assistance would be necessary to help the Ministry and the NTT to carry out the assessment. The TA will provide necessary expertise in the organization of testing in schools, supervision of enumerators, the collection of data, and the preparation of data for analysis. This TA will comprise of international and local experts in assessment and will support the NTT in areas such as test design and construction, design of background questionnaires, probability sampling, data analysis and report writing. 41 34. The Sudan Organization for Education Development (SOED) was involved in carrying out an earlier service delivery survey and their experience could be utilized at the locality level for capacity-building of school supervisors in the administration of the tests. Main assessment activities include:  Drafting terms of reference for the NTT and for the TA;  Designing and validating (pre-testing) of the assessment instruments;  Training of teachers and/or other individuals administering the assessment instrument  Administrating the carrying out of the learning assessment instrument in the intended school population and collecting the tests for further analysis;  Imputing data;  Analyzing and synthesizing of findings;  Producing corresponding documentation and protocols;  Disseminating assessment results and facilitating policy debate; and  Ensuring, to the extent possible, appropriate utilization of findings for corrective and/or preventive policy decision-making. 40. The successful implementation of proposed activities under this component will: (i) allow the Sudanese education community to develop a very solid understanding of what an effective assessment system is and the necessary requirements for its sustainability; (ii) initiate an assessment exercise to start building the capacity of the Ministry to undertake assessments and to establish system-level baseline data on learning; (iii) strengthen Ministry’s internal capacity in implementing new and current assessment methods and practices and build a critical mass of: (a) policy-makers who are knowledgeable about interpretation and use of assessment results for decision making and strategic development in the education sector; (b) teachers and/or other individuals administering the test who can professionally engage in assessment activities and are able to spread their expertise within the educational community; and (c) experts in the design and administration of assessments instruments and analysis and dissemination of results. 41. Using the results: The assessment will establish whether and how well students at the end of the first cycle of schooling are able to read and master early mathematical concepts and the levels of support that they receive from teachers, and from the curriculum, textbooks, and other learning materials. A key challenge for the National Task Team is the interpretation of the findings in relation to current provisions in the curriculum (time set aside for the teaching of reading and early mathematical concepts), textbooks (the emphases placed on early reading and mathematics) and teacher preparedness (the extent to which teachers are trained to teach reading and mathematical concepts). Depending on the outcomes of the assessment a number of policy interventions might arise, the effects of which could become apparent in the second assessment exercise. Sub-component 3.2: Development and implementation of teacher management and monitoring system (US$2 million) 42. The iBES outlines a series of interventions to strengthen teacher management in Sudan to respond to the efficiency and effectiveness issues in teacher management. Key among these is the establishment of a system to enable the FMoGE to monitor performance of states with regard to teacher supply utilization and development, and help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the national teaching force. It is proposed that the GPE will finance the development and piloting of this system through a study of teacher 42 supply and demand in all states. The study will establish the distribution, qualifications, age and experience of the existing teaching force, as well as assess work load and utilization. The information will be captured in the form of a database which will become the core of the teacher management monitoring system. Teacher management and utilization indicators, performance standards and reporting protocols will be established for regular reports from each state to be incorporated into an annual teacher management report. The process will be led by the FMoGE with technical assistance support that would bring in the most successful and relevant international experience. Sub-component 3.3: Carrying out of a program of activities to operationalize Education Management Information System (US$3 million) 43. An Education Management of Information System (EMIS) has been established with support from other donors in the past 3 years. These efforts have produced a basis and provided infrastructure for data collection and analysis. However, the system is not yet fully operational and needs some elements of support in order to produce the required data necessary for effective oversight of education activities, or build the statistical base for the deployment of evidence-based planning. Building on existing investments, the GPE financing will therefore, complement the existing initiatives to help address certain aspects of the existing EMIS, namely: a. Clarifying roles and responsibilities within the data collection chain b. Develop a basic system for collection and management of data (ensure credibility of sources) c. Modification of existing data collection tools to more user-friendly questionnaires 44. In addition, the BERP proposes the development of a supplementary tool to ensure availability of required data within 6-7 months of the start of the school year. The supplementary tool- Rapid Results EMIS- will consist of a one-page questionnaire with selected indicators and the use of standard software widely available within the MoGE (e.g., Access, SPSS). For the first year of implementation, data entry will be centralized at the Federal level with one IT person and one data entry specialist per state supervised by a central level IT specialist in order to build state-level capacity building. Sub-component 3.4: Development of the Recipient’s education sector strategic plan for 2012 through 2016 (US$0.5 million) 45. This activity will support the GoS to develop the full five year ESSP by March 2013. The overall objective of the ESSP is to make significant and measurable progress towards achieving access for all to basic education of good quality, and expansion of quality secondary, vocational and non-formal education supported by a strengthened education system. The development of a full sector strategic plan will require the coordination and articulation of 15 state plans within the overarching National Framework to guide interventions across all education subsectors: pre-school, basic education, secondary education, technical and vocational training, out of school (including adult literacy), higher education, and thematic areas. The institutional arrangements formed to support the development of the iBES will also be used to support the development of the full ESSP. The sub-committees of the Federal Technical Committee (FTC), developed during the development of the iBES, will continue to provide technical support to the development of all sub-sectoral plans. 46. The development of a full plan will therefore take into account input and technical expertise from states, civil society, NGOs, and international partners. Support from this component will include state level consultations, regional and national workshops, capacity building and technical support for the development of the ESSP. The Recipient will seek to build on good practices by facilitating state-to-state 43 information sharing as well as exposure to lessons learned in comparator countries with similar systems of decentralized service delivery, teacher management, curriculum development and post-conflict reconstruction. Sub-component 3.5: Carrying out of a program of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Education and State ministries of education to implement, monitor and evaluate the Project, including carrying out financial management, procurement and audits of the Project (US$7 million) 47. Activities under this sub-component are aimed at providing the technical assistance to support planning and budgeting, policy analysis and monitoring capacities within the FMoGE. The Project funds will also be used to build capacities in certain units of the FMoGE and MoGEs related to particular aspects of Grant implementation, including capacity building in civil works engineering, in financial management, procurement and in any other areas that are deemed necessary. A time-bound capacity building and skills-transfer plan will be developed prior to project effectiveness and will be monitored during project implementation. Specific training, along with technical assistance, will be provided in the areas of project management, mainly procurement, financial management, civil works management, monitoring and evaluation. Learning-by-doing mechanisms will be applied as much as possible, especially with regard to the activities related to the community approach of classroom construction and national learning assessment. Implementation of the time-bound capacity building and skills-transfer plan will ensure a progressive transfer of responsibilities from members of the PIU to their counterparts. In addition, the project will support institutional strengthening and learning of the MoGE by facilitating exchange of knowledge through activities such as study tours and conferences. 48. Project management and monitoring. Interventions under the project management and monitoring are aimed at ensuring that Project activities are implemented on time and in a satisfactory manner, using an implementation mechanism that promotes ownership and capacity building within the MoGE. The project will be implemented by the FMoGE which will nominate a focal staff in each department relevant to the implementation of the Project to act as a primary point of contact and a key counterpart for technical input. This internal technical team of the FMoGE will be supported by the additional expertise in areas related to procurement, financial management, monitoring and evaluation. This additional expertise will be housed in the Federal Ministry’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and Cluster Support Units (CSUs) at the state level. The PIU staff and assigned focal personnel from the FMoGE will jointly constitute a BERP project team and together will have an overall responsibility for the project implementation. The PIU, however, is tasked with the daily management, administration and coordination of the project, including project accounting, procurement and disbursement, management of the Special Account, preparation of progress reports, and ensuring timely audits and monitoring activities. 49. The PIU and its CSUs will take responsibility for collection and analysis of data, working closely with counterparts throughout the Ministry. As such, PIU staff will carry out regular supervision missions and mid-term reviews that will track progress and identify challenges. The PIU will ensure effective monitoring through the following: (i) regular field visits; (ii) data collection and analysis; (iii) preparation and submission of regular implementation progress reports and final completion report, acceptable to GPE and in line with Bank guidelines. These reports will comprise all the indicators identified for this project. 50. The component will support and finance activities of the MoGE and PIU relevant to the project management, grant supervision activities and recurrent incremental expenditures associated with the project implementation and supervision from the MoGE and PIU sides: (i) rehabilitation/update the PIU office space to allow for an adequate infrastructure and working conditions; (ii) office equipment, supplies, and a project vehicle; (iii) annual external audit of the project; (vi) translation services; (v) public information support to the project; and (vi) incremental operating costs for 44 the PIU and CSUs, including vehicle and equipment operation and maintenance, communications costs, banking fees, transportation costs, meeting expenses, advertisement fees, representation, and office security arrangements 45 ANNEX 2: RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING 1. The iBES will focus on promoting universal access to quality basic education and establishing a system for long-term sustainability of the sector. The following dimensions are critical for the iBES: 1) Focus on the three strategic pillars of the medium term sector strategy framework: Access, Quality and System Strengthening taking into consideration equity and gender across all three pillars; 2)Focus on service delivery (access and quality) for Pre-School and Basic Education and 3) Reduce existing education disparities across states. Addressing these urgent priorities over the next three years will lay the foundation for a full sector plan, build the capacity of the education system as a whole for delivering on a multi-sector, long-term plan, and reinforce and bolster the developmental gains of the recent past. 2. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to support the Government of Sudan to improve the learning environment in targeted areas, increase the availability of textbooks, and strengthen the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system. Table 1. Project Key Performance Indicators PDO Key Performance Indicators Use of Information 1. Direct project beneficiaries (number) 2. Number of direct project beneficiaries with access to textbooks17 The project development objective is to improve the learning environment in targeted 3. System for learning assessment, at the primary level (rating scale)18 in place Monitor the overall progress on the areas; increase the availability of textbooks; achievement of the project's objectives and strengthen the education planning and 4. Timely annual data production through EMIS Supplementary management mechanisms in the Sudan. Tool 5. Full ESSP developed by October 2013 Table 2. PDO Level Results Indicators Baseline Cumulative Target Value Data Collection and Reporting Responsibility Frequency Data Collection Core Unit of 2010 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 of Data and Reports Instruments Indicator Measure Collection PDO Level Results Indicators 1a) Direct Quarterly and EMIS project Annual Project Supplementary Number 0 0 3.0 million 4.0 million 5.3 million Progress tool/Project PIU/MoGE beneficiaries (number)19, Reports Progress Reports 17 Student textbook ratio will not be included since the baseline is not available. 18 Following the Guidance Note on Education Core Indicators for IDA Countries (World Bank, July 22, 2009), this indicator is measured on a scale from 0 to 4, using the following set of criteria: Criteria STAGE 1 Official purpose of the assessment is to measure overall student progress toward agreed system learning goals YES NO on either one of the two criteria NO Assessment is given to a representative sample or census of the target grades or age levels YES NO Indicator Value 1 0 0 STAGE 2 Data are analyzed and results are reported to education policymakers and/or the public NO YES on any one of the three criteria YES on any two of the three criteria YES Results are reported for at least one of the following student subgroups: gender, urban/rural, geographic region NO YES The assessment exercise is repeated at least once every 5 years for the same subject area(s) and grade(s) NO YES Indicator Value 1 2 3 4 19 Students enrolled in primary schools built by the project. Number of classrooms built per year times average classroom size for 2013/2014 (55.0) and 2014/2015 (53.3) 46 b) Of which Quarterly and EMIS Annual Project Supplementary female Percentage 0 0 45% 45% 45% Progress tool/Project PIU/MoGE (percentage) Reports Progress Reports 2) Number of direct project Quarterly and EMIS Annual Project Supplementary beneficiaries Number 0 0 3.0 million 4.0 million 5.3 million Progress tool/Project PIU/MoGE with access to Reports Progress Reports textbooks 3) System for learning Availability of Quarterly and baseline learning assessment at Annual Project Rating Scale 0 No, 0 No,0 Yes, 3 Yes, 3 Progress outcome data; PIU/MoGE the primary Project Progress level (rating Reports Report scale) in place 4) Timely annual production of Quarterly and Availability of data Annual Project data through Yes/No No No No Yes Yes Progress from EMIS PIU/MoGE EMIS Supplementary Tool Reports supplementary tool 5) Full ESSP Quarterly and Annual Project Project Progress developed by Yes/No No Partial Yes Yes Yes Progress Report PIU/MoGE October 2013 Reports 47 Table 3. Results Framework by component Core Data Collection and Reporting Indicato Baseline Cumulative Target Value Intermediate Output r Unit of Indicators Measure 2015-2016 Responsibilit Frequency Data Collection 2010 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 y of Data and Reports Instruments Collection Component 1. Improving the learning environment Number of additional Quarterly and classrooms, built at the Annual EMIS/Surveys/ primary level, resulting Number 0 0 1,000 1,500 2,000 Project Project Progress PIU/MoGE from project Progress Reports interventions (number) Reports Number of project beneficiaries with access Quarterly and Annual to additional classrooms, Project Progress Number 0 0 40,000 60,000 80,000 Project Reports PIU/MoGE built at the primary level, Progress resulting from project Reports interventions (number) 20 Number of communities Quarterly and Annual receiving school Project Progress Number 0 0 100 300 500 Project Reports PIU/MoGE construction management Progress training Reports School grants program Quarterly and Annual designed and guidelines Project Progress Yes/No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Project Reports PIU/MoGE and operations manual Progress developed Reports Evaluation of school Quarterly and grants program and Annual Project Progress recommendations for Yes/No No No No Yes Yes Project Reports PIU/MoGE scale up school grants Progress program Reports Component 2. Increasing the availability of textbooks 21 Textbook procurement Quarterly and Annual and management strategy Project Progress Yes/No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Project Reports PIU/MoGE developed Progress Reports Quarterly and Number of textbooks Annual 4.25 EMIS/Project purchased and delivered Number 0 0 2.5 million 9 million Project Progress Reports PIU/MoGE million Progress to basic schools Reports Component 3. Strengthening the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system Quarterly and Teacher management Annual Project Progress monitoring system Yes/No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Project Reports PIU/MoGE developed Progress Reports Quarterly and Availability of annual Annual Project Progress teacher management Yes/No No No Partial Yes Yes Project Report PIU/MoGE report Progress Reports Quarterly and Annual National Learning Project Progress Yes/No No No Partial Yes Yes Project Report PIU/MoGE assessment designed Progress Reports 20 Given the project will target rural areas, the average pupil classroom ratio of 1:40 was used to reflect rural class size. Source: SDS Service Delivery Paper 2012 21 Number of beneficiaries under Component 2 is measured as a PDO indicator (see above) 48 Core Data Collection and Reporting Indicato Baseline Cumulative Target Value Intermediate Output r Unit of Indicators Measure 2015-2016 Responsibilit Frequency Data Collection 2010 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 y of Data and Reports Instruments Collection Quarterly and Supplementary EMIS Annual Project Progress tool designed and scaled Yes/No No Partial Yes Yes Yes Project Report PIU/MoGE up Progress Reports Arrangements for Results Monitoring 3. Institutional arrangements: The MoGE, with strong support from the PIU and CSUs, will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation activities under the project. State Ministries will support MoGE with annual and periodic reports. Third party evaluation, through a reputable Monitoring Agent, and stakeholder consultations will also be incorporated in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of implementation and fiduciary performance. Third party validation will assess the delivery of services under the project, assess overall project implementation and validate data collected by the PIU, CSUs and State Ministries on an annual basis. In addition, they will collect data on best practices as well as identify challenges in program implementation through direct discussion with households, schools and communities. Data from the third party will help to validate project data from quarterly/annual surveys and EMIS. These three sources of data will help to ensure that the data collected is accurate and representative of project activities. 4. Data collection: The project will support the strengthening of EMIS, the development of the teacher management data base and the learning assessment system to ensure better collection and use of data for decision making. To the extent possible, data collected from all three sources will support the annual and periodic implementation progress reports of the project and also support the development of the full ESSP. After states are selected for project support, the PIU will collect quarterly and annual disaggregated data from CSUs. Strong technical assistance will be provided to the PIU and respective units within the MoGE through the course of the project to ensure M&E capacity is built in the Federal Ministry. This will include regular training workshops for the M&E unit as well as technical assistance. Output data will be disaggregated by gender, urban/rural, IDP and nomadic as necessary to ensure that the project outputs will reach the most vulnerable groups and beneficiaries. 5. Quarterly and Annual Reports: Quarterly and annual reports will be prepared to monitor the status of program implementation, evaluate progress towards objectives and report on performance indicators. These reports will highlight if implementation progress is slow so that resources can be better allocated to address any challenges. Lessons learned and recommendations will also be documented in annual reports and provide a basis for discussion during joint reviews for the sector. In addition to the annual progress reports, the PIU will submit financial reports to the World Bank supervision mission in order to monitor disbursements and commitments under the project. 6. Capacity Development: Under each project component capacity building and training will support the MoGE, State Ministries and communities with project implementation. Capacity building under the project will include support for training under the school construction component, textbook procurement, school grant development and monitoring and evaluation. In addition to the project operations manuals, guidelines will be developed for school construction and textbook procurement. The capacity building efforts under the project will help to further support and strengthen the Government’s commitment towards the overall education sector through supporting the monitoring and implementation of the iBES and development of ESSP. As described in Component 3, efforts will be made under the project to facilitate knowledge transfer between the project implementation unit and specific counterparts in the MoGE to sustain the gains made by the project in capacity building. 49 7. Analytical work would also be carried out, including on student learning assessments and other aspects of the emergency program such as on the school grants program, school construction, and results- based teacher training approaches. 50 ANNEX 3: SUMMARY OF ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS 1.1 (Classroom construction) * cost per classroom with facilities 2000 classrooms @14.7K per US$29,200,000 (latrines, water) is about $14.04K/unit@ classroom 2.8 exchange rate) Community based school construction capacity building US$2,000,000 1.2 School Grants Program US$5,000,000 TOTAL Component 1 US$36,200,000 2. Textbooks Calculated number of students in 2013 is 5,051,304 Textbook printing US$14,100,000 Total number of textbooks to be procured is 9,855,000 Average cost of each book is US$1.40 28% is added to the local prices in 2011- 2012 to account for inflation and instability of the Sudanese Pound. Exchange rate used: SDG4.2 to US$1 Teachers’ guide printing US$300,000 15 titles of teachers’ guides Distribution of textbooks US$4,000,000 Number of public basic education schools in 2008/09= 15,000 Average cost of distributing textbooks per school = $267 Training of teachers on the use US$5,000,000 Number of public teachers including of textbooks and teachers’ volunteers in 2008/09= 132,000. guides Assuming an increase of about 11,000 teachers since then the estimated total cost of training per teacher is about US$35. Monitoring of textbooks US$900,000 Sample of schools surveyed each year in distribution and utilization all 17 states to assess whether the books have been received and are being utilized Textbook procurement and US$1,500,000 management capacity building TOTAL Component 2 US$25,800,000 Learning Assessment US$2,000,000 *Assume international and local experts *Assume cost of carrying out assessment across 17 states Teacher Database US$2,000,000 support to current EMIS is across 4 years EMIS ($375K per year) US$1,500,000 Current EMIS US$1,500,000 Support to Rapid Results Survey is about Rapid Results EMIS $375K per year 51 Development of full ESSP US$500,000 Institutional strengthening, Staffing costs, operating costs, project management and international TA for procurement advisory monitoring US$7,000,000 services, trainings, workshops, study tours. TOTAL Component 3 US$14,500,000 TOTAL FOR PROJECT US$76,500,000 52 ANNEX 4: OPERATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (ORAF) 1. Project Stakeholder Risks Rating High Description : The Government of Sudan has declared 2012 the “Year of Risk Management : Education�. The MOGE is overseen by a dynamic and The establishment of the PIU within the MoGE will coordinate day-to-day management of project committed Minister, and a team of experienced bureaucrats. activities and work closely with relevant technical departments of MoGE and State MoGEs in the However, government’s commitment to the project, and ongoing targeted states. The PIU will provide guidance and capacity building, where needed, to the focal prioritization of education, could be hampered by an increase in people at the SMOGEs. The SMOGEs (with support from the PIU) will: (i) ensure that project conflict, and the contingent deepening of the economic crisis. implementation is carried out in the targeted localities; and (ii) monitor progress (through regular progress monitoring and reports) in coordination with the PIU. The division of responsibility for implementation of the project, between the MOGE and state ministries could lead to potential - Resp: Client and Bank| Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: misalignment of priorities, duplication, and difficulties in oversight and accountability. Risk Management : Some communities have already been trained in the provision of school construction through donor Communities benefit from the project through the provision of driven and NGO facilitated construction projects, while others will require more targeted assistance to school construction, and through system-wide improvements in realize the capacity required for overseeing community driven construction. Lessons learned from the the provision of textbooks, through grants and systems. community participation models developed through the BEP will be implemented and fine-tuned for Community-driven construction could be hampered by a lack of communities unfamiliar with the new model of construction. In situations where capacity building is ownership, or investment on the part of affected populations. ineffectual, or where non-community related factors (weather, or conflict, for example) preclude the use of community driven construction, conventional procurement methods will be utilized. - Resp: Partners | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: Escalating conflict could impact donor-government and donor- Risk Management : donor relations. Effective implementation of the project and the achievement of the PDO are not dependent on additional sources of donor funds, and consequently it is well insulated from changes to donor engagement. Institutionalization of established donor support and coordination through the LDG and ECG to ensure that each donor operation is consistent with the iBES and the development of the ESSP. - Resp: Partners | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: 2. Implementing Agency Risks (including fiduciary) 2.1 Capacity Rating: High Description: Risk Management : In light of the urgency of the situation, and the relatively short project implementation cycle, the project The MOGE has limited experience in implementing WB design makes full use of the institutional and implementation arrangements already in place and in use projects. The scale of the intervention is significantly larger than under the auspices of the multi-donor trust funded BEP. An advantage of this model is that it retains any donor assisted education project to date and will require existing knowledge of Bank procedures, and a continuum of institutional memory, as well as allowing capacity to be built for project management in line with Bank for the recruitment of additional competencies within a short period of time. The capacity of the existing 53 procedures. BEP PIU will be strengthened through technical assistance from the Bank, where necessary, and through the inclusion of experienced personnel and the development of staff skills to cover the core functional areas of implementation: project management and coordination, financial management, procurement, textbooks, civil works and supervision, monitoring. At the behest of the Minister, the PIU will incorporate a Technical Support Unit (TSU) and M&E unit. It is envisioned that these units will be capacitated to oversee the technical and M&E activities of all donor funded projects, with benefits for the project under discussion, while building the capacity of the MOGE as a whole. - Resp: Bank and Client| Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2013 | Status: Risk Management : Community driven construction within the project draws on lessons learned from CDF and BEP, and Construction activities are similar to those undertaken under the NGO-supported initiatives (Plan Sudan and Save the Children). The design of the community driven BEP, but increased scale and the involvement of communities construction component clearly defines the necessary capacity required within communities, and the could lead to slow delivery. The establishment of capacity to roles that will be assigned to them. Building the capacity of project implementation staff to effectively administer procurement of textbooks, and pedagogical content draw on the expertise of communities, and channel their participation into productive implementation is could hamper the rapidity of textbook distribution. Supply given particular attention. The project design also incorporates alternative mechanisms for procurement chains in rural and conflict affected areas could undermine and construction for instances wherein communities are incapable of fulfilling their role. distribution and service delivery. Funds for school construction and the grants program will be channeled by the PIU to communities in the form of grants using existing intermediaries, with a proven track record in financial management, already active in the field. The project will draw on the expertise of a number of entities already active in this area (such as Care, Oxfam, Plan Sudan, Save the Children.) will monitor community use of funds and report to the states and PIU. Selection of intermediaries will be competitive and take into account geographical implementation capacity. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2013 | Status: The time required to establish capacity to administer procurement of textbooks, and pedagogical content could Capacity building, and the assignment of technical staff to oversee these areas is taken into account hamper textbook distribution. Supply chains in rural and conflict affected areas could undermine distribution and service delivery. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2013 | Status: 2.2 Governance Rating: High Description: Risk Management : A simple project design, in conjunction with measures to build the systems capacity of the MOGE Significant management, oversight and implementation capacity through the course of the iBES should help to ensure effective and on-schedule project supervision. By weakness is evident at both federal and state level (with highly building upon the existing PIU associated with the BEP, the project team and client will retain a team 54 variable capacity in states), increasing the chance of experienced in overseeing Bank projects. Where necessary, the PIU will be strengthened to ensure it implementation inefficiencies, poor quality control, etc. The retains the skills necessary for effective implementation in line with the mandate of the unit. Aspects of extensive flow of funds to decentralized and remote locations the PIU (specifically M&E and project coordination) will be replicated in affected states, with focal adds to the control risks. people designated in State Ministries to smooth communications and channel oversight of state implementation activities. Bank accounts will be used for channeling funds to communities to minimize the risk of handling cash. Selected NGOs will train communities (education councils/other) on managing, keeping records and reporting on funds use. Some communities already managed bank accounts for community contributions to projects under other MDTF projects. The independent reviews, the social accountability tools and public dissemination of financial information should reduce the risks of funds misuse. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2012| Status: Prep Risk Management : Close supervision by the ECG, LDG, World Bank and partners with regard to technical support and the establishment of the PIU should help to mitigate and address problems as they arise - Resp: Bank and partners | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Throughout| Status: Complete Risk Management : Integral to the project is the use of a rapid results EMIS assessment instrument to extract critical data, in Data collection and information management in the MOGE is lieu of a fully functional EMIS. The rapid results EMIS assessment will be deployed through each year weak with the potential to undermine oversight and the tracking of the project to enable effective M&E as well as to track progress implementation and outcomes of implementation and outcomes. The absence of a fully associated with the intervention. A contingent benefit of the rapid assessment is that it will build functional EMIS prevents a holistic assessment of the system as capacity and experience on the ground and assist with the development of a fully functional EMIS a whole. system. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2012 | Status: Prep 3 Project Risks 3.1 Design Rating: High Description: Risk Management : The project is designed to address recovery in the context of an All relevant stakeholders were consulted at the design stage to avoid confusion/ensure clarity amongst all emergency according to a short overall implementation timeline, parties involved. The PIU retains experience in overseeing education and construction interventions in and in line with strict interim deadlines. Delays in procurement, line with Bank procedures. Additional training of PIU, ministerial directorate staff, state officials as well capacity building, and the development of methodologies have as communities in WB procedures and approach should reduce risk. M&E capacity will be strengthened the potential to negatively affect aspects of implementation to support efficient project implementation. Regular oversight and supervision from the Bank team, as and/or disbursement, and result in significant delays. well as assistance from the LDG and ECG, should help to address bottlenecks and backlogs when and where they occur Resp: Client and Bank | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: Progress The need for urgent implementation will require working with different stakeholders and could lead to slow down of project Risk Management : implementation due to their inexperience in implementing WB A comprehensive communications plan will be implemented to ensure stakeholder engagement and 55 projects; communities might not be trained enough to take on commitment to the program; early consultations with concerned UN agencies and internal WB community approach for school construction; some UN departments to start discussions about possible waivers where needed. agencies have comparative advantage but require exceptions to certain WB policies, which could also delay project - Resp: Bank, Partners and PIU | Stage: Prep| Due Date : | Status: implementation. Given limited funds, there may be a risk that the most needy areas are not the ones targeted to receive project support. New or escalating conflict could hamper delivery in specific Risk Management : areas, and result in slow delivery or abandonment of aspects of Continued interaction between partners and the government through the LDG and ECG should establish the project. capacity for rapid interventions where conflict-related problems arise. - Resp: Bank and Partners | Stage: Ongoing | Due Date : Throughout | Status: Progress 3.2 Social & Environmental Rating: High Description: Risk Management : The project is designed to address infrastructural backlogs, and Construction design follows technical standards premised on international best practice. Close delivery of educational services to marginal and needy monitoring of safeguards during implementation. Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) or Abbreviated communities. No resettlement activities are expected Resettlement Action Plans (ARAPs), for the specific subprojects will be prepared where necessary. The through the course of the project. However land acquisition Public Notice concerning the ESSAF will be published in-country and will be made available to the may be necessary depending on school site selection. public prior to project negotiations. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: Prep Risk Management : Employment opportunities within the sub-project areas will be targeted to the extent possible, communities and households Appropriate staffing of PIU with social and environmental oversight capacity and training of these staff. affected by the financial crisis. All consultations with local To assist in this capacity-building, and to provide subsequent guidance and review of the ESSAF’s communities or beneficiaries will be conducted to elicit the application, the World Bank environmental and social safeguard specialists in the project task team will views of the male and female population. provide guidance to the PIU. During supervision of operations, the World Bank will assess the implementation of the ESSAF, and recommend additional strengthening, if required. Environmental assessments and social studies will be implemented as required by the World Bank safeguard policies. - Resp: Client | Stage: Prep| Due Date : | Status: Prep 3.3 Program & Donor Rating: Moderate Description: Risk Management : Renewed or escalating conflict has the potential to negatively Regular coordination through the LDG and ECG and information sharing should mitigate the risk of affect donor relationships with the GoS. However the project poor communication and the potential for duplication between partners. The ECG should deepen 56 itself is not dependent on allocations from other donors, and as a relations between government and partners and strengthen donor harmonization and reduce risk. consequence the PDO is insulated by donor fatigue. - Resp: Partners and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: Progress Institutionalization of established donor support and coordination through the LDG and ECG to ensure that each donor operation is consistent with the iBES and the development of the ESSP, and should ensure continuity and sustainability of donor engagement after the completion of the project. Non-traditional partners, however (Qatar Foundation etc.) are implementing extensive projects without recourse to the LDG and ECG and maintain separate channels of communication with government. 3.4 Delivery Monitoring & Sustainability Rating: High Description: Risk Management : Management and planning capacity within the MOGE remains Component three of the project specifically addresses critical issues relating to the capacity of the weak, with the potential to undermine and sustain gains MOGE to sustain and build upon project outcomes, through the strengthening of key management associated with the project. capacities of the federal and state ministries of education; developing and launching a national learning assessment; establishing a system to enable the MoGE to monitor teacher supply utilization and development; strengthening the EMIS and developing the full ESSP 2012-2016. - Resp: Bank and Client | Stage: Prep | Due Date : | Status: Progress Risk Management : Weaknesses in data management and analysis, as well as the The integration of a rapid results EMIS assessment tool into the project design will ensure that the PIU decentralization of delivery, could result informational delays has sufficient data to effectively monitor implementation and outcomes associated with the project. The for the PIU. project includes specific measures to increase capacity in M&E and data collection. The project specifically addresses issues relating to building sustainable capacity for textbook distribution and the administration of learning assessments. - Resp: Bank, Client and PIU | Stage: Prep | Due Date : Year End 2012| Status: Progress Donor fatigue as a consequence of increased conflict, or a renewed war, as well as the channeling of government resources Risk Management : away from service provision in light of conflict has the potential Ongoing dialogue with the government through the LDG, ECG and other donor-to-government entities to critically undermine the sustainability of benefits associated should help to mitigate the impact of a potential escalation in conflict on the education sector. with the project, and support to the education sector. - Resp: Partners and GoS | Stage: Complete | Due Date : Project Duration| Status: 57 4. Overall Risk Rating: High 4.1 Implementation Risk Rating: The overall implementation risk rating for the project is high given the overall capacity and data constraints. Comments: 58 ANNEX 5: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND DISBURSEMENT ARRANGEMENTS 1. The objective of this assessment is to determine whether the implementing entity has acceptable financial management arrangements, which can ensure: (1) the Project funds are used only for the intended purposes in an efficient and economic way, (2) the preparation of accurate, reliable and timely periodic financial reports, and (3) the safeguarding of the Project’s assets . The financial management arrangements discussed below satisfy the Bank minimum requirements and can provide, with reasonable assurance, accurate and timely information on the progress of project implementation. 2. The Project design includes some non-traditional activities that entail the establishment of special financial management arrangements to accommodate the associated risks. These are mainly the activities of the subcomponents involving school construction by communities and the school grants program. As a result, social accountability arrangements will be of high importance. Public dissemination of information at the community level will be used to enable community oversight in addition to the hiring of an independent monitoring agent to verify service delivery and to provide a control measure over the use of funds as discussed below. The project operations manual will lay down a detailed description of these procedures and the controls around them. Budgeting: 3. Preliminary budget has already been prepared. Detailed cost estimates, once completed, will serve as the basis for annual budgets that are aligned with the annual work programs. The different steps of budget process (preparation, discussion, execution and monitoring) will be detailed in the operations manual. During the project implementation, annual budgets will be monitored closely by GoS and the Bank to ensure that the project resources are used within the agreed upon allocations and for the intended purposes. Budget information will be disclosed to beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Accounting: 4. The Recipient will maintain a computerized accounting system to record its transactions, prepare interim financial reports and annual financial statements. The books of accounts for the project will be maintained on double-entry bookkeeping principles. Commitments will be monitored and tracked to ensure that a full picture for the projects is available. This will cover all sources of project financing, all transactions and utilization of said funds. All supporting documents will be kept at the PIU. Direct disbursements made by the World Bank will be included in the project accounting system. Funds received from different sources would be identified separately and reflected in project accounts, interim financial reports and annual financial statements. 5. Project-related transactions and activities are distinguished at the data-capture stage. A Chart of Accounts for the project will be developed which shall conform to the classification of expenditures and sources of funds of the project. The Chart of Accounts should allow data to be captured in a manner to facilitate financial reporting of project expenditures by: (i) project components; (ii) subcomponents, and (iii) contracts. Internal Control: 6. Internal control comprises the whole system of control, financial or otherwise, established by management in order to (a) carry out the project activities in an orderly and efficient manner, (b) ensure adherence to policies and procedures and (c) safeguard the assets of the project and secure as far as possible the completeness and accuracy of the financial and other records. 59 7. The PIU will set up an acceptable internal control system which should help the management of the project in achieving the development objectives in orderly and efficient manner. Thus, the main focus of the internal control is placed on the following: (i) Segregation of duties, (ii) Physical control of assets, (iii) Authorization and approval, (iv) Clear channels of command, (v) Arithmetic and accounting accuracy, (vi) Integrity and performance of staff at all levels, (vii) Supervision. Given the diversified and remote project locations, ex ante reviews are unlikely to be practical or feasible. Accordingly, ex post audits and social audits are crucial. The project operations manual (POM) will provide more details on this front. Disbursement Arrangements 8. The proceeds of the Grant would be disbursed in accordance with the traditional disbursement procedures of the Bank and will be used to finance project activities through the disbursement procedures currently used: i.e. Direct Payment, Advances, Reimbursement and Special Commitment.. Replenishment and Reimbursement Withdrawal Applications will be accompanied by Statement of Expenditures (SOEs) in accordance with the procedures described in the Disbursement Letter and the Bank's "Disbursement Guidelines". Interim Unaudited Financial Reports and Annual Financial Statements will be used as a financial reporting mechanism and not for disbursement purposes. The minimum application size for direct payment and reimbursement will be the equivalent of 20% of the Advance ceiling amount. The Bank will honor eligible expenditures completed, services rendered and delivered by the Project closing date. A four months' grace period will be granted to allow for the payment of any eligible expenditure incurred before the Grant Closing Date. Designated Account 9. Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will open a segregated Designated Account at a Financial Institution acceptable to the Bank in Euros to cover Grant' shares of eligible project expenditures. The Ceiling of the Designated Account would be 10% of the Grant's amount. PIU will be responsible for submitting monthly replenishment applications with appropriate supporting documentation. Sub Accounts: 10. The Project will also maintain a bank account in local currency en each of the states in which the project operates. Provided it is within the agreed ceiling. Payments from the sub-accounts can be replenished as disbursements occur and proper supporting documents are filed. The Recipient is responsible for bearing all risks associated with foreign exchange fluctuations when making transfers from the Designated Account which is denominated in Euros to the sub-account denominated in local currency. At the end of the project, any unused balances in the sub-accounts should be deposited to the related Designated Accounts, including any balance in local currency which should be converted to Euros. Statement of Expenditures - SOEs: 11. Necessary supporting documents will be sent to the Bank in connection with contracts that are above the prior review or the SOE thresholds, except for expenditures under Contracts with an estimated value of: (a) US$ 300,000 or less for works. (b) US$ 200,000 for goods; (c) US$ 100,000 or less for Consulting Firms; (d) US$ 50,000 or less for Individual Consultants, as well as school grants program, incremental operating costs and training, which will be claimed on the basis of SOEs. The documentation supporting expenditures will be retained at respective Project Implementation Unit and will be readily accessible for review by the external auditors and periods Bank supervision missions. Flow of Funds: 60 12. The PIU will be in charge of managing the project flow of funds in line with the grant agreement covenants, disbursement letter provisions, and the World Bank disbursement guidelines. Payments for most project activities will be made using bank checks or transfers to contractors/suppliers. The following activities, however, will entail special flow of funds arrangements as follows: - School construction by Communities: Bank accounts will be opened by communities at the nearest available bank. The PIU will transfer an advance equal to half of the community entitlement to start the construction works. The second half will be released against two requirements. These are reporting on expenditures using an agreed simple report format and the review of physical progress by a project representative. Where a competent NGO can be recruited, funds will be channeled through the NGO which will also monitor the execution and support the reporting requirements. - School Grants: Since this component will be managed by an intermediary entity (likely to be NGO), the funds will be channeled through that entity. Financing will be made to the NGO in tranches against progress and financial reports. Based on approved action plans and budget, NGOs will release payments to school committees or make direct purchase on behalf of the committee in accordance with the agreed plan. 13. E – Disbursement: The World Bank has introduced the e-Disbursement to its supported projects. Under e-Disbursement, all transactions will be conducted and associated supporting documents scanned and transmitted on line through the Bank’s Client Connection system. The use of e-Disbursement functionality will streamline online payment processing to (i) avoid common mistakes in filling out WAs; (ii) reduce the time and cost of sending WAs to the Bank; and (iii) expedite the Bank processing of disbursement requests. Financial Reporting: 14. The PIU will produce Interim Financial Reports (IFRs) on semi-annual basis to be submitted to the World Bank no later than 45 days after the end of six months. At a minimum, the financial reports must include the sources and uses of funds, expenditures by main expenditure classifications, beginning and ending cash balances and six months cash forecast. In order to consolidate the project report, the PIU will depend on the NGOs financial reports on the school grants component. Auditing: 15. The project accounts and operations will be audited by the Auditor General of Sudan according to International Standards on Auditing. Annual audit report and financial statements, along with management letter, will be submitted to the World Bank no later than six months after the end of each fiscal year. At the time of conducting this assessment, there are no overdue audit reports in Sudan portfolio. 16. Due to the difficulty and high cost required to cover the project activities in a large number of remote locations, the financial audit will be complemented by social accountability mechanisms as discussed in the following section. The financial audit, however, should test the operation of the accountability mechanisms employed at the community level. Transparency, Governance and Accountability 17. Given the size and nature of activities at the community level, the social accountability arrangements are of special importance. Accordingly, public dissemination of information at the 61 community level and community oversight will be used to verify service delivery and to provide a control measure over the use of funds. The minimum required arrangements include: - Funds received and their use will be publicly disseminated to the community through notice boards and/or leaflets. - Use of pictorial messages on community signboards. - Clear protocol of sanctions for misuse of funds is determined, applied and well publicized. 18. The detailed mechanism and procedures will be described in the project operations manual. Supervision Plan: 19. Based on the preliminary financial management assessment of the project, the Bank’s FM supervision frequency during the first year of project implementation will be three times to ensure that the funds are used for the intended purposed and also provide support as needed. The frequency of supervision can later be adjusted based on the assessed risk. 62 ANNEX 6: PROCUREMENT ARRANGEMENTS A. General 1. Procurement for the proposed project would be carried out in accordance with the World Bank’s “Guidelines: Procurement of Goods, Works, and Non-Consulting Services Under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants� dated January 2011; “Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans & IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers� dated January 2011; “Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants�, dated October 15, 2006 and revised in January 2011( the Anti Corruption Guidelines); and the provisions stipulated in the Legal Agreement. In addition, the provisions of OP/BP 8.00, Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies, and the related Streamlined Procurement Procedures, June 2009, will be applicable to procurement under the project. The general various items under different expenditure category are described below. For each contract to be financed by the Grant, the different procurement methods or consultant selection methods, the need for prequalification, estimated costs, prior review requirements, and time frame are agreed between the Borrower and the Bank project team in the Procurement Plan. The Procurement Plan will be updated at least annually or as required to reflect the actual project implementation needs and improvements in institutional capacity. 2. National Competitive Bidding (NCB) would be carried out in accordance with the country’s procurement system acceptable by IDA and provided that key principles such as economy, transparency, efficiency and fair competition in line with IDA’s Guidelines are respected. Otherwise, IDA’s SBD will be used with the necessary adaptation. 3. In particular, the following provisions shall apply to NCB and be included in the Grant Agreement: a) Goods estimated to cost less than US$500,000 per contract and works estimated to cost less than US$5,000,000 per contract may be procured under contracts awarded on the basis of national competitive bidding (NCB) in accordance with procedures acceptable to IDA which shall inter alia ensure the following: Participation in bidding: b) Government-owned enterprises in Sudan shall be eligible to participate in bidding only if they can establish that they are legally and financially autonomous, operate under commercial law, and are not a dependent agency of Sudan. c) Foreign bidders shall be eligible to participate under the same conditions as local bidders. In particular, no preference over foreign bidders shall be granted to local bidders in bid evaluation. Advertising; time for bid preparation d) Invitations to bid shall be advertised on at least two (2) consecutive days in a local newspaper of wide circulation, and prospective bidders shall be allowed a minimum of thirty (30) days between the date on which the notification appears for the first time and the deadline for bid submission. With the specific approval of IDA, this minimum period of 30 days may be reduced to a minimum period of 10 days in the case of emergency operations. Standard bidding documents Until standard bidding documents acceptable to IDA have been introduced by the GoS, simplified version of IDA’s standard bidding documents may be used with IDA prior approval. In accordance with para.1.14 (e) of the Procurement Guidelines, each bidding document and contract financed out of the proceeds of the Financing shall provide that: 63 e) 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. f) 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. Qualification criteria and evaluation criteria g) Qualification criteria shall be clearly specified in the bidding documents, and all criteria so specified, and only criteria so specified, shall be used to determine whether a bidder is qualified. Bids of bidders not meeting such criteria shall be rejected as non-qualified. The fact that a bidder meets or surpasses the specified qualification criteria shall not be taken into account in the evaluation of such bidder’s bid. h) Evaluation criteria shall be clearly specified in the bidding documents, and all evaluation criteria other than price shall be quantified in monetary terms. All evaluation criteria so specified, and only criteria so specified, shall be used in bid evaluation. Merit points shall not be used in bid evaluation. Bid submission i) Bids shall be submitted in sealed envelopes and shall be accepted whether mailed or hand-carried. Bid opening j) Bids shall be opened in the presence of bidders who wish to attend, and immediately after the deadline for bid submission. Said deadline, and the place of bid opening, shall be announced in the invitation to bid. The name of each bidder, and the amount of his bid, shall be read aloud and recorded when opened in the minutes of bid opening. The minutes of bid opening shall be signed by the members of the bid opening committee immediately after bid opening. k) Bids received after the deadline for bid submission shall be returned to the bidders unopened. Bid evaluation and award of contracts l) A bid containing material deviations from or reservations to the terms, conditions and specifications of the bidding documents shall be rejected as not substantially responsive. A bidder shall not be permitted to withdraw material deviations or reservations once bids have been opened. m) The bid evaluation shall be carried out in strict adherence to the criteria specified in the bidding documents, and the contract shall be awarded to the qualified bidder offering the lowest evaluated and substantially responsive bid. n) A bidder shall not be required, as a condition for award, to undertake obligations not specified in the bidding documents or otherwise to modify his bid as originally submitted. o) There shall be no post-bidding negotiations with the lowest or any other bidder. 4. Procurement of Works: Works procured under this project, would include the construction of 2,000 classrooms complete with latrines, offices, water supplies and fencing. The procurement will be done using the Bank’s Standard Bidding Documents (SBD) for all ICB and National SBD agreed with (or satisfactory to) the Bank. Contracts for works estimated to cost US$5,000,000 equivalent or more per contract shall be procured through International Competitive Bidding (ICB). Contracts estimated to cost less than US$5,000,000 equivalent may be procured through National Competitive Bidding (NCB). However, it is expected that the majority of works contracts will not exceed US$200,000 equivalent and be procured mostly through local contractors hired by FMoGE, SMoEs, or beneficiary Communities as detailed below. 5. Community Driven Procurement (CDP): The majority of works will consist in the construction of classrooms, latrines, water supplies, offices and school fence (C/L/W/O/SF) in a total amount estimated at US$29.3 million. A total of 2,000 classrooms are planned to be built, a quantity largely beyond the implementation capacity of FMoGE and of State MOEs within the implementation 64 timeframe of the project. The procurement strategy proposed is based on a two-pronged approach: (i) Community Driven Procurement under the modality of Direct Financing to Communities (DFC) or Community Contracting (CC) through an intermediary (e.g. an NGO); and (ii) Medium-Small Contractors awarded contract through NCB managed by FMoGE or SMoEs. The detailed procedures, institutional and implementation arrangements, as well as the conditions for the application of the above approaches, are described in the Project Operations Manual (POM) and further detailed in the Operations Manual with particular reference to the procurement modalities. The detailed Project Operations Manual(s) (POM) for the CDD will be prepared by the PIU with the assistance of international experts with demonstrated experience of good practices in other countries hired either from the market or under a TA Partnership Agreement with MoE of countries already mastering such good practices. The POM will be submitted to the Bank for clearance within the first six months from effectiveness. The preparation the POM and of applicable procurement documentation, including procurement plans, bidding documents and forms of agreement, procurement manuals, evaluation forms, procurement reporting documentation, etc. both in English, and Arabic when applicable, and of a model Partnership Agreement will be undertaken by the PIU, with the assistance of qualified consultants, and submitted to the Bank for clearance as a condition of effectiveness. 6. Procurement of Goods: Goods procured under this project would include: office and classroom furniture, equipment and textbooks, printing of survey questionnaires. The procurement will be done using Bank’s SBD for all ICB and National SBD agreed with (or satisfactory to) the Bank. The Recipient will procure the printing of about 9.85 million copies of textbooks for distribution in the schools at the estimated cost of US$25.8 million. Depending on the number of titles and number of copies of each title, the ICB will be “sliced and packaged� into Lots that would provide opportunities for participation by the local printing industry and be attractive to international suppliers. 7. Procurement of non-consulting services: Non-consulting services will include transport and distribution of textbooks to distribution centers and schools, distribution and collection of survey questionnaires, and other services to be defined before effectiveness. 8. Selection of Consultants: Consultants services from firms and individuals will be required in the field of international public procurement, community driven procurement, data collection and analysis, etc. Short lists of consultants for services estimated to cost less than $200,000 equivalent per contract may be composed entirely of national consultants in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2.7 of the Consultant Guidelines. Services of NGOs will be procured for assistance in the Community Contracting through intermediaries in areas inaccessible to Bank staff for security reasons and throughout other States where applicable. NGOs will most likely be hired also as Financial Intermediaries and TA providers for the disbursement of School Grants to Schools. Depending on the number of qualified and interested NGO in the States, procurement through competitive methods or Single Source will be adopted. 9. Training, Workshops and Conferences: The training (including training material and support) abroad and in-country, workshops and study tours, will be carried out on the basis of approved annual training and workshop/conference programs. Detailed programs indicating: (i) the nature of training/workshop, (ii) institutions where training/study tours/workshops would be conducted (selection of institutions and justification thereof);(iii) number and function/titles of trainees/participants; (iv) duration and timing; (v) estimated cost; and (vi) contents of the course, will be submitted to IDA for review and approval prior to initiating the process. After the training, the beneficiaries will be requested to submit a brief report indicating which skills have been acquired and how these skills will contribute to enhance his/her performance and contribute to the attainment of the project objective. 65 10. Operational Costs: Operating costs financed by the Project are incremental expenses, including office supplies, vehicles operation, communication costs, supervision costs (i.e. transport, accommodation and per diem). Operating expenditures will be procured by the Government procurement procedures that will detailed in the Procurement Manual procedures of the project approved by the Bank. The World Bank TTL and FM Specialist and External Auditor will verify operating expenditures. 11. Others: School Grants will be channeled to beneficiary schools through qualified financial intermediaries, most likely qualified NGOs. Procurement of goods, works and non-consulting services will be undertaken by the beneficiaries in accordance with well-established private sector procurement methods commercial practices that shall be acceptable by the Bank, and in any case in compliance with the provisions of Paragraph 3.13 of the Procurement Guidelines. B. Assessment of the agency’s capacity to implement procurement 12. The Procurement Specialist (Consultant) attached to the preparation/appraisal mission assessed the capacity of the Federal Ministry of General Education (FMoGE). The assessment reviewed the organizational structure for implementing the project and the interaction between the project’s staff that will be responsible for procurement (procurement officer) and other entities concerned by Project’s components implementation. The assessment showed that the FMoGE has little procurement experience and acquired a limited experience in World Bank procurement under the previous BEP; there is no a procurement specialist in the Ministry. The assessment also showed that the recently established PIU has not hired a procurement specialist and there are no bidding documents, procurement manual, and procurement rules currently used at the National level acceptable to the World Bank; hence, no special exception may be stipulated in the Financing Agreement regarding compliance with IDA Guidelines, which override national regulations. 13. Most of the issues/ risks concerning the procurement component for implementation of the project have been identified and include systemic country issues as well as issues at the entity and project level. A Country Integrated Fiduciary Assessment (CIFA) issued in May 2009 identified the main issues affecting public procurement at the federal and states’ level: (i) incomplete and outdated procureme nt regulations; (ii) institutional arrangements for procurement function are diffused into ad-hoc committees which do not include procurement professionals; (iii) procedures applied in discretionary manner and discriminatory practices discourage private sector participation to public tenders; and (iv) inadequate legislation, practices and institutions to ensure integrity and transparency of the procurement process. The Action Plan emerging from the CIFA is expected to address these issues, some of which are already being tackled. A new Procurement, Contracting and Disposal of Surplus Act has been passed by GoS in February 2010, but the by-laws, SDBs, Public Procurement Manual and regulations enabling it application have been drafted but have not yet officially adopted . 14. It is anticipated that the majority of the first year of the project will be spent on finalizing the School Construction Strategy (SCS) for the project, including standard drawings, bill of quantities (BoQ), simplified standard bidding documents (SSBD) and forms as well as developing the capacity of communities to manage the school construction process. The corrective measures which have been agreed include the hiring of the senior experts in procurement, financial management responsible for: (i) fiduciary aspects of civil works and procurement of textbooks; (ii) and contracting a senior civil engineer, accompanied by the international TA, who will be responsible for technical aspects of the civil works, including the capacity-building program for communities. The CTC will comprise the following core group of experts; a Communities Training Coordinator to coordinate the capacity-building program for communities; a civil works specialist responsible for the technical aspects of construction program; an M&E specialist to coordinate the production and use of the data needed for monitoring; and XX 66 decentralized GMT22 experts which will be regionally distributed to support State MoEs and Communities in the implementation of sub-projects. Given the lack of such expertise at the national level, it is anticipated that the bulk of the staff of the two units will include locally recruited/appointed staff, supported and advised by experts employed through an international consulting firm. 15. Based on procurement capacity assessment and experience on the ground the overall project risk for procurement is rated High. C. Procurement Plan 20. The Recipient, at appraisal, developed a Procurement Plan for project implementation which provides the basis for the procurement methods. This plan will be agreed between the Borrower and the Project Team at negotiations and is available at the headquarters of the FMoGE in Khartoum. It will also be available in the Project’s database and in the Bank’s external website. The Procurement Plan will be updated in agreement with the Project Team annually or as required to reflect the actual project implementation needs and improvements in institutional capacity. D. Frequency of Procurement Supervision 21. In addition to the prior review supervision to be carried out from Bank offices, the capacity assessment of the Implementing Agency has recommended three supervision missions per year, complemented by quarterly visits the field to carry out post review of procurement actions by Monitoring Agents employed by the Bank. E. Anti Fraud and Corruption Measures 22. The Anti Corruption Guidelines, mentioned earlier are also referred to in the Legal Agreement and its provisions are included in all WB Standard Bid Documents and Contracts for Goods, Works and Consultants’ Services. The Task Team will also ensure that equivalent provisions are included in any bid documents and contracts used for NCB. In addition the Task Team will maintain intensive oversight and will carry out prior review of all major contracts according to the thresholds that will be regularly reviewed and adjusted as needed in the Procurement Plan. Initial set up threshold are detailed in Appendix A to this Annex. The following additional measures will be taken to mitigate fraud and corruption risks:  Training of Recipient’s Fiduciary Staff starting from the project launch, repeated periodically thereafter, and supplemented by on the job training on procedures and methods required to effectively carry out their vigilance function;  Employment by the Recipient of reputable Monitoring Agents to carry out post reviews of procurement actions, technical audits of goods delivered and works implemented, and monitoring of physical progress against financial disbursements and timeliness of payments;  Include a detailed Work and Contract Management Plan in the Project Operations Manual, based on verifiable information, to be implemented by the Procurement Consultant as a task included in its TOR;  Complaints: Establish, implement and maintain an effective method and procedures for the FMoGE to address and resolve in a timely manner complaints received from bidders. Notice on the availability of a complaint methodology, including simple instructions on how to file a 22 Grassroot Management Training 67 complaint shall be displayed publicly in the Notice Board of the FMoGE and of all State Ministries of Education;  Transparency: A public information system will be established by the PIU. Information on public procurement under the project will be published and distributed through available media, including through a projects website with free national and international access. Information published will include at least invitations to prequalify, bid or express interest as required by paragraphs 2.7 and 2.8 of the Procurement Guidelines and paragraph 2.5 of the Consultants Guidelines. By the same token all information related to awards of contracts will be published in accordance to the requirements detailed in paragraph 7 of Appendix 1 of both guidelines. 68 Procurement Plan 23. The applicable thresholds in $ ‘000 for the use of the procurement/consultant selection methods and prior/post review are detailed in Appendix A. 24. The procurement plan consists of contracts for consulting services, goods, and works, as applicable Works 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Procurement/ Review Expected Expected Ref. Contract Description Estimated Selection by Bank Bid/Proposal Contract No. Cost Method (Prior or Post) Submission Completion Date US$ ‘000 Deadline Classrooms Construction (DFC/CC)23 14,700 Communities Post24 Classrooms Construction 14,200 NCB Post25 23 24 Except as established in detailed Procurement Plan (re. Appendix A to Annex 6) 25 Except as established in detailed Procurement Plan (re. Appendix A to Annex 6) 69 Goods 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Procurement/ Review Expected Expected Ref. Contract Description Estimated Selection by Bank Bid/Proposal Contract No. Cost Method (Prior or Submission Completion Date US$ ‘000 Post)26 Deadline Manufacturing & delivery of about 9 million textbooks 25,000.0 ICB Prior Sept 2014 January 2015 Classroom Seats (@300US$/classroom) 600.0 Community Post Printing of EMIS and Education Framework Yearbook (3 years) 330.0 Agreement Post Dec 2013 January 2017 Printing of rapid survey Questionnaires, statistical abstract and Framework feedback report card (3 years) 380.0 Agreement Prior July 2013 August 2016 Office Equipment for Teacher Management database (3 computers + software) 6.0 Shopping Post Development, Production and Distribution of TM Reports 15.0 Shopping Post Printing & Distribution of National Plan (ESSP) 125.0 PIU/Clusters Office Equipment 250.0 PIU/Clusters Office Furniture 150.0 PIU/Clusters Vehicles (One 4WD Station Wagon + eight 4WD Pick-Up double cabin) 300.0 Shopping Prior 26 Except as established in detailed Procurement Plan (re. Appendix A to Annex 6) 70 Consulting Services 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Procurement/ Review Expected Expected Ref. No. Contract Description Estimated Selection by Bank Bid/Proposal Contract Cost Method (Prior or Post) Submission Completion Date US$ ‘000 Deadline Procurement Advisory Services (All procurement except CDP) 1,400 QCBS Prior September 2013 September 2015 CDP School Construction TA (International) 2,000 QCBS Prior tbd PIU and Clusters (3) Staff 4,200 IC Post Revision of EMIS software (original provider) 47.0 SS Prior Sept 2013 International consultant to train and supervise EMIS master trainers in analysis and Education Yearbook production (3 years @50 days/year) 125.0 IC Post Oct 2013 Design of rapid survey software (original provider) 20.0 SS Prior April 2013 Supervision of data entry and data analysis at federal level for Rapid survey (1st year) 32.0 IC Post Sept 2013 Supervision of data entry and data analysis at federal level for Rapid survey (2nd year) 32.0 IC Post Sept 2014 School Grants Intermediaries (NGO), 6 Contracts 1,176.0 CQS/SS Prior TA for Teacher Management 180.0 IC Prior Trainer on TM software 10.0 IC Post TA for National Strategy Coordinator (ESSP) 120.0 IC Post 71 Workshop Facilitator (3 National ESSP Workshops) 15.0 IC Post Design, administration and analysis of EGRA assessment 1,000 QCBS Prior Tbd Non-Consulting Services 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Procurement/ Review Expected Expected Ref. Contract Description Estimated Selection by Bank Bid/Proposal Contract No. Cost Method (Prior or Post) Submission Completion Date US$ ‘000 Deadline Textbooks Distribution to Schools tbd EMIS Questionnaires delivery to SMoE (1st year) 17.0 Shopping Prior Sept 2013 EMIS Questionnaires delivery to SMoE (2nd year) 17.0 Shopping Post Jan 2014 EMIS Questionnaires delivery to SMoE (3rd year) 17.0 Shopping Post Jan 2015 Distribution of rapid survey questionnaires to SMoE (1st year) 17.0 Shopping Post June 2013 Distribution of rapid survey questionnaires to SMoE (2nd year) 17.0 Shopping Post June 2014 Distribution of rapid survey questionnaires to SMoE (3rd year) 17.0 Shopping Post June 2015 72 Appendix A Thresholds for the procurement methods and for prior review Expenditure Threshold Procurement Contracts Subject to Prior Review Category (Contract Value) Method Goods >=US$500,000] ICB All =US$5.0 mill. ICB All =US$200,000 DFC; CC All <200,000 DFC; CC First two contracts per State Direct All Contracting Consulting services, >=US$200,000 QCBS, QBS, All firms FBS, LCS =US$100,000 IC As established by the Procurement Plan individuals = Greater than or equal to … , < Less than …. CQS: Selection Based on the Consultants’ Qualifications FBS Fixed Budget Selection LCS Least Cost Selection IC: Individual Consultants ICB: International Competitive Bidding NCB: National Competitive Bidding QBS Quality Based Selection QCBS: Quality and Cost Based Selection SSS: Single Source Selection DFC: Direct Financing to Communities CC: Community Contracting 73 ANNEX 7: INSTITUTIONAL AND IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS 1. The key entities involved in implementing the BERP are: the Ministry of General Education (MoGE) at the federal level, the State MoGEs at the state levels, the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at the MoGE and Cluster Support Units (CSU) at the state level. 2. Federal MOGE. The MoGE is the principal executing agency of the Project and will nominate a focal staff in each department relevant to the implementation of the Project to act as a primary point of contact and a key counterpart to ensure timely technical inputs. This internal technical team of the FMoGE will be supported by the additional expertise in areas related to civil works, procurement, financial management and monitoring and evaluation. This additional expertise will be financed with the project funds. 3. State MOGE. The State MoGEs will also nominate a focal point to work with the designated Cluster Support Units (CSU) at the state level, as well as MoGE at the federal level and PIU, as necessary, to ensure effective project implementation at the state level. 4. PIU and CSUs. The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) is part of the institutional structure of the Federal MoGE and will house the additional expertise contracted under the BERP. With this strengthened capacity and jointly with the Ministry appointed internal technical team, PIU will be responsible for overall management of the Project activities on a day-to-day basis. The PIU also acts as a liaison between the MOGE technical departments and appointed focal staff within these departments as key counterparts for project implementation, MOGE at the state level and its appointed focal staff, the World Bank, UNICEF (the Coordinating Agency for this Project) and other key stakeholders. 5. With the purpose of meeting implementation support, coordination and information exchange needs at all levels (federal, state, locality), and for ensuring greater accountability and partnership, the Cluster Support Units (CSU) will be established at the state level. 6. Depending on the size of the target states chosen for construction and school grants interventions, up to three CSUs will be established, each responsible for up to two or three states and will be located strategically to allow for relative ease of reach to project target sites and localities. The CSU are expected to play a key role in formulating state level work plans for the project, strengthening partnerships with other projects and programs, providing guidance, support and advice to State MoGE in project target states and ensuring coordination with federal MoGE, state MoGEs, with PIU and across CSUs. 7. The PIU staff and assigned focal personnel from the MoGE will jointly constitute a BERP project team and together will have an overall management responsibility for the project implementation. In this capacity, the project team will jointly plan, implement and monitor activities under BERP’s three Components ensuring proper coordination and sequencing. It will ensure that: (i) project activities are well-coordinated; (ii) roles and responsibilities of the CSU structure and its staff are properly understood; (iii) issues, potentially affecting project implementation are identified and addressed in a timely manner; (iv) the technical advice and capacity building is provided to relevant MOGE staff (at both federal and state levels); (v) necessary project inputs are provided in a timely and cost-effective manner; (vi) project resources are appropriately managed in accordance with World Bank requirements for procurement and financial management; (vii) effective project monitoring and progress reporting are carried out; and (viii) there is a systematic out-reach to various stakeholders to promote project objectives. 8. Thus, the BERP project team will have an overall responsibility for building a common strategy and implementation plan, identifying the key policy and operational dilemmas, options, and building 74 consensus. The CSUs and project staff at the state level27 will be facilitating project implementation and monitoring by assessing and identifying the conditions and circumstances on the ground that are affecting project implementation and proposing viable solutions. CSUs and personnel in the field will have to stay ahead of the curve and be proactive. Their mandate is to be the first to see changes in situations on the ground, emerging challenges, gaps, risks, opportunities and options so they can alert the State MoGE, Federal MoGE and PIU. It also means they should take the initiative and present the PIU and federal MoGE with their information, analysis, and strategies for implementing project activities in a manner that will ensure effective service and project delivery. 9. Specifically, the CSUs and state-level personnel will identify and engage with all relevant partners (at state and locality levels) with expertise in the areas relevant to BERP interventions. In its coordinating and liaison role, CSU and state-level staff will promote inclusion and partnership at the state leveland will ensure that there is a forum and platform for discussing with State MoGE, Federal MoGE and PIU project operational issues of mutual concerns. 10. The cluster approach for project implementation will require sophisticated coordination and information exchange mechanisms between CSUs, state level personnel and central (Khartoum) based project team, among a wide range of partners, and adherence to common practices and policies. 11. The PIU and CSUs will procure all GPE-financed goods, services and TA under the project and carry out, on an annual basis, an independent audit of the project. It will be responsible for monitoring of outcome and output indicators, preparing and submitting progress reports to the federal MoGE and World Bank. 12. Capacity building. Given the current lack of in-house capacity of the federal MoGE to implement a project of this scale and nature, the PIU and CSUs will have the responsibility to strengthen the capacity of the key federal MoGE staff through specific trainings, skills transfer and learning-by-doing. 13. In addition to the capacity building activities defined for community based approach to classroom construction, a time-bound capacity building and skills-transfer plan will be developed prior to project effectiveness and will be monitored during project implementation. Specific training, along with technical assistance, will be provided in the areas of project management, mainly procurement, financial management, civil works management, monitoring and evaluation. Learning-by-doing mechanisms will be applied as much as possible, especially with regard to the activities related to the national learning assessment. Implementation of the time-bound capacity building and skills-transfer plan will ensure a progressive transfer of responsibilities from members of the PIU to their counterparts. The Project Operations Manual will guide financial management, procurement and internal administrative procedures. 14. Fiduciary Support. In addition to the procurement staff hired into the PIU, the Recipient will the recruit a qualified fiduciary firm/individuals with international experience to support and accelerate the disbursement process by assisting in pre-screening and making recommendations on withdrawal applications submitted by the projects’ implementing agencies, and unclogging delays caused by capacity challenges in financial management or procurement administration. 15. Monitoring Agent: The Recipient will recruit an independent Monitoring Agent that will conduct physical verification (spot checks) on the progress of project implementation through field visits to the 27 Some states will not fall under a particular CSU and will only have one project staff reporting to either central PIU or one of the CSUs. 75 implementing projects to enhance quality and sustainability of outputs. It will monitor the status of compliance with legal covenants in the Grant Agreement and report to the World Bank. 76 ANNEX 8: PROJECT PREPARATION AND APPRAISAL TEAM MEMBERS Bank staff, consultants, and partners who supported the preparation of the project include: Name Title Unit Elizabeth Ninan Sr. Education Specialist, Task Team AFTEE Leader Rosario Aristorenas Sr. Program Assistant AFTEE Kaliope Azzi-Huck Sr. Operations Officer AFTEW Aymen M. Ali Education Specialist AFTEE Aisuluu Bedelbayeva Consultant, Education AFTEE Peter Buckland Consultant, Education AFTEE Shilpa Challa Consultant, Education AFTEE Antonio Cittati Consultant, Procurement AFTEE Moustapha Ould El Bechir Senior Procurement Specialist AFTPE Jonathan Faull Consultant, Education AFTEE Mohamed Yehia Abdl Karim Financial Management Specialist AFTFM David Johnson Consultant, Education AFTEE Omer Nasir Consultant, Civil works AFTEE Gunilla Pettersson Consultant, Education AFTEE Ramahatra Rakotomala Sr. Education Specialist AFTEE Evarist Baimu Sr. Counsel LEGAF Cristina Santos Sr. Education Specialist and GPE Focal AFTEE Point Enas M. Suleiman Program Assistant AFTEE Rajan Soni Consultant, Institutional Assessment AFTED Yasmin Tayab Senior Social Development Specialist AFTCS Bedilu Amare Environment Specialist AFTEN Serge Theunynck Consultant, Education, Civil works AFTED Hassine Hedda Finance Officer CTRLA ===================== Daniel Baheta UNICEF I. Education Specialist Louise Mvono UNICEF II. Chief, Education Division 77 ANNEX 9: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (ESSAF) Objectives 1. The Environmental and Social Screening and Assessment Framework (ESSAF) is consistent with Bank operational policies and procedures, investment operations subject to OP/BP 8.00, Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies, and the guidance note for crises and emergency operations for application of Bank safeguard and disclosure policies. This ESSAF provides general policies, guidelines, codes of practice and procedures to be integrated into the implementation of above World Bank-supported emergency operation. Project Component 1 – Improving the Learning Environment, which entails construction of 2,000 classrooms in selected localities, has triggered World Bank Safeguards Policy OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment, OP 4.11 Physical Cultural Resources and OP 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement. This Framework has been developed to ensure compliance with the World Bank’s safeguard policies during the implementation of the emergency project. The objective of the ESSAF is to ensure that activities under the proposed emergency operation address the following issues:  Minimize environmental degradation as a result of either individual subprojects or their cumulative effects;  Protect human health  Enhance positive environmental and social outcomes; and  Prevent or compensate any loss of livelihood II. General Principles 2. Recognizing the emergency nature of the proposed operation and the related need for providing immediate assistance, while at the same time ensuring due diligence in managing potential environmental and social risks, the ESSAF is based on the following principles:  The proposed operation will support multiple subprojects, the detailed designs of which were not known during the combined preparation and appraisal mission. To ensure effective application of the World Bank’s safeguard policies, the ESSAF provides guidance on the approach to be taken during project implementation for the selection and design of subprojects and the planning of mitigation measures;  No resettlement activities are expected in any of the proposed subprojects under this emergency project, however land acquisition may be needed depending on school site selection. If resettlement does occur, Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) or Abbreviated Resettlement Action Plans (ARAPs), for the specific subprojects will be prepared.  The proposed emergency operation will finance feasibility and detailed design studies for these subsequent investments, which will include environmental assessments and social studies as required by the World Bank safeguard policies;  Employment opportunities within the sub-project areas will be targeted to the extent possible at communities and households affected by the fiscal crisis. In all sub-projects that require consultations with local communities or beneficiaries, consultations will be conducted to elicit the views of the male and female population; and 78  Consultation and disclosure requirements will be simplified to meet the special needs of these operations. The Public Notice concerning the ESSAF will be published in-country and will be made available to the public prior to project negotiations.  Consultation and disclosure requirements will be simplified to meet the special needs of these operations. This ESSAF will be disclosed in-country and other public places in Sudan and at the World Bank InfoShop. III. Environmental and Social Screening and Assessment Framework 3. This ESSAF has been developed specifically for these proposed operations to ensure due diligence, to avoid causing harm, and to ensure consistent treatment of social and environmental issues by all donors and the Government of Sudan (GoS).The purpose of this Framework is also to assist the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in screening all the subprojects for their likely social and environmental impacts, identifying documentation and preparation requirements and prioritizing the investments. 4. OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment. Component one of the proposed project entails the construction of class rooms with the minimum package including ancillary constructions (e.g. office/storage space, latrines with washing facilities, water point, and fence). These construction works are not expected to generate extensive negative environmental and social impacts. Given the anticipated small scale of the subprojects, the negative any environmental impacts are likely to be localized, temporary, and easily mitigated through sensible construction management techniques, and diligent management practices. The project is categorized under environmental category “B�. This ESSAF defines the approach to safeguards for subproject screening, and planning of mitigation measures. During project implementation appropriate safeguards documents (ESMP and RAP) will be prepared as required. 5. OP 4.04 Natural Habitats. The proposed project does not include any activities that would require triggering OP 4.04. 6. OP 4.09 Pest Management. The proposed project does not include any activities that would require triggering OP 4.09. 7. OP 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement. The need for involuntary resettlement or land acquisition in specific subproject areas will be known during project implementation, once site-specific plans are available. Therefore subprojects will be screened for applicability of the resettlement policy and any subprojects involving involuntary resettlement or land acquisition will only be approved after preparation of a resettlement plan acceptable to the Bank. 8. OP 4.11 Physical Cultural Resources. The proposed operation is not expected to pose risks of damaging physical cultural resources. Nevertheless, this OP may be triggered on a precautionary basis and proposed subprojects will be reviewed for their potential impact on cultural property and clear procedures will be required for identification, protection of cultural property from theft, and treatment of discovered artifacts, and will be included in standard bidding documents. While not damaging cultural property, subproject preparation may later identify and include assistance for preservation of historic or archeological sites. If these opportunities occur, cultural property management plans would be prepared for those subprojects. This ESSAF includes procedures to handle chance finds, which may be encountered during siting and construction process. 9. OP 4.10 Indigenous Peoples. There are no Indigenous Peoples in the project area. 79 10. OP 4.36 Forests. The proposed project does not trigger this policy. 11. OP 4.37 Safety of Dams. The proposed project does not include construction of any dams or use of existing dams and therefore this OP would not be triggered. 12. OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways. The proposed project does not include any subprojects that would trigger this OP. 13. OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas. To the knowledge of the Bank’s task team, the proposed project does not include any subprojects which are located in internationally recognized disputed areas. IV. Safeguard Screening and Mitigation 14. The selection, design, contracting, monitoring and evaluation of subprojects will be consistent with the following guidelines, codes of practice and requirements. The safeguard screening and mitigation process will include:  A list of negative characteristics rendering a proposed subproject ineligible for support, Attachment 1;  A proposed checklist of likely environment and social impacts to be filled out for each subproject or group of subprojects, Attachment 2;  Guidelines for land and asset acquisition, entitlements and compensation, Attachment 3;  Procedures for the protection of cultural property, including the chance discovery of archaeological artifacts, unrecorded graveyards and burial sites, Attachment 4;  Relevant elements of the codes of practice for the prevention and mitigation of potential environmental impacts, Attachment 5; and  A sample Environmental Safeguards procedures for Inclusion in the Technical Specifications of Contracts, Attachment 6.  General Guidelines for Preparation of Resettlement Action Plan (RAP), Attachment 7.  General Guidelines for preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), Attachment 8. V. Responsibilities for Safeguard Screening and Mitigation 15. The project will ensure responsibilities for implementing and monitoring the environmental and safeguard aspects of the project, technical support to the MoGE and PIU staff in this area are addressed within the overall monitoring and evaluation responsibilities. The PIU will have a safeguard expertise: be responsible for following safeguards issues and concerns; apply the screening checklists to various sub- projects; conducting an environmental and social management activities and ensuring sound implementation of ESSAF; be responsible to develop, implement and monitor the environmental and safeguard tools (ESIA, ESMP, etc) as required; providing training and capacitate the staffs both in the ministry and PIU; conducting regular supervision and prepare progress report and be a focal person on Environmental and social safeguard issues. 16. During project preparation, a Project Operations Manual will be developed by the MoGE to provide a description of the community-project cycle and detail the roles and responsibilities of all actors during the cycle. The draft will be developed through a technical assistance with the support of senior experts drawing on the approach utilized by CDD. The development of this Project Operations Manual, 80 outlining all the steps required in the CDD approach will be a precursor to construction of classrooms using the community. VI. Capacity Building and Monitoring of Safeguard Framework Implementation 17. As part of the capacity-building to be provided for implementation of the proposed operations, the PIU must have a safeguard expertise. The consultant will have the following tasks: be responsible for following safeguards issues and concerns; apply the screening checklists to various sub-projects; conducting an environmental and social management activities and ensuring sound implementation of ESSAF; be responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of environmental and safeguard tools (ESIA, ESMP, etc) as required; providing training and capacitate the staff in the ministry and PIU; conduct regular supervision and prepare progress reports and be a focal person for environmental and social safeguard issues. 15. To assist in capacity-building, and to provide subsequent guidance and review of the ESSAF’s application, the World Bank environmental and social safeguard specialists in the project task team will provide guidance to the PIU. During supervision of these operations, the World Bank will assess the implementation of the ESSAF, and recommend additional strengthening, if required. VII. Consultation and Disclosure 16. This ESSAF will be shared with the GoS, concerned NGOs and other development partners. The ESSAF provides guidance on activities to be undertaken during project implementation for the screening and design of sub-projects and planning of mitigation measures. The Public Notice concerning the ESSAF will be published in-country and will be made available to the public prior to project negotiations. 17. The implementing agency will consult project-affected groups and local NGOs on the project's potential environmental and social impact, and will take their views into account. The implementing agency will initiate these consultations as early as possible, and will provide relevant material in a timely manner prior to consultation in a form and language(s) that are understandable and accessible to the groups being consulted. 81 Attachment 1 List of Negative Subproject Attributes Subprojects with any of the attributes listed below will be ineligible for support under the proposed Sudan Basic Education Recovery Project.. Attributes of Ineligible Subprojects GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS  Concerning significant conversion or degradation of critical natural habitats. Damages on cultural property, including but not limited to, any activities that affect the following sites:  Archaeological and historical sites; and  Religious monuments, structures and cemeteries. Requiring pesticides that fall in WHO classes IA, IB, or II. Drinking Water Supply New or expanded of piped water schemes to serve 10,000 or more households. Sanitation New wastewater treatment plants to serve 10,000 or more households. Solid Waste New disposal site or significant expansion of an existing disposal site. Irrigation New irrigation and drainage schemes. Dams Construction of dams more than 5 meters high. Rehabilitation of dams more than 15 meters high. Power New power generating capacity of more than 10 MW. Income Generating Activities Activities involving the use of fuelwood, including trees and bush. Activities involving the use of hazardous substances. 82 Attachment 2 Checklist of Possible Environmental and Social Impacts of Projects I. Subproject Related Issues S No ISSUES YES NO Comments A. Zoning and Land Use Planning 1. Will the subproject affect land use zoning and planning or conflict with prevalent land use patterns? 2. Will the subproject involve significant land disturbance or site clearance? 3. Will the subproject land be subject to potential encroachment by urban or industrial use or located in an area intended for urban or industrial development? B Utilities and Facilities 4. Will the subproject require the setting up of ancillary production facilities? 5. Will the subproject require significant levels of accommodation or service amenities to support the workforce during construction (e.g., contractor will need more than 20 workers)? C Water and Soil Contamination 6. Will the subproject require large amounts of raw materials or construction materials? 7. Will the subproject generate large amounts of residual wastes, construction material waste or cause soil erosion? 8. Will the subproject result in potential soil or water contamination (e.g., from oil, grease and fuel from equipment yards)? 9. Will the subproject lead to contamination of ground and surface waters by herbicides for vegetation control and chemicals (e.g., calcium chloride) for dust control? 10. Will the subproject lead to an increase in suspended sediments in streams affected by road cut erosion, decline in water quality and increased sedimentation downstream? 11. Will the subproject involve the use of chemicals or solvents? 12. Will the subproject lead to the destruction of vegetation and soil in the right-of-way, borrow pits, waste dumps, and equipment yards? 13. Will the subproject lead to the creation of stagnant water bodies in borrow pits, quarries, etc., encouraging for mosquito breeding and other disease vectors? D. Noise and Air Pollution Hazardous Substances 14. Will the subproject increase the levels of harmful air emissions? 15. Will the subproject increase ambient noise levels? 16. Will the subproject involve the storage, handling or transport of hazardous substances? 83 E. Fauna and Flora 18. Will the subproject involve the disturbance or modification of existing drainage channels (rivers, canals) or surface water bodies (wetlands, marshes)? 19. Will the subproject lead to the destruction or damage of terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems or endangered species directly or by induced development? 20. Will the subproject lead to the disruption/destruction of wildlife through interruption of migratory routes, disturbance of wildlife habitats, and noise-related problems? F. Destruction/Disruption of Land and Vegetation 21. Will the subproject lead to unplanned use of the infrastructure being developed? 22. Will the subproject lead to long-term or semi-permanent destruction of soils in cleared areas not suited for agriculture? 23. Will the subproject lead to the interruption of subsoil and overland drainage patterns (in areas of cuts and fills)? 24. Will the subproject lead to landslides, slumps, slips and other mass movements in road cuts? 25. Will the subproject lead to erosion of lands below the roadbed receiving concentrated outflow carried by covered or open drains? 26. Will the subproject lead to long-term or semi-permanent destruction of soils in cleared areas not suited for agriculture? 27. Will the subproject lead to health hazards and interference of plant growth adjacent to roads by dust raised and blown by vehicles? G. Cultural Property 28. Will the subproject have an impact on archaeological or historical sites, including historic urban areas? 29. Will the subproject have an impact on religious monuments, structures and/or cemeteries? 30. Have Chance Finds procedures been prepared for use in the subproject? H. Expropriation and Social Disturbance 31. Will the subproject involve land expropriation or demolition of existing structures? 32. Will the subproject lead to induced settlements by workers and others causing social and economic disruption? 33. Will the subproject lead to environmental and social disturbance by construction camps? II. Site Characteristics S. No ISSUES YES NO Comments 1. Is the subproject located in an area with designated natural reserves? 84 2. Is the subproject located in an area with unique natural features? 3. Is the subproject located in an area with endangered or conservation-worthy ecosystems, fauna or flora? 4. Is the subproject located in an area falling within 500 meters of national forests, protected areas, wilderness areas, wetlands, biodiversity, critical habitats, or sites of historical or cultural importance? 5. Is the subproject located in an area which would create a barrier for the movement of conservation-worthy wildlife or livestock? 6. Is the subproject located close to groundwater sources, surface water bodies, water courses or wetlands? 7. Is the subproject located in an area with designated cultural properties such as archaeological, historical and/or religious sites? 8. Is the subproject in an area with religious monuments, structures and/or cemeteries? 9. Is the subproject in a polluted or contaminated area? 10. Is the subproject located in an area of high visual and landscape quality? 11. Is the subproject located in an area susceptible to landslides or erosion? 12. Is the subproject located in an area of seismic faults? 13. Is the subproject located in a densely populated area? 14. Is the subproject located on prime agricultural land? 15. Is the subproject located in an area of tourist importance? 16. Is the subproject located near a waste dump? 17. Does the subproject have access to potable water? 18. Is the subproject located far (1-2 km) from accessible roads? 19. Is the subproject located in an area with a wastewater network? 20. Is the subproject located in the urban plan of the city? 21. Is the subproject located outside the land use plan? Signed by Environment Specialist: Name: _______________________________ Title: _______________________________ Date: _______________________________ Signed by Project Manager: Name: _______________________________ Title: _______________________________ Date: _______________________________ 85 Attachment 3 Guidelines for Land and Asset Acquisition, Entitlements and Compensation I. Objectives 1. Resettlement and land acquisition will be kept to a minimum, and will be carried out in accordance with these guidelines. Subproject proposals that would require demolishing houses or acquiring productive land should be carefully reviewed to minimize or avoid their impacts through alternative alignments. Proposals that require more than minor expansion along rights of way should be carefully reviewed. No land or asset acquisition may take place outside of these guidelines. A format for Land Acquisition Assessment Data Sheet is attached as Attachment 3(i). 2. These guidelines provide principles and instructions to compensate negatively affected persons to ensure that they will be assisted to improve, or at least to restore, their living standards, income earning or production capacity to pre-project levels regardless of their land tenure status. II. Categorization 3. Based on the number of persons that may be affected by the project, Project Affected People (PAPs) and the magnitude of impacts, projects will be categorized as follows: (a) Projects that will affect more than 200 PAPs due to land acquisition and/or physical relocation and where a full Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) must be produced. If the RAP cannot be prepared prior to project appraisal, a waiver can be provided by the World Bank Managing Director (MD) in consultation with the Resettlement Committee. In such cases, the Task Team should agree with the Borrower on a timetable for preparation of the RAP. (b) Projects that will affect less than 200 persons require the following documentation: (i) a land acquisition assessment, (ii) the minutes or record of consultations which assess the compensation claimed and agreement reached, and (iii) a record of the receipt of the compensation, or voluntary donation, by those affected (see below). (c) Projects that are not expected to have any land acquisition or any other significant adverse social impacts; on the contrary, significant positive social impact and improved livelihoods are expected from such interventions. III. Eligibility 4. PAPs are identified as persons whose livelihood is directly affected by the project due to acquisition of the land owned or used by them. PAPs deemed eligible for compensation are: (a) Those who have formal legal rights to land, water resources or structures/buildings, including recognized customary and traditional rights; (b) Those who do not have such formal legal rights but have a claim to usufruct rights rooted in customary law; and (c) Those whose claim to land and water resources or building/structures do not fall within (i) and (ii) above, are eligible to resettlement assistance to restore their livelihood. 86 IV. Compensation Principles 5. The project implementation agencies will ensure timely provision of the following means of compensation to affected peoples: (a) PAPs losing access to a portion of their land or other productive assets with the remaining assets being economically viable are entitled to compensation at a replacement cost for that portion of land or assets lost to them. Compensation for the lost assets will be made according to the following principles: i) Replacement land with an equally productive plot, cash or other equivalent productive assets; ii) Materials and assistance to fully replace solid structures that will be demolished; iii) Replacement of damaged or lost crops and trees, at market value; iv) Other acceptable in-kind compensation; v) In case of cash compensation, the delivery of compensation should be made in public, i.e., at the Community Meeting; and vi) In case of physical relocation, provision of civic infrastructure at the resettlement sites. (b) PAPs losing access to a portion of their land or other economic assets rendering the remainder economically non-viable will have the options of compensation for the entire asset by provision of alternative land, cash or equivalent productive asset, according to the principles in (a) i-iv above. V. Consultation Process 6. The PIU and the concerned implementing entity will ensure that all occupants of land and owners of assets located in a proposed subproject area are consulted. Community meetings will be held in each affected village to inform the local population of their rights to compensation and options available in accordance with these Guidelines. The minutes of the community meetings shall reflect the discussions held; agreements reached, and include details of the agreement, based on the format provided in Attachment 3(ii). 7. The PIU and the concerned implementing entity shall provide a copy of the minutes to affected people and confirm in discussions with each of them, their requests and preferences for compensation, agreements reached, and any eventual complaint. Copies will be recorded in the posted project documentation and be available for inspection during supervision. VI. Subproject Approval 8. In the event that a subproject involves acquisition against compensation, the PIU through the concerned implementing entity shall: i. Not approve the subproject unless satisfactory compensation has been agreed between the affected person and the local community; and ii. Not allow works to start until the compensation has been delivered in a satisfactory manner to the affected persons. 87 VII. Complaints and Grievances 9. Initially, all complaints should be registered by the PIU and the concerned implementing entity to establish a register of resettlement/compensation related grievances and disputes mechanism. The existence and conditions of access to this register (where, when, how) shall be widely disseminated within the community/town as part of the consultation undertaken for the sub-project in general. A committee of knowledgeable persons, experienced in the subject area, shall be constituted at a local level as a committee to handle first instance dispute/grievances. This group of mediators attempting amicable mediation/litigation in first instance will consist of the following members: (a) Head of Locality; (b) Head of School Council; (d) Head of Community Based Organization; and (e) Community leaders. This mediation committee will be set up at local level by the implementation agency on an “as-needed� (i.e. it will be established when a dispute arises in a given community). 10. When a grievance/dispute is recorded as per above-mentioned registration procedures, a mediation committee will be established, and mediation meetings organized with interested parties. Minutes of meetings will be recorded. The existence of this first instance mechanism will be widely disseminated to the affected people as part of the consultation undertaken for the sub-project in general. It is important that these mediation committees be set up as soon as RAP preparation starts. Disputes documented e.g. through socio-economic surveys should be dealt with by appropriate mediation mechanisms which must be available to cater for claims, disputes and grievances at this early stage. A template form for claims should be developed and these forms be collated on a quarterly basis into a database held at project level. VIII. Verification 11. The Mediation Meeting Minutes, including agreements of compensation and evidence of compensation made shall be provided to the Locality/village, to the supervising engineers, who will maintain a record hereof, and to auditors and socio-economic monitors when they undertake reviews and post-project assessment. This process shall be specified in all relevant project documents, including details of the relevant authority for complaints at the municipal/district or implementing agency level. 88 Attachment 3(i) Land Acquisition Assessment Data Sheet (To be used to record information on all land to be acquired) 1. Quantities of land/structures/other assets required: 2. Date to be acquired: 3. Locations: 4. Owners: 5. Current uses: 6. Users:  Number of Customary Claimants:  Number of Squatters:  Number of Encroachers:  Number of Owners:  Number of Tenants:  Others (specify): ______________________ Number: ___________________ 7. How land/structures/other assets will be acquired (identify one):  Donation  Purchase 8. Transfer of Title:  Ensure these lands/structures/other assets are free of claims or encumbrances.  Written proof must be obtained (notarized or witnessed statements) for the voluntary donation, or acceptance of the prices paid from those affected, together with proof of title being vested in the community, or guarantee of public access, by the title-holder. 9. Describe grievance mechanisms available: 89 Schedule of Compensation of Asset Requisition Summary of Units to be Compensated Agreed Compensation Affected Unit/Item a. Urban/agricultural land (m2): _____________________ ___________________ b. Houses/structures to be demolished (units/m2): _____________________ ___________________ c. Type of structure to be demolished (e.g. mud, brick, cement block, etc.,) _____________________ Not Applicable. d. Trees or crops affected: _____________________ ___________________ e. Water sources affected: _____________________ ___________________ Signatures of local community representatives, Head of the community: Include record of any complaints raised by affected persons: Map attached (showing affected areas and replacement areas): 90 Attachment 4 Protection of Cultural Property 1. Cultural property include monuments, structures, works of art, or sites of significance points of view, and are defined as sites and structures having archaeological, historical, architectural, or religious significance, and natural sites with cultural values. This includes cemeteries, graveyards and graves. Chance Find Procedures 2. Chance find procedures will be used as follows: (a) Stop the construction activities in the area of the chance find; (b) Delineate the discovered site or area; (c) Secure the site to prevent any damage or loss of removable objects. In cases of removable antiquities or sensitive remains, a night guard shall be present until the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information take over; (d) Notify the supervisory Engineer who in turn will notify the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information immediately (within 24 hours or less); (e) Responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information would be in charge of protecting and preserving the site before deciding on subsequent appropriate procedures. This would require a preliminary evaluation of the findings to be performed by the archeologists of the Ministry of Culture and Information (within 72 hours). The significance and importance of the findings should be assessed according to the various criteria relevant to cultural heritage; those include the aesthetic, historic, scientific or research, social and economic values; (f) Decisions on how to handle the finding shall be taken by the responsible authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information. This could include changes in the layout (such as when finding an irremovable remain of cultural or archeological importance) conservation, preservation, restoration and salvage; (g) Implementation for the authority decision concerning the management of the finding shall be communicated in writing by the Ministry of Culture and Information; and (h) Construction work could resume only after permission is given from the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information concerning safeguard of the heritage. 3. These procedures must be referred to as standard provisions in construction contracts, when applicable, and as proposed in section 1.5 of Attachment 6. During project supervision, the Site Engineer shall monitor the above regulations relating to the treatment of any chance find encountered are observed. 4. Relevant findings will be recorded in World Bank Implementation Status Reports (ISRs), and Implementation Completion Reports (ICRs) will assess the overall effectiveness of the project’s cultural property mitigation, management, and activities, as appropriate. 91 Attachment 5 Codes of Practice for Prevention and Mitigation of Environmental Impacts Potential Impacts Prevention and Mitigation Measures Schools and training institutes  Construction and Rehabilitation of classrooms and teacher training institutes Disruption of drainage:  Hampers free drainage, causes  Design to provide adequate drainage and to minimize changes stagnant pools of water. in flows, not limited to the road reserve.  Increased sediments into ponds,  Provision of energy dissipaters, cascades, steps, and checks streams and rivers due to erosion dams. from road tops and sides.  Provision of sufficient number of cross drains.  Increased run-off and flooding.  Balancing of cut and fill.  Revegetation to protect susceptible soil surfaces.  Rehabilitation of borrow areas. Erosion:  Erosion of land downhill from  Design to prevent soil erosion and maintain slope stability. the road bed, or in borrow areas.  Construction in the dry season.  Protection of soil surfaces during construction.  Landslides, slips or slumps.  Physical stabilization of erodible surfaces through turfing, planting a wide range of vegetation, and creating slope breaks.  Bank failure of the borrow pit.  Rehabilitation and re-grading of borrow pits and material collection sites. Loss of vegetation.  Balancing of cut and fill.  Revegetation to protect susceptible soil surfaces.  Minimize loss of natural vegetation during construction.  Revegetation and replanting to compensate any loss of plant cover or tree felling.  Selection of native plant species for revegetation. 92 Potential Impacts Prevention and Mitigation Measures Loss of access.  Design to include accessibility to road sides in case roadbed is raised.  Alternative alignments to avoid bisecting villages by road widening. Impacts during construction:  Dust from construction activities.  Periodic watering of the surfaces during construction.  Fuel wood collection.  Provision of fuel at work camps to prevent cutting of firewood.  Disease due to lack of sanitation.  Provision of sanitation at work camps.  Introduction of hazardous  Removal of work camp waste, proper disposal of oil, bitumen wastes. and other hazardous wastes.  Groundwater contamination (oil, grease).  Accidents during construction.  Management of construction period worker health and safety.  Potential impacts to cultural property.  Use archaeological chance find procedures and coordinate with appropriate agencies.  Increased migration from nearby  Provide comprehensive community participation in planning, cities. and Migration issue to be resolved through local conflict resolution system. 93 Attachment 6 Safeguards Procedures for Inclusion in the Technical Specifications of Contracts I. General 1. The Contractor and his employees shall adhere to the mitigation measures set down and take all other measures required by the Engineer to prevent harm, and to minimize the impact of his operations on the environment. 2. The Contractor shall not be permitted to unnecessarily strip clear the right of way. The Contractor shall only clear the minimum width for construction and diversion roads should not be constructed alongside the existing road. 3. Remedial actions which cannot be effectively carried out during construction should be carried out on completion of each Section of the road (earthworks, pavement and drainage) and before issuance of the Taking Over Certificate: (a) These sections should be landscaped and any necessary remedial works should be undertaken without delay, including grassing and reforestation; (b) Water courses should be cleared of debris and drains and culverts checked for clear flow paths; and (c) Borrowed pits should be dressed as fish ponds, or drained and made safe, as agreed with the land owner. 4. The Contractor shall limit construction works to between 6 am and 7 pm if it is to be carried out in or near residential areas. 5. The Contractor shall avoid the use of heavy or noisy equipment in specified areas at night, or in sensitive areas such as near a hospital. 6. To prevent dust pollution during dry periods, the Contractor shall carry out regular watering of earth and gravel haul roads and shall cover material haulage trucks with tarpaulins to prevent spillage. II. Transport 7. The Contractor shall use selected routes to the project site, as agreed with the Engineer, and appropriately sized vehicles suitable to the class of road, and shall restrict loads to prevent damage to roads and bridges used for transportation purposes. The Contractor shall be held responsible for any damage caused to the roads and bridges due to the transportation of excessive loads, and shall be required to repair such damage to the approval of the Engineer. 8. The Contractor shall not use any vehicles, either on or off road with grossly excessive, exhaust or noise emissions. In any built up areas, noise mufflers shall be installed and maintained in good condition on all motorized equipment under the control of the Contractor. 9. Adequate traffic control measures shall be maintained by the Contractor throughout the duration of the Contract and such measures shall be subject to prior approval of the Engineer. III. Workforce 10. The Contractor should whenever possible locally recruit the majority of the workforce and shall provide appropriate training as necessary. 94 11. The Contractor shall install and maintain a temporary septic tank system for any residential labor camp and without causing pollution of nearby watercourses. 12. The Contractor shall establish a method and system for storing and disposing of all solid wastes generated by the labor camp and/or base camp. 13. The Contractor shall not allow the use of fuel wood for cooking or heating in any labor camp or base camp and provide alternate facilities using other fuels. 14. The Contractor shall ensure that site offices, depots, asphalt plants and workshops are located in appropriate areas as approved by the Engineer and not within 500 meters of existing residential settlements and not within 1,000 meters for asphalt plants. 15. The Contractor shall ensure that site offices, depots and particularly storage areas for diesel fuel and bitumen and asphalt plants are not located within 500 meters of watercourses, and are operated so that no pollutants enter watercourses, either overland or through groundwater seepage, especially during periods of rain. This will require lubricants to be recycled and a ditch to be constructed around the area with an approved settling pond/oil trap at the outlet. 16. The contractor shall not use fuel wood as a means of heating during the processing or preparation of any materials forming part of the Works. IV. Quarries and Borrow Pits 17. Operation of a new borrow area, on land, in a river, or in an existing area, shall be subject to prior approval of the Engineer, and the operation shall cease if so instructed by the Engineer. Borrow pits shall be prohibited where they might interfere with the natural or designed drainage patterns. River locations shall be prohibited if they might undermine or damage the river banks, or carry too much fine material downstream. 18. The Contractor shall ensure that all borrow pits used are left in a trim and tidy condition with stable side slopes, and are drained ensuring that no stagnant water bodies are created which could breed mosquitoes. 19. Rock or gravel taken from a river shall be far enough removed to limit the depth of material removed to one-tenth of the width of the river at any one location, and not to disrupt the river flow, or damage or undermine the river banks. 20. The location of crushing plants shall be subject to the approval of the Engineer, and not be close to environmentally sensitive areas or to existing residential settlements, and shall be operated with approved fitted dust control devices. V. Earthworks 21. Earthworks shall be properly controlled, especially during the rainy season. 22. The Contractor shall maintain stable cut and fill slopes at all times and cause the least possible disturbance to areas outside the prescribed limits of the work. 95 23. The Contractor shall complete cut and fill operations to final cross-sections at any one location as soon as possible and preferably in one continuous operation to avoid partially completed earthworks, especially during the rainy season. 24. In order to protect any cut or fill slopes from erosion, in accordance with the drawings, cut off drains and toe-drains shall be provided at the top and bottom of slopes and be planted with grass or other plant cover. Cut off drains should be provided above high cuts to minimize water runoff and slope erosion. 25. Any excavated cut or unsuitable material shall be disposed of in designated tipping areas as agreed to by the Engineer. 26. Tips should not be located where they can cause future slides, interfere with agricultural land or any other properties, or cause soil from the dump to be washed into any watercourse. Drains may need to be dug within and around the tips, as directed by the Engineer. VI. Historical and Archeological Sites 27. If the Contractor discovers archeological sites, historical sites, remains and objects, including graveyards and/or individual graves during excavation or construction, the Contractor shall: a. Stop the construction activities in the area of the chance find. b. Delineate the discovered site or area. c. Secure the site to prevent any damage or loss of removable objects. In cases of removable antiquities or sensitive remains, a night guard shall be present until the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information take over. d. Notify the supervisory Engineer who in turn will notify the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information immediately (less than 24 hours). e. Contact the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information who would be in charge of protecting and preserving the site before deciding on the proper procedures to be carried out. This would require a preliminary evaluation of the findings to be performed by the archeologists of the Ministry of Culture and Information (within 72 hours). The significance and importance of the findings should be assessed according to the various criteria relevant to cultural heritage, including the aesthetic, historic, scientific or research, social and economic values. f. Ensure that decisions on how to handle the finding be taken by the responsible authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information. This could include changes in the layout (such as when the finding is an irremovable remain of cultural or archeological importance) conservation, preservation, restoration and salvage. g. Implementation for the authority decision concerning the management of the finding shall be communicated in writing by the Ministry of Culture and Information; and h. Construction work will resume only after authorization is given by the responsible local authorities and the Ministry of Culture and Information concerning the safeguard of the heritage. VII. Disposal of Construction and Vehicle Waste 28. Debris generated due to the dismantling of the existing structures shall be suitably reused, to the extent feasible, in the proposed construction (e.g. as fill materials for embankments). The disposal of remaining debris shall be carried out only at sites identified and approved by the project engineer. The contractor should ensure that these sites (a) are not located within designated forest areas; (b) do not impact natural drainage courses; and (c) do not impact endangered/rare flora. Under no circumstances shall the contractor dispose of any material in environmentally sensitive areas. 96 29. In the event any debris or silt from the sites is deposited on adjacent land, the Contractor shall immediately remove such, debris or silt and restore the affected area to its original state to the satisfaction of the Supervisor/Engineer. 30. Bentonite slurry or similar debris generated from pile driving or other construction activities shall be disposed of to avoid overflow into the surface water bodies or form mud puddles in the area. 31. All arrangements for transportation during construction including provision, maintenance, dismantling and clearing debris, where necessary, will be considered incidental to the work and should be planned and implemented by the contractor as approved and directed by the Engineer. 32. Vehicle/machinery and equipment operations, maintenance and refueling shall be carried out to avoid spillage of fuels and lubricants and ground contamination. An oil interceptor will be provided for wash down and refueling areas. Fuel storage shall be located in proper bounded areas. 33. All spills and collected petroleum products shall be disposed of in accordance with standard environmental procedures/guidelines. Fuel storage and refilling areas shall be located at least 300m from all cross drainage structures and important water bodies or as directed by the Engineer. 97 Attachment 7. General Guidelines for Preparation of Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) 1. Following the screening and identification of the potential land acquisition that is needed for a sub- project, the PCU will have to prepare a technical design that could be as much as possible avoid or minimize land acquisition. In the case that land acquisition is unavoidable, the PCU will prepare a RAP. As it is expected that the amount of land acquisition needed by a sub-project or a section of the road will be insignificant and is likely involve less than 40 land owners, an abbreviated RAP will suffice. 2. An abbreviated RAP covers the following minimum elements: 3. Description of the sub-project. General description of the project and identification of the project area. 4. Potential impacts. Identification of (i) the sub-project component or activities that will require land acquisition; and (ii) the zone of impact of such component or activities. 5. Census of Sub-project Affected Persons (PAPs) and inventory of affected assets. The results of the census and the inventory of assets, including (i) a list of PAPs, distinguishing between PAPs with land rights and land users without such rights; and (ii) an inventory of plots and structures affected. The information generated by the census should be summarized in a table. 6. Legal analysis. Descriptions of legal steps to ensure the effective implementation of land acquisition under the sub-project, including, as appropriate, a process for recognizing claims to legal rights to land-- including claims that derive from customary law and traditional usage. 7. Eligibility. Identification of the PAPs who will be eligible for compensation and explanation of the criteria used to determine eligibility. 8. Valuation of assets and calculation of compensation for losses. A description of the procedures that will be followed to determine the form and amount of compensation to be offered to PAPs. 9. Consultations with persons who lose land and other assets. A description of the activities carried out to (1) inform PAPs about the impacts of the project and the compensation procedures and options and (2) give the PAPs opportunities to express their concerns. 10. Organizational responsibilities. A brief description of the organizational framework for implementing land acquisition. 11. Implementation schedule. Develop an implementation schedule covering land acquisition, including target dates for the delivery of compensation. The schedule should indicate how the land acquisition activities are linked to the implementation of the overall project. 12. Costs and budget. Cost estimates for land acquisition for the sub-project. 13. Grievance procedures. Affordable and accessible procedures for third-party settlement of disputes arising from land acquisition; such grievance mechanisms should take into account the availability of judicial recourse and community and traditional dispute settlement mechanisms. 14. Monitoring. Arrangements for monitoring land acquisition activities and the delivery of compensation to PAPs. 98 15. Full RAP. In the case that a sub-project affects more than 40 land owners (or more than 200 persons) the project will have to prepare a full RAP. The PCU will prepare a full RAP with reference to the following outline: 16. Description of the sub-project. General description of the sub-project and identification of the sub- project area. 17. Potential impacts. Identification of (a) the subproject location that will require land acquisition or give rise to resettlement; (b) the zone of impact of such component or activities; (c) the alternatives considered to avoid or minimize resettlement; and (d) the mechanisms established to minimize resettlement, to the extent possible. Objectives. The main objectives of the RAP: 18. Census of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) and inventory of affected assets. The results of the census and the inventory of assets, including the following information:  list of PAPs, distinguishing between PAPs with land rights and occupants without such rights;  inventory of affected assets.  total number of PAPs and Project Affected Households (PAHs)  number of PAHs who will lose more than 10% of their productive assets. 19. Socioeconomic study. The socioeconomic study should produce information to facilitate resettlement planning, such as the following:  the patterns of social interaction in the affected communities, including social networks and social support systems, and how they will be affected by the sub-project;  information on vulnerable groups or persons for whom special provisions may have to be made;  public infrastructure and social services that will be affected;  social, economic and cultural characteristics of displaced communities; and  baseline information on livelihoods and standards of living of the displaced population. 20. Legal analysis. The results of an investigation of any legal steps necessary to ensure the effective implementation of land acquisition and resettlement activities under the sub-project, including, as appropriate, a process for recognizing claims to legal rights to land--including claims that derive from customary law and traditional usage. 21. Institutional Framework. The findings of an analysis of the institutional framework covering:  the identification of agencies responsible for resettlement activities and NGOs that may have a role in project implementation;  an assessment of the institutional capacity of such agencies and NGOs; and  any steps that are proposed to enhance the institutional capacity of agencies and NGOs responsible for resettlement implementation. 22. Eligibility. Identification of the PAPs who will be eligible for compensation, resettlement assistance and rehabilitation support and explanation of the criteria used to determine eligibility, including relevant cut-off dates. 23. Valuation of affected assets. A description of the procedures or methods to calculate the value the assets affected by the sub-project. 99 24. Compensation, resettlement assistance and rehabilitation support. A description of (1) the compensation packages to be offered to PAPs who lose land and/or other assets, (2) resettlement assistance to be offered to physically displaced persons, and (3) rehabilitation support to persons who lose income sources or livelihoods as a result of land acquisition for the sub-project. The compensation packages, combined with other assistance and support offered to each category of PAPs should be sufficient to achieve the objectives of World Bank Operational Policy 4.12 on Involuntary Resettlement. The relocation options and other assistance offered to the PAPs should be prepared in consultation with them and should be technically and economically feasible, as well as compatible with the cultural preferences of the PAPs. 25. Site selection, site preparation, and relocation (in cases of group relocation). Alternative relocation sites considered and explanation of those selected, covering  institutional and technical arrangements for identifying and preparing relocation sites, whether rural or urban, for which a combination of productive potential, locational advantages, and other factors is at least comparable to the advantages of the old sites, with an estimate of the time needed to acquire and transfer land and ancillary resources;  any measures necessary to prevent land speculation or influx of ineligible persons at the selected sites;  procedures for physical relocation under the sub-project, including timetables for site preparation and transfer; and  legal arrangements for regularizing tenure and transferring titles to resettlers. 26. Housing, infrastructure, and social services. Plans to provide (or to finance resettlers' provision of) housing, infrastructure (e.g., water supply, feeder roads), and social services (e.g., schools, health services), plans to ensure comparable services to host populations; any necessary site development, engineering, and architectural designs for these facilities. 27. Environmental protection and management. A description of the boundaries of the relocation area; and an assessment of the environmental impacts of the proposed resettlement and measures to mitigate and manage these impacts (coordinated as appropriate with the environmental assessment of the main investment requiring the resettlement). 28. Community participation. Involvement of resettlers and host communities:  a description of the strategy for consultation with and participation of resettlers and hosts in the design and implementation of resettlement activities;  a summary of the views expressed and how these views were taken into account in preparing the resettlement plan;  a review of the resettlement alternatives presented and the choices made by displaced persons regarding options available to them, including choices related to forms of compensation and resettlement assistance, to relocating as individuals families or as parts of preexisting communities or kinship groups, to sustaining existing patterns of group organization, and to retaining access to cultural property (e.g. places of worship, pilgrimage centers, cemeteries); 100  institutionalized arrangements by which displaced people can communicate their concerns to project authorities throughout planning and implementation, and measures to ensure that vulnerable groups are adequately represented; and  measures to mitigate the impact of resettlement on any host communities, including consultations with host communities and local governments, arrangements for prompt tendering of any payment due the hosts for land or other assets provided to resettlers, arrangements for addressing any conflict that may arise between resettlers and host communities; and any measures necessary to augment services (e.g., education, water, health, and production services) in host communities to make them at least comparable to services available to resettlers. 29. Grievance procedures. Affordable and accessible procedures for third-party settlement of disputes arising from activities included in the RAP; such grievance procedures should take into account the availability of judicial recourse and community and traditional dispute settlement mechanisms. 30. Organizational responsibilities. The organizational framework for land acquisition and resettlement, including identification of agencies responsible for the implementation of the RAP, the delivery of resettlement measures and provision of services; arrangements to ensure appropriate coordination between agencies and jurisdictions involved in implementation; and any measures (including technical assistance) needed to strengthen the implementing agencies' capacity to design and carry out resettlement activities; provisions for the transfer to local authorities or resettlers themselves of responsibility for managing facilities and services provided under the project and for transferring other such responsibilities from the resettlement implementing agencies, when appropriate. 31. Implementation schedule. Develop an implementation schedule covering all resettlement activities, from preparation through implementation, including target dates for the achievement of expected benefits to resettlers and hosts and terminating the various forms of assistance. The schedule should indicate how the resettlement activities are linked to the implementation of the overall project. 32. Costs and budget. Tables showing itemized cost estimates for all resettlement activities, including allowances for inflation, population growth, and other contingencies; timetables for expenditures; sources of funds; and arrangements for timely flow of funds, and funding for resettlement, if any, in areas outside the jurisdiction of the implementing agencies. 33. Monitoring and evaluation. Arrangements for monitoring of land acquisition and resettlement activities by the implementing agency, supplemented by independent monitors as considered appropriate by the Bank, to ensure complete and objective information; performance monitoring indicators to measure inputs, outputs, and outcomes for resettlement activities; involvement of the displaced persons in the monitoring process; submission of monitoring reports to the Bank; evaluation of the impact of resettlement for a reasonable period after all resettlement and related development activities have been completed; using the results of resettlement monitoring to guide subsequent implementation. 101 Attachment 8 General Guidelines for Preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans 1. The Environmental Assessment (EA) process involves the identification and development of measures aimed at eliminating, offsetting and/or reducing environmental and social impacts to levels that are acceptable during implementation and operation of the projects. As an integral part of EA, ESMP provides an essential link between the impacts predicted and mitigation measures specified within the EA and implementation and operation activities. The World Bank guidelines state that detailed ESMPs are essential elements for Category ‘A’ projects, but for many Category ‘B’ projects, a s imple ESMP will suffice. While there are no standard formats for ESMPs, it is recognized that the format needs to fit the circumstances in which the ESMP is being developed and the requirements, which it is designed to meet. PIU, is preparing a standard ESMP in a format suitable for inclusion as technical specifications in the contract documents. ESMPs should be prepared after taking into account comments and clearance conditions from both the relevant agency providing environmental clearance and WB. Given below are the important elements that constitute an ESMP. a. Description of Mitigation Measure 2. Feasible and cost-effective measures to minimize adverse impacts to acceptable levels should be specified with reference to each impact identified. Further, the ESMP should provide details on the conditions under which the mitigation measure should be implemented. The ESMP should also distinguish between the type of solution proposed (structural and non-structural) and the phase in which it should become operable (design, construction and/or operation). Efforts should also be made to mainstream environmental and social aspects wherever possible. b. Monitoring program 3. In order to ensure that the proposed mitigation measures have the intended results and comply with national standards and World Bank requirements, an environmental performance monitoring program should be included in the ESMP. The monitoring program should give details of the following:  Monitoring indicators to be measured for evaluating the performance of each mitigation measure (for example: national standards, engineering structures, extent of area replanted, etc).  Monitoring mechanisms and methodologies  Monitoring frequency  Monitory locations c. Institutional arrangements 4. Institutions/parties responsible for implementing mitigation measures and for monitoring their performance should be clearly identified. Where necessary, mechanisms for institutional coordination should be identified, as often, monitoring tends to involve more than one institution. d. Implementing schedules 5. Timing, frequency and duration of mitigation measures with links to the overall implementation schedule of the project should be specified. e. Reporting procedures 102 6. Feedback mechanisms to inform the relevant parties on the progress and effectiveness of the mitigation measures and monitoring itself should be specified. Guidelines on the type of information wanted and the presentation of feedback information should also be highlighted. f. Cost estimates and sources of funds 7. Implementation of mitigation measures mentioned in the ESMP will involve an initial investment cost as well as recurrent costs. The ESMP should include cost estimates f into the sub-project design, bidding and contract documents to ensure that the contractors will comply with the mitigation measures. The costs for implementing the ESMP will be included in the sub-project design, as well as in the bidding and contract documents 103 ANNEX 10: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Macroeconomic context 1. The post-CPA period has been characterized by rapid economic growth and rising per capita income. Between 2005 and 2010 GDP grew by an average 7.0 percent per year driven primarily by the increase in oil extraction capacity. Over the same period, per capita income rose from US$1,137 to US$1,413 in real terms. The strong economic growth has been accompanied by an even stronger expansion of the public sector. Total government spending grew from 11 percent of GDP in 2000 to 17 percent in 2009 (excluding spending at state and locality levels derived from own revenue sources).28 2. However, there are major challenges linked to the expiration of the CPA that are likely to negatively impact the ability of the GoS to entrench and expand the recent developmental achievements. These include the division of Sudan’s considerable national debt and the negotiation of a sustainable oil revenue sharing agreement with the GoSS. At the expiration of the CPA, South Sudan inherited over 75 percent of oil production and a massive fiscal adjustment will be necessary in Sudan to accommodate the ensuing revenue losses. 3. The GoS has committed to achieving the Education for All (GPE) targets and has signaled its readiness to continue to invest in education and expand education opportunities. There has been a considerable increase in public education spending since 2005. In real terms, total education spending almost doubled, from SDG 1.3 billion to SDG 2.4 billion between 2005 and 2009, equivalent to 16.0 percent average annual real growth. However, the increasingly tight fiscal environment related to overdependence on oil combined with loss of oil revenues, the legacy of civil war, ongoing conflict in some areas, necessitates external resources to enable Sudan to meet the GPE targets and expand and sustain the education progress achieved since 2005. 4. Recurrent spending accounted for 91 percent of total public education spending in 2009 compared to only 9 percent on development. The generally low spending on development poses a challenge because many basic schools in Sudan are of poor quality, in particular in rural areas. In 2007, 42 percent of classrooms in basic schools were in need of repairs, and 9 percent required complete replacement and a large proportion of schools lack access to water and sanitation. 5. Within recurrent spending, goods and services account for a very small share. Particularly for basic education where teaching and non-teaching staff salaries constitute 95 percent of total recurrent education spending and goods and services only 5 percent, which is significantly less than the GPE-FTI benchmark of 33 percent. The low spending on goods and services has negative implications for the availability of learning materials including textbooks in basic schools. 6. Moreover, the relatively small share of goods and services in basic education spending is supplemented by household spending to meet shortfall in public spending, which contributes to inequity in access to basic education. The average SDG15 per student spent by households on basic school running costs in 2009 is higher than the corresponding government spending, which was SDG12. In addition, to these costs households pay for uniforms, textbooks, transport, and school feeding. 7. There are inefficiencies in teacher deployment and utilization. Teachers are very unevenly distributed across schools and the correlation between the number of students enrolled and number of teachers at basic schools in Sudan is weaker than in 28 African comparator countries. Once deployed, teacher utilization is relatively inefficient, with a basic education student-teacher ratio of 34:1 and an 28 World Bank 2012a. 104 average class size of 48. This implies that at any given time almost one-third of teachers in basic education are not in front of a class. 29 8. Learning levels of students in basic schools in Sudan are generally weak. Representative evidence from four states: Blue Nile, North Darfur, Red Sea, and South Kordofan find that the average grade 5 students answered only 28 percent of questions on the mathematics learning assessment correctly, and rural students and IDP students tend to perform worse than their peers.30 On the school-side, students in schools that are closed more often when they should be open; with poor infrastructure; with less experienced teachers; and greater lack of textbooks performed significantly worse. 9. The share of recurrent education spending assigned to each education level provides an indication of government education priorities. Basic education accounts for the largest share at 49 percent in 2009 roughly in line with development needs and the GPE-FTI benchmark of 50 percent. However, since basic education in Sudan is eight years long rather than six years, after adjusting for length, the share of basic education in total education spending is only 37 percent, which is lower than the GPE-FTI benchmark. Thus, although public education spending has increased substantially since 2005 this underlines the need for more resources directed specifically towards basic education. Analysis of main features of the project 10. The importance of schooling and learning to economic growth and development is well documented.31 At the individual level, people with more schooling tend to be more productive, earn more, be healthier, and have fewer children.32 However, recent evidence suggests that learning is more important for earnings and development than educational attainment (which fails to account for the 33 quality of education). This issue is of particular importance in countries, including Sudan, where school enrollment has increased rapidly and therefore educational attainment but in some cases accompanied by a decline in the quality of schooling with adverse consequences for student learning. 34 When student learning levels are low, this provides a strong indication that education systems are not performing as intended.35 11. Investment in basic education in Sudan is justified by the low GER (71 percent) and completion rate (55 percent) and weak learning levels among enrolled students. A learning assessment conducted in 36 seven of Sudan’s 15 states found that grade 5 students performed very poorly. The average student in the three states surveyed in 2009 answered 34 percent and 39 percent of the mathematics and reading questions respectively correctly and only 27 percent of the questions for mathematics and reading alike in the four states surveyed in 2010.37 This suggests that not only is a large proportion of school-age children out of school but even when in school many students are not learning as expected. 29 World Bank 2012a, World Bank 2012b. 30 World Bank 2012b. 31 Hanushek and Wöβmann 2007; Heyneman, Jamison, and Montenegro 1984; World Bank 2011. 32 Currie and Thomas 2001; Majgaard and Mingat forthcoming; Pettersson 2012a. 33 Hanushek and Wöβmann 2009. 34 World Bank 2011. 35 Chinapah 2003. 36 The 2009 sample is a convenience sample with an overrepresentation of urban schools whereas the 2010 sample is representative. 37 This is low, especially considering that the questions are multiple choice. With four answer options, if a student simply guessed, she would respond correctly 25 percent of the time. 105 The main objectives of the project are to improve the learning environment in targeted areas; increase the availability of textbooks; and strengthen education planning and management mechanisms in Sudan. Component 1: Improvement of the learning environment in targeted areas (school construction and school grants) 12. It is imperative to increase access to basic education in Sudan. In 2009, 2 million of 10-19 year olds (27 percent) were out of school and among these 1.2 million had never attended school and 789,000 had dropped out.38 Rural/urban disparities are stark with most out of school children living in rural areas and rural children being 1.8 times more likely to be out of school than urban children. Moreover, the likelihood of being out of school as a girl is 1.3 times higher than for a boy, and being a girl in a rural area provides the least opportunity for accessing and staying in school. 13. The project plans to finance classroom construction and initiation of a school grants program in order to increase access to basic education in general and for vulnerable groups such as rural children girls, IDPs, and nomadic children in particular. School construction will be targeted towards rural areas in ten states (Blue Nile, El Gadarif, Kassala North Darfur, Red Sea, South Darfur, East Darfur, Northern State, Sinnar, and North Kordofan) with relatively weak education performance. As part of the project there will be training in school construction as communities will manage their own school construction projects to ensure achievement of the GPE targets within an acceptable timeframe and school maintenance over time. International experience shows that community involvement can be more effective in saving money, facilitating scaling up over time, building capacity at the local level, contributing to the local economy, and reaching successful outcomes in remote areas, than a central 39 approach. 14. During the three-year course of the project 2,000 classrooms with latrines and water access will be constructed. The positive effect of increasing school supply thereby reducing distance to school on enrollment, attendance and attainment respectively is well documented in Asia, Latin America, and SSA, 40 and the effect appears to be stronger for girls than boys. In four states in Sudan surveyed in 2010, Blue Nile, North Darfur, Red Sea, and South Kordofan, it takes more than 60 minutes for 17 percent of rural and 12 percent of urban grade 5 students to walk to school (one way) clearly indicating the necessity of classroom construction. Even when schools are close-by, if they are in poor condition with decrepit or 41 overcrowded classrooms student learning is adversely affected. Data from the four states surveyed in 2010 show that students sit under a tree in more than one-in-ten rural basic schools and that substantial proportions of basic schools have no source of drinking water (50 percent of rural and 42 percent of urban schools) or latrines (37 percent and 19 percent of rural and urban schools respectively).42 15. The proposed school grants program includes initial consultations, design, and capacity building up to 750 basic schools in the nine target states by the end of year three of the project. This component aims to improve access and equity in basic education by reducing the costs of schooling for households and to help address shortages in public resources that are currently met by education councils and 38 World Bank 2012b. 39 Glassman, Naidoo, and Wood 2007, World Bank 2003, World Bank 2004. 40 Al-Samarrai and Reilly 2000, Duflo 2001, Filmer 2004, Manacorda and Kondylis 2006, Orazem and King 2008, Pettersson 2012b, Sabates et al. 2010, UNESCO 2007. 41 Watkins 2000, UNESCO 2007. 42 World Bank 2012c. 106 households.43 Education councils consisting of parents, teachers, and head teachers are present in nearly all basic schools in the country and constitutes a platform on which to build this system. Several countries in SSA have introduced school grants and preliminary results are largely positive with improvements in 44 student enrollment and attendance. Component 2: Improving access to teaching and learning materials Provision of textbooks 16. Quality education is crucial to encourage parents to send their children to school and to keep them in school given the direct costs (fees, uniforms, transport etc.) and opportunity costs (if children would otherwise help out at home or work to supplement household income) in doing so. Moreover, once in school, the quality of education directly affects student learning.45 17. One factor that influences the quality of education is the availability of textbooks. The official student-textbook ratio in Sudan is 2:1 yet many schools have a shortage of and some completely lack textbooks.46 In four states, Blue Nile, North Darfur, Red Sea, and South Kordofan, 66 percent of rural basic schools have student-textbook ratios of 3:1 or higher in grade 5 compared to 59 percent of urban schools. Moreover in 15 percent of grade 5 classrooms and in 30 percent of grade 5 rural classrooms there are no mathematics textbooks and the corresponding shares are similar for reading textbooks. 18. The project proposes to finance the procurement and distribution of 9.85 million textbooks during the final three years of the project. When textbooks are available students generally perform better and some studies find that having textbooks can reduce performance differences across rural and urban 47 students and also improve performance of poorer students. Regression analysis based on a sample from the four survey states in Sudan strongly suggest that both rural and urban students in classrooms with a student-textbook ratio of 3:1 or higher perform significantly worse and that the student-textbook ratio is the best predictor of student performance.48 19. Therefore, this component seeks to: (i) create an enabling environment for developing a national learning assessment system; and (ii) launch an assessment that is ideally a nationally representative, subject to the security constraints during field work. Component 3: Strengthening the monitoring and management mechanisms of the education system Development and launching of a national student learning assessment 20. One key aspect of the iBES is the development of a National Learning Assessment (NLA) in order to inform educational policy and practice in Sudan. In the absence of system-level information on learning outcomes it is difficult to tell whether public investments in basic education translate into the provision of good quality education and learning for all students. There is a growing support in Sudan to 43 World Bank 2012a. 44 World Bank 2007. 45 UNESCO 2007. 46 World Bank 2012a, World Bank 2012c. 47 Fehrler, Michaelowa, and Wechtler 2009, Heyneman, Farrell, and Sepulveda-Stuardo 1978, Jamison et al. 1981, Lockheed and Hanushek 1988, Michaelowa 2001, Postlethwaite and Ross 1992. 48 World Bank 2012b. 107 establish a national learning assessment system and BERP proposes interventions under this component that are aimed at building a foundation for an effective learning assessment system. 21. There is no national system of periodic assessment of student learning achievements, and as the country’s education system expands, with support from donors, it is important to put in place assessment practices and develop capacity of the MOGE so that high-quality data on learning outcomes is available to decision makers and all stakeholders (teachers, parents, students) in the long run. Developing and implementing a teacher management and monitoring system 22. Teachers are very unevenly distributed across schools in Sudan implying that regulations, procedures, and incentives currently in place are not functioning to promote efficient teacher deployment. The overall correlation between number of students enrolled and number of teachers at a school in Sudan is weaker than in 28 African comparator countries and teacher distribution is also uneven across states within Sudan. Moreover, once deployed, teacher utilization is relatively inefficient with a basic education student-teacher ratio of 34:1 and an average class size of 48. This implies that at any given time almost 49 one third of teachers in basic education are not in front of a class. 23. To improve teacher management the project includes a component to establish a system to monitor teacher supply and utilization starting with a database on teachers including information on age, experience, qualifications, subject specialization, teaching load, and location that will be able to produce timely information to inform policies and management steps to improve teacher deployment and utilization. Operationalize the EMIS 24. The MoGE has developed an Education Management Information System (EMIS) supported first by the European Union in 2008 and subsequently by UNICEF. However, the EMIS is not yet fully operational and able to produce all the data required to inform planning and policy adjustments. Moreover, the EMIS is set up to produce data 12-14 months after initial data collection well into the start of the next school year. 25. The project includes a component that will complement the initiatives undertaken by UNCIEF and the EU to ensure EMIS becomes fully operational. The first step is to ensure sustainability of the EMIS including clear assignment of roles and responsibilities within the national team with respect to collection, data management, and analysis of the EMIS data and capacity building. The second step involves the development of a one-page supplementary questionnaire to rapidly collect and analyze a subset of data that can be used by the MoGE, schools, and other education stakeholders to allocate and make adjustments to school resources within the school year. Development of full ESSP 26. The project would also support the GoS in developing the full five-year ESSP 2012-016, which will require the formulation and coordination of 15 state level plans within the National Framework. This will include state-level consultations, workshops, capacity building, and technical support and state best practices will be shared to enable cross-state learning. 49 World Bank 2012d. 108 ANNEX 11: DOCUMENTS IN PROJECT FILES Al-Samarrai, Samer, and Barry Reilly “Urban and Rural Differences in Primary School Attendance: An Empirical Study for Tanzania�, Journal of African Economies, Vol. 9, No. 4, December, 2000. Duflo,Esther (2001) "Schooling and Labor Market Consequences of School Construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an Unusual Policy Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 795-813, September. Chinapah, Vinayagum (2003). “Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA) Project in Africa.� Presented at Association for the Development of Education in Africa Biennial Meeting, Mauritius, December 3-6, 2003. Currie, Janet and Duncan Thomas (2001) “Early Test Scores, Socioeconomic Status and Future Outcomes.� NBER Working Paper 6943. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Fehrler, Sebastian, Katharina Michaelowa, and Annika Wechtler (2009). “The Effectiveness of Inputs in Primary Education: Insights from Recent Student Surveys for Sub-Saharan Africa.� Journal of Development Studies 45(9): 1545-1578. Filmer, Deon, “If You Build It, Will They Come? School Availability and School Enrollment in 21 Poor Countries.� (June 10, 2004). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3340. Glassman, Deborah, Jordan Naidoo, and Fred Wood (2007). Community Schools in Africa: Reaching the Unreached. Springer. Hanushek, Eric, A. and Ludger Wöβmann. (2009). “Do Better Schools Lead to More Growth? Cognitive Skills, Economic Outcomes, and Causation.� CESifo Working Paper Series 2524. Munich: CESifo Group. Heyneman, Stephen, P., Dean T. Jamison, and Xenia Montenegro (1984) “Textbooks in the Philippines: Evaluation of the Pedagogical Impact of a Nationwide Investment.� Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 6(2): 139-150. Heyneman, Stephen P., Joseph, P. Farrell, and Manuel A. Sepulveda-Stuardo (1978) “Textbooks and Achievement: What We Know.� World Bank Staff Working Paper 298. Washington, DC: World Bank. Jamison, Dean T., Searle, Barbara, Galda, Klaus and Stephen P. Heyneman (1981). “Improving Elementary Mathematics Education in Nicaragua: An Experimental Study of the Impact of Textbooks and Radio on Achievement.� Journal of Educational Psychology 73(4): 556–567. King, Elizabeth, Orazem, Peter F. Francis and Paterno, Elizabeth M., Promotion With and Without Learning: Effects on Student Enrollment and Dropout Behavior (September 1, 2008). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series. Kondylis, Florence and Manacorda, Marco. “School Proximity and Child Labor: Evidence from Rural Tanzania.� (June 2010). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP7890. Lockheed, Marlaine and Eric Hanushek (1988). “Improving Educational Efficiency in Developing Countries: What Do We Know?� Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 18(1): 21–38. Majgaard, Kirsten and Alain Mingat (forthcoming) Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Analysis. Washington, DC: World Bank and Education For All Fast Track Initiative. 109 Michaelowa, Katharina (2001). “Primary Education Quality in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: Determinants of Learning Achievement and Efficiency Considerations.� World Development 29(10): 1699-1716. Postlethwaite, T., Neville and Kenneth N. Ross (1992). Effective Schools in Reading: Implications for Educational Planners An Exploratory Study.The IEA Study of Reading Literacy II. Hamburg: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Sabates, Ricardo, Kwame Akyeampong, Jo Westbrook, and Frances Hunt (2010) “School Drop Out: Patterns, Causes, Changes and Policies.� Background paper prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011. Geneva: UNESCO. Seck, Atou (2007). “School Grants: An Effective Approach for More Equity and Quality in Education.� UNESCO (2007). Education for All by 2015. Will We Make it? EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Watkins, Kevin (2000). The Oxfam Education Report. London: Oxfam. World Bank (2011). Education in Ghana. Improving Equity, Efficiency and Accountability of Education Service Delivery. Report No. 59755-GH, AFTED. Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012a). The Status of the Education Sector in Sudan. Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012b). “Student Learning in Four States in Sudan: School Inputs and Teachers Matter. Findings from the 2010/11 Basic Education Service Delivery Survey�. Draft. Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012c). “Out-of-School Children and Student Dropout in Basic Education in Sudan� Draft. Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012d). Service Delivery in Basic Schools in Four States in Sudan. Findings from the 2010/11 Basic Education Service Delivery Survey. Draft. Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012e). “Challenges and Possibilities for Teacher Management in Sudan. Findings from the 2010/11 Basic Education Service Delivery Survey.� Draft. Washington, DC: World Bank. Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies (OP/BP 8.00): Streamlined Procurement Procedures. Guidance to World Bank Staff, June 2009; Guide for the Procurement of Small Contracts, AFTPC, World Bank, February 1, 2011. World Bank (2012), “Technical Note on Institutional Capacity Assessment in support of preparation of the new GPE-financed project�, Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012), “Technical Note on National Learning Assessment in support of preparation of the new GPE-financed project�, Washington, DC: World Bank. World Bank (2012), “Technical Note on School Construction in support of preparation of the new GPE-financed project�, Washington, DC: World Bank. 110 ANNEX 12: STATEMENT OF LOANS AND CREDITS Sudan: Emergency Basic Education Support Project Difference between expected and Original Amount in US$ actual Millions disbursements Project FY Purpose IBRD IDA SF GEF Cancel. Undisb. Orig. Frm. ID Rev’d Total: 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Sudan: STATEMENT OF IFC’s Held and Disbursed Portfolio In Millions of US Dollars Committed Disbursed IFC IFC FY Company Loan Equity Quasi Partic. Loan Equity Quasi Partic. Approval Total portfolio: 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Approvals Pending Commitment FY Company Loan Equity Quasi Partic. Approval Total pending 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 commitment: 111 ANNEX 13: COUNTRY AT A GLANCE Sudan: Emergency Basic Education Support Project 112 113 ANNEX 14. COUNTRY MAP 114