ISDS THE WORLD BANK GROUP A World Froc of Povorty A foSh op lbc War,ld lMfok Report No AC35 Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (Updated) Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 05/12/2003 Section I - Basic Information A. Basic Project Data Country: NEPAL Project ID: P082646 Project: Community School Support Project Task Team Leader: Rajendra Dhoj Joshi Authorized to Appraise Date: May 5, 2003 IBRD Amount ($m): Bank Approval: June 17, 2003 IDA Amount ($m): 5.00 Managing Unit: SASHD Sector: General education sector (100%) Lending Instrument: Learning and Innovation Loan (LIL) Theme: Education for all (P) Status: Lending I.A.2. Project Objectives: The objectives of the project are: * To test whether community management of schools can better contribute to enhance (i) participation rates, (ii) quality and efficiency; and (iii) accountability of schools. * To evolve promising frameworks and modalities for strengthening community managed schools. I.A.3. Project Description: The project comprises the following components: 1. School Grants Component. This component will provide the following inputs: (a) incentive grants for communities that take over management of public schiools from the Government; (b) block grants for community- funded upper grades attached to public schools transferred to communities; (c) performance grants for improvement of access to primary education and improvement of promotion rates; and (d) additional block grants to schools to cope with enrolment expansion. The outputs/outcomes from the above inputs will be: (i) mainstreaming the out-of-school children of primary school age into the school system; (ii) improvement of access of girls and disadvantaged communities to lower secondary and secondary education; (iii) improvement of promotion rates and learning achievement; (iv) increase in number of community managed schools; (v) holistic development of schools - from primary to lower secondary/secondary level; (vi) equitable subsidy distribution to communities; and (vii) ownership of schools by communities. II. Scholarship Component. This component will provide booster scholarships to out-of-school children in the first year and maintenance scholarships in later years of primary education. Maintenance scholarships will be provided to all children from poor households. The scholarships will be a demonstration of the Government commitment to mainstream all out-of-school children to the schools and to retain them. This inclusive approach of the project is likely to transform the social fabric of 2 ISDS communities and make the school a focal point for inclusion. III. Capacity Building. This component will provide the following inputs: (a) assistance to the communities by NGOs to organize themselves to manage schools; (b) training for teachers and SMC members; (c) orientation for civil servants, local government officials, politicians and social workers; and (d) communication of government policy on transfer of schools to community management. The expected outputs/outcomes from this component are: (i) improved capability of the communities to manage schools; and (ii) evolution of roles of local government, teachers, district education offices and other government agencies in relation to community managed schools. IV. Monitoring and Evaluation. This component will assist in the development of a monitoring and evaluation system for the project in coordination with the existing monitoring and evaluation system within the Ministry of Education and Sports, and strengthen the capacity of officials and communities responsible for monitoring and evaluation. The output/outcome of this component will be a well-established and smoothly operating monitoring and evaluation system that can support periodic improvement in the experimental design of the LIL. Special emphasis will be given to community-level monitoring and evaluation, as the LIL relies heavily on communities for achieving the project outcomes. I.A.4. Project Location: (Geographic location, information about the key environmental and social characteristics of the area and population likely to be affected, and proximity to any protected areas, or sites or critical natural habitats, or any other culturally or socially sensitive areas.) The project supports the government's policy to empower communities to manage public schools. Communities would be provided with block grants, which make them responsible for recruiting and managing teachers, determining resource requirements, and utilizing those resources according to local needs. The project supports the schools for improving access to education and improving completion rates. The schools to be supported by the project, around 1,500, may be anywhere in the country, as they are to be selected from among the schools choosing to take over management of public schools. Out of these schools around 250 schools may receive, on an average, grants of about Rs. 240,000 (US$3,000), whereas the rest about Rs. 100,000 (US$1,200). One of the main purpose of the project is to mainstream all out-of-school children within the school service area within the project period. Therefore, indigenous people, vulnerable people, disadvantaged communities and dalits, if any, in the project areas will benefit from the project. The project aims at overcoming the economic barrier to access for out-of-school children by providing scholarships, and social and cultural barriers through social contracts involving various stakeholders. The project will assist indigenous communities, dalits and disadvantaged communities to organize so that their interests are protected. No new schools will be built under the project and no new land will be purchased or acquire for schools. All resource transfers to schools will be on a block-grant basis. Therefore, the communities will spend money guided by their own priorities. Though the main focus of the project is improvement of access to education and completion rates, part of the grants may also be used for rehabilitation of existing facilities and minor construction within the boundaries of existing schools. Given the level of funding, only minor construction works may be carried out by communities. The cumulative impact on the environment of such activities is likely to be small as the number of schools covered is small. Therefore, negative environmental impacts are not expected from the LTL. The LIL is aimed at assisting the Government in effective implementation of the existing policy of transferring school management to communities. This policy, already under implementation, enjoys broad social and political support. Therefore, social risks associated with the LIL are minimal and without implications for any reputational risks for the Bank. The potential positive social outcomes of the LIL outweigh any possible risks. 3 ISDS B. Check Environmental Classification: C (Not Required) Comments: The project is aimed at mainstreaming all out-of-school-children. Therefore, no negative environment or social impacts are expected. C. Safeguard Policies Triggered Policy Applicability Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP 4.01) 0 Yes 0 No Natural Habitats (OP/BP/GP 4.04) 0 Yes * No Forestry (OP/GP 4 36) 0 Yes 0 No Pest Management (OP 4.09) 0 Yes * No Cultural Property (OPN 11.03) 0 Yes 0 No Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20) * Yes 0 No Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) 0 Yes 0 No Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) 0 Yes * No Projects in International Waterways (OP/BP/GP 7.50) 0 Yes * No Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP/GP 7.60)* 0 Yes * No *By supporting the proposed project, the Bank does not intend to prejudice the final determination of the parties' claims on the disputed areas Section II - Key Safeguard Issues and Their Management D. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues. Please fill in all relevant questions. If information is not available, describe steps to be taken to obtain necessary data. II.D.1a. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. No new land will be acquired for the project. Therefore, culturally sensitive areas or critical natural habitats will not be affected. The project does not directly fund construction. Construction, if any, will be minor or associated with rehabilitation. The scale of construction, if any, will be very small. Therefore, the impact on the bio-physical environment will be very small. The project aims at mainstreaming the out-of-school children, many of whom will belong to indigenous peoples, dalits and disadvantaged. Maximizing project benefits to these groups will be the focus of the project. Negative impacts on these groups are not expected. II.D.Ib. Describe any potential cumulative impacts due to application of more than one safeguard policy or due to multiple project component. None II.D. I c Describe any potential long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. None II.D.2. In light of 1, describe the proposed treatment of alternatives (if required) Not applicable II.D.3. Describe arrangement for the borrower to address safeguard issues Not applicable 4 ISDS II.D.4. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The key stakeholders are parents. At the national level consultations were held with the Janajati Maha Sangh (Indigenous Peoples Association) and Dalit Commission. In all project areas - school services areas - community based organizations will be formed by including all households belonging to indigenous peoples, dalits and disadvantaged communites. The safeguard policies along with the updated ISDS will be disclosed in all project areas, which will be identified only during project implementation.The same were disclosed to central level agencies of these groups in course of preparation of the project. E. Safeguards Classification. Category is determined by the highest impact in any policy. Or on basis of cumulative impacts from multiple safeguards. Whenever an individual safeguard policy is triggered the provisions of that policy apply. [ ] SI. - Significant, cumulative and/or irreversible impacts; or significant technical and institutional risks in management of one or more safeguard areas [ S2. - One or more safeguard policies are triggered, but effects are limited in their impact and are technically and institutionally manageable [X] S3. -No safeguard issues [ ] SF. - Financial intermediary projects, social development funds, community driven development or similar projects which require a safeguard framework or programmatic approach to address safeguard issues. F. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Analysis/Management Plan. Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Date of distributing the Exec. Summary of the EA to the ED (For category A projects) Resettlement Action Plan/Framework: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Indigenous Peoples Development Plan/Framework: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Pest Management Plan: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Dam Safety Management Plan. Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why. 5 ISDS Signed and submitted by Name Date Task Team Leader: Rajendra Dhoj Joshi 4/14/2003 Project Safeguards Specialists 1: Afshan H. Khawaja/Person/World Bank 4/17/2003 Project Safeguards Specialists 2: Project Safeguards Specialists 3: Approved by: Name Date Regional Safeguards Coordinator: L. Panneer Selvam 4/18/2003 Sector Manager/Director: Michelle Riboud 4/21/2003 For a list of World Bank news releases on projects and reports, click here I SEA RCH - -jD8ACK JLrAA I _OW*CASE .