The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) Project Information Document (PID) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 11-Oct-2022 | Report No: PIDA33357 Apr 19, 2022 Page 1 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Project Data Country Project ID Project Name Parent Project ID (if any) Tajikistan P177475 Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA 19-Oct-2022 07-Feb-2023 Education Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing Republic of Tajikistan Ministry of Education and Science Proposed Development Objective(s) The proposed Project Development Objective is to enhance quality of teaching and learning environments in selected general secondary schools Components Develop National Framework forTeaching and Learning Environment for Better Teaching and Learning Practices Improve the Quality and Resilience of Teaching and Learning Environments Build Capacity in Education Assessments and Project Management PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 50.00 Total Financing 50.00 of which IBRD/IDA 50.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 50.00 IDA Grant 50.00 Apr 19, 2022 Page 2 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) Environmental and Social Risk Classification Moderate Decision The review did authorize the team to appraise and negotiate B. Introduction and Context A. Country Context 1. Tajikistan has a population of 9.5 million1, of which 72 percent live in rural areas2, and is largely dependent on agriculture and remittances. Tajikistan’s pre-pandemic Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US$874 in 2019 was the lowest in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region3. Rural and remote areas are significantly poorer than urban settings on average, and face highly volatile incomes compounded by strong seasonality – the national poverty rate rises as much as 8 percentage points during the winter and spring months4. Service delivery is challenged by mountainous terrain, which accounts for 93 percent of the country’s land area. The majority of general secondary schools are located in rural areas – 70 percent compared to 30 percent in urban settings. 2. COVID-19 caused a major economic slowdown in Tajikistan in 2020, severely affecting the socio- economic wellbeing of the population. Employment sharply deteriorated and remittances fell due to restrictions on labor mobility, leading to reduced household incomes. This in turn led to reductions in food consumption and dietary diversity, ability to pay for utilities, and access to medical care. An extended period of lower remittances and a fall in real wages by 3.9 percent are estimated to have pushed the poverty rate higher in 2020. After economic growth dropped to 4.5 percent in 2020, the economy rebounded strongly in 2021, led by an increase in precious metal exports and gains in private investment and consumption. Further, resumption of travel abroad is likely to restore the inflow of remittances. However, potential future COVID-19 flareups and structural challenges continue to pose risks to the economic outlook5. 3. Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. Exposure to heatwaves, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and mudflows is high, with major impacts on rural livelihoods and national food security. Low socio-economic development, inadequate infrastructure, and a high dependency on climate-sensitive sectors (agriculture and hydropower) make Tajikistan extremely vulnerable to climate change. From 1992 to 2016, natural disasters affected an estimated 7 million people and caused economic 1 Agency on Statistics under President of the Republic of Tajikistan. 2021. https://www.stat.tj/en/ 2 World Bank. 2021. World Development Indicators 3 Ibid 4 World Bank. 2019. “Country Partnership Framework for The Republic of Tajikistan for the Period FY19 -FY23� 5 World Bank. 2021. Tajikistan Country Economic Update Summer 2021. Apr 19, 2022 Page 3 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) losses exceeding US$1.8 billion6. By 2050, mean annual temperatures are projected to increase by 2°C and precipitation is projected to decrease by 5 percent with winters to be drier and summers wetter, which could result in both increased floods, mudflows, and droughts. Further climate change risks include increased variability and changed timing of reservoir inflows, increased water and energy demands because of climate warming, exacerbated by population and economic growth, and disruption to economic production and livelihoods, especially in rural areas. Children are among the most vulnerable to natural hazards, and their well-being suffers in the short and long terms. In 2017, children in Tajikistan suffered five small-scale natural disasters, including avalanches, floods, mud flows and earthquakes, in addition to measles and rubella outbreaks. B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 4. While access to general secondary education7 is relatively high8, learning outcomes remain low. According to the 2020 Human Capital Index, a child in Tajikistan born in 2020 can be expected to attend 10.9 years of schooling by the 18th birthday. However, with a harmonized learning outcome (HLO) score of 391 (where 625 represents advanced attainment and 300 represents minimum attainment), the learning-adjusted years of schooling drops to 6.8 years, representing a learning gap of 4.1 years. These figures represent a drop from 2018, when Tajikistan’s HLO score was 444 and learning adjusted years of schooling was 7.7, noting the 2020 figures are based on pre-pandemic data. 5. Poor learning outcomes are evident starting in the early grades. Tajikistan does not yet participate in internationally comparable learning assessments, though Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRAs) have been conducted on multiple occasions over the past decade. EGRA results indicate how children are progressing on the foundational skills of reading in early grades compared to the national standards. Results from 2021 show Tajikistan is performing poorly. Only 55 percent of students in grade 2 can read the benchmark of 40 Tajik words correctly per minute, and this is exacerbated to 41 percent in grade 4, where 80 Tajik words are used as a benchmark. Testing in Russian language produced similar results9. 6. While there is insufficient evidence to fully understand the determinants of poor learning outcomes in Tajikistan, available data points to several possible causes, and development partners are working across many areas of the sector to support the government to improve learning. One such area is the poor quality of the teaching and learning environment in schools, which in this project is defined as “the complete physical, social and pedagogical context in which learning is intended to occur�10. It includes the physical spaces in which learning takes place, the availability of resources in those teaching and learning environments to promote learning and the capacity of teachers and school leaders to make good use of those spaces and resources to prepare students for 21st century jobs. There is evidence from 6 World Bank. 2019. “Country Partnership Framework for The Republic of Tajikistan for the Period FY19 -FY23� 7 General secondary education is divided into primary (grades 1-4), lower secondary (grades 5-9), and upper secondary (grades 10-11). 8 Net Enrollment Rate in General Secondary Education was 96.6 percent in the 2019-20 school year. 9 USAID. 2021. “Early Grade Reading Assessment Edline 2021 Results� (Forthcoming) 10 UNESCO UIS. 2012. A Place to Learn: Lessons from Research on Learning Environments. Technical paper NO. 9 Apr 19, 2022 Page 4 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) Tajikistan that past improvements in teaching and learning environments led to positive changes in school attendance for boys and girls, less teacher absenteeism, and overall satisfaction with improved conditions for schooling11. A United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report on EGRA conducted in 2021 in Tajikistan finds that level of resources available to schools was associated with improvements in Oral Reading Fluency.12 This is well aligned with the international evidence. Students and teachers have a more productive learning relationship when supported by learning materials and other inputs that include safe teaching and learning environments.13 However, the needs for improving schools are so great in Tajikistan, the small amount of support provided by development partners combined with the government’s own financing is not keeping up with the growing needs for improvements. 7. Poor school teaching and learning environments have been a major challenge for a long time in Tajikistan, and most public schools are in urgent need of rehabilitation, modernization, and expansion. In 2018-2019, 88 percent of students attended double-shift schools, 5.2 percent attended triple-shift schools, and the remaining 6.6 percent attended single-shift schools. This is due to the lack of classroom spaces for the growing population, even in rural areas, with 57.4 percent of schools reporting classrooms being insufficient in number and size14. This has led to: (i) the reduction in the duration of lessons to accommodate multiple shifts; (ii) sharing of classrooms and furniture by students of different age groups; and (iii) inability to offer extracurricular activities and groups. Such intensive use of school facilities and the need to share classrooms prohibit the type of team teaching and group work needed to enhance learning. Multiple shifts also adversely affect availability of instructional time, while increasing the number of contacts driving the COVID-19 risks up. 8. In Tajikistan, 88 percent of school building exteriors and 56 percent of school interiors need major repairs.15 Further, many schools do not have the necessary amenities, such as lighting, heating, water, sewage, and toilets. Nearly a third of school buildings are dilapidated, and the heating and cooling systems are inadequate in 42 percent and 61 percent of schools respectively. There are no laboratories for biology, chemistry, and physics in 63 percent, 42 percent and 42 percent of schools respectively, and the schools that do have science laboratories have little or no equipment and materials to facilitate scientific experiments. In the 2016 School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Survey, 55 percent of schools reported an on-site piped water source as the main source of drinking water, with large disparities between urban and rural schools (74 percent for urban schools, 50 percent for rural schools). On average, one toilet is shared by 339 students. While most schools (83 percent nationally) reported separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls, only 1 percent of schools had covered bins for disposal of menstrual hygiene waste, while only 2 percent of schools had water available in girls’ cubicles for menstrual hygiene. Based on global evidence, this is likely impacting girls’ attendance at school, particularly in the higher grades, leading to poorer learning outcomes and increased drop out of girls16. Moreover, only 3 percent 11 MoES Tajikistan. 2017. “Evaluation of New School Construction Impact on Education Quality� 12 USAID. 2021. “Early Grade Reading Assessment Edline 2021 Results� (Forthcoming) 13 World Bank. 2018. “World Development Report – Learning to Realize Education’s Promise� 14 Teaching and learning in Schools in Tajikistan: Current Realities, Future Possibilities (2020) 15 Ibid. 16 The NSED reports a gender parity index of 0.94 in primary and lower secondary in 2018-19, dropping to 0.87 in upper secondary. Apr 19, 2022 Page 5 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) of schools have separate toilets for students with disabilities (11 percent in urban areas and 2 percent in rural areas)�17. 9. Tajikistan is shifting from a knowledge-based to a competency-based approach to learning, but more is needed to enhance teachers’ understanding to practice this in the classroom. A World Bank study from 201918 utilizing classroom observations showed teachers are giving students some autonomy, but are not providing enough opportunities for students to practice their learning with concepts and knowledge, reflecting lack of adequate teacher training on the competency-based curriculum. Classes are not planned to utilize instructional resources and ensure understanding of concepts. Consequently, modern teaching methods of active learning and collaboration remain uncommon, and students aren’t engaging in analytical, problem-solving and communication activities. Overcrowded classrooms make it difficult for teachers to arrange small group activities and provide individual advice to students while school premises are small and not conducive to diverse teaching and learning models. Further, teachers are not utilizing different types of classroom assessments to inform the learning process and ensure mastery of skills. 10. Poor teaching and learning environments partially stem from the absence of a strategic national framework for the quality and effectiveness of the teaching and learning environment and the school as an institution19. The State Standard for General Education sets out very general requirements for the teaching and learning environment, but does not indicate different levels of quality and effectiveness, nor does it define appropriate teaching and learning in those environments. Requirements for the physical infrastructure of schools are set out in documents which are not the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES). While schools are managed and operated by education authorities, there is no detailed pedagogical framework for teaching and learning environments in Tajikistan. Major regulatory documents, Construction norms and rules, and Sanitary rules and norms, related to schools are defined by the ministries of health and construction (Committee on Architecture and Construction (CAC) under the Government of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP)), while the pedagogical meaning of the teaching and learning environments and country’s vision with regards to the modern school remains undefined. Such a situation weakens accountability for improvement and maintenance of teaching and learning environments because there is weak alignment between internal and external oversight, expectations and inspections (World Bank, 2019).20 11. Application of digital tools in education is commonplace in Tajikistan; however, teachers lack skills in more advanced Information and Communications Technology (ICT) supported disciplines. A recent study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) showed a significant share of teachers experience issues with application of digital tools in teaching. ICT-driven activities, such as guiding students in conducting online research, discussing ethical behavior on the internet, applying online assessment tools, and integrating ICT into learning to stimulate higher order 17 World Bank. 2019. � Glass Half Full: Poverty Diagnostic of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Condition s in Tajikistan� 18 World Bank. 2019. “Tajikistan: Improving Teaching and Learning Efficiency� 19 Ibid. 20 World Bank. 2019. “Improving Teaching and Learning Efficiency in Tajikistan� Apr 19, 2022 Page 6 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) cognitive skills, are self-assessed as ‘low’ by two thirds of teachers in Tajikistan21. Coupled with uneven access to quality internet and aging and basic ICT equipment,22 these issues limit digital education and don’t help with closing the digital divide23 in the country. International experience shows the modern teaching and learning environment includes access to quality ICT equipment and tools. Therefore, improvements in schools will require inclusion of the digital infrastructure and teacher training to better equip them with modern methods of teaching. 12. Decreasing budget allocations for capital expenditures in the face of the urgent and growing needs for school improvements and expansion risk the capacity of the education system to deliver quality education. Even though most schools need major repairs as well as classroom modernization and/or construction, such information critical for quality learning environments has not been translated into projects on the ground due to the lack of financing. Henceforth the government’s policy priorities indicate the need for better teaching and learning environments. In fact, capital expenditures on public education significantly decreased from 21.5 percent of state budget in 2010 to 6.7 percent in 2020. There are also areas for structural improvements related to state budget allocations. Such topics as school maintenance, management of school budgets, and shared use of school premises with local communities will require additional capacity building at the national and regional levels to help improve financing and management mechanisms of schools. The existing approach does not effectively capture areas for improvement in the system, making it more difficult for schools to implement the goals of the National Strategy for Education Development (NSED). 13. Another factor contributing to the weak accountability is the lack of coordination at the national level with regards to the policies and instruments in monitoring, evaluating, and accrediting general secondary schools. Responsibility for the certification and accreditation of educational institutions lies with the Agency for Supervision in Education and Science (ASES). Its functions were defined in a presidential decree in 2020, and also include the licensing of non-state pre-school and general educational institutions. ASES monitors the implementation of the State Standard of General Education and other applicable laws and regulations and evaluates: the delivery of the curriculum; students’ progress; assessment and examination systems; and the quality of education in educational institutions. Currently, monitoring and evaluation focus largely on the implementation of subject curricula and the implementation of MoES policy and plans. ASES applies 16 norms for schools and has instruments for quality monitoring and evaluation. The recently established Education Quality Unit (EQU) in the MoES provides guidance for improving the quality of education and developing systems for assessment and quality management. It has a role in developing criteria for assessing the quality of education in educational institutions. The evaluation instruments’ development and adoption are the MoES’s responsibility. It is acknowledged by the MoES and ASES that instruments should be upgraded to reflect a transition to competency-based education in general education. The relationship between the EQU and ASES is not clearly defined and may involve some duplication of functions. Regional and District Departments of Education under local authorities also have mandates to monitor the work of educational institutions and they report to both MoES and ASES. A well-structured and transparent school monitoring 21 UNESCO, Institute of Education American University of Central Asia. 2021. “ICT Competency of Teachers in Republic of Tajikistan� 22 IBID 23 https://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/the-second-digital-divide Apr 19, 2022 Page 7 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) system could provide schools, districts and the central government with comprehensive feedback on quality of learning, teaching and management, and areas for improvement at the school level. 14. The limited number of rigorous learning assessments to date and the low level of capacity to generate such evidence obscure the determinants of poor student performance. In addition to the lack of internationally comparable learning assessments, large scale national assessments are not systematically conducted by the government nor studied by international or national researchers. As a result, major factors influencing student learning outcomes and causal relationships between school inputs and learning are largely unknown in Tajikistan. That said, there are several good initiatives in national learning assessments in the country supported by development partners, including EGRAs, Early Grade Mathematics Assessments, and national assessments for Mathematics and Tajik Language in grades 5 and 9. However, these assessments are not institutionalized in the country’s education system. With implementation and analysis of these assessments mainly done by international consultants, the MoES’s capacity in conducting surveys for national assessments, rigorously analyzing data, and publishing assessment reports in a timely manner remains extremely low. As a result of this low capacity, continuous feedback to the education system through rigorous assessments and accountability for student learning outcomes is lacking. This means that policy priorities in the education sector tend to be too general without strategic investments in priority areas based on evidence of what is happening in classrooms. Further, with Tajikistan actively committed to participation in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025, the country needs capacity building for strengthening the test administration infrastructure, peer learning with countries that recently joined the PISA study, and preparatory activities by schools and methodological networks. It would also be important to build capacity of the National Testing Center and the newly established EQU in preparation for administration of the international tests, as well as aligning the national assessments and classroom assessments with the PISA competency-based framework. 15. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already low-quality education system of Tajikistan. According to modeling of the Bank24, the impact of the pandemic on learning adjusted years of schooling may decrease this parameter from 6.8 to 6.2, leading to a reduction of expected earnings by 2.3 percent, equivalent to an overall loss to the Tajik economy of up to US$219 million (2011 PPP)25. The pandemic is also expected to increase the school drop-out rate. Students with lower educational achievements are more likely to be demotivated and drop out from the education system. Further, losses in household income are expected to make it more difficult for families to keep children in school, especially girls. 16. Schools are also very weak in resilience to external shocks, such as pandemics and natural hazards, which weakens quality of teaching and learning environments. Resilience of schools in the proposed project is defined as the ability and capacity to withstand natural hazards, featuring teaching and a learning environment that both protects the fundamental safety of students and ensures operational continuity in the face of shocks like pandemics and climate-induced hazards. Without resilience, schools cannot guarantee the basic safety of students or continuity of operations in the event of shocks. Global evidence suggests that improvements of schools in terms of WASH interventions and 24 World Bank. 2020. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/publication/simulating-potential-impacts- of-covid-19-school-closures-learning-outcomes-a-set-of-global-estimates 25 Estimates by the World Bank education team in ECA. Apr 19, 2022 Page 8 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) providing better ventilation/air filtering are efficient measures for COVID-19 resiliency.26 The NSED includes several reform measures to improve the safety and resilience of schools by improving design and construction standards; incorporating access for students with disabilities; providing safe access to facilities; improving WASH facilities (separate for girls and boys), integrating climate-smart innovations, and undertaking regular maintenance. However, most schools do not possess safety and resilience measures suggested by the NSED. Natural hazards and climate change threaten Tajikistan’s economic and social development, as described earlier. In response, starting in 2019, any new structures shall be aligned with the construction norms and rules that also provide stronger earthquake resistance standards. However, implementing those regulations at scale while also addressing the earlier described pedagogical challenges of schools’ current teaching and learning environments requires financing and technical support. C. Proposed Development Objectives The proposed Project Development Objective is to enhance quality of learning and teaching environments in selected general secondary schools. Key Results 1. A new national framework for teaching and learning environment, and school quality and effectiveness adopted in Tajikistan and implemented in project schools. 2. Share of Project schools that meet the minimum standards for quality of teaching and learning environments developed under the new framework – disaggregated by rural and urban areas 3. Proportion of project-supported classrooms with improved quality of teaching practices (as measured by TEACH in-class teacher observation tool27) - disaggregated by rural and urban areas D. Project Description 17. Given the key challenges and priorities in the education sector discussed above, three components are proposed. The first component (Develop National Framework of Teaching and Learning Environments for Better Teaching and Learning Practices) would support the government in: i) reviewing the current standards and practices related to teaching and learning environments, and developing a new framework that, by specifying minimum standards for the teaching and learning environment, it promotes improvements in the teaching and learning environment, particularly in the project schools (under Component 2); ii) reviewing and revising the processes for monitoring and evaluating the teaching and learning environment, using the new framework, so that they hold schools accountable and promote their improvement, and enhancing the capacity of inspectors to implement those processes; iii) enhance the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms through in-service training for teachers. The second component (Improve the Quality and Resilience of Teaching and Learning Environments) would assist selected schools in: (i) rehabilitation to meet minimum standards; (ii) modernization to accelerate quality improvement of teaching and learning in collaboration with other donors; and (iii) expansion of the number of classrooms to reduce shifts and increase teaching/learning time. The third component (Build Capacity in Education Assessments and Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation) would support capacity development in the MoES, including the capacity to carry out learning assessments. 26 Under resilience we understand the ability of the schools to provide safe and reliable teaching and learning environments regardless of adverse man made or natural impacts. 27 TEACH is a free classroom observation tool developed by the World Bank. Apr 19, 2022 Page 9 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) 18. “Teaching and Learning environment� in this project, as defined earlier, refers to the complete physical, social and pedagogical context in which learning is intended to occur. It is school settings (not just classrooms) and contexts in which students learn within the school premises. It considers the entire school and its physical and non- physical characteristics to be determinants of student and teacher productivity and wellbeing 28. 19. “Resilient schools� in this project mean schools that are structurally equipped to withstand natural disasters, featuring a teaching and learning environment that protects the fundamental safety of students and ensures operational continuity in the face of shocks like pandemics and climate-induced hazards. A definition of resiliency will be operationalized as part of the teaching and learning environment framework developed as part of the component 1. 20. Component 1. Develop National Framework for Teaching and Learning Environment for Better Teaching and Learning Practices. The objectives of this component are to develop and implement a new national framework for teaching and learning environments, and improve teaching practices in the classroom. 21. Sub-component 1.1 Develop a New National Framework for Teaching and Learning Environment. The objective of sub-component 1.1 is to support the government and key stakeholders to develop a new national framework for teaching and learning environment that is informed by international best practices and tailored to the local context with broad stakeholder buy in. A new national framework for teaching and learning environment would provide a set of domains29, standards30 and processes, which could be used for monitoring and evaluating the teaching and learning environments of educational institutions. The new national framework for teaching and learning environment would also reflect a new approach to school design. The standards would cover not only the physical infrastructure and facilities of schools, but also how effectively the infrastructure and facilities are used to create and promote an effective teaching and learning environment. They would reflect the approaches to teaching and learning that foster cognitive and non-cognitive skills of students. By setting standards for teaching and learning environment against which schools would be evaluated, the new national framework would also ensure the sustainability of the project investments. 22. Sub-component 1.2 Working with ASES and MoES to develop the practices and capacity for monitoring and evaluating the teaching and learning environment. The objective of sub-component 1.2 is to develop and implement a new approach to quality assurance of the teaching and learning environment in schools. It will be delivered in close partnership with ASES, and in parallel with sub-component 1.1. The sub-component will review and revise the processes used by inspectors to monitor and evaluate the teaching and learning environment, using the new framework, so that they hold schools accountable and promote their improvement, and enhance the capacity of inspectors to implement those processes. 28 Schools that are designed based on principles of improving teaching and learning environment efficiency – both in terms of fostering of learning outcomes and efficiency of construction – lead to better collaboration and experimentation by children and allow use of modern pedagogical techniques. 29 Domains could include Physical Environment, Pedagogical Environment, Emotional and Psychological Environment, Professional Environment, and Community Environment. 30 Standards are usually three- or four-point scales. Apr 19, 2022 Page 10 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) 23. Sub-component 1.3 Strengthen Teaching Practices in the Classroom. The objective of sub-component 1.2 is to enhance the quality of teaching in the classroom through in-service teacher training, and monitoring its effectiveness. It would build on ongoing efforts by the ministry and development partners in the area of development and implementation of in-service training. This would include diagnosis of teaching quality using the World Bank’s TEACH tools. The results of TEACH assessments would inform the ministry and development partners on what’s going on inside the classroom, and help them to improve in-service teacher training packages. It would also include extended capacity-building for education system managers, school principals, and teachers to make the best use of improved teaching and learning environments, in line with the new national framework developed under sub-component 1.1. 24. Component 2. Improve the Quality and Resilience of Teaching and Learning Environments. The objective of this component is to improve teaching and learning environments in line with the new national framework in selected schools of Tajikistan. It would assist selected schools in: (i) rehabilitation or replacement of buildings to meet minimum standards, (ii) modernization of teaching and learning environments to accelerate quality improvement of teaching and learning, including in collaboration with other donors, and (iii) expansion of the number of classrooms to reduce shifts, thus increasing teaching and learning time, and providing opportunities for tutoring poor performing students and extracurricular activities. The component will also support the equipping of project schools with the necessary scientific materials and information technology to provide a modern teaching and learning environment31. Additionally, this component will support the gender-specific requirements for girls’ menstrual health and provision of clean water to schools. 25. Component 3: Build Capacity in Education Assessments and Project Management. The objective of Component 3 is to enhance the country’s expert and institutional capabilities in carrying out national and international assessments, and build the government’s capacity in project management, monitoring and evaluation. 26. Sub-Component 3.1 Learning Assessments and technical support for participation in PISA. This sub- component would support improvements in the country’s capacity to conduct national and international assessments, and use data to inform decision making. 27. Sub-Component 3.2 Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. The objective of this subcomponent is to ensure that Project activities are implemented on time and in a satisfactory manner, and the Project achieves its targets. . . Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No 31 WASH is part of the teaching and learning environment definition. Apr 19, 2022 Page 11 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) Summary of Assessment of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts . 28. The project's overall environment and social (E&S) risks and impacts are rated moderate given that the project is designed to support modernization and renovation of select schools. The activities mainly involve rehabilitation of existing buildings, renovation of amenities including IT, WASH facilities, equipping of buildings with emergency preparedness arrangements, and life and fire safety measures to meet the minimum requirements. The relevant Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) to address E&S risks are ESS1, ESS2, ESS3, ESS4, and ESS10. 29. Potential environmental risks associated with the project activities would lead to damage of landscape, loss of topsoil and greenery, creation of noise, dust, and vibration generation, the risk of heavy machinery or vehicle movement through populated areas or neighborhoods, cause local nuisance, and contribute to temporary access restrictions. The civil works will also lead to occupational health and safety (OHS) to the labor, and issues including exposure to asbestos containing material (ACM). Any pre-existing ACM rehabilitation waste will be collected, transported, and finally disposed of by applying special protective measures following hazardous waste handling standards, and using procedures as given in the World Bank Group Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines. However, these impacts are of moderate, temporary and reversible in nature and scope. Moreover, the project will adopt a framework approach and will prepare an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). The ESMF as a principal document would spell out site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) for individual subprojects to mitigate and minimize negative E&S impacts. There is also a potential risk of community exposure to COVID-19 infection by the Project workers during the construction phase. The Project will exercise appropriate precautions against introducing the infection to local communities. Additionally, addressing such risks will benefit from Interim Guidance on Covid-19, disclosed on April 7, 2020. This will provide guidance to the Borrower on how to support addressing key issues associated with COVID-19, and consolidates the advice being applied from local medical health authorities. 30. Potential social risks and impacts are related to: (i) labor and working compliance issues (inadequate accommodation for workers, lack of access to potable water and sanitation facilities, child and forced labor issues, lack of functional GM for workers to raise workplace concerns); (ii) the risk of exclusion and nepotism in school selection; (iii) the risk of community health and safety (CHS) issues, especially those risks arising from labor influx when workers camps are established in the project sites such as sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (SEA/SH); and (iv) the risk of spreading communicable diseases, especially COVID-19. The project activities are also likely to cause personal injuries and fatalities risks. 31. These foreseeable risks are reversible and can be easily managed by the implementation of proper E&S mitigation measures and plans. Since the details of Project activities and precise locations of implementation of schools’ sites are yet to be determined, the project has drafted an ESMF that provides mitigation measures to potential E&S risks and impacts. Risks related to OHS and CHS will be mitigated by the application of the WB Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (ESHGs) and Good International Industrial Practices (GIIPs). Aligned with the WB standards, the project has prepared: (i) an Environment and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), (ii) a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) that includes a Grievance Mechanism (GM) and communication strategy, and (iii) Labor Management Procedures (LMP), as well as measures and actions to mitigate SEA/SH risk mitigation, including the contractor’s Codes of Conduct (CoC). 32. The MoES will form a team of qualified staff and provide resources to manage the day-to-day implementation of the Project, including staff directly responsible for ensuring E&S compliance as detailed in the project ESCP and other Apr 19, 2022 Page 12 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) relevant instruments. The MoES staff will include one environmental officer and one social /GM officer. The project will facilitate and allocate adequate resources for training and capacity building of their employees on E&S mainstreaming and preparation of reports. The implementation of E&S measures will be regularly monitored and reported quarterly by the MoES, as stipulated in the ESCP. E. Implementation Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 33. The project will be implemented by the MoES. The MoES will be responsible for decision-making on the Project and its implementation. The MoES’s capacity to manage and implement the project will be augmented in the following areas: project management, procurement and financial management, project M&E, E&S risk management, and translation services. Each project subcomponent/activity will be implemented by the MoES’s unit(s) which, as per the MoES regulations, has primary responsibility for that activity. The units will also be supported by a limited number of consultants. The reporting arrangements under the project will follow the ones established in the MoES. The activities’ implementing units will report to their respective deputy ministers. While those deputy ministers will oversee implementation of the respective project activities, the overall project coordination and implementation will be under the responsibility of the Deputy Minister on Economic Issues who will undertake a role of the Project Director. The project will work with different state and public entities beyond the education sector: the MOHSP, CAC, ASES, local authorities, and communities at the district level. . CONTACT POINT World Bank Hiroshi Saeki Senior Economist Tigran Shmis Senior Education Specialist Borrower/Client/Recipient Republic of Tajikistan Faiziddin Qakhorzoda Minister of Finance investdiv@mail.ru Implementing Agencies Apr 19, 2022 Page 13 of 14 The World Bank Learning Environment – Foundation of Quality Education (P177475) Ministry of Education and Science Mahmadyusuf Imomzoda Minister mort@maorif.tj FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects APPROVAL Hiroshi Saeki Task Team Leader(s): Tigran Shmis Approved By Practice Manager/Manager: Country Director: Julia Komagaeva 12-Oct-2022 Apr 19, 2022 Page 14 of 14