The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) Additional Financing Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (AF ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/04/2024 | Report No: ESRSAFA696 Apr 04, 2024 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Cote d'Ivoire WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA Project ID Project Name P181489 Côte D'ivoire Af To Strengthening Primary Education System Operation Parent Project ID (if Parent Project Name any) P177800 Côte d'Ivoire Strengthening Primary Education System Operation Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Program-for-Results 4/11/2024 6/5/2024 Financing Public Disclosure Estimated Decision Total Project Cost Review Date 4/10/2024 738,950,000 Proposed Development Objective The Program’s development objective is to improve: (a) equitable access to education and school health services in basic education, (b) learning outcomes, and (c) to strengthen performance-based management along the education service delivery chain. B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project Activities The World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are providing funding for the government’s Education Sector Plan - ESP - (the Program) via the Primary Education System Strengthening Operation (Opération pour le Renforcement du Système Educatif Primaire, ORSEP, P177800) for an amount equivalent to $364.7 million (IDA: EUR350 million; GPE: USD14.7 million). The operation’s provides financial incentives for the Government to reach Apr 04, 2024 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) results in education ($344 million, the Program) and includes a technical assistance component ($20.7 million) to support strategic investments in technical, fiduciary, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity (the Project). The original financing was approved in December 2022. The additional Financing in the amount of $60.65 million will result in a total amount for the Operaiton of $425.35 million ($28.40 million for the technical assistance component and $396.95 million for the Program). The additional financing (AF) is aligned with the 2023-2027 Country Partnership Framework (CPF), which supports the Ivorian Government’s objective of reducing poverty levels by half and achieving middle-income status by 2030. The AF is also in line with the Education Strategy for West and Central Africa which promotes 'a region where all girls and boys come to school ready to learn, acquire real learning and are ready to enter the labor market with the right skills to become productive and fulfilled citizens'. The Operation's Project (technical assistance) component (initial financing of $20.7 million) provides strategic support and finances key aspects to help Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENA) coordinate and implement the Program, which initially targets primary education. This component will receive additional financing to continue the Program’s expansion to lower secondary. The TA component of the AF will provide technical assistance (TA) to help MENA support key aspects of the system relating to: (a) equitable access and retention in lower secondary education. TA which will be used to support the MENA and gradually ensure a transfer of skills from UNICEF to the MENA will be mobilized to: (i) finalize the support package for retaining girls in lower secondary schools (prevention of violence at school, sexual and reproductive health, activities relating to water, hygiene and sanitation, individualized support plan, awareness-raising campaigns, etc.) ; and (ii) Public Disclosure pilot this girls' retention support package in a limited number of local lower secondary schools (before its implementation at scale under the Program). (b) quality of learning in secondary education. More specifically, TA will be mobilized to: (i) assess the impact of the local lower secondary school policy on girls' enrolment; (ii) assess the impact of the generalization of BONAMAS on the availability of textbooks in lower secondary education; and (iii) design a framework document for the management of dual-discipline teachers (service obligations, workloads and mobility of these teachers) and support its implementation in a limited number of DRENAs. The TA component of the AF will also provide technical assistance to support key aspects of the governance-related system in secondary education. The TA will be mobilized to: (i) finalize the institutional system of Objectives and Performance Contracts at lower secondary level; (ii) support the evaluation of private and public lower secondary schools; and (iii) support the redefinition of the role of the inspectorates. IPF for additional financing will focus on 3 Result Area: (1) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve equitable access to education services; (2) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve quality of education services; and (3) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve governance of education services. IPF component will also support the Ministry’s citizen engagement activities through specific and local consultations around girls' schooling in order to foster meaningful engagement with local communities on this subject. Technical assistance will be provided to the following directorates within MENA: the CAC, the DELC, the DPFC and the DVSP Apr 04, 2024 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1 Overview of Environmental and Social Project Settings The project component will be nationwide with a pilot scheme to be implemented in about 44 secondary schools in the Soubré, San Pedro, Sassandra and Minignan regions where the secondary school enrolment rates and retention of girls in lower secondary education system are the lowest in the country. The 2022 Cote d’Ivoire education performance report underscores the fact that the gain in primary school enrolment and the policy of compulsory schooling up to the age of 16 is putting a great deal of pressure on lower secondary, which needs to increase its intake capacity, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas. Despite compulsory schooling, the 2022 performance report shows a gross secondary school enrolment rate of 76.2% and highlights that only 60% of an age group completes lower secondary education (collège). In terms of gender disparities, admission rates to 6th grade and enrolment rates for girls and boys are close, but there is still a significant gap (6 points) in completion of lower secondary (30% for girls, 36% for boys). The drop-out rate for girls at secondary school can be explained by a range of factors among them: early marriage, gender-based violence within the school system, pregnancy, domestic work, opportunity costs, lack of health facilities, etc. This additional financing from the GPE provides an opportunity to strengthen the consistency of the support for the transformation of the education system started with the initial Operation. By expanding its scope to lower secondary education, the Program will now cover the entire basic education cycle (which corresponds to compulsory schooling Public Disclosure from age 6 to 16). The initial screening of the parent project's technical assistance activities remains valid for the AF project component, with an attention that should be paid to: (i) the maintenance of the collaboration and stakeholder engagement and citizen mobilization; (ii) social challenges related to pupils with disabilities and girls of lower secondary schools; (iii) the integration of environmental (water, sanitation and hygiene) education into the national curricula, and (iv) gender-based violence (SEA/SH) and discrimination associated issues at school. D.2 Overview of Borrower’s Institutional Capacity for Managing Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Project implementation (technical assistance) will follow the governance approach established within MENA under the initial Operation, i.e. by the current PCU, also under the purview of the Coordination Unit (Cellule d'Appui et de Coordination - CAC). As the E&S specialists for ESDEP (P163218) resigned during and at this project closing, an E&S specialist is currently being recruited to oversee the management of E&S risks associated with the IPF component activities and will also support the CAC in the E&S monitoring of program activities in close collaboration with National Environmental Agency (ANDE). The PCU will be responsible for managing the environmental and social risks and impacts of the IPF component under the ESF and providing support to relevant MENA directorates with limited capacity and experience with ESF implementation. To this end, strengthening measures regarding the implementation of the ESF requirements have been adequately captured in the updated Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS Apr 04, 2024 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate A.1 Environmental Risk Rating Moderate The AF will help to contribute to the Project component to finance technical assistance and specific capacity-building and skills transfer activities with the support of UNICEF, or important studies for the sector that could not be included in a results-based financing approach. The TA component of the AF will finance neither constructions nor the purchase of computer equipment, including software. It may therefore have negligible environmental risks and direct adverse impacts. Moreover, the “downstream” impacts associated with the TA outcomes for AF will be mostly positive, with the development of good practices in water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) education for teachers and pupils of lower secondary. However, it is expected that TA outcomes under parent project, related to the institutionalization of the community-based school construction program could be associated with Potential environmental “downstream” impacts, which will be easily mitigated with environmental management good practices and simple OHS measures in a predictable manner. Although TA under the proposed AF will not involve substantial risks and potential impacts, the parent project including the additional TA will be potentially associated with moderate environmental risks and adverse impacts. A.2 Social Risk Rating Moderate The social risk classification of this project is rated moderate like the parent project, as the risks and impacts are not significant and can be well mitigated. The activities are essentially TA that will be implemented in collaboration with UNICEF, Government and consultants on WASH and interventions or policy to keep girls at school. In a context where Public Disclosure more than 40 percent of households have had to reduce their spending on education, and where women-headed households seem particularly affected, the most serious social risks are related to: unequal access (between urban and rural areas) to education; unequal access for vulnerable, disadvantaged, and minority groups, and the abandonment in some regions of public schools in favor of both Islamic alternatives and income-generating activities and also discriminations against girls who contracted pregnancy at school, young mother. Finally, the project includes limited social challenges related to the use of consultants or other human resources for the Technical Assistance to be provided to the IPF component of the PforR (risks of SEA/SH, as well as interpersonal conflicts and other complaints). However, like the project parent the SEA/SH risk remains substantial. This level of risk is explained by several factors related to the project but also to the context. As for the context, data from the Department of Statistics and School Planning (DSPS) indicate that 50 cases of rape, 88 cases of harassment and 116 cases of molestation were recorded in primary (elementary) schools during the 2019-2020 school year in Côte d'Ivoire and more than 3000 girls with pregnancy cases (Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme:CNDH) in primary and lower secondary school have been registered with a maximum in some region like Soubre where the pilot will be implemented. To prevent these Identified risks and avoid them happens, the SEA/SH Prevention and Management Action Plan of the parent project will be updated and implemented. It will include mitigation measures such as specific consultations for women and girls, a GBV-sensitive grievance mechanism with several complaint channels, the signing of a code of conduct including prohibited behaviors in relation to SEA/SH and clear sanctions as well as a training plan for stakeholders on SEA/SH. As recommended in the ESCP, all project staffs, consultants, contractors should signed the code of conduct before any start of activities. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered Apr 04, 2024 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) B.1 Relevance of Environmental and Social Standards ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Relevant Impacts Activities to be supported under the AF are the same as those that are being financed by the parent project component. These are essentially technical assistance and do not include any civil works or construction activities. On the environmental side, unlike the parent project, the potential “downstream” adverse impacts associated with the TA outcomes will be negligeable. On the social front, the risk of discrimination in the support provided to maintain girls in lower secondary education will be low, as the IPF component includes in its design, citizen engagement activities through specific and local consultations around girls' schooling in order to foster meaningful engagement with local communities. The Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) prepared for the parent project, has been updated for the AF and includes elements of stakeholder engagement plan (SEP) and labor management procedures (LMP), as well as all commitments, staffing and timelines to be respected. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions Relevant This standard is relevant to the project. The TA activities will require direct workers (PIU staff), UNICEF staff, consultants who will carry out WASH activities in beneficiaries’ schools. The Borrower will incorporate the appropriate Public Disclosure Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and other measures in its contracts for consultants and other workers, as per ESS2. A code of conduct should also be signed by all the project workers to prevent any SEA/SH issue. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Not Currently Relevant This ESS is not relevant since the IPF component will only finance TA activities that are mainly studies and supporting expertise, which will not be associated with meaningful pollution risks or the use of resources such as energy, water, raw material, or the generation of waste. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Relevant This standard is relevant for the project considering the country context which include a high prevalence of SEA/SH incidents. SEA/SH will be addressed through proportional measures contain in the SEA/SH Action Plan as required in the ESCP. Code of conducts with appropriate measures to avoid SEA/SH and transmissible diseases will be developed and signed by the Consultants prior to the consultations/field missions. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement Not Currently Relevant The outcome of E&S screening did not identify any potential risks and/or impacts relevant to ESS5 as the IPF will not finance activities that involve land acquisition. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Not Currently Relevant Resources Apr 04, 2024 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) The outcome of E&S screening did not identify any potential risks and/or impacts relevant to ESS6 as the IPF/TA component will not finance activities that will impact biodiversity. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Not Currently Relevant Local Communities This standard is not considered relevant as there are no Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities currently identified in the project area. ESS8 Cultural Heritage Not Currently Relevant Not relevant as the IPF/TA component will not finance activities that will impact cultural heritage. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Not Currently Relevant TA activities will not involve financial intermediaries. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Relevant The SEP prepared for the parent project identified key stakeholders of the IPF/TA component at the institutional level, namely : MENA, through different directives and decentralized entities, namely the Directorate of Strategy, Planning and Statistics (DSPS); Directorate of Animation, Promotion and Monitoring of School Management Committees (DAPS- COGES); Directorate of Literacy and Non formal Education(DAENF); Directorate of Coordination and Implementation Public Disclosure (DCEP); Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education(DELC); the Regional Directorate of National Education (DREN); Inspectorate of Pre- and Primary Education (IEPP); School Management Committee (COGES) and Teacher Training Centers (CAFOP); and the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene. TA under AF will be provided to the following directorates: the CAC, the; the Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education (Direction des Ecoles, Lycées et Collèges - DELC), the Directorate of Gender Equality and Equity (Direction de l'Egalité et de l'Equité du Genre - DEEG); the Directorate of Mutuality and Social Works in the School Environment (Direction de la Mutualité et des Œuvres Sociales en milieu scolaire - DMOSS), the DPFC and the DVSP. In addition to them, UNICEF will transfer skills to the MENA, BCPENA, the Independent Verification Agent (IVA). Other key stakeholders will include children with physical disabilities, young mothers, girls and girls with pregnancy at school in lower secondary education and their parents. Stakeholder engagement measures are included in the updated ESCP to ensure broad consultation and stakeholder participation activities, with special consideration of how to engage women/young mothers and vulnerable girls in lower secondary schools so that their input is included in the project’s preparation, implementation, and operational phases. The grievance mechanism (GM) developed and implemented in the parent project shall be extended to take into account the contexts of the Additional Financing and new involved communities, including their concerns and grievances. The GM also includes guidance regarding how to address and properly document SEA/SH-related complaints during Program implementation. Citizen engagement and stakeholder engagement are also included in the wider IPF component design and implementation to exchange views on difficulties encountered and opportunities for improvement and suggest recommendations. Apr 04, 2024 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) B.2 Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No B.3 Other Salient Features Use of Borrower Framework No The implementation of the TA component of the AF will not rely on the Borrower’s environmental and social Framework, but will comply with relevant national legal and regulatory requirements. Use of Common Approach No Not Applicable. There are no financing partners. C. Overview of Required Environmental and Social Risk Management Activities C.1 What Borrower environmental and social analyses, instruments, plans and/or frameworks are planned or required during implementation? The ESCP of the parent project has been updated to improve the mitigation measures required to address specific Public Disclosure issues for both the parent project and the AF. It includes elements of stakeholder engagement plan (SEP) and labor management procedures (LMP), no other E&S instruments under the TA component will be prepared during program implementation. III. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Task Team Leader: Yves Jantzem Title: Senior Operations Officer Email: yjantzem@worldbank.org IV. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Apr 04, 2024 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION (P181489) The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects V. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Yves Jantzem ADM Environmental Specialist: Edichi Brigitte Andoh Epse Mobongol ADM Social Specialist: Adjoua Veronique Ouattara Practice Manager (ENV/SOC) Abdelaziz Lagnaoui Cleared on 04-Apr-2024 at 13:46:7 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Apr 04, 2024 Page 9 of 9