The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) Additional Financing Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (AF ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 05/21/2023 | Report No: ESRSAFA575 May 22, 2023 Page 1 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Niger WESTERN AND CENTRAL Ministry of Planning Ministry of National AFRICA Education Project ID Project Name P180064 Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing Parent Project ID (if any) Parent Project Name P168779 Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Investment Project 5/18/2023 6/27/2023 Financing Public Disclosure Proposed Development Objective To improve access to and quality of teaching and learning environments and strengthen education planning and management in Niger. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Current Financing 140.00 Proposed Additional Financing 230.00 Total Proposed Financing 370.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? Yes C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] Building on the World Bank’s policy on human capital and especially on learning, and on the strong political commitment of the Government, the Niger LIRE Project has been supporting transformative interventions in the May 22, 2023 Page 2 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) education sector of Niger since September 2020 when it became effective. The LIRE project has 6 components and 3 core ones which all have high digital transformation content and respectively aim to (1) promote improvements in teaching practices and pedagogy, (2) improve learning for all children and address the most critical learning deficits, (3) strengthen the overall management of the education system, by intensifying efforts to monitor and evaluate educational processes and outcomes, (4) supports project administration, (5) the 'emergency response' component added to cushion unplanned emergencies and the last one is the construction and equipment of schools infrastructure . The proposed AF and restructuring will reinforce efforts against the learning crisis in Niger. Given the extraordinary nature of challenges, resources will be channeled towards the most pressing needs as conveyed by the government primary axes of interventions, and therefore target the pervasive lack of adequate education infrastructures. The proposed changes to the original project under the AF include: (i) adding a new component for the construction of adequate school infrastructure for all students and boarding schools for girls; and (ii) scaling up selected high-impact activities for improved system governance and capacity building to support the success of the new school construction component. Through this initiative, the AF will extend the scope and reach of the parent project to support equitable access to education and ensure students and school staff are put in safe conditions. The approach envisaged takes into account the specific challenges faced by the different strata of the target population, including girls, who are particularly vulnerable. Further, it is expected that the construction of school infrastructures that are more resilient, will reduce climate vulnerabilities from more frequent adverse weather events (especially floods and droughts) and contribute to climate resilience and adaptation, thereby creating climate co-benefits. Changes under the proposed AF include, among others, the revision of the PDO and PDO level indicators to reflect the financing Public Disclosure allocated to school infrastructures; and an addition of a new component 6: “Construction of school infrastructures” which includes three sub-components: 6.1) The construction and equipment of classrooms and related facilities in selected urban and rural areas of Niger, 6.2) Design, construction and equipment of boarding schools for girls to promote inclusion in access and her retention in the education system, and 6.3) Management and operation of boarding schools. For all construction related projects (sub-comp. 6.1, 6.2), the project will finance i) the full design phase (geotechnical and other site investigations, feasibility design studies, detailed architectural and engineering plans), ii) the construction phase including annexes, landscaping and installation of solar panels, iii) the supervision phase (construction supervision and quality assurance, monitoring of the contractors’ environmental and social management plans), and iii) the purchase of teaching and learning materials, equipment and furniture for schools and boarding schools. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Niger’s climate is arid and semi-arid tropical characterized by two seasons with a dry season of 7 to 9 months from October to May and a rainy season of 3 to 4 months from June to September. Two main winds blow during the year with: (i) Harmattan, a very dry continental trade wind from the Sahara and; (ii) the monsoon, an austral trade wind, loaded with humidity. During the rainy season, temperature averages vary between 28.1 and 31.7°C. According to the regions, rainfall season starts from June and take end on September or October with an unimodal regime with maximum rainfall occurring around August. Niger’s rivers, such as the Komadougou rivers, Korama, Goulbi, Maggia and other streams, ponds, koris, lakes, etc. are the main surface water and represent 30 billion cubic meters per year, May 22, 2023 Page 3 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) of which, less than 1% is exploited. Niger’s subsoil contains large quantities of groundwater, which are little exploited. Climate variability and change have considerably altered the frequency, incidence and duration of rainfall events and periods of drought. With regard to the winds, studies on the wind deposits in Niger have shown that the wind speed evolves around 4 m/s (i.e. 14.4 km/hour). School infrastructure construction must adapt to large variations in temperature and strong winds depending on the areas of intervention. Attention should be given to choosing sites not exposed to water shortage and flooding and promoting the use of climate-resilient and sustainable building materials and methods to ensure continuity of learning, and improvement of the living environment of beneficiairies. On the social side, Niger’s population, in 2019, is estimated at 21,942,944 inhabitants and will reach (at a population growth rate of 3.9%) 56 million inhabitants in 2050 according to the projections of the results of the last population census. The population is characterized by its youth (more than 45% are under 20). Access to basic social services such as health, education and drinking water supply and sanitation are still major challenges to be met. The education sector faces enormous challenges to provide equitable and continuous access to education and maintain decent quality of service delivery that will allow students to learn as they should. Indeed, constraints such as demographic pressures, limited capacity, security concerns and more frequent climate hazards limit the education system performance. Depending on the region, the analysis of the gross enrollment rate highlights the predominance of the regions of Niamey (100%), Dosso (78.3%), Agadez (73.4%) and Maradi (67 .7%) against Tillabéry (62.9%), Tahoua (57.8%), Zinder (45.8%) and Diffa (42.5%). D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The Ministry of National Education (MEP) is responsible for the overall project implementation and has experience in implementing World Bank-funded education sector development projects, including the Niger - Quality Education Support Project (PAEQ) (P132405) and its related complementary projects. The Ministry has been implementing the Public Disclosure parent Niger Learning Improvement For Results In Education Project (P168779) for three years now, with satisfactory performance. Furthermore, the national legal and institutional framework for the management of environmental and social risks and impacts exists and is adequate. However, due to staff mobility, particularly in the administration, continuous capacity building is necessary and the ongoing capacity building work will be maintained to support the Project Coordination Unit (PCU), which works in close collaboration with the "Bureau National d'Evaluation Environnementales (BNEE), the national office that ensures compliance with environmental and social issues in development projects and programs. The PCU has already recruited qualified, full-time Environmental and Social Development Specialists; and the PCU will recruit a GBV Specialist upon effectiveness of this AF. In addition, the project will continue to extend technical resources to the implementing agencies to strengthen their capacities to manage project environmental and social risks, including SEA/SH risks and impacts in Niger. During the implementation of the parent project, some capacity weaknesses have been noted with regards to the Borrower's capacities with managing grievance mechanisms and sexual exploitation and abuse/harassment (SEA/H) risks, stakeholder engagement and supervision challenges. As a result, continuous technical support on these issues, amongst others, will therefore be provided during the course of project implementation. II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Substantial Environmental Risk Rating Substantial The environmental risk rating is assessed as Substantial (the parent project’s environmental risk was moderate) given the impacts related to civil works such as the construction of school infrastructure (classes, girls' boarding schools, May 22, 2023 Page 4 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) laboratories, etc.) under the new component 6, “Construction of school infrastructures”. The project is expected to support the construction of more than 5,000 new classrooms to replace straw huts classrooms (“classes paillottes”) as part of the support for the implementation of the national strategy and the construction of three pilot girls' boarding schools to increase and improve inclusion and the quality of access to the education. Activities include the construction of new classrooms in both urban and rural areas, quarries and borrow pits operations on sites that may be sensitive in certain project areas, water resources and raw materials use, etc. During the construction work phase the main risks and potential impacts may be linked to: (i) the quality of air due to site installation work (the movement of trucks for the supply of materials can alter the quality of the ambient air due to dust); (ii) the disturbances created by loud sound due to the circulation of trucks for supply and their presence on the sites, especially during school hours; (iii) scarcity of water resources to meet the water needs of construction sites, which could lead to a sanitation problem; (iv) the destruction or disturbance of the quality of the soil during the installation of sites, the opening and operation of new and/or old quarries as well as borrow pits for the supply of the site with materials, the risk of water and soil pollution linked to the presence of workers and other worksite activities that will produce solid and liquid waste that can alter the soil and water; (v) potential destruction of vegetation (clearing or even trees felling) during the siting and construction of of new classrooms and/or buildings for girls' boarding schools; and (vi) health and safety risks to workers and/or local residents during the works, in particular due to the movement of machinery, the handling of certain site tools and the movement of vehicles that could result in an accident depending on the severity scales. However, all these impacts are not irreversible and can be managed if appropriate measures are adequately implemented. Social Risk Rating Substantial The social risk is Substantial (parent project social risk was moderate) due to various additional potential risks that Public Disclosure have been identified as a result of the addition of new AF activities, especially with regards to the planned construction works of classrooms and the financing of the construction and operation of three pilot boarding schools. Furthermore, the AF activities, as well as the parent project, will be implemented nation-wide, including in some areas with high-levels of insecurity, including the regions Diffa, Tahoua and Tillaberi. Especially in Tahoua and Tillaberi, the situation has been deteriorating over the last few months and violent extremist groups, criminality and illicit traffic are on the rise, especially in border regions. The most significant additional potential social risks under this AF are : (i) involuntary resettlement, including permanent and temporary physical or economic displacement of populations located within the immediate vicinity of the proposed school construction sites; and (ii) SEA/H risks. To limit the potential risks associated with permanent and/or temporary resettlement or economic displacement, sites will be prioritized where resettlement related impacts would not occur or at very limited scope. There also continue to be risks associated with refugees in terms of regional stability, social cohesion and local perceptions in the project target areas, which will contnue to be mitigated through the following measures supported by the project: (a) intense community mobilization and sensitization, (b) adoption of a holistic and sustainable approach to address the educational needs of refugees and host communities simultaneously, and (c) the inclusion of refugee-related student data in the regular national data collection systems. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: May 22, 2023 Page 5 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) The proposed project is expected to generate positive social impacts by (a) strengthening the existing activities under the parent project to enhance teacher effectiveness, student learning and the instructional conditions in basic and pre-primary education; and (b) introducing as new activities the construction of school infrastructures and their equipment, with specific attention to meeting the needs of girls, as well as piloting a few boarding schools in select secure zones. Education investments are associated with strong positive externalities, including economic, social and wider benefits, which should be sustained over the long term. Most potential risks and negative impacts that could result from project activities are related to the construction of schools, including boarding schools, and the management thereof (examples of such negative impacts are pollution, solid waste, soil degradation, vegetation degradation or destruction through the clearing or even felling of trees during the installation and construction of new classrooms and/or buildings for girls' boarding schools; resettlement and/or permanent and temporary physical or economic displacement, worker’s accidents and SEA/SH risks). The project also continues to include a CERC which, if implemented, can further induce some effects that entail environmental and social concerns. It is expected that any potential long-term or irreversible adverse impacts during project implementation would be limited. The Borrower has updated the ESMF to provide guidance on screening for potential risks and on managing unavoidable environmental and social impacts and types of instruments needed when the nature, scope and the exact sites of the school construction activities (including the three boarding schools) are known. The ESMF will be publicly disclosed, both in-country and on the World Bank’s website prior to Appraisal. Once the screening has been carried out, the Borrower will prepare the relevant instruments for the selected sites. The ESIA/ESMPs will be disclosed prior to the commencement of construction/rehabilitation and if required, a RAP/RAPs will be prepared and implemented before the start of the work. Key elements of the ESMPs to be implemented by contractors will be Public Disclosure included in the bidding documents in order to enable them to prepare their Contractor-ESMPs before the start of the works. Contractors will be required to prepare, and implement Contractor-ESMPs consistent with ESS1 requirements. GBV relevant mitigation measures will also be reflected in the bidding documents. The project will also continue to apply the relevant requirements of the Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSGs) due mainly to the construction or rehabilitation of infrastructures. The Borrower will monitor the environmental and social performance in accordance with the legal agreement. As the new construction works will include some excavations, all construction contracts will include a “Chance Find” clause which will require contractors to stop construction in the event that archaeological sites are encountered during construction. Finally, the Borrower’s commitments to prepare and implement safeguard instruments throughout the lifecycle of the project is outlined in the updated ESCP. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The Borrower has updated the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) to present the changes brought about by the AF as indicated in the project paper and resulting revisions on planned stakeholder engagement activities. The main updates were mainly related to adapt the SEP stronger to the communication and consultation needs of girls. No new stakeholders were identified in the updated SEP and the target regions remain the same as they were under the parent project. Several consultations were held during the updating of this SEP (most of them between November and December 2022) and suggestions and concerns raised reflected in this updated SEP. Main concerns that were raised included the following: the insufficiency of financial resources allocated to the education sector in a context of strong growth in school enrollments, the precarious status of contract teachers, the low level of education and training of several teachers, the physical insecurity of teachers and students in certain areas of the country (in the May 22, 2023 Page 6 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) Tillabéry region). The updated SEP will be disclosed prior to Appraisal. The revised SEP also includes provision for child-sensitive consultations and communications (with a focus on girls). The Borrower will continue to provide stakeholders with timely, relevant, understandable and accessible information, and consult with them in a culturally appropriate manner, which is free of manipulation, interference, coercion, discrimination and intimidation. The Borrower will also continue to maintain, and disclose, a documented record of stakeholder engagement, including a description of the stakeholders consulted, a summary of the feedback received and a brief explanation of how the feedback was considered, or the reasons why it was not. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions For the newly added construction works, the project will involve direct workers and contracted workers and to some extent also community workers and primary supply workers (these were also the same categories of workers mentioned for the parent project, i.e. there is no change). Most of the labor will be locally hired, except for skilled workers who cannot be found in the project location. The project will therefore work with the contractors to ensure that they hire local unskilled labor to the extent possible for construction of infrastructures to minimize the influx of unskilled labor and reduce the potential for harm. To ensure health and safety of workers during the construction and operational phases of the project, the PIU has developed and will continue to implement a proportional Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) plan in line with World Bank Group Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines for construction activities. The plan includes procedures on incident investigation and reporting, recording and Public Disclosure reporting of non-compliance, emergency preparedness and response procedures and continuous training and awareness to workers on a regular basis. Furthermore, the Labor Management Procedure (LMP) has been updated to reflect changes made though this AF and to better reflect SEA/SH prevention measures. The Borrower will also continue to ensure that the ESS2 requirements are incorporated: (a) the contracts between the Recipient and the Contractor and any entity (including the owner’s engineer) supervising the project’s civil works; and (b) the contracts between the contractor and any contractors’ subcontractors. All project staff will be provided with information and documentation that clearly presents their terms and conditions of employment. Any government workers working in connection with the project, on full or part-time basis, will remain subject to the terms and conditions of their existing public sector employment agreement, unless there is an effective legal transfer of their employment or engagement to the project. Finally, the Borrower may contract private security personnel which may pose additional SEA/SH risks and the Borrower will therefore need to ensure the diligent operationalization of the GRM for AF activities; and the implementation of the measures of the GBV Action Plan which will be prepared and which principal activities will have to be implemented before the start of works. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Civil works such as rehabilitations/construction activities under Subcomponent 1.1 and new Component 6 will imply consumption of energy, water and raw materials. The Borrower will develop, under the ESMF, site-specific ESIAs/ESMPs which will take into account adequate measures for improving efficient consumption of energy, water and raw materials, as well as other resources. It is anticipated that during the project implementation, air emissions will be generated due to transport vehicles, and dust due to digging activities. Those most likely to be affected are May 22, 2023 Page 7 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) workers and people living within the proximity of construction/rehabilitation sites. The implementation of mitigation measures such as dust suppression and vehicle maintenance will be applied to minimize the impact of air emissions during construction/rehabilitation, and residual impacts are expected to be limited in scope and duration. Noise might likely be generated from the use of construction machinery and vehicle movements. The relatively short-term and small-scale nature of the works suggest that noise levels will not be excessive or cause long-term nuisances. The construction works will, however, present short-term nuisance to students and the neighbors to some of the project sites. The Environmental and Social Management instruments such as ESIA, ESMP, RAP, etc. that will be prepared include mitigation measures to minimize and manage the noise levels by applying standard restrictions to hours of site work. Construction/rehabilitation activities will generate solid waste which will primarily include excavated soil and solid wastes. The waste generated by the construction/rehabilitation works will largely be disposed of at approved sites in accordance with the national laws and regulations and appropriate measures will be included in the project design toward efficient use of energy and water (including for cooking) during the school’s operational phase as well as waste segregation and recycling systems, when technically and financially possible. Appropriate measures will be included in the project design toward efficient use of energy and water (including for cooking) during the school’s operational phase as well as waste segregation and recycling systems, when technically and financially possible. ESS4 Community Health and Safety The Borrower will continue to evaluate the risks and impacts of the project on the health and safety of the affected communities that are living within or in the construction areas, during the project life cycle. In addition, the PIU will Public Disclosure continue to identify, evaluate and monitor the potential traffic and road safety risks to workers, students, affected communities and road users during construction/rehabilitation and, where appropriate, will develop measures and plans to address them. Furthermore, the principle of universal access will be considered in the design of new classrooms and girls' boarding schools. The ESMF provides an analysis of the current security situation and the impact of access to schools and GBV risks for teachers and students. The ESMF makes reference to the general EHSGs and also more specifically the EHSGs for construction activities for the identified subprojects in relation to community health and safety. Project activities will also be implemented in sites with relatively high or moderate levels of insecurity. To manage security risks, a Security Risk Analysis (SRA) and a Security Risk Management Plan (SMP) has been prepared by the Borrower. A short summary of the SMP will be published prior to Appraisal. The project will also prioritize areas with a better security situation, especially with regards to the new activities related to infrastructure works, including boarding schools (the site selection of the three pilot boarding schools will be made based on security risks of the areas, amongst others). Regarding SEA/SH risks, a robust set of prevention measures will be implemented and closely monitored, including the creation of safe spaces at the facility-level (separate toilets that can be locked from inside, well-lit areas, explore adaptation that can be made for children living with a disability) and the updating of the GBV Action Plan and the current Grievance Mechanism to reflect new activities. Finally, the Borrower may contract private security personnel which may pose additional SEA/SH risks and the Borrower will therefore need to ensure the diligent operationalization of the GRM for AF activities; and the implementation of the measures of the GBV Action Plan which will be prepared and which principal activities will have to be implemented before the start of works. May 22, 2023 Page 8 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The project will finance the construction of school infrastructures, including the construction of three pilot boarding schools in select secure zones. These construction activities could lead to temporary or permanent losses of land, assets and/or livelihoods (both physical and economic displacement) of populations located within the immediate vicinity of the proposed investments. The exact locations of these new schools are not yet known and the precise impacts would therefore need to be re-evaluated once the locations are known and before the commencement of any infrastructure works. Given the addition of these new construction activities, a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) has been developed for the project and will be disclosed prior to Appraisal. The RPF includes the following aspects: a description of the arrangements for funding resettlement, including the preparation and review of cost estimates, the flow of funds and contingency arrangement. The project will develop site-specific Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) as necessary during implementation. All RAPs need to be monitored very closely throughout the project. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources The project will finance the construction of school infrastructure, including the construction of three pilot boarding schools in certain regions of Niger. It has not yet been established at this stage that the sites potentially dedicated to the works are located on modified habitats containing significant vegetation, the activities related to the construction works could lead to temporary or permanent loss of land with a risk of destruction of vegetation by clearing or even the felling of trees which could lead to the disturbance of habitats located in the immediate vicinity of the proposed investments. Thus, the exact locations of these new schools are not yet known, the precise impacts should be reassessed once the locations are known and before the start of the infrastructure works. The parent project's ESMF Public Disclosure has been updated to reflect these new concerns. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities At this stage and considering the country knowledge related to Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities, this ESS is currently considered as not relevant. ESS8 Cultural Heritage Niger has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. The ESMF therefore includes in the screening process questions to prevent impacts on any known tangible or intangible cultural heritage. The new AF activities which relate to the construction of schools will likely include some excavation, movement of earth and impounding. These types of activities pose the possibility of encountering unknown cultural heritage. All construction contracts will therefore include as described under ESS1, a “Chance Finds” clause which will require contractors to stop construction in the event that cultural heritage sites are encountered during construction. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Not relevant because the project will not finance activities that involve Financial Intermediaries. May 22, 2023 Page 9 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No B.3. Reliance on Borrower’s policy, legal and institutional framework, relevant to the Project risks and impacts Is this project being prepared for use of Borrower Framework? No Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: The operation will not use the Borrower’s E&S Framework in the assessment, development and implementation of sub projects. However, the project will comply with relevant national legal requirements. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Marie Jacqueline Yvette Sacadura Title: Senior Education Specialist Public Disclosure Telephone No: 5350+3241 / 227-20-727541 Email: msacadura@worldbank.org Contact: Stanislas Honkuy Title: Education Specialist Telephone No: 5350+3257 / 227-20-727557 Email: shonkuy@worldbank.org Contact: Tounwende Alain Sawadogo Title: Senior Digital Development Specialist Telephone No: 5351+2228 / 223-223-20702228 Email: tsawadogo@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Ministry of Planning Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Ministry of National Education V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT May 22, 2023 Page 10 of 11 The World Bank Niger Learning Improvement for Results in Education Project Additional Financing (P180064) The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Stanislas Honkuy, Tounwende Alain Sawadogo, Marie Jacqueline Yvette Sacadura Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Maria Sarraf Cleared on 15-May-2023 at 04:44:49 EDT Safeguards Advisor ESSA Nathalie S. Munzberg (SAESSA) Concurred on 21-May-2023 at 22:12:46 EDT Public Disclosure May 22, 2023 Page 11 of 11