The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^blank@pidconcoverpage#doctemplate Project Information Document (PID) Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 02-Aug-2023 | Report No: PIDC35549 Aug 03, 2023 Page 1 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@pidbasicinformation#doctemplate BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Project Beneficiary(ies) Operation ID Operation Name Cambodia P180664 Second Higher Education Improvement Project Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Approval Date Practice Area (Lead) EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC 29-Mar-2024 30-Sep-2024 Education Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Kingdom of Cambodia Ministry of Education, Financing (IPF) Youth and Sport Proposed Development Objective(s) To improve the quality, research and governance of higher education mainly in STEM and agriculture at the targeted higher education institutions, and to provide immediate and effective response in case of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency. @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@pidprojectfinancing#doctemplate PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY Total Operation Cost 60.00 Total Financing 60.00 of which IBRD/IDA 60.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 60.00 IDA Credit 60.00 @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@envsocriskclassification#doctemplate Environmental and Social Risk Classification Concept Review Decision Moderate The review did authorize the preparation to continue Aug 03, 2023 Page 2 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context Country Context 1. In the two decades preceding the pandemic, Cambodia experienced uninterrupted economic expansion. Cambodia was one of the fastest growing economies in the world between 1998 and 2019 with a sustained average real growth rate of 7.7 percent, driven largely by tourism, manufacturing exports, real estate, and construction. The country reached lower middle-income status in 2015 and is aspiring to attain upper middle-income status by 2030 and high-income status by 2050. Cambodia has achieved considerable improvements in socioeconomic indicators such as health and education, but equitable access to basic public services remains a challenge. The poverty rate in the country declined from 33.8 percent in 2009 to 17.8 percent in 2019. 2. The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impacts of the devastating 2020 floods took a toll on the economy. As a result, Cambodia’s real GDP growth contracted by 3.1 percent in 2020, pushing the country into its first recession in 25 years. At least an additional 500,000 people were identified as poor in 2020. The energy and food price hikes resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have imposed additional burdens, weighing heavily on household budgets. Moreover, a simulation analysis, which did not account for the implications of COVID-19 or the fiscal policy response implemented between 2020 and 2022 to support households, suggests that inflation could increase poverty by around four percent from 2019 levels. Key industries including construction, tourism, and merchandise export, which together account for more than 70 percent of growth and 39 percent of total paid employment, have been significantly affected by the pandemic, international conflicts, and flooding. Because of COVID-related travel restrictions, international arrivals fell by 74.1 percent, significantly affecting the tourism sector which contributed almost one fifth of real GDP growth in 2019. The pandemic has put a heavy financial burden on the economy, and the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has provided social assistance at an unprecedented five percent of GDP to mitigate the impact. As highlighted in the RGC Economic Recovery Plan, the country’s economy needs a quick and sustainable recovery. 3. However, Cambodia’s current economic success has been built largely on the expansion of relatively low- technology, low wage/skill production in such industries as textiles, apparel, and basic electronics. Cambodia’s industrial sector remains weak and narrow as it heavily relies on exporting low-values products, placing Cambodia in low position in the Global Value Chains (GCVs).1 Moreover, its comparative advantage in these industries is being eroded as wages increase, making unit labor costs (as a share of value added) very high among comparators2. 4. To maintain growth prospects in the long term and remain competitive, Cambodia must diversify its exports and transform its labor-intensive industrial structure into a knowledge-intensive model to move to the next stages of participation in GVCs. The country’s National Strategic Plan (NSP) (2019-2023) and Industrial Development Policy (IDP) (2015-2025) specifically calls for creating a competitive economy through knowledge and innovation. The RGC has further identified priority sectors in its IDP, including automotive, electronic, and agro-industrial sectors. Its National Research Agenda 2025 also spells out key research areas related to these priority industries, including food production and processing, cloud-based services, electronic and mechanical spare parts, and energy supply. 1 RGC. 2015. Cambodia Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025. 2 World Bank. 2019. Cambodia Future Jobs. Aug 03, 2023 Page 3 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 5. Such diversification and transformation require Cambodia to increase its Research and Development (R&D) capacity and improve innovation system. International indicators show that Cambodia is not well-endowed with scientific skills for R&D and is still constrained by the shortage of highly skilled human resources in the form of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and agriculture. For instance, the number of researchers engaged in R&D, expressed as per million, was 30.4 in Cambodia, compared to 678.6 in Vietnam and 7013.5 in Korea in 2015. 6. Cambodia is also behind other Southeast Asian countries and its neighboring countries (Thailand and Vietnam) in most of the innovation input indicators reported in the 2022 Global Innovation Index. Its human capital and research ranked the 99th. The gross expenditure on R&D, R&D, tertiary education enrollment ranked 103rd, 108th and 103rd, respectively. Only Laos PDR ranked lower than Cambodia on various innovation indicators. Sectoral and Institutional Context 7. The RGC has established robust policy foundations aimed at producing highly skilled graduates, particularly in the fields of STEM and agriculture to maintain growth and remain competitive in the global economy. These graduates are crucial for advancing the country's economic value chain and generating sophisticated knowledge-intensive products. At the national level, two key policies have been adopted: the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for the period 2019-2023 and the Industrial Development Policy (IDP) spanning from 2015 to 2025. These policies incorporate medium- to long-term measures such as enhancing the capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to absorb scientific knowledge and foster market-driven technological innovation. They also focus on strengthening research and development capacities in industrial technology based on demand, promoting collaboration and research in sciences, technology, and innovation, and encouraging the study of STEM subjects from primary to post-secondary education levels. 8. In line with these national policies, the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MoEYS) has formulated several sectoral policies, including the Higher Education Subsector Strategy (2021-2030). The document places significant emphasis on increasing equitable access to education, improving its quality and relevance, and enhancing governance in the sector and institutions. It also establishes targets to ensure that HEIs produce highly skilled graduates and research outputs that meet the demands of the job market and contribute to the national development agenda. 9. In 1997, Cambodia’s higher education system was relatively small. There were only 8 HEIs. By 2022, the number increased to 132. Much of the growth in the sub-sector came from private HEIs. Today there are 84 private HEIs, representing 64 percent of the total number of HEIs. Along the increase in the number of institutions, enrollment has expanded, from fewer than 20,000 students in the 1990s to 209,095 in 2022, including 172,441 in private HEIs and fee-paying programs in public HEIs. 10. Although the increase in HEIs has expanded student enrollment, the focus on producing graduates to meet the national development priorities has been lacking. In 2022, only 26 percent of Cambodian tertiary graduates completed their studies in STEM subjects, which are considered key skills for fostering the growth of the Cambodian economy. Today, only one out of five students major in STEM and agriculture. Of these students, only one-third are enrolled in private HEIs, highlighting the low private investment in these subjects. In 2021-22, few students enrolled in STEM and agriculture fields, including 5 percent in natural and physical sciences, 10 percent in information technology, 8 percent in engineering and related technology, and 3 percent in agriculture. In scientific fields, there has been low enrollment because of the high unit cost and limited availability of highly skilled faculty members, particularly for private HEIs. In contrast, most students have concentrated their studies in social science, business, Aug 03, 2023 Page 4 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) and law. These fields proliferated because they require low investment and faculty members with less-specialized skills. 11. Despite the expansion of Cambodia's higher education system, the issues of quality and relevance persist. First, the academic programs, especially in STEM and agriculture, are not up to date. Evidence from the self-assessment of 56 programs from 29 HEIs in 2022 did not meet the MOEYS’ national minimum standards. In addition, only one program of Cambodia HEIs has been accredited by ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA), compared to Laos (5), Thailand (83), and Vietnam (388)3. Second, most of Cambodia’s HEIs are still teaching- oriented, producing an insignificant number of research outputs and performing little technology-transferring functions to industry. Faculty members are not adequately trained for advanced research and innovation, nor are there incentives and support to the faculty members for these functions. In terms of scientific outputs, from 2010 to 2019, Cambodia’s HEIs managed to publish 3,397 research papers, much lower than Thailand (143,019) and Vietnam (53,623)4. Third, the country is short of highly skilled faculty members capable of providing quality teaching and research. Many faculty members hold low qualifications with 8.8 percent with PhD degrees, and 67.6 percent with master’s degrees. In addition, most of the faculty members are part-time staff and enter teaching positions without undergoing proper pedagogical training. Fourth, HEIs have limited modernized physical infrastructure for teaching and research, classrooms, and student dormitories. In 2022, the STEM-major student-laboratory ratio was 206:1, nationwide. The top three public HEIs in Phnom Penh (ITC, RUPP, and RUA) are short of classrooms, with the student- classroom ratios of 89.2, 52.8 and 37.1 respectively, in 2022. Fifth, there is insufficient industry-university collaboration. Most HEIs run their academic programs, with little or no regular consultation with potential employers. As a result, the lack of effective partnerships, internships, and work-integrated learning opportunities hampers the ability of HEIs to stay updated with industry trends, tailor their curricula and research areas to meet industry needs. In terms of university-industry R&D collaboration, Cambodia was ranked 84th, behind Laos (63rd), Thailand (38th), and Vietnam (26th) in the 2022 Global Innovation Index. Sixth, HEIs have limited capacity to build students’ entrepreneurship. Formal entrepreneurship education is generally limited to business-related programs in a form of compulsory courses to increase students’ knowledge of setting up business 5. However, they are not sufficient for students to run startups6. In addition, while some HEIs have established incubation centers to increase students’ practical experience in entrepreneurship and develop startups, they still face the shortage of human resources with sufficient experience for mentoring students7. Moreover, these centers are still in the ideation stage that helps turn ideas into startups rather than helping those startups to survive their early years. The sustainability of their programs and activities are highly subject to the availability of financial support from development partners8. 12. Ample room exists to improve higher education access and equity. Not only is the enrollment rate of tertiary education in Cambodia lower than neighboring countries; most of the enrolled students are from better-off households, creating a high level of inequality. In Cambodia, based on the National Census in 2019, 44.8 percent of enrolled students come from the top income quintile, while only 2.5 percent of students come from families who occupy the bottom income quintile. Further, enrollment disparity exists between urban and rural areas, with 30 per cent of urban higher-education age group enrolling for higher education while only 10 per cent of the same age group from rural areas, according to the National Census in 2019. 3 https://www.aunsec.org/discover-aun/thematic-networks/aun-qa/aun-qa-assessed-programmes 4 Sukoco, B. M., Putra, R. A., Muqaffi, H. N., Lutfian, M. V., & Wicaksono, H. 2023. Comparative Study of ASEAN Research Productivity. SAGE Open, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221145157 5 CDRI. 2023. A Quantitative Study on Entrepreneurial Intention of University Students in Cambodia 6 Techo Startup Center. 2022. Tech Startup Ecosystem in Cambodia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Ways Forward 7 Techo Startup Center. 2022. Tech Startup Ecosystem in Cambodia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Ways Forward 8 ADB. 2022. Cambodia’s Ecosystem for Technology Startups Aug 03, 2023 Page 5 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 13. The sectoral governance framework is a cross-cutting theme that requires substantial improvement. The recent study by the World Bank9 found that Cambodian HEIs have insufficient autonomy, including organizational autonomy, academic autonomy, and autonomy in Human Resource and Financial Management. Together with limited autonomy, there is a need for a more robust accountability system to ensure that HEIs adhere to national goals and policies, aspire to offering academic quality and program relevance, promote financial transparency, and maintain good governance and management. 14. Given the challenges in the subsector, Cambodia’s future economic competitiveness depends on the urgent need address these weaknesses to produce quality tertiary graduates in STEM and agricultural subjects as well as increasing its research and development capacity. Improvement of higher education in STEM and agriculture will produce highly skilled graduates who can fill leadership roles in technological transformation and in moving the economy to high-skill industries. Recognizing this, the RGC has given high priority and support to ensuring that HEIs provide more relevant and better skills graduates needed to move the country up the value chain and produce more sophisticated knowledge-intensive products such as food processing and information technology. The country’s IDP 2015-2025 specifically calls for creating a competitive economy through knowledge and innovation. Furthermore, the MoEYS Higher Education Sub Sector Strategy 2030 also focuses on quality and relevance, access and equity and governance, with HEIs producing high skilled graduates and research outputs to meet national development agenda. HEIs located near Special Economic Zones and in strategic agricultural development areas are also mandated to diversify their course offerings to better link with the industrial development strategy of the country. 15. The Bank has been supporting the higher education system in Cambodia since 2005. Through IDA-financed Cambodia Education Sector Support Project (CESSP: 2005-2010), the Bank supported strengthening the capacity of the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and Accreditation Committee in Cambodia (ACC), and the expansion of the library of Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). From 2010 to 2017, the Higher Education Quality and Capacity Improvement Project (HEQCIP) responded to the growing concerns that the rapid increase in higher education enrollments had not been accompanied by changes in educational or institutional quality. The project development objectives (PDO) of HEQCIP were to improve: (a) the quality of teaching, management, and research in project- supported entities; and (b) pilot the targeting of disadvantaged students for enhanced retention. The project: (i) piloted a poverty focused scholarship program to increase equitable access to higher education; (ii) improved HEI research capability through a pilot research grant program; (iii) improved the quality and relevance of higher education provision through fellowship programs as well as a series of training sessions; and (iv) strengthened institutional management capacity of a target HEI. The on-going IDA-financed Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP)10 is built on the achievements of HEQCIP11, with a strong focus on producing graduates with relevant skills for the labor market in STEM and agriculture, and a sectoral governance reform. The PDO of HEIP is to improve the quality and relevance of higher education and research mainly in STEM and agriculture at targeted higher education institutions, and to improve governance in the sector. The HEIP project (i) supports improving teaching and learning capacity via forming partnership between target HEIs and oversea HEIs and improving the internal and external accountability of the target HEIs; (ii) provides research grants to improve the quality and relevance of research in STEM and agriculture; and (iii) support strengthening sectoral governance through the improvement of quality assurance mechanisms; expansion of information systems; and support the development of legislation for autonomous HEIs. 9 World Bank. 2023 Reimagining Higher Education in Cambodia: Modernizing governance for Improved Access and Relevance [manuscript in preparation] 10 HEIP was approved on April 26, 2018, became effective on September 17, 2018, and will originally be closed on June 30, 2024. However, the project will extend its closing date to accommodate the construction completion. 11 HEQCIP was approved on August 5, 2010 and closed on September 30, 2017. Aug 03, 2023 Page 6 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 16. The proposed IDA Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP) II builds on the achievements of the current HIEP and the previous HEQCIP. It will advance the Bank’s engagement in the subsector to place a strong focus on increasing the quality of HEI’s academic programs to meet both national and international standards and to strengthen the linkage between HEIs and the industry. HEQCIP and HEIP have also built a strong foundation for sectoral capacity development and have created a healthy policy environment to advance to a larger investment in the selected HEIs and sectoral strengthening. Relationship to CPF 17. The proposed project is fully aligned with the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Country Partnership Framework (CPF) (FY2019-FY2023) (Report No. 136500-KH). The CPF has been extended to FY2024 and the core areas of WBG engagement in the CPF remain relevant and are not expected to change.12 The project is aligned with the CPF Objective 4: Enhance quality and alignment of education with labor demands, under Focus Area II fostering human development, which mentions that skills development will be the key to move from a low-technology and low-skills economy to one built on knowledge and innovation, and a skilled and productive workforce with better qualifications is essential to sustain Cambodia’s economic development and enhance its competitiveness. 18. The proposed project will also contribute to the twin goals of the WBG —eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity. The literature on human capital has documented a positive correlation between investment in human capital and social and economic development. Investments in higher education significantly contribute to poverty eradication and wealth creation as higher education increases the availability of well-trained public and private sector leaders. Also, higher educational attainment significantly increases the probability of getting a paid job and has a large and positive impact on monthly wage earnings. Lastly, since many higher education graduates become schoolteachers across the country, the program will have a wide impact across the education sector by improving the teaching of STEM subjects to primary and secondary students. C. Proposed Development Objective(s) To improve the quality, relevance, research and governance of higher education in Cambodia, and to provide immediate and effective response in case of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency. Key Results (From PCN) The PDO will be measured by the following indicators: • Number of academic programs meeting national and international standards • Number of prototypes and patent processed • Number of HEIs meeting institutional governance standards D. Concept Description 12 World Bank; International Development Association; International Finance Corporation; Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. 2022. Performance and Learning Review of the Country Partnership Framework for Kingdom of Cambodia for the Period FY19-FY24. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/37758 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO . Aug 03, 2023 Page 7 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 19. The proposed project will be financed by an International Development Association (IDA) Credit (US$60 million). It will use an Investment Project Financing modality with Performance-Based Conditions (IPF-PBC), whereby part of the disbursement is conditional on the achievement of PBCs. In education, Cambodia has had substantial experience in result-based financing by implementing the IPF with DLIs for a completed Secondary Education Improvement Project (P157858) and the IPF with PBCs for an ongoing General Education Improvement Project (P174335). 20. The proposed project aims to enhance Cambodia’s competitiveness by increasing the relevance and quality of higher education provision and research in line with industrial needs. The proposed project will target two priority areas: 1) to improve the teaching, learning, and research in the fields of STEM and Agriculture in HEIs that are connected to industries prioritized in the IDP and 2) to strengthen the higher education sectoral governance. The project will support six selected public HEIs: Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Svay Rieng University (SRU), National University of Battambang (NUBB), and University of Heng Samrin Thbongkhmum (UHST). 13 21. The proposed project will comprise three components: (1) improving academic excellence, productivity, and inclusiveness (access); (2) strengthening higher education governance; and (3) contingent emergency response component (CERC). Component 1: Improving academic excellence, productivity, and inclusiveness 22. The component aims to enhance quality of teaching, learning, and research capacity of selected HEIs in the fields of STEM, agriculture, and other complementary fields deemed necessary for economic development.14 The proposed sub-components are: 1.1: improving quality and relevance of academic programs, 1.2: improving research in STEM and agriculture, and 1.3: Improving equity through infrastructure development. Sub- components 1.1 and 1.2 will use PBC and Component 1.3 will use IPF modalities. Sub-component 1.1: Improving quality and relevance of academic programs. (PBC) 23. This sub-component aims to enhance academic programs in STEM and agriculture to meet national and international standards. This sub-component will support (1) modernizing curriculums to respond to market demands, including the concept of green economy and enhancing students’ 21st century skills, (2) improving lecturers’ professional qualifications and their capacity to apply project-based/inquiry-based learning, and (3) promoting project-based learning, with the use of ICT, and (4) promoting entrepreneurship skills through SME development with the support of the incubation centers. This subcomponent will finance national and international partnership programs, workshops, training (for curriculum and skill-based programs), learning materials necessary for project-based teaching and learning. Sub-component 1.2: Improving research in STEM and agriculture. (PBC) 13 The rationales behind the selection are: (1) ITC, RUA, and RUPP are the sector leading universities in STEM and agriculture, with a combined enrollment of 43% in STEM and agricultural subjects in 2022. (2) and other three (SRU, NUBB, and UHST) are key provincial institutions to expand access to students and contribute to the regional economic growth for supplying skilled workforce and conducting research to meet the local industry needs. Private HEIs will receive support in the areas of academic programs and institutional governance, based on criteria that will be developed to ensure transparency of the selection. 14 In order to connect STEM and agricultural fields to industry and/or policy making, complementary fields such as, but not limited to, tourism, economics, management, or sociology must be improved. Graduates from these complementary fields play a crucial role in macro planning/policy making during the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Moreover, pre-service teacher education will also need improvement to increase the quality of teachers. Qualified secondary teachers are of vital importance for developing students’ competence necessary for entering STEM and agricultural programs at the higher education level. Aug 03, 2023 Page 8 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 24. This sub-component builds on the successes of the on-going Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP- P162971), by supporting applied research for prototype development and/or patentable technologies or innovation in STEM and agriculture at the target HEIs. The main activities will include: (1) improve working conditions for the selected HEIs’ researchers to conduct scientific research, including application of performance-based payment, reduction of teaching hours, and (2) enhancing the competitive funding mechanism by institutionalizing research procedures under DGHE and financing rules in each HEI and supporting the regulatory framework for commercialization of research outputs. Sub-component 1.3: Improving equity through infrastructure development (IPF) 25. This sub-component aims to improve equity (access) of higher education institutions in STEM and agriculture. This sub-component will support (1) improving infrastructure necessary for project-based teaching and learning, and (2) rehabilitating and constructing classrooms to increase enrollment in prioritized programs and dormitories for female students, and students from poor households. The action plan for improving equity will be prepared by each HEI and construction of facilities will be planned accordingly. Component 2: Strengthening higher education governance. 26. This component aims to strengthen the system of higher education sector by improving institutional governance and project management, project monitoring and evaluation The proposed sub-components are: 2.1: Strengthening institutional governance, 2.2: Support for Private HEIs, and 2.3: Strengthening project management. 2.1 uses PBC and 2.2 and 2.3 use IPF. Sub-component 2.1: Strengthening Institutional Governance (PBC) 27. This sub-component aims to continue to improve HEIs’ institutional governance capacity by strengthening institutional governance through data management, internal quality assurance (IQA) and regional/international accreditation, tracer studies, student grievances, human resources management, and financial management. This sub-component also aims to support the implementation of a performance-based management system (e.g., appropriate admission fees and lecturers’ performance-based typology) at the target HEIs. Moreover, this sub-component will support DGHE to digitalize key functions of higher education data, service delivery, and market information. In addition, this sub- component will potentially support the establishment of coordination mechanism for connecting HEIs to foster cross- institutional collaboration. 28. This sub-component will finance TA, workshops, equipment, training, and operational costs. Sub-component 2.2: Supporting Private HEIs (IPF) 29. This sub-component aims to support some selected private HEIs, based on objective selection criteria, to (i) modernize their curriculum through partnership programs with either international or local HEIs, and (ii) improve institutional governance. The DGHE will manage the implementation of this sub-component. 30. The sub-component will finance national and international partnership programs, workshops, training (for curriculum and skill-based programs), and activities aimed at strengthening the private HEIs’ institutional governance (strategic plan, IQA system, M&E, HEMIS, etc.), their financial and human resource management, and monitoring of graduates’ participation in the labor market. Sub-component 2.3: Strengthening Project Management (IPF) Aug 03, 2023 Page 9 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) 31. This sub-component will cover project management and monitoring and evaluation of project progress and outcomes. This sub-component will potentially include: (1) overall project management, coordination, and supervision of programs with selected HEIs; (2) monitoring and evaluation of project progress of outcomes; and (3) promoting education and private sector forum to support economic development. 32. This sub-component will finance TA, workshops, equipment, training, operational costs, and incentives for project members. Component 3: Contingent Emergency Response (CERC) 33. The CERC with zero allocation will provide swift response in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, by enabling RGC to request the World Bank to re-allocate uncommitted project funds to support emergency response and reconstruction. @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@legalpolicyandscreeningrisk#doctemplate Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Area OP 7.60 No Summary of Screening of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Potential Environmental risks and impacts from the project related to the civil works include noise, dust, construction waste, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), storage or stockpile of construction materials, possible cutting or trimming of trees/branches, small amount of soil movement and backfilling works, and the potential UXO to be certified or cleared prior to commencement of construction. Some OHS risks and impacts for construction workers could include risk of COVID- 19 transmission and poor sanitation at temporary campsites. From subcomponent 1.3, there are some risks related to operation of laboratories e.g., wastewater generation and management that need to meet national standard requirements before discharging to public drainage. However, these potential risks and impacts are site specific and considered as moderate, localized and temporary in nature, and can be mitigated with appropriate measures in place. In order to minimize negative impacts, the mitigation measures will also involve approaches to promote sustainable practices such as using green building materials, implementing energy-efficient designs, adopting waste management strategies, and safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystems (if any of the proposed facilities are proximity to environmentally sensitive areas). @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@contactpoint#doctemplate CONTACT POINT Aug 03, 2023 Page 10 of 11 The World Bank Second Higher Education Improvement Project(P180664) World Bank Simeth Beng Senior Education Specialist Tsuyoshi Fukao Senior Education Specialist Borrower/Client/Recipient Kingdom of Cambodia Vissoth Vongsey, Permanent Secretary of State, vongsey_vissoth@mef.gov.kh Implementing Agencies Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Chuon Naron Hang, Minister, Hang.chuo.naron@moeys.gov.kh 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 @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@approval#doctemplate APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Simeth Beng, Tsuyoshi Fukao Approved By Practice Manager/Manager: Country Director: Mariam J. Sherman 03-Aug-2023 Aug 03, 2023 Page 11 of 11