The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) REPORT NO.: RES57014 RESTRUCTURING PAPER ON A PROPOSED PROJECT RESTRUCTURING OF GUINEA PROJECT FOR RESULTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND BASIC EDUCATION APPROVED ON JULY 9, 2019 TO MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE EDUCATION WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA Regional Vice President: Ousmane Diagana Country Director: Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira Regional Director: Dena Ringold Practice Manager/Manager: Waly Wane Task Team Leader(s): Patrick Philippe Ramanantoanina The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS COVID-19 Corona Virus Disease DLI Disbursement-Linked Indicator DLRs Disbursement-Linked Results ECE Early Childhood Education EMIS Education Management Information System GoG Government of Guinea IDA International Development Association MELQO Preschool Learning Assessment (Measuring Early Learning Quality and Outcomes) MEPU-A Ministry of Pre-University Education and Literacy (Ministère de l’Enseignement Pre-Universitaire et de l’Alphabétisation) M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MTR Mid-Term Review PAD Project Appraisal Document PDO Project Development Objective PRePEF Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (Projet pour les Résultats au Préscolaire et l’Enseignement Fondamental) PCU Project Coordination Unit UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund WB World Bank The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) BASIC DATA Product Information Project ID Financing Instrument P167478 Investment Project Financing Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Approval Date Current Closing Date 09-Jul-2019 30-Jun-2024 Organizations Borrower Responsible Agency Ministry of Economy and Finance Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The Project Development Objectives (PDO) are to improve access to, and the quality of early childhood and basic education in the Project Areas and to strengthen the capacity of the education system to deliver better results. OPS_TABLE_PDO_CURRENTPDO Summary Status of Financing (US$, Millions) Net Ln/Cr/Tf Approval Signing Effectiveness Closing Commitment Disbursed Undisbursed IDA-D4840 09-Jul-2019 29-Jul-2019 15-Jul-2020 30-Jun-2024 50.00 22.48 25.79 Policy Waiver(s) Does this restructuring trigger the need for any policy waiver(s)? No The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) I. PROJECT STATUS AND RATIONALE FOR RESTRUCTURING A. Project Implementation Status 1. The Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (PRePEF) is a five-year operation financed by an International Development Association (IDA) loan in the amount of SDR 36.1 million (US$50 million equivalent). The PRePEF Project was approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on July 9, 2019 and became effective on July 15, 2020. The Project’s development objective (PDO) is “to improve access to, and the quality of early childhood and basic education in the Project Areas and to strengthen the capacity of the education system to deliver better results.” The Project specifically aims to increase access to pre-primary education and reinforce capacity of decentralized education units in selected management areas (such us teachers’ recruitment/deployment, provision of non-salary recurrent budget to school, and information management). The PRePEF was originally designed to positively impact approximately 86,500 direct beneficiaries, including approximately 60,000 children; approximately 1,000 Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers, 25,000 primary school teachers (including 3,500 primary school directors who might be teaching) and 500 pedagogical support staff at the central and decentralized levels of the education system. The Mid-Term Review (MTR) for PRePEF was held from June 2 to 3, 2022. This restructuring paper reflects the recommendations made at the MTR and subsequent discussions that were held to further strengthen the implementation of key project activities. 2. The Project is comprised of four Components. The objectives, supported activities, and key results achieved to date are summarized below. The Project’s overall implementation performance is assessed as Moderately Satisfactory considering the recent progress observed, and the increase in the Project’s overall disbursement rate from 6.20 percent on May 5, 2022, to 46.57 percent by August 15, 2023 3. The Project succeeded in narrowing the implementation gaps it faced since the effectiveness date. The Project is back on track to meet the first objective to improve access to, and the quality of, early childhood and basic education. The timeline for the opening of the pre-school for the 2023/2024 school year is being closely monitored. The Project has launched the construction program for 1,000 preschool classrooms and the bids for pre-school furniture. The policy on Early Childhood Education (ECE) has been produced and submitted for approval to the Government of Guinea (GoG), the 1,000 pre-primary teachers have been recruited, and the training plan developed. For the second objective related to on strengthening the capacity of the education system, key actions are underway and the GoG has taken several measures to implement—nationwide—some actions linked to the Project’s disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), including the decentralized recruitment of teachers and the provision of non-salary recurrent budget to primary schools. 4. Component 1—Improving Equitable Access to Pre-school Education (Initial estimated cost: USD 30.20 million; 60 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 26.77 million; 55 percent of revised total Project cost) supports activities to increase equitable access to one year of early childhood education by building pre-school classrooms in rural and sub urban areas; and supplying them with furniture and pedagogical equipment and materials. One pre-school classroom will be built as stand-alone structure on the premise of existing 1,000 public primary schools. The Project will also support incremental costs of the feeding program associated with covering newly enrolled pre-school children. Under this component, the release of USD 0.5 million of IDA funds is linked to the DLI and associated Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) on “Pre-school policy is strengthened”. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) 5. Following some initial delays, the implementation of the activities supported under Component 1 are largely back on track. Bids for the construction of one classroom in 765 public primary schools were successively launched from February 6, 2023, to March 20, 2023. To date, 361 contracts have been signed and an additional 404 are awaiting signature, of which 189 will be financed directly by the Project to meet the revised objective of 550 preschool classrooms. The remaining 215 would be financed by the GoG with the funds disbursed after achievements of the DLIs. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has been contracted to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Pre-University Education and Literacy (MEPU-A) to develop: (i) the ECE policy and its implementation plan; (ii) the curriculum for pre-school; and (iii) the curriculum for preschool teacher training. The draft ECE policy is currently being validated. Once this process is completed, the achievement of the only DLI linked to Component 1 of the Project will be achieved. Given the recent implementation progress, Component 1 has been assessed as Moderately Satisfactory. 6. Component 2- Improving Pre-school and Basic Education Quality using Technological Innovation (Initial estimated cost: USD 8.40 million; 17 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 8.20 million; 17 percent of revised total Project cost). Component 2 aims to improve the play-teaching-learning practices in pre-school and basic education classrooms by strengthening the capacities of teachers, school directors and school inspection and pedagogical support services by employing mobile and digital technologies. The release of USD 4.5 million of IDA funds under Component 2 is linked to the DLI (with four associated Disbursement-linked Results (DLRs)) on “The system for in-service training and pedagogical support is strengthened”. 7. To accelerate the implementation of all activities financed under Component 2, the World Bank (WB) and the GoG decided to consolidate the activities to avoid the recruitment of multiple individual consultants. As a result, only one consulting firm was recruited to support the MEPU-A in: (i) developing a national policy on in-service teacher training, for both pre-school and basic education levels; and (ii) enhancing the capacities of school directors and pedagogical support staff to conduct periodic in-service training and pedagogical support activities at school and sub-prefectural levels, using the mobile technologies. The consulting firm has initiated the process to develop a national policy on in-service training. No DLR under the DLI linked to Component 2 has been achieved so far. Nonetheless, the development of a policy for in- service training and support is well-advanced and the 3 DLRs under this DLI are expected to be met soon. Given the lack of measurable result so far, the component is assessed as Moderately Unsatisfactory. The WB’s task team has been working closely to revise the activities of this Component 2, as proposed under the current restructuring and to expedite the implementation of activities financed under this Component of the Project. 8. Component 3 - Strengthening education sector management capacity (Initial estimated cost: USD 9.70 million; 20 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 9.49 million; 20 percent of revised total Project cost). Component 3 comprises three sub-components. 9. Subcomponent 3-1. Strengthening decentralized management (initial estimated cost: USD 7.20 million; 14.5 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 6.48 million; 13.5 percent of revised total Project cost), which objective is to strengthen the decentralized management of human resources and schools through the introduction of decentralized recruitment and formula-based non-salary school budgets. For this sub- component, the release of USD 6.5 million of IDA funds is linked to the two DLIs: (i) the recruitment of teachers is decentralized to the prefectural and regional levels (with four associated DLRs); and (ii) non-salary, recurrent school budgets are operationalized (four associated DLRs). 10. With technical assistance of two individual consultants, the GoG has accelerated the implementation of the measures to strengthen the decentralized management of the education sector. Under the first DLI pertaining to The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) the decentralized mechanism for teacher recruitment, the first DLR on the dissemination of the decentralized recruitment Joint ministerial resolution has been achieved and the corresponding amount released. The independent verification of the three remaining DLRs is underway after the MEPU-A decided to implement nationwide the decentralized mechanism instead of first piloting it in 16 prefectures as originally stipulated in the Project Appraisal Document (PAD). For the second DLI—pertaining to the provision of non-salary recurrent budgets to primary school—the achievement of the first DLR on the elaboration of a formula is currently being independently verified. For the three remaining DLRs, the MEPU-A informed the WB that resources are available in the domestic budget and the provision of school budget will be implemented nationwide rather than the pilot operation in 1,000 schools as originally stated in the PAD. 11. Sub-component 3.2: Strengthening systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation (Initial estimated cost: USD 2.50 million; 5 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 3.01 million: 6 percent of revised total Project cost). Sub-component 3.2 finances the integration of all databases generated by MEPU-A; the strengthening of the annual school-level data collection using mobile technologies; creation of online information system, accessible to stakeholders; capacity building activities for all staff (including of school directors) for data entry, processing and information usage; and the reinforcement of the MEPU-A’s capacity for student learning assessment. In addition, sub-component 3.2 also aims to finance: (i) the production of an evidence-based strategy for equitable, infrastructural development; (ii) the piloting of unique identification codes for staff posts (including teachers); and (iii) at least two thematic studies of priority interest. For this subcomponent, the release of USD 1.0 million of IDA funds is linked to the DLI (with two associated DLRs) on “Decision-makers and other stakeholders have access to timely education system information”. 12. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been contracted to provide technical assistance to the MEPU-A for the reinforcement of the Education Management Information System (EMIS). The first phase consisting of the assessment of the existing EMIS is underway. A consulting firm has also been recruited to reinforce the capacity of the MEPU-A for the student learning assessment. The training for the development of the preschool learning assessment (MELQO) and the piloting of the MELQO have been completed. No DLR under the DLI linked to sub-component 3.2 has been achieved so far. However, the activities on the reinforcement of the EMIS with UNESCO is well launched to expect the achievement of the two DLRs under the DLI in the coming months. Given the implementation progress to date, performance under Component 3 is assessed as Moderately Satisfactory. 13. Component 4: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation (Initial estimated cost: USD 1.7 million, 4 percent of total Project cost and revised cost: USD 3.72 million; 8 percent of revised total Project cost). Component 4 finances project operating costs for the Project Coordination Unit (PCU). The Project recruited all the key PCU staff and implemented all the required activities/actions related to the execution of project administrative, fiduciary, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and reporting functions, as well as the monitoring of environmental and social (E&S) aspect. Component 4 finances the third-party verifications required to verify DLRs implementation. With the recent progress observed under Component 4, its performance is assessed as Moderately Satisfactory. 14. Legal and Fiduciary Compliance. Project implementation is progressing in accordance with the standards set forth in the Project’s Financing Agreement and Project Agreement, and implementation entities are compliant with the World Bank’s financial management (FM) requirements. There are no outstanding audit reports or interim financial reports and no major irregularities have been found. The latest financial audit—covering the period ending in December 2021—was issued in June 2022. The findings from this audit were of unqualified opinion as project resources have been used judiciously and for their intended purpose. The report for the period The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) ending in December 2022 has been submitted to the WB without delay at the end of June 2023. The World Bank’s task team has been providing ongoing capacity-building support to the procurement team within the PIU to course-correct and will continue providing support to keep up the project implementation pace. B. Rationale for Restructuring 15. The MTR concluded that the PDO remains Highly relevant and strongly aligned with the GoG’s priorities for the education sector. However, the PDO indicator targets need to be revised downward given the more limited availability of resources (due to inflationary pressures and exchange rate losses), as well as the remaining implementation period. 16. The first reason for the restructuring of the Project is the need to reduce the scope of the Project due to lack of financial resources. The Project’s budget is currently insufficient to finance all the original project activities due to the combined effects of: (i) the loss in the change rate of SDR to US$ (1.39 at project preparation compared to 1.34 on June 16, 2023); and (ii) the costs escalations, particularly for civil works activities financed under the Project. Since the project effectiveness date, the Project has lost about US$1.9 million due to foreign exchange fluctuations, representing approximately 3.8 percent of the original amount (US$50 million). As a result of the supply-side shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic and global inflation rates have significantly increased over the course of Project implementation. The main project activity on construction of 1, 000 preschool classrooms is significantly affected with the increase of cost of the raw materials. According to the PAD, the estimated unit cost for a classroom (including some commodities) was expected to be US$18,000- US$20,000, while the actual unit cost observed during the course of project implementation is about US$30,000. As a result of these inflationary pressures, the Project’s available resources are expected to finance 550 pre- school classrooms, instead of 1,000 as originally planned. 17. The second reason is to align the activities the Component 2 with the first priorities of the education sector in Guinea, particularly to address the persisting issue of low primary students’ learning outcomes. To respond to this priority, the WB and the GoG agreed during the MTR to focus on the primary first grades for Foundational Learning instead of reinforcing the in-service and pedagogical support training programs for “Cours Moyen” (CM) and “Cours Elémentaire” (CE). The GoG has requested this revision after observing that the many in-service training programs financed through the domestic budget have not produced the expected results/impact. Moreover, this revision is in line with the World Bank’s Education Strategy for West and Central Africa (2022). More fully addressing the country’s low learning outcomes challenge may take several years, but the Project aims to support the GoG launch an ambitious and multiyear program, with the preparation of the training tools, the learning and teaching materials, and the training of trainers, of supervisors and the human resources to lead and implement the whole process, etc. 18. The restructuring is also required because some activities need to be cancelled since they require additional resources and/or longer implementation time. For example, the implementation of the feeding program requires additional resources to ensure that beneficiary schools comply with safety, sanitary and hygiene conditions. Some complex activities such as the production of an evidence-based strategy for equitable, infrastructural development and the piloting of unique identification codes for staff posts (including teachers), require additional resources, and moreover, a participative consultation process which is unlikely be fully completed by the Project’s current closing date of June 30, 2024. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGES 19. The proposed restructuring includes the following key changes: (i) a reallocation of financial resources across the various Components of the Project; (ii) revision/change of the DLRs under the DLI 2 on Strengthened in-service teacher professional development, linked to Component 2; (iii) revision of the Project’s Results Framework (RF) to adjust the target values of some indicators (PDO and intermediate) to ensure proper alignment with the changes/cancellations of some activities proposed under this restructuring; (iv) formal revisions to the Project’s disbursements forecasts; (v) cancellation of the activities on feeding program in Component 1, on strengthening MEN-A's capacity for strategic planning in Component 3; and (vi) reduction to one thematic study of priority interest to be financed under Component 3. There are no proposed changes to PDO or safeguard category under the Project. 20. Reallocation of financial resources across Components of the Project. Table 1 summarizes the original allocation and the new proposed allocations for each Component of the Project. Following a detailed analysis undertaken by the GoG and the WB, it was determined that a reallocation of financial resources across Components was necessary to ensure that the priority activities and their associated outputs and outcomes could be realized. In the context of escalating cost of constructing, equipping, and loss due to SDR change rate, the allocations for Components 1,2 and 3 are revised downwards, while the allocation for Component 4 is increased to cover the costs for: (i) the environmental and social safeguards activities, which were not accounted in the PAD; (ii) additional key PCU staff; and (iii) additional equipment for the PCU. Table 1: Proposed Reallocation of Project Resources* Component Original Allocation New Allocation (in million US$ (in million US$ equivalent) equivalent) Component 1: Improving equitable access to pre-school education 30.20 26.77 Component 2: Improving pre-school and basic education quality 8.40 8.20 using technological innovation Component 3: Strengthening education sector management 9.70 9.49 capacity Component 4: Project Management and Monitoring and 1.70 3.72 Evaluation Total 50.00 48.18 * The revised amount for Components 1, 2 and 3 includes the revised amounts for the DLI, totaling US$12.06 million (Component 1: US$0.48 million – Component 2: US$4.38 million – Component 3: US$7.20). The difference between the original total allocation and the new total allocation is due to the fluctuation of the SDR change rate. 21. Proposed DLI revisions: Under the proposed restructuring, all five DLIs included in the original design of the Project will be maintained. Changes are proposed for the DLI 2 on Strengthened in- service teacher professional development. One original associated DLR is revised and three original associated DLRs are cancelled. Two new DLRs related to the training of the pre-primary teachers and the foundational learning are proposed. The updated verification protocols are included under the “Disbursement Linked Indicators Matrix” section of the data sheet. It should be noted that disbursements on DLRs are expected to be completed by the project closing date. Table 2: Revised DLRs for DL2: Strengthened in- service teacher professional development (SDR 3.250 million) The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) FY1 FY2 FY3 FY4 Original DLR2.1. DLR2.2. DLR2.3. DLR2.4. Development and approval A pilot project to At least 500 pre- primary At least 500 pre- primary of a policy for in- service test the new and 10,000 primary and 15,000 primary training and support. approved policy is teachers are trained and teachers are trained and Value: SDR 0.361 million completed, with at receive at-school receive at-school REVISED least 250 teachers pedagogical support in pedagogical support in line with trained, and receiving line with the new policy, the new policy, and use new at-school pedagogical technologies for professional and use new technologies development and curriculum support, and using for professional delivery. new technologies for development and Value: SDR 1.445 million professional curriculum CANCELLED development and delivery.Value: SDR 1.083 curriculum delivery million Value: SDR 0.361 CANCELLED million CANCELLED Proposed NO DLR NO DLR NO DLR REVISED DLR 2.1. changes Development and approval of a policy for in- service training and support. Value: SDR 0.722 million NEW DLR 2.2. At least 1,000 pre-primary teachers are trained Value: SDR 1.083 million NEW DLR 2.3. Teaching and learning materials for reading and mathematics are developed and approved. Value: SDR 1.445 million 22. Project’s Results Framework (RF). The proposed restructuring includes the following changes: 23. For the PDO indicators: The end target values would be revised downward for the indicators on: (i) number of children attending public ECEs; (ii) teachers recruited or trained; and (iii) students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning. The revision is to consider the reduction of the number of pre-school classrooms to be built and the focus of Component 2 on the preparation of a multiyear program to improve foundational learning. 24. For the intermediate indicators: The end target values would be revised downward for the following indicators : (i) the number of pre-primary classrooms rehabilitated or constructed and supplied with furniture, equipment and play-teaching-learning materials, this indicator is revised because with the constraints on the project budget and the critical increase of construction costs only about 550 pre-primary classrooms can be built in comparison The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) to originally 1,000, and; (ii) the number of teachers using mobile technologies in the classroom to consider the focus of Component 2 on the preparation of a multiyear program to improve foundational learning. 25. Revised Project Disbursements Forecasts. As of August 15, 2023, US$22.48 million has been disbursed, representing approximately 46.57 percent of the Project’s total credit amount. The “Disbursement Estimates” section of the data sheet provides the actual disbursements observed from 2019-2023, as well as forecasted disbursement amounts for 2024-2025. Based on a detailed assessment of the various contracts and activities financed under the Project, the forecasted disbursement amounts per year are as follows: (a) US$23.800.000 in 2024; and (b) US$203.130 in 2025. ES NOTE TABLE III. SUMMARY OF CHANGES Changed Not Changed Results Framework ✔ PBCs ✔ Components and Cost ✔ Disbursement Estimates ✔ Implementing Agency ✔ DDO Status ✔ Project's Development Objectives ✔ Loan Closing Date(s) ✔ Cancellations Proposed ✔ Reallocation between Disbursement Categories ✔ Disbursements Arrangements ✔ Overall Risk Rating ✔ Legal Covenants ✔ Institutional Arrangements ✔ Financial Management ✔ Procurement ✔ The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) Implementation Schedule ✔ Other Change(s) ✔ Economic and Financial Analysis ✔ Technical Analysis ✔ Social Analysis ✔ Environmental Analysis ✔ IV. DETAILED CHANGE(S) OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_COMPONENTS_TABLE COMPONENTS Current Current Proposed Proposed Cost Action Component Name Component Name Cost (US$M) (US$M) Improving equitable access to Improving equitable access to 30.20 Revised 26.77 pre-school education pre-school education Improving pre-school and basic Improving pre-school and basic education quality using 8.40 Revised education quality using 8.20 technological innovation technological innovation Strengthening education sector Strengthening education sector 9.70 Revised 9.49 management capacity management capacity Project management and Project management and 1.70 Revised 3.72 monitoring and evaluation monitoring and evaluation TOTAL 50.00 48.18 OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_DISBURSEMENT_TABLE DISBURSEMENT ESTIMATES Change in Disbursement Estimates Yes Year Current Proposed 2020 0.00 0.00 2021 1,510,105.57 1,510,105.57 2022 2,466,764.00 2,466,764.00 The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) 2023 20,023,128.40 20,200,000.00 2024 25,000,000.00 23,800,000.00 2025 1,000,000.03 203,130.43 . The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) . Results framework COUNTRY: Guinea Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education Project Development Objectives(s) The Project Development Objectives (PDO) are to improve access to, and the quality of early childhood and basic education in the Project Areas and to strengthen the capacity of the education system to deliver better results. Project Development Objective Indicators by Objectives/ Outcomes RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Improving equitable access to pre-school education Number of children attending public ECE (of which percentage of 915.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16,500.00 female) (values are not cumulative) (Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of children attending public ECE is revised downward because the number pre-primary classroom is reduced from 1,000 to 550. Revised (of which % girls) (Percentage) 49.80 49.80 49.80 49.80 Improving pre-school and basic education quality using technological innovation Early learning quality and outcomes as measured through the TBD (Improvement over TBD in Year 4 Monitoring Early Learning Quality baseline) and Outcomes (MELQO) (Text) Teachers recruited or trained (CRI, 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18,000.00 Number) The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of teachers recruited or trained is revised downward because the training will only benefit to the ECE educators and the number of teacher Revised recruited relates to teachers recruited through the decentralized mechanism, supported by the project. Number of teachers recruited 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18,000.00 (CRI, Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of teachers recruited is revised downward because it only relates to teachers recruited through the decentralized mechanism, supported by Revised the project. Teachers recruited or trained - Female (RMS requirement) (CRI, 0.00 6,500.00 Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of teachers (female) recruited or trained is revised downward because the training will only benefit to the ECE educators and the number of Revised teacher recruited relates to teachers recruited through the decentralized mechanism, supported by the project. Number of teachers trained 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,000.00 (CRI, Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been This indicator is revised because the training will be organized only for the pre-primary teachers. Revised Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16,500.00 (CRI, Number) The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of student benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning is revised downward because the project will only implement in-class Revised activities for ECE. Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance 0.00 8,000.00 learning - Female (CRI, Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of student (female) benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning is revised downward because the project will only implement Revised in-class activities for ECE. Strengthening education sector management capacity Percentage of stakeholders who use net-accessible dashboards for decision-making, advocacy or informational purposes, as 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 measured by an end-line sample survey of decision-makers (Percentage) PDO Table SPACE Intermediate Results Indicators by Components RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Improving equitable access to pre-school education The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Status of standards-based, one- PBC 1, Not developed Approved year ECE policy and plan (Text) 1 Number of pre-primary classrooms rehabilitated or constructed and supplied with furniture, equipment 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 550.00 and play-teaching-learning materials (Number) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been This indicator is revised because with the constraints on the project budget and the critical increase of construction costs only about 550 pre-primary Revised classrooms can be built in comparison to originally 1,000. Improving pre-school and basic education quality using technological innovation Early grade reading ability (words 5.00 20.00 per minute) (Number) Status of standards-based policy on PBC 2, teacher professional development Not developed Approved 2 (Text) Number of teachers using mobile ECE teachers: 0 ECE teachers: 0 - Primary technologies in the classroom 0.00 ECE teachers: 0 ECE teachers: 1,000 teachers: 0 (Text) Rationale: Action: This indicator has been The number of teachers using mobile technologies in the classroom is revised downward because only the pre-primary teachers will be trained on the Revised mobile technologies. Strengthening education management capacity The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO Indicator Name PBC Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target 1 2 3 Number of prefectures that recruit new teachers at decentralized level PBC 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.00 33.00 (Number) Number of public primary schools to which a formula-based non- PBC 4 0.00 0.00 100.00 100.00 3,000.00 salary recurrent budget is transferred (Number) Percentage of schools for which current year education indicators PBC 5, 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 90.00 are net-accessible to decision- 5 makers (Percentage) Reported grievances addressed within stipulated time frame 0.00 60.00 (Percentage) IO Table SPACE Performance-Based Conditions Matrix DLI IN01315600 ACTION PBC 1 Status of standards-based, one-year ECE policy and plan Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Output No Text 500,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline Not developed The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 1 (2020) 500,000.00 disbursed when the ECE poli The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) Year 2 (2021) 0.00 Year 3 (2022) 0.00 Year 4 (2023) 0.00 Year 5 (2024) 0.00 Action: This PBC has been Revised. See below. DLI IN01316930 ACTION PBC 1 Status of standards-based, one-year ECE policy and plan Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Output No Text 500,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline Not developed Year 1 (2020) 0.00 Year 2 (2021) 0.00 Year 3 (2022) 0.00 Full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 4 (2023) 500,000.00 disbursed when the ECE policy is validated Year 5 (2024) 0.00 Rationale: The year for achievement is revised to consider the delays in project implementation. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) DLI IN01315601 ACTION PBC 2 Status of standards-based policy on teacher professional development Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome Yes Text 4,500,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline Not developed The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 1 (2020) 500,000.00 disbursed when the policy h The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 2 (2021) 500,000.00 disbursed once the pilot pr For every thousand teachers trained, Year 3 (2022) 1,500,000.00 US$ 140,000 are disburs For every thousand teachers trained, Year 4 (2023) 2,000,000.00 US$ 125,000 are disburs Year 5 (2024) 0.00 Action: This PBC has been Revised. See below. DLI IN01316955 ACTION PBC 2 Status of standards-based policy on teacher professional development Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome Yes Text 7,000,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline Not developed Year 1 (2020) 0.00 The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) Year 2 (2021) 0.00 US$1000000 after approval of the policy on the in-service training and Year 3 (2022) 2,500,000.00 1,500US$ per pre-primary teacher trained US$1000000 after approval of the policy on the in-service training and Year 4 (2023) 2,500,000.00 1,500US$ per pre-primary teacher trained The full amount after approval of all Year 5 (2024) 2,000,000.00 the teaching/learning materials Rationale: The DLR are revised to consider the focus on foundational learning in grades 1 and 2 DLI IN01315602 ACTION PBC 3 Number of prefectures that recruit new teachers at decentralized level Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome Yes Number 3,000,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline 0.00 The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 1 (2020) 0.00 500,000.00 disbursed when the authoriz The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 2 (2021) 16.00 500,000.00 disbursed when a recurrent For each prefecture in which the Year 3 (2022) 1,000,000.00 procedures are applied, US$ The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) For each prefecture (up to 32 Year 4 (2023) 1,000,000.00 prefectures) in which the proc Year 5 (2024) 0.00 DLI IN01315603 ACTION PBC 4 Number of public primary schools to which a formula-based non-salary recurrent budget is transferred Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome Yes Number 3,500,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline 0.00 The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 1 (2020) 100.00 500,000.00 disbursed when the plan has The full amount (US$ 1,000,000) is Year 2 (2021) 100.00 1,000,000.00 disbursed when the pilot The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 3 (2022) 500,000.00 disbursed when the pilot ha For each 1,000 schools in which the Year 4 (2023) 1,500,000.00 formula-based non-salary Year 5 (2024) 0.00 DLI IN01315604 ACTION PBC 5 Percentage of schools for which current year education indicators are net-accessible to decision-makers Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome No Percentage 1,000,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) Baseline 0.00 Year 1 (2020) 0.00 0.00 The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 2 (2021) 10.00 500,000.00 disbursed when it is verifi Year 3 (2022) 0.00 The full amount (US$ 500,000) is Year 4 (2023) 500,000.00 disbursed when it is verifi Year 5 (2024) 0.00 Action: This PBC has been Revised. See below. DLI IN01316971 ACTION PBC 5 Percentage of schools for which current year education indicators are net-accessible to decision-makers Type of PBC Scalability Unit of Measure Total Allocated Amount (USD) As % of Total Financing Amount Outcome No Percentage 1,000,000.00 0.00 Period Value Allocated Amount (USD) Formula Baseline 0.00 Year 1 (2020) 0.00 0.00 Year 2 (2021) 0.00 Year 3 (2022) 0.00 Year 4 (2023) 0.00 US$500,000 is disbursed per DLR Year 5 (2024) 1,000,000.00 after verification The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) Rationale: The year of achievement is revised due to the delays in project implementation. Verification Protocol Table: Performance-Based Conditions DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 1 Status of standards-based, one-year ECE policy and plan A binary (yes/no) indicator indicating whether or not a standards-based policy and plan pertaining to one year of ECE has Description been developed and approved. The policy and plan must be acceptable to the Bank, as per the relevant DLI protocol. Data source/ Agency Comité Inter-Ministeriel de Pilotage et de Coordination Verification Entity World Bank Supervision Team The verification entity will verify the passing of legislation and/or decrees establishing the pre-school policy, as well as the approved action plan for reform roll-out, based on an official copy of the policy and plan that have been approved by the relevant authority. For the pre-school policy to be acceptable to the Bank, it will cover standards of ECE services in at least the following areas: staffing requirements including qualifications; continuous professional development; physical Procedure environment; play- and teaching-learning materials; identification of curriculum to be followed; and monitoring. The action plan will outline the steps and resources required to meet national ECE coverage targets with services that meet the standards stipulated in the policy. DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 1 Status of standards-based, one-year ECE policy and plan A binary (yes/no) indicator indicating whether or not a standards-based policy and plan pertaining to one year of ECE has Description been developed and approved. The policy and plan must be acceptable to the Bank, as per the relevant DLI protocol. Data source/ Agency Comité Inter-Ministeriel de Pilotage et de Coordination Verification Entity World Bank Supervision Team The verification entity will verify the passing of legislation and/or decrees establishing the pre-school policy, as well as the Procedure approved action plan for reform roll-out, based on an official copy of the policy and plan that have been approved by the relevant authority. For the pre-school policy to be acceptable to the Bank, it will cover standards of ECE services in at least The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) the following areas: staffing requirements including qualifications; continuous professional development; physical environment; play- and teaching-learning materials; identification of curriculum to be followed; and monitoring. The action plan will outline the steps and resources required to meet national ECE coverage targets with services that meet the standards stipulated in the policy. DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 2 Status of standards-based policy on teacher professional development A binary (yes/no) indicator indicating whether or not a standards-based policy on teacher professional development has Description been developed and approved. The policy must be acceptable to the Bank, as per the relevant DLI protocol Policy and action plan: Comité Inter-Ministériel de Pilotage et de Coordination Reports on pilot and on teachers trained : Data source/ Agency MEN-A Verification reports: independent third party verification agency Evaluation report: independent evaluation agency World Bank Supervision Team will verify legislation/decrees on policy and action plan. A third party verification agency will Verification Entity conduct a verification of the trainings and in-class support. An independent evaluation agency will conduct an evaluation of teaching-learning practices among a representative sample of teachers trained. A copy of the policy approved by the relevant authority; the third party verification agency; and the evaluation report are all provided to the Bank. For the policy to be acceptable to the Bank, it must stipulate norms and modalities pertaining to the regular in-service training and at-school pedagogical support of pre-primary and primary teachers. The third party verification agency verifies that the teachers have been trained in accordance with the new policy; that they receive at-school pedagogical support in line with the new policy; and that they use new technologies provided by the project for professional development and curriculum development. The third-party verification agency is conducted to verify the results for Years 3 and 4. Though not included as a DLR, an independent evaluation of play-teaching-learning practices is carried out in Year 4 on a Procedure representative sample of teachers who were trained in Year 3. The evaluation investigates inter alia to what extent teachers use the knowledge and skills imparted by the training, receive pedagogical support at school, and use new technologies provided by the Project for professional development and curriculum delivery. The final report of the independent evaluation is provided to the Bank, along with the minutes of the discussion held by MEN-A senior management. The methodologies of the third party verification agency and of the independent evaluation agency will be submitted to the Bank for review and approval prior to the start of any verification or evaluation. For the third party verification agency methodology to be acceptable to the Bank, it must be able to determine whether or not the Years 3 and 4 targets have been met. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 2 Status of standards-based policy on teacher professional development A binary (yes/no) indicator indicating whether or not a standards-based policy on teacher professional development has Description been developed and approved. The policy must be acceptable to the Bank, as per the relevant DLI protocol Policy and action plan: Comité Inter-Ministériel de Pilotage et de Coordination Reports on pilot and on teachers trained : Data source/ Agency MEN-A Verification reports: independent third party verification agency Evaluation report: independent evaluation agency World Bank Supervision Team will verify (i) legislation/decrees on policy and action plan, (ii) production and validation of the package including: the manual for reading an mathematics for students for grades 1 and 2, teachers guide including scripted lessons, copybook for students, guide for class observation. A third party verification agency will conduct a Verification Entity verification of the trainings and in-class support. An independent evaluation agency will conduct an evaluation of teaching- learning practices among a representative sample of teachers trained. A copy of the policy approved by the relevant authority; the third party verification agency; and the evaluation report are all provided to the Bank. For the policy to be acceptable to the Bank, it must stipulate norms and modalities pertaining to the regular in-service training and at-school pedagogical support of pre-primary and primary teachers. The third party verification agency verifies that the teachers have been trained in accordance with the new policy; that they receive at-school pedagogical support in line with the new policy; and that they use new technologies provided by the project for professional development and curriculum development. The third-party verification agency is conducted to verify the results for Years 3 and 4. Though not included as a DLR, an independent evaluation of play-teaching-learning practices is carried out in Year 5 on a Procedure representative sample of teachers who were trained in Year 4. The evaluation investigates inter alia to what extent teachers use the knowledge and skills imparted by the training, receive pedagogical support at school, and use new technologies provided by the Project for professional development and curriculum delivery. The final report of the independent evaluation is provided to the Bank, along with the minutes of the discussion held by MEN-A senior management. The methodologies of the third party verification agency and of the independent evaluation agency will be submitted to the Bank for review and approval prior to the start of any verification or evaluation. For the third party verification agency methodology to be acceptable to the Bank, it must be able to determine whether or not the Years 3 and 4 targets have been met. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 3 Number of prefectures that recruit new teachers at decentralized level The number of prefectures that apply the procedures pertaining to decentralized recruitment of new teachers. The procedures are those contained in the joint ministerial resolution A/2019/1597/MFPRRMA/MENA/MB) of May 3, 2019. The Description number to be verified independently by a technical assistance firm, using a methodology compliant with the relevant DLI protocol. Joint ministerial resolution and correspondence: Comité Inter-Ministériel de Pilotage et de Coordination Prefectural budget: Data source/ Agency MDB (Loi des Finances) Third party verification report: third party verification agency World Bank Supervision Team will verify the published joint ministerial resolution, and the approval/allocation of a Verification Entity prefectural budget to implement joint ministerial resolution. The third party verification agency will verify records confirming that recruitment of teachers is done at the decentralized level. A copy of the Journal Officiel is provided to the Bank, along with copies of the official letter attached to the joint ministerial resolution and sent to all regional and prefectoral authorities of MEN-A. A copy of the approved budget (as indicated in the Loi des Finances) with the relevant prefectural budget line is provided to the Bank. Procedure The third party verification agency visits the relevant number of prefectures in Years 3 and 4, and reviews recruitment records to verify that recruitment is being done in accordance with the joint ministerial resolution. The third party verification agency's report is provided to the Bank. The methodology to be used by the third party verification agency will be submitted to the Bank for review and approval prior to the start of verification. DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 4 Number of public primary schools to which a formula-based non-salary recurrent budget is transferred Description The number of schools who received a formula-based non-salary budget Plan: Comité Inter-Ministériel de Pilotage et de Coordination Implementation report on pilot initiation: MEN-A Evaluation of Data source/ Agency pilot: independent evaluation agency Report on budget allocations: third party verification agency World Bank Supervision Team will verify plan for roll-out, as well as report on implementation of the pilot. An independent Verification Entity evaluation agency will evaluate the pilot using a methodology acceptable to the Bank. A third party verification agency will verify the allocation of formula-based school budgets using a methodology acceptable to the Bank. A copy of the approved plan to operationalize a formula-based school budget is provided to the Bank. For the plan to be Procedure acceptable to the Bank, it must be approved by MDB and MEN-A and include the following elements: a description of the The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) formula; a description of the roles and responsibilities of the main actors responsible for ensuring the transfer, management and supervision of the budget; a roll-out plan that includes a pilot phase and the steps to ensure that all primary schools will receive and be able to manage the budget, including the plan to ensure that the main actors have the capacities and resources required for them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. A report on pilot implementation is prepared by MEN-A, and provided to the Bank. An independent evaluation using a methodology acceptable to the Bank is conducted of the pilot phase of the non-salary school budget, and its findings and recommendations are discussed by senior management at MEN-A. The final report of the independent evaluation is provided to the Bank, along with the minutes of the discussion held by MEN-A senior management. The evaluation methodology will be reviewed and approved by the Bank prior to data/information collection. MEN-A will approve a roll-out plan subsequent to the findings of the pilot or confirm that the original plan remains viable. The final report of the third party verification pertaining to formula-based school budgets (Year 4) being allocated/transferred to at least 3,000 schools is provided to the Bank. The third party verification agency methodology must be acceptable to the Bank; it must be reviewed and approved prior to data collection. DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 5 Percentage of schools for which current year education indicators are net-accessible to decision-makers The number of public schools (ECE and primary) for which a net-accessible dashboard for decision-makers at central and Description DPE/DSE levels can generate education indicators for the current education year, as a percentage of the number of schools Data source/ Agency Quality reports from third party verification agency A third party verification using a methodology acceptable to the Bank is conducted in Years 2 and 4 to verify, respectively, Verification Entity the coverage of schools using mobile technology-based data input on a timely basis, and the use of web-accessed dashboards by stakeholders. The final reports of the third party verifications pertaining to timely, mobile-technology data inputs (Year 2) and to dashboards usage (Year 4) are provided to the Bank. The third party verification agency will use a methodology that has been submitted to the Bank for review and approval prior to verification. For the methodology to be acceptable to the Bank, it must: in Year 2, be able to determine whether or not at least 90 percent of public, community and private schools Procedure (pre-primary, primary and secondary) have had their annual school census data entered into the national database; and in Year 4, be able to determine whether or not at least 20 percent of decision-makers and other stakeholders have access to the dashboards through the internet/intranet and use them, and that the dashboards provide key education indicators, have query functions, and can provide information down to the school level. Prior to the approval of the methodology, the MEN-A and the Bank will agree on the profiles of decision-makers and stakeholders that the verification exercise will The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478) interview/test to determine the extent of their access and usage. The list will include staff at the central, regional, prefectural, sub-prefectural and school level. DLI_TBL_VERIFICATION PBC 5 Percentage of schools for which current year education indicators are net-accessible to decision-makers The number of public schools (ECE and primary) for which a net-accessible dashboard for decision-makers at central and Description DPE/DSE levels can generate education indicators for the current education year, as a percentage of the number of schools Data source/ Agency Quality reports from third party verification agency A third party verification using a methodology acceptable to the Bank is conducted in Year 5 to verify, respectively, the coverage of schools using mobile technology-based data input on a timely basis, and the use of web-accessed dashboards Verification Entity by stakeholders. The final reports of the third party verifications pertaining to timely, mobile-technology data inputs and to dashboards usage (Year 5) are provided to the Bank. The third party verification agency will use a methodology that has been submitted to the Bank for review and approval prior to verification. For the methodology to be acceptable to the Bank, it must: in Year 5, be able to determine whether or not at least 90 percent of public, community and private schools (pre- primary, primary and secondary) have had their annual school census data entered into the national database; and in Year 5, be able to determine whether or not at least 20 percent of decision-makers and other stakeholders have access to the Procedure dashboards through the internet/intranet and use them, and that the dashboards provide key education indicators, have query functions, and can provide information down to the school level. Prior to the approval of the methodology, the MEN- A and the Bank will agree on the profiles of decision-makers and stakeholders that the verification exercise will interview/test to determine the extent of their access and usage. The list will include staff at the central, regional, prefectural, sub-prefectural and school level. The World Bank Guinea Project for Results in Early Childhood and Basic Education (P167478)