The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC | Cambodia | Education Global Practice | IBRD/IDA | Investment Project Financing | FY 2018 | Seq No: 6 | ARCHIVED on 09-Jun-2021 | ISR45225 | Implementing Agencies: KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 26-Apr-2018 Effectiveness Date: 17-Sep-2018 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 15-Mar-2021 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: 22-Mar-2021 Original Closing Date: 30-Jun-2024 Revised Closing Date: 30-Jun-2024 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) 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. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Component 1: Improving Teaching and Learning Capacity:(Cost $63.70 M) Component 2: Improving Research in STEM and Agriculture:(Cost $15.80 M) Component 3: Strengthen Sectoral Governance and Project Management:(Cost $13.00 M) Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Unsatisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Risk Rating Moderate Moderate Implementation Status and Key Decisions The project activities reflect the main reform agendas and serve the objectives of the higher education sub-sector, whose objectives, as set out in the Education Strategic Plan 2019-2023, are to enhance access to and improve the quality of higher education programs toward national and international accreditation and develop a governance and management system to support HEIs to become fully autonomous. The project has been implemented for 2.5 years, since its first disbursement was made in January 2019. The first two years focused mainly on building the capacities of implementing agencies, developing new ways of working together as a team, and developing necessary documents and helping the project teams understand and arrange for better implementation progress. The project has progressed slower than planned due to the limited capacities of the targeted higher education institutions to implement a large-scale reform program given the complex political economy of the higher education sub- sector and lack of incentives for project staff. The project, however, recently demonstrated improved implementation performance, including the following core activities: (i) 25 partnership agreements with international and national prestigious universities or institutions signed and started 6/9/2021 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) implementation; (ii) 53 research studies approved and being implemented; (iii) 54 science-related laboratories renovated and fully furnished; (iv) 94 procurement packages completed and another 89 packages to be completed by December 2021; (v) the recruitment of a consultancy firm to design and supervise the construction activities; and (vi) progress of governance activities at the institutional and central levels. The current MTR mission concluded that no project restructuring is needed as of now, and the project team is committed to expediting the implementation to achieve the project development objective. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance Substantial Substantial Substantial Macroeconomic Moderate Moderate Moderate Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate Moderate Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program Moderate Moderate Moderate Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Substantial Substantial Moderate Sustainability Fiduciary Substantial Substantial Substantial Environment and Social Low Moderate Moderate Stakeholders Moderate Moderate Moderate Other -- Substantial Substantial Overall Moderate Moderate Moderate Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes Improve the quality and relevance of higher education and research at targeted HEIs IN00945424 ►Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning (Number, Corporate) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 6,195.00 6,195.00 16,356.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945426 Students benefiting from direct interventions to enhance learning - Female (Number, Corporate Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/9/2021 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Value 0.00 2,442.00 2,442.00 5,070.00 IN00945427 ►Number of HE partnership programs evaluated as modest or higher by expert panels (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 the revised curriculum and other improved outputs under the HE Partnership Program will be evaluated by Comments: multi-dimensional evaluation panel (led by Cambodian chair and includes international experts). The evaluation process will be based on a four-tier scoring. IN00945428 ►Number of research projects in collaboratin with industry completed (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 35.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Collaboration includes (i) documented connection between the development of a research project with Comments: industry; (ii) membership of industry employees on research teams; or (iii) industrial funding for additional research activities. IN00945429 Number of research projects in collaboratin with industry completed, led by female faculty (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Improve governance in the higher education sector IN00945425 ►Number of HEIs that complete accreditation process (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 10.00 10.00 25.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Overall Comments PDO Number of HE partnership programs evaluated as modest or higher by expert panels: 25 international and local partnership agreements were signed, and those agreements have just been implemented and mainly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not allow for full support from the foreign partner universities. They are not ready for evaluation yet. However, 52 higher education partnership programs (RUPP:22, ITC:10, RUA: 7, NUBB: 7, and SRU: 6) are planned to receive evaluation from the external reviewers by Year 4 (June 30, 2022). The project thus is confident that the end target (30 programs evaluated as modest or higher by expert panels) will be achieved. Number of research projects in collaboration with industry completed: The approved research projects in Round 1 and 2 are big and long, so they could not be completed by Year 3. The first round of research proposals was approved in January 2020, and on average, the research projects will last 3.5 years, which means that 8 research projects (RUPP: 2, RUA: 3, SRU: 2, NUBB: 1) will be completed in 2022 6/9/2021 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) (Year 4) and 39 research projects in 2023 (Year 5) respectively. This PDO indicator will start to meet its annual target in Year 5. There are at least 51 research projects that will be completed by the end of the project. Number of HEIs that complete accreditation process: 10 HEIs received accreditation and 4 additional HEIs will complete the accreditation process by June 2021. The project plans to provide assessment at least on 4 HEIs in 2021, 6 HEIs in 2022, and 5 HEIs in 2023. Thus, it is quite confident that this PDO will be achieved by the end of the project. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components Component 1: Improving Teaching and Learning Capacity IN00945430 ►Signed agreements for higher education partnership programs (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 12.00 25.00 17.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945433 ►Faculty members who receive advanced degree (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945436 Number of female faculty members who receive advanced degree (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945437 ►Number of classroom built (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 80.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945439 ►number of laboratories constructed or rehabilitated (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target 6/9/2021 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Value 0.00 8.00 54.00 55.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945440 ►Number of dormitories built (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945441 Share of female students living in newly constructed dormitories under the project (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 60.00 IN00945442 ►Number of HEIs that produce consolidated FM reports (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 4.00 5.00 5.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Comments: Consolidated FM reports based on HEIP FM guidelines for HEIs. IN00945443 ►Number of target HEIs that complete tracer studies (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Comments: HEIs that complete annual tracer studies are counted one. IN00945444 ►Number of HEIs that collect, record and report on the grievances from students (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945445 ►Number of students benefitting from the distance learning (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 2,996,526.00 2,600,000.00 6/9/2021 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Date 20-Apr-2020 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Dec-2020 IN00945446 Percentage of female students benefitting from the distance learning (Number, Custom Breakdown) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 48.86 50.00 Date 20-Apr-2020 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Dec-2020 IN00945447 ►Number of monthly student worksheet packages and student workbooks of the core subjects in Semester 2 for the students from grades 1 to 12 produced (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 830.00 1,310.00 152.00 Date 20-Apr-2020 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Dec-2020 IN00945448 ►Number of teaching video clips of the core subjects in Semester 2 and story telling voice clips produced (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 1,547.00 2,225.00 1,470.00 Date 20-Apr-2020 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Dec-2020 IN00945449 ►Number of distance learning and blended learning course contents developed and operated (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 236.00 416.00 780.00 Date 20-Apr-2020 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Component 2: Improving Research in STEM and Agriculture IN00945431 ►Number of submitted articles to peer-reviewed international journals (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 1.00 7.00 24.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Journal submission document means the PDF version of the submitted article through an online system or Comments: an email from the journal's editor with submitted article. Component 3: Strengthen Sectoral Governance and Project Management IN00945432 ►Draft legislation on HEI autonomy submitted to Council of Ministers (Yes/No, Custom) 6/9/2021 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No No Yes Yes Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 IN00945435 ►Number of HEIs that input data into HEMIS (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 5.00 15.00 15.00 40.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 31-Dec-2020 30-Jun-2024 Comments: HEIs must input data through the system. IN00945438 ►Number of IQA units that submit report with recommendatins to BoD (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 5.00 20.00 Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 HEIs that submit are counted once. The report must follow the MoEYS internal quality assurance (IQA) Comments: guidelines. IN00945434 ►Human resource development master plan approved (Yes/No, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No No No Yes Date 01-Jul-2018 21-Sep-2020 02-Apr-2021 30-Jun-2024 Overall Comments IR First, 11 out of 18 indicators (Indicators 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15) have achieved their Year 3 targets. Second, five indicators (Indicators 2, 4, 5, 17, and 18) will achieve their targets in Year 6. Indicator 2 (Faculty members who receive advanced degree and aggregated by the number of female faculty members) will not achieve its Year 3 target, as there were delays in partnership agreement signing, and the faculty members will graduate from those advanced degree programs (Master's Degrees or PhD) mostly by the end of Years 5 for the Master's Degree candidates and Year 6 for the PhD candidates. Three other indicators (Number of classroom built, Number of dormitories built, and Share of female students living in newly constructed dormitories under the project) dealing with the construction will not meet their Year 3 targets, due to the delay of the recruitment of consultancy firm to design and supervise the construction activities. These targets are expected to be achieved in Year 5. Indicator 17 on “Number of IQA units that submit report with recommendations to the BoD” will not be achieved by Year 3 (10 HEIs to develop and submit IQA reports to their Boards of Directors). As of now, there are only 5 IQA reports, and the project expects the other 8 private HEIs that receive the HEIP phased grants will produce such reports by the end of Year 4, together with other public HEIs under MoEYS, as agreed during the MTR. Third, Indicator 16 and 18 are on track and are likely to achieve their Year 3 annual targets by June 2021. 6/9/2021 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Performance-Based Conditions Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P162971 IDA-62210 Effective USD 90.00 90.00 0.00 22.37 66.24 25% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P162971 IDA-62210 Effective 26-Apr-2018 12-Jul-2018 17-Sep-2018 30-Jun-2024 30-Jun-2024 Cumulative Disbursements PBC Disbursement Achievement Disbursed amount in Disbursement % PBC ID PBC Type Description Coc PBC Amount Status Coc for PBC 6/9/2021 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Cambodia Higher Education Improvement Project (P162971) Restructuring History Level 2 Approved on 29-May-2020 ,Level Approved on 02-Dec-2020 Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 6/9/2021 Page 9 of 9