PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: PIDA1262 Public Disclosure Copy Project Name REVITALIZING EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN SIERRA LEONE (P133070) Region AFRICA Country Sierra Leone Sector(s) Primary education (40%), General education sector (30%), Secondary education (20%), Pre-primary education (10%) Theme(s) Education for all (60%), Education for the knowledge economy (40%) Lending Instrument Specific Investment Loan Project ID P133070 Borrower(s) ACCOUNTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT Implementing Agency Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) Environmental Category B-Partial Assessment Date PID Prepared/Updated 24-Jul-2014 Date PID Approved/Disclosed 24-Jul-2014 Estimated Date of Appraisal 11-Apr-2014 Completion Estimated Date of First Grant 19-Aug-2014 Public Disclosure Copy Approval Decision I. Project Context Country Context 1. Sierra Leone is a country of approximately 5.5 million people located on the west coast of Africa. Politically, it is divided into four administrative regions, which are subdivided into fourteen districts that directly elect local governments known as district/Local Councils. Demographically, it is a very young country with 75 percent of the population below the age of 35. It is blessed with mineral resources, including diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, gold, and chromite, and the recently uncovered iron ore. Although 75 percent of its land is arable, only about 10 percent is cultivated, mainly for food crops such as rice, cassava, yams, and other root crops. 2. As a result of the implementation of sound policies and structural reforms, the economy has been steadily growing. Growth has been broad-based and underpinned by increased activities in agriculture, mining, services (telecommunications and banking) and construction. Real annual GDP growth averaged 5.2 percent from2004 to 2011, dipping in 2009 due to the global financial crisis and spiking in 2012 at the onset of iron ore production. The analysis of the 2011 Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) data showed a decline in poverty levels from 66 percent in Page 1 of 6 2003 to 53 percent in 2011, still short of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target of 40 but a drop of 20 percent. Public Disclosure Copy 3. Although growing, the Sierra Leonean economy remains fragile and extremely vulnerable to exogenous shocks in the global economy. The country still suffers the impact of the war as evidenced by the fact that overall GDP per capita still lags the sub-Saharan African average. Despite an increase of 78 percent, it remains at 374 in current USD. Domestic revenues are low by regional standards (11.3 percent of GDP in 2011 compared to 16.0 percent for other LICs) and capital expenditure is mostly supported by donors’ grants and loans, equivalent to 76 percent of the total over 2004-2011, but was projected to drop to 68 percent in 2012. 4.Sierra Leone’s ranking among other countries on the human development index has edged from 180th to 177th in 2013. Since the end of the 10 year civil war in 2003, the Government has made considerable progress in restoring internal security and expanding delivery of basic services, particularly in the health and education sectors. Decentralization of services has been positive in improving quality and access in health and education. The Government’s free health care initiative in 2010 has helped the country move closer towards achieving the health MDGs (4 and 5). Though the education MDGs will not be met by 2015, progress points to the likelihood that health MDGs will be met. Sectoral and institutional Context 5. Analysis of 2011 Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (SLIHS) data showed a decline in poverty levels from 66 percent in 2003 to 53 percent in 2011, still short of the MDG target of 40 percent but a drop of 20 percent. The country appears to be on-track for meeting the gender equality MDG for primary education and the HIV prevalence. 6. Access to education, although it has increased since 2003, is still not universal (MDG 2). Public Disclosure Copy Despite a primary gross enrollment rate (GER) of 120.5 percent in 2011, the most recent education Country Status Report (CSR) estimates that 14 percent of primary school-age children did not have access to primary school in 2010 (compared to 20 percent in 2003/04). Inequities in access are primarily along socio-economic and geographic lines (urban vs. rural) though gender disparities are apparent as well at the post-primary level. Although the gender parity is not great at the primary level, it deepens gradually as children progress through school with only 14 percent of school-aged girls reaching SSS 3, compared to 32 percent of boys. According to the 2011 SLIHS, 56 percent of adults over the age of 15 have never attended formal school with the percentage being higher among women than men, 64 percent versus 47 percent. 7. On the supply-side, distance to the nearest primary school is correlated with higher out-of- school rates as is grade discontinuity (or incomplete schools). On the demand side, despite the official abolition of school fees for primary school in 2002/03, the poorest households often lack the capacity to send their children to school and to keep them in school due to cost of books, uniforms, supplies, and off the payroll teacher fees. Indeed, SLIHS 2011 data indicate that the annual cost for an extremely poor household to send a child to government primary and secondary schools is 5.4 percent and 14.2 percent of household food costs, respectively. This corresponds to 19 days and 51 days, respectively, of family food consumption. 8. Education outcomes, though similar to countries with comparably GDP, remain weak. Page 2 of 6 Student learning outcomes are generally very poor at all levels. Poor results in BECE and WASSCE are affected by the inadequate preparation of students during their early education, resulting in poor mastery of basic literacy and numeracy, and the inability of the system to Public Disclosure Copy compensate for these initial shortcomings. Completion rates for primary school were 73 percent in 2012 but quality of learning remains an issue. 9. Teacher availability, lack of tracking, and relevant qualifications remain impediments to major progress in the sector. In 2010/11, the total number of teachers was estimated at 38,125 for primary and 17,194 for secondary schools, up from 19,317 and 5,580 in 2004/05. However, the proportion of unqualified teachers has also witnessed an upward trend for the same period suggesting that despite its broad scope, the teacher training system is facing difficulties in adequately responding to the growing demand for teachers following the surge in primary and secondary enrollment, boosted by the implementation of the fee-free primary education policy. In 2011, female teachers at the primary level comprised only 25 percent of teachers for primary school. This is unfortunate as the importance of female teachers is widely recognized –as role models for all students, particularly for female students in rural settings, where they teach girls to become active agents in community development. Female teachers are also often recognized as encouraging girls’ enrollment, as well as favoring quality and retention (See Haugen et al., 2011). 10. The education system is operating with very little information management and almost no assessment information. Examinations are held at the end of primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary terms are designed to determine the number of students eligible to transition into next level. There is no mechanism to assess students’ learning as a stepping stone towards identifying areas for curriculum modification, teacher training, and system improvement. 11. Capacity development has been consistently identified as one of the most critical factors for the progress of the sector towards effective service delivery and achievement of better learning outcomes for all. In 2010, a Capacity Development Strategy was developed by the MEST with Public Disclosure Copy support from donor partners to provide a coordinated and coherent response to deliver on education policy objectives across the sector. II. Proposed Development Objectives The Education Sector Plan (ESP) has identified three strategic objectives under which the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) will move forward with interventions: (i) access, equity and completion; (ii) quality and learning outcomes; and (iii) systems strengthening. The Project Development Objective is to improve the learning environment in targeted schools and establish systems for monitoring of education interventions and outcomes. To do this, the Project will finance elements of the ESP that deliver intermediate results while simultaneously addressing critical issues in the system to build the foundation for better management and efficiency within the sector. III. Project Description Component Name Component 1: Improving the Learning Environment and Opportunities in Targeted Areas Comments (optional) Component 1.1 Performance-based School Grants (US$5.1 million) Component 1.2 Piloting approaches to increase school readiness (US$1 million) Page 3 of 6 Component 1.3 Strengthening reading outcomes at early grades (US$6.9 million) Component 1.4 Improvements in teacher management (US$3 million) Public Disclosure Copy Component Name Component 2: Strengthening Education Service Delivery ( funded by MDTF) Comments (optional) Component 2.1 Building the foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes (US$0.5 million). Component 2.2 Establish robust consistent school data collection and analysis (US$1 million). Component 2.3 Establishing a system for effective delivery on the Education Sector Strategy ($3.5 million). Component Name 14. Component 3: Project Management and Supervision Comments (optional) IV. Financing (in USD Million) Total Project Cost: 23.40 Total Bank Financing: 0.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 For Loans/Credits/Others Amount Borrower 0.00 Education for All - Fast Track Initiative 17.90 Revitalizing Education Delivery in Sierra Leone (REDiSL) 5.50 Total 23.40 Public Disclosure Copy V. Implementation 16. Overall responsibility for the REDiSL Project will lie with the MEST, particularly the Permanent Secretary’s office which will serve as the donor program coordination unit. Through the CU, the PSs office will be supported technically in order to ensure propercoordination of all donor- funded contributions to the sector, and timely, effective sharing of information and geographical target areas across all donors. In this role, the MEST is expected to oversee, coordinate, and manage all externally funded initiatives, either directly or through partner organizations. Once established, this system will allow the MEST to further streamline donor-funded interventions into its core functions and create cross fertilization of knowledge, particularly in the areas of project management, procurement, FM, and monitoring/reporting. 17. The Permanent Secretary’s office has delegated responsibility of the REDiSL operation to the PS. Reporting to the PS, the REDiSL Secretariat will be responsible for overall administration, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of REDiSL activities. As it will liaise with other directorates within the MEST and coordinate the implementation of activities that are devolved to the LCs or others. In this vein, the Secretariat will ensure eligibility and recruitment, procurement, contracting, and other activities are carried out in accordance with Bank guidelines. 18. The REDiSL Secretariat, through the PS’s office, will provide reports of project progress and make this available to the Minister and the Education Development Partners. Although it will Page 4 of 6 provide a unified report, the Secretariat will report separately on the GPE-funded activities, as well as the MDTF funded activities. To function effectively, the REDiSL Secretariat will have at least the following contract officers on hand: (i) Head (Coordinator), (ii) Financial Management (FM) Public Disclosure Copy Specialist, (ii) Finance Officer, (iii) Procurement Consultant, (iv) M&E Officer, and (v) Programme Officer. Other functions, including communications and human resources will be carried out by the MEST with support and guidance from the REDiSL Secretariat. VI. Safeguard Policies (including public consultation) Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 ✖ Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 ✖ Forests OP/BP 4.36 ✖ Pest Management OP 4.09 ✖ Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 ✖ Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 ✖ Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 ✖ Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 ✖ Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 ✖ Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 ✖ Comments (optional) VII. Contact point World Bank Contact: Kaliope Azzi-Huck Title: Senior Operations Officer Public Disclosure Copy Tel: 473-4686 Email: kazzi-huck@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Name: ACCOUNTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT Contact: The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Title: Tel: +232 22 222 211 Email: info@mofed.gov.sl Implementing Agencies Name: Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) Contact: Title: Tel: (232-76) 618-398 Email: manikoroma@hotmail.com Page 5 of 6 VIII. For more information contact: The InfoShop The World Bank Public Disclosure Copy 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 458-4500 Fax: (202) 522-1500 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/infoshop Public Disclosure Copy Page 6 of 6