GPE GRANT NUMBER TF0B2867 Global Partnership for Education Grant Agreement (Maldives Learning Advancement and Measurement Project) between the REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES and INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION acting as the administrator of the Global Partnership for Education Trust Fund GPE GRANT NUMBER TF0B2867 GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION TRUST FUND GRANT AGREEMENT AGREEMENT dated as of the Signature Date between the REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES (“Recipient”) and the INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT/INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (“Bank”), acting as the administrator of the Global Partnership for Education Trust Fund. The Recipient and the Bank hereby agree as follows: Article I Standard Conditions; Definitions 1.01. The Standard Conditions (as defined in the Appendix to this Agreement) apply to and form part of this Agreement. 1.02. Unless the context requires otherwise, the capitalised terms used in this Agreement have the meanings ascribed to them in the Standard Conditions or in the Appendix to this Agreement. Article II The Project 2.01. The Recipient declares its commitment to the objective of the project described in Schedule 1 to this Agreement (“Project”). To this end, the Recipient shall carry out the Project, through the MoE and the MoHE, in accordance with the provisions of Article II of the Standard Conditions and Schedule 2 to this Agreement. Article III The Grant 3.01. The Bank agrees to extend to the Recipient a grant in an amount not to exceed amount in words three million one hundred thousand United States Dollars ($3,100,000) (“Grant”) to assist in financing the Project. 3.02. The Recipient may withdraw the proceeds of the Grant in accordance with Section III of Schedule 2 to this Agreement. 3.03. The Grant is funded out of the above mentioned trust fund for which the Bank receives periodic contributions from the donors to the trust fund. In accordance with Section 3.02 of the Standard Conditions, the Bank’s payment obligations in connection with this Agreement are limited to the amount of funds made available to -2- it by the donors under the above mentioned trust fund, and the Recipient’s right to withdraw the Grant proceeds is subject to the availability of such funds. Article IV Recipient’s Representative; Addresses 4.01. The Recipient’s Representative referred to in Section 7.02 of the Standard Conditions is its Minister at the time responsible for finance. 4.02. For purposes of Section 7.01 of the Standard Conditions: (a) the Recipient’s address is: Minister of Finance Ameenee Magu Male 20379 Republic of Maldives; and (b) the Recipient’s Electronic Address is: Telex: Facsimile: E-mail: +9603349200 +9603338034 dmd@finance.gov.mv 4.03. For purposes of Section 7.01 of the Standard Conditions: (a) the Bank’s address is: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development International Development Association 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 United States of America; and (b) the Bank’s Electronic Address is: Telex: Facsimile: 248423 (MCI) or 1-202-477-6391 64145 (MCI) -2- -3- AGREED as of the Signature Date. REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES By _____________________________________ Authorized Representative Ibrahim Ameer Name: __________________________ Minister of Finance Title: __________________________ 28-Jun-2020 Date: ___________________________ INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT/ INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION acting as the administrator of the Global Partnership for Education Trust Fund By _____________________________________ Authorized Representative Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough Name: __________________________ Country Director Maldives, Nepal and Sri La Title: ___________________________ 23-Jun-2020 Date: ___________________________ -3- -4- SCHEDULE 1 Project Description The objective of the Project is to promote learning focused curriculum implementation and strengthen the measurement of learning outcomes. The Project consists of the following parts: Part 1: Strengthening Curriculum Implementation 1.1 Improving Learning Outcomes in Key Subjects for Foundation and Primary Education Carry out a program of activities to improve learning outcomes at foundation and primary education stages, including supporting distance mode learning through print, audio-visual and e-learning resources during periods of school closure. The activities will focus on mathematics, English and Dhivehi languages, including, inter alia: (a) creating an English language immersion environment to produce an acquisition-rich environment for students to learn the language by: (i) conducting day-to- day conversation and extracurricular and cocurricular activities in English during at least a part of the school week; (ii) encouraging and affirming students who read books in the English language and engage with English language technology, as appropriate to their ages; (iii) encouraging families to create an environment at home which fosters English language learning, including English language reading material and television programs, and discussion and conversation in English at home; (iv) promoting cocurricular and extracurricular activities such as English literary, drama, and debating societies; and (v) conducting other innovative activities to promote English language learning, with special attention to improving reading skills; (b) strengthening early grade mathematics learning to ensure that children leaving the primary education stage have a strong grasp of fundamental mathematics through: (i) provision of mathematics educational material and technology; (ii) identification of learning needs of students and the pedagogical needs of mathematics teachers in a set of sample schools; (iii) diagnosis of student learning problems by teachers and employment of the information gained to improve the teaching-learning process; (iv) conduction of an enhanced School-based Professional Development (SBPD) program for better curriculum implementation; and (c) creating a Dhivehi language environment to facilitate children’s language acquisition and learning by: (i) supporting a digital library of Dhivehi language resources in schools; (ii) promoting Dhivehi language learning through awareness programs on the -4- -5- importance of the mother tongue as a cognitive learning language; and (iii) using literary activities to broaden children’s Dhivehi language experience. 1.2 Assisting Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) and Providing Alternative Learning Pathways for At Risk Students Carry out a program of activities to improve opportunities for SEN children and to develop an alternative learning pathway to cater to at-risk students, from foundation stage upwards till the end of primary education including, inter alia: (a) conducting a pilot study in early intervention in nine SEN hub schools and providing specialised training and learning material with a view to develop literacy and numeracy of SEN children at an early age; (b) providing training to SEN teachers and principals in identifying special learning difficulties in all grades and developing a SEN program; (c) developing tools to cater to the identified learning difficulties; (d) conducting a study to identify barriers students face to remain in school, identify students who need alternative learning pathways and establishing a program for alternative learning pathways; (e) developing a policy on alternative learning pathways based on the findings of the study; and (f) identifying more efficient mechanisms for monitoring and reporting of out-of-school children to enable enhanced support. Part 2. Improving Teacher Education and Development 2.1 Improving School-based Professional Development of Teachers Carry out a program of activities, including through the provision of Sub-grants, designed to support SBPD of teachers to continuously improve teacher motivation, pedagogical skills, competencies and performance, and to evaluate the SBPD practices and effectiveness, including, inter alia: (a) raise the ability of school principals and senior management teams to establish a learning culture within the school; (b) improve teacher motivation for their work; (c) enhance teacher performance by achieving required teacher competencies and improving their pedagogical practices; -5- -6- (d) link teacher development activities to addressing student learning needs; and (e) conduct a research study evaluating the SBPD practices in schools and their effectiveness, especially in relation to improving student learning in primary grades. 2.2 Strengthening Pre-Service Teacher Education Enhancing the quality of pre-service teacher education offered at universities and other higher education institutions focusing on: (a) reading materials/textbooks in English and Dhivehi languages; (b) information technology training; (c) human resource development of academics, including the development of teacher competences in providing distance learning; and (d) equipment for teaching and learning. Part 3: Advancing the Measurement of Student Leaning and School Performance 3.1 Modernizing Learning Assessment Provision of support for: (a) designing and implementing the national assessments of learning outcomes in grades four and seven in mathematics, English and Dhivehi languages; and (b) enhancing the capacity of policy makers and education specialists to incorporate the findings from the assessments for strategic policy and management decisions and for academics in higher education institutions to undertake policy analyses using the information data from the assessments. 3.2 Strengthening Quality Assurance for Learning Carry out a program of activities, including through the provision of Sub-grants, designed to support measurement of school performance through quality assurance reviews consisting of both self-evaluation by schools and external evaluations by the Quality Assurance Department (QAD). -6- -7- Part 4: Coordination, Monitoring, Policy Analysis and Technical Assistance Carry out coordination, operations and monitoring support, technical expertise, policy research and evaluation, and communication activities in relation to the Project. -7- -8- SCHEDULE 2 Project Execution Section I. Institutional and Other Arrangements A. Institutional Arrangements 1. To facilitate the carrying out of the Project, the Recipient shall maintain, at all times during Project implementation, Project implementation structures with functions and resources satisfactory to the Bank, and with staff in adequate numbers and with qualifications, experience and terms of reference satisfactory to the Bank. 2. The Recipient shall establish, not later than thirty-one (31) days after the Effective Date or such other date as the Bank may establish by notice to the Recipient, and thereafter maintain throughout the period of implementation of the Project, a Project Steering Committee, with functions, composition and resources satisfactory to the Bank. Without limitation on the foregoing, the said committee shall be chaired by the Ministers of State for Education and Higher Education and comprising of the representatives of NIE, QAD, PPRD, ESQID, DoIE, PPRD MoE, and PPRD MoHE, as well as the Project Coordinator, for the purposes of, inter alia: (a) providing policy direction and oversight to the implementation of all activities under the Project; (b) reviewing the overall progress of the Project; (c) helping to address any constraints to implementation; and (d) updating NECC/LEG on the implementation of the Project and receiving additional policy guidance for the Project . B. Project Operations Manual (POM) The Recipient shall carry out the Project in accordance with the arrangements and procedures set out in the POM (provided, however, that in the event of any conflict between the arrangements and procedures set out in the POM and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail) and shall not amend, abrogate or waive any provision of POM unless the Bank has provided its prior approval thereof in writing. C. Annual Work Plans and Budget 1. The Recipient shall furnish to the Bank, for review and approval not later than September 30 of each year during the implementation of the Project (or such later date as the Bank may agree), an annual work plan and budget (“AWPB”) for the Project, containing relevant Project activities and expenditures proposed to be included in the Project in the subsequent year. -8- -9- 2. The Recipient shall ensure that the Project is implemented in accordance with the AWPB accepted by the Bank for the respective year; provided, however, that in the event of any conflict between the AWPB and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail. 3. The Recipient shall not make or allow to be made any change to the AWPB without prior no-objection in writing by the Bank. D. Sub-grants 1. The Recipient shall make Sub-grants to the selected schools in accordance with eligibility criteria and procedures acceptable to the Bank as set out in the POM. 2. The Recipient shall make each Sub-grant under a Sub-grant Agreement with the respective school on terms and conditions approved by the Bank, which shall include the following: (a) The Sub-grant shall be denominated in United States Dollars. (b) The Recipient shall obtain rights adequate to protect its interests and those of the Bank, including the right to: (i) suspend or terminate the right of the school to use the proceeds of the Sub-grant, or obtain a refund of all or any part of the amount of the Sub-grant then withdrawn, upon the school’s failure to perform any of its obligations under the Sub-grant Agreement; and (ii) require each school to: (A) carry out its Sub-project with due diligence and efficiency and in accordance with sound technical, economic, financial, managerial, environmental and social standards and practices satisfactory to the Bank, including in accordance with the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Guidelines applicable to recipients of Grant proceeds other than the Recipient; (B) complete Sub-project on or before the Closing Date; (C) provide, promptly as needed, the resources required for the purpose; (D) procure the goods and services to be financed out of the Sub-grants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; (E) maintain policies and procedures adequate to enable it to monitor and evaluate in accordance with indicators acceptable to the Bank, the progress of the Sub-project and the achievement of its objectives; (F) (1) maintain a financial management system and prepare financial statements in accordance with consistently applied accounting standards acceptable to the Bank, both in a manner adequate to reflect the operations, resources and expenditures related to the Sub-project; and (2) at the Bank’s or the Recipient’s request, have such financial statements audited by independent auditors acceptable to the Bank, in accordance with consistently applied auditing standards acceptable to the Bank, and promptly furnish the statements as so audited to the Recipient and the Bank; (G) enable the Recipient and the Bank to inspect the Sub-project, -9- - 10 - its operation and any relevant records and documents; and (H) prepare and furnish to the Recipient and the Bank all such information as the Recipient or the Bank shall reasonably request relating to the foregoing. 3. The Recipient shall ensure that Sub-grants shall only be made to school which each shall have signed a Sub-grant Agreement with the Recipient, on terms and conditions acceptable to the Bank. 4. The Recipient shall exercise its rights under each Sub-grant Agreement in such manner as to protect the interests of the Recipient and the Bank and to accomplish the purposes of the Grant. Except as the Bank shall otherwise agree, the Recipient shall not assign, amend, abrogate or waive any Sub-grant Agreement or any of its provisions. E. Environmental and Social Standards. 1. The Recipient shall ensure that the Project is carried out in accordance with the Environmental and Social Standards, in a manner acceptable to the Bank. 2. Without limitation upon paragraph 1 above, the Recipient shall ensure that the Project is implemented in accordance with the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (“ESCP”), in a manner acceptable to the Bank. To this end, the Recipient shall ensure that: (a) the measures and actions specified in the ESCP are implemented with due diligence and efficiency, and as further specified in the ESCP; (b) sufficient funds are available to cover the costs of implementing the ESCP; (c) policies, procedures and qualified staff are maintained to enable it to implement the ESCP, as further specified in the ESCP; and (d) the ESCP or any provision thereof, is not amended, revised or waived, except as the Bank shall otherwise agree in writing and the Recipient has, thereafter, disclosed the revised ESCP. In case of any inconsistencies between the ESCP and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail. 3. The Recipient shall: (a) take all measures necessary on its part to collect, compile, and furnish to the Bank through regular reports, with the frequency specified in the ESCP, and promptly in a separate report or reports, if so requested by the - 10 - - 11 - Bank, information on the status of compliance with the ESCP and the management tools and instruments referred to therein, all such reports in form and substance acceptable to the Bank, setting out, inter alia: (i) the status of implementation of the ESCP; (ii) conditions, if any, which interfere or threaten to interfere with the implementation of the ESCP; and (iii) corrective and preventive measures taken or required to be taken to address such conditions; and (b) promptly notify the Bank of any incident or accident related to, or having an impact on, the Project which has, or is likely to have, a significant adverse effect on the environment, the affected communities, the public or workers, in accordance with the ESCP, the instruments referenced therein and the Environmental and Social Standards. 4. The Recipient shall maintain and publicise the availability of a grievance mechanism, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank, to hear and determine fairly and in good faith all complaints raised in relation to the Project, and take all measures necessary to implement the determinations made by such mechanism in a manner satisfactory to the Bank. Section II. Project Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation A. Project Reports The Recipient shall ensure that each Project Report is furnished to the Bank not later than one month after the end of each calendar semester, covering the calendar semester. Section III. Withdrawal of Grant Proceeds A. General 1. The Recipient may withdraw the proceeds of the Grant in accordance with the provisions of: (a) Article III of the Standard Conditions; and (b) this Section: to finance Eligible Expenditures in the amount allocated and, if applicable, up to the percentage set forth against each Category of the following table. - 11 - - 12 - Category Amount of the Percentage of Grant Allocated Expenditures to (expressed in USD) be Financed (inclusive of Taxes) (1) Goods, non-consulting services, 2,500,000 100% consulting services, Training and Workshops and Incremental Operating Costs under Parts 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2 and 4 of the Project (2) Sub-grants under Parts 2.1 and 3.2 of 600,000 100% the Project TOTAL AMOUNT 3,100,000 B. Withdrawal Conditions; Withdrawal Period 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Part A of this Section, no withdrawal shall be made for payments made prior to the Signature Date 2. The Closing Date is June 30, 2024. - 12 - - 13 - APPENDIX Definitions 1. “Annual Work Plan and Budget” means each annual work plan, together with the related budget, for the Project approved by the Bank pursuant to the provisions of Section I.C of Schedule 2 to this Agreement. 2. “Anti-Corruption Guidelines” means, for purposes of paragraph 2 of the Appendix to the Standard Conditions, the “Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants”, dated October 15, 2006, and revised in January, 2011, and as of July 1, 2016. 3. “Category” means a category set forth in the table in Section III. A of Schedule 2 to this Agreement. 4. “DoIE” means the Department of Inclusive Education, an agency under the MoE, or any successor thereto. 5. “Environmental and Social Commitment Plan” or the acronym “ESCP” means the Recipient’s environmental and social commitment plan, acceptable to the Bank, dated May 14, 2020, which sets out a summary of the material measures and actions to address the potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the Project, including the timing of the actions and measures, institutional, staffing, training, monitoring and reporting arrangements, and any instruments to be prepared thereunder; as the ESCP may be revised from time to time, with the prior written agreement of the Bank, and such term includes any annexes or schedules to such plan. 6. “Environmental and Social Standards” means, collectively: (i) “Environmental and Social Standard 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts”; (ii) “Environmental and Social Standard 2: Labor and Working Conditions”; (iii) “Environmental and Social Standard 3: Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management”; (iv) “Environmental and Social Standard 4: Community Health and Safety”; (v) “Environmental and Social Standard 5: Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement”; (vi) “Environmental and Social Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources”; (vii) “Environmental and Social Standard 7: Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities”; (viii) “Environmental and Social Standard 8: Cultural Heritage”; (ix) “Environmental and Social Standard 9: Financial Intermediaries”; (x) “Environmental and Social Standard 10: Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure”; effective on October 1, 2018, as published by the Bank at http://www.worldbank.org/en/projects- operations/environmental-and-social-policies. - 13 - - 14 - 7. “ESQID” means the Education Supervision and Quality Improvement Division, an agency under the MoE, or any successor thereto. 8. “Incremental Operating Costs” means the reasonable costs of goods and services required for the day-to-day implementation of the Project including maintenance of vehicles and equipment, fuel, office supplies, utilities, consumables, office rental and maintenance, bank charges, advertising expenses, travel, per diems, accommodation, and salaries of selected support staff, but excluding salaries of consultants and salaries of officials of the Recipient’s civil service. 9. “Local Education Group” and acronym “LEG” means “a collaborative forum for education sector policy dialogue under government leadership, where the primary consultation on education sector development takes place between a government and its partners” as defined in the GPE Charter. 10. “MoE” means the Ministry of Education of the Recipient, or any successor thereto. 11. “MoHE” means the Ministry of Higher Education of the Recipient, or any successor thereto. 12. “National Education Coordination Committee” and acronym “NECC” means the committee established by the MoE to foster policy dialogue, coordinate and harmonize donor support, acting as the Local Education Group. 13. “NIE” means the National Institute of Education, an agency under the MoE, or any successor thereto. 14. “PPRD MoE” means the Policy Planning Research Division, an agency under the the MoE, or any successor thereto. 15. “PPRD MoHE” means the Policy Planning Research Division, an agency under the MoHE, or any successor thereto. 16. “Procurement Regulations” means, for purposes of paragraph 20 of the Appendix to the Standard Conditions, the “World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers”, dated July 2016, revised November 2017 and August 2018. 17. “Project Operations Manual” and acronym “POM” means the Recipient’s manual dated May 25, 2020, and referred to in Section I.B of Schedule 2 to this Agreement, in form and substance acceptable to the Bank for the purposes of implementation of the Project, containing, inter alia, (i) detailed arrangements and procedures as shall be required for the Project including organizational administrative, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, disbursement, procurement and environmental and social safeguard arrangements; and ((ii) the procedures for administering of Sub-grants including: the selection of schools, the - 14 - - 15 - eligibility criteria for beneficiaries and activities, the procedures for evaluation and selection of Sub-grants, financial management procedures, processes for monitoring and evaluation, and a template for the Sub-grant Agreement, as said manual may be modified from time to time with the prior written approval of the Bank. 18. “Quality Assurance Department” and acronym “QAD” means the department responsible for quality assurance in the MoE. 19. “School-based Professional Development” and acronym “SBPD” means the Recipient’s program for the continuous professional development of teachers. 20. “Signature Date” means the later of the two dates on which the Recipient and the Bank signed this Agreement and such definition applies to all references to “the date of the Grant Agreement” in the Standard Conditions. 21. “Special Education Needs” and acronym “SEN” means a practice of educating students in a way that addresses their individual differences and special needs. 22. “Standard Conditions” means the “International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Development Association Standard Conditions for Grant Financing Made by the Bank out of Trust Funds”, dated February 25, 2019. 23. “Sub-grant Agreement means the agreement to be entered into between the Recipient and each selected school for the purpose of financing the activities to be implemented by each selected schools under Parts 2.1 and 3.2 of the Project, and “Sub-grant Agreements” means, collectively, the plural thereof. 24. “Sub-Grant” means a grant to be made available by the Recipient out of the proceeds of the Grant to selected schools to finance activities to be implemented by such selected schools under Parts 2.1 and 3.2 of the Project, and “Sub-Grants” means, collectively, the plural thereof. 25. “Sub-project” means a specific set of activities to be carried out by the selected school under Parts 2.1 and 3.2 of the Project utilizing the proceeds of the Sub- grant, and “Sub-projects” means, collectively, all such Sub-projects. 26. “Training and Workshops” means the reasonable costs of training and workshops conducted under the Project, including purchase and publication of materials, rental of facilities, course fees, travel, accommodation and subsistence of trainees, trainers, and facilitators, and other costs directly related to the training course and workshop preparation and implementation. - 15 -