The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) Project Information Document (PID) Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 30-Apr-2019 | Report No: PIDC26811 Mar 20, 2019 Page 1 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data OPS TABLE Country Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Project Name Cameroon P170561 Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) AFRICA Dec 02, 2019 Jul 14, 2020 Education Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing Cameroon Ministry of MINESEC, MINEFOP Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) Proposed Development Objective(s) to increase equitable access to quality secondary education and to improve the quality and relevance of and increase access to skills development programs in selected economic sectors. PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY-NewFin1 Total Project Cost 125.00 Total Financing 125.00 of which IBRD/IDA 125.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 125.00 IDA Credit 125.00 Environmental and Social Risk Classification Concept Review Decision Mar 20, 2019 Page 2 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) Substantial Track II-The review did authorize the preparation to continue Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context Country Context 1. Cameroon is a lower middle-income country with a population of about 24 million and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US$1,447 in 2017. Between 2006 and 2012, the country experienced modest annual average economic growth of 3.3 percent, which accelerated to 5.7 percent, on average, between 2013 and 2015. However, in 2017 growth slowed to 3.2 percent due to declining crude oil prices, a global slowing of commodities prices, and cross-border insecurity in the North and East regions of Cameroon. These growth trends could present a challenge for Cameroon in achieving its objective of becoming a middle-income country by 2035, an aspiration laid out in the Growth and Employment Strategic Paper (Document de Stratégie pour la Croissance and l’Emploi—DSCE). Cameroon’s debt levels have increased markedly putting the country at high risk of debt distress in 2018.1 2. Growth is mainly driven by the service sector, along with exports of mainly unprocessed products and a narrow range of low-complexity goods. Between 2014 and 2017, the service sector was the main contributor to growth, accounting for 2.4 percentage of GDP growth. It contributed 2.6 percent to GDP growth in 2016, and 2.3 percent in 2017.2 The service sector accounted for 41 percent of total value added, the industrial sector 33 percent, and the agricultural sector 26 percent between 2010 and 2013. The manufacturing sector contributed up to 0.9 percent between 2014 and 2017. Over the period 2014–2017, five export products accounted for 75 percent of export value: crude petroleum (39 percent), refined petroleum (11 percent), sawn and rough wood (10.5 percent), cocoa beans (8.3 percent), and bananas (4.9 percent). Other main exports are raw cotton, natural rubber, unwrought aluminum, and coffee. The climate change could cause strain on agricultural production and increase the risk of food insecurity due to increasing risk of desertification and droughts in the northern regions of Cameroon. 3 3. The country’s economic structure is quite embryonic, characterized by young, small firms, a highly dominant service sector, and geographic concentration. According to the 2009 General Enterprise Census, there were nearly 94,000 active enterprises, 95 percent of which were very small production units. In addition, nearly 60 percent of these enterprises were concentrated in Yaoundé and Douala, the country’s administrative capital and the largest port city, respectively. Companies were very young, with 81 percent created in the last 10 years. Moreover, 86.5 percent of companies listed were in the services sector, followed by the manufacturing sector (13.1 percent) and the raw materials production sector (0.4 percent). Finally, in 2009, 1 International Monetary Fund. 2018. Cameroon: Debt Sustainability Analysis; IMF Country Report No. 18/235. 2 National Accounts 2017, NIS-July 2018. 3 For example, according to climate risk assessment, in 2012, Cameroon was hit by a drought that caused substantial food shortages and left 400,000 people without sufficient access to food for basic nutrition. The northern regions of the country are at highest risk for drought mortality rates and were the hardest hit provinces during the 2012 drought. Desertification has been observed in the northern part of Cameroon. Mar 20, 2019 Page 3 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) the services sector created the most employment, with 68 percent of the employees, accounting for almost 262,000 jobs. Within the services sector, trade accounted for the largest number of employees. 4. Cameroon’s economic growth over the last decade has not been accompanied by a significant reduction in poverty and inequality. Between 2001 and 2007, the incidence of poverty remained at 40 percent, and only marginally declined to 37.5 percent in 2014. However, due to population growth, the number of people classified as poor increased in absolute terms from 6.2 million in 2001 to 7.1 million in 2007, and further to 8.1 million in 2014. The incidence of poverty in 2014 was higher in rural areas (56.8 percent) compared to urban areas (8.9 percent). There are also substantial regional differences in the incidence of poverty, with a relatively higher incidence of poverty concentrated in the regions of the Far North and the North, and a relatively low incidence in Douala and Yaoundé. Between 2007 and 2014, the Gini coefficient rose from 0.39 to 0.44, reflecting an increase in inequality. The country’s Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD), 4 undertaken in 2016, points to education and training as critical for boosting economic growth and reducing poverty over the short- and long-term. 5. Cameroon’s economy is predominantly informal, generally uncompetitive, and rapidly urbanizing. The majority of jobs (90 percent) were in the informal sector in 2013. The formal sector is largely located in the country’s largest cities - Yaoundé and Douala - and is highly concentrated, with less than 1 percent of registered firms generating 68 percent of total revenue of registered firms. In 2016–2017, the country was ranked low (119 of 138 countries) on the Global Competitiveness Index, largely as a consequence of poor infrastructure, weak education and training, and poor technological readiness. Almost one-half of the population (47 percent) currently resides in rural areas. By 2030, the number of individuals living in rural areas is expected to increase by approximately 2 million, and the number of urban dwellers by 8 million.5 6. The labor market is characterized by a relatively high labor force participation, low average unemployment, but high underemployment and the predominance of the informal sector. Labor force participation in Cameroon is relatively high at 76.2 percent and unemployment6 is low at 4.2 percent in 2018.7 Women tend to have lower labor force participation rates (71.3 percent) and higher unemployment rates (5.1 percent) compared to those of men (82 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively), however, they are more likely to be involved in non-paid family labor. Labor force participation and employment are higher in rural areas than in urban areas as most rural populations are engaged in low-productivity subsistence agriculture. Underemployment is high and increased from 71.1 percent in 2007 to 79 percent in 2014.8 4 World Bank. 2016. Cameroon - Priorities for ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity: systematic country diagnostic (English). Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. 5 World Bank. 2016. Cameroon - Priorities for ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity: systematic country diagnostic (English). Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. 6 Unemployment rate is defined as percent of labor force which was employed for at least one hour in the past week (ILO definition). 7 World Bank. 2018. World Development Indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/data/source/world-development-indicators 8 Cameroon Household Survey 2007 and 2014. Mar 20, 2019 Page 4 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) 7. Between 2012 and 2017, the Human Capital Index (HCI)9 value for Cameroon decreased from 0.41 to 0.39,10 which is slightly lower than the average for Sub-Saharan African countries and for lower middle- income countries in 2017. One of the main factors contributing to this ranking is education. Children in Cameroon, who start schooling at age 4, can expect to complete 9.1 years of preprimary, primary and secondary school by age 18. In terms of learning achievement, students in Cameroon do not perform well by scoring only 379 out of 625 points on the standardized test. However, when years of schooling are adjusted for quality of learning, their level of learning is only equivalent to 5.5 years: a learning gap of 3.6 years. The HCI for girls is lower than that for boys on all HCI indicators. 8. Cameroon’s population is young and growing. Over 70 percent of population in Cameroon is younger than 30 years old. The school-age population (4-23 years) makes up 48 percent (about 11.8 million) of all inhabitants in 2018. Population growth in Cameroon remains high at a rate of 2.7 percent per year.11 Between 2010 - 2018, the population increased by 4.7 million and the school-age population (4-23 years old) increased by 2.1 million, from 9.7 to 11.8 million persons. During the same period, the school-going population increased by 2 million from 5.5 to 7.5 million students. 9. Youth (ages 15 to 34) account for 80 percent of the country’s unemployed. Youth unemployment is high and rising, particularly among the most educated. The unemployment rate among youth in urban areas is 11 percent, rising to 22 percent among the most educated.12 This may be because youth—particularly educated youth benefitting from family support—are not willing to take jobs in the informal sector, as such jobs might not pay a sufficient, regular (or any) salary, or because of lack for job-relevant skills13 which are required by the labor market. Furthermore, while less-educated workers tend to be absorbed by low-skilled informal markets, more-educated youth have a hard time finding jobs because of the small size of the formal labor market, and due to the fact that their knowledge and skills obtained in the education and training system tend to be more theoretical and with limited relevance to labor market needs. Another explanation of the observed mismatch is the limited availability of job-related information. As population growth continues to be strong, Cameroon has the potential to reap a significant demographic dividend if its youth has relevant skills to enter and be productive in labor markets. 10. The current skills level of the workforce, however, is insufficient to support Cameroon’s ambition to transform its economy to middle-income status by 2035. The labor force, in general, has a low level of education. Figures show that 54 percent of female and 41 percent of male of the working-age population 9 The HCI measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18. It conveys the productivity of the next generation of workers compared to a benchmark of complete education and full health. It is constructed for 157 countries. It is made up of five indicators: the probability of survival to age five, a child’s expected years of schooling, harmonized test scores as a measure of quality of learning, adult survival rate (fraction of 15-year olds that will survive to age 60), and the proportion of children who are not stunted. 10 It is however expected that the index will drop further due to the situation in the NW and SW regions. 11 Government of Cameroon. 2018. ESS Mid-term review. 12 The narrow unemployment rate among the labor force aged 15-64 averaged 3.3 in 2007 and 4.0 percent in 2014, and 5.4 and 5.8 percent among youth in 2007 and 2014, respectively. The broader measure of unemployment, which includes those who are inactive but would accept a job if offered one, averaged 3 percentage points higher. 13 Job-relevant skills are defined as a set of skills comprising of technical skills necessary for performing job-related tasks and socio- emotional skill, including ability to work in teams, reliability, communication skills, big-five socio-emotional skills (conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, extraversion, and confidence). Mar 20, 2019 Page 5 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) completed only primary education.14 In 2014, an estimated 18 percent of youth (and 30 percent of rural youth) were illiterate. Lack of a skilled labor force hinders firm productivity in Cameroon, and employers frequently cite the lack of skilled labor as a key challenge to firm growth, particularly in the chemical, metallurgical, infrastructure, public works, finance, and telecommunications industries. 15 Often, international enterprises engaged in large infrastructure projects in Cameroon (such as hydroelectric dams and mining) outsource scientific and professional staff for both high-skilled and mid-level technical positions. 11. Cameroon faces significant security challenges, which have implications for education and employment interventions. Challenge includes border tensions, a massive influx of refugees, and a severe political crisis having escalated in 2017 into a violent conflict and to the exacerbation of a climate of mistrust between the Government and the population in anglophone areas. The changing country context (the crisis in the Far-North region having led to over 244,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), influx of over 425,000 refugees coming from Nigeria in the Far-North region and from the Central African Republic (CAR) in the Eastern, Northern and Adamawa regions. While the Anglophone region had relatively good level of education and learning, compared to some other regions, the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions has brought approximately 437,000 IDPs in 2018) has had implications for the education system needs due to the destructions of schools and safety issues for students and teachers. These challenges, combined with a lack of jobs and high poverty rates in these regions, limit youth opportunities – often they can only engage in informal employment and are often underemployed, placing them at potential risk of radicalization and recruitment in armed groups.16 The situation is particularly severe in Lake Chad region, which is one the poorest regions. This area, comprising parts of Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger faces high demographic growth and significant vulnerability to climate change, associated with socio-political tensions which turned to a conflict since 2014 (Boko Haram crisis).17 Sectoral and Institutional Context 12. The education and training system in Cameroon is complex, consisting of two parallel sub-systems: Francophone and Anglophone. Preschool is two to three years (from the age of 3-4 years). Primary education, which is compulsory, is of six years, starting from the age of 6. Secondary education is divided in two levels - lower secondary (four years of education in the Francophone and five years in the Anglophone sub-system, respectively) and upper secondary (three years for French, and two years for English). Furthermore, the secondary education system is further divided into general and technical secondary education. Tertiary education is comprised of universities and professional and post-secondary vocational training institutions. During academic year 2016-2017,18 enrollment in education was as follows: primary education - 4.4 million students (67 percent of total education enrollment); secondary education – 1.9 million students (29 percent of total school enrollment); higher education – 300,000 students (4 percent of total school enrollment); and professional and vocational training – 39,000 students (0.6 percent of total school enrollment). 13. The Francophone and Anglophone sub-systems evolve in parallel from pre-school to the end of 14 Staff calculations using Cameroon household survey 2014. 15 MINEPAT June 2014. 16 MINEPAT. 2018. “Recovery and Peace Consolidation Strategy for Northern and East Cameroon 2018 -2022�. 17 AFD. 2018. The Lake Chad Region and Boko haram. Géraud Magrin and Marc-Antoine Pérousse de Montclos. 18 Statistical yearbooks of MINESUP, MINESEC, MINEFOP Mar 20, 2019 Page 6 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) secondary school, with roughly 75 percent of students enrolled in the French sub-system and 25 percent in the English sub-system. While the sub-systems co-exist around the country, the majority of Anglophone schools are in the two Anglophone regions and the majority of Francophones schools in the eight Francophones regions. At the tertiary level, the two linguistic streams are consolidated into one system, although tertiary education institutions adopt different academic cultures 19 based on the language of instruction. There are four ministries which are directly responsible for the education sector: the Ministry of Basic Education (French – MINEDUB), the Ministry of Secondary Education (French – MINESEC), the Ministry of Professional and Vocational Training (French –MINEFOP), and the Ministry of Higher Education (French –MINESUP). 14. The proposed project will focus on the Secondary Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training sub-sectors of the Education Sector. The World Bank has a strong engagement in pre-primary and primary education in Cameroon through the Cameroon Equity and Quality for Improved Learning Project (P133338), which is scheduled to close in June 2019, and the Cameroon Education Reform Support Project (P160926), signed in April 2019. At the higher education level, Cameroon is a part of the African Centers of Excellence regional project (P126974). 15. The delivery of the secondary education is complex in Cameroon and is under the purview of the MINESEC. MINESEC has multiple responsibilities: (i) delivery of general secondary education at lower (1.6 million students) and upper secondary level (0.6 million students) in both Anglophone and Francophone sub- systems enrolled in 2,667 schools; (ii) delivery of a technical stream in lower and upper secondary education level (460,000 students total enrolled in 796 schools); and (iii) pre-service training of the primary school teachers (25,000 students trained in 174 normal schools). Therefore, the objectives of the MINESEC are to build foundational general education skills and prepare students to enter tertiary education, to equip students with basic job-relevant skills through technical stream and prepare them for basic entry level-jobs, and to prepare teachers for the primary education. Furthermore, secondary education is critical for assuring gender equity. The way the system attracts, includes, retains and protects young girls at a key age of their personal and social development represents a major driver to the place of women in the society. 16. In Cameroon, the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system consists of three levels of education: a technical stream in secondary education, vocational education, and higher technical education. MINESEC is in charge of the technical stream in secondary education. The technical stream covers lower and upper secondary level and enrolls approximately 27 percent (460,000) of secondary students. Boys are more likely (60 percent of total enrollment) than girls to enroll in the technical track of secondary education. MINEFOP is in charge of vocational training as well as coordinating all TVET activities across the system in the country. In 2014, 20 there were 850 public and private (fee-paying) training centers, which enrolled approximately 37,000 students. The private sector plays a dominant role in the provision of training, operating for 76 percent of all centers and accounting for 63 percent of enrollment. MINESUP is responsible for delivering training at the higher education level. In 2017, approximately 300,000 students were enrolled in higher education institutions, out of which only 6 percent were enrolled in technical fields and 94 percent in traditional academic fields. 19 For to historical reasons, francophones systems are influence by French/francophone university model, and Anglophone by British/American model. 20 Annual yearbooks, MINEFOP Mar 20, 2019 Page 7 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) 17. Key challenges facing Cameroon’s Secondary Education and Skills Development Systems include: (a) poor quality and limited relevance of secondary education and training system; (b) limited access to secondary education and skills training programs, especially for girls, and limited internal inefficiency; (c) weak management and governance, including poor sector coordination, planning, teacher management and monitoring and evaluation (M&E); (d) inadequate resources and weak efficiency of expenditures at both central and school level; and (e) all these challenges are exacerbated by additional stress put on education and training system by influx of refugees, IDPs, and conflict in anglophone areas. Overall, the secondary education and skills development systems are highly theoretical, not flexible enough to respond to quickly emerging needs of the labor markets and are largely supply-driven. Poor quality and relevance of secondary education and training system 18. The quality of secondary education, learning outcomes and practical relevance to labor markets of secondary education in Cameroon are low. Analytical studies and stakeholder analysis21 highlight several factors that contribute to low quality of secondary education. First, many students come unprepared from primary school. Second, secondary teachers are not well prepared (MINESUP is responsible for pre-service training) and frequently absent, especially in rural and remote areas. Insufficient and low quality pre-service and in-service training and weak teacher supervision contribute to inadequate teacher preparedness. The system of teacher deployment and their retainment, especially in rural and hardship areas, is not functioning well. Third, the curricula are highly theoretical. They do not put much emphasis on developing 21 st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and socio-emotional skills. Fourth, the school infrastructure is of poor quality. For example, many schools don’t have electricity access, there are no separate sanitary facilities for girls and boys, lack of teaching and learning materials and textbooks, secondary schools in urban areas are often overcrowded. Low utilization of information and communication technologies also affects quality of schooling, especially learning digital skills which are necessary to ensure that the country will tap in in global digital economy. While there is no internationally comparable student assessment in Cameroon, the learning outcomes, as measured by standardized exam after lower secondary, are poor: only 37 percent of students pass standardized exam after lower secondary. There are significant differences in pass rates by region, for example in Extreme North 22 percent and in Littoral 46 percent; and by gender, especially in some in some regions, for example, in Extreme North the pass rate for girls is 18 percent vs. boys - 25 percent. 19. Similarly, at all levels of TVET system the quality of graduates and labor market relevance of their skills are low. Based on a recent employer survey (2015), only 42 percent of employers reported being fully satisfied with the competencies of staff with TVET qualifications. Dissatisfaction with skills level is particularly acute for TVET graduates in the agriculture, wood, construction, and cotton/textile industries. Limited collaboration between TVET providers and employers, constrains opportunities for job placement and practical training, and limits the input of the private sector in the design of programs. Employers are not involved in the program design and delivery. The quality of skills development programs delivery is also affected by a lack of learning materials, poor infrastructure, and low qualifications and limited industry exposure of teaching staff at all levels. Generally, at all levels of technical education, programs are characterized by limited infrastructure, poor supply of learning and training materials, poor quality of teaching staff, and low levels of financing. The weakest training institutions are at the level of Section Artisanale Rurale/Section Ménagère (SAR/SM), which are also characterized by low social demand. These factors are slightly better at the Centers for Professional Training 21 World Bank. 2019. “Diagnostic of Secondary Education Sector in Cameroon� Draft, workshop with MINESEC officials. Mar 20, 2019 Page 8 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) (Centres de Formation Professionnels (CFP)) level and in higher education institutions. Limited access to secondary education and skills training programs, with regional and gender inequality 20. The enrollment in secondary education has increased substantially over the past 15 years, but the access still remains limited with significant inequalities. While Cameroon is progressively achieving universal primary education, the increased demand for secondary education led a strong, but inefficient and inequitable development of secondary education system. The gross enrollment rate in secondary education reaches only 50 percent (54 percent for boys and 46 percent for girls). The transition rate form primary to secondary education are low (only 48 percent of students from primary enrolled in general secondary education and 13 percent in technical education)22 despite the fact that overall enrollment in secondary education tripled from under 700,000 in 2000 to 1.9 million in 2017. Although MINESEC benefits from the largest share of education sector annual budget (49 percent).23 21. There exist persistent regional and socio-demographic disparities in enrollment, transition and completion rates in Cameroon. A student’s chances of enrolment in education depend on several variables, including gender, family income, geographic location, and whether or not s/he is residing in a rural or an urban area. From 2011 to 2016, disparities in the GER at the secondary education increase. For the lower secondary education level, the standard deviation of regions gross enrolment ratio increased from 0.215 to 0.249, the same path is observed for the upper cycle. Secondary education access and completion chances are significantly lower in the northern regions. For illustration, in 2016 these regions have the lowest gross enrolment ratio for the lower secondary education (less than 35 percent).24 Geographic and gender disparities are particularly significant for the North, Far North, Adamawa and East regions. In lower secondary, 10 times fewer students are from the poorest 20 percent population than students belonging to the wealthiest 20 percent families. Such a high degree of social and economic inequality requires targeted policies and a strong commitment to providing adequate opportunities, specifically for girls, students from the poorest families and students who are currently at a geographical disadvantage. 22. Girls are particularly vulnerable and have lower enrollment, transition and completion rates than boys. Access to quality secondary education has broader critical impacts given the importance of mothers’ education on delaying early marriage, lower fertility and child’s early childhood development. In Cameroon, however, in 2017, secondary education GER for boys was 8 percentage points higher than for girls (54 vs 46 percent respectively). A large number of girls (particularly from disadvantaged households and from rural areas) are not reaching secondary level or are dropping out at secondary level. A study carried out in 201525 showed that in addition to girls’ challenges with access and retention at the primary level, girls’ transition rates from primary to lower secondary education also remain an issue, particularly in rural area. 23. Lower participation of girls can be explained by both demand and supply side factors. On the supply side, while it is important to ensure that quality education is provided for retaining students (particularly girls) 22 Annual Yearbooks, MINESEC 23 Cameroon Public Expenditure Review, 2018 24 World Bank and the Government of Cameroon. 2018. Mise en œuvre de la stratégie du secteur de d’éducation et de la formation (2013-2020) : Rapport de suivi à mi-parcours. 25 UNICEF and MINEDUB. 2015. Situational analysis of the main bottlenecks in girls' education in Cameroon's priority education zones, MINEDUB. Mar 20, 2019 Page 9 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) in secondary education, available data highlight the preeminence of schools with poor learning and schooling environment and poor pedagogical practices and gender stereotypes. In addition, the low number of secondary schools with gender-specific latrines and running (safe) water points makes the school environment less suitable for girls. Further, a recent study26 shows that schools do not offer a safe environment for girls (38 percent of survey respondents mentioned that there is a risk of sexual harassment in schools). This was confirmed by the recent Gender-based Violence (GBV) portfolio risk assessment for Cameroon,27 stating that “Even if a girl is enrolled in school, she is likely to face discrimination and sexual abuse both from fellow male students and teachers�. Overall, it appears that high school fees at secondary level remains prohibitive for the poorest households and frequently lead to drop out. This is also exacerbated by the costs of public exams: since passing these exams determines access to further education, they are also a key driver of gender differences in transition rates between primary, lower and upper secondary education levels. 24. On the demand side, poverty, household responsibilities, early marriage and early pregnancy (which are often a consequence of drop out) are some of the primary factors driving gender disparities. Moreover, precarious living conditions, especially in rural areas, food insecurity, the engagement of children in the agro- pastoral labor force and households for income-generating activities appear to be the main factors explaining the early drop-out and non-retention of children from rural areas, especially girls. This situation is worsened in crisis affected areas (see also table 1 below), making demand for school for the most vulnerable in these regions particularly precarious. In some places, girls might be withdrawn from schools if the road to school is seen as too risky. 25. Although the country has a solid legal and institutional framework to safeguard inclusive education, based on the discussions with the government, persons with disabilities still experience several challenges when it comes to access to mainstream education. Most of the children lack self-esteem and have doubt in their own abilities, because of the stigma and the discrimination that they have experience. Their parents, relatives and neighbors may not accept them as equal members of the community. 26. Skills training opportunities are also limited resulting in skills shortages, particularly in priority sectors, and where they exist, are at very low levels. Approximately 66 percent of the working-age population has had no exposure to any kind of training, with 14 percent reporting some short-term and informal on-the-job training. While the main supply side issues vary somewhat between public and private providers, there are a number of common constraints that characterize the system as whole. These include: (i) limited supply of technical and professional education, particularly oriented towards the priority sectors, combined with a bias towards the lowest levels of qualification, leaving large gaps in the supply of mid- and high-skilled level graduates; (ii) limited diversity in the training specializations offered; and (iii) a lack of continuity between levels of certification/within the certification chain. 27. Similarly, access to training opportunities varies significantly by region, location, and are gender- biased. Adamawa, the Far-North, and North regions have/offer significantly fewer opportunities for public and private training. Private training is concentrated in the Littoral, Center, Southwest and Northwest, 28 while the South and East benefit disproportionately from publicly provided training. At the tertiary level, the majority of 26 Mengue and Kayo. 2019. Etat des lieux des plaintes relatives au mariage et harcèlement sexuel des enfants au Cameroun. APDEL. 27 Bakayoko-Topolska, Monika. 2018. GBV portfolio risk assessment – Cameroon. World Bank. 28 For Southwest and Northwest, this situation may have changed due to the recent crisis Mar 20, 2019 Page 10 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) training opportunities are concentrated in Douala and Yaoundé. While enrollment of young women in secondary and tertiary TVET education is relatively high, female enrollment is usually concentrated in programs such as home economics, and secretarial, and personal services. The incidence of formal training also differs significantly between urban and rural areas with 33 percent of the working-age population in urban areas reporting some type of formal training, compared to only 12 percent in rural areas. 28. Girls are also less likely to enroll in TVET institutions, which is exacerbated by a substantial gender segregation in trade selection. While girls represent 42 percent of overall MINEFOP enrollment, in industry related trades they represent less than 10 percent of enrollment compared to more than 70 percent in secretariat and hotel-restaurant fields. In MINESEC technical schools, only one in three students are girls. However, similarly to MINEFOP there are substantial difference in gender enrollment by trade with girls representing only 22 percent of enrollment in technical fields compared to 64 percent in business training. Further, while gender parity is one of the key objectives set for secondary education in the Education Sector Strategy (ESS) (2013–2020), recent data show that dropout rate of girls remains higher than that of boys. Management and governance 29. The limited internal efficiency and performance of secondary education can be explained by management and governance issues. Key challenges in this area of management and governance of secondary education include the following: i) Teacher workforce (more than 90 percent of the budget) is poorly managed and teachers are frequently underemployed. For example, estimates show that many teachers complete less than half of their expected service hours. This situation leads to a substantial use of teachers paid by Parents’ Teachers Association; ii) weak financial management: despite substantiv e transfer from the state to schools and significant mandatory contribution by parents, stakeholders systematically complains about the poor school environment, absence of teacher and learning materials and the lack of basic facilities; iii) decision-making related to key issues (school creations, financial transfers, teacher deployment) not being informed by evidence and data. While MINESEC is involved in upgrading its education management and information system (EMIS), the next step will be to use data to support decision making and to develop relevant policies. 30. Ministry of Secondary education is in charge of pre-service training for primary school teachers. The 174 ENIEG (Ecoles Normales des Instituteurs de l’Enseignement Général) and ENIET (Ecoles Normales des Instituteurs de l’Enseignement Technique), amongst them more than half are private enroll more than 25,000 youth. Part of the attraction of these schools can be explained by the hope for students to be hired as a contract teacher by MINEDUB and the subsequent integration in Cameroonian public service. This situation causes huge discrepancy between the number or teachers to be recruited (1,000 in 2019) and the number of candidates (more than 50,000 the same year). Available studies also pointed out a very theoretical training and an overall low quality of content. Reforms envisaged during the ESS period (2013-2020) have not been implemented. 31. TVET programs in Cameroon are highly fragmented and lack effective coordination to meet the needs of the labor market. As mentioned earlier, three ministries are primarily in charge of delivery of technical education and vocational training in Cameroon: MINESEC, MINEFOP, and MINESUP. There are also multiple other sectoral ministries that offer some kind of training, as well as a multitude of private sector providers. While the relevant ministries collaborate to some extent, they mainly focus on the level of education and training within their portfolios. The multiplicity of oversight and administrative bodies has complicated the Mar 20, 2019 Page 11 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) development of occupational competency standards, qualification frameworks and training requirements, and has hindered collaboration with industries and private sector enterprises. 32. There are no mechanisms for quality assurance across all levels of the skills development system in Cameroon. The system lacks a mechanism to set quality standards and indicators, such as benchmarks, to measure efforts to achieve standards. This is problematic given that the role of quality assurance is to protect students so that their investment in education is worthwhile, and that it also is used to reassure employers that graduates from particular degree programs are equipped with certain knowledge and skills. 33. Data collection is not systematic and remains insufficient to inform policy decisions. On the sector monitoring side, little information on the quality of training provided, progression through the system, or on the labor market status of graduates is available. As a consequence, it is difficult to determine program performance, efficiency and relevance. Data on the perception of employers with regard to the quality of training at vocational training centers, as well as data relating to the rate of integration of graduates as wage earners or self-employed into the labor market is similarly scarce. The information about labor markets performance and needs is also very limited and is not used to inform the design of the training programs. Resources and Internal Inefficiency 34. Limited resources are allocated to the education and training sector, as a share of both the country’s GDP and public resources. The overall budget allocation for education and training system is lower in Cameroon compared to the Africa region average, 3.5 percent of GDP vs. 4.8 percent of GDP respectively in 2016. While public allocations have been increasing across all four ministries responsible for education, they are still low, at 13.6 percent of total government budget, compared to countries with the similar GDP. The largest allocation is extended to secondary education (49 percent of the total education allocation), followed by primary education (39 percent), higher education (9 percent), and TVET (3 percent). 35. While MINESEC has the largest budget share of the state and spends almost 50 percent of national education expenditures, the spending is not efficient . More than 90 percent of secondary education budget is spent on teacher salaries, but it’s not enough to ensure that sufficient number of state -paid teachers are in schools. Still, a significant number of teachers are paid by Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) and these costs remain very high for parents. Unit costs per student at the lower secondary level are low compared to international standards. However, unit costs per student for upper secondary are significant compared to regional and international standards (but student access, equity and flow levels remain comparatively low). A significant part of public expenditures for secondary education remains inequitably focused on the large number of teachers in upper secondary schools (lycées) in and around the urban areas and maintaining the complex bureaucratic governance structure. 36. Internal efficiency of secondary education and TVET is low. In 2017, one out of five students dropped out of the general secondary education system (17.5 percent in the anglophone sub-system and 23.5 percent in the francophone sub-system). The retention rate is low (70.4 percent in the lower secondary education and 53.8 percent in the upper secondary) and a significant share of repeaters29 (13.8 percent in the lower secondary and 20.3 percent in the upper secondary). In the francophone sub-system repetition rate is significantly high 29 RESEN (2013). Mar 20, 2019 Page 12 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) in year 2 of upper secondary due to the exam that is compulsory to enter the last year of the cycle. In the lower- secondary cycle, only 38 percent of students in the francophone system who applied for the certificate exam graduated. In case of TVET, during the 2016-2017 academic year, the transition rate from primary to technical lower secondary education was low (13.3 percent) as well as completion rate (less than one student out of two). The dropout was 39 percent (42.1 percent for girls and 37 percent for boys) in technical secondary education30 and 25 percent in vocational education.31 In the first cycle, only 42 percent of TVET students obtained the certificat d’aptitude professionelle (CAP) compared with 58 percent in the general track (brevet d’etudes du premier cycle (BEPC)). The probatoire technique—the exit exam students take before receiving a baccalaureate degree—further eliminates two out of three youth from progressing to obtain a BT. As a result, in 2013, only 2,490 youths obtained an industrial BT. 37. Funding in the TVET sector is also skewed towards servicing salaries, with very low allocations for other types of expenditure (e.g. training materials, equipment, and capital expenditures). Approximately 93 percent of recurrent expenditures are allocated to service wages and salaries, leaving only 7 percent of funds for all other types of operating expenditures. The TVET sector, more so than general education, requires resources to finance critical quality inputs, such as work materials, travel for training and internships, and the maintenance of equipment and infrastructure. 38. With the exception of school fees levied on students, educational institutions have no other means of generating additional resources. Public training institutions are not allowed to generate their own resources through, for example, providing consulting services or short-term training programs to workers willing to pay, or from offering their facilities for rent to Government or private entities. There is no legal framework in place that would allow institutions to have more opportunities to generate resources. 39. The Government of Cameroon realizes these challenges facing the skills development system and highlights the importance of skills development in national strategies. While there is no holistic skills development strategy at the moment, with skills development priorities incorporated in different strategies, e.g. Education Sector Strategy and the DSCE, the Government is considering developing a comprehensive strategy for this Skills Development Sector accompanied with the sector implementation plan. Refugees, IDPs and internal conflict 40. Growing influx of refugees and a significant increase in the number of IDPs, especially in the northern and Anglophone regions, creates an increasing pressure on education system. This situation has created both a major disruption of the functioning of schools in some regions, including of destruction of schools, and an increased pressure of this new demand on the education sector in refugee and displaced host areas, as described in the table 1. These crises with its demand for schooling has been a source of tension on the education system, which has affected both the host community and refugee children. Specifically, important family displacements due to the anglophone crisis are adding pressure on the Anglophone schools in Francophone areas. For those who cannot move to other areas, Anglophone crisis may result in several cohorts of students missing school for 2 to 3 years or more. 30 It is less than 25 percent in the general secondary education. 31 MINEFOP Statistical Yearbook 2018 Mar 20, 2019 Page 13 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) Table 1. Direct Consequences of Crisis on Secondary education System Regions Closed Schools Displaced Refugee students students Girls Boys TOTAL Adamawa 108 321 429 East 443 953 1,396 Far-North 3 742 184 247 431 North-West 510 60,134 0 0 0 South-West 300 30,644 0 0 0 Total 813 91,520 735 1,521 2,256 Source: MINESEC (2019). 41. Vision 2035 and the DSCE highlight the central role of education and skills development in enabling transformation through industrialization, innovation, and higher levels of productivity. The priorities identified in these strategies for elevating the quality of the labor force and stimulating technological innovation are: (a) increasing the number of years of training provided and the quality of basic education and TVET; (b) expanding opportunities for high-quality TVET driven by the demand for specific skills in key economic sectors; and (c) expanding access to tertiary education, focusing on professional training and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Furthermore, the Government has identified a list of priority growth sectors, based on their growth and employment potential, which include: energy, agriculture, digital economy, construction, tourism, light manufacturing (such as leather and textiles), wood, and minerals. The existing skills development system in Cameroon is not responsive enough to address the skills needs in the labor markets, especially in key economic sectors, resulting in skills shortages and mismatches. 42. Furthermore, the Government specified the priorities for Secondary Education and Skills Development in the ESS 2013-2020 and is updating this strategy at the moment. The ESS identifies the following strategic areas in the education and training sectors: (i) Access and Equity: improve access by reducing all sorts of disparities in secondary education; (ii) Quality and Relevance: improve the quality of learning in primary and general secondary education as well as vocational training; and (iii) Governance and Management: improve the management of human resources, system’s planning capacities and transparency in resource management. While moving toward a new ESS by the end of 2019 for years 2020-2025, which is supported by the World Bank through Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financing, these key objectives should be maintained as few has been done during 2013-2020 ESS implementation period at secondary level. Relationship to CPF 43. The proposed project is fully consistent with the Cameroon Country Partnership Framework (CPF FY17-FY21) and CPF Program Learning Review which is currently being undertaken. The proposed project contributes to the achievement of Objective 3 of the CPF, namely: “Improving the quality and equity of education�, and Objective 9 - "Increasing the supply of skills demanded by the labor market". Specifically, the project aims to improve governance and management, access, and the quality and relevance of secondary education and skills development programs, which in its turn is expected to address labor market and productivity needs of the country to drive growth and employment. These objectives are also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education; promoting lifelong Mar 20, 2019 Page 14 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) learning opportunities (SDG 4), and promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8). 44. Furthermore, the 2016 SCD identified the following constraints to growth and poverty reduction: (i) low rural productivity, particularly in northern Cameroon; (ii) a non-conducive business environment for the formal and informal private sector; and (iii) fragility and poor governance of the public and private sectors. The SCD highlights the low efficiency of secondary education system, with particularly weak outcomes despite per pupil investment higher than for comparators countries. The SCD highlights that strengthening skills development system as critical addressing low productivity and a poor business environment . C. Proposed Development Objective(s) 45. Project Development Objective: The proposed project development objective is to (a) increase equitable access to and retention in quality secondary education in targeted areas with a focus on gender issues; and (b) to improve the quality and relevance of and increase access to skills development programs in selected economic sectors. 46. Selected economic sectors, in the context of this project, as identified by the Government based on the greatest potential to drive economic growth and employment, include: agro-processing, energy, digital economy, and construction. Additionally, the project will tailor to the needs of local labor markets through Window 3 of the SDF. 47. Project Beneficiaries. The beneficiaries of the project will include youth benefitting from secondary education interventions (aged 12-18) and from skills development interventions (aged 15-35), employees and employers of businesses in selected economic sectors, industry associations, students and staff of public and private secondary schools and TVET institutions nationwide. Key Results (From PCN) • Improved access to lower secondary education by gender and region; • Decreased dropout rate in lower and upper secondary education, by gender and region; • Percentage increase in completion rates in targeted areas for lower-secondary education32 and upper- secondary education,33 by gender; • Number of targeted secondary schools having achieved the minimum standards defined in the Secondary School Effectiveness Standards; • New competency-based training (CBT) packages in use, by ministry; • Percentage of graduates who are employed or self-employed 6 months after training completion;34 • Trainees completing training supported by SDF Window 2 and Window 3, by gender. D. Concept Description 48. The project is underpinned by a series of analytical studies which identified core challenges facing the Cameroon Secondary Education and Skills Development System and made policy recommendation. As 32 Grades 3 in Francophone system and Grade 4 in Anglophone system 33 Year 2 in Francophone system and year 1 in Anglophone system 34 Graduates of centers which benefit from SDF Window 1 and implmenent MINEFOP approved CBT packages. Mar 20, 2019 Page 15 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) related to secondary education, the World Bank is currently undertaking a Diagnostic Study on Secondary Education35 and a study on Girls’ demand for education.36 A policy note for secondary education, on this basis, is under preparation. The project is also informed by the World Development Report 2018 on Learning ,37 “Facing Forward: Schooling for Learning in Africa� (2018),38 “At the crossroads: choices for secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa�,39 “Expanding opportunities and building competencies for young people: a new agenda for secondary education� (2005).40 In the area of skills development, the World Bank has carried out two studies related to the skills development sector: "Fostering skills in Cameroon: inclusive workforce development, competitiveness and growth" in 2015 and "Skills for Employment and Economic Diversification of Cameroon" in 2016. Additionally, there was a recent report that analyzed skills and jobs relationship in Africa region, “ The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investing in Skills for Productivity, Inclusion and Adaptability� (2018).41 Significant information was provided by the Cameroon Public Expenditure (2019),42 which had a specific chapter on education, and ESS 2013-2020 mid-term review document. These studies identified that the main challenges for the secondary education and skills development were in the areas of Governance and Management, Relevance and Quality, and Equitable Access. The project design will benefit from the experience and lessons learned from the secondary education projects (e.g. Tanzania and Ghana and Bangladesh)43, and from skills development projects in Africa (e.g., Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda)44 or in other regions (e.g., Sri Lanka, Punjab)45. 1. Description 49. The proposed project is a first-generation secondary education and skills development project in Cameroon. It will consist of three components: Component 1 “ Support to the Secondary Education Sector�, Component 2, “Support to the Skills Development Sector�, and Component 3 “Project Management and Technical Assistance�. 50. Component 1: Support to the to the Secondary Education Sector (tentatively US$70 million) . This component will be structured around 3 sub-components which correspond to three pillars of the ESS: quality 35 This is a background study for the ESS 2020-2025 and is expected to be finalized by July, 2019. 36 This study is undertaken under the Cameroon Human Capital Project ASA and is expected to be completed by July, 2019. 37 World Bank. 2018. World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise. Washington, DC: World Bank. 38 Bashir, Sajitha; Lockheed, Marlaine; Ninan, Elizabeth; Tan, Jee-Peng. 2018. Facing Forward: Schooling for Learning in Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank 39 Vespoor, Adriaan. 2008. At the crossroads: choices for secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank. 40 Cuadra, Ernesto [editor]; Moreno, Juan Manual [editor]; Crouch, Luis [editor]; Wang, Yidan; Abu-Ghaida, Dina; Sosale, Shobhana; Welsh, Thomas; Kim, Gwang-Jo; Psifidou, Irene; Nagashima, Yoko; Koda, Yoshiko; Bundy, Donald; Hay, Philip. 2005. Expanding opportunities and building competencies for young people: a new agenda for secondary education. Washington, DC: World Bank 41 Arias, Omar, David Evans and Indira Santos. 2018. The Skills Balancing Act in Sub Saharan Africa: Investing in Skills for Productivity, Inclusion and Adaptability. World Bank: Washington, DC. 42 World Bank. 2018. Cameroon - Public Expenditure Review: Aligning Public Expenditures with the Goals of Vision 2035. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group 43 Tanzania Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (P170480); Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project (P145741); Bangladesh: Transforming Secondary Education for Results Operation (P160943) 44 Burkina Faso: Youth Employment and Skills Development Project (P130735); Rwanda Priority Skills for Growth (P252350); Ghana Skills and Technology Development Project (P118112); Skills Development Project (P145309); Tanzania Education and Skills for Productive Jobs Program (P152810) 45 Sri Lanka Skills Development Project (P132698), Punjab Skills Development Project (P130193) Mar 20, 2019 Page 16 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) and relevance, access and equity, and governance and management. Under this component some interventions will be system-wide, and some will be focused on targeted areas and groups, especially girls. 51. Sub-component 1.1. “Reinforcing quality and relevance of teaching and learning at the lower and upper-secondary education levels�. This sub-component underpins ESS pillar “Quality and Relevance�. Based on the issues identified in the sector context section, potential interventions could include the following: (i) improving quality and relevance of lower- and upper-secondary teacher training (pre- and in-service) at the national, regional and school levels; (ii) providing of necessary modern and relevant teaching and learning materials in targeted areas and benefitting disadvantaged target groups; (iii) supporting roll-out of learning assessment at the lower- and upper-secondary education levels; (iv) providing support to secondary schools in the targeted areas; (v) supporting improved student guidance and information on jobs, rates of return for different skills, and employment for lower-secondary schools in the targeted areas and for the target groups (girls and disadvantaged students); (vi) providing support for improved secondary school management and a more effective school environment in the targeted areas; and (vii) contributing to the development of innovative ICT-related activities at the secondary school level aiming to improve quality and relevance of learning. 52. Sub-component 1.2 “Improving equitable access at lower- and upper-secondary education�. This sub- component underpins ESS priority area “Access and Equity�. It will pay a special focus on targeted geographic regions, girls and disadvantaged socio-economic families by providing poverty and gender targeted stipends to support the neediest group of children, especially girls. Based on the issues identified in the sector context section, potential interventions could include the following: (i) incentive measures to increase transition from primary to secondary and to maintain vulnerable girls at schools: the project may finance scholarships for girls and disadvantaged students at the lower- and upper-secondary level; (use of modern technology for disbursing and monitoring scholarship resources, the project will also seek synergies with the Social Safety Nets project related to targeting mechanisms); (ii) incentive measures to make secondary schools friendlier and accommodating for girl students (sanitation provisions and improvements in targeted schools, improved health and reproductive health information access, female guidance counselors training and support in targeted lower- and upper-secondary schools, establishment of safe spaces and inclusion of GBV sensitization materials into the teacher training modules), and (iii) incentives measures to improve secondary schools learning environment, with a focus on STEM-related facilities and resources (libraries, laboratories, instruction materials to secondary schools and local school centers). 53. Sub-component 1.3 “Strengthening Management of Secondary Education System�. This sub- component underpins ESS pillar “Governance and Management�. Based on the issues identified in the sector context section, potential interventions could include the following: (i) reforming teacher management and standards for increased efficiency, performance, and rationalized utilization of teacher workforce; (ii) supporting secondary school management, data collection and analysis, and secondary teacher management standards for increased efficiency and performance in the targeted regions and secondary schools in the poorest areas; (iii) supporting the use of modern technology tools for implementation and monitoring of secondary school management performance through a coherent standardized indicator system; (iii) developing and implementing performance-based management standards for provincial, local and secondary school levels; (iv) linked with Education Reform Support Project (ERSP), supporting a reform of primary schools teacher training schools (ENIEG); and (v) support the definition of rapid response mechanism to support interventions Mar 20, 2019 Page 17 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) dedicated to the specific needs of schools enrolling displaced students 54. Component 2: Support to the Skills Development Sector (tentatively US$45 million). This component will be structured around two sub-components, which are underpinned by the three pillars of the Government ESS: Sub-component 2.1, “Improving quality and relevance of skills development programs and strengthening institutional capacity of the skills development system�; and Sub -component 2.2, “Expanding equitable access to skills development programs in selected economic sectors�. 55. Sub-component 2.1 “Improving quality and relevance of skills development programs and strengthening institutional capacity of skills development system� (tentative IDA contribution is US$17 million). The objective of this sub-component is to improve the quality and relevance of skills development programs in selected economic sectors and to strengthen institutional capacity of the skills development system. This sub-component underpins ESS strategic areas of “Quality and Relevance� and “Governance and Management�. 56. Quality and Relevance. The majority of training packages used by MINEFOP and MINESEC employ a traditional syllabus-based approach that focuses on the trainees meeting the input requirements of the course and passing the exam. Nevertheless, both ministries have some experience with developing and introducing CBT packages in selected programs. CBT is demand-based and designed to fit job requirements; it ultimately reflects the expectations of employers and increases the employability of graduates. Two types of interventions will support “Quality and Relevance� strategic area of the ESS in MINEFOP and MINESEC: (i) developing CBT packages in selected economic sectors for their respective programs; and (ii) training teaching and administrative staff on the use of the CBT packages. The partnership between the public and the private sector and a participatory approach will be systematically used both in development of CBT packages and staff training. While interventions under Sub-component 2.2 will support rolling out CBT packages in selected training institutions, the CBT packages will be publicly available for use by any training institution and teacher training will also be provided to a broader set of trainers. 57. After the CBT packages are developed and validated under the proposed project, MINEFOP and MINESEC will train instructors and staff in the application of the packages and on the CBT approach. Training modules for teachers will include sensitization on gender participation, disability inclusion and retention aspects and on how to tackle gender stereotypes in different fields of training and employment. This will help teachers and staff to develop awareness of gender and disability inclusion issues and promote gender and disability-friendly approaches to ensure increased participation and retention of girls and persons with disabilities. In addition, considering existing risks in training institutions, teachers and staff will be sensitized to Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) prevention based on the policy and legal framework. 58. Governance and Management. These interventions will support Government’s strategic area “Governance and Management� in the ESS as well as to the Government’s capacity to deliver quality and market-relevant skills development programs. The project will support the Government in: (i) the development of the National Strategy for Skills Development and costed plan; (ii) the development of national and sectorial qualification and certification frameworks for technical education and training; (iii) improved availability of information on training programs through development of integrated digital platform on training opportunities; and (iv) the introduction and operationalization of a post-training tracking mechanism of TVET graduates. Mar 20, 2019 Page 18 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) 59. At the moment, there is no single strategic document for skills development in Cameroon. The Government expressed interest in preparing an integrated skills development strategy and a costed action plan. The National Strategy for Skills Development will be designed in conjunction with a revised DSCE and a new ESS for 2020–2025, both of which are currently under preparation. Furthermore, this strategy will be designed in line with the 2018 law on professional training.46 The strategy will also provide the targeted objectives, the M&E mechanism, the financing modalities of the sector, the implementing texts, and the institutional arrangements. Furthermore, there is no unified National Qualification and Certification Framework (NQCF) in the area of skills development which would specify the relationship (horizonal and vertical) between different qualifications within the national skills development system. Under this sub-component, the Government will also elaborate a NQCF, based on the work launched by MINEFOP in 2017. An interministerial working group is already in place, including staff from various ministries and the private sector. 60. The project will support the development of an integrated digital information system on training opportunities and the introduction and operationalization of post-training tracking mechanisms of graduates. A digital system will provide updated information on training opportunities to all stakeholders, including students and employers. The system will capitalize on existing but limited information, for example, in databases of the National Monitoring Service for Employment and Vocational Training ( Observatoire National de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle – ONEFOP), the National Employment Fund (NEF), Centers for Education, Professional and University Orientation (Centre d’Orientation Scolaire, Universitaire et Professionnelle – COSUP), and the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), as it will also strengthen/upgrade some of the existing tools, expand data collection and increase transparency. Currently, neither MINEFOP nor MINESEC track their graduates in a systematic way and do not collect information on their labor market outcomes. Under the project, three tracer surveys (baseline, mid-term and final) are planned to monitor labor market outcomes of TVET graduates from different streams of both public and private institutions. These surveys will be supervised by ONEFOP and conducted by a survey company. The surveys will provide baseline data and yearly information on the external effectiveness of the training system. 61. Sub-Component 2.2: Expanding equitable access to skills development programs in selected economic sectors (IDA contribution is US$27 million). The objective of this sub-component is to increase access to skills development programs and reduce skills shortages in selected economic sectors through the implementation of a competitive Skills Development Fund (SDF). Sub-component 2.2 will follow the IPF guidelines using a traditional IPF disbursement procedures. The project’s annual work plan and regular ly updated procurement plans will be submitted to the World Bank for review and approval. This sub-component underpins ESS strategic area “Access and Equity�. The SDF will support demand-led skills development and will benefit employers (both in the formal and informal sectors), training providers, trainees and employees. The SDF will give special attention to women and youth from underserved areas. The SDF aims to: (i) stimulate delivery of quality TVET offerings in selected economic sector through a Center of Excellence (CoE) approach; (ii) promote collaboration between enterprises and training centers and institutions; (iii) address skills shortages of the existing workforce in formal and informal sector; (iv) increase access to apprenticeships and internships; and (v) increase access to skills acquisition opportunities among disadvantaged groups. 46 Loi N°2018/010 du 11 Juillet 2018 Régissant la Formation Professionnelle au Cameroun. Mar 20, 2019 Page 19 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) 62. The SDF will have three windows, catering to different target groups: Window 1 will support improvements in the quality and labor market relevance of existing TVET programs at selected TVET institutions and implementation of CBT packages developed under sub-component 2.1. The objective of this window is to improve the quality and labor market relevance of existing TVET programs. Window 2 will focus on addressing skills gaps and skills shortages experienced by existing medium and small enterprises. The objective of this window is to increase the competitiveness and profitability of formal enterprises by upgrading the skills and competencies of the workforce. Under Window 2, the SDF will also support the design and/or implementation of apprenticeships programs. Window 3 will address the skills upgrading needs of members of associations of microenterprises, including self-employed, of coops, and of farmers’ groups. Many of these will be from the informal sector. The objective of this window is to increase access to short-term quality skills training for micro- enterprises, self-employed, members of farmers’ groups and co-ops, hereby improving the market value of their products. 63. Gender aspects under SDF: Each of the three SDF windows will develop specific tools to foster girls’ active participation and retention in training programs. Grantees will be asked to include active girls’ attraction and retention mechanisms and strategies in their proposals to ensure equal access to opportunities and resources. These strategies may include specific strategies to include young mothers. Under Component 3, analysis, tools, and surveys to be developed will systematically promote and assess the active participation of women and girls. To provide safety for female beneficiaries, particularly in the context of the SDF, the project will support the development of a code of conduct that clearly outlines both acceptable and unacceptable behavior and consequences for violence against women to be signed by teachers, administrative staff, trainers and other relevant stakeholders (including staff in enterprises) from SDF Grant beneficiaries. This code of conduct will be associated with a training on gender and SGBV to ensure all stakeholders understand the consequences of violence against women. Apart from prevention, a solid Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) will be established. 64. Component 3: Project Management and Technical Assistance (tentatively US$10 million). This component will support the Project Coordination Unit (PCU), M&E activities, and capacity building activities associated with the implementation of the project. The PCU would be responsible for overall coordination and implementation of project activities, as well as financial management (FM) and procurement. The project would finance the salaries of PCU staff, operational costs and the cost of equipment. Additionally, this component would cover specific technical assistance (TA) and capacity building needs for project implementation, and M&E (including third party validation, surveys, and impact evaluations). The proposed capacity building activities under this component could include: (i) trainings, study tours, and other initiatives to enhance the capacity of relevant ministry or agency staff to implement, coordinate, and monitor their programs; and (ii) capacity building of TVET institution administrators to increase their capacity to conduct tracer studies and use their results. The design of this component and its estimated budget will be finalized during pre-appraisal, following the identification of specific needs. 65. Climate co-benefits. Interventions under several sub-components could generate climate co-benefits. Under sub- component 1.1, content addressing the climate change could be included into the science classes and both teachers and students trained on these issues. Under sub-component 2.1., the new CBT packages will include elements of, for example, renewable energy, improved efficiency of energy and water use for agriculture and construction. Teachers and staff will be trained on use of these packages, and, subsequently, Mar 20, 2019 Page 20 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) students will be trained in these fields under project-supported interventions under sub-component 2.2. 66. Project Financing. The proposed project would be financed through a US$125 million credit and would have three components: Support to the Secondary Education Sector (tentatively US$70 million), Support to the Skills Development Sector (tentatively US$45 million), and Project Management and Technical Assistance (tentatively US$10 million). It has been discussed with the Government that Component 1 and 2 will consider the use a Results Based Financing (RBF) modality. Disbursements would be made against selected (eligible) key budget line items of the MINEFOP, MINESEC and other related ministries annual budgets, referred to as Eligible Expenditure Programs (EEPs), up to a capped amount. Disbursements would be conditional on pre-specified results, as measured by Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs).47 Under the Project Management and Technical Assistance Component, IDA funds will be based on regularly updated procurement and training plans, which would be reviewed by the World Bank. 67. The proposed project will closely coordinate with other relevant projects in the World Bank portfolio, e.g. in Education, Agriculture, Energy, Social Protection and Jobs Global Practices. Specifically, the proposed project will coordinate closely with the IDA-financed following projects: Basic Education Reform Project (P160926); African Centers of Excellence Project (P126974); Agriculture Investment and Market Development Project (P143417); Livestock Development Project (P154908); Rural Electricity Access Project for Northern Regions (P163881); Hydropower Development on the Sanaga River Technical Assistance Project (P157733), and Safety Nets Project (P128534). In addition, the project will be able to draw on the experiences and lessons learned from the Competitive Value Chains Project (P112975), the objective of which was to contribute to the growth of the wood transformation and tourism industries. The team will collaborate with the Gender Innovation Lab of the World Bank on the impact evaluations of gender-related interventions. 68. The proposed project would complement and seek synergies with existing programs of other development partners. The primary development partners active in the area of skills development include the French Development Agency (AFD), African Development Bank (AfDB), United nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). During project identification, the WB team consulted extensively with partners seeking complementarities and potential areas for collaboration. At present, the AFD supports the largest program overseeing the rehabilitation of four technical centers and an in-depth diagnostic of the institutional skills development framework. In the area of secondary education, the support of development partners is very limited (mostly bilateral support for building technical secondary schools). On demand side, AFD recently expressed interest to co-finance and extend the safety nets project). Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No 47 Annex 1 identifies a preliminary list of possible DLIs. These will need to be defined in more details and agreed upon over the course of project preparation if the Government decides to use the RBF modality. Selected DLIs reflect the priority elements in the Education Sector Strategy and its skills development subsection and would be critical to achieving the project’s development outcomes. Mar 20, 2019 Page 21 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) Summary of Screening of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts The Environmental and Social Specialists provided the following inputs: - The environmental and social risk classification for the Project. The environmental rating is Moderate as potential risks and impacts are not unprecedented in the project area and will be addressed by the use of recognized good management or pollution abatement practices. - based on potential activities to be implemented, they determined the relevance of Standards for the project. 08 ESS are deemed relevance for the project. Potential risks and impacts include generation of waste (inert, hazardous); wastewater treatment; noise, vibrations, and dust abatement measures; risks of air pollution. - instruments to be prepared : An Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) will be elaborated as is an increasing demand of Indigenous Peoples to get access to technical vocational trainings; A Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) will be elaborated to identify all potential risks that could occur during such works and will set mitigation and compensations principles that would be applied by the Borrower; To manage potential risks and impacts, the project will prepare an Environmental and Social Management framework (ESMF) for activities for which the exact location is not yet known or an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for activities of which the location is known. The ESMF will also propose a frameworks analysis for project’s gender and GBV considerations and also for disability inclusion. Note To view the Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts, please refer to the Concept Stage ESRS Document. CONTACT POINT World Bank Yevgeniya Savchenko, Vincent Perrot Senior Economist Borrower/Client/Recipient Cameroon Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) Guy Ronel Guemaleu Sous-Directeur de la Coopération et de l'Intégration Régiona guemaleuguy@yahoo.fr Implementing Agencies MINESEC BISSE BEA Secrétaire Général pascal_bello2001@yahoo.fr MINEFOP Justin Kouekam Secrétaire General Mar 20, 2019 Page 22 of 23 The World Bank Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (P170561) kouekamjustin@yahoo.fr FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Yevgeniya Savchenko, Vincent Perrot Approved By APPROVALTBL Practice Manager/Manager: Country Director: Mar 20, 2019 Page 23 of 23