FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: PADHP00074 INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (IBRD) AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (IDA) PROGRAM APPRAISAL DOCUMENT ON A PROPOSED LOAN IN THE AMOUNT OF US$235 MILLION FINANCED BY THE IBRD PROPOSED CREDIT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$150 MILLION FINANCED BY THE SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA RECOVERY (SPUR) OF THE IDA CRISIS FACILITY AND A TRUST FUND (TF) GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$30 MILLION FROM THE UKRAINE RELIEF, RECOVERY, RECONSTRUCTION, AND REFORM TF TO UKRAINE FOR LIFTING EDUCATION ACCESS AND RESILIENCE IN TIMES OF NEED IN UKRAINE PROGRAM AUGUST 9, 2024 Education Global Practice Europe and Central Asia Region This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective June 30, 2024) Currency Unit = Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) UAH 40.46 = US$1 US$0.025 = UAH 1 FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 Regional Vice President: Antonella Bassani Regional Director: Michal J. Rutkowski Country Director: Robert J. Saum Practice Manager: Rita Kullberg Almeida Task Team Leaders: Enrique O. Alasino Massetti, James Gresham ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACG Anti-Corruption Guidelines AIKOM Automated Information Complex of Educational Management AM Accountability Mechanism CERC Contingent Emergency Response Component COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 CPF Country Partnership Framework DLI Disbursement-Linked Indicator DLR Disbursed-Linked Result DPA State Final Examination DREAM Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management E&S Environmental and Social ERW Explosive Remnants of War ESCP Environmental and Social Commitment Plan ESSA Environmental and Social Systems Assessment EU European Union EUR Euro FM Financial Management GDP Gross Domestic Product GFDRR Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery GHG Greenhouse gas GoU Government of Ukraine GRS Grievance Redress Service IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IDA International Development Association IDP Internally Displaced Person IEA Institute for Education Analytics IFSA Integrated Fiduciary Systems Assessment IMZO Institute for Education Content Modernization IPF Investment Project Financing IT Information Technology IVA Independent Verification Agency LEARN Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoF Ministry of Finance of Ukraine MoES Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine NUS New Ukrainian School OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OHS Occupational Health and Safety OM Operational Manual PBC Performance Based Condition PDO Program Development Objective PEACE Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance Project PforR Program-for-Results PISA Programme for International Student Assessment PIU Program Implementation Unit RDNA Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment SOP Special Online Platform SSEQ State Service for Education Quality STEM Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ToC Theory of Change UAH Ukrainian Hryvnia UCEQA Ukrainian Center for Education Quality Assessment UIHERP Ukraine Improving Higher Education for Results Project UIRO Ukrainian Institute for Education Development UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) TABLE OF CONTENTS DATASHEET .......................................................................................................................................... i I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................1 A. Country Context ............................................................................................................................... 1 B. Sectoral and Institutional Context .................................................................................................... 2 C. Relationship to the CPS/CPF and Rationale for Use of Instrument .................................................. 4 II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION...............................................................................................................6 A. Government Program ....................................................................................................................... 6 B. PforR Program Scope ........................................................................................................................ 6 C. Theory of Change ............................................................................................................................ 11 E. Disbursement Linked Indicators and Verification Protocols .......................................................... 13 III. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................... 13 A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements .......................................................................... 13 B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation................................................................................................. 14 C. Disbursement Arrangements.......................................................................................................... 15 D. Capacity Building ............................................................................................................................ 16 IV. ASSESSMENT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 17 A. Technical ......................................................................................................................................... 17 B. Fiduciary.......................................................................................................................................... 20 C. Environmental and Social ............................................................................................................... 21 D. Corporate Requirements ................................................................................................................ 22 V. RISK ........................................................................................................................................... 23 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK MATRIX .......................................................................................... 25 ANNEX 2. SUMMARY TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT .................................................................................. 38 ANNEX 3. SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT ..................................... 45 ANNEX 4. PROGRAM ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................... 48 ANNEX 5. IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT PLAN ..................................................................................... 53 ANNEX 6. INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING COMPONENT ................................................................ 55 ANNEX 7. SUMMARY OF CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................................... 57 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padpfrbasicinformation#doctemplate DATASHEET BASIC INFORMATION Project Beneficiary(ies) Operation Name Ukraine Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program Does this operation have an IPF Environmental and Social Risk Operation ID Financing Instrument component? Classification (IPF Component) Program-for-Results P504171 Yes Moderate Financing (PforR) @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padpfrprocessing#doctemplate Financing & Implementation Modalities [ ] Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) [ ] Fragile State(s) [✓] Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) [ ] Fragile within a non-fragile Country [ ] Small State(s) [✓] Conflict [ ] Alternative Procurement Arrangements (APA) [✓] Responding to Natural or Man-made Disaster [ ] Hands-on Expanded Implementation Support (HEIS) Expected Approval Date Expected Closing Date 30-Aug-2024 01-Sept-2027 Bank/IFC Collaboration No Proposed Program Development Objective(s) To (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) strengthen management capacity of the education system @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padborrower#doctemplate i The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Organizations Borrower: Ukraine Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Contact: Serhiy Marchenko Title: Minister of Finance Telephone No: 380442775627 Email: infomf@minfin.gov.ua @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padfinancingsummary#doctemplate COST & FINANCING (US$, Millions) Maximizing Finance for Development Is this an MFD-Enabling Project (MFD-EP)? No Is this project Private Capital Enabling (PCE)? No SUMMARY Government program Cost 11,828.04 Total Operation Cost 1,122.20 Total Program Cost 1,056.20 IPF Component 30.00 Other Costs (Front-end fee,IBRD) 36.00 Total Financing 987.20 Financing Gap 135.00 Financing (US$, Millions) World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 150.00 IDA Credit 150.00 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 235.00 Non-World Bank Group Financing ii The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Trust Funds 30.00 Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform TF 30.00 Counterpart Funding 572.20 Borrower/Recipient 572.20 IDA Resources (US$, Millions) Guarantee Credit Amount Grant Amount SML Amount Total Amount Amount Transitional Support 150.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 150.00 Total 150.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 150.00 @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@paddisbursementprojection#doctemplate Expected Disbursements (US$, Millions) WB Fiscal Year 2025 2026 Annual 180.00 205.00 Cumulative 180.00 385.00 @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padclimatechange#doctemplate PRACTICE AREA(S) Practice Area (Lead) Contributing Practice Areas Education CLIMATE Climate Change and Disaster Screening Yes, it has been screened and the results are discussed in the Operation Document @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padrisk#doctemplate SYSTEMATIC OPERATIONS RISK- RATING TOOL (SORT) Risk Category Rating iii The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) 1. Political and Governance  Substantial 2. Macroeconomic  High 3. Sector Strategies and Policies  Moderate 4. Technical Design of Project or Program  Moderate 5. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability  Substantial 6. Fiduciary  Substantial 7. Environment and Social  Substantial 8. Stakeholders  Moderate 9. Overall  Substantial @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padpfrcompliance#doctemplate POLICY COMPLIANCE Policy Does the project depart from the CPF in content or in other significant respects? [ ] Yes [✓] No Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies? [ ] Yes [✓] No Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Area OP 7.60 No ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL Environmental and Social Standards Relevance Given its Context at the Time of Appraisal E & S Standards Relevance ESS 1: Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Relevant Impacts ESS 10: Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Relevant ESS 2: Labor and Working Conditions Relevant iv The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ESS 3: Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Relevant ESS 4: Community Health and Safety Relevant ESS 5: Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement Not Currently Relevant ESS 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Not Currently Relevant Resources ESS 7: Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Not Currently Relevant Traditional Local Communities ESS 8: Cultural Heritage Not Currently Relevant ESS 9: Financial Intermediaries Not Currently Relevant NOTE: For further information regarding the World Bank’s due diligence assessment of the Project’s potential environmental and social risks and impacts, please refer to the Project’s Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS). @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padlegalcovenants#doctemplate LEGAL Legal Covenants Sections and Description Schedule 2, Section I.A.2.a. The Borrower, through the MoES, shall: establish by not later than one (1) month after the Effective Date, and thereafter maintain throughout the period of implementation of the Program, a steering committee (“Steering Committee”) with terms of reference agreed with the Bank: (i) with composition, mandate and resources satisfactory to the Bank; (ii) to be chaired by MoES; (iii) to be comprised of, inter alia, representatives of the MoF; and (iv) to be responsible for, inter alia, high-level interinstitutional coordination and strategic implementation overview functions, all further described in the Operational Manual. Schedule 2, Section I.B.2.a.i. The Borrower, through the MoES, shall ensure that: by not later than one (1) month after the Effective Date and thereafter maintain, at all times during the implementation of the Program, a verification agent (or agencies) having experience and qualifications in the relevant technical fields is hired under terms of reference acceptable to the Bank (“Verification Agent”), to verify the data and other evidence supporting the achievement of the Disbursement-Linked Results and to recommend corresponding payments to be made, as applicable. Schedule 2, Section I.C.1. The Borrower, through the MoES, shall, not later than one (1) month after the Effective Date, develop and adopt an operational manual for the Operation (the “Operational Manual”), in a manner and substance satisfactory to the Bank, and thereafter ensure that the Program is carried out in accordance with such manual. @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padconditions#doctemplate Conditions Type Citation Description Financing Source The Additional Condition of Effectiveness consists of Effectiveness 4.01 the following, namely that IBRD/IDA the Financing Agreement and the Grant Agreement v The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) have been executed and delivered and all conditions precedent to their effectiveness or to the right of the Borrower to make withdrawals under them (other than the effectiveness of this Agreement) have been fulfilled. This Agreement shall not become effective until evidence satisfactory to the Bank has been furnished to the Bank that the condition specified below have been satisfied, namely that the Loan Agreement and the Financing Agreement have Effectiveness 4.01 been executed and Trust Funds delivered and all conditions precedent to their effectiveness or to the right of the Recipient to make withdrawals under them (other than the effectiveness of this Agreement) have been fulfilled. The Additional Condition of Effectiveness consists of the following, namely that the Loan Agreement and the Grant Agreement have been executed and delivered and all conditions Effectiveness 4.01 precedent to their IBRD/IDA effectiveness or to the right of the Recipient to make withdrawals under them (other than the effectiveness of this Agreement) have been fulfilled. vi The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) vii The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT A. Country Context 1. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in substantial civilian casualties, increased poverty, and displacement of millions of people. Over two years, 30,457 civilian casualties have been officially recorded, with unofficial numbers likely to be much higher.1 Moreover, poverty is estimated to have increased from 5.5 percent in 2021 to 22.0 percent in 2023, pushing an additional 6.9 million people into poverty and setting back 15 years of progress.2 In addition, a major displacement crisis has been triggered, resulting in approximately 3.7 million people being displaced within Ukraine,3 and over 5.9 million people fleeing to other European countries.4 Of those who have been internally displaced, 70 percent are women. However, the number of people returning to Ukraine steadily increases, with the persistent high intention to return to the country.5 2. The economic situation in Ukraine has severely deteriorated. Ukraine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by 29.1 percent in 2022, with economic activity impacted by the destruction of productive capacity, damage to arable land, and reduced labor supply. Yet, due to strong public consumption demand and a supply recovery in sectors related to supporting the defense economy, GDP grew by 4.8 percent in 2023.6 At the same time, a reduction in taxes, as well as overall declines in economic activity and the inability to collect taxes in territories temporarily no longer under the government’s control and areas closer to the frontlines, has led to a sharp decline in revenues for the Government of Ukraine (GoU). Baseline estimates suggest that Ukraine’s external fiscal financing gap in 2023 would amount to US$41.9 billion, or about 20 percent of Ukraine’s GDP prior to February 2022, and US$123.5 billion from 2023 to 2027.7 As a result, Ukraine is heavily reliant on external loans, leading to a large external debt burden and continued dependence on assistance from international partners in the medium term. 3. Damage to country infrastructure continues to grow, with funding needs for recovery and reconstruction estimated at US$486 billion as of December 31, 2023. The updated Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3), conducted by the GoU, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the United Nations, estimates the cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine to be US$486 billion, equivalent to 2.8 times the country’s estimated 2023 nominal GDP. These needs were calculated for 10 years and will require financial contributions from public and private sources. However, many reconstruction initiatives, often led by municipalities, are taking place to rebuild damaged infrastructure and ensure the resumption of key services. 4. Reforms and investments for recovery and reconstruction must lay the groundwork for Ukraine to consolidate its path toward accession to the European Union (EU). After being granted candidate status in June 2022, EU member states agreed in December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, reflecting the country's continued reform path and its capacity to align with the EU acquis.8 As a result, recovery efforts need to be more than physical restoration; they also need to be avenues for institutional modernization in line with the EU best practices. By intertwining these processes, investments in recovery and reconstruction can catalyze Ukraine’s EU accession. 5. Climate change presents significant risks to Ukrainians’ health, livelihoods, and environment, threatening the 1 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/two-year-update-protection-civilians-impact-hostilities-civilians-24.pdf 2 https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca/publication/europe-and-central-asia-economic-update 3 https://dtm.iom.int/reports/ukraine-internal-displacement-report-general-population-survey-round-14-september-october 4 https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/104674 5 https://ces.org.ua/refugees-from-ukraine-ukr-final-report/ 6 https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/ukraine/overview 7 World Bank (2023). Ukraine: Country Program Update: June 2023 – June 2024. 8 https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-11/EU-UA%20FS.pdf Page 1 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) country’s human capital, recovery, and reconstruction efforts.9 Ukraine is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including floods, wildfire, droughts and water scarcity, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, heavy precipitation, and related mudflows. The most common natural disasters stem from intense rainstorms resulting in mudslides and flooding of agricultural lands, residential areas, and industrial buildings. Exposure to climate-related disasters will exacerbate the impacts on school access, continued education and learning outcomes, underscoring the need to incorporate climate informed education infrastructure. Repeated natural disasters increase Ukrainians’ vulnerability and underscore the need for climate adaptation and mitigation to minimize adverse impacts on human capital development. B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 6. Before February 2022, Ukraine’s education outcomes were similar or better than its neighbors, with some disparities in student learning. In 2021, enrollment in general secondary education—which in Ukraine covers primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education–reached 96 percent.10 Looking at students’ learning outcomes, 15-year- old students in Ukraine performed better than those in countries with similar income levels in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). While student performance in Ukraine lagged behind the EU and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) averages, Ukrainian students performed better than several neighboring, wealthier countries such as Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria.11 However, there were important disparities between students, especially based on socio-economic status and on the rural/urban divide. School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic added to these challenges by widening the gap between those with access to online learning and parental support and those lacking such access and support. 7. Since February 2022, education in Ukraine has been critically disrupted due to damage to educational institutions, population displacement, and trauma. As of December 2023, nearly 4,000 educational institutions (12 percent of the total) have been damaged or destroyed, totaling more than US$10 billion in reconstruction costs.12 Most of the affected institutions are in the eastern and southern oblasts, mirroring military activity. In parallel, there has been widespread displacement of students and teachers – within and outside of Ukraine. The International Organization for Migration estimates close to 1 million internally displaced children, with many relocating to Western and Central Ukraine, and more than 2 million refugee children. Finally, the psychological toll has also negatively impacted the overall learning environment, affected the well-being of students, and impeded their ability to focus on their studies. 8. School safety has been critically affected by insufficient shelters in schools and a lack of student transportation. Schools in oblasts regularly under attack, such as Kharkiv or Kherson, are solely providing online classes, and educational institutions that have been destroyed or damaged most often continue to operate remotely.13 Meanwhile, educational institutions farther away from the frontlines are only permitted to resume regular operations if they are equipped with shelters capable of accommodating all students and staff in the event of an air alarm. Thus, according to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MoES), as of April 2024, around 926,000 children in Ukraine are affected by school closures, with around 47 percent of schools still relying on online or blended learning.14 In addition, existing constraints in school transportation prevent students from safely reaching schools. As of February 2023, 1,874 buses had been destroyed, damaged, or transferred for evacuation purposes, with more than 25,000 still in need. 9. Teaching and learning conditions in schools have deteriorated since February 2022, contributing to the accumulation of learning losses and exacerbating inequalities. The basic conditions to provide quality instruction, such 9 https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/ukraine/vulnerability 10 https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/ 11 https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/ 12 World Bank, GoU, EC, UN (2024). Third Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. World Bank Group: Washington D. C. 13 https://suspilne.media/692904-oflajn-navcannam-u-harkovi-ohopleni-5-skolariv-demenko/ 14 https://sqe.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Zvit_Osvita_pid_chas_viyni_2023_SQE-22.05.2024.pdf Page 2 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) as updated education contents, trained teachers, high-quality materials and adequate learning environments are lacking. As the MoES and municipalities had to reduce education expenditures, there has been a significant reduction in teachers’ salaries in 2022 and 2023 at the local level, limited funds to print new textbooks, and a halt to different budget programs to implement reforms.15 There are also significant differences between regions in terms of access to in-person education and learning conditions. Ultimately, the combination of these factors, including stress and trauma, is leading to learning losses. The average PISA score in reading, science, and mathematics declined by 38 PISA points between 2018 and 2022, equivalent to close to two years of learning, and the gap between urban and rural students increased to close to five years of learning. 10. The New Ukrainian School (NUS), a critical education reform introduced in 2017 to modernize school education (grades 1 to 12)16 and promote the green transition in Ukraine, is also threatened by the current context.17 The NUS is a whole-school reform that aims to transform education across all grades and serve as an avenue for improving the quality of education. The NUS’s objective is to bring Ukraine closer to the standards of EU countries through a series of key principles: (i) development of a competency-based school curriculum focused on 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, designed around specific learning objectives; (ii) continuous teacher professional development, emphasizing student-centered learning and inclusion; (iii) modernized education management and school administration to support the implementation of the NUS on the ground, in line with decentralization reforms; (iv) central government focused on setting and monitoring learning standards; and (v) introduction of a new grade 12 into the Ukrainian education system. By integrating sustainability education into the revised curriculum, NUS is also a crucial reform to promote the green skills needed for the country’s green transition. The NUS is being rolled out grade by grade18 (see Figure 1) and is planned to be completed in 2029 (see Annex 2 for details). However, this plan has been affected by the school closures related to COVID-19 and has been under threat since the beginning of the invasion. Figure 1: Rollout of the NUS across Grades 1 to 12 11. Implementation of the NUS has been negatively impacted by the loss of human resources, technical capacities, and reduced funding. These include: (i) weaknesses in the preparation of the competency-based curriculum, (ii) inadequate design and content of textbooks, (iii) limited effectiveness of teachers‘ continuous professional development, (iv) lack of data stemming through regular standardized learning assessments, and (v) limited support available for the piloting of the NUS ahead of the national rollout [lack of textbooks, teacher training, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information technology (IT) equipment in pilot schools]. As Ukraine approaches the half- way point of the reform, the findings of this assessment demonstrate the current shortcomings of the NUS that must be addressed in the future to ensure that the reform can adapt to the new needs of teachers and students. 12. The MoES in Ukraine faces significant capacity challenges in managing the education sector, particularly in addressing key issues such as optimizing the school network and decentralization. Following independence, Ukraine 15 https://life.pravda.com.ua/columns/2022/09/14/250448/ 16 In Ukraine, “school education” refers to primary (grades 1-4), lower secondary (grades 5-9) and upper secondary (grades 10-11/12) education. 17 https://mon.gov.ua/storage/app/media/zagalna%20serednya/Book-ENG.pdf 18 A one-year pilot is conducted before the national rollout: in 2023/4, grade 6 is being implemented, while grade 7 is piloted in selected schools. Page 3 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) experienced a substantial decline in student population, a trend common among former Soviet states in Europe. In 2014, a decentralization reform aimed to address this issue by transferring management of school networks to local hromadas. However, internal migration and capacity constraints have hindered efforts to adapt school networks to long-term demographic trends. Furthermore, the subvention system, which provides financial support for education services (1 to 12), is under pressure due to increasing fiscal demands and inadequate data-driven resource allocation. Currently, the government is providing subventions to the municipalities to finance teacher salaries, the NUS implementation (teacher training), shelters rehabilitation, school buses provision, and school canteen rehabilitation. The absence of robust education information systems exacerbates these challenges, compromising efficiency, transparency, and equity in the management of these subventions. 13. Finally, urgent needs and displacement have negatively affected the MoES, which needs additional qualified human resources to plan, implement, and monitor key reforms. Several MoES department face staff shortages, limiting capacity to manage the reform process and to monitor the implementation of reforms, including the NUS. The capacity of the MoES and of the Ukrainian Institute for Education Development (UIRO) must be strengthened to develop the NUS curriculum for pilot schools ahead of the national rollout, train teachers, and assess student outcomes through a dedicated online platform to inform the reform process. Moreover, the current education information management system, the Automated Information Complex of Educational Management (AIKOM), needs to be modernized to be responsive to the current context and enhance efficiency, transparency, and equity in subvention management. For example, the lack of reliable data on the number and location of students has limited GoU’s efforts to optimize the school network, a necessity given the declining demographic trends and large-scale displacement.19 C. Relationship to the CPS/CPF and Rationale for Use of Instrument 14. The Program is aligned with the World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (2020-2025). In alignment with Pillar II, which emphasizes “remaining engaged during conflicts and crises,” the Program aims to create conditions for instruction conducive to learning and limit learning losses. The Program also acts on Pillar IV by “mitigating the spillovers of fragility, conflict and violence” through strengthening in-person learning to address the impact of the current situation on children, especially among the most vulnerable. This would enable Ukraine’s human capital to recover from trauma, stress, displacement, and disruption in delivering education. 15. The Program contributes to the Ukraine National Recovery Plan,20 following the World Bank’s Approach Paper “Relief, Recovery and Resilient Reconstruction: Supporting Ukraine’s Immediate and Medium-Term Economic Needs.”21 The Program is aligned with the Ukraine National Recovery Plan’s overarching goals to support economic, social, and environmental resilience and develop a modernization plan to ensure sustainable economic growth and the well-being of the Ukrainian people. The Program will build capacity for essential public services in the MoES to implement reforms, collect and analyze data on education indicators, and plan education infrastructure to prepare the longer-term school reconstruction effort. Finally, through the support to the full implementation of NUS, the Program supports the plan's key priorities to improve the education system through a revised school curriculum, enhanced teachers’ and managers’ professional development to implement the reform in schools and classrooms, and modernized infrastructure. 16. The Program supports the Paris Agreement and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as national efforts for gender equality. Ukraine ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016, and despite the current pressures, Ukraine maintained its climate commitments and targets in its updated Nationally Determined Contributions in 2021. Ukraine set an economy-wide target to reduce emissions by 65 percent by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. This Operation supports Ukraine’s climate targets in several ways: the use of energy efficient 19 https://sqe.gov.ua/tipovi-nedoliki-v-diyalnosti-organiv/ https://sqe.gov.ua/tipovi-nedoliki-v-diyalnosti-organiv/ 20 https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099608405122216371/pdf/IDU08c704e400de7a048930b8330494a329ab3ca.pdf 21 https://assets-global.website-files.com/621f88db25fbf24758792dd8/62d81570d6b09563fac7ffde_Education%20and%20science.pdf Page 4 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) and climate resilient shelters for climate-related emergencies and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from school transportation (see Annex 7); it does not hinder the achievement of Ukraine’s 2050 Low Emissions Development Strategy. Additionally, it will support Ukraine’s goals for gender equality in labor force participation (per the 2022 State Strategy for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men up to 2030) by facilitating safe and high-quality in-person learning opportunities for students and enabling mothers to return to the workforce. The Operation will also contribute to Ukraine’s Strategy for Implementation of Gender Equality in Education until 2030 through training on gender non- discrimination and inclusiveness, subject-specific training in mathematics and language to address gender gaps in learning outcomes, and thorough anti-discrimination examination of textbooks. 17. This Operation builds on World Bank engagement in education, to contribute to recovery and building human capital in Ukraine. The Operation builds on the ongoing Ukraine Improving Higher Education for Results Project – UIHERP (P171050, Loan No. 9238) and technical assistance across a range of areas such as teacher training, digitalization, blended learning, tech-based tutoring, Human Development Assessment, and RDNA1-3. Furthermore, the Operation’s design is informed by extensive analytical work conducted by the World Bank in Fiscal Year 2024 to assess the implementation of the NUS since its inception. The Operation is aligned with the needs and priorities signaled by the RDNA3, with critical responses, such as safe and equipped shelters, improving the quality of education, and free and accessible school transportation. It also complements other initiatives, such as the Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance Project (PEACE, P178946), which finances public servants' salaries. 18. Given the existence of a well-defined government program, a Program for Results (PforR) is the proposed instrument to ensure results while strengthening the national systems. The MoES’s Strategic Action Plan, described in detail in the next section, represents a policy and institutional framework consistent with the type of systems the PforR instrument was developed to support. The nature of the interventions and their results chain fit well within a PforR approach that would create the incentives to implement key education reforms. In addition, a PforR would strengthen the use of national systems and strengthen them based on detailed capacity assessments. Despite the current human capacity limitations, government systems to allocate support to municipalities have remained fully functional and have shown resilience. A PforR will support further improvements to these systems, which align with the World Bank’s objective of further use of country systems in financial management (FM), procurement, and Environmental and Social (E&S) management. Meanwhile, an Investment Project Financing (IPF), even with Performance-Based Conditions (PBC), would be limited in its ability to incentivize results, and strengthen capacities, and its impact on the sector. 19. A PforR would also contribute to strengthening Ukraine’s governance structures, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, and capacity for systemic reforms. Despite the current situation, MoES leadership has demonstrated the political will needed to pursue key reforms for the recovery of the sector. Experience with the UIHERP and other donor- funded activities also shows that MoES has the capacity to monitor results achieved while also preparing the recovery of the education sector, ensuring that external resources are used efficiently and effectively. Compared with the UIHERP IPF, support via a PforR would strengthen the MoES’ institutional and human resource capacity. The lending program in education has diversified over time to cover traditional IPF as well as IPF with PBCs, and the PforR operation represents an evolution of the technical dialogue and the client’s capabilities. The use of the PforR instrument is also an opportunity to leverage the MoES’ investments in data systems such as the AIKOM, and to solidify a results measurement culture. 20. To assist the MoES in delivering the NUS reform, the PforR will include an IPF component to support upcoming steps. To ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the PforR investments, the Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need (LEARN) Operation includes an IPF component to strengthen the MoES’ capacity to plan, monitor, and implement the reforms. The IPF will provide support for piloting the upcoming grades of the NUS reform for grades 8-12 in up to 150 selected schools, as well as MoES capacity building for education sector management. Page 5 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION A. Government Program 21. As a response to the challenges described above, the MoES’ Strategic Action Plan for 2024-27 prioritizes students’ safety and the improvement of teaching and learning according to the NUS reform, while providing the policy framework for investments and reforms to transform the education system.22 The Strategic Action Plan is the instrument the government developed to strengthen the education sector and transition out of emergency. It presents the MoES’ strategic goals and priorities until 2027; it was endorsed by the highest level of government and is based on consultations with stakeholders and experts. The Strategic Action Plan outlines a clear vision for improving teaching and learning conditions, starting with safe access to high-quality in-person education, and aims to transform the education system, with investments and reforms planned at each level of education, each with 3-5 strategic goals and targets to implement the directions outlined above. The priorities are: (i) Early childhood and preschool education, (ii) School education (grades 1 to 12) and the NUS, (iii) Extracurricular education, (iv) Vocational education and training, (v) Higher education, (vi) Science and innovation, (vii) European integration in education and science, (viii) Digitalization of education and science, and (ix) Support for people with special educational needs. 22. The Strategic Action Plan is appropriate to be supported by a PforR, which projects an investment of approximately US$11.8 billion on Priority 2 NUS reform. The Strategic Action Plan aims to build on the pre-existing reform agenda across sub-sectors and further deepen it to transform the education system and address the impact of the current situation. To achieve this, it details clear expected results for 2024-2027, ensuring strong means of evaluating and monitoring outcomes. Ultimately, the GoU expects to invest US$11.8 billion from central budgets into Priority 2 of the Strategic Action Plan between 2024 and 2027. A large share will be dedicated to the payment of teacher salaries, but it also includes key investments for the provision of in-person learning and high-quality education. 23. Development partners are actively supporting the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan and are now actively supporting its implementation, but there is no overlap between their involvement and the proposed operation. Local and international non-governmental organizations, as well as UN agencies, international organizations, and donors actively support education in Ukraine. The Strategic Action Plan has been shared with the development partners for comments and to secure their active support. There is technical and financial complementarity between this operation and the support provided by other development partners, but there will not be overlap in the financing. None of these institutions is providing funds for the results to be directly financed under the Program. MoES and the Education Sector Working Group track donor-funded activities in the education sector using several information sources, including the AIKOM system and the Ukraine Education Cluster Dashboard, and these allow for a clear separation of activities supported by other partners. B. PforR Program Scope Program Boundary 24. The Program will focus on Strategic Action Plan Priority 2: School education and the NUS. The continuation of the NUS reform is a key priority of the MoES. By focusing on school education from grade 1 to 12, the Program supports the largest education subsector, currently serving 3.8 million students and close to 400,000 teachers, and pursues a strategic impact on students’ foundational skills, while also serving as a model for broader educational reforms. Priority 2 22 https://mon.gov.ua/storage/app/media/Strategy.MON%202027.12.03_compressed.ENG.pdf Page 6 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) also represents 55 percent of the total financing of the Strategic Action Plan. The Program will have a nationwide scope23 and will align with the implementation period of the Strategic Action Plan. Table 1: Scope of Government program and LEARN Operation Feature Government program World Bank-financed Program Name NUS LEARN School Education/ Priority 2 NUS School education / Priority 2. NUS / Selected interventions on: (i) improving Scope teaching and learning conditions and (ii) strengthening management capacity of the education system. Duration 2024–2027 2024–2027 Coverage All of Ukraine All of Ukraine24 Beneficiaries 7,885,426 906,000 Financing US$11.8 billion US$1.06 billion 25. Within Priority 2: School education and the NUS, the Program will support a combination of interventions to improve conditions for teaching and learning by restoring access to in-person education and enhancing education quality. As a contribution to the goal of Strategic Priority 2 that “every school student has access to quality education aimed at developing key competencies and cross-cutting skills,” LEARN will support teaching and learning conditions established in three strategic goals: i. Strategic Goal 2.1: School students learn in a safe, modern, and inclusive educational environment. ii. Strategic Goal 2.2: School students receive quality education following the NUS principles. iii. Strategic Goal 2.4: Pedagogical teams of education institutions work based on partnership principles and implement the NUS principles. 26. By focusing on in-person and quality education, Priority 2. School education and the NUS complement actions from other development partners and World Bank projects focused on other education subsectors. The preschool sector is supported by humanitarian partners active in the early childhood sub-Cluster, international support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and technical assistance from the International Labor Organization (ILO). Meanwhile, the vocational and training sector receives important support from the European Investment Bank and several other European countries. Finally, the World Bank-financed UIHERP supports the MoES in the reform of the university-level education and science sectors. 27. The Program complements the existing set of remediation, digital, and psychosocial interventions by the government and partners for students and teachers in grades 1 to 12. More than 110 organizations active under the Education Cluster are providing humanitarian and emergency education support to school students in Ukraine. In 2023, they provided catch-up/accelerated learning opportunities to 578,000 students and teachers, and supported access to electronic devices and student kits to 965,000 students.25 Moreover, UNICEF is leading the development of a strategy to tackle learning losses with an intervention roadmap for the MoES and partners. Humanitarian partners play an important role in digital education and support the distribution of digital devices to students and teachers and the establishment of digital learning centers in areas where connectivity is limited. Finally, humanitarian partners are leading the provision of mental health and psychosocial support: in 2023, the Education Cluster reached 671,000 children via partners working on 23 Excluding territories temporarily no longer under the government’s control and territories close to the frontline as determined by Order of the MoES (Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine) based on security and risk across territories. 24 Excluding areas temporarily out of the Government’s control and areas close to the frontlines. 25 Ukraine Education Cluster: Response Monitoring 2024. Page 7 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) the ground. The support provided by these organizations is complementary and does not overlap with the results to be financed under this operation, i.e. results achieved with state funding through budget lines and subventions allocated and monitored by the MoES. 28. Results Area 1: Improving teaching and learning conditions focuses on ensuring the provision of safe, high- quality in-person education, through the implementation of a competency-based and student-centered curriculum. As a contribution to the quality of teaching and learning, this Results Area will focus on improving students’ safety and teaching practices and materials aligned to the NUS reform. The Results Area will support critical government subprograms aimed at improving teaching and learning conditions implemented through subventions from the state budget to local budgets, including (a) Students’, teachers’, and school staff’s access to safe conditions for in-person teaching and learning through climate-resilient and energy efficient shelters in selected schools and free, inclusive, and low-emissions bus transportation to schools (in line with the latest fuel efficiency standards in Ukraine, EURO5 or EURO6); and (b) Teachers’ and managers’ professional development to implement the NUS reform through high quality training on NUS curriculum and standards, including training on climate and environmental awareness, green skills for the green transition, and responding to climate-related disasters. The Program will also support (c) the provision of updated textbooks and teaching materials aligned with NUS principles of competency-based and student-centered education, including climate and environmental awareness and green skills for the green transition, provided nationwide by the central state budget.26 The combination of these interventions will enhance students’ academic and socio-emotional learning and psychosocial wellbeing because of social interactions and a more pleasant environment, while promoting a positive and safe learning environment that is resilient to the impacts of current challenges and local climate-related risks, such as floods, mudslides, extreme heat, and droughts. 29. This Results Area will be implemented in close coordination with other partners supporting education in grades 1 to 12, such as Finland and United Nations agencies, but avoiding overlapping in the financing. LEARN will aim to foster collaboration with partners active in school education and integrate findings and lessons learned. For instance, the program complements Finland’s contribution (approximately EUR 60 million) to the preparation of the reform in upper secondary education, UNICEF support for textbooks for children with visual impairments, and technical assistance for teacher professional development from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Program will also coordinate with partners supporting the establishment of shelters in schools, using shelter designs that are adaptative and context-sensitive, developed in collaboration with UNICEF, and the financial support provided by UNESCO, UNICEF and the United Nations Office for Project Services – UNOPS of approximately US$25 million in 2024 to the construction of shelters in educational institutions. These institutions will support other results than those to be financed under this operation. For example, the shelters rehabilitation financed by UNICEF and UNDP will focus on a different group of schools than those selected and supported and monitored under the state subvention. 30. Results Area 2: Improving management capacity focuses on promoting a more data-driven, equitable and transparent management of education sector funding programs. It will focus on results that demonstrate a progressive improvement in the management of state subvention programs to the regions. To this end, the Results Area will focus on improving the government’s capacity to distribute resources efficiently, through changes in the regulations, budget allocations, and management procedures applied in the subventions to the regions. First, these changes will aim at updating the allocation criteria of the shelter and bus subventions through: (i) data-based methods of selection of schools and municipalities to be supported by the state budget, including climate risk considerations; (ii) the prioritization of vulnerable groups and/or high-need areas, for example students lacking transportation to school, schools exposed to climate hazards (floods, mudslides, extreme heat and droughts), and students with disabilities and (iii) enhanced use of systems for the planning, targeting, and monitoring of the subventions. Second, Results Area 2 will support the school 26While most of the financing is provided by the subvention itself, municipalities are required to provide contributions ranging between 5 and 30 percent of the total funding, depending on their number of inhabitants (the smaller municipalities have a lower co-financing coefficient). Page 8 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) network optimization efforts in the context of the declining demographic trends. The operation will contribute to the adjustments to the education subvention (teacher salaries), gradually increasing the minimum number of students per school required to receive the subvention, as a way to incentivize the municipalities to reorganize the school network according to the actual demand. As measures to ensure education continuity for younger children, primary schools serving grades 1-4 would be excluded. Also, to support students participating in small schools that can eventually be closed, the program is contributing to increase the buses for the free and safe transportation of students to other schools. Investment Project Financing 31. The IPF component will complement the PforR by supporting the piloting of the NUS reform in grades 8 to 12 and strengthening the MoES’ capacity for education system management (US$30 million). Given the current capacity challenges to ensure the rollout of the NUS in the next grades, the IPF will support MoES in the preparation and implementation of the pilots in grades 8 to 12 in a small share (about 1%) of schools – approximately 150 schools serving approximately 6,900 students that have already piloted the previous grades under the NUS model. The product of the pilots will be revisions to teaching and learning materials and a final report with lessons learned that can be used to implement NUS in the full cohort of approximately 300,000 students nationwide. Support will include the development of educational content and teachers’ and managers’ professional development, including climate and environmental awareness and green skills for the green transition, as well as the procurement of laboratory and IT equipment aligned with the NUS in pilot schools. To avoid overlapping with the PforR, the schools and teachers participating in the pilot will be excluded from the results and expenditures to be financed under the PforR. Importantly, the IPF will enhance the management capacity of the MoES related to the NUS, specifically to strengthen planning and monitoring, data and evidence generation, and financial planning, including for education infrastructure. Thus, the IPF will provide technical assistance through consulting services (individual and firms) and locally sourced goods (equipment and supplies) to ensure the success of the NUS implementation. The support will also include an impact evaluation of teachers’ practices. Finally, the IPF will support Program management through a dedicated Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in the MoES. 32. A Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) linked to the IPF component will be included to enhance crisis response. The CERC enables the GoU to reallocate project funds in response to an eligible crisis or emergency and would facilitate the rapid recategorization of financing. To trigger this component, the GoU would need to declare an emergency or provide a statement of facts justifying the request for activation of the use of the emergency funding. If the World Bank agrees with the determination of an eligible emergency and associated response needs, uncommitted funds from the IPF component will be reallocated to cover eligible expenditures. Disbursements would be made against a positive list of critical goods or for the procurement of goods and consulting services required to support the immediate technical assistance for response and recovery needs of the GoU. Program Boundaries 33. LEARN will provide US$385 million in financial support from the World Bank to Priority 2 of the Strategic Action Plan, in alignment with the GoU’s annual projected budget for 2024-2027. Table 2 summarizes the scope of the NUS reform and the projected PforR Program, including the dedicated financing from the State Budget. The total cost of the Program boundary is expected to be US$1.06 billion for 2024-2027, with counterpart financing estimated at approximately US$572 million and World Bank financing of US$385 million (equivalent to about 36 percent of the total program cost). Table 3 below outlines the World Bank’s contribution to the financing of the Operation’s overall cost, which accounts for both the Program cost and the IPF component cost. Page 9 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Table 2: Program Boundary and Projected Costs Projected Projected PforR costs Program Priority Notes 2024 – 2027* 2024/5/6/7 (US$ million) (US$ million) 2. NUS Reform 11,828 1,056 Includes only 8.3% of teacher salaries budget lines and excludes unconfirmed capital expenditures ** Total 2024 – 11,828 1,056 2027 * This amount includes only centralized budget lines ** See Program Expenditure Framework section under IV. Assessment Summary Table 3: World Bank Contribution to the Operation’s Financing % of Total Amount (US$, Source Operation Millions) Cost Program Cost 1,056 94.1% Other Cost (Add-on Capitalized Charges, Front-End Fee) 36 3.2% Program Financing 957 85.3% International Development Association (IDA) 150 13.4% IDA Credit 150 13.4% International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 235 20.9% Counterpart Funding 572 51.0% Program Financing Gap 135 12.0% IPF IPF Cost 30 2.7% IPF Amount 30 2.7% Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform TF 30 2.7% LEARN Operation Total Operation Cost 1,122 100% Total Operation Financing 987 88.0% Total Operation Financing Gap 135 12.0% 34. The total Operation financing will be approximately US$987 million, with a financing gap of US$135 million. The World Bank Program financing includes (i) US$235 million of IBRD resources through credit enhancement from the Advancing Needed Credit Enhancement for Ukraine (ADVANCE Ukraine) Trust Fund supported by the Government of Japan and (ii) US$150 million funded by the Special Program for Ukraine and Moldova Recovery (SPUR) of the IDA Crisis Facility for the PforR on regular IBRD terms.27 The IPF component will be financed through US$30 million grant financing 27The SPUR is one of the two dedicated programs under a special IDA Crisis Facility established by the World Bank in 2023 to scale up support to the world's poorest countries to address worsening development challenges due to overlapping global crises. In the spirit of global solidarity, the Crisis Facility also complements international efforts to support Ukraine and Moldova. Page 10 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) from the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Reform Trust Fund (URTF).28 The financing of the operation includes a $135 million financing gap, with a future possibility of the World Bank providing additional financing to cover it. C. Theory of Change 35. With the long-term objective of improving student learning outcomes, LEARN aims to enhance the teaching and learning conditions and strengthen management of the education sector. The challenges that LEARN addresses relate to both immediate safety challenges related to the crisis and medium-term development objectives of enhancing learning outcomes in the country. To this end, the program aims at (i) improving teaching and learning conditions through fundamental safety, improving teachers’ proficiency to deliver NUS, and benefitting students with textbooks aligned with the NUS; and (ii) enhancing capacity to manage the sector by strengthening subvention funding programs and the monitoring capacities of the MoES. Importantly, LEARN will also incentivize a continued focus on education reform through a stable, efficient, transparent, and equitable budget allocation for education programs to ensure progress in the priorities of the Strategic Action Plan. Table 4 illustrates the Program’s Theory of Change (ToC). Table 4: Theory of Change Challenges Actions Outputs Intermediate Outcomes Long- term Outcomes Out- comes Results Area 1. Improving teaching and learning conditions & IPF Component Schools are unable Ensure funding and construction of Schools equipped with Students and teachers Students supp to provide safe in- safe, inclusive and climate-resilient safe, inclusive and with access to shelters orted person learning. shelters climate-resilient (DLR 2.1) with better shelters. education. Lack of free and Procure school buses School buses provided Students with access (PDO1) Improved student learning outcomes accessible school to municipalities to free bus transportation transportation (DLR 4.1) Teachers deliv Teachers and Teacher training plan for nationwide Teachers completed Teachers with ering the new managers need rollout of NUS reform for grades 7, NUS-aligned training for improved proficiency NUS more capacities to 8, and 9 adopted (DLR 5.1) grades 7 and 8 to deliver the NUS curriculum support NUS (DLR 5.2, 5.3) curriculum including pedagogy environmen- Train teachers for grades 7 to 9 tal literacy. on NUS curriculum and education (PDO2) standards Outdated 2024 textbooks decree establishes Textbooks and teaching Students of grades 7 education contents that 100% of grade 7 students, materials aligned with and 8 receive free with limited new NUS state including those with disabilities, will NUS- teaching and receive NUS-aligned textbooks (DLRstandards published aligned textbooks learning materials 6.1) (DLR 6.2, 6.3) and digital equipment Results Area 2. Improving management capacity & IPF Component 28The URTF was established by the World Bank in 2022 to provide a coordinated financing and support mechanism to assist the Government of Ukraine (GoU) in sustaining its administrative and service delivery capacity, conducting relief efforts, and planning and implementing Ukraine’s recovery, resilient reconstruction, and reform agenda. More information is available here: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/urtf Page 11 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Weak management Update allocation criteria for Improved efficiency and Enhanced systems and Improved use of funding programs shelters (DLR 1.1) and school buses equity, and/or capacities for of data for for in-person (DLR 3.1) financing programs, and transparency in the producing and using education teaching and support for school network allocation criteria in data for decision- system learning optimization (DLRs 7.1 and 7.2) school funding making and NUS management Weak capacities to Develop and pilot NUS curriculum NUS curriculum reform (PDO 3) implement and and teacher training in selected 149 developed and piloted implementation monitor reforms schools (IPF) prior to nationwide rollout (IPF) Provide labs, IT equipment aligned Labs/IT equipment align to NUS standards to schools ed to NUS standards participating in the pilot (IPF) provided to general schools (IPF) Build capacity of UIRO to update Special Online Platform curricula, monitor teachers and (SOP) for State Final Ukrainian Center for Education Examination (IPF) Quality Assessment (UCEQA)for assessments (IPF) Support MoES information and Education Management monitoring system (IPF) Information System (AIKOM) modernized (IPF) 36. The ToC focuses on fundamental factors to ensure safe and high-quality teaching and learning conditions and strengthen the sector’s management capacity to manage both urgent needs and the medium-term reform agenda. Such fundamental supply-side factors refer to the essential conditions and resources required to facilitate the effective delivery of educational services. In the Ukrainian context, these refer to essential conditions provided through state programs that are crucial for ensuring that schools can open, operate, and provide quality education to students – ultimately fostering learning outcomes. While the Program will also indirectly support demand-side factors, such as greater labor force participation for parents once children can attend school in person, these activities are already covered by other government programs and partners. Many partners, such as UN agencies and others, are actively promoting demand-side interventions on the ground related to parental education and awareness programs, promoting community involvement and partnerships, and providing flexible learning options (especially online) to cater to the different needs of students. 37. The Program Development Objectives (PDOs) are: to (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) strengthen management capacity of the education system. For this program, “teaching and learning conditions” refer to three critical factors of education service delivery: (i) safety, including shelters as a pre-condition for schools to open for in-person learning and free and inclusive school bus transportation for students living further distances from schools; (ii) learning materials, especially updated textbooks and age-appropriate learning materials in line with the NUS model; and (iii) teachers trained on NUS standards, principles, and the use of the updated learning materials. Meanwhile, “management capacity of the education system” refers to institutional capabilities to plan, allocate, and monitor resources based on robust data at the student and school levels. 38. Progress toward achievement of the PDOs will be measured through: i. Students supported with better education. Number of students in grades 7 to 9 benefiting from improved teaching and learning conditions. ii. Teachers delivering the new NUS curriculum. Number of teachers in grades 7 to 9 trained on NUS standards, principles, and the use of the updated learning materials for teaching in classrooms where students have received updated learning materials. iii. Improved use of data for education system management. MoES uses (i) enhanced administrative data to allocate resources through subventions and state budget; and (ii) uses evidence produced by the pilot to scale up the NUS Page 12 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) reform. E. Disbursement Linked Indicators and Verification Protocols 39. The Program consists of 7 disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) and 12 disbursement-linked results (DLRs). By setting clear targets and timelines for completion, these DLRs provide a roadmap for incentivizing key reforms for the improvement of teaching and learning conditions for the 2024/5/6 school years, while improving the education sector management capacities. Further explanation of the context and policy rationale for the selection of each DLI is provided in the standalone Technical Assessment. 40. First, as support to safety conditions for teaching and learning, DLIs 1 and 2 focus on promoting an updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions, to ensure access to climate-resilient shelters for those students and teachers attending hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located in high-need regions, while DLIs 3 and 4 support the bus subvention to ensure that the allocation criteria is updated to ensure that students in need, especially those with disabilities, have access to free transportation to schools. 41. Second, with a focus on the instructional aspects of the implementation of the NUS reform for grades 7, 8, and 9 in the classroom, DLIs 5 and DLI 6 focus on the training of teachers according to an updated teacher development plan aligned with the NUS reform (DLR 5.1); and ensuring that all (DLR 6.1) students will benefit from updated textbooks aligned with the NUS, including content related to climate and environmental awareness and green skills for the green transition, supported by the state budget. 42. Third, the Program will also support the school network optimization process, DLI 7 focus on promoting an update in the formula being utilized to allocate the education financing. The new formula will increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 50% relative to the prior year in 2025 (DLR 7.1) and by 30% in 2026 (DLR 7.2). 43. The verification of each DLR will be carried out according to its nature and complexity. DLRs 2.1, 4.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.2, and 6.3 which involve data collection and field visits, will be verified by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) according to the verification protocols. DLRs 1.1, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 7.2, which are supported by official documents, will be verified by national institutions following the verification protocols, with validation by the World Bank. The verification protocols for each DLI, including at the local level, are described in Annex 1. 44. Climate change-related aspects of the DLIs/DLRs are described in detail in Annex 7. III. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 45. The PforR will use a two-tiered structure led by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the MoES. In line with the National Legislation,29 MoF will manage overall Program coordination as the coordinating agency, collaborating closely with the MoES, which will act as the executing agency for policy implementation in the education sector.30 To enhance coordination as well as the quality, timeliness, and relevance of Program activities, a Steering Committee comprising representatives from the MoF and MoES will be established according to the Operational Manual (OM). 46. As the coordinating agency, MoF will be responsible for conducting Program supervision and coordination with the World Bank. The MoF will be responsible for: (i) overall supervision, including the facilitation of strategic decision- 29 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On the Procedure for Preparation, Implementation, Monitoring, and Completion of Economic and Social Development Projects Supported by International Financial Organizations” No. 70 dated January 27, 2016, with amendments, 30 In Ukrainian (Resol. No.70): "виконавець заходів системного проекту, кошти позики за яким надходять за результатами досягнення відповідних індикаторів" Page 13 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) making and monitoring the Program’s execution and results; (ii) ensuring that the executing agency (MoES) has the necessary financial resources to achieve the Program’s results, which will be prepared and approved following the budget procedures in the GoU; and (iii) coordinating disbursements with the World Bank after the achievement of DLIs and DLRs, as established in the legal agreements. 47. As the executing agency, MoES will be responsible for Program execution, including the achievement and reporting of DLRs. The MoES will manage project, fiduciary, environmental and social aspects of the government expenditure program, including subventions and other budget lines within the eligible expenditure plan. Key processes include: (i) maintaining suitable fiduciary procedures and regulations for PforR financing, as agreed with the World Bank; (ii) facilitating the Program flow of funds from the budget through existing channels (including local governments) to beneficiaries; (iii) verifying results according to verification protocols; (iv) preparation and submission to the World Bank of reports as defined by the legal agreements and the OM, including Program Implementation Status Reports, Procurement Plan Implementation Reports, the Performance Indicators Reports, the Consolidated Program Financial Report, the Social and Environmental and Other Measures Implementation Report, and the Fraud and Corruption Investigation Report within the framework of the Program (as applicable); (v) arranging internal and external audits; and (vi) acting as the contact representative with the World Bank on Program implementation. The First Deputy Minister of Education, with support of the PIU working under the IPF component, will be responsible for coordination and monitoring of DLIs and DLRs. Thus, the MoES PIU will continue to be strengthened, including through the hiring of consultants, to support the PforR and IPF components. Emphasis will be placed on ensuring the capacity to successfully implement and monitor the subventions. 48. The IPF will be implemented by MoES through a PIU. This component will follow the same implementation arrangements as the ongoing World Bank-financed UIHERP, which have demonstrated satisfactory results in project management. The First Deputy Minister of Education and Science will oversee the overall IPF component implementation, and the MoES PIU which also coordinates the ongoing World Bank-financed UIHERP project, will play a key role including in procurement, financial management, E&S aspects, and M&E. The roles and responsibilities of the current PIU and consultants will be detailed in the OM and the updated PIU consultants’ Terms of Reference, as required. To manage the scope of the IPF component, the current PIU will be augmented with additional staff as enhancing the existing project management capacity is crucial for swift implementation. To meet the need for supplementary technical expertise for effective implementation, the PIU will receive support from technical specialists within the MoES and its subordinate entities. Additional technical assistance will be contracted as needed, based on agreed Terms of Reference. The IPF component will imply additional resources for the MoES that will follow standard IPF arrangements with traditional disbursement methods, where the Program will finance eligible expenditures. The World Bank’s E&S Framework for IPF will apply to the IPF activities. The MoES has prepared an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) for the IPF, which was initially disclosed on June 17, 2024. A Stakeholder Engagement Plan proportional to the activities has also been prepared and disclosed. It will be included as part of the OM. B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation 49. M&E capacity at MoES is established and continuously improving, and World Bank operations have previously relied on its M&E arrangements. The MoES will be responsible for M&E under the results framework, with inputs from municipalities and other education agencies as needed. The MoES will produce semiannual Program Status Reports based on the results framework and other information related to Program implementation. These semiannual Program reports will provide the basis for the World Bank implementation support missions and midterm reviews. The PforR will build upon and strengthen the MoES’ existing systems and M&E arrangements. Two main data sources will yield information for the M&E of the PDOs, intermediate results indicators, and DLIs: the AIKOM system and regular subvention reports that MoES collects from local education departments. These existing arrangements will also allow for disaggregation of data by gender and locality. Given the use of prior results and the overall short timeline for disbursement, it is expected Page 14 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) that MoES will require additional support to conduct monitoring. Through the IPF component, the Operation will rapidly further develop M&E capacity in the key areas supporting NUS, enhancements to the AIKOM system and the development of Program monitoring tools. 50. LEARN will include an evaluation of teachers’ practices as part of the M&E process to further explore and assess NUS’s impact in the classroom. The evaluation aims to ensure that NUS principles of competency-based and student- centered education that are integrated through ongoing in-service teacher training translate into teachers’ daily practices with students, especially those in higher grades where the NUS model is being rolled out. Teachers’ pedagogical practices are a key enabler of the overall NUS reform and the implementation of a competency-based curriculum and are a focus of the Program. As such, an evaluation will be conducted, financed under the IPF component, to further explore this topic and strengthen the system’s capacity to monitor teacher practices. 51. The Operation will also support participatory M&E to promote citizen engagement and beneficiary feedback on activities and results. Under both the PforR and IPF, the Operation will touch on areas with strong social implications, such as children’s learning opportunities, female labor force participation, inclusion of vulnerable groups in educational processes, and relationships between school communities and families. In line with the DLIs, the Operation will support online participatory feedback mechanisms, such as participatory M&E and/or community perceptions surveys to mitigate social risks and monitor progress of implementation, particularly for vulnerable groups. Citizen engagement and beneficiary feedback will support M&E under the Operation, and will contribute to the MoES’ Strategic Action Plan, which prioritizes, among others, inclusion of vulnerable groups and addressing the needs of local communities. C. Disbursement Arrangements 52. Disbursement projections are based on the achievement of the DLRs, some of which will be prior results. The World Bank can disburse up to US$80 million against DLRs achieved between the date of the Program concept review (February 8, 2024) and the date of signing the legal agreements. The Borrower may, in accordance with provisions of the Loan Agreement, request advances up to US$25 million The DLI table below includes only those DLRs to be financed under the agreed legal agreements. Additional DLRs or new DLIs could be added to the results framework to reduce the existing financing gap. Table 5: Overview of DLIs and DLRs DLIs and DLRs US$ million DLI 1. Updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions 25 DLR 1.1: 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located 25 in high-need regions, and utilizing the DREAM system for project processing. DLI 2. Additional students and teachers with access to constructed or rehabilitated shelters 65 DLR 2.1: Number of students and teachers with access to shelters constructed or rehabilitated to meet 65 minimum conditions. DLI 3. Updated allocation criteria for the school bus subvention to the regions 25 DLR 3.1: 2024 school bus subvention is allocated based on data-driven needs, prioritizing high-need 25 regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism. DLI 4. Additional students with access to free bus transportation 35 DLR 4.1: Number of students with access to free bus transportation 35 Page 15 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) DLI 5. Teachers trained to implement the NUS reform 60 DLR 5.1: Teacher training plan for grades 7, 8 and 9 adopted 20 DLR 5.2: Number of teachers who completed NUS-aligned training for grade 7 20 DLR 5.3: Number of teachers who completed NUS-aligned training for grade 8 20 DLI 6. Students with access to NUS Teaching & Learning Materials 90 DLR 6.1: 2024 textbooks decree establishes that 100% of grade 7 students, including those with 10 disabilities, will receive NUS-aligned textbooks DLR 6.2: Number of students of grade 7 who receive free NUS-aligned textbooks 40 DLR 6.3: Number of students of grade 8 who receive free NUS-aligned textbooks 40 DLI 7. Support for school network optimization 49.6 DLR 7.1: 2025 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student 25 requirement per school by at least 50% relative to 2024 DLR 7.2: 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student 24.6 requirement per school by at least 30% relative to 2025 TOTAL 349.6 53. Disbursements will be contingent upon the MoES furnishing evidence satisfactory to the World Bank that it has achieved the respective DLRs, and that these have been verified by the verification agency as specified in the verification protocol. Application for withdrawal from the World Bank’s financing account of amounts allocated to individual DLRs and calculated in accordance with the relevant formula will be sent to the World Bank any time after the World Bank has notified the MoF and MoES in writing that it has accepted evidence of achievement of the DLRs and the amount eligible for payment. The withdrawal amount against the DLRs achieved will not exceed the amount of financing allocated by the World Bank for the specific DLRs. D. Capacity Building 54. LEARN will support key capacity building and institutional strengthening required to ensure the results and achieve the program objectives. LEARN will provide selected technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of the MoES and relevant education agencies, with the objective of ensuring proper implementation of the NUS. The IPF component will support the implementation of the PforR through key capacity-building activities. This would include: (i) providing technical assistance with trained staff for the areas supporting the NUS reform process; (ii) management and administrative capacity-building to implement and monitor the state subventions related to the Program; (iii) developing tools and systems to support the design, management, and M&E of the reform; (iv) conducting communication campaigns to facilitate implementation of the NUS; (v) strengthening AIKOM and general data processes to improve the system’s efficiency; and (vi) providing technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of MoES and of municipalities to manage E&S effects of the Program and based on recommendations of the Environmental and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) and implement the Program Action Plan. 55. In addition, the World Bank will mobilize additional World Bank-executed trust funds to complement the support in key areas, such as the development of investment plans for climate-resilient education infrastructure supported by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). A GFDRR grant funded by Japan will contribute to building the MoES’ capacity to plan for long-term reconstruction of education infrastructure, as well as with Page 16 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) identifying short- and mid-to-long-term intervention needs for damaged and non-damaged schools, respectively, considering demographic changes and future demand. Under this grant, LEARN will also develop a risk-informed prioritization framework based on a cost-benefit analysis to ensure investments will maximize education access and benefit the most exposed and vulnerable children in both the short- and mid-long term. IV. ASSESSMENT SUMMARY A. Technical Strategic Relevance and Technical Soundness of the Program 56. Ukraine’s PISA 2022 results demonstrate deteriorating learning outcomes—a clear challenge for Ukraine’s recovery and for long-term development prospects. Extended school closures, initially due to COVID-19 and exacerbated since February 2022, have kept Ukrainian children from in-person schooling for years, along with crucial peer and teacher interactions. The average score in PISA 2022 for Ukraine across three subjects is 440, a drop of 38 points since 2018, one of the largest declines of all participating countries and a loss equivalent to more than 1.5 years of schooling.31 These results demonstrate the strategic relevance and technical soundness of the Program, since learning recovery and modernization of the education system cannot occur without the restoration of safe in-person teaching and learning conditions. 57. The management capacity of the Program’s implementing agencies is established and improving. The MoF and MoES will implement this Program with support from several specialized institutes that are subordinate to the MoES: the Institute for Education Analytics (IEA), the Institute for Education Content Modernization (IMZO), the UIRO, the State Service for Education Quality (SSEQ), and UCEQA. These institutions have an established legal and regulatory basis (and hence accountability framework), a predictable and stable flow of resources, and access to key tools needed to implement the Program. For example, the IEA manages and operates the AIKOM education management information system, which collects extensive administrative information on schools, classes, teachers, and students. While all agencies have staff with sufficient knowledge, there is a need for enhanced capacity to implement the Program and for management of the sector as a whole, especially targeted subvention funding programs. Activities to improve such capacities will be supported under Results Area 2 and the IPF component. 58. Paris Alignment: assessment and reduction of mitigation risks. LEARN has a low risk of preventing Ukraine’s transition to low-carbon development pathways and is aligned with Ukraine's current goals and targets on reducing emissions. The activities under Results Areas 1 and 2 include the building of climate-resilient shelters, energy and emissions efficient school transportation, and training for teachers and curriculum development. The shelters will be built following energy efficiency standards, in line with the highest efficiency standards in Ukraine/the EU; with low-emissions design and construction materials and processes, in line with the highest/latest standards and technologies in Ukraine; and with materials that are locally or EU-sourced to the extent possible. Where possible, renewable energy sources will be incorporated in schools. Bus transportation will follow the latest EURO5 or EURO6 fuel emissions and efficiency category, while also resulting in reduced emissions from the use of private vehicles for individual students. Teacher training and curriculum development will focus on climate and environmental awareness, including the latest technologies on emissions reductions and green skills for the green transition. 59. Paris Alignment: Assessment and reduction of adaptation risks. The Operation has been screened for exposure to climate-related risks. Ukraine is at moderate to high risk of exposure to floods, mudslides, extreme heat, droughts, and water scarcity. These climate-induced events pose some risks to LEARN activities, mainly through potential interruptions to construction of shelters and education service delivery. The Operation has been reviewed for exposure to these risks 31 https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/country-notes/ukrainian-regions-18-of-27-78043794/ Page 17 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) and necessary measures to minimize impacts have been incorporated into its design through the integration of climate- informed design and planning in the construction of climate-resilient shelters in schools. These include the selection of school and student beneficiaries to identify those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of specific climate events, such as floods, related mudslides, extreme heat, and water scarcity. The design of shelters will be informed by exposure to local climate risks and will incorporate climate-resilient elements such as broader flood embankments, heat resistant materials, water and energy efficient technologies to reduce consumption and save water, rainwater harvesting, and ventilation design, which will account for climate exposure (extreme heat, heatwaves). Finally, updates to the school curriculum and teacher training will include climate risk and response training, climate exposure and environmental awareness, and green skills for the green transition. These will have a direct impact in building resilience in schools, teachers, and students to deal with climate-related impacts. Program Expenditure Framework 60. The Program Expenditure Framework (PEF) for the GoU’s results area (NUS reform) for 2024-2027 is approximately US$1.06 billion. The PEF includes subventions to the regions and national budget lines managed by MoES. The school subventions included are dedicated to funding and procuring teacher salaries, shelters, school buses and teacher training. In the case of teachers’ salaries, that may be also financed under the ongoing PEACE operation, the government defined temporary boundaries of each program expenditures using a mechanism to ensure that LEARN uses no more than 8% of the total education subvention amount. Additionally, the PEF include budget lines executed at the national level, such as those for textbooks and management staff salaries. The amount of the expenditure program corresponding to US$1.06 billion is calculated using the 2024 budget and could vary according to the upcoming budget cycles and overall fiscal conditions. Table 6 presents the key budget programs related to NUS and the amounts allocated for 2024-2027. More details for the respective budget programs can be found in Annex 2. Projections for capital expenditures are not yet available, but according to the allocations in the previous years and the sector priorities approved under the Strategic Action Plan 2024-2027, it is expected that the inclusion of expenses for shelters, school buses, NUS and textbooks in the 2025-2027 budget years will be carried out taking into account the specifics of capital expenditure planning determined by the Budget Declaration for 2025-2027. The PEF will be updated once the information becomes available. Table 6. Program Expenditure Framework Program Expenditure Framework Previous years Estimated Program Expenditures 2024 – Budget (US$ million) 2027** (US$ million) Short name Code 2024- 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2027 Educational subvention (teacher 2211190 249.4* 199.1* 210.2 217.6 217.2 217.3 862.3 salaries) Shelters subvention 2211310 - 30.1 61.4 - - - 61.4 School buses subvention 2211320 - 26.5 24.6 - - - 24.6 New Ukrainian School subvention 2211230 - 0.0 36.9 - - - 36.9 Textbooks 2201260 - 35.5 40.3 - - - 40.3 UCEQA leadership salaries, operations 2201470 5.4 5.7 7.8 7.5 7.7 7.7 30.7 Page 18 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) TOTAL 254.8 296.9 381.2 225.1 224.9 225 1,056.2 *Teacher salaries in 2022 and 2023 were financed by the World Bank’s PEACE project. **The projections of capital expenditures for years 2025/6/7 are defined on a yearly basis, based on needs assessments. 61. Sustainability of the expenditure framework. The 2023 State Budget cuts to education were among the highest of any sector, though some cuts were reversed in the 2024 budget. Thus, one of LEARN’s objectives is to incentivize the GoU to maintain sufficient resources for key education reforms over the next years. Although there is a risk that the expenditure program may be challenged if the macroeconomic situation deteriorates, the PforR expenditure program is comprised almost entirely of expenditures with a history of inclusion in the budget and are directly aligned with the sector’s recovery needs, as expressed in the RDNA3. Nevertheless, mitigation measures have been included to strengthen the sustainability of expenditures. Program Economic Evaluation 62. Economic research has demonstrated the justification for public investment in education, which is heightened by the current situation. Such situations negatively affect student learning outcomes, in turn reducing labor productivity.32 This is due to school infrastructure damage, the shift to military expenditures at the expense of education funding, lower household investments in education, and the psychological impact on children. This adds to the well-established economic justification for public education spending: although education is critical to individuals’ future earnings, individuals, especially from poorer households, are unable to borrow against future earnings to finance their own education. Education accounts for a substantial portion of Ukraine’s social spending, and the Program aims to improve efficiency and transparency of such expenditures, particularly those implemented through the subventions. Education expenditures represent a large share of public non-military spending, and the 2024 education budget has been increased. 63. Modeled economic rates of return for government investments related to the main results areas of the Program (increasing in-person learning and improving education quality) range from 10 to 17 percent. As described in the PDOs and ToC, the Program aims to develop human capital through improved learning outcomes. This would be achieved by supporting improved teaching and learning conditions (Results Area 1) and stronger management capacity (Results Area 2). The investments included in the government program directly related to achieving these objectives include funding the construction of shelters, purchasing buses for municipalities, training for teachers and school managers, and provision of textbooks. The economic impact of these investments was assessed by modeling and comparing their cost with the expected impact on learning outcomes and the subsequent impact on students’ future earnings. While the impact of these investments on learning is not known a priori, recent studies on learning loss and previous impact evaluations of teacher training provide guidance on the range of effect sizes that can reasonably be expected. Based on effect sizes from this literature, the modeled economic rate of return for these investments ranges from 11 to 19 percent, depending on impact scenario. Under the midpoint scenario, the modeled economic rate of return is 14.2 percent. For the investments related to increasing in-person learning, the economic rate of return was 7.0 percent, while it was 18.1 percent for improving quality of teaching and learning conditions. 64. The PforR is expected to promote progress under the GoU’s program to improve in-person learning and education quality. Despite the GoU’s costing of needs and its commitment to increasing in-person learning and improving teaching and learning overall, there is a significant risk that progress in these areas may not be achieved. The PforR helps ensure progress by incentivizing government expenditure towards these goals. 65. The World Bank’s value-added stems from its global expertise and extensive engagement with Ukraine in supporting education investment and reform. The World Bank has developed substantial expertise in supporting the 32 Egert and La Maisonneuve (2023), Bruck et al. (2019), Ortiz-Correa (2014), Jurges et al. (2022). Page 19 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) country's investment in teacher training and learning environments, including in fragile and conflict-affected situations. It also has a strong relationship with the GoU and the MoES, with lending growing significantly since 2017. B. Fiduciary 66. The MoES PIU has demonstrated its ability to implement an IPF operation and its efficiency in coordinating relevant MoES departments and subordinated institutions in carrying out the Integrated Fiduciary Systems Assessment (IFSA). MoES has strengthened its PIU with additional consultants and its existing capacity will be used to implement the IPF Component of this Operation. Relevant staff from the MoES departments and subordinated institutions that would be involved in the implementation of the PforR are assessed to have necessary qualifications and experience to carry out their respective tasks including FM and procurement functions. Additional consultants and external experts to support the operation may be hired under the IPF component as needed. Financial Management 67. The PforR will be implemented largely using existing Public Financial Management systems of MoES at the central and local level. The PforR mostly includes existing subventions from the state budget to local budgets, as well as one budget line managed by MoES centrally through its subordinated institution. The budget allocation mechanisms have been in place for several years and have largely demonstrated their success in channeling funding, as well as reliability of accounting and reporting on the use of those funds. The teachers’ salaries subvention, which constitutes about 80 percent of the total Program Expenditure Framework, has a particularly strong track record, and respective processes and procedures for its implementation were reviewed during implementation of the ongoing PEACE project. Specifically, external auditors confirmed them to be largely effective and efficient, with only minor exceptions. 68. Budget lines that are part of the Program have been under-financed in recent years, and therefore measures would be agreed with the GoU to ensure that the necessary financing is allocated during the years of Program implementation, for both 2024 and subsequent years. Other issues observed at the central level are the overall complexity of the subvention implementation mechanisms and the need to approve procedures for each calendar year for most of the subvention budget programs. The actual utilization of allocated funds was below budgeted amounts and varied between approximately 70 and 95 percent (except for the teachers’ salaries). Four of the initially identified budget lines were excluded from the Program for the reasons listed above, thus decreasing the overall risk. Existing external audit arrangements were assessed as insufficient in their frequency and scope, and therefore special arrangements for annual financial audits of this Operation will be agreed with the GoU. 69. PforR disbursements will be made on the achievement of results that are specified by the DLIs. Disbursements related to the achievement of the DLIs will be made to a State Treasury account indicated by the Government. To achieve the Program’s results, the GoU will undertake activities and actions identified in the Program Expenditure Framework. The Bank will work with the counterparts to agree upon appropriate arrangements to ensure that a credible mechanism is in place for monitoring, measuring, and verifying the achievement of the DLIs. These are outlaid in the IFSA and further detailed in the OM, as necessary. Disbursements for the IPF Component will be made with the use of regular disbursement mechanisms, which will be laid out in the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter. Procurement 70. A procurement profile for the Program has been finalized. The procurement risk is based on the IFSA and given the agency engagement for the Program execution. The procurement systems were assessed to determine the degree to which the planning, bidding, evaluation, contract award, and contract administration arrangements and practices provide reasonable assurance that the Program will achieve intended results through its procurement processes and procedures. Governance systems, handling of the risks of fraud and corruption, including the use of complaint mechanisms, and how such risks are managed and mitigated were also assessed. Page 20 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) 71. Implementation of the PforR will rely on and follow the GoU procurement systems and arrangements established within MoES, State Service for Education Quality, Ukrainian Center for Education Quality Evaluation, and local authorities that will use ProZorro. The IFSA shows that given the extent of the procurement expenditures under the Program, it will be implemented through existing MoES budget programs and subventions that are renewed annually at the central level. The assessment revealed that procurement of shelters (civil works), school buses (goods), textbooks (goods), and in-service teacher training (services) to be financed under the PforR follow procurement bidding, evaluation, and contract management processes established by the national legislation. This provides reasonable assurance that the Program will achieve the intended results through its procurement processes and procedures. Procurement of shelters is co-financed by local authorities and is regulated by an ad hoc resolution of the GoU that establishes the procedure for each calendar year. Ukraine’s Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) system is expected to be used for implementation of the shelter projects to improve transparency and accountability of the processes. 72. Procurement Exclusions. No potential high-value contracts are identified under the Program. Based on the findings of the IFSA, the Program boundary is not expected to finance any contract at or above prevailing Operations Procurement Review Committee thresholds. 73. The Operation is subject to the World Bank Anti-Corruption Guidelines (ACGs). To implement the Bank’s ACGs for PforR operations, the GoU will immediately inform the World Bank of any complaint or claim related to fraud and corruption which the GoU, through implementing agencies, either receives or is notified. Unless otherwise agreed by the World Bank, the GoU will take timely and appropriate action to investigate such allegations and indications; will report to the World Bank on the actions taken in any such investigation; and, promptly upon the completion of any such investigation, will report to the World Bank the findings thereof. The GoU will provide the World Bank with all the records, documentation, and information that the Bank may request with respect to such issues. 74. The procurement envisaged under the IPF component to finance technical assistance to MoES and strengthen project management includes Goods and Services. Activities like labs/IT equipment, development and piloting of NUS curriculum, special online platform for State Final Examination (DPA), modernization of Education Management Information System and others will be conducted by MoES PIU, which has appropriate capacity and experience in procurement in accordance with Bank’s rules and procedures. These activities have been reflected in the Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) and draft procurement plan. The Program will not finance civil works under the IPF component. The World Bank has assessed the national e-procurement system Prozorro and found it acceptable for World Bank-financed projects for procurement of goods, works, and non-consulting services. Existing national procurement procedures meet the World Bank’s requirements, except the necessity to incorporate applicability of the Bank's ACGs, including the right to sanction and inspection and audit (without any limitations). C. Environmental and Social 75. An Environmental and Social Systems Assessment was prepared for the PforR Program in accordance with paragraph 9 of Section III of the PforR Policy and the World Bank PforR Directive. To prepare the ESSA of the proposed Operation, the World Bank assessed the MoES E&S systems by analyzing available documentation and conducting working sessions with main stakeholders, as well as applicable national legislation and practices. To further inform its development, the ESSA has been consulted with a wider range of relevant stakeholders and interested parties. Due to the implications of martial law, limited in-person consultations are possible; as such, online consultations were the main consultation modality. 76. The IPF component comprises capacity building activities with minimal E&S impacts. Activities under the IPF support technical assistance for piloting and rollout of educational curriculum and purchasing classroom equipment. The World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) is applicable to the IPF component, and relevant and proportionate E&S instrument(s) have been prepared accordingly. The E&S risks of the IPF are rated moderate, primarily Page 21 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) owing to health and safety risks for Project Workers and beneficiaries participating in in-person training activities in Ukraine’s context. An ESCP was prepared and disclosed before appraisal, specifying ESF requirements to be incorporated into training and consultant contracts (e.g. labor and working conditions consistent with ESS2, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/ Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) Code of Conduct) as well as for managing procurement, use, and disposal of digital equipment. A draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan has been prepared to ensure that technical assistance activities support the rollout of NUS in higher grades considering accessibility and principles of universal design for learning and for vulnerable groups. The MoES has an ongoing project with a PIU experienced in implementing the ESF. The PIU is in the process of hiring a Social Specialist and an Environmental Specialist, who will also be assigned respective responsibilities for E&S aspects of the IPF, as per the ESCP. The E&S instruments have been consulted and disclosed and will be finalized and adopted before effectiveness. 77. Grievance Redress. Communities and individuals who believe that they are adversely affected as a result of a World Bank-supported PforR operation, as defined by the applicable policy and procedures, may submit complaints to the existing program grievance mechanism or the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS). The GRS ensures that complaints received are promptly reviewed to address pertinent concerns. Project affected communities and individuals may submit their complaint to the World Bank’s independent Accountability Mechanism (AM). The AM houses the Inspection Panel, which determines whether harm occurred, or could occur, as a result of World Bank non-compliance with its policies and procedures, and the Dispute Resolution Service, which provides communities and borrowers with the opportunity to address complaints through dispute resolution. Complaints may be submitted at any time after concerns have been brought directly to the World Bank's attention, and World Bank Management has been given an opportunity to respond. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS), visit https://www.worldbank.org/GRS. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank’s Accountability Mechanism, visit https://accountability.worldbank.org. D. Corporate Requirements 78. Gender: Ukraine has made considerable progress in closing gender gaps in education, but challenges remain. Despite equity in terms of access to education, the system faces challenges with gender stereotypes which manifest in learning materials and in teaching practices. For example, analyses of textbooks for grades 5-9 have identified gender- biased representations of men and women, especially for portrayals of social roles in texts.33 These translate into further gender stereotypes among students: for example, 60% of surveyed young people in Ukraine believe that there is a division of professions based on gender; 31% of boys and 17% of girls agreed that entering a university is more important for sons than for daughters.34 These stereotypes contribute to observed gender gaps in academic performance as measured by standard assessments (such as PISA). Boys outperform girls by 10 points in PISA math and girls outperform boys by 23 points in reading (with no gender differences in science). Such preexisting gender gaps are expected to worsen in communities where students cannot attend school in-person due to the lower quality instructional experience of remote learning. LEARN will contribute to closing the gender gaps by (i) increasing access to safe in-person education for school children, contributing to improved learning levels overall and reducing gender gaps in mathematics and reading; and (ii) implementing the NUS curriculum which tackles gender stereotypes, especially in core subjects, and aims to foster inclusive learning environments regardless of gender both through training of teachers and gender-inclusive learning materials. Specifically, LEARN will support: (i) gender non-discrimination reviews and revision of textbooks for mathematics and reading in grades 7-8, involving selected review of textbooks and modules across grades focusing on proportional representation, lack of segregation, representation of diversity, use of non-discriminatory language, and other criteria as specified by IECM; and (ii) training for teachers and school managers on gender bias and gender non- 33 Cheng and Kulish (2017). Gender-Hidden Curriculum in Ukrainian Literature Textbooks for 5-9 Grades of Middle School. Young Scientist, No. 12.1. 34 CEDOS (2024). Gender Segregation in Professional Pre-Higher and Higher Education. Research Working Paper. Page 22 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) discrimination as part of the NUS curriculum, including NUS methodologies to boost girls’ performance in mathematics and boys’ performance in reading. 79. Climate. LEARN intends to address the challenges posed by climate change and support a green transition through (i) establishing disaster-resilient shelters that can be used in case of a climate emergency and (ii) implementing the NUS curriculum, which aims to raise climate awareness among students and to build the skills needed at school to act at the community level and further specialize in green occupations at later stages. Annex 7 details how the Operation will address climate change considerations. V. RISK 80. The Operation’s overall residual risk is assessed as “Substantial.” This reflects risks due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting widespread uncertainty in terms of security, capacity, and changing needs that cannot be fully mitigated. The ratings for all risk categories mentioned below are based on the assessments of residual risks after considering proposed mitigation measures in a rapidly evolving context. 81. Political and Governance risk is rated “Substantial.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to pose a significant risk to the political and governance landscape. While the current situation primarily affected areas in the east and south of Ukraine at the time of Program preparation, the continuing unpredictability and potential impacts on the ability of the GoU to perform core functions create large uncertainties. To the extent possible, these risks are being mitigated by (i) aligning the Operation’s objectives with the recovery priorities outlined by the GoU and (ii) ensuring that the component design and activities are reflected in the legal and institutional changes currently underway. 82. Macroeconomic risk is rated “High.” The Program outcomes will depend on sufficient allocation of GoU budget to the selected activities. With total external financing needs for 2024 exceeding US$37 billion, Ukraine is expected to continue to depend on large external grant and loan flows in 2024 and beyond. While Ukraine has received financing assurances for a baseline and downside scenario under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility until 2027, any delay or quantitative reduction in actual disbursements would necessitate budgetary adjustments that could lead to reduced budget allocations in 2025 or reduced expenditure allowances in 2024 to the supported programs, which could put the development objectives at risk. Similarly, a deterioration of the macroeconomic situation below the downside scenario envisioned in the IMF program would require additional financing assurances, which have yet to be received. More broadly, while not directly related to the PDOs, the implementation of reforms and investments outlined under the Strategic Action Plan requires sources of funding beyond the GoU’s budgetary capacity and will require additional donor support. To mitigate these risks, the program results financed under the PforR will primarily (80 percent) rely on expenditures approved in the 2024 budget. The program aims to encourage the GoU to pursue key initiatives and ensure their inclusion in future budgets, contingent on their effectiveness and results as validated by the program's outcomes. However, residual macroeconomic risks remain high due to factors outside the authorities' control, such as the duration of hostilities and external assistance disbursement, which can only be partially mitigated. 83. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability risk rating is “Substantial.” Given the emergency and the pressure of multiple needs, the MoF and MoES both have limited access to adequate technical resources and qualified staff. These capacity constraints could potentially affect the implementation of the NUS reform and the MoES ability to monitor the various subventions, causing delays in Program implementation. Moreover, some DLIs and results are dependent on the implementation of activities and capacity at the local level, over which the MoES has little oversight. To mitigate these risks, making use of the IPF component, the Program will support capacity building within the MoF to ensure that the program is adequately monitored and managed. In addition, the existing PIU will be enhanced to ensure that the necessary trained human resources in project management, fiduciary, and E&S areas are available to ensure adequate implementation. In addition, the Program will work with the line units of the MoES responsible for implementation of key initiatives to achieve results, such as the School Education Directorate and the Subventions team. Page 23 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) 84. Fiduciary risk is rated “Substantial.” The main risks are: (i) the current situation presents risks that the MoES and other involved agencies may not be able to carry out fiduciary functions; (ii) complex project design, including limited experience with the PforR instrument and budget lines with varying implementation arrangements; (iii) likely limited capacity of the local governments; (iv) insufficient budget allocations; and (v) inadequate audit arrangements. Risk mitigation measures include: (a) periodic training in FM, procurement, and disbursements for fiduciary staff, at all levels, (b) use of the approved OM, (c) establishing mitigation measures to address insufficient budget allocations, (d) agreeing on Program-specific external audit arrangements, (e) continued support for the well-established implementation arrangements and capacity support arrangements, including knowledge-sharing, that the GoU has used in previous PforRs in Ukraine. Steps and factors already in place that provide additional assurance are: (i) confirmation of reliability of the teachers' salaries budget line, which account for around 80 percent of the Program; (ii) evidence of continuous capacity strengthening at MoES; and (iii) continuous stability of the Government’s fiduciary systems despite the invasion. 85. Environmental risks are rated Substantial. Environmental risks and impacts are mostly associated with project- related civil works (for rehabilitation/installation of infrastructure/equipment) and issues associated with school buses. Rehabilitation and construction-related risks include potential increased pollution due to improper care, handling, and storage of construction material and waste; temporary impact on cross drainage; water/soil quality impacts in case of construction pollution, as well as pressures on the environment caused by the material sourcing; generation of excessive noise and dust levels from trucks and other construction machinery; soil disturbance during earthworks; tree-cutting and loss of vegetation; negative impacts on ecosystems (through disturbance); traffic safety issues; and community and workers’ health and safety incidents. Risks related to operations of school buses include design and functional layout for new facilities (shelters) and equipment to ensure proper occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions and community health and safety; and practices to manage household and organic waste. These risks are site-specific and temporary and can be mitigated by existing construction and healthcare management best practices. However, they may be exacerbated by potential aerial strikes and other military actions, which add an element of extreme uncertainty and risk of fatality or serious injury that cannot be entirely mitigated by E&S management measures. There is also a risk that project sites may become a target for aerial strikes, which will endanger nearby communities and site workers. Other related risks include possible site contaminations with hazardous compounds and explosive remnants of war (ERW). 86. Social risks are rated Substantial. The proposed operation will have positive social effects by supporting enhanced access to in-person learning and improved teaching and learning conditions in Ukraine. However, the Operation takes place within a highly volatile context, and the community and worker health and safety and security risks in the education sector are high due to the current situation. These risks are highly contextual and beyond the immediate control of the Borrower, and the operation is designed to help mitigate these impacts on the education system and build resilience against future shocks in Ukraine. The key potential adverse social effects are associated with the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 286 protective structures within existing schools that are supported under PforR Results Area 1; for example, if the structures are not constructed properly leading to collapse or injury during operation, or if health and/or safety of workers and community (including children at school sites) is affected by the works. Land acquisition will be excluded from the program. Other social risks are related to ensuring that the benefits (e.g. school shelters, buses, textbooks, teacher training) are designed to be inclusive and accessible to vulnerable individuals and groups, for example by reaching the poorest children, and children with disabilities. Page 24 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK MATRIX @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padpfrannexpolicyandresult#doctemplate Program Development Objective(s) To (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) strengthen management capacity of the education system PDO Indicators by Outcomes Baseline Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Closing Period Improve teaching and learning conditions Students supported with better education (Number of people) Feb/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Dec/2026 Sept/2027 0 300,000 600,000 906,000 906,000 Students supported with better education – Youth (Number of people) Feb/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Dec/2026 Sept/2027 0 300,000 600,000 906,000 906,000 Students supported with better education – Female (Number of people) Feb/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Dec/2026 Sept/2027 0 150,000 300,000 453,000 453,000 Teachers delivering the NUS curriculum including environmental literacy (Number) Mar/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Dec/2026 Sept/2027 0 60,000 120,000 120,000 120,000 Strengthen management capacity for the education system Improved use of data for education system management (Yes/No) Mar/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Dec/2026 Sept/2027 No No Enhanced administrative data NUS pilot results used to inform Yes from AIKOM being used to target the scale up nationwide allocation of resources Intermediate Indicators by Results Areas Page 25 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Baseline Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Closing Period Results Area 1. Improve teaching and learning conditions Additional students and teachers with access to constructed or rehabilitated shelters (Number) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 0 0 16,000 32,000 32,000 Additional students with access to free bus transportation (Number) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 0 0 9,500 14,000 14,000 Additional students with disabilities with access to free bus transportation (Number) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 0 0 117 234 234 Teachers trained to implement the NUS reform (Number) DLI Feb/2024 Aug/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 N/A Teacher training plan for grades 60,000 teachers completed NUS- 60,000 teachers completed NUS- 60,000 teachers completed NUS- 7, 8 and 9 adopted aligned training for grade 7 aligned training for grade 8 aligned training for grade 8 Students with access to NUS teaching & learning materials (Text) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 N/A 2024 textbooks decree 300,000 students of grade 7 300,000 students of grade 8 300,000 students of grade 8 receive establishes that 100% of grade 7 receive free NUS-aligned receive free NUS-aligned free NUS-aligned textbooks students, including those with textbooks textbooks disabilities, will receive NUS- aligned textbooks Students with disabilities with access to NUS teaching & learning materials (Number) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 0 0 5,000 (Grade 7) 5,000 (Grade 8) 5,000 (Grade 8) Percentage of beneficiaries satisfied with accessibility and functionality of shelters (Percentage) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 NA TBD Baseline data collected Increase from baseline by 10% Increase from baseline by 20% Printed and delivered copies of textbook manuscripts for grades 7-8 in mathematics and Ukrainian language that have completed gender non-discrimination review (Number) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 25,000 30,000 50,000 75,000 100,000 Results Area 2. Improving management capacity Updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions (Text) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 Page 26 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) N/A 2024 shelters subvention 2024 shelters subvention 2024 shelters subvention 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes prioritizes hub schools working prioritizes hub schools working prioritizes hub schools working hub schools working in distance or in distance or hybrid mode, in distance or hybrid mode, in distance or hybrid mode, hybrid mode, located in high-need located in high-need regions, located in high-need regions, located in high-need regions, regions, and utilizing the DREAM and utilizing the DREAM system and utilizing the DREAM system and utilizing the DREAM system system for project processing. for project processing. for project processing. for project processing. Updated allocation criteria for the school bus subvention to the regions (Text) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 N/A 2024 school bus subvention is 70% of the 2024 school bus 70% of the 2024 school bus 70% of the 2024 school bus allocated based on data-driven subvention disbursed by the subvention disbursed by the subvention disbursed by the State needs, prioritizing high-need State Treasury to communities State Treasury to communities Treasury to communities regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism Support for school network optimization (Text) DLI Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 N/A N/A 2025 education subvention 2026 education subvention 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to allocation formula is updated to allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student increase minimum student increase minimum student requirement per school by at requirement per school by at requirement per school by at least least 50% relative to the prior least 30% relative to the prior 30% relative to the prior year year year IPF Part 1. Support NUS pilot in Grades 8 to 12 Number of schools piloting NUS implementation (Text) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Sept/2025 Sept/2026 Sept/2027 N/A N/A 100 schools participated in 100 schools participated in Pilot results are analyzed and report piloting NUS for grade 8 piloting NUS for grade 9 developed for integrating lessons learned Teachers from pilot schools with improved teaching practices aligned to NUS (Number) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 0 0 0 100 (Grade 9) 300 (Grade 9) IPF Part 2. Strengthening the MoES management capacity Education Infrastructure Planning is developed (Yes/No) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 No No No Yes Yes Education Management Information System (AIKOM) is modernized (Yes/No) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 No No No Yes Yes Page 27 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) The special online platform for conducting the State Final Examination is developed and piloted (Yes/No) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 No Yes Yes Yes Yes UIRO has undergone an institutional audit of its organizational capacity (Yes/No) Feb/2024 Sept/2024 Dec/2024 Dec/2025 Sept/2027 No No Yes Yes Yes Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLI) Period Period Definition Prior Results 08-Feb-2024 to 20-Sep-2024 Period 1 21-Sep-2024 to 31-Dec-2024 Period 2 01-Jan-2025 to 1-Sep-2027 Baseline Prior Results Period 1 Period 2 1:Updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions (Text ) N/A 1.1: 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes N/A N/A hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located in high-need regions, and utilizing the DREAM system for project processing. Expected Completion Date: May 2024. 0.00 25,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 DLI allocation 25,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 7.15% 2:Additional students and teachers with access to constructed or rehabilitated shelters (Number ) 0 0 0 DLR 2.1: Number of students and teachers with access to shelters constructed or rehabilitated to meet minimum conditions (Scalable); Baseline: 0; Target: 32,000; Expected Completion Date: December 2025. 0.00 0.00 0.00 65,000,000.00 Page 28 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) DLI allocation 65,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 18.59% 3:Updated allocation criteria for the school bus subvention to the regions (Text ) N/A 3.1: 2024 school bus subvention is N/A N/A allocated based on data-driven needs, prioritizing high-need regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism. Expected Completion Date: May 2024. 0.00 25,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 DLI allocation 25,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 7.15% 4:Additional students with access to free bus transportation (Number ) 0 0 0 DLR 4.1: Number of students with access to free bus transportation (Scalable); Baseline: 0; Target: 14,000; Expected Completion Date: October 2025. 0.00 0.00 0.00 35,000,000.00 DLI allocation 35,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 10.01% 5:Teachers trained to implement the NUS reform (Number ) N/A DLR 5.1: Teacher training plan for grades DLR 5.2: Number of teachers who DLR 5.3: Number of teachers who completed 7, 8 and 9 adopted. Expected Completion completed NUS-aligned training for grade NUS-aligned training for grade 8 (Scalable); Date: August 2024. 7 (Scalable); Baseline: 0; Target: 60,000; Baseline: 0; Target: 60,000; Expected Expected Completion Date: December Completion Date: December 2025. 2024. 0.00 20,000,000.00 20,000,000.00 20,000,000.00 DLI allocation 60,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 17.16% 6:Students with access to NUS teaching & learning materials (Text ) N/A DLR 6.1: 2024 textbooks decree DLR 6.2: Number of students of grade 7 DLR 6.3: Number of students of grade 8 who establishes that 100% of grade 7 who receive free NUS-aligned textbooks receive free NUS-aligned textbooks students, including those with disabilities, (Scalable); Baseline: 0; Target: 300,000; (Scalable); Baseline: 0; Target: 300,000; will receive NUS-aligned textbooks, has Expected Completion Date: December Expected Completion Date: December 2025. been adopted by MoES. Expected 2024. Completion Date: May 2024. 0.00 10,000,000.00 40,000,000.00 40,000,000.00 DLI allocation 90,000,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 25.74% 7:Support for school network optimization (Text ) Page 29 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) N/A N/A DLR 7.1: 2025 education subvention DLR 7.2: 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school minimum student requirement per school by by at least 50% relative to 2024. Expected at least 30% relative to 2025. Expected Completion Date: September 30, 2024. Completion Date: September 30, 2025. 0.00 0.00 25,000,000.00 24,625,000.00 DLI allocation 49,625,000.00 As a % of Total DLI Allocation 14.19% Page 30 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: PDO Indicators by PDO Outcomes Improve teaching and learning conditions Students supported with better education (Number) Cumulative number of students in grades 7-9 benefiting from improved teaching and learning conditions in schools Description nationwide during the project duration, including through access to shelters, free school bus transportation, updated textbooks, and teachers trained during project implementation period Frequency Semi-Annually Data source MOES documents and Project progress reports Methodology for Data MoES requests data from Regional State Administrations (RSAs), Institute for Education Analytics (IEA), entities Collection responsible for textbooks as defined in the OM, and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes Responsibility for Data MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs; IEA; entity responsible for textbooks; ISTTIs Collection Students supported with better education- Youth (Number) Description See “Students supported with better education” Frequency See “Students supported with better education” Data source See “Students supported with better education” Methodology for Data See “Students supported with better education” Collection Responsibility for Data See “Students supported with better education” Collection Students supported with better education- Female (Number) Cumulative number of female students benefiting from improved teaching and learning conditions in schools Description nationwide during the project duration, including access to shelters, free school bus transportation, updated textbooks, and trained teachers Frequency  Semi-Annually Data source MOES documents and Project progress reports Methodology for Data MoES requests data from Regional State Administrations (RSAs), Institute for Education Analytics (IEA), entities Collection responsible for textbooks as defined in the OM, In-Service Teacher Training Institutes Responsibility for Data MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs; IEA; entities responsible for textbooks; ISTTIs Collection Teachers delivering the NUS curriculum including environmental literacy (Number) Number of teachers in grades 7 to 9 trained on NUS standards, principles and the use of the updated learning Description materials teaching in classrooms where students have received updated learning materials Frequency  Assessed during the first two years of the project implementation Data source Reports on the use of the NUS subvention for teacher training from In-Service Teacher Training Institutes Methodology for Data MoES requests data from Regional State Administrations (RSAs) and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes Collection Responsibility for Data MoES, Directorate for School Education; Regional state administrations; In-Service Teacher Training Institutes Collection Strengthen management capacity for the education system Improved use of data for education system management (Yes/No) Indicator is achieved when MoES is applying: (i) enhanced administrative data from AIKOM and (ii) NUS pilot results Description data to target allocation of resources through subventions. Frequency Annually Data source MoES Program documents and progress reports Methodology for Data MoES Collection Responsibility for Data MoES School Education Directorate, Institute for Education Analytics Collection Page 31 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: Intermediate Results Indicators by Results Areas Results Area 1. Improve teaching and learning conditions according to NUS principles Additional students and teachers with access to constructed or rehabilitated shelters (Number) Total additional capacity of shelters that are constructed or rehabilitated with funding from the shelter subvention Description and meets minimum standards as defined in the OM Frequency Quarterly Data source Regional State Administrations (RSAs) and other relevant data sources MOES requests data from RSAs and other relevant data sources on list of schools with shelters rehabilitated or Methodology for Data Collection constructed under the subvention, as well as maximum capacity of shelters Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs Additional students with access to free bus transportation (Number) Number of additional students who can be transported using a school bus that is procured under the subvention Description and meets minimum standards as defined in the OM Frequency Quarterly Data source Regional State Administrations (RSAs) MoES requests data from RSAs including list of schools with buses procured under the subvention and buses Methodology for Data Collection capacity Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs Additional students with disabilities with access to free bus transportation (Number) Number of additional students with disabilities who can be transported using a school bus that is procured under Description the subvention Frequency Quarterly Data source Regional State Administrations (RSAs) MoES requests data from RSAs including list of schools with buses procured under the subvention and their Methodology for Data Collection capacity for serving students with disabilities Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs Teachers trained to implement the NUS reform (Number) Number of teachers of grades 7-9 who completed NUS training pertaining to the grades 7-9 NUS curriculum as Description specified in the State Standard on Basic Education and financed under the NUS subvention Frequency Quarterly Data source MoES, Regional State Administrations (RSAs), and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes (ITTIs) Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from RSAs and ITTIs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; RSAs; ITTIs Students with access to NUS teaching & learning materials (Text) Indicator tracks that the 2024 textbooks decree establishes that 100% of grade 7 students, including those with Description disabilities, will receive NUS-aligned textbooks as well as the number of students in grades 7-9 who receive free NUS textbooks Frequency Quarterly Reports on the use of budget funds and distribution of textbooks, entities responsible for textbooks as defined in Data source the OM, Regional State Administrations (RSAs) Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from entities responsible for textbooks as defined in the OM and RSAs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; entity responsible for textbooks; RSAs Students with disabilities with access to NUS teaching & learning materials (Number) Indicator tracks the number of students with disabilities in grades 7 and 8 who receive free NUS textbooks (DLRs Description 4.2 and 4.3) Frequency Quarterly Reports on the use of budget funds and distribution of textbooks, entity responsible for textbooks, Regional State Data source Administrations (RSAs) Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from entity responsible for textbooks and RSAs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; entities responsible for textbooks; RSAs Percentage of beneficiaries satisfied with accessibility and functionality of shelters (Percentage) Page 32 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Description Indicator tracks the satisfaction level of shelters’ beneficiaries in regard to shelter’s accessibility and functionality. Frequency Annually Data source AIKOM Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from IEA and RSAs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; IEA; RSAs Printed and delivered copies of textbook manuscripts for grades 7-8 in mathematics and Ukrainian language that have completed gender non- discrimination review (Number) Indicator tracks the number of printed and delivered copies of textbooks’ manuscripts for grades 7-8 in Description mathematics and Ukrainian language that have completed gender non-discrimination review. Frequency Semi-annually Reports on the completion of the gender non-discrimination review, use of budget funds and distribution of Data source textbooks, entities responsible for textbooks as defined in the OM, Regional State Administrations (RSAs) Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from entities responsible for textbooks and RSAs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; entities responsible for textbooks; RSAs Results Area 2. Improving management capacity Updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions (Yes/No) 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located in high-need regions, and utilizing the DREAM system for project processing. Improved management refers to three elements: (i) increased efficiency through targeting of resources for hub schools which also are operating in distance/hybrid Description mode; (ii) increased equity through targeting of funds to regions facing greatest security challenges for enabling in-person learning; and (iii) increase transparency through use of the DREAM system for project application, selection, and monitoring Frequency Once Data source CMU Website, MoES MoES provides final approved resolution and supporting evidence demonstrating application of the three Methodology for Data Collection elements of improved management for 2024 subvention relative to 2023 subvention. Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education Updated allocation criteria for the school bus subvention to the regions (Yes/No) 2024 school bus subvention is allocated based on data-driven needs, prioritizing high-need regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism. Improved management refers to two elements: (i) increased efficiency Description through targeting resources directly to the local (hromada) level; and (ii) increased equity through targeting with need-based selection criteria which prioritize based on number of students in need of transportation and geographic proximity to the front line. Frequency Once Data source CMU website, MoES MoES provides final approved resolution and supporting evidence demonstrating application of two elements of Methodology for Data Collection improved management for 2024 school bus subvention Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education Support for school network optimization (Yes/No) 2025 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by Description at least 50% relative to the prior year and 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 30 % relative to the prior year. Frequency Once Data source CMU website, MoES, IEA through AIKOM MoES provides final approved resolution and supporting evidence demonstrating application of minimum number Methodology for Data Collection of 45 and 60 students per school for the allocation of the education subvention in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; State Treasury Service of Ukraine; MoF IPF Part 1. Support the pilot of NUS in grades 8 to 12 Number of schools piloting NUS implementation (Text) Description Tracks the development and piloting of the NUS curriculum for grades 8 and 9 in pilot schools Frequency Annual Data source MOES documents and Project progress reports Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from pilot schools, Directorate for School Education Page 33 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Responsibility for Data Collection MoES Directorate for School Education Teachers from pilot schools with improved teaching practices aligned to NUS (Number) Number of teachers in NUS pilot schools who have undergone training and teach in NUS classes demonstrating Description improved teaching practices as measured by a classroom observation tool to be described in more detail in the OM. Frequency  Annual Data source In-Service Teacher Training Institutes (ISTTIs) Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from ISTTIs Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; ISTTIs IPF Part 2. Strengthen MoES management capacity  Education Infrastructure Planning is developed (Yes/No) Description Measures the completion of the planning process for educational infrastructure development Frequency  Once Data source Reports of MoES Methodology for Data Collection Review of project documentation Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education Education Management Information System (AIKOM) is modernized (Text) Description Tracks the modernization progress of the AIKOM  Frequency Once Data source Reports from IEA  Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from IEA Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; Institute for Educational Analytics  The special online platform for conducting the State Final Examination is developed and piloted (Yes/No) Description Software is produced and operational to be able to resume the summative state assessments for grade 4 Frequency  Once Data source  Project Contracts Methodology for Data Collection  Project procurement documentation for software modernization Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment; PIU UIRO has undergone an institutional audit of its organizational capacity (Text) Description Tracks progress of UIRO in developing institutional capacity to deliver the NUS reform Frequency Once Data source UIRO reports Methodology for Data Collection MoES requests data from UIRO Responsibility for Data Collection MoES, Directorate for School Education; Ukrainian Institute of Education Development Page 34 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Verification Protocol Table: Disbursement Linked Indicators 1: UPDATED ALLOCATION CRITERIA FOR THE SHELTERS SUBVENTION TO THE REGIONS (Text) Formula DLR 1.1: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. Description DLR 1.1: 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located in high- need regions, and utilizing the DREAM system for project processing. Achievement of this DLR requires three elements to be included in the updated allocation criteria: (i) explicit reference to hub schools operating in distance/hybrid mode as being the first priority criterion for funds allocation; (ii) introduction of geographical targeting by region based on need for shelters; and (iii) use of the DREAM system for project application and monitoring. Data source/ Agency DLR 1.1: CMU Website, MoES Verification Entity DLR 1.1: MoES Procedure DLR 1.1: The World Bank will be provided with: (i) the final approved resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for 2024 including all relevant annexes; and (ii) supporting evidence demonstrating application of the three above-mentioned elements for the 2024 subvention relative to the 2023 subvention. Supporting evidence shall include administrative data from AIKOM system indicating that schools selected to receive shelter subvention are primarily hub schools and are located in targeted high-need regions; and data collected through spot checks from the DREAM system to review applications submitted by schools selected for shelter subvention projects. 2: ADDITIONAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WITH ACCESS TO CONSTRUCTED OR REHABILITATED SHELTERS (Number) Formula DLR 2.1: For each 500 additional students or teachers, an amount of US$1,015,625, up to total allocation Description DLR 2.1: Number of students and teachers with access to shelters constructed or rehabilitated to meet minimum conditions. This indicator measures the increase in capacity of shelters in schools to accommodate students and teachers (beneficiaries) due to construction of a new shelter or rehabilitation of an existing shelter with funding from the shelter subvention (budget program 2211310). In the case of a new shelter, beneficiaries will be calculated by capacity of the new shelter. In the case of an existing shelter, “additional beneficiaries” will be calculated by the difference between the new and previous capacity. Data source/ Agency DLR 2.1: Student enrollment data and number of teachers from IEA using AIKOM; shelter progress reports from Regional State Administrations (RSAs) Verification Entity DLR 2.1: IVA Procedure DLR 2.1: The IVA will be provided with a consolidated report on the student enrollment and number of teachers according to AIKOM in schools with shelters constructed or rehabilitated after February 2024 and funded by the state subvention. The report will be prepared by MoES based on student enrollment and teachers data provided by AIKOM and information received from RSAs. The IVA will also be provided with evidence of shelter compliance with minimum conditions: (i) compliance with safety standards and (ii) application of climate-resilient design (yes/no), as well as guidance for technical requirements to promote and implement climate change mitigation/adaptation measures. The IVA will also directly survey a sample of shelters constructed or rehabilitated through site visits. 3: UPDATED ALLOCATION CRITERIA FOR THE SCHOOL BUS SUBVENTION TO THE REGIONS (Text) Formula DLR 3.1: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. Description DLR 3.1: 2024 school bus subvention is allocated based on data-driven needs, prioritizing high-need regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism. Achievement of this DLR requires three elements to be included in the updated allocation criteria: (i) allocation in proportion to the number of students in the region who need transportation as reported by schools and who are not provided with school buses; (ii) introduction of geographical targeting by region, with priority given to regions closer to the front line facing greater needs; and (iii) mechanisms to allow MoES or RSAs to redistribute funds in case of delays. Data source/ Agency DLR 3.1: CMU Website, MoES Verification Entity DLR 3.1: MoES Procedure DLR 3.1: The World Bank will be provided with: (i) the final approved 2024 resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the school bus subvention and (ii) supporting evidence demonstrating application of the above-mentioned elements for the 2024 school bus subvention relative to the 2023 subvention. Supporting evidence shall include administrative data from MoES and RSAs on speed of distribution of Page 35 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) subvention funds and initiation of school bus procurement activities; data from AIKOM system showing that schools selected for school bus subvention are geographically located in higher-priority regions based on need; and data from AIKOM system for all schools receiving school bus subvention funds showing total number of students enrolled and total number of students in need of school bus transportation. 4: ADDITIONAL STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO FREE BUS TRANSPORTATION (Number) Formula DLR 4.1: For each 100 additional students, an amount of US$250,000, up to total allocation. Description DLR 4.1: Number of students with access to free bus transportation. This indicator measures the increase in the number of passengers—measured by maximum number of passenger seats across all buses procured— that can be transported using school buses procured under the subvention (budget program 2211320). Data source/ Agency DLR 4.1: Regional State Administrations (RSAs); ProZorro, Student enrollment data Verification Entity DLR 4.1: IVA Procedure DLR 4.1: The IVA will be provided with a consolidated report on the number of passengers benefiting from the free school bus transportation prepared by MoES based on data received from the regional state administrations. The report will be also based on student enrollment data provided by AIKOM and information received from RSAs. The IVA will also be provided with evidence of: (i) school bus procurement records from ProZorro; (ii) school bus transportation routes (passports approved by RSAs) with data on number of passengers to be transported; and (iii) school bus compliance with minimum standards for (a) safety, (b) fuel efficiency or climate resilience, and (c) accessibility for children with disabilities. The IVA will also directly survey a sample of school buses and their use through site visits. 5: TEACHERS TRAINED TO IMPLEMENT THE NUS REFORM (Text) DLR 5.1: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. Formula  DLRs 5.2 and 5.3: For each 100 teachers who completed training for grades 7 or 8, respectively, an amount of US$33,334, up to the total allocation. DLR 5.1: Teacher training plan for grades 7, 8 and 9 adopted by a MoES decree. This DLR measures the adoption by a MoES decree of the teacher training plan for NUS in grades 7, 8, and 9 which contains the content specified in the procedures section below. Description  DLRs 5.2 and 5.3: Number of teachers who completed NUS-aligned training for grades 7 or 8, respectively. This DLR measures the number of teachers trained on NUS implementation for grades 7 or 8, respectively, as specified in the State Standard on Basic Education and financed under the NUS subvention (budget program 2211230). DLR 5.1: MoES Data source/ Agency  DLRs 5.2 and 5.3: Records of certificates of completion published on the website of the In-Service Teacher Training Institutes (ITTIs) DLR 5.1: MoES Verification Entity  DLRs 5.2 and 5.3: IVA DLR 5.1: MoES will review the final teacher training plan for grades 7-9 and provide evidence of its adoption through a MoES decree. The teacher training plan must refer to/specify: (i) objectives and target group of training plan; (ii) areas, content, and required training hours of teacher training programs in alignment with NUS curricula and knowledge requirements to promote and implement feasible climate change adaptation/mitigation measures and sustainable development practices; (iii) method(s) of delivering (holistic and subject-specific), monitoring and evaluating the training results and outcomes; (iv) roles of involved Procedure  institutions (public and private) in the implementation and financing; (v) planned timeline for training delivery; (vi) estimated target number of teachers to be trained; and (vii) method(s) of monitoring and evaluating the delivery of the teacher training plan. DLRs 5.2 and 5.3: IVA will be provided with consolidated report containing: (i) the number of teachers who have been trained to implement the NUS curriculum in grades 7 or 8, respectively; (ii) description of training programs delivered by ITTIs; and (iii) list of trainers formed by ITTIs and approved by RSAs. The IVA will then select a random sample of 1% of teachers trained and administer survey to validate receipt of training. 6: STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO NUS TEACHING & LEARNING MATERIALS (Text) DLR 6.1: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. Formula  DLRs 6.2 and 6.3: For each 1,000 students who received new NUS-aligned textbook for grade 7 or 8, respectively, an amount of $133,334, up to the total allocation for each DLR. DLR 6.1: 2024 textbooks decree establishes that 100% of grade 7 students, including those with disabilities, Description  will receive NUS-aligned textbooks. Page 36 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) DLRs 6.2 and 6.3: Number of students of grades 7 or 8, respectively, who receive free NUS-aligned textbooks. These indicators measure total number of students in grades 7 (DLR 6.2) or 8 (DLR 6.3), respectively, who receive free textbooks which have been reviewed for gender non-discrimination. DLR 6.1: MoES website Data source/ Agency  DLRs 6.2 and 6.3: Acceptance certificates from schools aggregated by Regional State Administrations (RSAs) and provided to MoES; Number of students in need of textbooks from AIKOM DLR 6.1: MoES Verification Entity  DLRs 6.2 and 6.3: IVA DLR 6.1: The MoES will review and provide evidence of: (i) the final adopted passport of the 2024 budget program related to the preparation and printing of textbooks for grade 7 students, as well as (ii) evidence that the allocation of state funding is sufficient to cover 100% of grade 7 students in academic year 2024-25, including students with disabilities. Procedure  DLRs 6.2 and 6.3: The IVA will be provided with a consolidated report on the number of Grade 7 or Grade 8 students receiving NUS-aligned textbooks from the MoES, prepared based on data collected by the entity responsible for textbooks and the RSAs, as well as details of gender non-discrimination review process conducted for textbooks. The IVA will administer an online survey for parents/guardians in up to 2 schools in 1% of hromadas to confirm receipt of relevant textbooks. 7: SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL NETWORK OPTIMIZATION (TEXT) DLR 7.1: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. Formula  DLR 7.2: Total allocation is disbursed when achievement is verified. DLR 7.1: 2025 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 50% relative to the prior year. This DLR measures a change in the allocation formula for the CY2025 education subvention (teachers’ salaries), specifically an increase the required minimum enrollment size per school (normative school size) from 25 to 45 students in order to receive state funding through the education subvention. Description  DLR 7.2: 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 30% relative to the prior year. This DLR measures a further change in the allocation formula for the CY2026 education subvention (teachers’ salaries), specifically an increase in the required minimum enrollment size per school (normative school size) from 45 to 60 students in order to receive state funding through the education subvention. DLR 7.1: CMU Website, MoES Data source/ Agency  DLR 7.2: CMU Website, MoES DLR 7.1: MoES Verification Entity  DLR 7.2: MoES DLR 7.1: The World Bank will be provided with: (i) the final approved 2025 resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine governing the allocation of the education subvention and (ii) supporting evidence demonstrating application of minimum number of 45 students per school (normative school size) for the allocation of the 2025 education subvention relative to the 2024. Procedure  DLR 7.2: The World Bank will be provided with: (i) the final approved 2026 resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine governing the allocation of the education subvention and (ii) supporting evidence demonstrating application of minimum number of 60 students per school (normative school size) for the allocation of the 2026 education subvention relative to the 2025. Page 37 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 2. SUMMARY TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT Program Development Objective 1. The PDOs of the Program are: to (i) improve teaching and learning conditions; and (ii) strengthen management capacity of the education system. In this operation, “teaching and learning conditions” refer to three critical factors of education service delivery: i) safety, including shelters as a pre-condition for schools to open for in-person learning and free and inclusive school bus transportation for students living further distances from schools; ii) learning materials, especially updated textbooks and age-appropriate learning materials in line with the NUS model; and iii) teachers trained on NUS standards, principles and the use of the updated learning materials. Meanwhile, “management capacity of the education system” refers to institutional capabilities to plan based on evidence, strategically allocate resources according to the Strategic Action Plan, monitor progress, and achieve desired outcomes. This involves the alignment of people, data, tools, and processes at the central and local levels of government to ensure the implementation of NUS and successful management of the education system. Program Boundary 2. The Program will support the Strategic Action Plan for 2024-2027 of the MoES and will focus on Strategic Action Plan Priority 2: School education and the NUS. By focusing on school education, the Program supports the largest education subsector, currently serving 3.8 million students and close to 400,000 teachers, and pursues a strategic impact on students’ foundational skills, while also serving as a model for broader educational reforms. Indeed, the NUS is expected to be used as a blueprint for the transformation of other education subsectors, starting from preschool. The Program will have a nationwide scope (excluding territories temporarily no longer under the government’s control and territories close to the frontline with of damage or destruction35) and will align on the implementation period of the Strategic Action Plan. Strategic Relevance of the Program 3. The Program is strategically relevant and investments in school education are essential for Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and long-term development. The NUS is the cornerstone of the MoES’s reform path and priority actions are dedicated to the continued rollout of the reform and to the improvement of the access to in-person education. To offset the immense losses accumulated since February 2022, it is essential for the MoES to focus on the provision of quality in-person education. Indeed, by investing in the NUS reforms and ensuring in-person access to school education, Ukraine is investing in its human capital, which is essential for the country's long-term prosperity and resilience. Moreover, the implementation of competency-based education and providing students with relevant skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy, is essential to equip Ukrainian students with the tools they need to thrive in the 21st-century and meet the future demands of the labor market. In the long-term, human capital accumulation cannot only accelerate economic growth, but also create incentives for research and innovation, increase labor productivity, entrepreneurship and job creation. Technical soundness of the Program 4. The NUS itself has been endorsed by international partners and has been key to the engagement of the MoES with the donor community since 2018. The design of the NUS is based on international best practices and aims to transform school education. In fact, the NUS’s objective is to bring Ukraine closer to the standards of OECD countries through i) the development of a competency-based school curriculum focused on acquiring 21st-century skills and 35Zone is determined by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science (Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine) based on security and risk across territories. Page 38 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) competencies, ii) continuous teacher professional development, emphasizing student-centered learning and inclusion regardless of gender, ethnic minority status, disability, family income, or other backgrounds; iii) a modernized education system management and school administration to support the implementation of the NUS on the ground, in line with the decentralization reforms, and iv) central government focused on setting and monitoring learning standards. To achieve these ambitious objectives, the NUS must be understood as a network of interconnected reforms touching all aspects of school education, where success in one area can only be achieved if success is made in others. 5. Ukraine’s latest results of PISA 2022 clearly demonstrate a deterioration in learning outcomes—a clear challenge both for Ukraine’s recovery and for the country’s long-term development prospects. Extended school closures have meant that many Ukrainian children were shut out of schools for years, along with the peer and teacher interactions that coming with school attendance. Although Ukraine’s participation was not universal, with students taking the test in 18 of 27 regions, the scores provide a useful proxy. The average score for Ukrainian regions in 2022 across three subjects is 440. This is a drop of 38 points since 2018, one of the largest declines of all participating countries. This is a loss equivalent to more than 1.5 years of schooling. Although girls’ performance remains higher than boys’ performance on average (especially in reading), the gender gap is closing due to a more rapid deterioration of girls’ performance, relative to boys’ performance. These results demonstrate the technical soundness of the Program, since learning recovery and modernization of the education system cannot occur without the restoration of safe in-person learning and improvement of teaching and learning conditions. Results Areas 6. Results Area 1: Improving teaching and learning conditions according to NUS principles is focused on ensuring the provision of safe high-quality in-person education through a competency-based and student-centered curriculum. As a contribution to the quality of teaching and learning, this results area will focus on improving students’ safety and access to teaching practices and materials aligned to the NUS reform. The Results Area will support critical government subprograms aimed at improving teaching and learning conditions implemented through subventions from the state budget to local budgets, including (a) Students and teachers access to safe conditions for in-person teaching and learning through climate-resilient and energy efficient shelters in selected schools and free, inclusive, and low-emissions bus transportation to schools (in line with the latest fuel efficiency standards in Ukraine, EURO5 or EURO6) and, (b) Teachers and managers development to implement the NUS reform through high quality training on NUS curriculum and standards, including climate and environmental awareness, green skills for the green transition, and responding to climate-related disasters training. The program will also support (c) the access to updated textbooks and teaching materials aligned with NUS principles - including climate and environmental awareness and green skills for the green transition - provided nationwide by the central state budget.36 The combination of these interventions will enhance students’ academic and socio-emotional learning and psychosocial wellbeing, while promoting a positive and safe learning environment, resilient to the impacts of local climate-related risks including floods, mudslides, extreme heat and droughts. 7. Results Area 2: Improving management capacity is focused on promoting a more efficient, transparent, and equitable management of sector funding programs. This results area will focus on results that demonstrate a progressive improvement in the management of the state subventions. To this end, the results area will incentivize changes in the regulations, budget allocations and management procedures of key subvention programs. These changes will aim at: i) improved allocative and technical efficiency, through a better use of the resources allocated to the subvention, ii) increased equity, ensuring that the students with higher needs are prioritized for the allocation of targeted state support and iii) greater transparency, through a clear communication and application of the allocation criteria. 36While most of the financing is provided by the subvention itself, municipalities are required to provide contributions ranging between 5 and 30 percent of the total funding, depending on their number of inhabitants (the smaller municipalities have a lower co-financing coefficient). Page 39 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) According to the nature of each program, these changes will include (i) improved methods on the selection of schools and municipalities to be supported by the state budget – including climate-risk considerations, (ii) enhanced use of data and evidence for the planning, targeting and monitoring of the subventions, and (iii) the prioritization of vulnerable groups, targeting those students lacking school transportation, schools exposed to climate hazards (floods, mudslides, extreme heat and droughts) and students with disabilities. In the case of the subvention for school education teacher salaries, which is the largest investment in the sector, reforms will focus on enhancing the school network optimization process, by increasing the minimum student requirement per school (normative school size) to receive state funding. Table A2.1 – Challenges of Subventions and Improvements to be Introduced Challenges existing in prior subventions (CY 2023) Improvements introduced (CY 2024) DLI 1. Updated allocation criteria for the shelters subvention to the regions DLR 1.1: 2024 shelters subvention prioritizes hub schools working in distance or hybrid mode, located in high-need regions, and utilizing the DREAM system for project processing. Efficiency Challenge: Prior criteria were less efficient Response: The subvention was revised and now refers explicitly to because they covered both hub37 schools (with minimum of hub schools as being the first priority criterion for funds allocation to 200 students) and non-hub schools with minimum of 350 shelter projects. The shelter resolution references this in Annex 6 students. Given that hub schools have branches and 'Criteria determining the priority of the selection of projects related transport students/staff to the main institution, they to the new construction of protective structures of civil protection represent an important piece of the government’s school and the reconstruction or major repair of other objects that network consolidation policy. As such, the prior subvention constitute the fund of protective structures of civil protection in was less efficient because it did not explicitly target hub institutions of general secondary education'. schools which themselves are part of the strategic objective for school network consolidation. Equity Challenge: Prior criteria had no geographical focus by Response: The subvention was revised in 2024 to introduce a regions, regardless of disproportionate needs for shelters regional targeting criterion to focus on the regions that need and disproportionate access to offline education. Instead, subvention funds most: funding is now being allocated among 8 all regions were allocated a share of subvention funds regions only (except for completion of works started last year). regardless of relative need. As such, the prior subvention These regions are in highest need due to greatest challenges for was less inclusive and less equitable. continuity of education, as they border the frontline and/or have had some territories which came back under the government’s control, Note: The municipal tax capacity index is a measure of which require rehabilitation of learning spaces. In addition to communities’ economic capacity to pay taxes, and thus is geographical targeting, subvention funds will also only be allocated also utilized as a proxy for the socioeconomic status of the for schools working in distance/hybrid mode (study takes place local community. In both 2023 and 2024, this tax capacity there), further contributing to more equitable distribution of index has been incorporated into the subvention criteria to resources. afford more lenience to lower-SES communities in terms of the expected share of co-financing for shelter project eligibility (i.e. lower-SES communities contribute smaller shares of co-financing). This means that community-level SES as a measure of equity has already been incorporated (and continues to be so) in the shelter subvention. 37A hub educational institution is a general secondary education institution that has branches and transports students and teaching staff (if necessary) to this institution and back, as well as equipped with qualified teaching staff, has modern material and technical equipment and educational and methodological base, a safe educational environment and is able, in accordance with the requirements of this Law, to ensure the acquisition of an appropriate level of primary, basic and/or specialized secondary education at the level of state standards. (point 6 Article 31 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On General Secondary Education’). Page 40 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Transparency Challenge: The prior subvention resolution Response: The revised subvention resolution for 2024 uses the had a non-transparent and more subjective method for DREAM system for project application, selection, and monitoring, selecting sub-projects. There was no specialized project thereby increasing transparency and reducing potential for human management system in use for project application, interference into the results of funding allocation and a single selection, and monitoring. Coordination and selection of the ‘window’ into all subvention works. project application had been done by regional administrations, potentially permitting substantial human interference to the results. Monitoring was limited to the use of subvention funds, reviewed by MoES monthly as per the reports provided by regional administrations. DLI 3. Updated allocation criteria for the school bus subvention to the regions   DLR 3.1: 2024 school bus subvention is allocated based on data-driven needs, prioritizing high-need regions and streamlined redistribution mechanism. Response: The revised subvention resolution contains several elements which promote more efficient procedures for disbursement on the local level: Efficiency Challenge: Prior subvention permitted a less 1. If local authorities do not start procurement procedures or efficient distribution and use of funding, which led to delays allocate co-funding within 3 months from subvention funds in allocation and initiation of procurement activities allocation, MoES may redistribute the funds. (inefficient both in terms of time use and financial 2. Regional administrations may re-allocate disbursed subvention resources). This is because no specific accountability funds among its local communities, within the overall funding measures were included in the subvention in 2023 for local caps per region. level authorities. 3. Municipal schools only get disbursements from regional administrations if they provide a guarantee letter from their community on availability of co-funding and commitment to timely use all allocated funds. All of these provisions will contribute to faster and more efficient use of resources. Equity Challenge: Prior subvention lacked criteria to Response: Revised subvention for 2024 contains more equitable prioritize based on educational access across regions, needs-based prioritization criteria to enable returning to offline meaning that funds were allocated on an inequitable basis study process, with introduction of the coefficients that are with relation to students’ access to education. established for each region, depending on the proximity to the front line: (i) Kharkiv region, with 4 points; (ii) Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Note: As above, the municipal tax capacity index has been Odesa, Sumy, Kherson and Chernihiv regions – 2 points; and (iii) all used in both 2023 and 2024 as a pro-equity criterion to other regions of Ukraine – 1 point. allow lower-SES communities to contribute relatively smaller shares of co-financing. Response: Starting in 2024, the school bus subvention is allocated by Transparency Challenge: Prior subvention lacked the MoES in proportion to the number of students in the region who transparent rules on how school bus subvention funds are need transportation (as reported by schools) and who are not allocated vis-à-vis student enrollment numbers. This provided with school buses, in accordance with the law. Both the allowed for more subjective allocation of funds to schools, law defining the category of students requiring transportation and regardless of number of students needing to be the subvention resolution describing this process is made publicly transported. available. DLI 7. - Support for school network optimization DLR 7.1: 2025 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 50% relative to 2024 DLR 7.2: 2026 education subvention allocation formula is updated to increase minimum student requirement per school by at least 30% relative to 2025 Page 41 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Efficiency Challenge: Since 2016 to 2024, the threshold for Response: The revised resolution promotes ‘soft’ measures for funding was 25 as minimum number of students per school optimization of the school network across several years: required to receive subvention financing for teacher 1) Setting 45 as minimum number of students per school required to salaries. In practice, this has meant that local communities receive subvention financing for teacher salaries from 2025 could maintain very small schools, resulting in high per- 2) Setting 60 as minimum number of students per school required to student costs relative to larger schools. The subvention receive subvention financing for teacher salaries since 2026 allocation did not incentivize local communities to improve The change in the allocation of the education subvention will efficiency of their local school networks. For example, there incentivize local authorities to consolidate schools, while also are over 750 active (operating) schools in Ukraine as of 2024 maintaining protections for (public/communal and private) schools with 25 or fewer students registered which are neither hub which serve only primary students (grades 1-4). nor satellite schools. Government program governance structure and institutional arrangements 8. The government program implementation arrangements are appropriate and already functional, but an IPF component will complement the PforR to further strengthen capacity. The MoES is the lead implementing agency for the Strategic Action Plan at the central level, which coordinates the implementation and M&E of the different activities across directorates, municipalities, and education agencies. Each of the key initiatives of the Strategic Action Plan is spearheaded by a Deputy Minister at the central MoES level. Beyond the collection of annual statistics based on AIKOM, a Strategic Action Plan M&E is being set up, which will also include monitoring and benchmarking of results achievement. However, institutional capacity for managing and implementing this comprehensive and ambitious Strategic Action Plan in the MoES, education agencies, and municipalities is constrained. To address this, an IPF component will complement the PforR by supporting piloting and technical assistance for the NUS reform in the next grades (8 and 9) and strengthening the MoES’ capacity to manage critical reforms and allocate resources. The goal of the IPF will be to pilot early steps of the NUS implementation in higher grades. Thus, it will finance technical assistance for the development of educational methodologies and teacher professional development for the grades 8 to 9. Importantly, the IPF will also enhance the management capacity of the MoES related to the NUS, to specifically strengthen (i) data and evidence, (ii) sectoral and infrastructure planning, monitoring, and (iii) the efficiency of domestic financing. Thus, the IPF will cover technical assistance, staff recruitment, as well as consulting services, studies, and evaluations to inform the NUS implementation. These capacity-strengthening activities will also benefit education agencies in Ukraine. Program Expenditure Framework 9. Ukraine had been spending more on education relative to its GDP than many comparators, including the EU and OECD averages. As of 2019, Ukraine spent 6 percent of GDP on education, higher than regional peers as well as above the average for EU countries and for OECD member countries. However, education spending as a percentage of total government expenditure decreased from 20.9 to 15.8 percent between 2013 and 2020. The decline brought Ukraine closer to international benchmarks in terms of the share of public expenditures devoted to education (at all levels of government, from municipalities to the state level), but public spending remains high and has more than tripled in absolute terms since 2013, to ultimately reach UAH 308,598 million in 2021. Meanwhile, expenditures on school education represent the lion’s share of education spending and were growing prior to February 2022: expenditure on school education grew from 41.9 percent of all education expenditures in 2013 to 48.5 percent in 2020. 10. Since 2014, Ukraine has introduced subventions from the State Budget to local budgets for the implementation of education services. That reform created a modern system of local government finance in Ukraine, with a fixed list of revenues of local governments, including shared taxes, own revenues, subventions (targeted, conditional transfers) and donations (general, non-conditional transfers), each with its own allocation rules. This system of specific revenue streams replaced a previous, much more complex set of formulas encompassing both the planned expenditures and the planned revenues of rayons. Ukraine’s education system now has over 10 years of experience using subventions as a targeted Page 42 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) financing tool to achieve policy goals within the decentralized context. The passage of the Framework Law on Education in 2017 set the policy foundation for sector-wide education reforms that aim to enhance the quality of education in Ukraine and bring the country closer to standards of EU and OECD countries. 11. Against this background, the Program will be financed over four years (2024–2027) for a total expenditure framework of US$1.06 billion, including the World Bank Program Financing of US$385 million. As a subset of the government program, the PforR will finance specific budget lines under the NUS sub-program and incentivize specific results to increase efficiency and transparency in the implementation of select interventions financed under the program of subventions. Table A2.2 – Relevant Budget Programs under Expenditure Program Government program’s Budget Title of budget program Brief explanation Funds Strategic Goals Code administrator Priority 2: “New Ukrainian School” Reform Strategic Goal 2.1. 2211310 Some issues of providing subventions from Subvention for MoES Students learn in a safe, the state budget to local budgets for the shelters at schools modern, and inclusive provision of safe conditions in general educational environment secondary education institutions 2211320 Subvention from the state budget to local Subvention for MoES budgets for the purchase of school buses school buses 2201260 National measures in the field of education Printing textbooks MoES Strategic Goal 2.2. 2211230 Subvention from the state budget to local Subvention for New MoES Students receive quality budgets to ensure high-quality, modern and Ukrainian School education according to the affordable general secondary education NUS principles and approaches 2211190 Education subvention from the state budget Education MoES of the NUS to local budgets subvention (teachers' salaries) Strategic Goal 2.4. 2201470 Implementation of external evaluation and UCEQA activities on MoES Educational institution monitoring of the quality of education by the education teaching teams work Ukrainian Center for Evaluation of the Quality assessment based on partnership and of Education and its regional units implement principles and approaches of the NUS Program Economic Evaluation 12. The economic impact of the government program (as defined by the program boundary) was assessed by modeling and comparing the cost of the government program investment related to in-person learning and improved education quality with value of the human capital created. The increase in future earnings due to improved learning quantifies in dollar terms the value of the human capital created. To assess the government program’s improvement of learning through (1) increasing in-person learning and (2) improved education quality, the expected impacts of these two results areas on learning and subsequently on future earnings were quantified. The expected impacts on learning were modeled based on international experience of similar interventions on learning, and their subsequent impact on future earnings was modeled based on the analysis of the Ukraine STEP data. The resulting impacts on future earnings were then compared to the costs of the government program’s investments aimed at increasing in-person learning and improving education quality. Page 43 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) 13. The government program’s investments that were assessed included those related to achieving the outcomes under Results Area 1: increasing in-person learning (building shelters and purchasing buses) and improving education quality (training for teachers and textbooks). The government program investments included in this analysis cover the bulk of expenditure related to achieving Results Area 1. For the economic analysis, these are grouped into two categories: activities related to improving in-person learning (shelters and buses) and improving education quality (teacher training and textbooks). Note that teacher salaries would need to be paid regardless of whether in-person learning is increased, and teaching is improved; hence, teacher salaries do not factor as an increased cost due to increasing in-person learning or improving education quality. 14. By comparing modeled benefits with costs, the modelled economic rate of return for the government program investments is 14 percent. The cost-benefit model estimated the benefits in terms of future increased earnings from improved learning outcomes for the two groups of activities discussed above: (1) increasing in-person learning by providing shelters and buses, and (2) improving education quality including improving teacher training and textbooks. The modeled effects of these interventions on learning outcomes are based on the effect sizes found in international research (see Technical Assessment). The impact of these interventions on student learning are assumed to happen only once in a student’s life. For buses they are expected to improve learning for students for the next 20 years, teacher training and textbooks for the next 10 years, and for shelters just one time for all student currently in school. The impact of improved learning on earnings and employment rates are based on estimates using the 2012 Ukraine STEP survey data scaled to match the latest data on average earnings. The modeled economic rate of return for increasing access to in-person learning (through both shelters and buses) is 7 percent and, for improving education quality, 18 percent. 15. Under Results Area 2, the Program would also generate fiscal savings through progress towards consolidation of schools and classes. Ukraine has been in a long-term process of adjustment of the school network towards demographic decline and fiscal constraints. But since February 2022, local governments have been struggling to adapt to the massive displacement of both student-aged children and youth as well as teachers, and this has hampered their efforts to adapt their school networks to longer term demographic trends. In response, the Program will support the government’s efforts to improve efficiency of spending through school size thresholds specified in the education subvention. This is expected to generate fiscal savings through reduced per-student fixed costs (e.g.: heating costs, administrative costs including personnel, teaching costs as class sizes increase). Page 44 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 3. SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT 1. This annex provides a summary of the Environmental and Social Systems Assessment prepared for the PForR Program in accordance with paragraph 9 of Section III of the PforR Policy and the World Bank PforR Directive. The ESSA (a) examines the scope, context, and potential impacts of the Program from an E&S perspective; (b) assesses in detail the different E&S effects under the Program activities, including indirect and cumulative effects, contextual and political risks related to the E&S issues; (c) assesses the capacity of national bodies in addressing related E&S risks and identify any complex risks in implementing E&S measures; (d) compares the borrower’s systems (laws, regulations, standards, procedures, and implementation performance) against the PforR core E&S principles; and (e) formulates recommended measures to address capacity for and performance on policy issues and specific operational aspects relevant to managing program risks. 2. Methodology: To prepare the ESSA of the proposed operation, the World Bank assessed the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) environmental and social systems by analyzing available documents and working sessions with the main stakeholders, as well as relevant national legislation and practices. The ESSA is completed based on: current knowledge and supplementary research of environmental and social systems that are relevant to the program, including regulatory frameworks governing environmental and social assessment; labor and health and safety; cultural heritage; construction standards; non-discrimination, gender and disability inclusion; information disclosure and grievance redress; as well as environmental and social performance of such regulatory frameworks based on experience from other World Bank operations, reviews of existing analytical and diagnostic products, published information, and reports, and site visits to schools that have constructed protective shelters in previous years. To further inform its development, the ESSA has been consulted with a wider range of relevant stakeholders and interested parties prior to effectiveness. Due to the implications of martial law, limited in person consultations are possible; on-line consultations were the consultation modality. 3. Environmental risks are rated Substantial. Environmental risks and impacts are mostly associated with project- related civil works (for rehabilitation/installation of infrastructure/equipment) and issues associated with school buses. Rehabilitation and construction-related risks include potential increased pollution due to improper care, handling and storage of construction material and waste; temporary impact on cross drainage; water/soil quality impacts in case of construction pollution as well as pressures on the environment caused by the material sourcing; generation of excessive noise and dust levels from trucks and other construction machinery; soil disturbance during earthworks; tree-cutting and loss of vegetation; negative impact on ecosystems (through disturbance); traffic safety issues; community and workers’ health and safety incidents. School buses operations-related risks include design and functional layout for new facilities (shelters) and equipment to ensure proper OHS conditions and community health and safety; and practices to manage household and organic waste. These risks are site-specific and temporary and can be mitigated by existing construction and healthcare management best practices. However, these risks may be exacerbated by potential aerial strikes and other military actions which add an element of extreme uncertainty and risk of fatality or serious injury that cannot be entirely mitigated by environmental and social management measures. Also, there is a risk that project sites may become a target for aerial strikes which will endanger nearby communities and site workers. Other war-related risks include possible site contaminations with hazardous compounds and ERWs. 4. The social risks are rated Substantial. The proposed operation will have positive social effects by increasing access to in-person learning and improving teaching and learning conditions in Ukraine. However, the operation takes place within a highly volatile context, and the community and worker health and safety and security risks in the education sector are high. These risks are highly contextual, beyond the immediate control of the borrower, and the operation is designed to help mitigate these impacts on the education system in Ukraine and build resilience against future shocks. The key potential adverse social effects are associated with the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 286 Page 45 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) protective structures within existing schools that are supported under PforR Results Area 1; for example, if the structures are not constructed properly leading to collapse or injury during operation, or if health and safety of workers and community (including children at school sites) are affected by the works. Land acquisition will be excluded from the program. Other social risks of the program are related to ensuring that the benefits (e.g., school shelters, buses, textbooks, teacher training) are designed to be inclusive, and accessible to vulnerable individuals and groups, for example by reaching the poorest children, and children with disabilities. 5. Environmental and social systems for shelters: Robust environmental and social systems are in place for constructing shelters with gaps related to contractor management and monitoring at subnational and local levels. Ukraine has a well-set system for managing environmental and social impacts for civil works embedded in the primary legislation (on impact assessment, on labor conditions etc.), as well as construction, labor and sanitary norms and regulations. Some features such as disability access, material sourcing, climate adaptation and so on are not mandated by ES legislation but by the design regulations adding another separate layer of oversight/supervision. For construction/retrofitting of shelters, the EIA (Ukrainian abbreviation ‘OVD’) is not required by law, hence, all the requirements will be outlined in the general design documentation (with sections on the environmental protection measures (Ukrainian abbreviation ‘OVNS’) and OHS), with supervision role assigned to the authorized party. The MoES mandate is to disburse funds to local authorities. They receive financial reports on implementation but do not currently have a mandate to monitor construction and system gaps exist owing to capacity constraints at local level for contractor management and regulatory enforcement by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. Also, very little monitoring role is given to the beneficiaries of the subvention (schools, local administrations) due to lack of technical knowledge, among other things. This results in sometimes subpar performance on account of community and occupational health and safety (absent site fencing, lack of PPE usage, incompliant working schedule, lack of adherence to safety protocols etc.), waste management (inappropriate storage of construction and hazardous waste), incident reporting etc. To address system gaps, MoES is planning to incorporate an Environmental and Social Management Plan Checklist (developed in compliance with WB Core Principles and EHS Guidelines) into the resolution for school shelters subvention. The objectives of the ESMP Checklist are to inform a wider audience (contractors, workers, local administration representatives, school staff, parents) about applicable regulations and required ES mitigation measures. The ESMP Checklist provides guidance to the the project administrator on how to use it, and outlines measures to avoid and minimize the potential risks and negative impacts on the environment, as well as health and safety of the community and workers, including children at school sites, during construction works. Further dissemination and training of contractors and local authorities to employ the ESMP Checklist is necessary. 6. The program will support budget funds for shelter construction that will be accessed by application submitted by local authorities to the MoES. The application process and approval of budget subventions is governed by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on “Issues regarding the establishment of safe conditions in general secondary education institutions”. The Resolution sets out geographic areas where shelters can be constructed based on approved security and safety zones (i.e. proximity to areas with security concerns). The 2024 resolution introduces new sets out criteria for scoring and decision-making regarding applications based on financial sustainability, project readiness and where the funds are needed the most to restore or continue with in-person learning in areas close to the front lines or areas that are once again under the government’s control, and other factors. Communities with lower tax capacity will be given additional scoring points to help ensure distributional equity. The MoES will use the unified national Digital Integrated Information and Analytical System (DREAM) to rank applications and promote transparent decision making. The ESSA recommends that selection criteria for future shelter subventions be developed to consider socioeconomic factors. 7. Environmental and Social Systems Assessment for school buses. The program will also support budget subventions for general secondary schools to purchase school buses to support in-person learning by addressing Page 46 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) transportation constraints. The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on “Issues of providing subvention from the state budget to local budgets for the purchase of school buses” has been passed by the government and will be put into effect. The resolution on school buses references the requirements for such buses, and if the school has students with limited mobility and wishes to purchase a bus for transporting wheelchairs, it specifies the applicable Ukrainian standards. The ESSA recommends that the MoES conduct additional needs assessment for transportation for children with disabilities with relevant stakeholders, and issue additional instructions to oblast/district in this regard. The ESSA also recommends that all schools should develop safety protocols (Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans) for instances of war-related hazards (for example, aerial strikes) that occur during transportation. Protocols for technical maintenance and driver’s qualification requirements are covered by existing national legislation for traffic safety and others. 8. Environmental and Social Systems Assessment Teacher Training and Textbooks. Teacher training and textbooks activities supported under the Program are being rolled out under a broader rollout of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) curriculum. As described in the technical assessment, NUS was designed and initiated in 2018 and is aligned with EU norms and underwent extensive public consultation. No environmental and social risks of serious concern have been noted. Regarding the program activities for teacher training and textbooks; Ukrainian regulatory framework contains a wide range of policies and legislation at various administrative levels, pertaining to gender and social inclusion within the education system and applicable to development of educational materials and inclusive access of program benefits for vulnerable groups. The MoES has developed a comprehensive operational plan of measures for 2022-2024 detailing a wide range of activities to increase staff qualifications and awareness in areas such as eliminating gender stereotypes, awareness about gender equality, and gender-based violence. The ESSA recommends that MoES establish a gender function or unit with adequate staffing to support the implementation of its operational plan. The ESSA also recommends that knowledge requirements (curriculum for teacher training, textbooks, etc.) are issued by the MoES to promote and implement feasible climate change adaptation/mitigation measures, sustainable development practices, etc. 9. Stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanism. There are several national policies and regulations that comprise cross-cutting systems for stakeholder engagement and information disclosure across all the program activities. In addition to obligations imposed to the MoES by the Laws of Ukraine which regulates citizen appeals, the Ministry has its own communication mechanisms. To meet the informational needs of citizens, the MoES actively utilizes social media platforms. The Ministry also operates a Hotline regarding educational issues for citizens from territories temporarily not under the government’s control. The Ministry actively conducts online consultations and has a dedicated webpage on the Ministry's website providing summaries of active and archived consultations. The Ministry also has several grievance channels consistent with Ukrainian Law, and an Ombudsman dedicated to MoES responsible for mediating and addressing complaints. Ukrainian Law does not allow for anonymous complaints. Further recommendations for ensuring the program has an accessible, effective and confidential grievance mechanism, will be provided. To this end, the ESSA recommends that the MoES establishes a grievance mechanism for the program including a channel for anonymous complaints; prepares procedures for handling of GBV complaints in a confidential, survivor, and safety-centered manner consistent with good international practice, including referral protocols to qualified providers, and including guidance to schools. Page 47 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 4. PROGRAM ACTION PLAN @#&OPS~Doctype~OPS^dynamics@padpfrannexprogramactionplan#doctemplate DLI Responsibilit Completion Action Description Source # y Timing Measurement Project Environmenta NA MoES Other ES staff should be Regular ES management unit l and Social hired 1 month reporting should maintain Systems after the Program (quarterly) requisite effectiveness environmental and date and social staffing (1 maintained social/stakeholder throughout engagement Program specialist and 1 implementation environmental/OH S specialist) Issue a ministerial Environmenta NA MoES Other 3 months after ES Checklist recommendation l and Social the Program dissemination in connection to Systems effectiveness evidence subvention for date shelters, annually, to adopt the Environmental and Social Checklist (Annex 1) for all shelter subvention beneficiaries, and ensure it is included in the civil works contracts Create a Environmenta NA MoES Other 6 months from Supervision Plan comprehensive l and Social the Program Capacity capacity building Systems effectiveness building and and supervision supervision program in line program and with scope regular outlined in Annex 3 reporting on its of the ESSA. implementation Develop safety Environmenta NA MoES Other 3 months from Report on protocols l and Social the Program safety protocols (Emergency Systems effectiveness Page 48 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Preparedness and preparation and Response Plans) implementation for instances of war hazards. Prepare guidance Environmenta NA MoES Other 3 months from Completion of checklist for l and Social Program procedures and handling GBV Systems Effectiveness dissemination complaints in a of guidance confidential, sensitive, survivor- and safety- centered manner consistent with good international practice, including referral protocols to qualified providers and guidance to schools Prepare a Environmenta NA MoES Other Within one Plan delivered stakeholder l and Social month of and report engagement and Systems Program implementation communication effectiveness thereafter planning document for the program including the grievance mechanism equipped to handle anonymous complaints and SEA/SH complaints Further to the Environmenta NA MoES Other 1 month from the Instructions resolution on l and Social Program issued buses, conduct Systems Effectiveness needs assessment Date on transporting children with disabilities and issue instructions accordingly on Page 49 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) purchasing buses with accessibility for children with limited mobility Confirm targeting Environmenta NA MoES Other Prior to issuance To be criteria for shelter l and Social of 2025 and 2026 integrated into subventions Systems subventions 2025 and 2026 includes respectively subvention socioeconomic factors (e.g. municipal tax capacity) Establish a gender Environmenta NA MoES Other 6 months after Unit function /unit with l and Social the Program established/staf staffing to support Systems Effectiveness f recruited as implementation of Date per the Operational organizational Plan. chart (supported under the IPF) Procurement Plans Fiduciary NA Implementing Recurren Semi-Annually Program published regularly Systems Institutions t Progress Report with default including competitive procurement methods indicated KPIs results for the Program procurement activities supporting achievement of DLIs Progress Report Fiduciary NA MoES Recurren Semi-Annually Program should provide list Systems t Progress Report of procurements completed annually by type and amount (indicating % use of competitive methods & direct contracting), participation rates, Page 50 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) # of complaints & contracts completed. Any procurement training provided. Program progress Fiduciary NA MoES Recurren Semi-Annually Semi-annual report should Systems t Program Report confirm that no contracts has been awarded to a suspended or debarred firm Share Other NA MoES Other Immediately Receipt of ACG information/report when allegations report on corruption are allegations with reported/receive the Bank d Bi-annually for immediately when consolidated identified and a report consolidated bi- annual report describing the details of the reported allegations and actions taken Disseminate Bank’s Other NA MoES Recurren Continuous List of anti-corruption t institutions guidelines together receiving with updated lists information of the debarred and temporarily suspended firms and individuals among implementing institutions Conduct annual Other NA MoES Recurren Yearly Meeting held meetings with the t with anticorruption appropriate officers of the attendance implementing among Page 51 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) institutions to implementing discuss institutions dissemination and compliance with the Bank’s anti- corruption rules and procedures Page 52 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 5. IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT PLAN The Implementation Support Strategy is based on several mechanisms that will enable enhanced implementation support to the MoES, effective monitoring of the Program, and guidance to implementing agencies on technical, fiduciary, environmental, and social aspects, as necessary. The implementation support thus comprises (a) continuous implementation support through virtual and in person meetings; (b) joint review meetings and missions; (c) regular field visits; (d) progress reporting on DLI achievement; and (e) M&E. A local staff (ETC), based in Kyiv, will be hired to support the team. Main focus of Implementation Support Time Focus Skills Needed Resources Estimate Partner Role First twelve months  Prior results  Program planning and  Task team support, verification monitoring support. including a local staff  DLRs monitoring  Technical support to based in Kyiv. and verification. prepare the pilot.  At least 2  NUS pilot design  Fiduciary, Social and implementation  Organizing the PIU Environmental support to support visits by task  Launch of launch the IPF related team leaders. procurement processes processes 12-36 months  Support to DLRs  Program implementation  Task team support, monitoring and monitoring. including a local staff verification.  Fiduciary, environmental based in Kyiv.  NUS pilot and social monitoring.  At least 2 implementation  Technical support for NUS implementation  Institutional pilot implementation and support visits per strengthening evaluation. year by task team leaders. Task Team Skills Mix Requirements for Implementation Support Skills Needed Number of Staff Weeks Number of Trips Comments Team leadership 2 task team leaders, one based in Vienna, and one based in DC. Technical support and advice for the implementation of NUS 40 staff weeks per 2 staff members with expertise on according to evidence and best 4 per year year education reform and institutional international practices. strengthening. Supervision of fiduciary and E&S 1 Local staff (ETC) Page 53 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Support for implementation and monitoring of the NUS pilot. Capacity building for MoES. Fiduciary support: - FM guidance and supervision 12 staff weeks per 1 - Procurement guidance and year supervision Environmental and Social support and supervision: - Environmental guidance and 12 staff weeks per 1 supervision year - Social guidance and supervision Technical support: - Basic education reform Teacher development specialist 16 staff weeks per implementation and 2 Impact evaluation specialist year evaluation. Capacity building specialist. - Institutional strengthening Role of Partners in Program Implementation Name Institution/Country Role Government of Finland Finland Support on NUS Pilot for 10-12 grades Supporting learning recovery programs UNICEF United Nations aligned to NUS Contributing to teacher training UNESCO United Nations programs development OECD OECD Design of the Upper secondary reform Support the design of educational Republic of Korea Korea materials Page 54 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 6. INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING COMPONENT 1. The IPF component aims at supporting MoES in the piloting of the NUS reform in the upper grades (8 and 12) and strengthening the MoES’ capacity to manage the sector (US$30 million). As a support to the broad NUS reform, the IPF will support the design, implementation, and analysis of the pilot of NUS reform for grades 8-13 in selected schools. In addition, the IPF will also enhance the management capacity of the MoES related to the NUS reform management to strengthen the use of data and evidence for sectoral planning and monitoring. 2. Sub-component 1. Support NUS pilot in Grades 8 to 12 (US$20M). This sub-component will provide technical support to the pilot of NUS reform for grades 8 to 9 in approximately ~149 selected schools that have already piloted the previous grades 1 to 7. The project will support the design, implementation, and analysis of the four components of the pilot: (i) teaching and learning materials; (ii) training of teachers; (iii) training of managers and (iv) learning environments. These activities will be done in coordination with other development partners such as the Government of the Republic of Korea, contributing to the development of learning materials; UNESCO, supporting the preparation of teacher training program; and the government of Finland and the OECD, which are working to design the NUS reform for grades 10-12. The MoES and the Bank team prepared a plan to ensure that these different supports are complementary and don’t overlap during the pilots. 3. The activities will include: i. Developing, printing, delivering, and testing teaching and learning materials for the NUS pilot. ii. Training of school principals and their deputies for the pilot: providing teacher and manager training according to the NUS curriculum; and provision of technical assistance to design a fit-for-purpose instrument for measuring teacher classroom practices and to implement said instrument in a sample of classrooms in grades 8 and 9. iii. Improving the physical learning environment for the pilot, providing STEM, ICT, and other equipment to pilot schools at the basic education level with, inter alia, STEM equipment, furniture, ICT devices, etc., aligned with the NUS standards. No infrastructure works are planned as part of this support. 4. Sub-component 2. Strengthening the MoES Management Capacity (US$9M). This part seeks to strengthen the MoES capacity to successfully manage, monitor, and evaluate the rollout of the NUS reform by (i) enhancing MoES technical teams that will lead the planning and monitoring of the reform; (ii) strengthening the capacities of the Ukrainian Institute of Education Development (UIRO), in charge of the development of educational materials for the NUS reform, (iii) supporting the creation of an platform for student assessments aligned to NUS reform; (iv) modernization of the education management information system (AIKOM) to inform the decision making of the NUS reform, and (v) enhancing the education infrastructure planning for the reconstruction of the education infrastructure, using school designs aligned to the NUS reform and promoting the school network optimization. The activities will include: i. Strengthening the teams in charge of the NUS reform, including technical support to (i) the Directorate of School Education, through technical assistance to the NUS implementation office (NIO) to plan, monitor and evaluate the reform at national and decentralized levels and (ii) MoES teams in charge of NUS reform administration and communication. ii. Strengthening the UIRO capacity through a) an organizational capacity audit, b) the design of a capacity development plan, c) staff training, d) the creation of a digital platform for the storage, distribution, organization, and assessment of digital educational materials, and e) provision of material and equipment for educational and methodological labs of UIRO. Page 55 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) iii. Creating Special Online Platform for State Final Examination (DPA) through a) the development and piloting of SOP software, and b) modernizing of SOP software during its implementation and providing technical support. iv. Modernization of AIKOM through a) development of new AIKOM functionality, b) support for AIKOM interoperability with the solutions/clients; and c) ensuring provision of services and equipment for information systems functioning, management, and security at AIKOM. v. Education infrastructure planning through the development of innovative designs aligned to the NUS teaching and learning practices and the preparation of investment plans to support schools to meet the NUS standards. These could include, i.e., education infrastructure network characterization, development of architectural principles aligned to the NUS reform and preparation of an education infrastructure plan at system level. No site-specific activities would be supported under this activity. 5. Sub-component 3. Project Management and Monitoring (US$1M). The objective is to support the effective management and implementation of the proposed program through the PIU. The project will support mainly the salaries for such consultants, including a project manager and fiduciary, environmental and social risk management specialists, as established in the operational manual. It would also finance training activities, targeted technical assistance, data collection and analysis, project M&E, and operating costs. 6. Sub-component 4. Contingent Emergency Response Component: Following an eligible crisis or emergency, the Borrower may request the World Bank to re-allocate project funds to support emergency response and reconstruction. This component would draw from the uncommitted loan/credit/grant resources under the project from other the IPF component to cover emergency response. As part of project preparation, the Borrower prepares, with the World Bank’s support, a CERC Annex to the Operational Manual (OM). Page 56 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) ANNEX 7. SUMMARY OF CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS Allocation DLI (US$ Contribution to climate change adaptation Mitigation million) DLI 1. Updated 25 The selection of shelter sites that are less prone to The selection of locations for shelters that are near existing allocation criteria the effects of climate change, such as extreme infrastructure can reduce the need for additional for the shelters weather, flooding, or rising sea levels, will be vital for construction, thereby decreasing emissions from building subvention to the climate change adaptation. This strategic placement activities and long-term operational energy use. Shelters regions ensures that shelters remain safe and operational can also be placed to take advantage of renewable energy during climate-related disasters, providing a secure sources, like solar or wind, which contributes to reducing place for affected individuals. Constructing shelters greenhouse gas emissions. with climate-resilient designs and materials further ensures their durability against such events. Additionally, these shelters can be used to educate communities about climate change preparedness, supporting the objectives of global climate agreements like COP27 by fostering a more informed and resilient populace. DLI 2. Additional 65 The construction of shelters in schools will be Shelters will be built with considerations to limit GHG students and climate-informed to ensure that educational emissions, including by: teachers with institutions have multi-purpose safe spaces that can  Following energy efficiency standards, in line with the access to act as shelters in the event of weather or climate- highest efficiency standards in Ukraine/the EU constructed or related disasters. This approach includes: avoiding  Using low-emissions design and construction materials rehabilitated new constructions in high-risk areas (particularly at and processes, in line with the highest/latest standards shelters risk of flooding, extreme heat, and water scarcity) and technologies in Ukraine Incorporating resilience measures in existing  Using materials that are locally or EU-sourced to the constructions in high-risk areas, such as flood extent possible. embankments, wider drainage, heat resistant building materials, rainwater harvesting systems,  Using energy efficient and low emissions building etc. materials and technologies, design, and construction Page 57 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) practices, in line with the highest efficiency standards in Construction will include water conservation and Ukraine/the EU. this includes: improved water efficiency through rainwater  Utilizing materials with high thermal insulation harvesting and on-site treatment systems, where properties, such as insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and feasible. structural insulated panels (SIPs).  Implementing green roofs and walls to enhance School safety plans and evacuation protocols will be insulation and reduce heat absorption. informed by and designed to respond to local climate risks and exposure to floods, heat, water  Installing high-efficiency windows and doors to scarcity, and other context-relevant disasters, minimize energy loss. thereby building adaptive capacity and ensuring the  Incorporating smart building technologies for energy safety and well-being of students and staff in the management, such as automated lighting and climate face of increasing climate vulnerabilities in Ukraine. control systems.  Utilizing LED lighting and smart lighting controls to reduce energy consumption and improve lighting efficiency.  Choosing paints, coatings, and adhesives with low or no volatile organic compounds to improve indoor air quality and reduce environmental impact.  Designing for natural ventilation through strategically placed operable windows and vents. Renewable energy sources will also be incorporated to reduce dependence on fossil fuel-based energy sources. DLI 3. Updated 25 Through an improved allocation criteria of the buses An improved selection of municipalities to receive school allocation criteria subvention, municipalities that are more vulnerable buses can reduce overall vehicle emissions, decreasing the for the school bus to the impacts of climate change, such as those number of individual car trips required for school subvention to the experiencing frequent extreme weather events, can commutes. Additionally, the promotion of buses that are regions be prioritized to ensure that students have reliable powered by clean energy or are more fuel-efficient can and safe transportation to and from school. By contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing school buses, these municipalities can aligning with the goals of international climate initiatives such as COP27. Page 58 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) maintain educational continuity during climate- related disruptions. Furthermore, improved regulations can be part of the adaptation strategy, with features that allow them to operate in a variety of weather conditions and on different terrains. DLI 4. Additional 35 School buses will provide a means for access to Transportation using fuel-efficient, modern buses that the students with education in communities that might be affected by highest EU standards on efficiency (EURO5 or EURO6), to access to free bus climate change, such as intense rainstorms resulting reduce GHG emissions associated with traditional fossil transportation in mudslides and flooding, and provide safe fuel-powered vehicles. transport of students during extreme weather events. Limit school communities’ exposure to air pollution by reducing the use of traditional, fossil-fuel powered vehicles. Climate-resilient fleet management strategies will ensure that school buses remain operational during Optimized route planning for more efficient use of extreme weather events and are accessible if resources and to contribute to the reduction of overall climatic changes require adjustments in school traffic congestion, emissions, and pollution. schedules. This entails:  Regular maintenance checks to prepare vehicles Provide school transportation to encourage the take-up of for harsh weather conditions, installing all- public transportation and reduce the plying of private, weather tires, and ensuring adequate fuel single household vehicles and private transportation that supply. generate higher emissions and pollution.  Integrating GPS tracking systems that help reroute buses quickly in response to sudden weather changes to ensure minimal disruption to school schedules.  Training drivers on emergency protocols, equipping buses with emergency kits containing essential supplies, and establishing communication networks to keep parents, Page 59 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) students, and school staff informed during extreme weather events. These buses will prioritize students most vulnerable to climate impacts, thereby helping build resilience and ensure continued access to education. This includes:  creating a priority list based on those living in areas more vulnerable to climate impacts  coordinating with local authorities to identify and support the most at-risk students  establishing clear communication channels with families, and ensuring these students are picked up and dropped off first during extreme weather events will be crucial.  providing information and resources to families about coping with climate impacts can further support these vulnerable students. DLI 5. Teachers 60 Modules on climate change awareness, climate risk Certification programs will be offered for teachers on the trained to responsiveness, and technical education (including transition to green skills and jobs, including the latest implement the environmental and green skills for the green technologies on emissions reductions and green skills NUS reform transition and latest technologies on emissions needed for the green transition. reduction), will be incorporated into the teacher training curriculum to help students gain an Teachers will be trained to foster a reduction in emissions understanding of the causes, impacts, and solutions and introduce concepts of environmental stewardship and to climate change. sustainability in classrooms, as well as on using energy- efficient spaces and equipment, on environmental protection, on how to reduce waste, and on conservation of resources. Page 60 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Certification programs will be offered for teachers to develop skills related to climate change awareness and preparation. Professional development on the use of blended learning modalities will help ensure learning continuity and resilience to climate events and shocks, such as flooding and mudslides, especially as they could affect the school calendar. Teacher will be trained on emergency preparedness and response specific to climatic threats to ensure the safety of students during climate-induced emergencies. Training on psychological first aid will help teachers better support students experiencing trauma or anxiety related to climate-induced disasters, such as extreme flooding and related mudslides. Training will be provided for principals and teachers on how to carry out evacuation protocols, such as at the onset of climate change-induced emergencies. DLI 6. Students 90 Students will be given access to the contents of the This DLI supports the provision of textbooks that will include with access to new curriculum, which covers environmental lessons on how to: NUS Teaching & awareness and the basics of climate change, as well  raise student and staff awareness of how to reduce GHG Learning as the causes and impacts of climate change, laying emissions motivate them to take action to reduce Materials the groundwork for understanding and responding emissions to climatic threats, with a specific focus on  encourage them to form ‘eco-clubs’ and develop enhancing awareness of local climate risk exposure. practical learning solutions through local engagement, Page 61 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) Skills fostered under the new curriculum include with a focus on climate change mitigation and problem-solving, adaptability, and resilience to help sustainability. students to adapt to changing environments and challenges, including those posed by climate change. The new curriculum incorporates activities designed to encourage conservation efforts, such as recycling projects. New textbooks provided as part of the learning NUS support to STEM enhances students’ competencies in materials integrate climate education across various STEM enabling students to aspire for green jobs in sectors subjects and provide comprehensive information on such as sustainable construction, alternative energy, etc. climate change causes, impacts, and adaptation measures, promoting sustainable practices and Eco-friendly and locally-sourced materials for textbook enabling disaster preparedness and response. printing will be promoted, considering sustainable paper sources, environmentally friendly inks, and printing processes that minimize environmental impact. Longer and sustainable lifecycle management of textbooks will be emphasized, encouraging and guiding textbook reuse, recycling, and responsible disposal. DLI 7. Support for 49.6 Reducing the number of schools as part of network This DLI aims at increasing the efficiency of the allocation school network optimization can contribute to make educational criteria of the education (teacher salaries) subvention to the optimization infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of regions, including measures to reduce the number of small climate change. Consolidation can lead to the schools and improve the organization of the school strategic location of schools in areas less vulnerable network. By consolidating educational resources and to extreme weather events, which are becoming infrastructure, the school network optimization leads to a more frequent and severe due to climate change. decrease in energy consumption and greenhouse gas This approach ensures that educational services emissions from school facilities and transportation. Fewer remain accessible and that school buildings are schools mean less energy required for heating, cooling, and designed or retrofitted to withstand such events, lighting, and fewer school buses on the road, which thereby securing continuity in education amidst the collectively contribute to a reduction in the education challenges posed by a changing climate. sector's carbon footprint. This consolidation can also drive Additionally, the resources saved through the investment in and use of more sustainable, resilient consolidation can be redirected towards adaptive Page 62 The World Bank Lifting Education Access and Resilience in times of Need in Ukraine Program (P504171) measures, such as creating climate-resilient learning buildings and transport options, further aligning the environments and integrating adaptive strategies education sector with climate change mitigation efforts. into the curriculum, preparing students to live and thrive in a world with a changing climate Utilizing data-based methods for selecting schools and including climate risk considerations, ensures resources are directed where they are most needed. Implementing GIS mapping can help identify vulnerable areas, allowing for more targeted support. Prioritizing vulnerable groups and high- need areas, such as students lacking transportation to school, schools exposed to climate hazards (floods, mudslides, extreme heat, and droughts), and students with disabilities, will ensure equitable access to education. Regularly updating data to reflect changing climate patterns will keep investments resilient, relevant and effective. Page 63