The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 07/27/2022 | Report No: ESRSA02149 Jul 27, 2022 Page 1 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Maldives SOUTH ASIA P177768 Project Name Maldives Atoll Education Development Project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Investment Project 7/12/2022 9/22/2022 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Ministry of Finance Ministry of Education Proposed Development Objective Enhance access to, and quality of, secondary education. Public Disclosure Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 10.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The proposed Project will support the Government of Maldives (GoM) to improve learning outcomes in science, mathematics and English in the general education system, with a special focus on the secondary education grades 7- 10. The Project will also support the GoM to enable students to access vocational education opportunities in secondary education. The Project will also strengthen teacher performance through focused continuing teacher development initiatives and school-based teacher development programs. In addition, the Project will support the development and implementation of national assessments of learning outcomes for students at secondary grades with international modules. Further, the Project will assist the implementation of internal and external quality assurance and quality enhancement activities in schools. FInally, the Project will support coordination and monitoring, and technical assistance and communication. Jul 27, 2022 Page 2 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The project will have a nation-wide coverage and project sites can be located on any inhabited islands. In terms of Geography, Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep Islands. The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls. The country’s atolls encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 sq. km, making it one of the world's most geographically dispersed countries. Over 200 of its 1,192 islands are inhabited by the country’s population, with an average of 5-10 islands in each atoll being inhabited islands that have infrastructure such as housing, roads and other facilities built in. A significant number of uninhabited islands in each atoll have also been converted to resorts and tourism facilities as well as infrastructure such as housing, industrial facilities and airports. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submerged ridge 960 km long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean. Maldives is noted as the country placed at the lowest elevation in the world, with maximum and average natural ground levels of only 2.4 m and 1.5 m above sea level, respectively. More than 80 per cent of the country's land is composed of coral islands which rise less than one meter above sea level. The islands consist of coral, sea grass, seaweed, mangrove and sand dune ecosystems which are of great ecological and socio-economic significance. Maldives is home to a number of ecologically sensitive marine habitats in shallow and intertidal zones which have been designated as protected areas by the Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Technology (ECCT) and these regions and any activities in their vicinity are monitored and managed. While the exact locations of project targeted atolls are not known, the key project institutions where the technical assessment and capacity building interventions will be focused on are located centrally in the Capital Island of Male. As the capital, Male is the most populous city in the Republic of Maldives, housing a population of around 133,412 individuals and an area of 9.27 square kilometer. As Public Disclosure such, it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Over the last few decades, the Maldives has had several notable achievements, particularly in terms of access to education. Today, access to foundation and primary education are at near universal levels, a remarkable achievement for a country in which only 15 percent of children were enrolled in primary school three decades ago. Gender parity at the foundation and primary education levels is high. At the stage of primary education (grades 1-7), the net enrolment rate among both female and male students was almost 100 percent in 2019. At the lower secondary education stage (grades 8-10), the net enrolment rate among female students and among male students nearly 100 percent. At the stage of higher secondary education (grades 11-12) the overall net enrollment rate is 37 percent, with enrollment among girls at 56 percent and among boys at 21 percent. The low enrollment rate at higher secondary education level is mainly due to a limited number of schools that offer higher secondary education. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The MoE and MoHE have extensive experience of implementing Bank funded projects and have a good track record of performance in environmental and social due diligence. The MoE and MoHE recently implemented Enhancing Education Development Project with concluded satisfactorily, achieving or exceeding all performance targets. The MoE and MoHE also has implemented Learning Advancement and Measurement Project which is performing satisfactorily. Prior Bank funded projects implemented by MoE and MoHE have also performed satisfactorily. To implement the Project successfully, the strengthening of project implementation including implementing the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Labour Managment Procedure, and Environment and Social Commitment Plan would be through support by a team of experts in academic areas, operations and monitoring, environmental and social who would assist the ministries, including atoll level officials such as Teacher Resource Center Coordinators, to implement Jul 27, 2022 Page 3 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) and monitor activities efficiently. The monitoring will take place at national, atoll, and school levels. Monitoring will identify problems and recommend actions to resolve issues and provide improved solutions for moving forward. II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Environmental Risk Rating Moderate Considering the types of activities the project will support and the scale and magnitude of potential impacts and the capacity of the client implementing agencies, the project is classified to have 'moderate risks' to Environment. The Project will assist the Ministry of Education mainly with soft interventions in terms of educational curriculum reforms to roll out two innovations to the secondary school curriculum,(i) a vocational skills option will be added to the secondary education grades, and (ii) STEM subjects will be introduced in the secondary and higher secondary grades. The focus will be on science and technology, including ICT and digital technology, which have become increasingly important in the post-COVID19 world. In terms of physical interventions, the Project will provide funds to set up STEM laboratories and vocational skills workshops through the refurbishment of classrooms, the provision of equipment and technology, and the delivery of teaching-learning material including textbooks and supplementary reading material. The project will assist the development of ICT laboratories, especially through the delivery of equipment and technology. Negative environmental impacts that have moderate risks are associated with the interventions under this project and are most likely in the form of civil works related impacts such as dust, noise, and worker and public health and safety as well as waste generation during the rehabilitation works. These impacts are mostly localized and Public Disclosure can be managed via Environmental and Social screening and management plans with appropriate site-specific mitigation actions. The project will finance for purchasing of equipment and chemicals for science laboratories required for experiments under secondary level education and the anticipated risks to the students and the staff will be managed through the implementation of safe operating procedures for secondary level STEM activities which will be prepared as part of the project ESMF. The project will also finance the procurement of ICT equipment such as computers, TV screens, and data storage devices that will lead to the generation of E-waste post their useful lifecycle. The procurement, use, and disposal of this equipment will lead to the generation of E-waste that can be managed via protocols and arrangements to ensure that sound management is undertaken in line with the regulations of the Maldives Waste Management Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and in line with Good International Industry Practice (GIIP). Social Risk Rating Moderate The project intends to enhance access to, and quality of, secondary education through implementation of 4 components: Promoting curriculum diversification, Continuing teacher education and development, Measuring and enhancing student learning and school performance, and Coordination, monitoring, policy analysis, and technical assistance. Interventions will provide students with curriculum choices in VE and STEM, linked to labor market needs. To provide improved education the project will: refurbish classrooms and laboratories through obtaining proper equipment and technology, assist MoE to strengthen capacity and performance of principals and teachers in primary and secondary education, and enable GoM to improve and sustain system level quality enhancement measures such as national assessments of learning outcomes including international test modules, and quality assurance reviews based on internal and external quality assessments at school level. The project will support GoM to improve design and implementation of key education reforms. Strengthening VE and STEM curriculum options will be transformation Jul 27, 2022 Page 4 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) of the Maldivian education system as there is clear evidence of positive economic benefits and returns for VE and STEM curriculum options at the secondary education level. In the Maldives, these options are new and will over time transform the skills available among school graduates for the benefit of the economy. Social risks and impacts could be considered moderate given the increased risks due to the presence of children during refurbishment of facilities in school environments as the school becomes open to outsiders. There could be increased health and safety risks to construction workers and for children due to construction hazards leading to accidents & injuries, exposure to COVID19 infection from project workers and even risks around child abuse and harassment. In addition, refurbishment of facilities could disturb ongoing school activities. There is also possible risk of exclusion of vulnerable and eligible schools in remote Island/Atolls including teachers benefiting from the support of the project if the criteria is not designed in an equitable manner and if selection processes are not done in a transparent manner. The criteria is being discussed & expected to be finalized at the appraisal stage. However, initiatives on science and mathematics will benefit all schools. Before any building works are undertaken, the project will assess and seek to safeguard any risks to children and prepare construction work plans in consultation with school officials to minimize disruptions to school activities. Further all contractors will implement strict health and safety protocols including ensuring that workers are vaccinated, adhere to a child protection guidelines and sign a Code of Conduct. Finally, the project will ensure the selection of schools for support and teachers for training will be done in an equitable and a transparent manner in consultation with key stakeholders. A GRM will also be in place to address any grievances including a GRM for project workers. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered Public Disclosure B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: ESS 1 is relevant. The project will support mainly soft interventions such as education curriculum reforms and in terms of physical development, medium scale refurbishment activities to the existing buildings, and the establishment of ICT laboratories. The associated environmental impacts due to rehabilitation work will be most likely in the form of civil works related impacts such as dust, noise, and worker and public health and safety as well as waste generation during the rehabilitation works. These impacts are mostly localized and can be managed via Environmental and Social screening and management plans with appropriate site-specific mitigation actions. The project also brings a number of positive benefits to the education sector through its design to support the achievement of the ESP’s second goal, to provide youth with the necessary skills for employment and entrepreneurship through the secondary education curriculum. The AEDP will assist the Ministry of Education (MoE) to strengthen VE subjects and STEM subjects in the secondary and higher secondary education curricula. The focus will be on science and technology, including ICT and digital technology, which have become increasingly important in the post-COVID19 world. Activities proposed under component 1 of the project include the setting up of STEM laboratories and vocational skills workshops through the refurbishment of classrooms, the provision of equipment and technology, and the delivery of teaching-learning material including textbooks and supplementary reading material. In addition, the Project will assist the development of ICT laboratories, especially through the delivery of equipment and technology. The procurement, use, and disposal of this equipment will lead to the generation of E-waste that can be managed via Jul 27, 2022 Page 5 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) protocols and arrangements to ensure that sound management is undertaken in line with the regulations of the Maldives Waste Management Department, Environmental Protection Agency, and in line with Good International Industry Practice (GIIP). At this stage, the sites planned for refurbishment work are not known. Thus, to avoid or mitigate these risks related to the project, the Borrower will prepare an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) to provide adequate measures to be implemented during the implementation phase of the project. The ESMF will also cover activities relating to capacity building with training that will involve all project stakeholders. The project will prepare by the project’s effectiveness E-Waste management guidelines as part of ESMF outlining all steps to be taken from procurement to use to disposal over the use of the project, and implementation structure, requisite training, and monitoring for implementation. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The Project will help GoM to carry out a program of activities, including through the provision of sub-grants (school grants), designed to support measurement of school performance through quality assurance (QA) reviews consisting of both self-evaluation by schools and external evaluations by the Quality Assurance Department (QAD). The school self-evaluations will be conducted by stakeholders including principals, teachers, parents and local communities. This will enable extensive citizen engagement, including consultations, collection of stakeholder feedback, community Public Disclosure participation in planning and decision making, and grievance redressal mechanisms. The QA process also provides opportunities for stakeholders, such as the principal, teachers, students, parents, and the local community to participate in planning and implementation of school development plans. The results of the quality assurance process will feed back into the school development plan, that would include the development of safe shelters in schools as part of the community disaster management plan, when necessary. The Project will provide school grants to enable schools to implement the recommendations of QA reviews to improve learning in the secondary and higher secondary grades. The analysis of stakeholders’ feedback will also examine gender related issues, so that timely action can be taken where needed. The needs of students, staff and stakeholders and management responses will also be incorporated in the school development plans. The relevant information on the implementation of these plans will be shared with the stakeholders. This QA process constitutes the citizen engagement mechanism for the Project. A Stakeholder Engagement Plan will be a key document for informing the QA process. The Borrower prepared and will implement an inclusive Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) proportional to nature and scale of the project and associated risks and impacts. The draft SEP will be disclosed as early as possible and prior to Appraisal. The Borrower will seek stakeholder feedback and opportunities for proposed future engagement, ensuring that all consultations are inclusive and accessible (both in format and location) and through channels that are suitable in the local context. NGOs, students, professional/workers’ organizations (including education affiliation and organization), women's groups, teachers’ unions parents’ associations/ local/ central/Atoll authorities and departments, universities, /or other donors, could be considered stakeholders. If major changes are made to the SEP, a revised SEP should be publicly disclosed. The Borrower will engage in meaningful consultations with all stakeholders and establish procedures to ensure disclosure of information that will be accessible to all Maldivians as well as site specific disclosure within the atolls, local authority facilities, schools, and teacher resource centers. Information will also be disclosed on the World Bank website. Jul 27, 2022 Page 6 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) A GRM will be established as a part of project activities. Within the GRM, gender-sensitive measures will be put in place to address GBV or SEA/H reported cases. The project GRM will be included in ESMFs and Stakeholder Engagement Plans and accessible to all project affected persons and stakeholders. Labor Management Plans will include a GRM which focuses on Contractor, laborers, and workers' rights. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions This standard is relevant as the project will impact on teachers, principals, senior management, and ministry and project implementation staff in the development of curriculum diversification and innovation; improving of teaching motivation, pedagogical skills, competency and performance. Additionally, labor will be required for the refurbishment of classrooms, workshops, and laboratories as well as possibility of associated OHS risks. The extent of labor needs will be with regards to classroom rehabilitation. Although contractors would be encouraged to hire locally, in order to accomplish refurbishments, it is expected a small, temporary influx of labor will be needed. As such, all contractors and workers will be subject to Labor Management Plans, workers’ rights, health and safety measures, and code-of-conduct clauses. Additionally, workers and local communities will be educated in gender equity and prevention of harassment and violence. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Public Disclosure Small scale refurbishment activities are expected under this project that could generate building construction and demolition wastes during implementation stage. The expected refurbishments are assessed to be of medium scale and in potential locations where anthropogenic activities have already altered the natural environment. The exact sites where these interventions will be implemented, and technical designs will only be available during project implementation. Rehabilitation activities may have potential site-specific environmental impacts during the implementation phase. These include the need for natural resources such as sand, water and aggregates, and the generation of dust and noise. The project will also finance the procurement of ICT equipment such as computers, TV screens, and data storage devices that will lead to the generation of E-waste post their useful lifecycle. Potential risks to the communities and environmental hazards related to the disposal of e-waste at the end of the lifetime of the equipment, which will be identified as hazardous waste and may cause detrimental impacts to humans and to the environment if environmentally sound final disposal is not undertaken. As the Maldives does not have existing standards or requirements for management (including storage, transportation, and disposal) of hazardous waste, international best practice guidance such as the World Bank Group's Sectoral Guidelines on Solid Waste Management and strict criteria on producer management of waste will be followed including measures such as i) manufacturers/distributors have buy-back arrangements in place to take back equipment once it becomes obsolete (ie e-waste) for recycling or recovery or ii) procurement arrangements for the obsolete equipment are set up with e-waste vendors to take the e- waste for recycling and recovery. Jul 27, 2022 Page 7 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) Feasible measures for improving the consumption of energy and water such as solar panels and water-efficient fittings will be considered during the design refurbishment of proposed facilities which are to be financed under the project. The project will adopt measures specified in the EHSGs and other GIIPs to support the efficient use of raw materials to the extent technical and financially feasible. ESS4 Community Health and Safety The project will finance the refurbishment of existing buildings in terms of physical developments and the locations will be mostly in highly populated areas. The associated impacts to the local community due to rehabilitation work will most likely be in the form of civil works related impacts such as dust, noise, and public health and safety as well as waste generation during the refurbishment works and limited to the construction phase. These impacts can be managed via Environmental and Social screening and management plans with appropriate site-specific mitigation actions. Effective community consultations can be conducted during the design stage in order to identify the potential risks and mitigation actions, which will be implemented via ESMPs during the project implementation stage. The SEP will engage and seek feedback from principals, teachers, parents, students, and local communities during which time concerns can be flagged and addressed. Responses will be incorporated into school development plans that will then guide management in maintaining a safe environment. The project will also assess and seek to safeguard any risks to children and prepare construction work plans in consultation with school officials and parents to minimize disruptions to school activities. Further, all contractors will implement and adhere to child protection protocols and sign a Code of Conduct. Public Disclosure The project will finance science laboratories and the Safety standards will be maintained via the implementation of Safe Operational procedures to be developed as part of the project ESMF at the time of project effectiveness. Site-specific traffic and road safety risks will be assessed during E&S screening and mitigation measures will be implemented via the Environmental and Social Management Plan which will be embedded in the bidding document for the implementation at the Construction stage by the Contractor. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement This standard is not relevant as all refurbishment works to meet TVET and STEM curriculum requirements will be within existing schools and classrooms. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources All works will be conducted within existing facilities and no major construction or rehabilitation activities are expected in this project. Hence, impacts of the project on natural habitat and biodiversity are not expected and this standard is considered Not Relevant. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities This standard is not relevant as there is no evidence suggesting the presence of Indigenous Peoples. Jul 27, 2022 Page 8 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) ESS8 Cultural Heritage This standard is not relevant as the project will not impact cultural assets. The project will not support any works or activity that would impact cultural heritage. However, chance find procedures and screening for any impacts for tangible heritage will be included in the ESMF ensuring the cultural heritage aspects are taken into account in the E&S screening process ESS9 Financial Intermediaries This standard is not relevant as there will be no financial intermdiaries. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No Public Disclosure B.3. Reliance on Borrower’s policy, legal and institutional framework, relevant to the Project risks and impacts Is this project being prepared for use of Borrower Framework? No Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: The use of Borrower Framework is not being considered for the project. The project will comply with the World Bank’s new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and its Environmental and Social Standards (ESS), and will also be subjected to the national and local permits and clearances as per the existing legal-institutional framework. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Harsha Aturupane Title: Lead Economist Telephone No: 5723+306 Email: daturupane@worldbank.org Contact: Karthika Radhakrishnan Title: Senior Education Specialist Telephone No: 5770+6261 / 977-1-4236261 Email: knair@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Jul 27, 2022 Page 9 of 10 The World Bank Maldives Atoll Education Development Project (P177768) Borrower: Ministry of Finance Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Karthika Radhakrishnan, Harsha Aturupane Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Robin Mearns Cleared on 20-Jun-2022 at 08:37:1 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Jul 27, 2022 Page 10 of 10