The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (ISDS) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 19-Apr-2019 | Report No: PIDISDSA26975 Jan 30, 2019 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) I. BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Program Data Country Project ID Additional Project ID (if any) Program Name Morocco P167619 Morocco Education Support Program Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Task Team Leader MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH 19-Mar-2019 20-Jun-2019 Fadila Caillaud AFRICA Anne-Lucie Lefebvre Financing Instrument Managing Unit Sector Theme Program-for-Results Financing GED05 (9254) Early Childhood Education(%), Public Administration - Education(%), Primary Education(%) Is this project processed under OP 8.00 (Rapid Response to Crisis and Emergencies)? COST & FINANCING SUMMARY (USD Millions) Government program Cost 19,000.00 Total Operation Cost 500.00 Total Program Cost 485.00 IPF Component 15.00 Total Financing 500.00 Financing Gap 0.00 FINANCING (USD Millions) Total World Bank Group Financing 500.00 World Bank Lending 500.00 Jan 30, 2019 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) Environmental Assessment Category (IPF Component) C-Not Required B. Program Development Objective(s) Program Development Objective(s) The Program Development Objective (PDO) is to establish an enabling environment for quality ECE service delivery, support improved teaching practices in basic education, and strengthen management capacity and accountability along the education service delivery chain in the Program Areas. C. Program Description The proposed Program for Results is anchored in the Government’s Education Strategic Vision 2015 -2030 Pour une école de l’équité, de la qualité et de la promotion (ESV 15-30) and the MOE’s performance Plan 2019-2021. The Program will support the Government in translating its vision into concrete outcomes by focusing on the key elements and realistic targets that will transform the education system, ensuring a robust monitoring and strong implementation support. The results areas (RA) of the Program are embedded within the government program themes pertaining to the quality of preprimary and basic education, as well as to the successful achievement of the decentralization process. The results areas fall under the two main programs of the Performance Plan, namely Program 1: steering, governance and leadership strengthening, and Program 2: compulsory education ensuring equity and quality. The government program is operationalized through various plans executed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) with complimentary actions from other key stakeholders. The MOE launched in July 2018 an ambitious plan to universalize preprimary education for children aged 4–5 years by 2027. With an estimated cost of US$3.18 billion (MAD 30.2 billion) over ten years, the plan will require construction or rehabilitation of classrooms, upgrading of traditional preprimary schools, teacher training, and the development and implementation of quality standards to allow for the enrollment of 700,000 additional children. The third phase of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH)1, to be launched in 2019, is expected to contribute financially and operationally to the universalization of preprimary education, especially in rural areas. The ESV15-30 also places a great emphasis on strengthening the teacher profession, as a starting point for quality improvement. In that respect, the MOE launched in September 2018 a revamping of teachers’ pre-service modalities, ambitions to restructure in-service training in the coming years, and the implementation of a new teacher professional development model. Finally, an important priority of the MOE intends to strengthen the decentralization process initiated in 2002 with the creation of the Regional Academies for Education and Training (AREF). This would entail empowering the AREF 1 INDH is a national poverty-alleviation program launched in 2005. The third phase is endowed with a total budget of $1.8 billion and will be implemented over 2019–2023. Four areas have been identified: (1) reducing territorial disparities in the lagging regions ($400 million), (2) reducing vulnerability ($400 million), (3) promoting economic inclusion and job creation for the youth ($400 million), and (4) preparing future generations ($600 million). Jan 30, 2019 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) and the provincial directorates, strengthening their capacity and managerial flexibility in return for greater accountability for performance and results The proposed Operation will be supported through a PforR loan with an IPF component. The PforR loan is expected to provide support to the government program with a specific focus on the following Key Results Areas (RA): RA#1: Establishing an enabling environment for quality early childhood education service delivery. The Program will focus exclusively on interventions aimed at improving the quality of the preprimary education provision to ensure that expansion of access has a tangible and sustainable impact on learning. This Results Area is fully aligned with the MOE’s strategic plan to expand access to quality preprimary education services for 4 and 5-year-old children. The Program will focus on a limited set of interventions aimed at ensuring that existing and new preprimary education services are of high quality. This will require establishing adequate institutional arrangements required for successful universalization of preprimary education, rolling-out a preservice and in- service professional development system for preprimary educators, and developing and implementing tools for measuring the quality of pre-primary learning environment. The PforR Program will exclude preprimary classroom construction and rehabilitation as these activities are already financed through the government’s own resources and through the National Initiative for Human Development. Instead, the Program will incentivize focused interventions to ensure that the expansion of access to preprimary education is matched with high quality provision in the classroom. RA#2: Support improved teaching practices in basic education. The Program will support the new preservice training/induction model into the teaching profession and the development of a solid, attractive and coherent professional teacher career. This results area focuses on the existing program for the improvement of preservice and in-service teacher training, which the GOM sees as the entry point to rethink the teaching profession in Morocco, including teachers’ selection, recruitment, induction, deployment and the overall teaching career path. The Program will contribute to increasing the supply of qualified new teachers by targeting institutional weaknesses, including at the AREF level, through the development of appropriate structures and regulations. Moreover, the Program will focus on the consolidation of a coherent, coordinated and comprehensive in-service training model that can respond to all current teacher training needs. It will do so by amplifying the delivery mode with coaching/mentoring experiences at the school level, the use of a technological platform to access to better pedagogic and content knowledge and for sharing experiences with peers and regular traditional on-site training in the Regional Centers in charge of Teacher Training (CRMEFs). RA#3: Strengthening management capacity, autonomy and accountability along the service delivery chain. To support the transition of the education system, the Program will reinforce AREF’s and Provincial Directorate’s (DPs) management capacity and accountability. The Program will support the design and implementation of performance contracts, as a tool to strengthen the link between resources and achievements, promoting compliance with the legislation on State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and parastatals (Law 69-00). The introduction of performance contracts will be done in a participatory manner and involving a broad range of stakeholders. They will be aligned with the Ministry’s Plan de Performance (PdP) 2019–2021 so that decentralized structures of the Ministry support its objectives and contribute to its implementation. Moreover, at the school level, the Program will strengthen school management capacity and school accountability mechanisms. The Program will establish the necessary conditions to support school principals not only to develop their school improvement projects in a Jan 30, 2019 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) participatory approach, but also to implement them. The Program will also support the introduction of citizen feedback mechanism using digital technology to seek feedback from and monitor parental involvement into the design and implementation of school development projects. The proposed operation will include Technical assistance (TA) acquired through a separate TA component (IPF) that will use an adaptative approach to address capacity gaps at the MOE, strengthen monitoring and evaluation, and support course corrections in the different results areas. Targeted interventions will include training, and provision of specific expertise. The proposed Program and expected outcomes create TA needs beyond current government activities, as it aims to accelerate progress on several key reform pertaining to teacher training and AREF governance, and quality assurance of pre-primary education which is an entirely new subsector. The project TA component is not expected to support construction/rehabilitation. It will not support the activities of construction, demolition or rehabilitation of prefabricated structures containing asbestos-based insulation. The program will not support activities requiring involuntary land acquisition. D. Implementation The Program will be implemented by the Education Ministry (MOE), its Regional Education and Training Academies (AREFs), provincial directorates, and schools. This initiative takes a holistic and integrated approach supporting all stakeholders throughout the education value chain. The Finance Ministry (MEF) plays a key role in allocating and supervising the budget for MOE, as well as for all AREFs, which are autonomous public entities. MEF will provide policy and budgetary support for MOE to implement the Program. By virtue of their institutional mandates, the Ministry of Education General Inspectorate (IGM) and the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) will be responsible for verifying Program outcomes and auditing Program projects, respectively E. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Program Areas are defined as: “the Borrower’s regions of Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Casablanca-Settat, Drâa-Tafilalet, Fès-Meknès, Marrakech-Safi, Oriental, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Souss-Massa and Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma.� Environment The interventions planned under the proposed Operation prior actions are not likely to have significant negative effects on the environment, forestry and other natural resources. Social The proposed Operation is expected to have a positive social impact as it aims at improving equal opportunities for Moroccan children to access quality education. The first and second pillars of the result-based component will support the provision of adequate education inputs, for populations in poor rural and suburban areas. Given their family and socio-economic background, poor children are often penalized early in the education system and tend to drop-out from school before acquiring the foundational literacy and numeracy skills on which any further education or training needs to build. By focusing on pre-schooling and early grades learning, the Operation is expected to have positive benefits on poor children’s future opportunities. This will also ensure better inclusion of rural young mothers who will be able to pursue their studies or engage in economic activities while their children will attend pre-school. Intense gender-sensitive consultations with stakeholders will be part of the safeguard process through program preparation to ensure vulnerable populations are not excluded. Jan 30, 2019 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) Citizen engagement The proposed operation will increase citizen engagement in monitoring and supporting education services to their children and communities through better parents and community representation in school councils; strengthened responsibilities of the school councils and the establishment of a school performance monitoring system using ICTs and the national EMIS. . E. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Taoufiq Bennouna,Houcine Gabi II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY SAFEGUARDS Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Projects on International Waterways No OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No Performance Standards for Private Sector No Activities OP/BP 4.03 Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No . III. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: Jan 30, 2019 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) The project will not finance any physical activities, no risks related to environmental or social safeguards policies are anticipated during implementation of project activities. The IPF component includes only capacity building and systems strengthening. The Project is expected to have high end sustainable social benefits through improving quality of preprimary and basic education, in the whole country and strengthening management capabilities, autonomy, and accountability along the education service delivery chain. In addition, the Project will pay a particular attention to girls students and women teachers, as well as the most disadvantaged areas (poor urban neighborhoods, rural and remote areas) 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: N/A 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. N/A 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. This project is not expected to trigger any safeguards policies as the project screening identified minimal environmental or social risks related to project activities. The project does not anticipate any civil works to be financed under this Project, that would require land acquisition, and therefore will not trigger any physical or economic displacement or restrict access to resources of livelihood. In the ESSA, no potential negative impacts have been identified by the social and environmental systems assessment, and the social and environmental risks are considered to be minimal; the activities supported by the Program are expected to be overall beneficial. The project is assigned the Category C, requiring no further environmental and social assessment. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The project has incorporated grievance redress mechanism easily accessible and culturally appropriated, ensuring prompt responses and remedies. The project has incorporated citizen engagement to ensure active participation of all key stakeholders at central and local levels, including managers, decision makers, local communities, student’s parents associations, and to improve transparency and accountability, for a more responsive delivery of education services. During preparation, consultations have been held with a range of stakeholders (Ministry of education representaties at central, regional and local levels, teachers, local communities, students’parents associations, local authorities) and their comments taken into account. . . B. Disclosure Requirements April 19, 2019 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level (to be filled in when the ISDS is finalized by the project decision meeting) OPS_PDI_COMP_TABLE The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A [✔ ] for disclosure? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project- Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A [✔ ] affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A [✔ ] policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the Yes [ ] No [✔ ] N/A [ ] project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A [✔ ] policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal Yes [ ] No [ ] N/A [✔ ] documents? 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 April 19, 2019 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank Morocco Education Support Program (P167619) APPROVAL Signed and Submitted by Name Date Fadila Caillaud Task Team Leader(s): Anne-Lucie Lefebvre Environmental Specialist: Taoufiq Bennouna Social Development Specialist Houcine Gabi Additional Environmental and/or Social Development Specialist(s) Approved by Safeguards Advisor: Nina Chee 24-Apr-2019 Practice Manager/Manager: Andreas Blom 24-Apr-2019 April 19, 2019 Page 9 of 9