The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) AFRICA | Lesotho | Education Global Practice | IBRD/IDA | Investment Project Financing | FY 2016 | Seq No: 7 | ARCHIVED on 12-Jul-2019 | ISR37443 | Implementing Agencies: The Kingdom of Lesotho, Ministry of Finance Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 26-May-2016 Effectiveness Date: 08-Jul-2016 Planned Mid Term Review Date: 15-Oct-2018 Actual Mid-Term Review Date: 28-Nov-2018 Original Closing Date: 30-Jun-2021 Revised Closing Date: 30-Jun-2021 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targeted schools. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Components Table Name Component 1: Improving the teaching and learning environment in targeted primary and junior secondary schools:(Cost $11.39 M) Component 2: Strengthening school accountability for student learning and retention in targeted schools:(Cost $4.78 M) Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project Management:(Cost $4.50 M) Component 4: School Construction:(Cost $4.33 M) Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Overall Risk Rating Substantial Substantial Implementation Status and Key Decisions The Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (LEQEP) was approved by the World Bank Board of Directors on May 26, 2016 and became effective on July 8, 2016, following the signing of the Financing Agreement by the Lesotho Minister of Finance and the World Bank Country Representative on June 10, 2016. The Project has been restructured to include school construction – specifically construction of additional furnished classrooms, separate latrines, and playgrounds for a few combined primary and junior secondary schools. The request for restructuring was received on March 20, 2019 and approved by World Bank management on May 21, 2019. The Amendment of the Financing Agreement was signed on May 29, 2019 by the Lesotho Minister of Finance and the World Bank. However, it was agreed that a second restructuring is planned to 7/12/2019 Page 1 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) include the Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERC) which was not included in the first restructuring proposal. The CERC aims at addressing any potential emergency issues including drought that may arise. MoET has submitted a request for second restructuring on June 4, 2019 and an official request from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) is expected soon. This is the seventh ISR since the Project became effective. This ISR includes findings from the implementation support mission carried out in May- June 2019. The ratings for progress towards achievement of the project development objective (PDO) and overall implementation progress (IP) are moderately satisfactory as all key activities aiming at reducing the dropout rates supported under the school improvement plan (SIP) and key activities for junior secondary schools are on track. For primary schools, training of teachers and the procurement of some learning materials are delayed. The project has disbursed 54 percent of the total credit amount (US$14 million of a total credit of US$25 million). Component 1 is progressing moderately satisfactorily. Key activities targeting junior secondary schools are on track with the successful rollout of the following activities: Sixty Grade 10 mathematics and science teachers were trained on the new curriculum in January 2019; Grade 8 mathematics and science textbooks were procured and distributed to schools; the procurement of Grade 9 mathematics and science textbooks has been launched. However, the training of primary school teachers is delayed due to the teacher strikes during the first quarter of the school year. In addition, the procurement of some learning materials had to be retendered. Component 2 is progressing satisfactorily with results exceeding the yearly targets for 2019 with 368 school improvement plans (SIPs) approved, 367 schools receiving 50 percent of their school grant, 120 schools having spent half of their grants, and 375 school report cards submitted by schools to the Planning Department and the Project Facilitation Unit. Component 3 is progressing moderately satisfactorily. The activities are generally on track. The results of the baseline studies on teacher content knowledge at primary school and at junior secondary schools as well as grade 9 students’ learning achievement are now available and disseminated to key stakeholders. Risks Systematic Operations Risk-rating Tool Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Political and Governance Substantial Substantial Substantial Macroeconomic Substantial Substantial Substantial Sector Strategies and Policies Substantial Substantial Moderate Technical Design of Project or Program Moderate Moderate Moderate Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability Substantial Substantial Substantial Fiduciary Moderate Moderate Moderate Environment and Social Low Low Low Stakeholders Substantial Substantial Substantial Other -- -- -- Overall Substantial Substantial Substantial Results PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes To improve basic education service delivery and student retention in targetted areas IN00711734 7/12/2019 Page 2 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) ►PDI 1a. Improvement in teacher content knowledge in targeted primary schools (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 39.30 39.30 39.30 5.00 Date 28-Dec-2018 28-Dec-2018 28-Dec-2018 30-Jun-2021 The baseline data on teacher content knowledge were available in end 2018. The teacher content knowledge at primary schools are 49.1 percent for literacy, 29 percent for numeracy compared with 51.4 Comments: percent and 30 percent, respectively, at national level. The value of the end target should be understood 39+5=44 because the indicator is on improvement by 5 percentage point. IN00711735 ►PDI 1b: Improvement in teacher content knowledge in targeted junior secondary schools (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 49.40 49.40 49.40 5.00 Date 28-Dec-2018 28-Dec-2018 28-Dec-2018 30-Jun-2021 The baseline data on teacher content knowledge were available in end 2018. The teacher content knowledge at junior secondary schools are 47.1 percent for mathematics, 51.7 percent for science Comments: compared with 49.5 percent and 53.4 percent, respectively, at national level. The value of the end target should be understood 49+5=54 because the indicator is on improvement by 5 percentage point. IN00711746 ►PDI 2: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 1 to Grade 6) in targeted primary schools (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 16.00 16.00 16.00 13.00 Date 30-Dec-2016 30-Dec-2016 30-Dec-2016 30-Jun-2021 The calculation of the dropout rates was based on the projection from 2013 and 2014 data available during project preparation. EMIS data puts very long to be available, it is only now that data for 2015, Comments: 2016 are available and 2017 are still preliminary. In targeted primary schools, dropout rates are 16 percent in 2016, lower than 18 percent estimated in the PAD. IN00711747 ►PDI 3: Reduction in dropout rate (Grade 8 to Grade 9) in targeted junior secondary schools (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 21.00 21.00 21.00 16.00 Date 30-Dec-2016 30-Dec-2016 30-Dec-2016 30-Jun-2021 The calculation of the dropout rates was based on the projection from 2013 and 2014 data available during project preparation. EMIS data puts very long to be available, it is only now that data for 2015, Comments: 2016 are available and 2017 are still preliminary. In targeted junior secondary schools, dropout rates are 21 percent in 2016, similar to the estimated data in the PAD. Overall Comments PDO 7/12/2019 Page 3 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) The PDO indicators on improvement in teacher content knowledge for targeted primary and secondary schools are collected twice during the lifetime of the project. The baseline was collected in 2018 and the endline will be collected in June 2021. For the PDO indicators on reduction in dropout rates for targeted primary and secondary schools, data are still being collected and no new information is available. Intermediate Results Indicators by Components Component 1: Improving the teaching and learning environment in targeted primary and junior secondary schools IN00711748 ►Direct project beneficiaries (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 65,500.00 66,815.00 86,500.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711754 Female beneficiaries (Percentage, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 52.00 0.00 55.00 52.00 IN00711755 ►Primary teachers trained (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 65.00 65.00 1,400.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711758 ►Math and science teachers at junior secondary trained (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 202.00 463.00 200.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711761 ►Schools with readers and supplementary reading materials (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 312.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 Readers in English are being distributed to targeted schools. Readers in Sesotho are at procurement Comments: stage. IN00711762 7/12/2019 Page 4 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) ►New Lesotho model for Grade 8 developed and implemented in targeted schools (Text, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No no no Yes Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 The new Lesotho model on teaching and learning mathematics and science for Grade 8 is expected in Comments: end 2020. Component 2: Strengthening school accountability for student learning and retention in targeted schools IN00711749 ►School Boards trained (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 377.00 377.00 377.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711752 ►Schools with approved SIPs (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 326.00 368.00 377.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711756 ►Schools submitting report cards (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 374.00 375.00 377.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711759 ►Schools spending 50 percent or more of the total school grant (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 120.00 377.00 Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 Component 3: Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Project Management IN00711750 ►National Assessment in Grade 9 (Text, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value No yes yes Yes 7/12/2019 Page 5 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) Date 02-Feb-2016 07-Dec-2018 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 Component 4: Construction Works IN00711751 ►IRI 11: Number of additional classrooms built by the project (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 63.00 Date 15-Mar-2019 15-Mar-2019 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711753 ►IRI 12: Number of toilet blocks constructed (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 57.00 Date 15-Mar-2019 15-Mar-2019 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711757 ►IRI 13: Number of classrooms furnished (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 57.00 Date 15-Mar-2019 15-Mar-2019 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 IN00711760 ►IRI 14: Number of playgrounds prepared, upgraded and completed (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Date 15-Mar-2019 15-Mar-2019 31-May-2019 30-Jun-2021 Overall Comments IR The additional classrooms, classrooms furnished, toilet blocks, playgrounds are expected in June 2021. The recruitment of the firm which will support the construction process has been launched. Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed 7/12/2019 Page 6 of 7 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Lesotho Education Quality for Equality Project (P156001) P156001 IDA-58200 Effective USD 25.00 25.00 0.00 13.76 11.59 54% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P156001 IDA-58200 Effective 26-May-2016 10-Jun-2016 08-Jul-2016 30-Jun-2021 30-Jun-2021 Cumulative Disbursements Restructuring History Level 2 Approved on 21-May-2019 Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 7/12/2019 Page 7 of 7