89640 INTEGRATE D SAFEGUARD S DATASHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: Date prepared/updated: July 18,2014 I. Basic Information . l Bas1c ' P l'OjeC ' tD a t a Country: Co-operative Republic of Guyana I Project ID: RE-P122555-LEN-TF015032 I Additional Project ID (if any): Project Name: Guyana GPE-For Early Childhood Education Project Task Team Leader: Hongyu Yang Estimated Appraisal Date: July 23, 2014 I Estimated Board Date; Managing Unit: LCSHE I Lending Instrument: IPF Sector: Pre-Primary, Primary Theme Education for All IBRD Amount (US$m.): 0.00 IDA Amount (US$m.): 0.00 GEF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 PCF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 Other financing amounts by source: Global Partnership for Education (GPE): Amount (US$m.): 1.70 Environmental Category: C Is this a transfened project I Yes r 1 No fx 1 Simplified Processing I Simple [X] Repeater 1 Is this project processed under OP 8.00 (Rapid Response to Crises Yes [] No (X ] and Emergencies) 2. Project Objectives: The Proj ect Development Objective is to improve emergent literacy and numeracy outcomes for children at the nursery level and primary Grade 1 in hinterland regions and targeted remote riverine areas. 3. Project Description: A. Concept 1. Description Project beneficiaries are children attending the two years of nursery education and Grade 1, aged 3 ~- 7, living in the hinterland regions (Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9) and riverine areas (located river areas in Regions 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10). This comprises about 8,000 children in these three grades each year, and their families. In addition, approximately 440 nursery and Grade 1 teachers would benefit from improved working conditions and training. Several thousand parents and caregivers in these geographic areas would also benefit from education tailored for them. In parallel fashion, under the 2014-2018 ESP, the MOE would establish 15 new nursery classes within primary schools located in underserved hinterland areas, addressing geographic inequity in enrollment, and build 7 new nursery schools in Regions 3, 4 and Georgetown, all of which will have special access facilities for children with disabilities. Component 1: Capacity Building for Nurse1y and Grade 1 Teachers The objective of this component is to improve the quality of instruction and learning at nursery and Grade I levels, by strengthening teachers' content knowledge and pedagogy, pat1icularly for the implementation of new strategies for the development of emergent literacy and numeracy skills. More specifically, approximately 440 nursery and Grade I teachers would be trained in: (i) instructional strategies for the emergent literacy and numeracy programs, using the locally- developed Roraima Reader series, large picture books (so-called "Big Books"), and individual student workbooks, in addition to play-based learning activities and experiential approaches; (ii) effective utilization of the MOE's emergent literacy and numeracy benchmarks and standards, to measure student progress through the curriculum; (iii) procedures for proper administration and usage of the Nursery Diagnostic Assessment; and (iv) cross-curricular planning and differentiated instruction. In addition, all nursery and Grade I teachers working in underserved hinterland and riverine regions would receive training in the use of the ECE resource kits to be provided under Component 2, which provide student-centered materials to develop literacy and numeracy skills through play-based activities, as well as fine motor skills and social skills. The in-service teacher training program would be developed for ECE to support this effort, as a collaborative effm1 between the MOE's nursery and primary education departments, MOE's training center - the National Center for Education Research and Development (NCERD), the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the University of Guyana (UG). The project would suppor1 technical assistance (national and international) each year for the development of the training materials and the training of trainers. A wide range of ECD stakeholders would be invited to review this training design, after which it would be revised and rolled-out to nursery and Grade 1 teachers. Following this training, teachers would be visited at least once per year in their classrooms in order to observe and suppott the implementation of instructional methods and student-centered learning activities acquired during the training. Classroom observations would be carried out by the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Development (MERD) Unit of the MOE, Nursery and Infant Field Officers (NFOs and IFOs), retired and active Head Teachers, and retired NFOs, all of whom would receive prior training from the MOE. Observers would use a standardized classroom observation instrument (already developed by NCERD) to assess the classroom environment, teachers' instructional strategies and planning, and various measures of student engagement and learning activities. · This would not involve examination of records or administrative tasks, but would be solely aimed at providing instructional support. The project would suppmt the transportation costs of the observers and in a few cases the temporary recruitment of additional Field Officers to visit the most remote schools. Component 2: Improved Supply of Teaching and Learning Materials Under this component the project would support the procurement and distribution of ECE resource kits to all nursery and Grade 1 classes in the Hinterland regions and in targeted riverine · areas, along with a Teachers Manual for their use. These resource kits would promote more experiential and inquiry-based learning activities for children, enabling them to learn independently and in small groups through play (Annex 3 provides a list of the proposed materials). Such materials encourage team building and cooperation, as well as independent self-regulatory behavior in children as they are encouraged to make choices and persevere at tasks until a goal is accomplished. Also included would be materials for the teacher that would facilitate the making of bright, child-friendly teaching aides that are culturally speci fic to the learning environment, as well as resources that would increase his/her knowledge base of how to create and guide student use of materials to be used to enhance their experience of the di fferent outlined goals for learning. The project would also support the monitoring and evaluation of the use and impact of the ECE resource kits in a representative sample of nursery and Grade 1 classes, which would inform future revisions ofthe kits' contents and/or of the associated teacher training program. Component 3: Parental Education The hinterland and riverine regions present significant challenges to increasing parental/caregiver engagement in early child education. These include transportation difficulties between home and school, and the irregular and migratory work of many parents who must leave home for months at a time (to the gold mine fi elds, fishing grounds, livestock grazing lands, etc.). To address these difficulties, project would target caregivers more broadly (not just mothers and fathers), and would use multiple channels (building on existing structures) to reach these caregivers. The project would also support community consultations regarding parental/caregiver involvement in education in selected hinterland and riverine communities, which would inform the design of the activities and training for parents. In addition, the project would finance technical assistance for the design of the parent/caregiver training, training of trainers, development of learning materials for parents/caregivers and children, as well as surveys of parents and caregivers to obtain feedback for future training activities. The Proj ect would use the following channels to reach parents/caregivers: a. Parent seminars, organized once per term by the school PTA and/or community-based groups (church groups, etc.). A trained facilitator (the school Head Teacher or Nursery Field Officer) would provide structured workshop sessions with opportunities for parental practice with feedback. Parents/caregivers would also receive and/or make simple learning aids at each session (e.g. picture books, dolls or other toys made with local materials) to be used to promote continued engagement with their child at home. Special outreach (e.g. letters to parents/caregivers, calls from teachers, radio, etc.) would be used to motivate parents to attend these sessions. b. The 10 Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) located strategically in the hinterland regions would be stocked with early childhood resource kits (see Component 2 above), and would host child and family community reading programs to promote literacy and reading among community members and their children. The LRC coordinator would be trained in engaging parents using the kits and organizing reading programs. c. A mass media campaign would be used to complement these face-to-face strategies and reinforce messages about parents playing a critical role in their children's development ("being their child's first teacher"), and giving them tips on how to actively do this. The campaign would include: a web-based campaign; DVDs and CDs diffusing infonnation at the local level to community-based groups (church groups, etc.), shops, health centers and LRCs; radio and television ads; instructional posters; picture booklets; and possibly "information-push" campaigns through broadcast messaging to all cell phone owners. d. Hands-on parental coaching would be provided during family visits to community health centers. Coaching sessions would be targeted and adapted to parents with children at home and would focus on topics such as early stimulation. Simple take-home resources would be provided to parents to facilitate continued child stimulation at home. This would require coordination with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, which are implementing a parenting program targeting children 0-3 using community health workers in some of the Project areas. This coordination would aim to ensure that messages are consistent and to build synergies wherever possible (e.g. sharing training materials, coordinating radio messages, etc.). The resource personnel for these activities would be the District Education Officers, Nursery Field Officers, Infant Field Officers, Head Teachers and retired teachers, and Community Service Officers under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. Component 4: Project Implementation Support, Administration and M&E (US$300,000) This component would support project implementation and administration, and ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and impact, as well as of fiduciary matters. No separate Project Implementation Unit would be established. Rather, the Assistant Chief Education Officers for Nursery and Primary Education would be the de facto project managers making the key policy and programmatic decisions, in consultation with the Chief Education Officer and Chief Planning Officer. To suppo1t the day-to-day implementation of these decisions, they would be supported under the project with a project implementation specialist who would coordinate with other MOE departments, the regions, fiduciary staff in the MOE Planning Unit, and others as necessary. The project would also finance annual external audits and the standard bi-annual project supervision missions to monitor and suppmt the project's implementation. 2. Key Risks and Issues Human Resources. The supply of qualified ECE trainers for the design and delivery of in-service training of nursery teachers is quite limited. International and local consultants would be hired under the Project to provide technical assistance and build this training capacity. Geographical obstacles: While nearly 90 percent of Guyana's population is easily accessible along coastal areas, Guyana's geography makes reaching the remaining l 0 percent living in hinterland areas quite difficult. Challenges include poor infrastructure (scarcity of paved roads and air services), harsh weather conditions, and long distances (high transportation costs due to the need for vehicles and fuel). This could particularly affect the distribution of learning materials and ECE resource kits to nursery classrooms. Project preparation would need to tackle this issue and come up a range of context-specific solutions. Country-level risks: Governance presents a moderate risk, although the Government has strengthened its Public Financial Management in response to the Integrated Fiduciary Assessment suppotted by external partners. Entity (MOE) and project-level risks are considered low, given past and ongoing measures to strengthen the MOE Platming Unit and fiduciary capacities. Project design risk: The proposed upgrading of nursery teacher skills, linked to CARICOM standards, may increase the likelihood that teachers will emigrate abroad; the phenomenon of teacher migration is already a problem due in patt to inadequate incentives. For example, during the school year 2009/2010, 8 percent of all nursery teachers were lost due to resignation, retirement, dismissal or other reasons. The Government would need to continue training of more teachers than it actually needs, taking into account the attrition rate linked to emigration. Project preparation would examine the cunent situation in the selected regions, consult with stakeholders, and propose mitigation measures. B. Economic Analysis I. Expected benefits and costs The expected benefits from this project include an increased number of nursery level and Grade 1 children ready to succeed at the primary education level, which will translate into 1,000 additional primary education comp1eters from Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on an annual basis. While it is difficult to economically quantify these benefits due to the long time lag before these students enter the labor market (an estimated 10 years on average), it is possible to calculate the wage premiums of primary education completers compared to non-completers and to project those over a lifetime of earnings. Using the Guyana National Employment Report (prepared by the ILO in 2006 and updated to 2013 using average annual wage increase data), the wage premium between primary education completers and non-completers is estimated at US$474 per year. Combining the increase in primary education completers due to the project (l ,000) and this wage premium (which does not come into effect until 10 years after project completion), the estimated economic rate of return to this project is I 0%, equivalent to a Net Present Value of US$2.9 million using a 5 percent discount rate. 29. More generally, international research suggests that promoting early stimulation is likely to yield high returns in Guyana. Without receiving adequate stimulation in early childhood, children may enter school ill-prepared and be more likely to have poor academic performance, to repeat grades and to drop out of school than children whose cognitive skills and overall school readiness are higher upon primary school entry (Heckman and Masterov, 2007; Reynolds et al, 2001; Feinstein, 2003; Pianta and McCoy, 1997; Cunie and Thomas, 1999). Investments in ECD have been linked to life-long benefits for patticipants and society in general, including increased wage-earning potential, decreased incarceration and lower reliance on social welfare (Hoddinott et al, 2008; Stein et al, 2008; Schweinhatt et al, 2005). In a 20-year follow-up study to a randomized intervention that provided a psycho-social stimulation and nutritional supplementation intervention to stunted Jamaican toddlers (9 to 24 months) living in poverty, Gertler et al. (20 13) found large effects on the earnings of program participants. Receiving an early stimulation intervention increased the average earnings of patticipants by · 42 percent. Treatment group earnings caught up to the earnings of a matched non-stunted comparison group. These findings show that psycho-social stimulation in early childhood in disadvantaged settings can have substantial effects on labor market outcomes and reduce later life inequality. 2. Rationale for public sector provision/financing of ECE As a public good, early childhood education offers a similar case as primaty education for public sector provision and financing. In addition, evidence from both developing and developed countries has shown that early childhood development programs can have a major positive impact on educational outcomes and other societal benefits (reduced levels of crime and other high-risk negative social behaviors). Given Guyana's high rate of povet1y mentioned earlier and aruma! per student costs of nearly US$642 (2013), purely private financing of nursery education would likely result in under-financing and a large-scale collapse of the system (except for middle- and upper- quintile income groups who could afford private schools). The fact that 92 percent of all nursery education is publicly provided in Guyana emphasizes the important role played by the public sector. 3. Value-added of Bank's support Building on its global experience and research, the Bank offers best practices and guidance for improving quality of early childhood education services unmatched by other organizations. In LAC alone, the Bank is cunently supporting ECD programs in six other countries (Bolivia, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Colombia), which provide valuable experience and lessons learns to draw from. Furthermore, at the country level the proposed project perfectly complements and generates synergy with the OPE's previous suppot1 for primary education and the Bank-financed Improving Teacher Education Project, the Secondary Education Improvement Project, and the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support Project. The project would also leverage existing MOE project management capacity that has been strengthened by the Bank. C. Implementing Agency Assessment The MOE would be the implementing agency for the Project. The MOE has extensive experience implementing externally financed projects (World Bank, IDB, EFA-FTI). Technical responsibilities for implementation would lie with the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of the MOE, supported by the Assistant CEO for Nursery Education and the Assistant CEO for Primary Education. Fiduciary responsibilities would be managed by the Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education, which cunently handles all financial management and procurement for the on-going Improving Teacher Education Project, the Secondary Education Improvement Project, and the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support Project, all financed by the World Bank. A Project Implementation Specialist would be hired and maintained in the MOE's Planning Unit. S/he would be responsible for suppm1ing execution of project activities, monitoring, and coordination of project implementation, including work planning and other Project-related activities. The Project Implementation Specialist would report to the A-CEOs for Nursery and Primary Education, and to the Chief Planning Officer of the MOE, supervise agreed work plans with the technical leads for each subcomponent, ·and coordinate implementation among MOE departments. In addition, the Project Implementation Specialist would be responsible for preparing/consolidating information for Quat1erly and Annual Progress Reports. Existing fiduciary staff in the MOE Planning Unit currently managing other Bank-financed projects would handle procurement, financial management, accounting responsibilities, and implementation of the Amerindian Peoples Plan for this Project. D. Project Stakeholder Assessment While the Govenunent overall, and the MOE in pat1icular, have formally expressed strong demand for this project, the key stakeholders are the parents of nursery-age children who will decide whether or not to enroll them in public nursery education. Understanding their decision- making context and criteria would require further study during project preparation, but the project's proposed parental education programs should significantly increase their support and involvement in the project's activities. Nursery level teachers are an additional group of important stakeholders. They are expected to be supportive of the proposed project investments, as the project would both improve their working conditions and their professional qualifications. While the Ministry of Education would oversee the implementation of the Project, Regional Education Departments and schools also play critical roles in ensuring the effectiveness of the Project. There is need to strengthen Regional Education Depa1tments' capacity to oversee nursery schools (hence the MOE's recently revived training program for District Education Officers), and school principals would benefit from training to better understand and promote the cunicular linkages between nursery and primary education. Given the integrated multi-sectoral nature of ECD, stakeholders in the area of family services, health and nutrition also need to be consulted. In pa11icular, they would be included in the review of the revised training program for nursery teachers. 4. Project Location and salien t physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis: Priority would be given to Hinterland Regions (1, 7, 8 and 9), if more resources are available, coastal Regions would be added to the Project. 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team: M. Yaa Pokua Afriyie Oppong ( LCSSO ) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No This policy is not triggered since there is no school construction or school rehabilitation planned and no adverse impacts on the environment are expected from project activities. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No This policy is not triggered because no impacts are expected in natura l habitats. Forests OP/BP 4.36 No This policy is not triggered because no impacts are expected under forest resources. Pest Management OP 4.09 No This policy is not triggered since there is no school construction or rehabilitation planned. Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4. I I No This policy is not triggered since this Project will not affect any physical cultural resources. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4. 10 Yes The Indigenous Peoples Policy is triggered since the project's intended intervention areas include hinterland and riverain regions where the needs are greatest (Regions I, 7, 8 and 9), and inhabited by Amerindian population. An Amerindian Peoples Plan (APP) and a Social Assessment have been prepared with associated consu ltations in these regions. The expected impacts of the project on indigenous communities are positive; the main impact is expected to improve emergent literacy and numeracy outcomes for children at the nursery level and prima1y Grade I in hinterland regions and targeted remote riverine areas. The project would focus on approximately I00 nursery schools and Grade I primary schools located in these regions. The interventions would be in- depth and serve to develop models that could be expanded to more schools in the future. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No This policy is not triggered. No private land acquisition will occur under this Project and the project will not finance any activities that could result in involuntary resettlement as defined under the Policy. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.3 7 No This policy is not triggered because the Project will not finance any construction of new dams nor will support other investments that rely on services of existing dams. Projects on International Waterways OP/BP No The policy is not triggered since the 7.50 Project will not affect any intemational Wjlterways as defined under the policy. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No This policy is not triggered because the Project will not be implemented on any disputed areas. II. 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/01· in·eversible impacts: The Indigenous Peoples Policy is triggered by this project since the intended intervention areas include hinterland regions inhabited by Amerindian populations. Consultations with project beneficiaries concluded that the expected impacts of the project are likely to be positive; the main impact is expected to improve emergent literacy and numeracy outcomes for children at the nursery level and primary Grade I in hinterland regions and targeted remote riverine areas. The project would focus on approximately I00 nursery schools and Grade I primary schools located in these regions. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long tea·m impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: None. 3. Describe any project altematives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Not relevant. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measui'Cs described. In accordance with the World Bank's Indigenous Peoples Policy OP/BP 4.1 0, the Grant Recipient (Ministry of Education, Government of Guyana) has consulted Amerindian beneficiaries in Regions I, 7, 8, 9. A Social Assessment and an Amerindian Peoples Plan have been developed. These documents will be disclosed prior to Appraisal. The Borrower (and specifically the MOE) has experience with OP/BP 4.10 in the context of the Education Projects financed by the World Bank in Guyana. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and descl'ibe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The primary stakeholders of the project, in both Hinterland and riverain Regions, are nurse1y schools, nursery teachers, their students and their families as well as the Ministry of Education. Teachers, pupils and their families in the Hinterland and riverain regions were consulted during the preparation of the Indigenous Peoples Plan. The disclosed plan will be consulted for final comment and the stakeholders will be engaged during the implementation of the project. B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Manageme nt Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank N/A Date of submission to lnfoShop N/A For categ01y A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure N/A Indigenous Peoples Development Plan/Ft·amework Date of receipt by the Bank June 23,2014 Date of submission to InfoShop Ju ly 17, 2014 II rn country" Disclosure July I, 2014 If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as r>aa·t of the Environmental Assessment/Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosu t·e of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: C. Complkmce Monitoring I ndicators a/ lite Corporate Level OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? Yes [ I No [X I NA I I OP/BP 4.10- Indigenous Peoples Has a separate Indigenous Peoples Plan/Planning Framework (as Yes [X J No [ 1 NA [ l appropriate) been prepared in consultation with affected Indigenous Peoples? The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Yes [X 1 No ll NA ( l Bank's Jnfoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-counhy in a public Yes [X J No I l NA I J place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and loca l NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [XJ No [ I NA ll responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in Yes [X J No [ 1 NAIl the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Eva luation system of the project include Yes [X l No [ J NA I l the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation anangements been agreed with Yes [ X) No [ 1 NAIl the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Hongyu Yang Approved By: Regional Safeguards Advisor: Name: Glenn Morgan/Alternate RSA Date: M[;·ia Elena Gar~-a Mora ~Tu\~ 1( i:011-.f , L J1 ~t ,}, wJijc...r1 ftcMCA 'f(_A Sector Manager: .----I·Nain-e:..Re;ma N~yar ,J Date: ~ N Ov· /(