The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) Combined Project Information Documents / Integrated Safeguards Datasheet (PID/ISDS) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 05-Feb-2018 | Report No: PIDISDSA24065 Jan 19, 2018 Page 1 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Project Data Country Project ID Project Name Parent Project ID (if any) Colombia P166177 Additional Financing for P160446 Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES Parent Project Name Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Access and Quality in Higher LATIN AMERICA AND 02-Feb-2018 15-Mar-2018 Education Project - PACES CARIBBEAN Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Education Investment Project Instituto Colombiano de ICETEX Financing Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en El Exterior (ICETEX) Proposed Development Objective(s) Parent The objective of the project is to improve the quality of tertiary education in participating institutions and to increase the enrollment of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in quality programs. Components Undergraduate Student Loans and Creditos Condonables for Graduate Education Quality Enhancement of Tertiary Education Institutions and Programs Institutional Strengthening Financing (in US$, millions) FIN_SUMM_PUB_TBL SUMMARY Total Project Cost 160.00 Total Financing 160.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFin3 Total World Bank Group Financing 160.00 Jan 19, 2018 Page 2 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) World Bank Lending 160.00 Environmental Assessment Category Not Required (C) Decision The review did authorize the preparation to continue Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context Country Context 1. Colombia is among the top performers in the region in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction over the past decade. Colombia has maintained a solid track record of effective fiscal and macroeconomic policy management, even during the economic slowdown of 2015 (3.1 percent GDP growth versus 4.6 percent in 2014). Nevertheless, unemployment remained stable (8.9 percent in 2015), poverty declined significantly (from 49.7 percent in 2002 to 28.5 percent in 2014) and the middle class now represents a higher share of the population than the poor (30.2 percent of the population are middle class). Despite these improvements, Colombia continues to have one of the highest Gini coefficients in the region and the differences in social indicators between urban and rural areas persist. The 2014-2018 National Development Plan (NDP) “Everyone for a new country� rests on three core pillars: peace, equity and education. This plan is anchored on the post-conflict agenda and emphasizes the importance of education in improving equity. Sectoral and Institutional Context 2. The tertiary education system in Colombia has expanded significantly in recent decades. Recent policies focused on increasing enrollment had impressive results – the enrollment rate almost doubled between 2004 and 2015 (from 27 percent to 50 percent). Still, the country lags behind regional peers in gross enrollment rates (49 percent in Colombia vs 83 percent in Chile or 70 percent in Argentina). The system has become increasingly diverse over the past 10 years, with enrollment in non-university institutions growing by 272 percent since 2005, as compared to 152 percent in universities. Yet, in 2015, 66 percent of enrollment was in university programs, 27 percent in technological programs and only 4 percent in technical programs. 3. Despite improvements in access to tertiary education, inequalities in access and graduation persist. The participation of young people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds in tertiary education is very low. In 2014, only 10 percent of young people in the poorest quintile enrolled in a higher education program, Jan 19, 2018 Page 3 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) compared to 59 percent of the richest quintile 1. That same year only 13 percent of the rural population enrolled 0F in a tertiary education program, as compared to 60 percent in the main cities. The transition rate of secondary education graduates to tertiary education is low, at only 35 percent. Furthermore, half of the students who enter tertiary education drop out before finishing their studies. 4. The low quantity and quality of research and innovation is a constraint to accreditation for many institutions. Colombia lags behind regional partners on many indicators of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Research and Development (R&D). Investment levels are substantially lower than in most Latin American countries (Colombia spends 0.2 percent of GDP in R&D, vs. a Latin American average of 0.8, and an OECD average of 2.4 percent). This in part stems from the very low levels of investment in tertiary education ($1,800 per student, vs $3,225 in Brazil, and $11,700 in the OECD). The lack of investment contrasts with the fact that Colombia has one of the highest rates of return for tertiary education in the region (19.6 percent ROE, only surpassed by Mexico). 5. Improving the access and quality of tertiary education are chief priorities in the National Development Plan 2014-2018 (NDP). The NDP also seeks to close access and quality gaps between regions of the country. The plan includes the development of: (i) a tertiary education system that includes and recognizes the diversity of institutions into one system; and (ii) a quality assurance system that recognizes this diversity, enforces minimum quality standards and incentivizes continuous quality improvements for all institutions and (iii) reducing capacity gaps among regions, especially in R&D and innovation. There is also a clear commitment to accelerating the accreditation of programs and institutions: by 2018, students attending accredited institutions or programs would be the only ones eligible for student loans or scholarships. 6. To address shortcomings with the availability of advanced human capital and to improve research capacity in the regions, the MEN launched the Colombia Cientifica Program. The program seeks to increase the system’s research capacity with a focus on non-accredited institutions, and to align the relevance and quality of the research to the growth and prosperity of the regions. Under the MEN’s leadership, the program is financed mostly from regional budgets earmarked for science and innovation and supports research projects carried out by partnerships between local governments, universities and the productive sector, targeting regional economic needs. The program is currently being expanded with central government funding and the participation of the MEN, ICETEX, COLCIENCIAS and the Ministry of Commerce. 2 The program will include two major initiatives: (i) 6F Passport to Science (Pasaporte a la Ciencia), a scholarships program for graduate studies in world-class universities; and (ii) Research Ecosystem (Ecosistema Científico), a national competitive research grants program that will finance similar research projects that do not require the participation of local governments. 7. The MEN is also focused on continuing to improve access to tertiary education for populations from disadvantaged backgrounds. ICETEX - an autonomous state-owned financial institution linked to the MEN –is the main provider of student loans for low-income individuals. Most of its loans are allocated giving priority to need, merit, and the quality of institution/program sought, while also emphasizing geographic equity. These loans have 1 SEDLAC (CEDLAS and The World Bank), updated in May 2016. 2 Since 2009, with the approval of the Law 1286, Colciencias is the Colombian Administrative Department of STI, with the functions of designing, updating, coordinating and implementing the National STI Policy Jan 19, 2018 Page 4 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) been supported by the World Bank through three investment projects 3, Access with Quality to Higher Education 8F –ACCES. ICETEX loans covers 10 percent of the student population and yet 68 percent its loans have gone to students from socioeconomic strata 1 and 2 - the poorest segments of population. Two rigorous impact evaluations of the ACCES loans (Melguizo, et al., 2016, and Sanchez and Velasco, 2014) also found positive and significant impacts on enrollment and completion of tertiary education for beneficiaries. 8. ICETEX launched new credit lines under the program Tu Eliges (“you choose�), which offers more flexibility for beneficiaries, targets subsidies based on need and merit, and can finance up to 100 percent of the cost of tuition. Tu Eliges eliminated maximum loan amounts that were established in previous student loan programs (ACCES) so that students can afford higher quality institutions. It also offers seven options for credit lines, which differ on the interest rates and the percentage of the loan that needs to be repaid during the period of study. The credit lines with the lowest interest rate (0 percent real interest rate) and the longest repayment term (with 0 or 10 percent of loan amount paid during period of studies) are targeted to students from the disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds (the lowest SISBEN 4 scores) and the highest academic merit (the 9F highest SABER 11 5 scores). All credit lines offer a one-year grace period upon graduation and a repayment period 10F of twice the duration of the studies. In addition, Tu Eliges also offers medium- and short-term repayment options where a higher share of the loan amount is repaid during the study period (30%, 40%, 60% and 100%). 9. ICETEX requested the World Bank’s support for the Tu Eliges and Colombia Cientifica programs. World Bank financing will support the overall ambitious goals of ICETE, but funding will also come from ICETEX resources and was originally intended to come from another development agencies as well. Despite different funding sources, available financing will cover only part of ICETEX ambitious goals in terms of loans. Should additional financing become available, the program could be scaled up. This project will continue the successful long-term collaboration between ICETEX and the World Bank, including an on-going project ACCES II that supports student loans. From 2015 the ACCES project has supported the new long term credit lines under Tu Eliges, and the renovations of the previous loans. 10. The World Bank designed alongside ICETEX the Access and Quality in Higher education Project (PACES), to address this request. The Project’s financing is provided to ICETEX with the guarantee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Colombia. The Project is a follow-up operation to the ACCES (P105164, US$300 million, closed in 2013), and ACCES II - SOP Phase 2 (P145782, Approved on April 1, 2014 and still active, US$200 million) projects. The Project, in the amount of US$160 million, was approved by the Board on January 30th, 2017, and became effective on October 24th, 2017. The PDO is to improve the quality of tertiary education in participating institutions and to increase the enrollment of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in quality programs. The Project has three components: (1) Undergraduate Student Loans and Creditos Condonables for Graduate Education; (2) Quality Enhancement of Tertiary Education Institutions and Programs; and (3) Institutional Strengthening. PACES continues previous operations’ focus on the provision of undergraduate 3 The support to ICETEX started in 2002, through the Improving Access to Higher Education Loan (P074138), continued in 2008 with the Second Student Loan Support Project APL Phase I (P105164, Loan 7515-CO), and in 2014 through the Access with Quality to Higher Education Project– ACCES II- SOP Phase 2 (P145782). 4 SISBEN is a the proxy-means test system that Colombia has to identify poor and vulnerable. 5 SABER 11 is a standardized test taken at the end of the 11 th grade, to access tertiary education. Jan 19, 2018 Page 5 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) student loans to disadvantaged populations to increase their access to higher education, and expands this scope by financing tertiary education institutions (TEI) and programs, in an attempt to directly support quality improvements across the education system through a competitive grant mechanism (Colombia Cientifica Program). PACES is also the first Bank project to support creditos condonables (forgivable loans) for postgraduate education at top programs worldwide (Pasaporte a la Ciencia). 11. The Borrower has requested an additional US$160 million to resolve a financing gap and the desire to scale up PACES. The Borrower has requested an additional US$160 million to resolve a financing gap and the desire to scale up PACES. The original Project was prepared with the anticipation of USD150 million financing from other development institutions. This financing was included in the overall project funding as part of the counterpart funding, and these funds were factored in the setting up of the results framework’s targets. The USD150 million from these partners were intended to finance undergraduate student loans alongside Subcomponent 1.1 (Undergraduate Student Loans) of the Project. However, the negotiations with these partners were not concluded because of disagreements on the financial terms. This lack of financing created an equivalent overall financing gap. As part of the Additional Financing, ICETEX also anticipates a scale-up of Pasaporte a la Ciencia. This is due to the highly successful implementation of the first cohorts of beneficiaries and the extended reach of this funds due to new partnerships. Altogether, ICETEX is requesting an additional financing of US$ 160 million for Component 1 of the Project for a financing gap in Subcomponent 1.1. (US$148 million)6 and a scale-up of Subcomponent 1.2. (US$ 12 million). C. Proposed Development Objective(s) Original PDO The objective of the project is to improve the quality of tertiary education in participating institutions and to increase the enrollment of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in quality programs. Current PDO Key Results Progress towards meeting the Project Development Objectives would be measured by four outcome indicators: i. Number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled in tertiary education. ii. Percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled in tertiary education who are enrolled in accredited programs or institutions. iii. Percentage of tertiary education institutions participating in the Research Ecosystem projects that increase their score in a composite index of quality of research, teaching, and internationalization. iv. Number of tertiary education institutions receiving competitive research grants that formally initiate the institutional accreditation process and that remain active in the Project. D. Project Description 6 The Borrower has made the scaling up of subcomponent 1.2 a key priority and prefers to prioritize this scaling up and allocate US$148 million to cover the financial gap. Jan 19, 2018 Page 6 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) The Project would achieve its development objective through implementation of three components. Component 1. Undergraduate Student Loans and Creditos Condonables for Graduate Education. The objective of this component is to increase student enrollment and graduation in high-quality programs. This will be achieved by providing: (a) undergraduate student loans (both new loans and loan renewals) to disadvantaged populations to attend tertiary education programs in Colombia, prioritizing accredited programs and institutions, and (b) scholarships for undergraduate students to attend high-quality international graduate programs. Subcomponent 1.1. Undergraduate Student Loans. (Total: US$392 million; Bank: US$92 million; ICETEX: US$300 million). This subcomponent will mainly finance the provision of student loans to selected undergraduate students for tertiary education studies in eligible TEIs. The student loans financed by this subcomponent seek to increase equity in access to tertiary education and the quality and relevance of the programs attended by the beneficiaries. This subcomponent also finances loan renewals for disadvantaged students who are continuing their studies and loans for disadvantaged populations provided under Alianzas, in which partners (local governments, other ministries, or the private sector) cover part of the direct cost of attending tertiary education or provide an interest rate subsidy for eligible populations. Subcomponent 1.2. Creditos Condonables for Postgraduate Education. This subcomponent finances the provision of creditos condonables to selected graduate students for postgraduate education in foreign universities. The creditos condonables will cover the cost of postgraduate education abroad in knowledge areas prioritized in the NDP, regional economic development plans, and Ecosistemas Científicos (research projects financed by Component 2). The creditos condonables will cover a predetermined percentage of the total amount depending on the type of degree, as long as the student (a) graduates from the program and (b) returns to Colombia to be employed in academia, the public sector, or any institution in the STI system, as defined in the 2016-2025 STI policy. Component 2: Quality Enhancement of Tertiary Education Institutions and Programs. The objectives of this component are to improve the quality of TEIs by strengthening their research and innovation capabilities, and enhancing their collaboration with the productive sectors in the regions. This will be done through financing competitive research grants for IPs between universities and the productive sector. With their own resources, and to complement these grants, ICETEX will provide loans for institutions seeking to improve quality indicators and looking to finance high-quality accreditation processes. Competitive Research Grants for Institutional Partnerships. This component, which will be implemented by COLCIENCIAS, will provide: (i) grants to eligible TEIs to support academic research and innovation initiatives; and (ii) financial support to COLCIENCIAS in connection with the implementation of this component of the Project. The grants will be allocated competitively for the implementation of research and innovation projects that respond to regional productive sector needs. The projects will be implemented by IPs that include (a) at least two domestic TEIs (one leading institution with proven research capabilities and one non-accredited institution), (b) at least one international university, and (c) at least one private firm or business association. An IP may also involve other partners, such as regional research centers and/or local governments. Component 3: Institutional Strengthening. The objective of this component is to improve ICETEX’s management practices and capacity, strengthen its long-term sustainability and promote evidence-based decision-making. Although this component will be financed entirely by ICETEX, the Bank will provide technical assistance during Jan 19, 2018 Page 7 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) design and implementation. Subcomponent 3.1: Project Management and Monitoring. This subcomponent will support Project management, coordination, implementation, and monitoring including, inter alia, the carrying out of Project audits. Subcomponent 3.2: Capacity and Sustainability Strengthening. This subcomponent supports the strengthening of ICETEX’s institutional capacity through, inter alia, the provision of goods and the provision of technical assistance and training. In particular, the subcomponent will finance (a) improvements in technological capabilities of ICETEX; (b) efforts to improve the financial sustainability, efficiency, and quality of ICETEX’s services; and (c) monitoring and evaluation. The Bank will provide technical assistance across these efforts, as it has done in previous operations. E. Implementation Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ICETEX is the borrower and the main implementation agency, responsible for the overall project implementation, monitoring and reporting. It is also directly implementing two out of the three components of the project (Components 1 and 3). Component 3 is implemented exclusively with counterpart funds, with the World Bank having a supervisory and monitoring role. In order to ensure implementation of Component 2, COLCIENCIAS and ICETEX entered into a Subsidiary Tripartite Agreement with Fiduprevisora S.A, which is the legal entity representing Fondo Caldas. The project is integrated in the regular operation of ICETEX and its units. The director of planning of ICETEX is be the main counterpart of the World Bank and acts as the project manager, with overall responsibility for implementation and reporting. Under the director, two coordinators oversee the implementation of different components of the project, all part of the Project Coordination Team (Equipo Coordinador de Proyecto, PCT). One coordinator is responsible for Component 2, providing oversight and support to COLCIENCIAS in the implementation. The second coordinator is responsible for Components 1 and 3. ICETEX is therefore responsible for the implementation of the IPP and for ensuring that Indigenous peoples, Afro- descendants and Rom are equal project beneficiaries and are supported in a culturally appropriate manner. to No changes to this implementation arrangements are expected in the current AF. . F. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Colombia is a multiethnic and multicultural country, the Department of National Statics (DANE) recognizes the existence of 87 indigenous peoples, it is estimated that indigenous people constitute about 3.5 percent of Colombia population. Calls for ICETEX credits and passport of science have been open to applicants from all over the country. Despite the general access to tertiary education, there is a persistent inequality in access across income groups, both in the percentage of students who enroll and types of institutions they attend, including universities within the country. The scientific ecosystem component seeks the participation of universities within the country, to strengthen the supply of qualified production chains of each department, including those indigenous and AfroColombian territories with population professionals. The project has national coverage, since it has as potential beneficiaries students from all over the country. With emphasis on the areas with greater presence of indigenous people in proportion to its population in Jan 19, 2018 Page 8 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) the territory, such as Vaupés 67 percent, Guainía 64 percent, Guajira 45 percent, Vichada 44 percent, Amazonas 43 percent. Other departments with significant indigenous populations are Cauca 22 percent and Putumayo 21 percent. Where the departments of Guajira, Cauca, Nariño, Córdoba and Sucre concentrate 66 percent of total indigenous population in Colombia. Also, the departments where the largest AfroColombian population recognized itself are Chocó 82 percent, San Andrés Archipelago, Providencia and Santa Catalina 57 percent, Bolivar 28 percent, Valle del Cauca 27 percent and Cauca with 22 percent. Where 57 percent of the country's AfroColombian population is concentrated in the departments of Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Bolívar and Chocó. 94 percent of the Rom (Gypsies) population of the country is concentrated in the departments of Atlántico, Bolívar, Valle del Cauca, Bogotá, Norte de Santander, Santander and Nariño. The same to which belong the cities where the main kumpanias are Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cali, Cucuta, Girón and Ipiales. The legislation in force in Colombia, based on Law 1381 of Jan 2010, protects the rights of students belonging to indigenous peoples, AfroColombian, raizales and palanqueras communities, like speaking their own language and make use of this right in all contexts. Laws, norms, and government policies, enshrined in the National Constitution insist on the recognition of diversity. G. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Raul Tolmos, Environmental Safeguards Specialist Carlos Alberto Molina Prieto, Social Safeguards Specialist Julieth Andrea Castaneda Leon, Social Safeguards Specialist SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY SAFEGUARD _TBL Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No 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 Yes Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International Waterways No OP/BP 7.50 Jan 19, 2018 Page 9 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT OPS_SAFEGUARD_SUMMARY_TBL 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: The Indigenous Peoples policy (BP/OP4.10) is activated due to the presence of indigenous people in the Project area. It’s hoped the project continues to have a positive impact in the entire population, including indigenous and female population, by contributing to the enhancement of the quality of education. It faces challenges identified as i) call to applicants; ii) dispersion and isolation of postulants that limit access; iii) general and language skills of applicants that limit their access to postgraduate programs; iv) the project addresses not only the question of how to retain students, but also how to attract good teachers and retain them in the region to minimize their mobility and preserve the scientific ecosystem. The project uses the same execution strategy for the passport to science. ICETEX has the responsibility to carry out the call with mass events at national level and focused dissemination, offer information about the offer, give advice for closing gap of second language, supervise the admission process, provide advice on requirements and documentation (apostille, translations) and award scholarships. Inclusion (ie, making the right to a good quality higher education effective) is one of the major challenges of the project. ICETEX encourages the delivery of scholarships to indigenous, AfroColombian and Roma students, with the acceptance of universities, the activities are oriented to address this challenge with the goal of promoting a more inclusive and participatory education of indigenous people and the poorest groups in the country. For the Colombia Scientific Passport to Science additional points were established in the selection criteria for population of ethnic groups and victims. The project aims to improve the quality of higher education through the strengthening of a scientific culture that allows the generation and transfer of new knowledge of high quality that contribute to the development of the country. To this end, it aims to consolidate the strengthening of research capacity of higher education institutions at the regional and national level; promote the creation of knowledge networks to support the solution of local and national problems. Since the beginning of implementation (year 2017), the percent of new student loans going to indigenous, afro-Colombians and Roma people was 19 percent, significantly above previous years. For victims of the conflict, the proportion was 8 percent, also above estimates. These are especially encouraging updates because supporting these groups had been a challenge for ICETEX in previous operations, and together, these developments shed light on the Project’s remarkable progress in supporting vulnerable minorities and the peace process in Colombia. Indeed, the latest implementations monitoring reports have rated the implementation of safeguards policies as 'Satisfactory'. All in all, the implementation of the IPP and the support to constitutionally protected minorities is on track and has shown encouraging early outcomes. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: Political events may interfere with the activities of the Project. The uncertainty of the peace process could lead to uncertainty for the application for scholarships or for the return to the country, once the studies have been completed. Likewise, they could provoke demonstrations and strikes that could temporarily halt alliances promoted by the project and have a negative impact on their implementation. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. The project continues to promote inclusive education, taking into account some key measures: (i) the inclusive Jan 19, 2018 Page 10 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) education system, focusing on the poorest groups, including indigenous peoples and women; (ii) improve the quality of teachers through training (this training includes alternative ways of continuously increasing the quality of education, training relevant to the productive sector, (iii) increased competitiveness and productivity, (iv) a credit program / Scholarships for Masters and Doctorates as a way of promoting the inclusion of indigenous peoples in the education system). 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. ICETEX successfully implemented Expansion Project Student Loan to Promote Equitable Access in Colombia: Policy and Strategies for Care of the Indigenous People and Afro-descendants, from 2008 to 2013, under the Second Support Project Loans student: Adaptable Program Loan (first stage) (P105164 ). Therefore, it demonstrates adequate capacity in regard to safeguard policies. ICETEX has developed in 2013, a Plan of Affirmative Action for Special Populations: Indigenous, ROM, Afro descendants and Victims (PPI) has the institutional capacity to undertake social assessment required for updating a framework of participation for indigenous peoples and AfroColombians. In this intervention, ICETEX is coordinating with the Ministry of Education, the elaboration of a Plan of Participation of indigenous peoples and AfroColombians for the implementation of the 'Passport to Science'. The Passport to Science provides scholarships for postgraduate studies abroad, which are linked to the specific needs of partnerships, students from across the country, including indigenous and Afro-descendants. ICETEX has carried out the social evaluation of the project, with a free and prior consultation process, by visiting 5 HEIs, focus groups 90 students, 684 answered surveys and a sample of 40 affirmative action plans from universities. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. Accompanying ICETEX, the main interested groups are the Ministry of Education through Colombia Cientifica (COLCIENCIAS), the Institutions of Higher Education (IES), the authorities of the departmental governments, trade associations. ICETEX has several mechanisms to ensure a smooth and efficient communication between the institution and its beneficiaries, these are virtual and face-to-face channels through which potential beneficiaries initially have access to the information needed to access the services offered and further entering the program, it allows them to remain aware of the way the process is developed. On the other hand, the disclosure of the PPI is made in all spaces in the territorial offices of ICETEX, which provide information on funding lines for higher education. In addition, it is available in all virtual channels of ICETEX, the same is done with the results of the process of monitoring its implementation. Following the disclosure of the PPI, the system that ICETEX has in place for receiving petitions, complaints, requests and complaints are available to beneficiaries belonging to indigenous, AfroColombian, Roman and Victims, so the institution has a better understanding of the opinions that beneficiaries may have regarding the implementation. The system of receiving requests and complaints is done through the virtual attention system in order to facilitate the process, this is designed in such a way that an official response is guaranteed in three business days. In addition allows the user to track the status of the request through a number assigned. If the beneficiary considers, this process is also possible face-to-face in the ICETEX offices. Jan 19, 2018 Page 11 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) OPS_SAFEGUARD_DISCLOSURE_TBL B. Disclosure Requirements (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) OPS_I P_DIS CLOSURE_TA BLE Indigenous Peoples Development Plan/Framework Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure "In country" Disclosure OPS_COMPLIANCE_INDICATOR_TBL C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level (to be filled in when the ISDS is finalized by the project decision meeting) (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) OPS_I P_COM P_TA BLE OPS_ PDI_ COMP_TA BLE OPS_ALL_COMP_TABLE CONTACT POINT World Bank Pedro Cerdan-Infantes Senior Economist Javier Botero Alvarez Lead Education Specialist Borrower/Client/Recipient Instituto Colombiano de Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en El Exterior (ICETEX) Jan 19, 2018 Page 12 of 13 The World Bank Additional Financing for Access and Quality in Higher Education Project - PACES (P166177) Implementing Agencies ICETEX Monica Maloof Director of Planning mmaloof@icetex.gov.co 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 APPROVAL Pedro Cerdan-Infantes Task Team Leader(s): Javier Botero Alvarez Approved By Safeguards Advisor: Noreen Beg 05-Feb-2018 Practice Manager/Manager: Yves Jantzem 05-Feb-2018 Country Director: Jutta Ursula Kern 06-Feb-2018 Jan 19, 2018 Page 13 of 13