Document of The World Bankdocuments.vsemirnyjbank.org/curated/ru/...The Recipient shall not later than three (3) month from the Effectiveness Deadline appoint a procurement specialist

Document of

The World Bank

For Official Use Only

Report No: PAD2333

INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRCTION AND DEVELOPMENT and

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT

ON A

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION GRANT

IN THE AMOUNT OF

US$11.07 MILLION

TO THE

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

FOR A

LIBERIA: GETTING TO BEST IN EDUCATION PROJECT

May 17, 2018

Education Global Practice Africa Region

This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization.

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

AE Alternative Education

AWP&B Annual Work Plan and Budget CEO County Education Officer

CQS Selection Based on the Consultants’ Qualifications

CSA Civil Service Agency DA Designated Account

DEO District Education Officer DHS Demographic and Health Survey

DLI Disbursement-linked Indicator DP Development Partner ECD Early Childhood Development

ECE Early Childhood Education EDU Education Delivery Unit

EEP Eligible Expenditure Program EGMA Early Grade Math Assessment EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment

ELSRP Early Learning Systems Research Program EMIS Education Management Information System

EPAG Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women ESA Education Sector Analysis

ESDC Education Sector Development Committee ESP Education Sector Plan

EU European Union

EVD Ebola Virus Disease FM Financial Management

GA Grant Agent GBV Gender-based Violence GDP Gross Domestic Product

GER Gross Enrollment Ratio GoL Government of Liberia

GPE Global Partnership for Education GPE-G2B Global Partnership for Education - Getting to Best in Education

GPE-BEP Global Partnership for Education Grant for Basic Education Project

GPN General Procurement Notice GRS Grievance Redress Service

CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective February 28, 2018)

Currency Unit = Liberian Dollar (LRD)

LRD 1.00 = US$0.008

FISCAL YEAR July 1 – June 31

HIES Household Income and Expenditure Survey ICR Implementation Completion and Results Report

ICT Information and Communication Technology IFR Interim Financial Report IPA Innovations for Poverty Action

IT Information Technology IVA Independent Verification Agency

IVR Independent Verification Report LEG LISGIS

Local Education Group Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services

LTTP Liberia Teacher Training Program

LPSCE Liberia Primary School Certificate Examination M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MCSS Monrovia Consolidated School System

MFDP Ministry of Finance and Development Planning MGCSW Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare

MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs MoE Ministry of Education MoPEA Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

MYS Ministry of Youth and Sports

NER Net Enrollment Rate NGO Nongovernmental Organization

NPF New Procurement Framework NSQS National School Quality Standards NTAL National Teachers’ Association of Liberia

OSF Open Society Foundation PCRA Procurement Capacity and Risk Assessment

PDT Project Delivery Team PDO Project Development Objective

PFMU Project Financial Management Unit

PIM Project Implementation Manual PP Procurement Plan

PPCA Public Procurement and Concessions Act PPCC Public Procurement and Concessions Commission

PPSD Project Procurement Strategy for Development PSL Partnership Schools for Liberia PTA Parent-Teacher Association

QAR Quality Assurance Review RBF Results-based Financing

RFB Request for Bids RFQ Request for Quotations RTTI Rural Teacher Training Institute

SA Social Assessment SBM School-based Management

SDG Sustainable Development Goal SIP School Improvement Plan SMC School Management Committee

SMT Senior Management Team SOE Statement of Expenditure

SPN Specific Procurement Notice SQA School Quality Assessment STTR Student to Trained Teacher Ratio

TA Technical Assistance TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UN United Nations UNDB United Nations Development Business

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USAID U.S. Agency for International Development UTDBE Untrained Teachers Diploma in Basic Education

WAEC West African Examinations Council

WASH Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop

Country Director: Henry G. R. Kerali

Senior Global Practice Director: Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi

Practice Manager: Halil Dundar

Task Team Leaders: Peter Darvas; Kaliope Azzi-Huck

The World Bank Liberia: Getting to Best in Education (P162089)

Click here to enter text.

BASIC INFORMATION BASIC_INFO_TABLE

Country(ies) Project Name

Liberia Getting to Best in Education

Project ID Financing Instrument Environmental Assessment Category

P162089 Investment Project Financing

C-Not Required

Financing & Implementation Modalities

[ ] Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) [ ] Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC)

[ ] Series of Projects (SOP) [✓] Fragile State(s)

[ ] Disbursement-linked Indicators (DLIs) [ ] Small State(s)

[ ] Financial Intermediaries (FI) [ ] Fragile within a non-fragile Country

[ ] Project-Based Guarantee [✓] Conflict

[ ] Deferred Drawdown [ ] Responding to Natural or Man-made Disaster

[ ] Alternate Procurement Arrangements (APA)

Expected Approval Date Expected Closing Date

17-May-2018 30-Jun-2022

Bank/IFC Collaboration

No

Proposed Development Objective(s)

The Project Development Objectives (PDOs) are to : (a) improve equitable access to early childhood education, teacher quality in early childhood education (ECE), and primary education in targeted disadvantaged counties, and (b) strengthen National School Accountability Systems.

Components


Component Name Cost (US$, millions)

Improving the Quality and Access to Early Childhood Education in Targeted Counties 2.90

Supporting Teacher Training and Certification in Targeted Counties 1.60

Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring 2.00

Achieving Better Learning through Improved Equity, Efficiency, and Accountability 3.57

Project Management and Sector Program Support and Coordination 1.00

Organizations

Borrower: Ministry of Finance and Development Planning

Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education

PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions)

SUMMARY-NewFin1

Total Project Cost 11.07

Total Financing 11.07

of which IBRD/IDA 0.00

Financing Gap 0.00

DETAILS-NewFinEnh1

Non-World Bank Group Financing

Trust Funds 11.07

Education for All - Fast Track Initiative 11.07

Expected Disbursements (in US$, Millions)

WB Fiscal Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Annual 0.00 0.25 2.00 4.70 3.00 1.12

Cumulative 0.00 0.25 2.25 6.95 9.95 11.07


INSTITUTIONAL DATA

Practice Area (Lead) Contributing Practice Areas

Education

Climate Change and Disaster Screening

This operation has been screened for short and long-term climate change and disaster risks

Gender Tag

Does the project plan to undertake any of the following?

a. Analysis to identify Project-relevant gaps between males and females, especially in light of country gaps identified through SCD and CPF

Yes

b. Specific action(s) to address the gender gaps identified in (a) and/or to improve women or men's empowerment

Yes

c. Include Indicators in results framework to monitor outcomes from actions identified in (b) Yes

SYSTEMATIC OPERATIONS RISK-RATING TOOL (SORT)

Risk Category Rating

1. Political and Governance Substantial

2. Macroeconomic Substantial

3. Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate

4. Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial

5. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability Substantial

6. Fiduciary Substantial

7. Environment and Social Moderate

8. Stakeholders Moderate

9. Other Substantial

10. Overall Substantial


COMPLIANCE

Policy

Does the project depart from the CPF in content or in other significant respects?

[ ] Yes [✓] No

Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies?

[ ] Yes [✓] No

Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No

Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 ✔

Performance Standards for Private Sector Activities OP/BP 4.03 ✔

Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 ✔

Forests OP/BP 4.36 ✔

Pest Management OP 4.09 ✔

Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 ✔

Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 ✔

Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 ✔

Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 ✔

Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 ✔

Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 ✔

Legal Covenants

Sections and Description Schedule 2 Section 1, 2.A

The Recipient through MoE shall, not later than 3 months after the Effectiveness Date establish and thereafter

maintain within MoE and throughout the implementation of the Project, a Project Delivery Team (“PDT”) with

adequate resources consisting of a Project coordinator, financial management specialist, monitoring and evaluation

specialist and procurement specialist, all with qualifications and experience satisfactory to the World Bank; and

Sections and Description Schedule 2, Section II D.1.b


The Recipient through MOE shall ensure that, no later than twelve (12) months from the Effectiveness, the

Recipient shall ensure that the Recipient has appointed an IVA with qualifications, experience and under terms of

reference satisfactory to the World Bank; and

Schedule 2, Section II D.1.C

The Recipient through MOE shall ensure that, no later than three months after the end of each Year, or by such

later date agreed with the World Bank, furnishes to the World Bank the DLI Verification Report prepared by the IVA

which shall inter alia certify the extent to which: (i) the Eligible Expenditures under the Year covered by the

verification have been incurred in compliance with the arrangements provided for in this Agreement and the PIM;

and (ii) the Disbursement-Linked Indicators for the Year covered by the audit have been met.

Sections and Description Schedule 2, section V 1

The Recipient shall not later than three (3) month from the Effectiveness Deadline appoint a procurement specialist

with qualification and experience and under terms of reference satisfactory to the World Bank.

Schedule 2, section V 2

The Recipient shall not later than eighteen (18) months from the Effectiveness Deadline require all staff in the PDT

to undertake training in contract management at an institution satisfactory to the World Bank.

Conditions

Type Description Effectiveness This Agreement shall not become effective until evidence satisfactory to the World Bank has

been furnished to the World Bank that, the Recipient has adopted a Project Implementation Manual, in form and substance satisfactory to the World Bank.

Type Description Disbursement Notwithstanding the provisions of Part, A of this Section, no withdrawal shall be made:

1(b) under Category 2 unless and until the Recipient through MoE has developed School Grants Guidelines satisfactory to the World Bank. 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of Part B of this Section, no withdrawal shall be made for payments under Category (3) with respect to each DLI in Table 1.A of Annex 2 to Schedule 2 to this Agreement, unless the Recipient has furnished evidence satisfactory to the World Bank that: (A) the DLI has been met as defined in the PIM; and (B) payment for the Eligible Expenditures Program under the sector budget lines set forth in Schedule 3 to this Agreement have been made by the Recipient in accordance with its applicable laws and


regulations; and the PIM. 3. Notwithstanding the provision set forth in paragraph 1 of Section IV.B of this Schedule, withdrawals by the Recipient under Category 3 shall not exceed the relevant amount specified in the “DLI Amount” row of the Table in Annex 2 to Schedule 2 to this Agreement, subject to submission to the World Bank of satisfactory evidence that the DLI (for which a withdrawal request has been submitted) has been achieved. 4. In connection with the foregoing, the World Bank may nevertheless restrict withdrawals as set out below, if it determines, that the DLI targets as set out in Table 1.A of Annex 2 to Schedule 2 to this Agreement, are not met or are partially met. In this regard: (a) if the targets for DLI 1, DLI 2.2 and DLI 3 have only been partially met, the amount of the Grant to be withdrawn shall be: (i) reduced in proportion to the respective degree of DLI achievement; and (ii) shall remain available for withdrawal only in the subsequent Year if it is met in a manner satisfactory to the World Bank, after which it may be cancelled by the World Bank; and (b) with respect to DLI 2.1, if the targets for the said DLI have not been met by the end of the designated Year, the amount of the Grant to be withdrawn shall be cancelled or reallocated. 5. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time, by notice to the Recipient, the World Bank may cancel the amount of the Grant proceeds so withheld or reallocate said amount to other DLIs. 6. If the World Bank determines, at any time, that any portion of the amounts disbursed by the Recipient under Category 3 was made for reimbursement of expenditures that are not eligible under the EEPs, the Recipient shall promptly refund any such amount to the World Bank as the World Bank shall specify by notice to the Recipient. 7. The Closing Date referred to in Section 3.06 (c) of the Standard Conditions is June 30, 2022.


LIBERIA

LIBERIA: GETTING TO BEST IN EDUCATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT ...................................................................................................... 1

A. Country Context ............................................................................................................ 1

B. Sectoral and Institutional Context ................................................................................ 1

C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes .......................................... 4

II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES .............................................................................. 4

A. PDO ............................................................................................................................... 4

B. Project Beneficiaries ..................................................................................................... 5

C. PDO-Level Results Indicators ........................................................................................ 5

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................... 5

A. Project Components ..................................................................................................... 5

B. Project Cost and Financing ......................................................................................... 14

C. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design ................................................ 14

IV. IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................ 15

A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ...................................................... 15

B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................ 16

C. Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 17

D. Role of Partners .......................................................................................................... 17

V. KEY RISKS ..................................................................................................................... 18

A. Overall Risk Rating and Explanation of Key Risks ....................................................... 18

VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY .................................................................................................. 21

A. Economic and Financial Analysis ................................................................................ 21

B. Technical Assessment ................................................................................................. 22

C. Financial Management ............................................................................................... 22

D. Procurement ............................................................................................................... 23

E. Social (including Safeguards) ...................................................................................... 24

F. Environment (including Safeguards) .......................................................................... 25

G. Other Safeguard Policies (if applicable) ..................................................................... 25


H. World Bank Grievance Redress .................................................................................. 25

VII. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING .................................................................... 26

ANNEX 1: DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION ......................................................................... 35

ANNEX 2: IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS .................................................................... 54

ANNEX 3: IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT PLAN ...................................................................... 74

ANNEX 4: SECTORAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT ............................................................ 75

ANNEX 5: ALIGNMENT AMONG PROJECT, EDUCATION SECTOR PLAN AND SDG 4 ................. 82

ANNEX 6: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS ................................................................. 84

ANNEX 7: DETAILED PROJECT BUDGET ................................................................................. 91

ANNEX 8: RESULTS CHAIN FOR THE PROJECT INTERVENTIONS AND DISBURSEMENT-LINKED INDICATORS (DLIS) .............................................................................................................. 92


Page 1 of 102

I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT

A. Country Context

1. Liberia is a West African country of approximately 4.7 million people. Though its 14-year civil war ended in 2003, the country remains fragile and vulnerable to internal and external shocks that jeopardize its material wealth and social progress. Since 2003, with the support of development partners (DPs), including the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia, Liberia has maintained peace and stability, revived the state administration, improved governance, rebuilt basic infrastructure, and made progress on key human development indicators.1 In 2013, the Government of Liberia (GoL) outlined a strategy through The Agenda for Transformation, which sought to set the country on a course for inclusive growth.2 In December 2017, a new president was elected and the transition of power was peaceful and cooperative.

2. Outside of the 2014 twin shocks, Liberia has shown steady growth in recent years, averaging real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 7 percent annually, with significant contributions from agriculture and services. In 2014, however, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic and a fall in commodity prices stalled the country’s GDP growth at 0.7 percent. In 2015, there was no GDP growth, due to the low commodity prices, though there has been a climb since, with the economy expanding 3.5 percent in 2017. Projections of medium-term growth are in the 6 percent range and expected to be driven by the mining sector.3

3. Liberia’s level of poverty remains high. Nearly 40 percent of the population lives on less than US$1.90 per day (a figure 20 percentage points higher than other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa).4 Although gross national income per capita has nearly doubled since 2003, human development achievements continue to be extremely low. In 2016, Liberia received a value of 0.427 on the Human Development Index, giving it a ranking of 177 out of 188 countries.5

B. Sectoral and Institutional Context

4. Liberia has made notable progress in improving education coverage. Between 1981 and 2015, the number of students enrolled (preprimary to senior high school level) increased from 0.3 million to 1.5 million. Between 2007 and 2015, the teaching workforce grew significantly, doubling in size from 26,359 to 55,243 teachers, with the share of qualified early childhood education (ECE) and primary teachers reaching 49 percent and 62 percent, respectively..

5. Since the end of the civil war, the Government has worked to rebuild the public education system with the aim of expanding access to education for all. In 2017, building on achievements and lessons of the previous decade, the Government developed a strategy focused on improving the equity,

1 World Bank. Liberia Country Partnership Strategy FY13–17 (IDA/R2013-0191[IFC/R2013-0268; MIGA2013-0063) 2 Liberia Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs (MoPEA). 2012. Republic of Liberia Agenda for Transformation. Monrovia: MoPEA.

3 International Monetary Fund Country Report. 2016.No. 16/392.

4 Poverty and Equity Data Portal. http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/country/LBR. Accessed February 20, 2018. 5 Human Development Report.2016. http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/LBR. Accessed February 17, 2018.


Page 2 of 102

quality, and relevance of teaching and student learning. This strategy is articulated through nine priorities outlined in the Getting to Best in Education Sector Plan 2017–2021 (G2B-ESP).6

6. The education sector’s share of total Government spending had increased incrementally until FY2015, when the EVD epidemic forced the closure of schools and the redirection of Government resources toward emergency recovery efforts. In FY2016 and FY2017, while most other sectors saw budget reductions, the GoL allocated 14.36 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively, to the education sector. These public contributions are channeled through the Ministry of Education (MoE) as well as the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS); the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA); Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (MGCSW); direct allocations to Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) programs; scholarship funds; concessions to businesses (which in turn fund local educational services); and county development funds.

Challenges Facing the Sector: Focusing on Learning Outcomes, Early Childhood Education (ECE), Basic Education, Teacher Qualifications and Deployment and System Management and Accountability

7. Despite noted accomplishments in the sector, many challenges remain. The most significant include (a) low learning outcomes; (b) overage enrollment at the ECE and primary education levels; (c) disparities in access and completion at the basic education level; (d) inadequately trained and inequitable distribution of teachers; and (e) inadequate management and accountability systems at the central and school levels.7

8. Low learning outcomes. Evidence points to pervasively low student learning outcomes at both the primary and secondary education levels. From 2008 to 2015, several programs conducted small-scale assessments of early grade students’ literacy outcomes. In nearly all assessments, the mean score for Grade 3 students’ oral reading fluency was lower than 25 correct words per minute—far below the MoE literacy benchmark of 45 correct words per minute.8 Similar poor outcomes extend to higher levels: in 2014, 46 percent of students sitting for the Grade 12 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam obtained a passing score overall.

9. Overage enrollment at ECE and primary education levels. According to the Education Sector Analysis (ESA), approximately 250,000 children ages 6 to 11 are enrolled at the ECE level, a distortion that continues throughout the system, and stems largely from delayed entry into primary school and interruptions in schooling. Despite some improvement since 2008, 82 percent of students in primary grades are overage and 40 percent are more than three years’ overage.

10. Disparities in access and completion at the basic education level. Disparities in basic education access and completion are largely explained by household income, urban-rural status, distance from school, and gender. Just under half (47 percent) of youth ages 10–19 from households in the lowest two wealth quintiles (the poorest 40 percent of households in the population) reach Grade 6 compared to 88

6 The G2B-ESP is based on the Liberia Education Sector Analysis (ESA), a comprehensive review and evidence-based analysis of the education sector from approximately 2000 till 2015. The G2B-ESP includes an implementation plan outlining roles and responsibilities for central, ministerial, and decentralized education administration. 7 Liberia MoE. 2016. Getting to Best in Education Sector Plan 2017–2021. 8 Liberia MoE and World Bank. 2015. Liberia Education Sector Analysis; King, S., M. Korda, L. Nordstrum, and S. Edwards. 2015. Liberia Teacher Training Program: End Line Assessment of the Impact of Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Interventions.


Page 3 of 102

percent of youth from households in the top wealth quintile. Despite recent progress, with the exception of Montserrado County, girls’ access to and completion of basic education (primary and junior high school) remains far below that of boys.

11. Inadequately trained and inequitable distribution of teachers. According to the 2017 MoE Teacher Verification and Testing Program, 40 percent of primary school teachers do not possess the minimum required knowledge of English needed to be an effective instructor at the primary level. The distribution of qualified teachers in Liberia is also inequitable, with regions having economic advantage also getting more, and higher qualified teachers. This is highlighted through the student-to-trained-teacher ratio (STTR) which is 34:1 in Montserrado County, yet ranges from 64:1 to 90:1 in counties with high incidences of poverty (e.g. Rivercess, Sinoe, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, and River Gee).9

12. Inadequate management and accountability systems at the central and school levels. At the system level, some progress in developing the Education Management Information System (EMIS) is being realized, with an annual school census (ASC) having been carried out annually over the past five years. However, significant gaps in data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results continue to hinder the MoE’s efforts in effectively using its EMIS. Without sustained funding and ongoing capacity development, there is a significant risk that the system will falter, and recent successes will not be sustained. At the school level, most principals in Liberia’s public schools are untrained and do not have the guidance, expertise, resources, or support to effectively manage their schools and teachers. District Education Officers (DEOs), tasked with oversight and technical support, do not have sufficient resources to visit schools regularly (or at all), nor do they have the expertise and tools needed to effectively monitor and enforce accountability. Even when schools are monitored and improvement efforts are made, the absence of Liberia-specific school quality standards and tools for measuring school quality prevent any benchmarking or guided comparisons across schools or regions.

13. The G2B-ESP has established a priority program used by the Government to implement a series of strategic, evidence-based, and innovative programs to measurably improve education equity, quality, and relevance. Having provided inputs for the development of this strategy, DPs are aligning their respective programs with the G2B-ESP nine programs listed below:

(1) Establish an effective school quality improvement and accountability system

(2) Improve the efficiency and performance of education management system

(3) Improve access to quality ECE

(4) Provide quality alternative and accelerated education pathways for overage and out-of-school children and young people

(5) Improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction of the teaching workforce

9 Montserrado, Margibi, and Grand Bassa are the most affluent counties in Liberia, with well-paved roads and greater interconnectivity. All other counties suffer from a lack of basic infrastructure and have an absolute incidence of poverty that is higher than 50 percent (according to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey [HIES] 2014). River Gee, Maryland, and Grand Kru (GPE target counties) are the poorest with an absolute poverty index close to 80 percent. (Liberia Education Statistics Report 2015–2016).


Page 4 of 102

(6) Ensure that teachers have access to quality instructional materials and assessment tasks

(7) Mainstream gender and school health across the education sector

(8) Improve the quality and relevance of technical and vocational education and training

(9) Leverage regional and international partnerships and expertise, target market demand for critical skills, and increase the efficiency of education expenditure

14. Additionally, the Government is exploring innovative approaches to address demand, quality, and other elements of education services (for example, nearly half the students in Liberia are served by by non-state schools). These innovations include the Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL),10 a school-feeding initiative, and an early-grade reading program, among others. While debate around the feasibility and efficacy of some innovations is ongoing, policy dialogue and donor support is focused on helping scale up interventions based on evidence of success.

C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes

15. The Getting to Best in Education (GPE-G2B) Project, contributes to the World Bank Liberia Systematic Country Diagnostic (Report #13370-LR), namely priority B1– expanding education access and improving service Delivery. Congruently, it is also aligned with the Country Partnership Framework FY19-23 currently under development, specifically Pillar II (building human capital to seize economic activities. The project has been prepared in line with the Government’s Agenda for Transformation, namely the following pillars: (a) Economic Transformation to reduce constraints to rapid, broad-based, and sustained economic growth to create employment; (b) Human Development to increase access and quality of basic social services and reducing vulnerability; and (c) Governance and Public Sector Institutions to improve public sector and natural resources governance. In this context, the project supports the second and third pillars by aiming to improve conditions for learning, promoting gender equity, and strengthening management capacity of the MoE.

16. The GPE has developed a strategic plan for 2016–2020 (GPE 2020) which includes special emphasis on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) (to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning). In that light, the project has a strong focus on increasing access to and quality of ECE and increasing the quality of primary education, thus contributing to the achievement of SDG 4 in Liberia (see Annex 5).

II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

A. PDO

17. The Project Development Objectives (PDOs) are to : (a) improve equitable access to early childhood education, teacher quality in early childhood education (ECE) and primary education in Targeted Disadvantaged Counties, and (b) strengthen National School Accountability Systems.

10 In September 2016, the MoE launched the PSL initiative, transferring the management of 93 Government primary schools to eight private service providers. Teachers remained on the Government payroll and providers received an additional per-student subsidy. A preliminary evaluation of the pilot’s first year showed improvements in student learning outcomes but mixed results in terms of costs and sustainability across the various service-provision models.


Page 5 of 102

B. Project Beneficiaries

18. Direct project beneficiaries include (a) 40,000 ECE students in targeted counties who will benefit from ECE school grants; (b) 60 community caregivers who will benefit from the community ECE training and support, (c) 1,400 teachers who will benefit from training to improve their effectiveness to teach ECE and primary-level students; (d) 1,500 principals who will benefit from principal certification training; and (e) 98 DEOs who will benefit from capacity-building activities.

C. PDO-Level Results Indicators

19. The project will monitor the following PDO-level results indicators:

(a) Direct project beneficiaries (% female)

(b) Net Enrollment Rate (NER) in ECE in targeted counties

(c) Share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in targeted counties

(d) Percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in targeted counties

20. In line with the GPE funding model which went into effect in 2017, the Project will use 30% of the grant total as results-based financing to deliver key priorities in the ESP., As such, it will disburse tranches against disbursement-linked indictors (DLIs) for the following targets:

(a) Equity (DLI 1). Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers in the targeted disadvantaged counties

(b) Efficiency (DLI 2). Improve the system of teacher payroll management

(c) Learning outcomes (DLI 3). Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A. Project Components

21. The GPE-G2B total project cost is US$11.07 million allocated across the following components:

(a) Improving the quality and access to ECE in targeted counties

(b) Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

(c) Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring

(d) Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency, and accountability

(e) Project management and sector program support and coordination


Page 6 of 102

Table 1. Extreme Poverty, Severe Stunting,11and Education Statistics by County

County

Extreme Poverty (Region

Level, %)

Severe Stunting

(%)12

% Unqualified

ECE Teachers

% Unqualified

Primary Teachers

NER at ECE (%)

NER at Primary

(%)

All Schools

Index

River Gee 39 21 68 47 11 23 110 0.4494

Grand Kru 39 11 73 57 39 49 142 0.4439

Sinoe 13 13 79 67 17 28 188 0.4343

Maryland 39 16 60 42 29 37 190 0.4001

River Cess 13 16 73 54 16 30 130 0.3945

Bong 30 15 53 38 21 39 426 0.3500

Grand Bassa 9 18 61 45 17 34 307 0.3417

Lofa 30 9 56 38 27 52 353 0.3399

Bomi 24 15 53 40 38 50 158 0.3362

Gbarpolu 24 7 52 43 21 27 136 0.3305

Grand Cape Mount

24 10 51 41 28 43 174 0.3260

Grand Gedeh 13 13 51 36 32 40 181 0.2922

Nimba 30 19 34 23 19 38 666 0.2851

Montserrado 7 7 47 36 47 67 1927 0.2436

Margibi 9 11 41 30 24 48 350 0.2400 Source: Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (2013) and EMIS (2015–2016)

22. Most project interventions will be conducted in six targeted counties (River Gee, Grand Kru, Sinoe, Maryland, Rivercess, and Bomi) that have been selected based on poverty and educational indicators. For poverty, the selection method used incidence of extreme poverty disaggregated at the regional level13 and severe stunting. Stunting data were used as proxy indicators because they consider intrahousehold inequalities such as failure to receive adequate nutrition over an extended period, recurrent and chronic illness, or malnutrition (specifically, undernutrition). The combined index was created by allocating a weightage of 25 percent to extreme poverty, 25 percent to severe stunting, and 50 percent to education indicators (NERs in primary and ECE and percentage of unqualified teachers at the primary and ECE level- see table 1). At the request of the Government, counties expecting to receive substantial investment to education from projects funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were excluded, as were public schools14 in targeted counties that are already benefitting from other externally financed programs.

11 Children (under age 5) whose height for age Z-score is below minus two standard deviations (−2 SD) from the median of the reference population are considered short for their age or stunted. Children who are below minus 3 standard deviations (−3 SD) are considered severely stunted. Stunting reflects failure to receive adequate nutrition over a pro-longed period and is also affected by recurrent and chronic illness. Height for age, therefore, represents the long-term effects of malnutrition (specifically, undernutrition) in a population and is not sensitive to recent, short-term changes in dietary intake. Liberia Demographic and Health Survey 2013. https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR291/FR291.pdf. 12 Source: DHS 2013 13 Poverty data in HIES 2014 was only representative at the regional level. 14 For Liberia, public schools include both public and community schools (community schools were established by communities during the civil wars and reconstruction period and continue to function as such, though they currently receive additional support from the Government. For example, the teachers in community school tend to be on the Government payroll).

https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR291/FR291.pdf


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Figure 1. Map of Liberia Counties Designated by GPE and USAID Education Program Targeting

Component 1: Improving the quality and access to early childhood education (ECE) in targeted counties (US$2.9 million)

23. International research has shown that children who have limited cognitive development in early childhood are more likely to repeat grades and/or drop out of school early. In addition, it is more cost-efficient to target interventions earlier in an individual’s life. Therefore, this component aims to improve the quality of and access to ECE in targeted counties through two subcomponents: (a) ECE school improvement grants and (b) Community-based ECE.

Subcomponent 1.1: ECE school improvement grants (US$2.66 million)

24. The objective of this subcomponent is to provide school improvement grants for ECE services to improve quality of and access to ECE in targeted countries. The theory of change for this subcomponent is that the reduction or elimination of ECE fees will lead to the removal of a key bottleneck in access to education, thereby increasing enrollment and improving access to education. Moreover, the use of school grants for the procurement of teaching and learning materials will lead to an improvement in the provision of quality education at the ECE level. Grants will be provided for three years, starting from the second year.15

15 The project expects to reach 40,000 ECE students per year across 572 public schools in six targeted counties.


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25. The Project will build on the capacity of the MoE to implement the school grants activity that had been started under the Global Partnership for Education Grant for Basic Education Project (GPE-BEP) (P117662). The school grants guidelines will be updated to reflect the intended purpose of the grant, the eligibility criteria, the schedule of disbursement, School Improvement Plan (SIP) template, penalties for noncompliance, eligible expenditure list, and procedure for verification of grant utilization.

26. DEOs will monitor the use of school improvement grants. The verification will also include that fees charged by the schools for enrollment in ECE are reduced through discussions with the local parent-teacher associations (PTAs). Noncompliance in terms of fees charged may lead to the cancellation of future funding for the school. To ensure evidence-informed scale-up, the evaluation of this subcomponent will be coordinated and harmonized with the Early Learning Systems Research Program (ELSRP)-financed by the Early Learning Partnership Trust Fund - and compared with other early childhood interventions underway in Liberia.

Subcomponent 1.2: Community-based ECE (US$0.24 million)

27. This subcomponent will finance training of 60 community caregivers and support the establishment of at least 20 community-based ECE centers in remote areas of the targeted counties that lack access to school-based ECE. The training content and format will follow that provided through the Ministry of Gender’s Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) Project, currently supported by the World Bank’s Early Learning Partnership Trust Fund. In the first year of implementation, a list of districts requiring community-based ECE centers suitable for training community caregivers will be identified. Sixty caregivers will receive training in ECE and in running their own caregiver program (for 2.5 months) followed by an internship in an ECE center of a public school or a community-based ECE center (for 3.5 months). The project will subsequently provide a monthly stipend of approximately US$80 to these community-based ECE caregivers and support them in running small community-based ECE programs for the period of the project.16 The community-based ECE centers will use existing infrastructure provided by the community to run their programs.17

Component 2: Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties (US$1.6 million)

28. This component aims to increase the number and proportion of certified primary and ECE teachers in targeted counties through two subcomponents: (a) in-service ECE C certificate teacher training for unqualified ECE teachers in targeted counties and (b) accelerated in-service C certificate18 teacher training for unqualified primary-level teachers in targeted counties. Both training programs will be nine months, locally based, and carried out during school holidays. Trainees will also receive regular supervisory mentoring visits or calls from master trainers as refreshers. The approach will ensure teachers are not absent from their classrooms and do not have to travel long distances to a Rural Teacher Training Institute (RTTI).

16 The stipend amount will be harmonized with the stipends provided to caregivers in community-based ECE programs supported by other development programs and projects. 17 The project will not finance renovation or construction of community-based ECE centers. 18 The C certificate refers to the certificate awarded to candidates who have completed the requirements for teaching at the primary level.


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Subcomponent 2.1: In-service ECE C certificate teacher training for unqualified ECE teachers in targeted counties (US$0.8 million)

29. The MoE has prioritized, in the G2B-ESP, the establishment of nationally recognized ECE qualifications that are equivalent to the C certificate in terms of the payment level. This subcomponent will finance an in-service teacher training program for 700 unqualified ECE teachers who are currently teaching ECE classes in public schools in targeted counties.19 In the first year of the GPE-G2B project, the MoE will verify the efficacy of the existing training curriculum and process through a pilot for approximately 100 ECE teachers. The curriculum will introduce the play-based approach to ECE teachers. In subsequent years, training will be scaled up to an additional 200 teachers per year. Teachers who complete the ECE C certificate training will be assessed and, upon confirmation of successful completion of the training, receive a certificate.

Subcomponent 2.2: In-service C certificate teacher training for unqualified primary teachers in targeted counties (US$0.8 million)

30. This subcomponent will finance an accelerated in-service teacher training program for 700 unqualified primary teachers currently in public schools in targeted counties. 20 In addition, these teachers will be trained in strategies for supporting nonreading children in early grades who are struggling to acquire basic skills so that these children can be moved from the ECE level to the primary level. Initially, the project will support the Bureau of Teacher Education to review and update the existing in-service C certificate program. The piloting and rollout of the training program for primary teachers will follow the same modalities of the ECE C certificate (Subcomponent 2.1).

Component 3: Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring (US$2.0 million)

31. Currently, the Liberia public education system has no standards or tools for measuring school quality, or tracking school quality improvements. School principals and DEOs sometimes do not have the expertise, guidance, or resources needed to improve school quality or execute critical school management, support, and accountability functions. In the absence of an enforced accountability system and relevant capacities, important school management issues such as teacher absence and post abandonment, unauthorized school closure, payroll management issues, and educator code of conduct violations go unaddressed.

32. This component will improve school quality through strengthened school-based management (SBM) and more robust school support, monitoring, and accountability systems. It consists of two subcomponents: (a) school quality standards, monitoring, and inspection; and (b) school management and quality improvement through principal training.

19 The number of targeted beneficiaries will be reviewed after the completion of the payroll verification exercise and initial scoping work. If the number of unqualified teachers on the GoL payroll is lower than expected in the targeted counties, the project may consider expanding to other disadvantaged counties in the latter years of project implementation. 20 The number of targeted beneficiaries will be reviewed after the completion of the payroll verification exercise and initial scoping work. If the number of unqualified teachers on the GoL payroll is lower than expected in the targeted counties, the project may consider expanding to other disadvantaged counties in the latter years of the project.


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Subcomponent 3.1: School quality standards, school monitoring, and inspection (US$1.0 million)

33. The development of the SQA tool was started by the MoE in 2017. Piloting of the tool has also started in a small sample of schools. The project will support the completion of the piloting phase, the development of National School Quality Standards (NSQS), and training and support for DEO staff to visit public schools annually. The subcomponent also supplements the MoE agenda to enhance school inspection through an annual workshop for DEOs to learn and to practice using the SQA tool and logistics support for DEOs to visit public schools.

Subcomponent 3.2: School management and quality improvement through principal training (US$1.0 million)

34. This subcomponent will finance the development and delivery of a school principal certification program for 1,500 school principals in public schools at the basic education level. Training modules may include the following topics: school quality improvement, school management and leadership, school administration, teacher supervision, management and support, parent-teacher associations (PTAs) and community engagement and participation, and financial management (FM). This training will adopt a similar modality as teacher training, which will be piloted for one year, with training held during school holidays and vacations, and using a cluster-based approach. Participants will receive formal certification following completion of training and passing an associated test.

Component 4: Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency, and accountability (US$3.57 million)

35. In line with the GPE Guideline mandating that 30 percent of the grant be used as variable financing, this component will address essential dimensions of the education system, namely equity, efficiency, and learning outcomes—using an RBF modality. The DLIs used for this are the following: (a) increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers in the targeted counties; (b) improve teacher payroll management; and (c) establish a national primary student learning assessment system. The DLIs and associated milestones are aligned with the overall project objectives and design and thus are directly linked to the G2B- ESP.

36. DLI 1 (equity) aims to ensure an increase in the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers, in the targeted counties by removing unqualified teachers to create fiscal space for qualified teachers. Component 2 (teacher training) will generate up to 1,400 newly certified ECE and primary teachers by Year 4, which by itself is not enough. Provision of training will be used as an incentive for these teachers to remain in rural disadvantaged areas. In addition, the GoL will promote teacher retention by placing trained teachers in rural schools at their appropriate pay grade and providing incentives for them to stay. This DLI will also incentivize the ministry to deploy new graduate teachers and remove ghost teachers identified during a recent vetting exercise, thus eventually balancing the distribution of trained teachers.

37. DLI 2 (efficiency) aims to improve the system of teacher payroll management. It addresses ambiguity around teacher deployment and systemic inefficiencies resulting from ghost and illiterate teachers. This indicator builds on the ministry’s success thus far in implementing the reform agenda through the identification and removal of ghost teachers from the payroll as well as testing teachers to ascertain basic functional literacy. DLI 2.1 will improve payroll management by developing and publishing a register of teachers on the Government payroll; DLI 2.2 will improve the quality of the teaching


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workforce through provision of severance packages to functionally illiterate teachers. Removing functionally illiterate teachers is also expected to free up the space for qualified teachers. A transparent and published payroll information will help prevent the ghost teacher phenomenon from creeping back into the system.

38. DLI 3 (learning outcomes) aims to establish a national primary student learning assessment system. In Liberia, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) administered the Liberia Primary School Certificate Examination (LPSCE), taken at the end of Grade 6, until 2011 when it was phased out. The current national examinations at Grades 9 and 12, administered by the WAEC, provide limited diagnostic data because they are designed for selection and end-of-phase assessment. Currently, the MoE does not have a national student learning assessment at the primary level to monitor student learning although some DPs have financed small, sample-based reading and mathematics assessments in recent years.

39. DLI 3 will provide incentives to establish and implement a regular national primary assessment for Grades 3 and 6. The DLI will lay the foundation for improved diagnostics, better targeting of training and material development, and more accountability around learning outcomes. Given the limitations in terms of time and resources, DLI 3 is deemed a suitable ‘stretch’ activity with a large potential impact.

40. Table 2 provides an overview of DLIs and their respective targets under the project. A full description of DLIs and definitions can be found in Annex 1; disbursement amounts and verification protocols can be found in Annex 2.

Table 2. Component 4 - DLIs’ Summary

Focus DLI Year 0 Target

Year 1 Target Year 2 Target Year 3 Target Year 4 Target

Total (US$,

millions)

Equity Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers, in the targeted counties

— 46.5% 50% a 55% a 60% a 1.20

Efficiency Improve the system of teacher payroll management

— Register of teachers on the Government payroll updated and published

Register of teachers on the Government payroll updated and published



1.37


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Focus DLI Year 0 Target

Year 1 Target Year 2 Target Year 3 Target Year 4 Target

Total (US$,

millions)

Nationwide teacher payroll verification and testing report published

Remove 250 functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll and pay compensation

Remove 500 (includes target achieved in Year 1) functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll (in addition to the target to be achieved in Year 1) and pay compensation.

Remove 750 (includes the target achieved in Year 1 and Year 2) functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll (in addition to the target to be achieved in Year 2) and pay compensation.

—

Learning outcomes

Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

— National Assessment Policy approved and disseminated

Report evaluation of pilot of Grades 3 and 6 student assessments in English and mathematics

Publish results of national Grades 3 and 6 student assessments in English and mathematics

— 1.00

Total 3.57

Note: a. cumulative target

41. An independent verification agency (IVA) will be recruited to verify progress against achievement of the DLI targets and data collected through the EMIS. Potential verification agencies may include autonomous universities, reputable nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and/or private consulting firms. The Local Education Group (LEG) will play a vital role in providing advice, oversight, and verification support of DLIs. The LEG will be responsible for verifying the Year 0 target of the DLI 2.2, (nationwide teacher payroll verification and testing report published). Verification and disbursement arrangements are described in more detail in Annex 2. 42. Rollover of DLIs. As stipulated in the GPE Board approval letter for an Education Sector Program Implementation Grant dated December 19, 2017, disbursement against indicators is limited to one year, after which those funds must be reprogrammed or cancelled. No rollover is permitted for DLI 2.1 (register of teachers on the Government payroll) meaning that the register must be published by the indicated deadline in order for associated funds to be disbursed.

43. Eligible expenditures. Disbursement under this component would be against Eligible Expenditure Programs (EEPs) (see Annex 2) up to a capped amount and against achievement of agreed DLIs. The EEPs


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includes elements of the GoL’s Consolidated Budget chart of accounts including salaries and compensation. Using this financing model, the Government may invest in activities in the EEP that contribute to the achievement and verification of DLIs and subsequently receive payment. The funds are expected to supplement eligible budget line items in the GoL’s Consolidated Budget.

Component 5: Project management and sector program support and coordination (US$1.0 million)

44. This component will ensure effective project management and key sector support, capacity building, and coordination. Specifically, it will finance: (a) operations and salaries of the Project Delivery Team (PDT); (b) technical assistance (TA) for EMIS and the design and development of a national learning assessment system; (c) communications; and (d) verification by the IVA.

45. At a minimum, the PDT will comprise a project coordinator, a procurement specialist, adequate financial management capacities,21 and a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) specialist. The PDT may add additional staff, including a junior accountant and an office assistant, if resources are available. The project coordinator will liaise with relevant MoE departments and bureaus to drive implementation of all project components. The PDT will ensure implementation of project activities at the central and county levels and, as such, the team will closely facilitate local project coordination and strengthen implementation capacities among MoE education office staff in targeted counties. The project coordinator will work closely with the MoE Department of Planning, Research, and Development to ensure that information and data on program implementation and results are integrated and reported on regularly to the MoE and the World Bank and will ensure the quality of the submitted IVA reports. The PDT will undertake all necessary preparations for the annual joint sector reviews.

46. This component will also finance TA to strengthen the EMIS and the design of a national learning assessment system. The TA for the EMIS will focus on improving data accuracy and utilization, staff capacity, and utilization of the latest information and communication technologies (ICTs). The TA also includes the development of a national learning assessment system to measure proficiency and progress in literacy and numeracy in Grades 3 and 6 and to ensure dissemination and analysis of assessment results to inform policy and curriculum reforms. Additionally, this component will also finance communications, including a communication strategy, aimed at ensuring that project stakeholders, especially at the local level, are aware of the project objectives, interventions, and stakeholders’ roles. The communications strategy will also include outreach to communities and households about the benefits of ECE and the importance of age-appropriate enrollment to a child’s long-term development and well-being.

47. This component will also finance the recruitment of an IVA for verification of DLI targets.

21 FM will be provided by the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU) at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and paid by the project. Given the scale of the project resources, the project may finance an additional part-time FM specialist in PFMU and request a no-objection from the World Bank for this.


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B. Project Cost and Financing 48. Table 3 presents the project financing and costing by component. Further details are provided in annex 7.

Table 3. Project Costs

Project Components Project Cost (US$,

millions) Trust Funds (%)

Component 1: Improving the quality and access to early childhood education in targeted counties

2.90 GPE (100)

Component 2: Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

1.60 GPE (100)

Component 3: Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring

2.00 GPE (100)

Component 4: Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency and -Learning outcomes

3.57 GPE (100)

Component 5: Project management and sector program support and coordination

1.00 GPE (100)

Total Costs

Total Project Costs 11.07 GPE (100)

Front End Fees

Total Financing Required 11.07

C. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design

49. The Liberia GPE-financed Basic Education Project or GPE-BEP (P117662; US$40 million) which closed on October 31, 2016 provided design and implementation lessons that were built into this project’s design. The GPE-BEP had stretched the low capacity in the MoE and included interventions in many areas that were not similar in nature (school construction, textbook distribution, school grants, deworming, early childhood development [ECD], payroll management, national assessment, and so on). Learning from those lessons, the GPE-G2B Project is more streamlined in the Ministry and executed by the various bureaus, and with focused interventions, key areas and counties.

50. A consultative preparation process. The Liberia MoE has many ongoing priority activities that receive donor support. Mapping those activities and establishing an effective system to make sure they are aligned with ministry priorities is key to effective coordination and balanced distribution of efforts. To address this, the project team has consulted with key donors and NGOs engaged in the sector to avoid


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duplication of efforts. In addition, the project received buy-in from key departments in the MoE and commitment to sustainability and expedited follow-up during implementation.

51. Focusing interventions on quality education service delivery rather than school infrastructure is a more efficient use of scarce resources. The GPE-BEP supported the construction of ECE classrooms, primary, and junior secondary schools. Implementation showed that the construction industry in Liberia has a low capacity to meet international standards, especially in terms of planning and monitoring. Coupled with poor road conditions during the rainy season in remote areas, the cost of construction is very high. In addition, infrastructure needs to be supplemented by other key factors such as quality teachers, learning materials, principals with good management skills, and parents’ engagement to contribute to improved learning. The current project will not have a component for school infrastructure.

52. The PDT will work with Government counterparts and focus on building capacity where feasible through training MoE counterparts through learning by doing. It will aim to avoid working in silos and engage the MoE staff. Communication of the project progress such as more frequent reporting to the Education Sector Development Committee (ESDC) and MoE senior management team (SMT) should be enhanced to ensure accountability.

53. Other lessons have been drawn from regional experiences such as the Ghana Global Partnership for Education Grant Project (P129381). These lessons were related to school grants rollout, teacher training activities, geographical targeting, and national assessment. The school grants program proved to be cost-effective in supporting SBM. The Untrained Teachers Diploma in Basic Education (UTDBE) Program in Ghana was effective in improving quality of untrained teachers. Using poverty and education indicators in the selection and targeting of districts received full political support and assured objectivity in targeting counties. Lastly, entities established under the project, such as the Assessment Unit, continue to exist and have developed adequate technical and institutional capacities to carry out sample-based assessments.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements

54. The project will be implemented over a period of four years. Implementation arrangements build on the institutional and implementation arrangements used for the Liberia GPE-BEP with changes to reflect the lessons learned.

55. The MoE will have overall responsibility for the implementation of the project and will delegate this responsibility to the PDT. Financial Management of project accounts will be largely handled by the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU), supported by a Financial Management Specialist embedded with the PDT. At the local level, the project will be supported by county education officers (CEOs) and DEOs. DEOs and school principal staff are expected to play a key role in supervision and monitoring of project implementation.

56. Once it is established, the PDT will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project including (a) coordinating with project stakeholders (CEOs, DEOs, contractors, communities, DPs, LEG, ESDC, and so on) on implementation matters related to project activities; (b) monitoring progress against indicators, including physical verification (spot checks) on the progress of implementation through field


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visits; (c) preparing and submitting regular reports to the MoE, the World Bank as Grant Agent (GA), and GPE, as needed; (d) maintaining fiduciary oversight/control in accordance with World Bank guidelines and procedures; (e) strengthening the capacity of the key MoE departments at the national and subnational levels and transfer of skills through specific training and learning on the job; and (f) facilitating the work of the IVA to enable them to access relevant MoE and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) staff. The PDT roles and responsibilities are expected to be absorbed by the MoE by the time the project closes.

57. The LEG and the ESDC will support overseeing implementation of the G2B-ESP. The ESDC includes representatives from the MFDP, as well as donor representatives. The LEG reports to the GPE whereas the ESDC regularly (desirably quarterly) discusses with the SMT of the MoE general issues related to policy, monitoring, and development coordination. The LEG will verify the Year 0 target of DLI 2.2 under Component 4 and the ESDC will also be involved in project monitoring, including supplementing the independent verification of project activities and DLI targets.

58. A Project Implementation Manual (PIM), outlining all aspects of activities and relevant responsibilities, will be developed as a condition of project effectiveness. The institutional and implementation arrangements outlined in that document will build on those arrangements which proved successful under the GPE-BEP (P117662) which closed in 2016.

B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation

59. Monitoring project performance will be the responsibility of the MoE supported by the PDT. National monitoring systems have become more robust over the past five years with the expansion in school coverage of the ASC and will thus constitute key data sources. Official statistics from the ASC conducted by the EMIS unit will provide data for many indicators to measure progress toward achievement of the PDO. Under Component 5, TA will be provided to the MoE to continue strengthening the EMIS.

60. The Early Learning Systems Research Program (ELSRP) is currently finalizing field research and developing the draft analysis. Their findings will provide baseline data for relevant project activities, particularly those related to ECE, by project launch. An evaluation may be conducted for the school accountability management interventions, focusing on performance improvement at the school level after receiving SQA feedback from DEOs.

61. For the DLIs, an IVA will be recruited to verify the achievement of the DLI targets. The LEG will also monitor the project results and review the IVA report. The IVA’s role will entail verifying that due diligence has been carried out in achieving all targets, including those associated with DLI 2.2. This will be done through reviews of documentation and sample surveys. The MoE will hold annual Joint Education Sector Reviews to track the progress toward achieving the goals outlined in the G2B-ESP.

62. The project will also use other data from other sources including the SQA (using the SQA tool and data gathered by DEOs), student learning assessments, household surveys, and teacher payroll. These data sources may come from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) which collects DHS and HIES data for the GoL (and related data sets) or the Civil Service Agency (CSA), which is a repository for teacher payroll data.


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C. Sustainability

63. The GoL has demonstrated a strong commitment to the education sector, as highlighted by their Pro-Poor Agenda for Development shared in early 2018 with donor partners, as well as the donor-endorsed G2B-ESP. They have further expressed a commitment to align their national budget and donor financing with the Agenda and ESP.

64. It is understood that there are significant challenges in terms of financial and institutional sustainability of the project. To offset this, several mitigation strategies are in place to increase the likelihood that the impact will be sustained after the project closes. For example, after successful results, policy dialogue with the Government will advocate for incorporating school grants in Government budget lines to improve SBM, rolling out in-service teacher training at the national level as a means of upgrading the teaching workforce, and allocating recurrent budget to the SQA and school inspection by the end of the project.

65. Use of a locally based in-service teacher training model aims to maximize benefits at minimal costs, making it more likely to roll out training to the rest of the country after the project closes. According to the 2016 EMIS data, there are 590 untrained ECE teachers (without a C certificate), 525 untrained primary teachers, and another 300 untrained teachers teaching at both ECE and primary levels already on the GoL payroll. The fiscal impact on the salary envelope of potentially upgrading 1,400 teachers and 1,500 principals is approximately US$0.5 million per year, given the current salary levels. Given the modest GDP growth recently, it is not expected that the MoE salary allocation from the national budget will grow substantially. As a result, it is important to have an effective payroll management system (supported by DLI 2) to prevent ghost teachers from returning to the system and to use savings from removing functionally illiterate teachers to cover the costs of qualified teachers.

66. The school monitoring and accountability activities aim to determine, through pilots, how school monitoring can be efficiently organized so that the GoL can allocate scarce resources to school monitoring and achieve results. The project will advocate for recurrent expenditure for school accountability and monitoring activities.

D. Role of Partners

67. The project activities were prepared by the Government in close collaboration with other DPs. Local DPs endorsed the G2B-ESP which served as the basis for selecting project interventions and subsequently endorsed the GPE application before submission for approval to the GPE Board. The project collaborates closely with DPs that are actively involved in the areas of ECE, teacher training, school monitoring, and accountability and payroll cleaning. These counterparts include the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, Building Resources Across Communities, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), USAID, Big Win Philanthropy, and PSL service providers.22 Annex 2, Table 2.4 highlights donor coordination in each component.

22 In 2017, there were ninety-three schools in Liberia operated by 8 service providers under the MoE’s Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL) Program.


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V. KEY RISKS

A. Overall Risk Rating and Explanation of Key Risks

Table 4. Overall Risk Rating

Risk Category Rating

1. Political and Governance Substantial

2. Macroeconomic Substantial

3. Sector Strategies and Policies Moderate

4. Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial

5. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability Substantial

6. Fiduciary Substantial

7. Environment and Social Moderate

8. Stakeholders Moderate

9. Flood and Food Security Substantial

OVERALL Substantial

68. The overall risk rating for the project is Substantial. The following paragraphs describe the major risk factors identified and mitigation strategies included in the project design.

69. Political and governance (Substantial). Political risks are related to the transition of the Government after the recent elections. These risks include change in strategic priorities at the MoE due to the recent changes in senior management (Moderate) and capacity gaps due to potentially high staff turnover and disruption to the central and subnational operations (Substantial). Governance is a considerable concern. Despite efforts to improve transparency and accountability, allegations of corruption, nepotism, and cheating continue to plague local headlines. As the project targets the most deprived and poorly performing counties, there is an additional risk that local administration capacity is more vulnerable in those locations. Project components tackle issues of accountability, namely DEO visits, school grants, payroll improvements, and national student learning assessments. Efforts will be made to implement these activities transparently in consultation with key stakeholders. Additional mitigation strategies include: dialogue with key stakeholders to explain project outcomes and activities, particularly the legislature, ESDC, subnational officers, and MoE middle management (who are not political appointees); use of participatory management approaches during project preparation and implementation to increase ownership and engagement of key stakeholders; use of an IVA to verify achievement of DLI targets; incorporation of transparency actions (such as publication of teacher selection or reports); outsourcing of service delivery contracts using World Bank procurement guidelines; and use of community entry, engagement, and communication strategies for grant and inspection processes. Additionally, project reports and data (for example, grants, teacher certification, and master trainer lists) will be made publicly available.

70. Macroeconomic (Substantial). Liberia faces a challenging macroeconomic environment with severely constrained domestic finances. Although growth is projected to resume during the project lifecycle and education has been protected in recent budget cuts, there is a risk that additional resources for meeting higher salary costs from teacher certification will not be available. Fiscal space to recruit new teachers and contribute to school visits may be limited. The project will attempt to mitigate these risks by ensuring that MoE budget projections are inclusive of the increase in teachers’ salaries due to project activities; phasing out cohort training and teacher replacement activities in an effort to reduce strain on


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payroll systems and budget; utilizing RBF to provide resource-based incentives for payroll and teacher deployment reform; working closely with other DPs to support sustained reform of the MoE chart of accounts and budget process; and ensuring pro-poor targeting of project activities.

71. Sector strategies and policies (Moderate). The alignment of the project with the G2B-ESP reduces this risk. The project has been developed with full ownership of key ministry leaders and reflects the policy of the Government. If, as announced in early 2017, the ECE in public schools in Liberia will be fee-free, enrollment in ECE is likely to soar. The school grants to public schools with ECE classes aims to reduce the burden on target schools of high ECE enrollment by providing fiscal space for increased classrooms, rehabilitation of structures, payment to additional teachers, and so on. A number of other project components support policy development or changes: teacher education management, principal qualification, and national learning assessment. Experience suggests that policy development can be disjointed and slow, so a blend of TA, policy dialogue, and results-based incentives will be used to ensure policy development is aligned with the ESP and delivered on time. Finally, the project reporting will feed into, and strengthen, the ESP and SDG reporting framework.

72. Technical design of the Project (Substantial). The GPE-G2B has a range of intervention strategies: grants, outsourced training, policy development, furthering a results-based approach through Results-based Financing, community-based ECE, capacity building, and establishment of new systems and processes. Though these seem like numerous efforts, the risk of fragmentation is mitigated by focusing interventions mainly in targeted counties, replicating pilots that have shown promise in the Liberian context. However, where there is no significant local experience, organizations with experience implementing similar projects (such as UNICEF’s community-based ECE) will be actively engaged, TA will be used for specific subcomponents, politically risky outputs (removal of unqualified teachers) will be delivered through RBF. Pilots will be relied upon to test interventions, planned research or previous experience (such as the ELSRP and previous GPE-funded school grants) will be referenced, and risk mitigation strategies for subcomponents will be implemented (including strong engagement with the National Teachers’ Association of Liberia [NTAL]).

73. Institutional capacity for implementation and sustainability (Substantial). Implementing the project will pose substantial challenges for the MoE and the PDT; significant among them will be managing in-service teacher training, DEO travel and reporting, teacher payroll reform, and the establishment of the new national student learning assessments. The MoE has a stronger track record with school grants. To ensure sustainability, the implementation does not exclusively rely on the PDT but also engages CEOs and DEOs to implement and monitor project outputs and outcomes. It is noted that despite recent efforts to improve the caliber of and resources available to subnational officers, there are concerns these officers may lack sufficient capacity to carry out their roles.

74. The GPE-BEP Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR) highlighted delays in project implementation due to (a) procurement issues; (b) long administrative procedures; (c) weaknesses in FM; and (d) weaknesses in coordination among stakeholders (multiple DPs competing for MoE staff attention). To mitigate against these risks, the MoE will have a dedicated PDT with clear roles and responsibilities. There will be specific TA for capacity building in specific bureaus and at critical stages of implementation. Other mitigation strategies include establishing subcomponent technical working groups with ESDC participation, coordination with Peace Corps deployment, an effective communication strategy, and regular reporting and verification.


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75. Fiduciary (Substantial). Liberia is a high-risk fiduciary environment. Risks include the cash-based economy; acquittal of transfers to trainers, schools, and DEOs; and the difficulty of verifying activities in remote areas. The use of the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU) for FM will help mitigate these risks given the existing capacity among the PFMU and knowledge of World Bank processes and guidelines. However, the World Bank will regularly evaluate the MoE FM capacities throughout the project cycle and consider transferring responsibilities to the MoE when it is determined that the MoE has built sufficient capacity to undertake this role in FM.

76. Environment and social risk (moderate). The project has no environment risks because the construction envisioned is likely to be very small and on predetermined sites. Similarly, the project has no social safeguard risks related to indigenous people and will target interventions at the most economically deprived areas. The project will prioritize training for female teachers and officers to promote the visibility of and empowerment of women in the teaching workforce given the workforce is predominantly male and the voices of female teachers and officers often seem to not be heard in decision making discussions and processes. Given the prevalence of gender-based violence in and around schools and the practice of sex-for-grades, interventions have been designed to help the MoE address issues discovered through DEO school visits and during the implementation of the SQA tool. These interventions include, though are not limited to, setting up a mechanism for reporting and supporting school guidance counselors and other school staff to respond appropriately to students who are experiencing or witnessing violence, including abusive relationships, intra-family violence, and sexual violence.

77. Based on preliminary discussions, teacher and principal training modules will include a special focus on G2P-ESP priority areas, including strategies to sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); the Code of Conduct implementation; school violence and GBV; and student wellness. The project will coordinate with local agencies and other development partners to monitor and support activities that address and combat GBV and promote student health and safety. The project will implement safeguarding processes and all PDT staff will receive training in gender sensitivity and how to respond if incidents of GBV or other forms of violence are brought to their attention or witnessed while conducting project-funded activities. The Government is implementing new conduct policies related to education and these include punitive measures related to GBV. These will have positive spillover effects on the working environment. To reinforce the new measures regarding the code of conduct, all training service providers contracts will include specific requirements to ensure safe travel and working environments. Finally, to further gender equity and to promote voice and agency of Liberian women through the project, the project will ensure a gender-sensitive approach to training, recruitment, and supervision.

78. Stakeholders risk (Moderate). The replacement of absentee and/or illiterate teachers may face resistance from the NTAL or from communities where these teachers, although unqualified, are well-regarded or influential. As the project concentrates resources on disadvantaged counties, questions may arise about the targeting mechanism or policies, particularly from those counties who will not benefit from interventions. Ensuring that teachers who complete training subsequently receive the correct salary within a reasonable time frame will be essential to ensuring support for the program as a whole. This will require coordinated actions with the CSA. While the CSA has been explicit in supporting ministry priorities, significant problems continue to hamper timely payroll management. Additionally, there are a number of DPs working in the education sector, raising a risk of replication and overlap. While the joint preparation of the G2B-ESP has strengthened harmonization and coordination among partners, the project will implement a communications strategy with teachers, subnational officers, and local education stakeholders, use RBF to upgrade the teaching workforce through country-driven processes, and ensure


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that school and community entry protocols are adhered to. The ESDC is designated to serve as a steering agency and include key stakeholders including NTAL, civil society organizations, and donors.

79. Flood and food security risk (Substantial). Liberia has a long rainy season which adversely affects travel, communications, health, and education service provision across the country. The design takes this into account through the timing of teacher and principal training and provision of resources to enable school visits. Food security is a national concern in Liberia and communities where interventions are focused are heavily affected key interventions (for example, school grants) have been designed with flexibility to allow schools (communities) to address food-insecurity constraints if they become so dire as to jeopardize students’ quality of life.

VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY

A. Economic and Financial Analysis

80. The economic and fiscal analysis complements the key sectoral and institutional context, with assessments of the economic rationale of the project, the costs and benefits of various options for achieving the key objectives, a description of the expected development impact of the project, the World Bank’s value-added and an assessment of the fiscal impact of the components. See further Annex 6 for details.

81. Informed by the ESA and the G2B-ESP and using evidence from the HIES and EMIS, the project targets interventions in ECE and primary education in those counties in Liberia with the highest rates of malnutrition and stunting.

82. Targeting. County-level data on stunting, poverty, and education have been used to identify target counties under this project. Six counties with high rates of stunting (proxy indicator for poverty level in the community), low levels of education outcomes, and no other major donor support to the sector were targeted.

83. An overview of 56 studies across 23 countries found evidence of the positive impact of ECE on cognitive ability, health, education, and emotional development. Also, an exhaustive body of literature in education confirms that investing in ECE is one of the most effective approaches a country can take to eliminate extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and create human capital for economies to diversify and grow. The interventions’ development impact will derive mainly from increased access to ECE, increased knowledge and skills of teachers and improved system monitoring and accountability through school managers, and decentralized MoE personnel.

84. Cost-effectiveness. The teacher training program to be supported under the project is expected to be more cost-effective than traditional pre-service teacher training at a ratio of 6:1. Thus, the Accelerated C certificate should be able to bring convergence between the percentage of qualified teachers in the targeted and non-targeted counties at a sixth of the cost of the traditional pre-service program.

85. Fiscal impact. During project implementation, the fiscal impact of the school improvement grants is limited to the indirect or opportunity cost of staff time of Government staff involved in planning, implementing, and monitoring grant activities. After the project closes, the financial cost to the Government of continuing the school improvement grants in the six counties targeted under the project


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will be US$0.65 million a year, corresponding to around 1.51 percent of the total education budget. Scaling them up to the country would cost approximately US$3.26 million per year. The main fiscal impact of the teacher and principal training subcomponents is on the salary envelope. The budget impact of training 1,400 teachers and 1,500 principals is, more than US$0.5 million per year given current salary levels.

B. Technical Assessment

86. International evidence has proven that children with low levels of cognitive development in early years are more likely to repeat grades and drop out of school. Unknown but large numbers of children are excluded from preschool opportunities despite the evidence that early disadvantage has lasting effects that may compromise subsequent progress and attainment. Problems of access are particularly acute for children living in poor households (both rural and increasingly urban) with little prior educational history, those from marginalized social groups, those living with disease, persons with disabilities, and those in fragile states. Their need is greatest but their access is least.23

87. The training of both unqualified ECE and primary teachers will be carried out locally and when school is not in session. The approach will ensure that teachers are not absent from their classrooms and do not have to travel long distances to an RTTI. The local nature of the training will render it more cost-effective than centrally organized and hosted trainings. The possible challenge for this activity is the shortage of master trainers and streamlining resources. For this reason, implementation of the teacher training will start in a limited geographical location, building gradually (as supported under the GPE-G2B) and scaling them up to other parts of the country.

88. Currently, DEOs do not have sufficient resources to travel to schools nor do they have the expertise and tools needed to provide effective monitoring, management, and support at the school level. The project is designed to develop a link between teacher/principal performance with payment as incentives and to further accountability. Given the prevalence of gender-based violence in schools and the practice of sex-for-grades, interventions have been designed to help the MoE address issues discovered through DEO school visits. The piloting of the SQA tool will provide DEOs with a tool to monitor schools and collect data—the financial incentive for school visits will ensure they take place.

89. Consultative and review process. In a collaborative spirit, discussions on design encompassed a wide range of stakeholders in the education sector. The World Bank team has also worked closely with the GPE Secretariat team. During field visits to schools and Kakata RTTI, the MoE, in collaboration with the World Bank team, conducted consultations with school principals, teachers, teacher trainers, PTA members, and community members. In addition to continuous discussions with the Government, ESDC, and civil society, the project has gone through four formal reviews with feedback comments by the ESDC, two quality assurance reviews (QARs) by the GPE Secretariat, and two formal World Bank QARs before application submission.

C. Financial Management

90. FM will be the responsibility of the PFMU of the MFDP. Financing of adequate FM specialist staffing will be provided by the project. Based on the scale of the project financing, FM staff may be hired on a part-time basis if their capacity is discussed and agreed in coordination with the World Bank. The FM

23 CREATE: Reconceptualising Access to Education POLICY BRIEF Number 1 MARCH 2008. http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/Policy_Brief_Zones.pdf.

http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/Policy_Brief_Zones.pdf

http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/Policy_Brief_Zones.pdf


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specialist hired by the project may spend half of his/her time at the PFMU/MFDP and half of his/her time at the MoE.

91. The FM capacity assessment of the MoE will be carried out by the World Bank in regular cycles as part of the fiduciary oversight process to determine the feasibility of transferring FM responsibility over to the MoE and the risk rating will be revisited, if necessary, during implementation. The assessment determines whether (a) the institution has adequate FM arrangements in place to ensure project funds are used for the purposes intended efficiently and economically; (b) the team is capable of correctly and completely recording all transactions and balances related to the project; (c) financial reports are accurate and prepared reliably and on time; (d) the project’s assets are safeguarded; and (e) audits and issues are highlighted and addressed in a manner acceptable to the World Bank. The assessment complied with the Financial Management Manual for World Bank-Financed Investment Operations that became effective on March 1, 2010, and Governance Practice Financial Management Assessment and Risk Rating Principles. Conditions will be set for the MoE to meet before they can take over the FM responsibility from the PFMU of the MFDP or the FM responsibility will stay with the PFMU. A detailed description of FM and institutional arrangements can be found in annex 2.

92. The FM arrangements under this project build on the FM experience under the GPE-BEP. Nonetheless, the FM risk rating is Substantial based on the existing FM systems, given the nature of activities that involve extensive school/cluster-level support and transfers to trainers, schools and DEOs, remote locations of target areas, lack of bank accounts for a few beneficiary schools, and inability of the Government to liquidate advances.

93. The main risks identified include: (a) capacity of implementing agency staff to ensure acceptable FM arrangements; (b) the large number of schools that might not have access to banks or a current bank account, which could delay the disbursement of grants; (c) difficulty in monitoring of the school grant utilization in remote schools which are largely inaccessible by roads; (d) inability of the Government to liquidate advances on time due to budget constraints; and (e) delayed verification of the results that could lead to delays in disbursement under Component 4.

94. These risks will be mitigated by (a) having acceptable operational manuals for school grants in place, including a guide on the use of school grants and SIP; (b) ensuring transparency in the use of funds by communicating at the community level; (c) having an acceptable finance and administration manual and systems to improve timely liquidation of advances and enable recording of commitments; (d) increasing the number of skilled staff at the central level; and (e) strengthening FM skills of provincial- and district-level finance staff through capacity building.

95. The fiduciary risk will be mitigated through an agreed-upon PIM with clear procedures, as well as undertaking internal control and audits (in adherence with World Bank procedures), supporting IVA, training, and close supervision.

D. Procurement

96. The PDT will carry out procurement under the project in accordance with the World Bank’s ‘Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers’ (Procurement Regulations), dated July 1, 2016, under the ‘New Procurement Framework (NPF)’; the ‘Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption


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in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants’, dated October 15, 2006, and revised in January 2011 and July 1, 2016; and other provisions stipulated in the Financing Agreements.

97. As part of the preparation, the MoE has prepared a Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) and a draft Procurement Plan (PP). The World Bank has reviewed the PPSD and agreed on the PP. The PPSD summary is described in Annex 2. The PPSD is a living document that will be regularly updated during the implementation period to provide necessary justifications for procurement arrangements, PPs, and their updates. Procurement under this project will be carried out by the PDT.

98. Procurement implementation arrangements. Procurement implementation, contract management, and the related decision-making authority under the project will be carried out by the MoE PDT. The procurement method, market approach, cost estimate, World Bank review requirements, and time frame for implementation is reflected in the PP. The project will use the World Bank’s Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) online tool for planning and tracking of all procurement transactions.

99. Procurement capacity and risk assessment (PCRA). The World Bank carried out a PCRA of the MoE during Project preparation, rating the procurement risk as Substantial. The assessment identified major risks that would adversely affect project implementation if not mitigated. Details of the key risks and the corresponding mitigation measures are discussed in the Project Procurement Strategy Assessment.

E. Social (including Safeguards)

100. The Social Assessment concluded that the social impact of the project is expected to be positive. During the preparation of this project, school visits and focus group discussions were conducted with community members, parents, headmasters, teachers, NGOs, DPs, and PSL providers. The focus groups explored key questions about programs, ECE fees, and teaching and learning at basic education schools before testing different intervention ideas with the participants. All the consulted community members, parents, head teachers, and teachers were unanimous in their support of the school improvement grant subcomponent under the project. They also expressed their desire to have teachers with the skills to teach young children and to create conditions that will assist overage students in ECE to learn effectively. Regular school inspection and training for principals were strongly supported. Participants also stressed that better accountability systems that could provide timely response to the challenges that schools were facing would be critical.

101. Given the prevalence of gender-based violence in and around schools and the practice of sex-for-grades, the need for actions and accountability mechanisms to address and stop these harmful practices was also stressed. Codes of conduct enforced from the highest level at the Ministry of Education down to school principals and staff and enabling safe learning environments where girls do not skip school or dropout due to harmful practices including violence, harassment and sexual coercion are critical.

102. Civic engagement will be ensured through the involvement of parents and communities in developing the SIP, the community-based ECE program, and communication strategies that together promote parents’ awareness in the importance of the early stage of a child’s life and the proactive approach in training female teachers and female school principals who might work as girls’ role models.


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F. Environment (including Safeguards)

103. According to the World Bank OP4.01 (Environmental Assessment), the project is assessed to be Category C, having minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. Beyond screening, no further environmental assessment action is required. Minor civil works for school buildings maintenance and repair as well as improving adequate and age-appropriate school sanitary facilities will be eligible for expenditure under the ECE school improvement grants subcomponent where the potential environmental impact is expected to be minimal. The rest of the activities supported including teacher training, M&E, and sample-based assessment will have no environmental impact.

G. Other Safeguard Policies (if applicable)

Not applicable

H. World Bank Grievance Redress

104. Communities and individuals who believe that they are adversely affected by a World Bank (WB) supported project may submit complaints to existing project-level grievance redress mechanisms or the WB’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS). The GRS ensures that complaints received are promptly reviewed to address project-related concerns. Project affected communities and individuals may submit their complaint to the WB’s independent Inspection Panel which determines whether harm occurred, or could occur, as a result of WB non-compliance with its policies and procedures. Complaints may be submitted at any time after concerns have been brought directly to the World Bank's attention, and Bank Management has been given an opportunity to respond. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank’s corporate GRS, please visit http://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/products-and-services/grievance-redress-service. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank Inspection Panel, please visit www.inspectionpanel.org

.

http://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/products-and-services/grievance-redress-service

http://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/products-and-services/grievance-redress-service

http://www.inspectionpanel.org/


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VII. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING

Results Framework Project Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objectives (PDOs) are to : (a) improve equitable access to early childhood education, teacher quality in early childhood education (ECE), and primary education in targeted disadvantaged counties, and (b) strengthen National School Accountability Systems.

RESULT_FRAME_T BL_ PD O

PDO Indicators by Objectives / Outcomes DLI CRI Unit of Measure

Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target

1 2 3 4

Improving the quality and access to ECD in targeted disadvantaged counties

Direct project beneficiaries Number 0.00 43,000.00

Female beneficiaries Percentage 0.00 47.00

increasing enrollment and improving access to education

Net Enrollment Rate (NER) in ECE in the targeted counties Percentage 23.00 24.00 25.00 26.00 27.00 27.00

Supporting Teacher training and certification in Targeted counties

Share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in the targeted counties

Percentage 45.77 46.50 50.00 55.00 60.00 60.00

Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring

Percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in targeted counties

Percentage 0.00 0.00 15.00 30.00 50.00 50.00


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RESULT_FRAME_T BL_ IO

Intermediate Results Indicators by Components DLI CRI Unit of Measure

Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target

1 2 3 4

Access to ECD in targeted counties

Percentage of eligible public schools receiving ECE grants in targeted counties

Percentage 0.00 0.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00

Support teacher training and certification in targeted counties

Number of trained ECE caregivers placed in community-based ECE centers in the targeted counties

Number 0.00 0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 60.00

Number of teachers receiving ECE C certificate Number 0.00 80.00 240.00

400.00

560.00

560.00

Number of primary teachers receiving accelerated C certificate

Number 0.00 80.00 240.00

400.00

560.00

560.00

Number of school principals awarded certification Number 0.00 100.00

500.00

900.00

1,300.00

1,300.00

Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring

Percentage of SQA reports completed for public schools in targeted counties

Percentage 0.00 0.00 15.00 45.00 75.00 75.00

Establishment of national school quality standards Yes/No N Y

Project Management and sector program support and coordination

Number of annual project progress reports publicly accessible

Number 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 4.00


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Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: PDO Indicators

Indicator Name Direct project beneficiaries

Definition/Description

Direct beneficiaries are people or groups who directly derive benefits from an intervention (i.e., children who benefit from an immunization program; families that have a new piped water connection). Please note that this indicator requires supplemental information. Supplemental Value: Female beneficiaries (percentage). Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what proportion of the direct project beneficiaries are female. This indicator is calculated as a percentage.

Frequency Annual

Data Source

Calculates the total number of ECE students enrolled in schools receiving school grants; number of ECE caregivers trained and supported; number of ECE teachers, primary teachers and principals trained; number of DEOs who receive training and logistical support.

Methodology for Data Collection

Responsibility for Data Collection EMIS, supported by the PDT.

Indicator Name Female beneficiaries

Definition/Description Based on the assessment and definition of direct project beneficiaries, specify what percentage of the beneficiaries are female.

Frequency Annual

Data Source The percentage of female beneficiaries.




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Indicator Name Net Enrollment Rate (NER) in ECE in the targeted counties

Definition/Description This indicator is defined as the number of pupils of official ECE school age (3-5) who are enrolled in ECE level in the targeted counties as a percentage of the total children of the official school age population in the targeted counties.

Frequency Annual

Data Source EMIS.



Indicator Name Share of qualified ECE and primary education teachers in the targeted counties

Definition/Description This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of qualified ECE and primary teachers by the total number of ECE and primary teachers in the targeted counties.

Frequency

Data Source EMIS.




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Indicator Name Percentage of public schools receiving feedback from a School Quality Assessment (SQA) visit annually in targeted counties

Definition/Description This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of public schools receiving school level feedback by DEOs using SQA monitoring tool in targeted counties over the total number of public schools in targeted counties.

Frequency Annual

Data Source SQA reports and impact evaluation report by NGOs.


Responsibility for Data Collection Department of Instruction, supported by the PDT.


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Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: Intermediate Results Indicators

Indicator Name Percentage of eligible public schools receiving ECE grants in targeted counties

Definition/Description

This indicator will be calculated by dividing the number of schools that receive school grant over the total number of public schools that are eligible. Eligibility includes: 1) school bank account; 2) establishment of School Grant Utilization Plan signed by the head of PTA/SMC and approved by DEO; 3) school sign the MoU to pledge not charge more than LD$1500.

Frequency Annual

Data Source Project disbursement reports cross-checked with the school list from the previous year's EMIS report.



Indicator Name Number of trained ECE caregivers placed in community-based ECE centers in the targeted counties

Definition/Description ECE caregivers trained under the project work as intern or ECE caregiver/teacher aide in existing community-based ECE centers or start their own community-based ECE centers. Target is 85% of persons expected to be trained, taking into account not all who train will pass certification test.

Frequency Annual

Data Source Annual project progress report, plus verification monitoring visits.


Responsibility for Data Collection PDT.


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Indicator Name Number of teachers receiving ECE C certificate

Definition/Description Number of teachers trained for the ECE C certificate under the project successfully pass the completion test and receive the certificate. Target is 85% of persons expected to be trained, taking into account not all who train will pass certification test.

Frequency Annual.

Data Source Annual project progress report.


Responsibility for Data Collection The Bureau of ECE, supported by the PDT.

Indicator Name Number of primary teachers receiving accelerated C certificate

Definition/Description Number of teachers trained for the accelerated C certificate under the project successfully pass the completion test and receive the certificate. Target is 85% of persons expected to be trained, taking into account not all who train will pass certification test.

Frequency Annual.

Data Source Annual project progress report.


Responsibility for Data Collection Bureau of Teacher Training, supported by the PDT.


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Indicator Name Number of school principals awarded certification

Definition/Description Principals trained for the principal certificate under the project successfully receive the certificate. Target is 85% of persons expected to be trained, taking into account not all who train will pass certification test

Frequency Annual.

Data Source Annual project progress report, verification agency.



Indicator Name Percentage of SQA reports completed for public schools in targeted counties

Definition/Description The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of public schools completing SQA reports with the total number of public schools in the targeted counties.

Frequency Annual.

Data Source SQA reports, EMIS.


Responsibility for Data Collection Department of Instruction, supported by PDT.


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Indicator Name Establishment of national school quality standards

Definition/Description National school quality standards approved by the Cabinet.

Frequency

Data Source Legal document.


Responsibility for Data Collection MoE Department of Planning.

Indicator Name Number of annual project progress reports publicly accessible

Definition/Description Annual project progress reports are submitted to the World Bank, disseminated to MoE Departments and ESDC, and published on MoE website.

Frequency Annual.

Data Source Quarterly project progress updates.



Notes: Intermediate indicator:


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ANNEX 1: DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COUNTRY: Liberia Liberia: Getting to Best in Education

1. This annex provides the detailed description of the components and subcomponents. The total project cost is US$11.07 million. The GPE-funded G2B project, in alignment with the G2B-ESP, includes the following components:

(a) Improving the quality and access to ECE in targeted counties

(b) Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

(c) Improving school management, accountability and systems monitoring

(d) Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency and accountability

(e) Project management and sector program support and coordination

2. DLIs under Component 4 are national, while project interventions under Components 1–3 will be conducted in six targeted counties (Grand Kru, River Gee, Sinoe, Maryland, Rivercess, and Bomi) which have been selected based on poverty and education indicators. For poverty, the selection method used incidence of extreme poverty disaggregated at the regional level24 and severe stunting. Stunting data were used as proxy indicators because they consider intrahousehold inequalities such as failure to receive adequate nutrition over an extended period, recurrent and chronic illness, or malnutrition (specifically, undernutrition). The combined index was created by allocating a weightage of 25 percent to extreme poverty, 25 percent to severe stunting, and 50 percent to education indicators (NERs in primary and ECE and percentage of unqualified teachers at the primary and ECE level). At the request of the Government, counties that are scheduled to receive significant investment to education from USAID-financed projects were excluded, as were public schools25 in target counties that are currently benefitting from other externally financed programs.

3. An index has been developed to facilitate the selection criteria and inclusion of additional counties as and when the Government receives additional financing.

Component 1: Improving the quality and access to early childhood education in targeted counties (US$2.9 million)

4. This component will improve the quality and access to ECE in targeted counties through two subcomponents: (a) ECE school improvement grants and (b) Community-based ECE.

24 Poverty data in the HIES 2014 were only representative at the regional level. 25 For Liberia, public schools include both public and community schools (community schools were established by communities during the civil wars and reconstruction period and continue to function as such, though they currently receive additional support from the Government; for example, the teachers in community schools tend to be on the Government payroll).


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Subcomponent 1.1: ECE school improvement grants (US$2.66 million)

5. The objective of this subcomponent is to provide school improvement grants for ECE, to improve quality of and access to ECE in targeted countries. Formal fees for primary education in public schools in Liberia were abolished in 2006. However, ECE is not free at the point of use and public schools can charge fees for ECE level, capped at LRD 3,500 per year (approximately US$35). In addition, parents are also responsible for costs of transportation and student uniforms estimated to be LRD 2,500 per year (approximately US$25). Collectively, these costs seem prohibitive in a country where approximately 38 percent of the population (higher in rural areas) lives on less than US$1.90 per day.26 More than one-quarter (26 percent) of parents with children ages between 3 years and 5 years who are not enrolled in school report costs as the primary barrier to entry (HIES 2014). Thus, current ECE fees policies contribute to the exclusion of children from poor households and present a bottleneck in access to education in Liberia.

6. Public funding for ECE is limited, although there are ECE teachers on the payroll. Recently, there have been no major provision of ECE materials to public schools with ECE classes and no ECE-specific school grants. More than one-third (35 percent) of ECE classrooms are identified as ‘makeshift’ or ‘partitioned’, suggesting an unsafe and unwelcoming environment for both teachers and students.

7. On-age enrollment continues to be a challenge at the ECE level. Based on the 2015–2016 ASC, nearly 50 percent of children enrolled in ECE are 6 years of age or older- a problem that is further perpetuated as you move up the system. Currently, there are no programs that support the transition of older students from ECE to primary.27 As a result, many schools have been known to hold students back in ECE if they are deemed ‘not ready’ for primary level, which further exacerbates issues downstream.

8. Supporting ECE is in line with the Government’s and G2B-ESP priorities. The Government has made the reduction and gradual elimination of ECE fees and strengthening ECE quality as a priority. In line with the G2B-ESP priorities, Subcomponent 1.1 will target those public schools with ECE classes in the targeted counties wherein each public school will receive school improvement grants so that they may reduce or eliminate the fees that they charge parents and improve the quality of their schools, which is expected to increase on-age enrollment.

9. In 2013, as a part of the GPE-BEP, a school grants program was piloted in four counties as well as the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS).28 Grants were provided to 422 schools, reaching 120,359 students. Unfortunately, full implementation of the program was prevented by the EVD epidemic. In 2015, the MoE led a nationwide rollout of its school grants program. The total number of grant beneficiaries in 2015 was 483,565 students enrolled in basic education (Grades 1–9) in public schools. To distribute school grants, schools were required to set up bank accounts. This means that over the past three years, over 2,500 schools have set up bank accounts and are familiar with school grants. Under the GPE-BEP, the MoE set up a team to work on the implementation of school grants. The project will thus build on the capacity of the ministry to operationalize the school grants activity and verify the disbursement and utilization of the grant.

26 http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/country/LBR (February 19, 2018). 27 The project will address the overage enrollment issue in ECE in a cross-cutting way through school grants, communication strategies, community ECE activities, and ECE in-service teacher training. The rationale is to increase access to ECE by dealing with the hurdles that prevent students from enrolling on time such as distance from school, school fees, and difficulty of slow learners to catch up with peers. 28 The MCSS provides primary and secondary education to the population of the Monrovia metropolitan area.

http://povertydata.worldbank.org/poverty/country/LBR


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10. In the first year, information related to the grant and the motivation behind the grant (reduction in ECE fees) will be provided to all public and community schools with ECE classes in the targeted counties and the PTAs of the schools.29 Also, in the first year, bank accounts for these schools will be vetted in preparation for the direct transfer of grants. The MoE will communicate formally with commercial banks to facilitate smooth disbursement to school bank accounts to avoid a delay in disbursing funds experienced under the GPE-BEP. The school grants guidelines will also be updated to reflect the intended purpose of the grant, the eligibility criteria, the schedule of disbursement, SIP template, penalties for noncompliance, eligible expenditure list, and procedure for verification of grant utilization.

11. To access school grants, a school must submit a School Improvement Plan that is signed by the head of the PTA. These plans are then approved by the District Education Officers. The SIP will describe the planned use of grant funding. Eligible schools will also agree that they will cap fees at LRD 1,500 for ECE school fees through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the school and the MoE. The MoU will also identify penalties for noncompliance which may include a period of probation for the school and the cancellation of further grant funds, in case the school continues to demand higher fees from their ECE students.30 Grants will be provided on an annual basis for three years starting in the second year of implementation. Communities will be encouraged to contribute to building extra annexes/classrooms in cases where the schools cannot accommodate all students due to an increase in enrollment after fees have been reduced.

12. Schools are expected to receive approximately US$10 per ECE student apart from a base grant. Because the median number of ECE students is 93, each school should receive approximately US$1,000 each year for three years wherein grants will be disbursed. The school improvement grants are expected to cover costs for improving the quality of ECE provided. The list of eligible expenditures will, therefore, be limited to teaching and learning materials for their ECE classrooms, construction of/materials for gender- and age-appropriate urinals and toilets, minor repairs to ECE classrooms, and stipends for primary school teachers to teach after-school classes for overage students to facilitate their transition into primary school. The list of eligible expenditures will be detailed in the PIM and the school grant guidelines. Schools will continue to receive grant funding for overage students whom they help transition to primary school for a period of one year so that schools do not have disincentives from supporting the transition of overage students from ECE to primary education.31

13. DEOs will monitor the use of school improvement grants. The verification will also include that fees charged by the schools for enrollment in ECE are reduced through discussions with the local PTAs. Noncompliance in terms of fees charged may lead to the cancellation of future funding for the school. To ensure evidence-informed scale-up, the evaluation of this subcomponent will be coordinated and harmonized with the separately financed ELSRP and compared with other early childhood interventions underway in Liberia.

14. The theory of change for this subcomponent is that the reduction or elimination of ECE fees will lead to the removal of a key bottleneck in accessing pre-primary education, thereby increasing enrollment. Moreover, the use of school grants for the procurement of teaching and learning materials will lead to an improvement in the provision of quality education at the ECE level.

29 Public schools that are part of PSL will not be eligible for the school grant. 30 The communication strategies funded under Component 5 will include publicizing the MoU and campaign for awareness of age-appropriate enrolment in ECE to promote on-age enrolment. 31 The information on transition of overage students will be added to EMIS in the first year of the project cycle, which will be subject to spot checks during M&E.


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Subcomponent 1.2: Community-based ECE (US$0.24 million)

15. Distance to school contributes to lack of access to ECE. In remote areas, there is no formal ECE in close proximity. An estimated 12 percent of parents with children ages between 3 years and 5 years who are not enrolled in school cite distance to school as the main barrier for holding back their children from going to school until they are older. The issue contributes to the exclusion of children from poorer and more secluded households from receiving timely access to education. There has been no mapping of community-based ECE provision or identification of communities that lack school-based ECE.

16. Since 2013, under the Peacebuilding Education and Advocacy program, UNICEF has supported the establishment of 42 ECD centers in 40 communities that are not near public schools with ECE classes. Under this program, 257 caregivers were trained to manage these centers with developmentally appropriate and conflict-sensitive learning activities for children. Currently, 6,021 children are benefitting from these centers. These activities were implemented through signed partnership agreements with NGO partners.

17. This subcomponent would provide training to 60 community members to become ‘community caregivers’ in areas of targeted counties that are identified as not having school-based ECE coverage in close proximity.32 Caregivers will be identified through consultations with DEOs, CEOs, and community members. These areas will be targeted using existing mapping and information from other partners (Open Society Foundation [OSF] and UNICEF) working in this area and efforts will be coordinated with various DPs.

18. In the first year, districts requiring community-based ECE and cluster centers suitable for training community caregivers will be finalized. Training of two-and-a-half months in ECE and in running their own community caregiver program will be provided to 60 caregivers followed by a three-and-a-half-month internship in an ECE center of a public school or a community-based ECE center to equip them with the necessary skillset to run their own community caregiver program. The training will be based on that provided to community caregivers under the EPAG of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare (MGCSW). The project will provide a US$8033 monthly stipend/grant to these community-based ECE caregivers and support them in running small community-based ECE centers from the second year. At least 20 community-based ECE centers will be supported.34 The community-based ECE centers will use existing infrastructure provided by the community.

19. The theory of change for this subcomponent is that large distances to schools offering ECE are a key bottleneck in access to education for children living in remote areas. The provision of community-based ECE in places with no school-based ECE in reasonable proximity will lead to improved access to ECE programs. As a direct result of this intervention, age-appropriate enrollment in primary education should rise as the beneficiaries’ transition to primary schools at the appropriate age after completing community-based ECE.

Component 2: Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties (US$1.6 million)

20. The objective of this component is to increase the number and proportion of certified primary and ECE school teachers in underserved counties through two subcomponents: (a) in-service ECE C

32 Recent evidence from community-based ECE programs in Jharkhand, India points to the strong positive externalities of this approach, particularly in terms of female labor force participation rates. 33 Comparable to monthly stipend provided by UNICEF. 34 The number of children benefitting from the community-based ECE centers is expected to be included in the PIM.


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certificate teacher training for unqualified ECE teachers in targeted counties and (b) accelerated in-service C certificate teacher training for unqualified primary teachers in targeted counties.

Subcomponent 2.1: In-service ECE C certificate teacher training for unqualified ECE teachers in targeted counties (US$0.8 million)

21. The majority of ECE teachers in Liberia have not been trained in early grade pedagogy. A limited amount of training has been provided by NGOs and, in small numbers, by the MoE. Nationally, only half of ECE teachers have any teaching qualification at all (usually a C certificate which is designed for primary grades). In the counties targeted by this project, the proportion of ECE teachers without a teaching qualification rises substantially (for example, it is 83 percent in Sinoe County).

22. The MoE has prioritized the establishment of a nationally recognized ECE qualification which is equivalent to the C certificate in terms of its level on the Government payroll. This is a priority identified in the G2B-ESP.35 The ECE C certificate would include pedagogy and content specifically tailored to early learning and school preparation in resource constrained settings. It would support teachers to deliver the newly developed national ECE curriculum. Although the MoE has begun the work with teacher training institutions to establish preservice ECE C certificate and degree courses, there is an urgent need to increase the number of certified ECE teachers in schools, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

23. A list including all potential ECE teachers without qualifications in targeted counties is being developed through Liberia’s payroll-cleaning exercise funded by Big Win Philanthropy. From this list, individuals for participation in project-supported training will be prioritized based on the following criteria: (a) female;36 (b) 45 years of age or younger;37 (c) currently teaching ECE in targeted deprived counties; and (d) has demonstrated a positive work ethic. Selection criteria will be transparent and the names of the trainees will be made public.

24. Approximately 67 percent of unqualified teachers are already on the MoE payroll, albeit at a lower payment level than qualified teachers. Once they complete training and assessment and receive an ECE C certificate, the MoE will advocate with the CSA to increase the teachers’ salaries to the same level as primary teachers who have a C certificate. This will ensure that there is a financial incentive to continue to teach in ECE grades. In addition to the financial rewards, participants in this training will be required to sign a bond with the MoE confirming their commitment to teach ECE in the same school for an additional two years after receiving their ECE C certificate.

25. Materials and the national curriculum for the ECE certificate are being developed by the MoE, OSF, and UNICEF. The curriculum will introduce a play-based approach to ECE teachers. Before the training commences, these materials will be comprehensively reviewed to ensure coherence with the national curriculum, school readiness, and early grade literacy and numeracy targets. Additional resources such as demonstration videos and assessments may be developed to support the training

35 Early Childhood Program, Component 2: Roll out ECE certification and training for teachers through RTTIs, colleges, and universities. 36 Female teachers are prioritized as available research shows a strong correlation between girls’ retention in school and having female teachers. This is consistent with Government strategy to encourage greater female participation in the provision of teaching (MGCSW and MoE). 37 Lessons learned from the recently completed Impact Evaluation of the UTDBE program have shown that one of the risks of such programs is that older teachers who receive training are close to retirement (this is particularly problematic in Liberia because eligibility for retirement in the public sector is 20 years of service). Younger teachers are much more likely to remain in the workforce for a longer period and current reform efforts support this approach.


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modules. One core topic will be practical pedagogical strategies for helping overage children and nonreading learners catch up and move on to primary grades. The updated modules will be widely disseminated and will be the core of the planned preservice ECE C certificate.

26. Subcomponent 2.1 will finance an in-service teacher training program targeting 700 unqualified ECE teachers who are currently teaching ECE classes in public schools in the targeted counties. In the first year, the MoE will verify the efficacy of the training curriculum and process through a pilot training for approximately 100 ECE teachers. The pilot will provide a better understanding of the unit cost of training and the sustainability of institutional and financial arrangements. In subsequent years, training will be scaled up to 200 teachers per year.38 The training program will be phased to ensure the MoE can absorb the additional costs of certified teachers (for example, some ECE teachers are currently on the supplementary payroll or are ‘volunteer teachers’ supported by the community).

27. The Bureau of ECE has an existing pool of master trainers who will be mobilized to become the service providers for the teacher training if possible. Master trainers will be located in the districts. All master trainers will receive high-quality training (including regular refreshers) before delivery of training to unqualified teachers, assessment, and support from the Bureau, supported by TA where necessary.

28. Each cohort of training for unqualified teachers will take nine months and be carried out during school holidays and vacation and will be cluster-based at a base school or district. These trainings will be accompanied by self-study, practicum, and regular supervisory mentoring visits or calls from master trainers. Training may include demonstration teaching, micro-teaching, and video lessons. Each trainee will receive a set of instructional materials, the ECE national curriculum, teacher guides, and self-study tasks. This modality reduces transport costs and increases the participation of female teachers. It also ensures the teacher remains in their classroom during the normal school days and can immediately put new learning into practice. Certification will include formal assessment including a practice observation and examination.

29. This subcomponent is strongly interrelated to other project activities which target the same deprived counties. ECE school improvement grants will increase resourcing of teaching and learning materials and improve the school environment. Primary teacher training (Subcomponent 2.2) will include related content for early literacy and numeracy and strategies for improving remedial education for overage children. Principal training (activities for Component 3) will include specific modules on instructional leadership, mentoring teachers, and ECE quality improvements. Both teacher training and principal training will follow the same modality including cluster-based, local training. Finally, increased school inspection by DEOs will use the new SQA tool which will have ECE-specific indicators.

30. ECE teacher training has strong complementarity with the existing ECE support provided by OSF and will use and share learning from NGOs, DP projects, and PSL operators. The subcomponent will coordinate and share materials with the USAID Read Liberia! project39 which will begin work during the project cycle and which targets early grades including ECE level.

31. The theory of change for this intervention is that effective teaching and learning in ECE classrooms needs teachers trained in early childhood pedagogy and knowledge of common

38 The related intermediate results indicator target is lower to consider the pass rate for the certification examination. 39 This major reading project includes a comprehensive suite of interventions in six counties: Lofa, Bong, Grand Bassa, Nimba, Margibi, and Montserrado.


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practices in resource-constrained settings. Establishing a national qualification and pay structure will ensure ECE teachers are paid the same as primary teachers, essential for attracting a high caliber of personnel.

Subcomponent 2.2: Accelerated in-service C certificate teacher training for unqualified primary teachers in targeted counties (US$0.8 million)

32. Over 5,000 teachers serving in public primary schools do not hold the minimum teaching qualification - a C certificate. The most disadvantaged counties have a significantly higher proportion of unqualified primary teachers. For example, 67.4 percent of primary teachers in Sinoe (one of the counties targeted) are unqualified. A lack of trained teachers is one of the root causes of poor learning outcomes in primary school. However, the Liberia Teacher Training Program (LTTP) showed that it is possible to improve student learning outcomes through effective professional development for teachers.

33. This subcomponent will finance an in-service C certificate program targeting 700 unqualified primary teachers who are currently working in public schools in targeted counties. 40 The subcomponent will build on and strengthen the existing in-service C certificate program (developed with support from USAID) with a strong focus on improving teacher subject matter knowledge, competency, and pedagogy for improving literacy and numeracy learning outcomes.

34. The project will support the Bureau of Teacher Education to review and revise the in-service C certificate modules. Master trainers are envisaged by the MoE to be from several sources including RTTIs, veteran teachers, young graduates, ex-LTTP trainers, and NGO trainers. Where possible, service providers may also be consulted for additional support and oversight.

35. To be eligible to enroll in the in-service certification program, potential trainees will be required to sign a bond in which they commit to teaching for the next two years at their current school following receipt of their C certificate. Each in-service cohort will be in training for nine months during school holidays and vacations. This reduces transport costs and increases the likelihood of participation of female teachers. Training modalities also ensure the teacher remains in their classroom during the normal school days and can immediately put new learning into practice. Trainees will be selected using the recently conducted teacher testing and verification by principals, DEOs, and spot checks. Female teachers and those below the age of 45 will be prioritized to increase the currently-low proportion of female teachers in the workforce and maximize long-term impact respectively.

36. The program will use cluster-based face-to-face learning modalities led by carefully selected and assessed master trainers, accompanied by supervisory mentoring visits and calls by master trainers and self-study. Trainees will receive a pack of resources which will include the national curriculum, primary textbooks, Early Grade Reading Assessment + (EGRA+) teacher guides, and self-study materials.

37. Similar to the ECE training, in the first year, the MoE will verify the efficacy of the training curriculum and process through a pilot training for approximately 100 primary teachers who currently teach in the targeted counties. The pilot will provide wider understanding of the unit cost of training and the sustainability of institutional and financial arrangements. In subsequent years, training will be scaled up to 200 teachers per year. Upon completion of the training and assessment, teachers will be expected to receive a C certificate. The MoE, through the Bureau of ECE supported by

40 The related intermediate level indicator target is lowered to consider the pass rate for the certification examination.


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the Technical Working Group, will advocate with the CSA to adjust the teachers’ salary level to reflect the upgraded qualification.

38. This subcomponent is strongly linked to the ECE C certificate in-service program, sharing similar modalities and the same geographical targeting. It is envisioned that the subcomponents of ECE and primary in-service teacher training will mostly use the same service providers. There will be a concentrated multiplier effort to improve qualified teacher numbers in the most disadvantaged counties and schools. To complement the teacher training efforts, principal training will be targeted at the same schools and include modules on instructional leadership and professional development. Principals will be involved in program management and teacher supervision. Additionally, an increased tempo of school inspection visits aims to boost attention to teaching and learning.

39. The subcomponent is expected to develop powerful synergies with the USAID-financed reading program, Read Liberia! Development of the modules will be in partnership with the RTTIs and University of Liberia teacher training institutions, ensuring coherence with preservice teacher education. It is also strongly linked with Component 4.

40. The theory of change for this intervention is that trained and qualified teachers are a key factor in improving learning outcomes, particularly if the training is relevant, focused on core subjects, designed for resource-constrained settings, links to successful teaching approaches (such as EGRA Plus), and national curriculum. By including strategies on remedial education (for example, for older children), teachers are better equipped to deal with the age mix in their class.

Component 3: Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring (US$2.0 million)

41. This component will enhance management and accountability at central, district, and school levels with a focus on school management, inspection, and systems’ strengthening activities. This component consists of two subcomponents: (a) school quality standards, school monitoring, and inspection and (b) school management and quality improvement through principal training.

Subcomponent 3.1: School quality standards, school monitoring, and inspection (US$1.0 million)

42. Currently there are no national school quality41 standards or measures for evaluating school quality in place in Liberia. In other words, at present, there is no common definition of what the MoE means by ‘quality education’, ‘good school’, and school ‘quality improvement’. As such, decentralized education stakeholders including parents, teachers, principals, and DEOs have different understandings of, and expectations for, education quality and improvement at the school level. In the absence of standards and tools, the MoE is unable to diagnose system challenges, support quality improvement through resource targeting or special initiatives, or measure changes in education/school quality. The MoE has developed school classification standards in the Liberia Education Administration Regulations and detailed accreditation standards in General Accreditation in Liberia. Both documents provide frameworks which could be drawn on to develop school quality standards and school quality measurement tools. Liberia wishes to focus both accountability and standards on improving the quality of teaching and learning, not just facilities, supplies, logistics, or inputs.

41 School quality is the sum of interrelated factors which lead to improvements in access and learning outcomes. These may include the quality of instruction, curriculum, policy, school management, infrastructure, community involvement, and resourcing.


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43. The current level of school support, inspection, and supervision by the 100 or so DEOs does not meet MoE expectations. Many public schools, especially those in remote areas, do not receive regular, structured visits from MoE education officers. District-level staff do not have the guidance or resources, such as vehicles and fuel, to successfully execute their job responsibilities. Capacity of DEOs, CEOs, and central office staff to address concerns raised during school visits is widely perceived to be a critical challenge. Specifically, many critical service delivery issues are well known, including timely transition of staff onto or off MoE payroll, teacher tardiness and absence, and reporting and follow up on alleged Teacher Code of Conduct violations. MoE monitoring and accountability systems do not yet effectively respond to these issues nor do they resolve concerns on time.

44. Through this component, the project will support the MoE in piloting and scaling up the SQA tool. The SQA tool is currently being developed by the MoE and will collect data on provision of ‘inputs’ such as qualified teachers, teaching and learning materials, school infrastructure; and ‘process’ such as teacher and student attendance, and school safety (including Teacher Code of Conduct issues). The intended purpose of this tool is threefold, to: (a) promote a systemwide understanding and measure of school quality; (b) support school quality improvement, including the identification of key barriers and high potential solutions; and (c) strengthen accountability at both central and school42 levels.

45. In addition to development and piloting of an SQA tool, Subcomponent 3.1 will support the development of NSQS, training, and support for DEO staff in targeted counties to visit public schools on an annual basis. In Year 1 of the project, a competitive process will be used to identify a service provider who can support the piloting and baseline evaluation of a SQA tool, after which DEOs will be trained to use the tool. The MoE envisions the SQA process serving a school accountability and support function and anticipates that the information collected during SQA monitoring visits will also help the MoE respond better to school requests for central office support (for example, teacher payroll issues, requests for teaching and learning materials) and for schools to receive feedback regarding school quality. Educator performance and code of conduct concerns will be acted on by the MoE in accordance with Government policy (for example, the Civil Service Standing Orders and the Teacher Code of Conduct).

46. The finalized SQA tool will be designed to link to the MoE EMIS unit for back-office support and data storage and will need to be designed to have an interface with MoE payroll (even if only through the capture of teacher payroll numbers) to respond to issues raised by schools. Data collected using this tool will be made available to the parents and public. Ark, a DP, is already piloting the feasibility of a mobile monitoring application.

47. The MoE will form a working group to develop the NSQS based on the assessment from the SQA tool piloting. The NSQS will be consistent yet with specific focus across levels of schools (that is, ECE, primary, and secondary education). Specifically, the MoE will adopt a set of quality standards, including minimum benchmarks that all schools are expected to meet and quality standards that would serve as normative guidelines for schools to aspire toward. These guidelines will be for all schools so that their quality improvement is measured against a common set of standards.

48. This subcomponent will also provide training and logistical support targeting DEOs in the targeted counties to visit all public schools in their counties at least once annually by year 4 using SQA tool. By year 3, it is expected that DEOs will conduct visits to 50 percent of total public schools in the region and follow-up visits as needed. On an annual basis, DEOs will participate in a two-day regional-level workshop on the use of the SQA tool. The effectiveness of the DEO supervision with

42 At a minimum, schools will be accountable for the health, safety, inclusion, and learning outcomes of the students in their care. A school may be held accountable to their students, parents, community, education agency, and governing structure.


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SQA tools will be examined through an impact evaluation study that comprises baseline and end-line surveys.

49. The GoL is planning to set up an independent inspectorate reporting directly to the Minister of Education. This subcomponent will lay the groundwork for the establishment of the inspectorate by developing the standard and tools for monitoring and strengthening the accountability of actors at every step of the chain. The purpose of the inspectorate will be to (a) provide an independent means of strengthening accountability at the district and school levels; (b) accelerate communication of critical issues to senior MoE staff for action; and (c) build monitoring capacities of DEOs and school management staff.

50. The theory of change is that developing a more robust monitoring and accountability system at central, district, and school levels will help hold key actors at these levels who are tasked to deliver quality service more accountable. At the system level, if DEOs have a uniform tool for evaluating school quality, the resources needed to conduct regular school visits, and effective support from the MoE central office, they will be able to work toward addressing some of the most critical school-level challenges.

Subcomponent 3.2: School management and quality improvement through principal training (US$1.0 million)

51. The majority of Liberian public school principals do not have qualifications or formal training covering the knowledge, skills, and responsibilities required of their position. Specifically, most principals do not have training in school management, leadership and administration, teacher management and supervision, community engagement, or other job responsibilities identified in the Liberia Education Administration Regulations. While some Liberian institutions of higher education offer courses and degrees in Education Management, at present there is no nationally recognized course or certification targeting school principals. According to the Joint Education Sector Review (2015), school principal turnover is high—an issue which could be mitigated by better recruitment, training, and conditions of service for school principals.

52. This subcomponent will finance design and implementation of a Principals’ Certification Program for 1,500 school principals in public schools for basic education. The MoE will seek to recruit 30 percent female participants for the training program as the current percentage of female principals in public schools is only 14 percent. Candidate selection will be guided by a set of selection criteria approved by the MoE.

53. Based on preliminary discussions, training modules may include the following topics: school quality improvement, school management and leadership, school administration, teacher supervision, management and support, PTA and community engagement and participation, and FM. The training will include a special focus on G2P-ESP priority areas, including strategies to improve literacy and numeracy teaching; ECE quality; infrastructure and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); the Code of Conduct implementation; teacher verification and payroll issues; remedial education for out-of-school children; school violence and GBV; and student wellness. This effort builds on school principal training provided through USAID (LTTP I), UNICEF, and MoE; school grant training provided by the GPE-BEP; and the existing principal training programming provided through the Peace Corps.

54. Principals in the counties targeted by the GPE-G2B project will receive training first, after which the project will scale up in size to include the remaining counties. The program will be a year-


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long,43 in-service, cluster-based program leading to a certification. The program will use a similar modality as teacher training and a service provider will be competitively selected to potentially organize both the teacher training and principal training. The service provider will be responsible for facilitating the development of curriculum and materials, conducting the cluster-based training, monitoring progress and reporting regularly to the MoE. The training will take place during school holidays at the cluster level, accompanied by self-study modules. Candidates will take a certification exam after completing the course. The MoE will work with the CSA to advocate that certified principals receive a salary increase in line with the proposed civil service salary scale.

55. The theory of change for this subcomponent is that at the school level, if school principals are provided with relevant training and support, they will gain the knowledge, skills, and tools that will enable them to improve school quality.

56. Component 3 is closely linked with the other components. Enhanced monitoring and accountability through DEOs’ school visits can benefit the verification of ECE school improvement grants, community-based ECE program, and teacher training activities. At the school level, principals will have a leadership role in implementing the ECE school improvement grant as well as managing teacher performance after the in-service training of ECE and primary school teachers.

Component 4: Achieving Better Learning through Improved Equity, Efficiency, and Learning outcomes (US$3.57 million)

57. This component, using a RBF model, will address three essential dimensions of the education system-equity, efficiency, and learning outcomes-using the RBF modality. It will disburse US$3.57 million or 30 percent of the grant amount (according to GPE Guidelines) against progress in achieving targets of the following DLIs:

(a) Equity (DLI 1). Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers in targeted disadvantaged counties

(b) Efficiency (DLI 2). Improve the system of teacher payroll management, DLI 2.1 will improve payroll management by publishing a register of teachers on the Government payroll; DLI 2.2 will improve the quality of the teaching workforce through provision of severance packages to functionally illiterate teachers.

(c) Learning outcomes (DLI 3). Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

58. Guiding principles for the design of the DLIs include (a) building on successful interventions that have been led and delivered successfully by the ministry; (b) synergies and complementarity with fixed part activities; (c) simplicity in management and verification; and (d) being realistic in time frame and extent of ministry control and capacity. If achieved, the DLIs will lead to substantial improvements in equity, efficiency, and learning outcomes.

59. The DLIs are credible and verifiable, build on recent successes, are within the control of the MoE, and represent an achievable ‘stretch’. The MoE selected indicators and targets for improving equity, efficiency, and learning outcomes from their reform agenda. DLIs are key strategies or policies

43 The training will be more cost-effective as compared to teacher training as the cluster training sessions will be of a shorter duration with more time for self-study and cluster work.


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from priority programs in the G2B-ESP44 agreed between the GoL and the World Bank, in consultation with the ESDC. They represent a significant commitment to achieving impact and sustainability beyond the life of the project. They are ‘stretch’ indicators and would require institutional change to be achieved.

Equity (DLI 1): Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers in the targeted counties

60. The selected strategy is derived from the Teacher Education and Management Program in the ESP, the indicator of which is the proportion of qualified preprimary and primary teachers by sex and location. Component 2 (teacher training) aims to generate up to 1,400 newly certified ECE and primary teachers by Year 4; however, the Government must make a dedicated effort to ensure the retention of teachers in disadvantaged areas. Many of the teachers trained will require salary adjustments. Even though the provision of training (and salary equivalent with qualifications) are incentives for these teachers to remain in rural disadvantaged areas, at Year 4, the two-year bond for the first two rounds of trainers will expire. Additionally, the number of teachers trained is not enough for the targeted counties to reach the same STTR as the rest of the country. DLI 1 thus incentivizes the ministry to deploy new graduate teachers and take other measures to improve equitable distribution of trained teachers in areas across all counties.

61. DLI 1 is challenging but highly relevant: increasing the proportion of qualified teachers involves several well-coordinated steps and involves a range of potential interagency interventions. Additionally, DLI 1 is scalable and could be expanded with additional GoL or DP resources.

Efficiency (DLI 2): Improve the system of teacher payroll management

62. During post-war reconstruction, many teachers were brought on to the MoE payroll to respond to rapid enrollment growth in basic education. While the rapid growth in the teaching force kept pupil-teacher ratios at manageable levels, there are still a number of ‘ghost teachers’ who do not show up in classrooms, as well as teachers who do not appear to possess the minimum skills (that is, functional literacy) required to teach at their respective levels.

63. As part of the Government’s Public Sector Modernization Project, the MoE is leading a multistep process to professionalize the teaching force. Since 2015, the MoE has progressed well in terms of identifying and cleaning ghost teachers from the MoE payroll, along with a parallel teacher testing program (both funded by Big Win Philanthropy). The teacher payroll verification and testing exercise has found that 10–15 percent of teachers are functionally illiterate. Projected from the counties surveyed so far, approximately 1,000–1,500 teachers are illiterate. The MoE has the full support of the CSA to continue the reform to replace functionally illiterate and unqualified teachers identified through the testing system.

64. Despite the progress, the GoL has faced a number of interrelated challenges including (a) the lack of transparency around the registry of teachers; (b) the challenge of preventing more ghost teachers from entering the system; (c) slow processes for correcting payroll problems; and (d) efficiently bringing newly qualified teachers into the workforce and onto payroll. During the consultations for the design of the project, payroll issues dominated concerns from teachers, principals, and NGOs. Payroll reform requires close intergovernmental coordination. The teacher

44 Specifically, the teaching workforce and payroll reforms from the Education Management and Accountability Program and Teacher Education and Management Program and the national learning assessment from the Curriculum and Assessment Program.


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payroll is managed by the CSA in partnership with the MoE and MFDP. When the country faces budget shortfalls, the MoE cannot bring new teachers onto the payroll and payroll budget planning is weak.

65. The selected strategy is derived from the Education Management and Accountability Priority in the G2B-ESP, the indicator of which is the number and percentage of teacher workforce who are supplementary, volunteer, unqualified—disaggregated by sex, level of school, and location. DLI 2 addresses notable obscurity around teacher positions and inefficient value generated from having ghost and illiterate teachers in the system. The DLI is a stretch because payroll management has been a persistent challenge for the GoL and it requires collaboration between agencies. Transparent and published payroll information can help prevent ghost teachers from creeping back into the system, wasting scarce resources that could be used for qualified teachers. Removing functionally illiterate teachers can also free up the space for qualified teachers.

Learning Outcomes (DLI 3): Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

66. In Liberia, the WAEC had been delivering the LPSCE—taken at the end of primary school (year six)—until 2011, when it was phased out. The WAEC exam was used to filter out those students who could not continue to secondary education because of academic shortcomings or lack of available places. It, therefore, did not offer a reliable and valid measure of student achievement. Previous USAID-funded EGRAs and Early Grade Mathematics Assessments (EGMAs) were developed with adequate project baselines but these assessments were not sustained over time. Currently, Liberia does not have any regular diagnostic data on student attainment in the primary grades. Between Grades 1 and 8 there are no national assessments. The ministry lacks information on how students are performing against the national curriculum (developed in 2011). Schools, districts, and counties do not have data on trends or key indicators on areas of weakness, which limits evidence-based decision making. Further, teacher educators do not know where to focus training and support. Thus, at the national level, it is not possible to measure the impact of the MoE activities on learning outcomes.

67. Previous collaboration between the MoE and USAID led to the development of early grade learning outcomes assessment materials for English and mathematics (as part of the LTTP), which would provide a foundation for DLI 3. PSL operators are also regularly assessing Grade 3 and 6 students. The GoL, as a member of the WAEC consortia, has several officers with experience in national assessments and early grade assessments such as EGRA and EGMA.

68. Development of a national primary student assessment is a priority in the G2B-ESP, with the administration of a nationally representative learning assessment (a) in Grade 2 or 3; (b) at the end of primary education; and (c) at the end of lower secondary education. It is not necessary to have a high-stakes national examination to acquire sufficient diagnostic data. Within the budget constraints, a sample-based annual assessment can be conducted for Grades 3 and 6. This would provide adequate data for identifying learning areas that warrant further intervention, providing comparative data on county-level performance, and for allowing the MoE to regularly measure the impact of the G2B-ESP interventions. Due to the low stakes nature of the examination, a sample-based national assessment would also not provide any incentives for students to indulge in examination malpractice. This DLI lays the groundwork for future reforms of the Liberian assessment and examination system.


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69. The table below outlines project DLIs , associated targets and disbursement amounts.

Table 1.1. DLIs

DLI 1 Baseline Targets

Equity 2015/2016 Year 0 (2018–effectiveness)

Year 1 (2018/2019) Year 2 (2019/2020) Year 3 (2020/2021) Year 4 (2021/2022)

DLI 1: Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers, in the targeted counties

45.77% — 46.5% 50% 55% 60%

DLI Value (US$ 1.2 million)

— — 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Proportional disbursement

— —

Yes, the payment will be proportional to the increase in percentage point from the baseline. The formula is US$1.2 million / (end target-baseline) × (value achieved-baseline value) × 1,000

Yes, the payment will be proportional to the increase in percentage point from the previous year. The formula is US$1.2 million/ (end target-baseline) × (value achieved-previous year value) × 1,000

Yes, the payment will be proportional to the increase in percentage point from the previous year. The formula is US$1.2 million/ (end target-baseline) × (value achieved-previous year value) × 1,000

Yes, the payment will be proportional to the increase in percentage point from the previous year. The formula is US$1.2 million/ (end target-baseline) × (value achieved-previous year value) *1,000

Definitions

• All targets are cumulative and above the baseline. Disbursement will be on DLI values as presented in the formula identified above.

• The proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers in the targeted counties is calculated by dividing the number of ECE and primary teachers who have the required qualification by the total number of ECE and primary teachers in the targeted counties.

• Qualified teachers are defined as (a) individuals possessing minimum C certificate or ECE C certificate to teach ECE or (b) minimum C certificate or B certificate for primary to teach primary level.

Evidence and verification

• Internal. Report including detailed information on the numbers and proportion of qualified teachers in the targeted counties is prepared by the MoE, based on payroll and school census data provided by EMIS unit and CSA. The report should be presented, discussed, and validated by the ESDC in official minutes. A report including detailed information on the numbers and proportion of qualified teachers in the targeted counties is prepared by the MoE, based on payroll and school census data provided by EMIS unit and CSA.


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• Rollover of targets is limited to one year.


Efficiency 2015/2016 Year 0 (2018–effectiveness)


DLI 2: Improve the system of teacher payroll management

DLI 2.1: Improve the system of teacher payroll management

2.1

No published list of Government teachers

— Register of teachers on Government payroll updated and published

Register of teachers on Government payroll updated and published



DLI Amount Value (US$ 0.4 million)

0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

DLI 2.2 Improve the quality of the teaching workforce

2.2

No functionally illiterate teachers identified.

Nationwide teacher payroll verification and testing report published

Remove 250 functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll and pay compensation

Remove 500 (includes the target achieved in Year 1) functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll (in addition to the target to be achieved in Year 1) and pay compensation.

Remove 750 (includes the target achieved in Year 1 and Year 2) functionally illiterate teachers from the payroll (in addition to the target to be achieved in Year 2) and pay compensation (i. e severance packages)

—

DLI Amount Value (US$, 0.97 million)

—

0.22 0.25 0.25 0.25 —


— —

Proportional disbursement only for target 2.2, based on the formula US$750,000/750 × (value achieved)

Proportional disbursement only for target 2.2, based on the formula US$750,000/750 × (value achieved-

Proportional disbursement only for target 2.2, based on the formula US$750,000/750 × (value achieved-

No proportional disbursement


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No rollover for 2.1 previous year value) No rollover for 2.1

previous year value) No rollover for 2.1

Definitions

• Target 2.1 is not cumulative, target 2.2 is cumulative except year 0 target. The DLI value for target 2.2 is indicative except for year 0 target, actual disbursement will be based on the formula identified above.

• The published report means payroll reported to ESDC, NTAL, MFDP, and CSA; uploaded to the MoE website and posted at the District Education Offices and on school bulletin boards.

• A register of teachers on Government payroll should include a unique identifier code and relevant biometric data for each teacher.

• Functionally illiterate teachers are those teachers who do not pass the functional literacy test approved by the MoE, in consultation with the NTAL. Evidence and verification

• Internal. Presentation of required register. Report prepared by Ministry of Education Bureau of Teacher Education and Bureau of Fiscal Affairs and Human Resource Development based on payroll and school census data provided by the EMIS Division and CSA. Presented, discussed, and validated by the ESDC in official minutes.

• External. IVA is contracted to verify the DLIs on annual basis with an independent verification report (IVR) published. • The LEG will be responsible for verifying the Year 0 target of DLI 2.2 (nationwide teacher payroll verification and testing report published).

• Rollover of targets is limited to one year. DLI 2.1 (Register of teachers) has no rollover allowable.


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Learning Outcomes 2015/16 Year 0 (2018–effectiveness)


DLI 3: Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

—

National Assessment Policy, developed, adopted by the MoE and disseminated to the public

Report evaluation of pilot of Grades 3 and 6 student assessments in English and mathematics

Publish results of national Grades 3 and 6 student assessments in English and

mathematics —

DLI Value (US$ 1 million)

— — 0.3 0.3 0.4 —


— — No No No —

Definitions

• National Assessment Policy includes the purpose, specifications (psychometric details, test bank, data security, and sampling), schedule, operational plan, responsibility, costs, and diagnostics to be used for national assessments.

• Approval of the National Assessment Policy specifically refers to approval by the Cabinet.

• Dissemination of policy is defined as presentation of the policy to ESDC, NTAL, uploaded to the MoE Facebook page and website, and one copy sent to all public schools and DEOs.

• Pilot is defined as testing at least 1,000 students in a broadly representative sample of schools in targeted counties. Reporting evaluation of pilot to ESDC and relevant stakeholder.

• Full implementation of national student learning assessment is defined as an assessment of at least 5,000 students in a broadly representative sample of schools.

• Publication of results defined as report published online and disseminated to education officers, all schools, media, and legislature. Evidence and verification

• Internal. Presentation of policy to stakeholders. Reports prepared by the MoE, based on pilot and national assessment. Presented, discussed, and validated by the ESDC in official minutes.

• External. IVA is contracted to verify the DLIs on annual basis with IVR published.

• Rollover of targets limited to one year.


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70. Eligible expenditures. Achieving ‘Better Learning through Improved Equity, Efficiency, and Accountability’ (Component 4) would be disbursed against an EEP (up to a capped amount and against achievement of agreed DLIs). The EEP will include programs in the GoL’s Consolidated Budget chart of accounts, salaries and compensation, and grants. According to the GPE Guidelines, due to the ex-post approach of component 4,45 the Government can make an investment in any activities that contribute to the achievement and verification of DLIs and subsequently receive payment.

71. Rollover of DLIs. Rollovers on the DLIs in the project are limited to one year. As such, if a DLI is not met or fully met within the designated year, the project has up to one year to meet it. After that, the funds are to be reallocated through a restructuring or cancelled if restructuring is no longer feasible due to the upcoming closing date of the grant. Targets associated with DLI 2.1 (publishing the register of teachers on the Government payroll) must be met within the designated year and no rollover is permitted for DLI 2.1 (register of teachers on the Government payroll).

Component 5: Project management and sector program support and coordination (US$1.0 million)

72. The objectives of this component are to ensure robust project management and to facilitate sector program support, capacity building, and coordination. Specifically, this component will finance (a) a PDT; (b) TA for EMIS and the design of a national learning assessment system, (c) communications; and (d) verification by IVA.

73. The PDT will comprise a project coordinator, a procurement specialist, an FM specialist, an M&E specialist, and other supporting staff. The project coordinator will liaise with relevant MoE departments and bureaus to drive implementation of the components (for both the fixed part and the variable part). The PDT is expected to play a critical role in ensuring implementation of project activities at the county level and as such, the PDT will be closely involved in the facilitation of local project coordination and supporting implementation capacities among MoE education office staff in targeted counties. The FM specialist and procurement specialist hired under the PDT will dedicate a portion of their time for knowledge transfer and capability building of the MoE FM and Procurement Departments. The PDT is expected to be absorbed by the MoE by the time the project closes.

74. Over the past five years, implementation of the ASC has greatly improved in nationwide coverage and accuracy. In 2011–2012, only public schools were covered in the ASC. In 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, public, private, mission, and community schools were covered but responses from schools were limited and the team had to make projections to estimate actual levels of student enrollment. For the 2015–2016 school census, the MoE conducted a second wave of data collection which increased school coverage to 98.44 percent, with only 86 (mostly private) schools not responding. This, in addition to follow-up verification activities and error checks, ensures that the 2015–2016 school census is the most accurate to date. It is envisioned that medium-term technical, capacity-building support is needed to consolidate and build on recent gains and to identify latest technologies that enhance accuracy and cost-effectiveness of data collection and analysis.

75. This component will finance TA to the MoE to strengthen the EMIS. The TA will focus on data needs and accuracy, data utilization, MoE EMIS Unit staff capacity, and utilization of new ICTs.

76. This component will finance TA to support the development of a national learning assessment system to measure progress in literacy and numeracy in Grades 3 and 6.46 This activity

45 Ex post approach means that payments on the variable part are made after results are verified. 46 Discussions on a Grade 3 assessment are at a preliminary stage. Based on ongoing discussions, the MoE may seek to implement a Grade 2, rather than a Grade 3, learning assessment.


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will include funding TA for the design of rigorous Grades 3 and 6 literacy and numeracy assessments aligned with MoE standards, the development of a national sampling framework wherein assessment results are representative to the county level, reviewing and—as needed—adjusting assessment tools based on the results of pilot activities, and utilization of the assessment data in forming strategies to improve learning outcome. This component focuses on TA and capacity building in the MoE for building a national learning assessment system. Component 4 focuses on the implementation of a national assessment system.

77. The component will finance expenses related to communications. The communications strategy will be a crucial element to ensure that all stakeholders, especially at the local level (that is, districts, schools, and communities), are aware of the GPE-G2B objectives, interventions, and roles of stakeholders in this project. The buy-in of parents, teachers, and students around school-based grants is critical for ensuring transformational results and avoid apathy and cynicism. During implementation, the beneficiaries will be kept informed on the progress of achieving the results. The communications strategy will also include outreach to communities and households about the benefits of ECE and the importance of age-appropriate enrollment to a child’s long-term development and well-being.

78. The project will use an IVA for verification of the achievement of DLIs. In addition to the IVA, the project coordinator will work closely with the MoE Department of Planning, Research, and Development to ensure that information and data on program implementation and results are integrated into the MoE and joint sector annual planning, reporting, and coordination systems.

The World Bank Getting to Best in Education (P162089)

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ANNEX 2: IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS


1. The MoE is responsible for oversight of the education sector including the national curriculum, standards, and policy for all schools and educational programs and is responsible for implementation of the recently endorsed ESP. Being the largest Government department, it comprises personnel at central, county, and district levels, as well as staff (teachers and principals) working at the school level. The SMT, located at headquarters in Monrovia, is the executive body of the MoE. The SMT is responsible for overall policy direction and implementation decisions regarding the sector plan and, therefore, this operation as well. It consists of the Minister of Education; the Deputy Ministers for Administration, Instruction, and, Planning, Research, and Development; and Assistant Ministers and Directors supporting each Deputy Minister.

2. The education sector management structure is based on the Education Reform Act (2011) which restructured the ministry and established county and district education boards (see Figure 2.1). Subnational offices are led by CEOs who oversee DEOs based in district offices, responsible for school-level matters. Staff at county and district levels will receive training and will play a key role in supervision and monitoring of interventions and results.

Figure 2.1. MoE Organogram

Source: Education Reform Act 2011


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3. The ESDC serves as the oversight body for the implementation of the recently endorsed G2B-ESP, providing a forum for policy dialogue and decision making at the macro level. The ESDC discusses with the MoE general issues related to policy, monitoring, and development coordination. The ESDC membership is defined broadly and includes representatives from other GoL agencies, civil society organizations, private education providers, teachers’ unions, and donor representatives. The ESDC served as an agency to endorse the G2B-ESP as well as the Government application for the Education Sector Plan Implementation Grant which finances the project.

4. The LEG serves as the oversight body for the implementation of the GPE-financed G2B project and reports about the project implementation and results to the GPE. The LEG is a relatively narrow group of agencies including the major international DPs, the representative of civil society organizations, the main teachers’ union, and the ministry. The LEG is led by the GPE coordinating agency which, at the time of the project approval, has been filled by USAID.

5. The project will be implemented over a period of four years. The MoE will be the implementing agency, having overall responsibility and collaborating with other entities including the MFDP, MGCSP, and civil society partners. It will delegate day-to-day operations to a PDT whose members will be consultants under the project. Financial Management will be carried out through the PFMU and a financial management specialist will be recruited and dedicated to the Project. A PIM, outlining all aspects of activities and relevant responsibilities, will be developed as a condition of project effectiveness. The institutional and implementation arrangements outlined in that document will build on those used for the GPE-BEP (P117662) which closed in 2016.

6. A joint education sector review led by the Government with participation from education stakeholders including the ESDC has been carried out annually and will continue with support from the GPE-G2B. These reviews provide a forum for coordination between the ministries and the technical and financial DPs, allowing stocktaking of implementation and alignment of efforts with the ESP, progress of performance indicators, and the education budget. The forum brings together all key stakeholders in the sector including the SMT, representatives from the counties and districts, donor partners, implementation partners, civil society (including PTAs), and the MFDP.

7. Design and proposed implementation, including teacher training, certification, and ECE program design, have benefitted from input from each of the relevant bureaus in the ministry, as well as affected district-level offices. Details of activities will be outlined in the PIM.

Implementation Arrangements by Component

Component 1: Improving the quality and access to early childhood education in targeted counties

Subcomponent 1.1: ECE school improvement grants

8. School improvement grants will be disbursed to the project after the MoE has confirmed completion of the following: (a) development and submission to the World Bank of the School Grant Guidelines and (b) verification that targeted public schools have met the eligibility criteria as outlined in the PIM.


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9. To be deemed eligible to access the grant,47 schools must be located in the targeted counties and complete several milestones, namely (a) establishing or maintaining an active bank account; (b) ensuring the presence of a functional School Management Committee (SMC);48 and (c) having an SIP reviewed and validated by their respective SMC.

10. Once eligibility requirements have been met, a school grant agreement between the MoE and the school will be signed and will include that (a) the grant provided by the MoE is on a non-reimbursable basis; (b) the school is to carry out the grant in accordance with the School Grant Guidelines, the SIP, and the PIM; (c) the school must maintain adequate records of resources and expenditures, in accordance with sound accounting practices; (d) relevant goods, works, and services to be financed from the proceeds of the grant will be procured in accordance with the Grant Agreement and the School Grant Guidelines; (e) the MoE retains the right to inspect by itself, or jointly with the World Bank, goods, works, and services financed by the grant and any relevant related records and documents; (f) the MoE retains the right to suspend or terminate the school’s eligibility and participation in the scheme upon failure to fulfill any of its obligations under the school grant agreement; and (g) the obligation of the school to act in compliance with the World Bank’s Anticorruption Guidelines.

11. An IVA will be contracted by the MoE to carry out sample-based verification of information submitted by the targeted schools. They will develop a baseline and submit an annual report to the MoE covering many indicators included in the PIM.

Subcomponent 1.2: Community-based ECE

12. The community ECE intervention will build on the MGCSP’s EPAG project. As such, the project will provide a US$80 monthly stipend to community-based ECE caregivers to help them in running small community-based ECE programs during implementation. No infrastructure development is expected under this subcomponent because community-based ECE programs will use existing infrastructure provided by the community.

13. Oversight of activities under this component will be by the Bureau of ECE in the MoE in collaboration with partners including OSF, Plan Liberia, Save the Children, UNICEF, and UNESCO. The National Intersectoral ECD Committee, which is guiding ECD policy development and implementation, will help ensure alignment between MoE activities and other policies and programs for young children in Liberia. The ECD Unit in the MoE will provide updates to the PDT to incorporate into regular Project Progress Reports.

Component 2: Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

14. An ‘ECE C certificate’ program and an ‘accelerated C certificate’ in-service teacher training program will be rolled out in targeted areas. For both programs, an in-service operational manual will be developed with leadership by the Bureau of ECE and approved by the SMT.

47 Public schools located in the targeted counties but receiving significant aid from other partners are excluded. 48 SMCs were established under the Education Reform Act of 2011.


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Subcomponent 2.1: In-service ECE C certificate teacher training for unqualified ECE teachers in targeted counties

15. ECE C certificate in-service teacher training will be managed by the Bureau of ECE with support from the Bureau of Teacher Education, Division of Special and Inclusive Education, Centre for Excellence for Curriculum Development and Textbook Research, Division of Girls’ Education, and OSF.

16. An ECE Certificate Technical Working Group, comprising representatives of the organizations named above, will be established and chaired by the Assistant Minister of the ECE. It will guide the implementation of the program; provide coordination with the service provider; and ensure RTTIs, DPs, relevant universities, and NGOs with relevant field experience in ECE teacher training are consulted and meaningfully engaged. The Technical Working Group will meet monthly.

17. The World Bank and the OSF, who have been engaged in Liberia’s ECE sector, will provide TA and guidance, as needed, to support the Bureau of ECE as well as the Technical Working Group to (a) finalize the ECE C certificate teacher training modules, assessment criteria, and related resources; (b) design the in-service program modalities; (c) select, contract, and manage a service provider; and (d) monitor, supervise, and support the implementation and evaluation of the teacher training activities.

18. The ECE C certificate teacher training will be delivered through mixed modules including cluster-based training, self-study, and supervisory visits from master trainers. The training will be outsourced by the MoE through a competitive tender to a reputable organization with experience in delivering training in Liberia. World Bank procurement processes will be followed for this contract, expected to use payment-by-deliverables approach.

19. The transparent identification and selection of master trainers and trainees will be the responsibility of the service provider and vetted by the Technical Working Group. Trainers will be recruited from the counties targeted based on criteria for selection of trainers and trainees to be agreed in advance. Contracting, performance management, and supervision of master trainers will also be the responsibility of the service provider. Selecting and contracting host schools for cluster training will be the responsibility of the service provider with oversight from DEOs and the Bureau.

20. The bureau will be responsible for the M&E of the training program including spot visits to observe training activities and trainee satisfaction surveys. The service provider will provide monthly status reports to the PDT and Bureau of ECE, which will include information on beneficiary numbers, planned activities, expenditure, and issues. These will be shared with the Technical Working Group as well. The bureau will include these reports in its progress submissions to the PDT semiannually. The bureau will be responsible for maintaining a database of ECE C certificate teachers and master trainers.

Subcomponent 2.2: Accelerated in-service C certificate teacher training for unqualified primary teachers in targeted counties

21. An ‘accelerated C’ certificate in-service program for primary teachers will follow the same implementation steps as the ECE C certificate. An Accelerated In-service C Certificate Technical Working Group will be established to guide the program implementation which will be led by the Bureau of Teacher Education. The Technical Working Group will meet monthly and be chaired by the Assistant Minister for Teacher Education. TA will be provided by the World Bank as needed to support the reform of the C


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certificate in-service program, using a participatory approach meant to also build capacity and ownership. Inclusion of the RTTIs and USAID’s Read Liberia! Program experts will be essential for ensuring consistency across efforts

22. To achieve economies of scale, the same service providers may be contracted for delivering both programs. The MoE will be responsible for selecting the service provider who in turn will take on trainer selection, contracting, training, and management. The Bureau of ECE will provide oversight and monitoring of the program. Other aspects of program implementation will mirror the ECE C certificate program.

Component 3: Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring

Subcomponent 3.1: School quality standards, school monitoring, and inspection

23. Subcomponent 3.1 implementation will be under the joint authority of the Department of Planning, Research, and Development, Department of Instruction, Bureau of Basic and Secondary Education, Curriculum, and Assessment and Student Personnel Services (in Instruction), the Bureau of Planning, Evaluation, and the EMIS (in planning) of the MoE.

24. Development of school quality standards and the associated tool will be led by an MoE-constituted task force. Piloting and rollout of the SQA tool will be outsourced to a service provider selected by the MoE. The SQA service provider will liaise with MoE functional units in EMIS, information technology (IT), and payroll to ensure the SQA tool provides data that are relevant to these systems. The service provider will also be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the SQA system (that is, maintaining SQA database at the MoE and publishing content on the MoE website).

25. The Department of Instruction will oversee and implement training and logistical support activities for DEOs and manage these activities through existing MoE channels. DEO training is scheduled for two days annually and will take place at the regional level. The Department of Instruction will liaise with the SQA service provider to develop DEO training on the SQA tool and process.

Subcomponent 3.2: School management and quality improvement through principal training

26. MoE implementation of the Principal Certification Program will be led by a technical adviser in the PDT. The technical adviser will work closely with the Department of Instruction and the Bureau for Basic and Secondary Education in all aspects of the program. The MoE will identify a training service provider through a competitive selection process. The service provider will be responsible for collaboratively designing, implementing, and certifying the program. It is expected that the program design will draw on available expertise from local colleges, universities, and training institutions on school management and leadership. The identification and selection of trainees will be facilitated by the service provider and vetted by the MoE. To achieve economies of scale, the same service providers delivering the teacher training may also be contracted for the principal certification program.

Component 4: Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency, and accountability

27. Implementation of this component will be supported by TA. Additionally, DPs will support the MoE work to meet finance-linked results through other projects such as payroll vetting.


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28. DLIs have been identified for the project. Achievement of DLI targets will be reported using existing Government information systems and datasets where feasible to the ESDC and the World Bank as GA. Additionally, an IVA will be recruited to review the achievements and evidence (for example, by conducting school visits) provided by the Government information systems. Potential IVAs could include autonomous universities, reputable NGOs, DPs, or private consulting firms. The IVR will be submitted annually and include evidence of achievement presented to the ESDC for validation and to the World Bank for review before disbursement. The IVA will also be tasked with the responsibility to report on structural challenges that are preventing the DLI from being met.

29. The annual verification process will follow a series of steps, including reporting by the GoL on achievement of targets to the LEG and World Bank, and provision of relevant documents and data. An Interim Eligible Expenditures Program (EEP) report by the PDT is submitted to the World Bank Steps leading to disbursement against DLIs will be sequenced as follows:

(a) Review of the achievements of targets for all three DLIs by an IVA contracted to undertake the review and submission of a (IVR) report to the MoE and ESDC

(b) Review of IVA report by the ESDC and submission to the World Bank

(c) Review of the IVA report by the World Bank, as the GA, and requests for clarifications/revisions if needed

(d) Certification by the World Bank, as the GA, based on IVR.

(e) Disbursement of financial tranche associated with achieved DLI milestone

30. Disbursements on the basis of achieved and verified DLIs will be made against budget line items noted in the EEP (see 3)

31. Rollover of DLIs. Rollovers on the DLIs in the project are limited to one year, and no rollover is permitted for DLI 2.1 (register of teachers on the Government payroll)

Component 5: Project Management and Sector Program Support and Coordination

32. The PDT will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project, as delegated by the MoE. The PDT will be staffed with the following individuals: a project coordinator, a procurement specialist, an FM specialist, an M&E specialist, and other office support as needed. This team will also be supported by additional expertise in specific areas as needed. Each of these staff will be hired under performance-based contracts signed with the MoE and will work closely with ministry counterparts as needed.

33. The PDT will report to the Deputy Minister of Planning, who reports to the Minister of Education. The PDT will be led by a project coordinator who will be responsible for (a) consolidating the annual project implementation plan and budget; (b) ensuring that all implementing entities at national and local levels integrate results framework into their respective work plans; (c) ensuring coherence and alignment of project activities across implementing entities; (d) ensuring timely and efficient procurement and disbursement; (e) monitoring project implementation progress, identifying bottlenecks, and providing solutions to address challenges; (f) monitoring results (intermediate and PDO indicators, as well


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as indicators/targets under the variable part of the GPE grant); and (g) reporting on implementation progress to the MoE, the World Bank, and the ESDC regularly.

34. Overall, the PDT will be responsible for (a) strengthening the capacity of the key MoE departments at the national and subnational level and transfer of skills through specific training and learning-by-doing; (b) coordinating with project stakeholders (CEOs, DEOs, contractors, communities, DPs, ESDC, and so on) on implementation matters related to project activities; (c) monitoring outcome and output indicators, including physical verification (spot checks) on the progress of implementation through field visits and overseeing IVA; (d) preparing and submitting regular reports to the MoE, the World Bank as GA, and GPE, as needed; and (e) maintaining fiduciary oversight/control in accordance with World Bank guidelines and procedures.

Financial Management

35. An updated Financial Management Risk Assessment was conducted on February 3, 2017, in accordance with the World Bank Directive: Financial Management Manual for World Bank Investment Project Financing Operations (Catalogue Number OPCS5.05-DIR.01), issued (Retrofitted): February 4, 2015, and effective from March 1, 2010; and World Bank Guidance: Reference material - Financial Management in World Bank Investment Project Financing Operations (Catalogue Number OPCS5.05- ID.02), issued and effective February 24, 2015.

36. A central PFMU has managed, and is currently managing, the fiduciary services for World Bank-financed projects in Liberia. This has been assessed as adequate for ensuring that (a) the funds are used only for the intended purposes efficiently and economically; (b) reports prepared are accurate, reliable, and on time; (c) the safeguarding of the entity’s assets is ensured; and (d) adequate fiduciary assurances are provided through an independent audit. The PFMU is headed by a unit manager, a certified accountant who is experienced in managing World Bank-financed projects. The PFMU manager is supported by a senior accountant and the unit is staffed with adequate qualified accountants who have the prerequisite experience in managing World Bank-assisted projects. The project will continue the practice of using the PFMU for its FM tracking and reporting. As such, the PFMU will deploy an experienced project accountant responsible for the FM needs. The project will complement this effort with a dedicated FM specialist (accountant) who will manage the day-to-day payment processing and documentation. This person would be in the PDT with a reporting line to the project coordinator as well as the PFMU manager. The internal audit unit in the PFMU will be responsible for the internal audit activities and submission of the interim financial reports (IFRs). The PFMU will provide hands-on capacity building to the FM specialist with the objective of building FM capacity in the MoE for it to be able to manage World Bank-assisted projects in the future.

37. The overall residual FM risk is assessed as High but reduced to Substantial in view of the articulated risk mitigating measures in the detailed assessment described in the following paragraphs.

38. Budgeting. The PDT will submit an annual work plan and budget (AWP&B) to the World Bank for no-objection at least two months before the beginning of each fiscal year of the GoL. The PFMU will provide input to the AWP&B, mainly on the issues related to budgeting and expenditures. Expenditures under each disbursement categories/components will be monitored by the PFMU who will submit IFRs with any significant variances explained. The team will take prompt actions to correct any identified significant material variance.


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39. Internal controls and audit. The internal controls are governed by the PFMU Financial Management Manual and the Project Financial Management Law, both of which will apply to the GPE-G2B. The internal auditors undertake internal audit activities on risks’ basis. The World Bank FM specialist will provide capacity-building support to the internal auditors on report writing, as needed, to help improve the quality of internal audit. The PFMU will maintain a fixed assets log for assets to be acquired or created using project funds.

40. Accounting and maintenance of accounting records. The PFMU will use the Sun accounting system for project accounting and financial reporting, or another program agreed upon by the World Bank. The PFMU will prepare annual financial statements at the end of each fiscal year in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards. The financial statements will comprise, at a minimum, (a) sources and uses of funds (summary of expenditures shown under the main program headings and by main categories of expenditures for the period) and (b) notes to the financial statements, including background information, the accounting policies, detailed analysis and relevant explanation of the main accounts/major balances, and so on. In addition, the PDT shall provide, as an annex to the financial statements, an inventory of fixed assets acquired according to asset classes, dates of purchase, location, and cost. However, given the special nature of financial statements, advances granted by the project would be secured with a bank guarantee. The advance will not be recognized as expenditures until the goods and/or services have been delivered by the contractors.

41. Periodic financial reporting. The PFMU will be responsible for preparing the quarterly unaudited IFRs and will submit the IFRs to the World Bank one month after the end of each quarter. The project coordinator in the PDT will review and sign off on the IFR before the PFMU submitting the IFR to the World Bank. The existing IFR arrangement, including the IFR format currently in use at the PFMU, would apply for this project.

42. External audit arrangements. Annual audits will be conducted at the end of each GoL fiscal year for the project. Independent and qualified auditors, acceptable to the World Bank, would be selected to carry out the audit. The selection of auditors shall be on competitive basis and in accordance with the World Bank's Procurement Guidelines. The terms of reference of the auditors will be cleared by the World Bank. The project financial statements including movements in the designated accounts (DAs) will be audited in accordance with International Standards on Auditing and a single opinion will be issued to cover financial statements in accordance with the World Bank’s audit policy. The auditors’ report and opinion with respect to the financial statements, including the Management Letter, will be furnished to the World Bank within six months after the end of each fiscal year.

43. Conclusion. The overall FM risk is assessed as High but reduced to a residual risk rating of Substantial in view of the articulated risk-mitigation measures. Risk mitigation measures include the use of the PFMU, which has experience with World Bank’s FM procedures, and the strengthening of the on-the-job training to be provided for the internal auditors at the PFMU and the finance officers in the PDT. The PFMU would maintain financial records and would submit quarterly unaudited IFRs to IDA 45 days after the end of each quarter. In addition, the management and the PFMU will submit audited accounts, annually, six months after the end of each fiscal year, in accordance with the legal requirements set forth in the Grant Agreement.

44. Supervision plan. FM supervision will be conducted and the frequency of the supervision will be consistent with the project risk rating. The FM supervision objectives will include review of the


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expenditures for eligibility, availability of supporting documentation, and adequacy of documentation. The risk rating will be adjusted to reflect accordingly the findings of the supervision, after each supervision mission.

Disbursements

45. The World Bank disbursements will be made from a U.S. dollar-denominated DA held at a commercial bank in Liberia, acceptable to the World Bank. The FM specialist, with help from the PFMU, will submit the withdrawal application for the initial advance based on the agreed ‘DA ceiling’ according to the Disbursement Letter. Replenishments, through fresh withdrawal applications to the World Bank, into the DA will be made subsequently, at a minimum of monthly intervals, but such withdrawals will equally be based upon documentation of prior funds received in the DA through a Statement of Expenditure (SOE). The supporting documentations for the SOEs will be retained by the PFMU for World Bank review during missions and for external purposes. The SOE method of disbursement will be used as a basis for the withdrawal of the proceeds. The disbursement provides for the use of advances, special commitments, reimbursements, and direct payments as applicable disbursement methods, and these will be specified in the Disbursement Letter. Payments made against advances to third parties will be secured against bank guarantees and or bonds issued by a commercial bank, acceptable to the World Bank.

Figure 2.2. Funds Flow for Components 1, 2, 3, and 5

Figure 2.3. Funds Flow for Component 4

IDA

DA (U.S. dollars) in Monrovia/Liberia (for Categories (1) and (2)

Payment for transactions, including subproject and transfers

IDA

DA (U.S. dollars) in Monrovia/Liberia (for

Category (4)

Payment based on Verification of achieved DLI triggers

Annual IVR for DLI-1, DLI-2, DIL-3


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46. Table 2.1 specifies the categories of eligible expenditures that may be financed out of the proceeds of the Financing (category), the allocations of the amounts of the grant to each category, and the percentage of expenditures to be financed for eligible expenditures in each category.

Table 2.1. Categories of Eligible Expenditures

Category Amount of the Grant

Allocated (expressed in US$)

Percentage of Expenditures to be

Financed (inclusive of Taxes)

(1) Goods, non-consulting services and consultants’ services, operating costs and training under the project (except for Parts 1.2 and 4)

4,840,000 100

(2) School improvement grants under Part 1.2 of the project

2,660,000 100

(3) EEPs under Part 4 of the project 3,570,000 100% up to the DLI

Amount

TOTAL AMOUNT 11,070,000

47. Disbursement of DLIs. Disbursements for Component 4 are conditional on the achievement of agreed performance and progress targets as presented in table 2.2.

Table 2.2. DLI Disbursement Schedule

Tranche Date of IVR Submission

Description Amount Basis

1 Effectiveness Amount due for Year 0 DLI met

US$0.22 million Verification of Year 0 target

2 May 31, 2019 Amount due for the DLIs met

US$0.25million

Verification of achievement of DLIs and Year 1 EEP expenditure interim audit report

3 May 31, 2020

Amount due for the DLIs met (proportional where relevant)

US$1 million subject to Year 1 (Tranche 2) DLI unmet achievements rolled over to Year 2


4 May 31, 2021


US$1 million subject to Years 1 and 2 (Tranches 2 and 3) DLI unmet achievements rolled over to Year 3


5 May 31, 2022


US$0.3 million subject to year 1 to 3 (Tranches 2 to 4) DLI unmet achievements rolled over to Year 4



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48. As targets are achieved, the World Bank will disburse funds to the GoL against the EEP budget lines listed in Table 2.3. Rollovers on the DLIs in the project are limited to one year, and no rollover is permitted for DLI 2.1 (register of teachers on the Government payroll).

Table 2.3. EEPs

Institutions Budget Lines

MoE • Salaries

• Compensation

49. Achievements from each fiscal year (July 1–June 30) will be verified within three months after the end of the fiscal year. Disbursements may be made in proportion to the level of achievement, dependent on proportional disbursement protocols listed in the DLI descriptions, or withheld till the target has been met. No additional disbursement will be made for exceeding the annual targets, and advance payment will not be made to prefinance work to be undertaken under this component. Where achievement of a DLI target cannot be verified, the amount for that trigger will be withheld and paid only when such an achievement can be verified in accordance with the Grant Agreement. The fourth year of the project would be the final date to claim disbursements and all would have to be settled by September 30, 2022.

50. Retroactive reimbursement. The project will reimburse the GoL for activities undertaken and directly related to the project, on or after December 22, 2017, the date of approval by the GPE. Reimbursement will be up to a maximum of US$250,000.

Procurement

51. The MoE will carry out procurement in accordance with the World Bank’s ‘Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers’ (Procurement Regulations), dated July 1, 2016, under the NPF; the ‘Guidelines on Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants’, dated October 15, 2006, and revised in January 2011, as on July 1, 2016; and other provisions stipulated in the Financing Agreements.

52. The MoE shall prepare and submit to the World Bank a General Procurement Notice (GPN). The World Bank will arrange for publication of the GPN in United Nations Development Business (UNDB) online and on the World Bank’s external website. The MoE may also publish the GPN in at least one national newspaper.

53. The MoE shall publish the Specific Procurement Notices (SPNs) for all goods, works, non-consulting services and the Requests for Expressions of Interest on their free-access websites, if available, and in at least one newspaper of national circulation in the grantee’s country and in the official gazette. For open international procurement selection of consultants using an international short list, the grantee shall also publish the SPN in UNDB online and, if possible, in an international newspaper of wide circulation; the World Bank shall arrange for the simultaneous publication of the SPN on its external website.


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Institutional Arrangements for Procurement

54. The MoE has a Procurement Division headed by a procurement director and supported by other procurement staff, all of who have limited experience with World Bank-financed procurements. The MoE, as a procuring entity, has a history of implementing World Bank-funded procurements including the recently closed GPE-BEP, which was implemented by a Project Implementation Unit. However, the capacity of the MoE must be enhanced to effectively carry out the operation. To do this, a procurement specialist with qualifications and experience satisfactory to the World Bank will be recruited in the PDT, working closely with the Procurement Division as well. The procurement specialist will help the MoE ensure that the procurement is done in accordance with the Procurement Guidelines of the World Bank. The MoE will update the existing Project Procurement Manual which was used for the previous GPE-BEP to introduce procurement arrangements planned under this project, which will be part of this operation’s PIM.

Procurement approval process

55. Public procurement in Liberia is governed by the Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA) amended and restated in September 2010, which established the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) as the oversight authority. In compliance with the PPCA, the MoE is a procurement entity with a Procurement Unit and Procurement Committee. The MoE Procurement Committee consists of five members and is chaired by the minister. The head of the Procurement Unit serves as a secretary to the committee. The documents and decisions, as required by the PPCA, are submitted to the Procurement Committee through its secretary. The Procurement Committee ensures that due process is followed and is the approving authority for all procurement processes within the ministry’s thresholds. However, in cases where the threshold is above the ministry’s approval limit, the PPCC is involved. The act requires the committee to meet as and when required to review a bid or perform a related function but in any event to meet at least once every quarter. The PPCA under Section 3 (a) non-application, however, provides that “…The Act shall not apply to (a) International agreements concluded between the Government of Liberia and other countries or international organizations for general or specific projects where these agreements provide for specified procurement rules and procedures…” Procurement under this project will, therefore, follow World Bank Procurement Guidelines.

56. The assessment rated the overall procurement risk Substantial, given the procurement scope and associated risks identified. The main risks include the following:

(a) Limited procurement capacity resulting in lapses in following required procedures

(b) Poor contract management resulting in delayed completion of construction works and delivery of school materials

(c) Poor contract packaging such as splitting of procurement packages to circumvent procurement thresholds, thereby resulting in use of less competitive methods

(d) Poor record keeping resulting in loss and unauthorized access to procurement documents

57. The risks and mitigation measures are provided in Table 2.4. After these measures are implemented, it is expected that the residual risk will become Moderate.


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Table 2.4. Procurement Risk Assessment and Mitigation Action Plan

Ministry of Education, Project Delivery Team

Risk Action Responsible

Agency

Expected Completion

Date

Insufficient procurement capacity

The PDT of the MoE will recruit a procurement specialist with qualifications and experience satisfactory to the World Bank.

MoE Within three months from signing the Financing Agreement

Inadequate capacity of MoE procurement staff in the World Bank NPF

Capacity building will be provided by the World Bank on NPF procurement.

World Bank and MoE

Throughout project implementation

Poor contract management

PDT staff involved with project procurement will be required to undertake training in contract management at a training center approved by the World Bank.

MoE Within 18 months of project effectiveness

The procurement procedures of the current project will be reflected in the PIM

Amend the existing manual to introduce procurement arrangement planned for this project

MoE Before effectiveness

Poor record management

(a) The project will designate a specific staff responsible for procurement record management.

(b) The MoE will allocate additional secure physical space to the PDT to improve procurement record management.

MoE During project implementation

58. Filing and record keeping. The Procurement Manual (part of the PIM) will set out the detailed processes for maintaining and providing readily available access to project procurement records, in compliance with the Grant Agreement. The MoE will assign one person responsible for maintaining the records. The logbook of the contracts with unique numbering system shall be maintained.

59. The signed contracts as in the logbook shall be reflected in the commitment control system of the MoE’s accounting system or books of accounts as commitments for which payments should be updated with reference made to the payment voucher. This will ensure a complete record system whereby the contracts and related payments can be corroborated.

60. PPSD summary. Liberia is considered fragile and its conflict environment is due primarily to its civil war and the effects of the recent EVD outbreak. The 2005 PPCA, amended and restated in 2010, establishes the PPCC as the regulatory body with mandate to ensure compliance by the public service with the Procurement Law. Significant environmental and social issues are not envisaged. However, the health, safety, and environment policy at work must be observed. There is limited procurement capacity at the MoE, for the implementation of the GPE-G2B project. Mitigation measures for the identified risks including inadequate procurement capacity and poor contract management, contract packaging, and record management have been agreed. The supply market in Liberia is generally externally driven due to lack of manufacturing industries and limited local capacity of suppliers, contractors, and consultants. The major procurements are consulting services, and these are likely to attract international markets.


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However, for minor works, goods, and non-consulting services, there are sufficient number of local contractors and suppliers with satisfactory capacity to undertake such activities.

61. United Nations (UN) agencies may be hired by the Government on sole-source basis for contracts for which they offer their unique roles and qualifications in responding to the emergency situations. Standard forms of agreement for UN agencies, as acceptable to the World Bank, will be adopted. For those UN agencies, if such forms have not been agreed with the World Bank, the World Bank team will provide acceptable sample forms for use by the countries. For the UN agencies hired by the Government, certain quick-disbursing arrangements may be agreed upon to finance a positive list of imported or locally produced goods that are required for the project, further subject to the World Bank’s prior agreement on the conditions for the release of the financial tranches and the required documentation and certifications, such as customs and tax certificates or invoices.

62. These procurement arrangements draw on the World Bank Guidance on Procurement Procedures in Situations of Urgent need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints issued on July 1, 2016. As such, the recruitment of civil servants as individual consultants or as part of the team of consulting firms will abide by the provisions of paragraph 3.2 (d) of the Procurement Regulations.

63. Procurement Plan (PP). The MoE has prepared a detailed 18-month PP. The PP will be updated in agreement with the World Bank team annually or as required to reflect the actual project implementation needs and improvements in institutional capacity.

64. The MoE may procure goods, works, or services for the project as included in the PP and agreed with the World Bank. The scope of procurement includes the following:

(a) Works to be procured are likely to include contracts for renovations and refurbishments.

(b) Goods to be procured under are likely to include contracts for scaling up items for schools and centralized procurement of education equipment.

(c) Non-consulting services to be procured are likely to include project operation costs such as office supplies, vehicles operation and maintenance cost, maintenance of equipment, communication costs, rental expenses, utilities expenses, consumables, transport and accommodation, per diem, supervision costs, and salaries of locally contracted support staff

(d) Consulting services to be procured are likely to include contracts for long-term contracts for PDT staff, consulting services for setting up National Assessment System, and short- and long-term training.

65. Training, workshops, study tours, and conferences. Training activities would comprise workshops and training, based on individual needs, as well as group requirements, on-the-job training, and hiring consultants for developing training materials and conducting training. Selection of consultants for training services follows the requirements for selection of consultants above. All training and workshop activities (other than consulting services) would be carried out on the basis of approved annual work plans/training plans that would identify the general framework of training activities for the year, including (a) the type of training or workshop; (b) the personnel to be trained; (c) the institutions which would conduct the training and reason for selection of this particular institution; (d) the justification for


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the training and how it would lead to effective performance and implementation and or sector; (e) the duration of the proposed training; and (f) the cost estimate of the training. Report by the trainee(s), including completion certificate/diploma upon completion of training, shall be provided to the project coordinator and will be kept as part of the records and will be shared with the World Bank if required. After the training, the trainees will be requested to submit a brief survey indicating what skills have been acquired and how these skills will contribute to enhance their performance and contribute to the attainment of the project objective.

66. Operational costs. Operational costs financed by the project would be incremental expenses, including office supplies, vehicles operation and maintenance cost, maintenance of equipment, communication costs, rental expenses, utility expenses, consumables, transport and accommodation, per diem, supervision costs, and salaries of locally contracted support staff. Such services will be procured using the procurement procedures specified in the Procurement Manual accepted and approved by the World Bank.

67. Procurement methods. The grantee will use the procurement methods and market approach in accordance with the Procurement Regulations. Open National Market Approach is a competitive bidding procedure normally used for public procurement in the country of the grantee and may be used to procure goods, works, or non-consultant services provided it meets the requirements of paragraphs 5.3 to 5.6 of the Procurement Regulations.

68. Procurement thresholds. The thresholds for particular market approaches and procurement methods are indicated in Table 2.5. The thresholds for the World Bank’s prior review requirements are also provided in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5. Thresholds,a Procurement Methods, and Prior Review

No. Expenditure

Category

Contract (C) Value Thresholda

[equivalent US$] Procurement Method

Contracts Subject to Prior

Review/[equivalent US$]

1

Works

C ≥ 5,000,000 RFB, Open Request for Bids (RFB) using Open Competition International market approach

≥ 10,000,000

200,000 < C < 5,000,000

RFB using Open Competition National market approach

None

C ≤ 200,000 Request for Quotation (RFQ) None

Direct Selection -Works

All values Direct Selection Justification to use Direct Selection should be included in the PP

Same as for competitive methods

2 Goods, IT, and non-consulting services

C ≥ 500,000 RFB using Open Competition International Market Approach and Direct Contracting

≥ 2,000,000

100,000 < C < 500,000

RFB using Open Competition National Market Approach

None

C ≤ 100,000 RFQ None

C ≤ 500,000 RFQ For motor vehicles, only

None


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No. Expenditure

Category

Contract (C) Value Thresholda

[equivalent US$] Procurement Method

Contracts Subject to Prior

Review/[equivalent US$]

Direct Selection -Goods



5

International shortlist for selection of consultant firms

C ≥ 1,000,000 Engineering and Construction Supervision QCBS, QBS, FBS, and LCS using the most appropriate market approach

≥ 1,000,000

National shortlist for selection of consultant firms

C ≤ 100,000 Consulting Services CQS

≥ 1,000,000

C ≤ 200,000 Engineering and Construction Supervision CQS

≥ 1,000,000



Selection of Individual consultants

All Values All Approaches ≥ 300,000

6 Direct Selection - Consultants

All value Direct Selection Justification to use Direct Selection should be included in the PP


7 Training, workshops, study tours

All values Based on approved AWP&Bs

Note: CQS = Selection Based on the Consultants’ Qualifications; FBS = Selection under a Fixed Budget; LCS = Least-Cost Selection; QBS = Quality-Based Selection; QCBS = Quality- and Cost-Based Selection; a. These thresholds are for the purposes of the initial PP for the first 18 months. The thresholds will be revised periodically based on re-assessment of risks. All contracts not subject to prior review will be post reviewed.

69. In line with the findings of the PPSD, the procurement methods and review thresholds may be subject to the World Bank’s review and modification throughout the implementation period based on the procurement performance and risk rating of the project. The World Bank will provide official notice about such changes on time to ensure smooth implementation.

Table 2.6. Preferred Arrangement for Low-value Low-risk Activities

Contract Category Estimated Cost

in US$ Procurement Approach and

Method

Refurbishment of the PDT offices

Works 5,000 RFQ, Limited, National

Procurement of office equipment for central coordination

Goods 20,000 RFQ, Limited, National

Procurement of 4 motor vehicles for PDT office coordination

Goods 200,000 RFQ, Limited, National


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Contract Category Estimated Cost

in US$ Procurement Approach and

Method

Printing and dissemination of school grants guidelines

Works 20,000 RFQ, Limited, National

Publication and airing of awareness messages for education school grants.

Non-consulting services

10,000 RFQ, Limited, National

Production of awareness messages for education in school grants.

Consulting services 16,000 Direct Selection, National

TA for EMIS Consulting services 300,000 CQS, Open, International

TA for school quality standards and SQA system

Consulting services 50,000 IC, Open, National

School monitoring baseline survey

Consulting services 100,000 CQS, Open, National

Hiring of project coordinator (initial 18 months)


Hiring of procurement specialist (initial 18 months)

Consulting services 63,000 Direct Selection, National

Hiring of FM specialist (initial 18 months)


Hiring of M&E specialist (initial 18 months)


Evaluation of principal training Consulting services 10,000 Direct Selection, National

Environmental and Social Safeguards

70. According to World Bank OP 4.01 (Environmental Assessment), the project is assessed to be Category C, having minimal or no adverse environmental impacts. Beyond screening, no further environmental assessment action is required. Minor civil works for school buildings maintenance and repair will be eligible expenditures under the school grant component and the potential environmental impact is expected to be minimal. The rest of the activities supported including teacher training, M&E, and sample-based assessment will have no environmental impact.

71. The Social Assessment concludes that the social impact of the project is expected to be largely positive. During the preparation of this project, school visits and focus group discussions were conducted with community members, parents, headmasters, teachers, and teacher trainers. The consultation was facilitated by ministry officers involved in the development of the project, supported by the World Bank. The focus groups explored key questions about ECE programs, fees, and teaching and learning at basic education schools before testing different intervention ideas with the participants. Given the prevalence of gender-based violence in and around schools and the practice of sex-for-grades, the need for actions and accountability mechanisms to address and stop these harmful practices was also discussed. Codes of conduct enforced from the highest level at the Ministry of Education down to school principals and staff and enabling safe learning environments where girls do not skip school or dropout due to harmful practices including violence, harassment and sexual coercion are critical.


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Table 2.7. Consultations Carried Out under SA

Type Date Location Participants Number of

Schools/Partners Males Females Total

Focus Group Discussion (FGD)

January 18, 2017

Goba Town, Todee District

Parents and community

4 5 15 20

FGD January 18, 2017


ECE and primary teachers

4 11 11 22



Principals 4 6 0 6


Kings Form School, Careysburg

Parents and community

1 11 3 14



ECE and primary teachers

5 16 5 21



Principals 6 7 3 10


Kakata RTTI B certificate trainers

1 7 0 7


Kakata RTTI C certificate trainers

1 4 2 6

Workshop January 23, 2017

MoE NGOs, DPs, and civil society

14 8 10 18

Meetings January 16–26, 2017

MoE MoE officers — 17 16 33

Interviews Phone DEOs

Meeting January 19, 2017

MoE PSL operators 8 10 10 20

Total 102 75 177

Monitoring and Evaluation

72. Data sources. Monitoring project progress and performance will be the responsibility of the MoE delegated to the PDT. Established GoL monitoring systems will constitute primary key data sources, with additional reports from the IVA validating milestones where required. Official statistics from the ASC conducted by the EMIS Unit will provide data for some indicators to measure progress toward achievement of the PDO. Support to improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring supported under Component 3 will continue long-term strengthening for EMIS.

73. An IVA will be used to validate project results for key components, namely Components 1 and 4. The ESDC will monitor results submitted by the MoE in addition to using the IVA reporting. The MoE is expected to hold annual Joint Education Sector Reviews to measure the progress made against the achievement of the ESP, which is aligned with results monitoring.


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74. The project will also use data from other sources including SQA, national student assessments, household survey, and teacher payroll. The LISGIS collects DHS and HIES data for the GoL, which include a few relevant data sets. The CSA is a repository for relevant teacher payroll data.

75. Impact evaluation. An impact evaluation will be conducted for the school accountability management interventions, focusing on performance improvement at the school level after receiving SQA feedback from DEOs.

76. Results framework. The Results Framework is strongly aligned with the G2B-ESP intermediate Results Framework and SDG 4 indicators to ensure coherence of monitoring and reduce replication. ESP and SDG 4 indicators are listed in Annex 5.

77. Reporting. The MoE will produce Annual Progress Reports which will cover activities, expenditures, and progress toward targets. This will identify any issues to be resolved and be used in the Joint Sector Review. Shorter, semiannual reports will also be required as they will keep the ESDC and SMT at the MoE informed about progress on a more interim basis. These reports will be informed by reporting from TA, service providers and bureaus responsible for individual subcomponents. The PDT will act as the clearing house, technical advice, and repository for all project reporting. Grant Recipient Annual Progress Reports will be public documents uploaded to the MoE and World Bank websites.

Role of Partners

78. Since the G2B-ESP was prepared by the Government in close collaboration with other DPs, including members of the ESDC and has been formally endorsed by them, a concerted effort has been made to ensure harmonization and complementarity across activities. Table 2.8 provides an overview of complementarity of activities to be supported under each component and subcomponent.

Table 2.8. Complementarity between Project Activities and DP Activities

Component Complementarity

1: Improving quality and access to early childhood education in the targeted counties

1.1: ECE school improvement grants Builds on previous basic education grants - GPE

1.2: Community-based ECE

Utilizes ECE teacher training modules and training of master trainers - OSF (multiple projects) Complements community-based ECE training - UNICEF Complements community-based ECE project - Save the Children; other NGOs

2: Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

2.1 and 2.2: In-Service ECE C and accelerated C certificate teacher training in targeted areas

Uses data from evaluation of PSL initiative Ark; B certificate in-service program - European Union (EU); Early Learning Partnership Systems Research - World Bank; U.K. Department for International Development Builds on teacher testing program - Big Win Utilizes ECE teacher training modules and training of master trainers - OSF (multiple projects); LTTP I and II in-service and preservice C certificate training materials - USAID; EGRA+ intervention materials for literacy and numeracy - USAID; and EU-supported B certificate training materials Complements Read Liberia! early literacy projects - USAID


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Component Complementarity

3: Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring

3.1: School quality standards, school monitoring, and inspection

Builds on DEO training - EU Complements PSL monitoring tool

3.2: School management and quality improvement through principal training

Builds on school grant training - GPE Complements principal training - UNICEF (proposed)Complements principal and teacher training - Peace Corps

Builds on GPE grant management unit - GPE Builds on units in other ministries - various partners

4: Achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency, and accountability

4.1 DLI 1 Builds on LTTP and MoE teacher verification and teacher testing program - USAID and Big Win Complements Component 2

4.2 DLI 2.1 and 2.2

Builds on LTTP and MoE teacher verification and teacher testing program - USAID and Big Win Builds on mobile money pilot - USAID Complements Component 2 and DLI 1

4.3 DLI 3 Builds on EGMA and EGRA - USAID Complements PSL impact evaluation - Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA); Ark

5: Project management and sector program support and coordination

Complements awareness and messaging campaign - UNICEF (proposed) Complements awareness raising on out-of-school children and overage enrollment - USAID Accelerated Quality Education for Liberia; other DPs Complements PSL providers’ community awareness raising - multiple providers

EMIS and national student learning assessment system

Builds on LTTP and EMIS support - USAID Builds on EGMA and EGRA - USAID Complements PSL impact evaluation - IPA; Ark


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ANNEX 3: IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT PLAN


Strategy and Approach for Implementation Support

1. The implementation support strategy builds on lessons learned from supporting and supervising previous education projects in Liberia, including the GPE-BEP, the Ebola Recovery and Reconstruction Project (P154880), and the Ebola Emergency Response Project (P152359). Support will be provided during implementation to ensure that objectives are achieved. Implementation support missions will be carried out at least twice every year to review implementation progress and provide operational and technical support as needed. The discussions and activities undertaken during the missions will be recorded in the aide memoires. Furthermore, regular support in the areas of procurement and FM will be provided by team members who are based in the country office. A midterm review will be carried out about 18 months after effectiveness to assess project performance and provide advice on restructuring if needed.

Implementation Support Plan and Resource Requirements

2. Human resources. The implementation support strategy outlined above requires a team with various areas of expertise. Table 3.1 presents the team composition and the number of weeks estimated. Additional experts on specific project areas will also be brought onto the project as needed.

Table 3.1. Implementation Support Requirements

Focus Position Estimated Staff Weeks per Year

Policy dialogue, project implementation support and supervision, team management, and reporting

Education specialist 25

Operational training, support, team coordination, and reporting

Operations officer 20

FM training, support, and review FM specialist 4

Procurement training, support, and review Procurement specialist 4

Assessment of M&E arrangements and implementation progress, M&E technical support, and DLIs verification

M&E specialist 3

Technical support to specific project areas, including ECE, teacher training, and school accountability system

Specialists on ECE, teacher training, and school accountability system

3 each

Assessment of the DLI setup, review of DLI implementation, and technical advice

DLI specialist 3


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ANNEX 4: SECTORAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT


1. This section focuses on the key sector and institutional issues that informed the project objectives and design. These issues are identified and further explored in the ESA. As such, the following summary is largely based on the ESA.

2. During the civil war, Liberia’s formal education system was almost nonexistent. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, the MoE has been diligently rebuilding the public education system with the aim of increasing access to quality education for all. Today, formal education is structured as follows:

(a) ECE (or Kindergarten 1–3), comprising three years, for children ages 3 to 5

(b) Basic education, comprising nine years, including six years of primary education (Grades 1-6) for children ages 6–11 and three years of junior high school (Grades 7–9) for children ages 12–14

(c) Secondary education or senior high school (Grades 10–12), comprising three years of either academic education or TVET for youth ages 15–17

(d) Higher education and post-secondary training, follows senior secondary education and includes certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate programs offered by teacher training institutes, colleges, and universities

(e) Alternative education (AE) programs for youth and adults provided by the MoE and other service providers

3. Over the past 35 years, enrollment in education in Liberia has increased nearly five-fold from 303,000 students in 1981 to 1.49 million in 2015/16. Despite this increase, a sizeable percentage of Liberian children (recent estimates indicate 15–20 percent of 6–14-year-olds) are not enrolled in school. Among those enrolled, nearly half of students are in public schools while the remainder are in private, faith-based, and/or community schools. Table 4.1 shows enrollment, NER and gross enrollment ratio (GER) for each subsector for the 2015/16 school year. The significant gap between the two ratios is largely driven by overage enrollment.

Table 4.1. Enrollment, NER and GER, by Education Level, 2015–2016

Enrollment (#) NER (%) GER (%)

ECE 539,660 29 116

Lower basic49 (Grades 1–6) 655,049 49 87

Upper basic50 (Grades 7–9) 116,957 14 56

49 Lower basic education is the official name of primary education (grades 1-6) in Liberia 50 Upper basic education is the official name of junior secondary education (Grades 7–9) in Liberia.


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Enrollment (#) NER (%) GER (%)

Secondary (senior high, Grades 10–12 105,875 12 39

4. Liberia has recognized education as a key priority in its medium and long-term development plan. The ESP 2010–2020 aimed to provide Liberians with the opportunity to access and complete education. This ESP was based on a projection model that forecasted the full educational input and resource needs of incoming student populations assuming to reach full access by 2020. The ESP goals were reinforced by the Liberia Agenda for Transformation and Education Reform Act of 2011, the latter of which restructured the MoE bureaus, and laid out a pathway to decentralization through the establishments of county and district education boards. The recently completed and endorsed G2B-ESP continues the reform agenda but with a programmatic approach and with priorities set for strong focus on improving equitable access and strengthening the provision of quality education.

5. The education sector’s share of total government spending has increased incrementally since 2013, with the exception of FY2015 when the spread of the EVD forced schools across Liberia to close and resulted in the redirection of limited government resources and capacity toward managing the crisis. Planned budget reductions for 2017 due to lower revenue did not affect the education sector because the GoL has refrained from making cuts to the education sector allocation. Besides direct allocations to the MoE (to support the education sector), the GoL invests in the education sector through its support to other ministries (for example, the MYS and the MIA) including government-funded scholarships, legislators’ grants to schools in their constituent areas, transfers to TVET programs, and country development funds directed toward local education systems. This is estimated to have brought at least US$10.6 million in additional public funds in FY2015/16 to support education, increasing the total expenditure on education from 13.46 percent to 15.17 percent of the national budget. However, this level of investment in education remains below the Government’s own target in the ESP 2010–2020 and the GPE minimum benchmark (of 20 percent). Over the medium term, the GoL projects a slight increase in the share of government spending on the education sector.

6. The MoE is responsible for oversight of the whole education sector and establishing national curriculum, standards, and policies for all schools. The MoE allocation as a share of total government education budget declined from 62 percent in 2013 to 52 percent in 2016. The rest of the education budget is allocated directly to institutions including tertiary and TVET institutions, the MCSS (which runs basic and secondary schools in Monrovia), the WAEC, and RTTIs. Of the allocation sent to MoE, compensation of employees and subsidies make up more than 85 percent, leaving little room for other activities such as in-service teacher training, curriculum development, school monitoring and national learning assessments.

Challenges facing the Education Sector

7. Some of the key challenges currently facing the education sector include (a) low learning outcomes; (b) overage enrollment at ECE and primary education levels; (c) disparities in access and completion at the ECE and primary school levels; (d) insufficient quality of and inequitable distribution of teachers; and (e) inadequate management and accountability systems at the central and school levels.51

51 Liberia MoE. 2016. Getting to Best in Education Sector Plan 2017–2021.


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Low Learning Outcomes

8. Most available evidence point to pervasively low student learning outcomes at the basic and secondary education levels in Liberia. From 2008–2015, several programs conducted small-scale assessments of early grades students’ literacy and numeracy outcomes. In nearly all assessments, the mean score for Grade 3 students’ oral reading fluency was lower than 25 correct words per minute—a score significantly lower than the draft MoE literacy benchmark of 45 correct words per minute.52 Since 2007, student performance on Grades 9 and 12 WAEC examinations have also realized steep declines. In 2007, 81 percent of students sitting for the Grade 12 exam obtained a passing score and in 2014, 46 percent of students sitting for the examination passed. In addition, in 2013, nearly all students who sat for the University of Liberia entrance exam failed. Thus, while access to education has expanded at all levels, learning outcomes do not appear to have improved, and in some cases, indicators of quality have declined.

9. Several recent interventions have sought to improve learning outcomes among children in early grades. Early grade reading interventions implemented under the EGRA Plus (2009) project and the LTTP II (2015) sought to improve literacy outcomes though the following interventions: teacher training, targeted teaching, learning and supplementary materials, external oversight, regular assessment and extensive coaching. For both EGRA Plus and LTTP II, impact evaluations found that treatment schools (those receiving ‘robust’ interventions) realized gains in literacy outcomes relative to non-treatment schools. Small-scale interventions under the PSL project which reached just under 100 schools in 2016-17 and expanded to 200 schools in 2017-18, are underway. These interventions aim to eliminate ECE fees, limit ECE enrollment to children ages 3–5, and provide accelerated learning opportunities and targeted instruction to nonreading learners and overage learners in early grades. Initial evaluation of the PSL interventions has shown some positive results

Overage Enrollment at ECE and Primary Education Levels

10. Nearly 40 percent of children enrolled in ECE and primary schools are more than three years overage for their grade. This late enrollment at the ECE level stems from some parents delaying children from entering school ‘on time’, schools placing a child in ECE for benefit of fees, and/or schools testing school-age children for school readiness before enrolling in Grade 1(Children are often found not ready to enter Grade 1 either because they do not perform well on simple cognitive or psychological or physical tests or because they are too short and appear too weak to enter Grade 1). While, by MoE policy, basic education is free, a tuition fee of up to US$35 per child in ECE provides an incentive for schools to require children’s enrollment in ECE before entering Grade 1.

11. Currently, nearly 50 percent (over 250,000) of all children enrolled in ECE are 6 years (the age for Grade 1), or older. In addition to perhaps preventing young children from attending ECE, late enrollment in school has a cascade effect at the primary and secondary levels (Figure 4.1) in which the age distribution of students enrolled has a broad range and most students throughout primary and secondary school are 3 or more years overage for their grade. In many cases, large class sizes and limited

52 Liberia MoE and World Bank. 2015. Liberia Education Sector Analysis. King,S., M. Korda, , L. Nordstrum, and S. Edwards. 2015. Liberia Teacher Training Program: Endline Assessment of the Impact of Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Interventions. RTI. 2010. EGRA Plus: Liberia Program Evaluation Report. Prepared by Piper, B and M. Korda.


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learning materials makes it very difficult for early grades teachers to provide targeted instruction and support to nonreading learners as well as those who are overage and behind.

Figure 4.1. Age Distribution of Enrollment, Primary Grades 1–6

Disparities in Access, Completion and School Resourcing at the ECE and Primary Levels

12. Disparities in ECE access and primary school access and completion are largely explained by poverty, urban-rural status, distance from school and gender. An analysis of data from the 2013 DHS, found that fewer than 47 percent of youth ages 10–19 from households in the lower two wealth quintiles (poorest 40 percent of the population) survive (that is, make it) to Grade 6, as compared to 88 percent of youth from households in the top wealth quintile. Figure 4.2 compares grade survival profiles by household socioeconomic status and urban-rural status. Children from urban and wealthier households are much more likely to have completed basic education than counterparts from rural areas and poor households. Despite some recent progress, in most counties outside of Montserrado County, girls’ access to basic education remains far below that of boys.

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

Age 5 Age 6 Age 7 Age 8 Age 9 Age 10 Age 11 Age 12 Age 13 Age 14 Age 15 Age 16

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6


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Figure 4.2. Cohort Grade Survival Profile of Children Ages 10–19 Disaggregated by Urban/Rural Status and Wealth Quintile, DHS 2013

Source: Filmer, Deon (2010) based on DHS 2013. http://iresearch.worldbank.org/edattain/ Note: The cohort grade survival profile shows the proportion of children of the cohort of 10 to 19 years who have completed each grade (including Grade 1) at each age, using techniques adapted from ‘survival analysis’. The technique estimates the proportion of the cohort that has completed a grade adjusting for the fact that some students are still in school and their ultimate grade completed cannot be observed (the observation is said to be ‘right censored’). The figures enable one to see the estimated grade-to-grade progression of a current cohort. http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=1460753&pagePK=64168176&piPK=64168140&theSitePK=1460718.

13. The main factors driving inequitable access to ECE and primary education include (a) high cost of schooling (for example, school fees and related expenses) and (b) long distances to school. At the ECE level, public schools (with ECE or school-based ECE) charge a fee for enrollment in ECE of approximately US$35. Such fees, along with other costs associated with schooling (for example, uniforms and materials), constitute a significant economic barrier to ECE for poor households.

14. At present, fee-free primary schools receive limited support from the MoE to purchase basic teaching and learning supplies (for example, chalk) or fund small-scale projects (that is, repairing latrines or chalkboards). Many pro-poor interventions (that is, school feeding and fee-free ECE) rely on nongovernmental sources of funding, technical, or in-kind support. This shortage of pro-poor expenditure and programming in public schools allows for the persistence of existing disparities.

Insufficient Quality of and Inequitable Distribution of Teachers

15. During the postwar era, many teachers of varying skill levels were brought on to the payroll. As a result, even though Liberia has realized significant gains in the number and share of qualified teachers in primary schools (that is, 62.3 percent of primary school teachers are qualified), many of the teachers have very low skills. An MoE implemented Teacher Verification and Testing Program found that up to 40

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Urban Rural Bottom 40% Top 20%

http://iresearch.worldbank.org/edattain/


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percent of qualified teachers may not possess the minimum required knowledge of English needed to be an effective instructor at the primary level.

16. Distribution of qualified teachers highly favors economically advanced regions. For example, Montserrado County has 50 percent of the country’s teachers, while having only 39 percent of total student enrollment (EMIS 2015–16). This gives Montserrado County an STTR of 34:1. On the other hand, in counties with a high incidence of poverty, such as Rivercess, Sinoe, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, and River Gee, the number of qualified teachers per student is very low: STTRs in these counties range from 64:1 to 90:1.53 Reducing disparities in the allocation of qualified teachers is difficult. ESA consultations (as well as international literature review on this issue) revealed that teachers generally prefer working in wealthier districts and in urban areas as such areas offer a better quality of life (for example, access to mobile networks, basic services, and so on) compared to rural areas, increased professional development opportunities, more opportunities for income generation, more career advancement opportunities, and more opportunities for female teachers and dual career households.54

Inadequate Management and Accountability Systems at the Central and School Levels

17. Many sources of evidence55 point to long-standing school-level management and accountability deficiencies (that is, teacher tardiness and absence, unauthorized school closure, poor payroll management, and educator code of conduct enforcement). These issues are often not addressed on time which can lead to disenchantment of teachers and school management and, in turn, negatively affect the classroom environment.

18. At present MoE management systems for supporting and holding accountable school-level actors are weak. Most of school principals are untrained and do not have the time, guidance, resources or support needed to effectively manage schools and teachers. Many principals take on a role as a ‘head teacher’—meaning that they continue teaching, but may not effectively engage in teacher management, instructional leadership, PTA and community engagement, or school quality improvement activities. School principals are well placed to serve as school-level change agencies, however this potential for change is yet, unrealized.

19. Liberia-specific school quality standards and tools for measuring (and improving) school quality do not exist. In the absence of such standards, school leadership, community actors, and DEOs responsible for school support and accountability functions do not have a common framework for evaluating school quality and driving quality improvement.

20. Currently accountability systems that link schools to district, county, and national systems are not functioning well. At present, DEOs do not have sufficient resources and tools to travel to, and play an effective monitoring and support role, at the school level. Notably, many DEOs do not have the expertise or training needed to effectively execute school and teacher support functions.

53 Ministry of Education. 2016. Liberia Education Statistics Report 2015–16. Monrovia: Ministry of Education. 54 Mulkeen, A. 2010. Teachers in Anglophone Africa: Issues in Teacher Supply, Training, and Management. Development Practice in Education. Washington, DC: World Bank. 55 Ministry of Education. 2015. Joint Education Sector Review 2015. Ministry of Education and World Bank. 2016. Education Sector Analysis. USAID. 2013. Midterm Assessment of the Liberia Teacher Training Program Phase II.


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21. The MoE has taken on several initiatives designed to address these concerns, including teacher verification, teacher biometric card for attendance check-in, removal of ghost teachers, DEO and CEO recruitment and training, and several ad hoc donor-collaborated training initiatives (for example, code of conduct training, school grants training, school principal training, DEO logistical support, and mobile salary payments). At the same time, many management and accountability activities have been intervention-specific and have had difficulty in becoming integrated into MoE systems and accountability remains a significant barrier to improving educational quality in Liberia.

22. There is no system or program for principal certification, professional development and administrative support, no system for monitoring and improving school quality, and not yet sufficient budgetary support for DEO school visits. MoE systems do not yet respond to critical school level management and accountability issues on time (for example, managing teacher payroll, transfer, or code of conduct; or addressing concerns about the provision of teaching and learning materials).

23. The MoE’s EMIS system has become more robust over the past five years with the expansion in school coverage of the ASC. However, there is a significant risk that without sustained funding and ongoing capacity development, the recent successes realized in the MoE ASC and EMIS function may not be sustained.


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ANNEX 5: ALIGNMENT AMONG PROJECT, EDUCATION SECTOR PLAN AND SDG 4


.

Table 5.1. Linkages between the G2B-ESP priority areas and project activities

Strategy 1: Establish an effective school quality improvement and accountability system

School Quality Program

1. Establish school quality standards

2. School improvement and grants system

3. Principals Leadership Program

4. Increase the proportion of ECE, basic, and secondary schools with toilets and safe water

Strategy 2: Improve the efficiency and performance of education management system

Education Management and Accountability Program

1. Education and education partnerships

2. Workforce reform

3. School inspection

4. Support and accountability at decentralized levels

5. Sector planning, monitoring, budgeting, and finance strengthening

Strategy 3: Improve access to quality ECE

ECE Program

1. ECE public awareness campaign and outreach to families and communities about the value of ECE and good parenting skills

2. Roll out ECE certification and training for teachers through RRTIs, colleges, and universities

3. Build additional ECE school infrastructure in areas of greatest need

4. Improve the quality of ECE provision for children ages 3–5 years

Strategy 4: Provide quality alternative and accelerated education pathways for overage and out-of-school children and young people

Overage and Out-of-School Program

1. Increase capacity to plan, budget, and manage AE

2. Professional development of AE teachers, facilitator, principals, and administrators

3. Overage student program

4. Out-of-school children and young people program

Strategy 5: Improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction of the teaching workforce

Teacher Education and Management Program

1. Improve teacher registration, performance management, and incentives

2. Increase the proportion of qualified and trained teachers

Strategy 6: Ensure that teachers have access to quality instructional materials and assessment tasks

Curriculum and Assessment Program

1. New English and mathematics syllabuses and teacher guides

2. National literacy and numeracy assessment system for Grades 3 and 6

Strategy 7: Mainstream gender and school health across the education sector

Student Well-being Program

1. Implement National Policy on Girls’ Education

2. Counter school-related GBV

3. Strengthen school health and student well-being


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Strategy 8: Improve the quality and relevance of technical and vocational education and training

Technical and Vocational Education and Training Program

1. Improve the TVET information base

2. Improve the quality of TVET delivery

3. Lay the foundation for a national qualification framework for agriculture and another area of high demand

Strategy 9: Leverage regional and international partnerships and expertise, target market demand for critical skills and increase the efficiency of education expenditure

Higher Education Program

1. Increase quality and relevance in higher education

2. Improve equity and efficiency in higher education finance

3. Higher Education Act

Table 5.2. Project Activities, the G2B-ESP, and SDGs

GPE-funded G2B Project Component

ESP Strategy and Program/s SDG 4 Targets

1. Improving the quality and access to early childhood education in the targeted counties

Strategy #3 Improve access to quality ECE Program 3: ECE Programa

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality ECD, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education

2. Supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties

Strategy #2 Improve the efficiency and performance of education management system Program #2 Education Management and Accountability Program

Strategy #5 Improve the efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of the teaching workforce Program #5 Teacher Education and Management Program

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.

3 Improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring

Strategy #1 Establish an effective school quality improvement and accountability system Program #1 School Quality Program

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes 4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive, and effective learning environments for all

Strategy #2 Improve the efficiency and performance of education management system Program #2 Education Management and Accountability Program

Note: a. Component 1 also includes activities related to G2B-ESP programs: School Quality Program (Component 2, School improvement grants and Component 4, improved WASH infrastructure), overage and Out-of-School Program (Component 3, Overage Children Program and Component 4, Out-of-School Children Program) and the Teacher Education and Management Program (Component 2, Increase proportion of qualified teachers)


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ANNEX 6: ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS


1. This Economic and Financial Analysis summarizes the economic rationale for the project and is organized as follows. First, it explores the challenges to the sector that the project seeks to address. Second, it assesses the rationale for public investment. Third, it provides a description of the expected development impact of the project. The last section focuses on the World Bank’s value-added.

Challenges in the sector

Figure 6.1. Responses for Why Children Ages 3–5 Are Not Enrolled in School

Source: Authors’ calculations from Liberia’s HIES 2014

2. Public schools with ECE charge fees and parents bear additional costs for uniform and shoes. The Government made the reduction and gradual elimination of ECE fees a priority for the Government, which requires substantial amount of financial support to schools. However, the current budget constraint does not allow the policy to be implemented. As per the HIES (2014), self-reported expenditure for school fees and other school related expenditure for 89 percent of students who attend school from the poorest income quintile is LRD 1,000 (US$10) or lower. Approximately 1 in every 4 parents of children in the 3 – 5-year age group report this cost of ECE to be unaffordable – identifying an important barrier to entry into education. 3. Most children in ECE are not enrolled in their age-appropriate grade. The 2015 – 16 Annual School Census found that 74.7 percent of ECE students are over-age for the level they are attending with remote areas generally among the most affected. Almost half the students enrolled in ECE programs (over 250,000 children or 48 percent) are 6 years of age or older and ideally, should be attending primary school. Over-age enrollment has severe implications, including limited participation in class, increased repetition rate, increased dropout rate, overall worse performance in school and, ultimately, worse performance of graduates on the labor market. One of the primary reasons behind over-age enrollment in Liberia is the fact that parents are unaware of the importance of age-appropriate enrollment. According to HIES (2014), half the parents of children aged between 3 and 5 felt that their children are too young for ECE, signaling that there is a general lack of awareness of the appropriate age of sending children to school.

52.1%

23.2%

15.7%

9.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Child is less than 6 years Cost of ECE Distance to school Other


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4. Currently, there is no Government-approved ECE teaching qualification. Existing ‘C’ certificate pre-service and in-service teacher training courses do not include substantial time on ECE teaching methodologies. Around half of ECE teachers do not meet the basic qualifications (approximately 10 percent of government ECE teachers do not even have a high school certificate) and STTRs are high, especially in the South-East Region. For example, in Sinoe (one of the targeted counties), the STTR is 90:1. 5. Distance to schools remains a barrier to education. The analysis found that 15.7 percent of parents felt that the distances to schools are too far and nearly 30 percent of children from the lowest income quintile need to walk more than half an hour to reach a school (HIES, 2014). Other data sources and consultations confirmed that for some children aged 3-5 years old, walking half an hour each way to school every day is a burden – especially if that child is malnourished or does not have a morning meal. 6. Young children in fragile countries like Liberia often experience a multiplicity of risk factors at the same time. These risk factors include lack of access to basic water and sanitation infrastructure, lack of access to quality health services, inadequate nutritional inputs, parents with low education levels, and lack of access to quality day care centers and preschools56. Thus, poor and otherwise disadvantaged children are likely to experience deficits in several areas of development, including in the cognitive domain. They are less likely to enroll in school at the right age, and they are also more likely to attain lower achievement levels or grades for their age57. Thus, Naudeau and colleagues conclude that in the absence of ECD interventions, poor children are likely to “play catch-up” for the rest of their lives and are also less likely to contribute to the growth of their country’s economy (see aforementioned Naudeau and others 2010 for a review).

7. Such low levels of overall development in early childhood influence performance in school and throughout an individual’s life. Indeed, children who experience low levels of cognitive development in early childhood are more likely to repeat grades and to drop out of school early compared to children whose cognitive skills and overall school readiness were higher upon primary school entry58. They are also more likely to have worse health and to engage in risky behavior such as smoking, risky sexual behavior, substance abuse, and criminal and violent activity as they become older (for a review on these topics, see aforementioned Naudeau and others 2010). As they get older, these children are also more likely to have low productivity and income and to provide poor care for their own children contributing substantially to the intergenerational transmission of poverty through reduced employability, productivity, and overall well-being later in life. These negative effects seriously undermine the social and economic benefits expected from the investment that parents and governments (in the case of publicly funded education and health policies) make in children.

56 Naudeau, Sophie, Naoko Kataoka, Alexandria Valerio, Michelle Neuman, and Leslie Elder (2010) “Investing in Young Children: An ECD Guide for Policy Dialogue and Project Preparation.” World Bank, Washington, DC. 57 Vegas, E., and L. Santibanez. 2010. The Promise of Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington, DC: World Bank. 58 Feinstein, L. 2003. “Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of Children in the 1970 Cohort.” Economica 70: 73–97. Currie, J., and D. Thomas. 1999. “Early Test Scores, Socioeconomic Status and Future Outcomes.” NBER Working Paper 6943, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA. Pianta, R. C., and S. J. McCoy. 1997. “The First Day of School: The Predictive Validity of Early School Screening.” Journal of Applied

Developmental Psychology 18: 1–22.


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Rationale for Public Sector Provision

8. Interventions in early childhood education have a higher rate of return as compared to interventions at higher levels of education. 59. As the broader literature has shown, ECD interventions have not only a high cost-benefit ratio, but also a higher rate of return for each dollar invested compared to interventions directed at older children and adults.60. Evidence suggests a potential rate of 7–16 percent annually from high-quality ECD programs targeting vulnerable groups based on increased school and career achievement as well as reduced costs in remedial education, health and criminal justice system expenditures (Heckman and others 2009; Rolnick and Grunewald 2007; see Naudeau and others 2010 for a review of the literature on the effectiveness of several types of ECD investments for several types of beneficiaries).61. A study found that, compared to nonparticipants, participants in an early childhood program in Jamaica had 25 percent higher wages—20 years later.62

Figure 6.2. Rates of Return for ECE Investments

9. Furthermore, quality child care helps parents work and be more productive today. Access to quality child care increases stability for current workers by limiting absences, employee turnover, and other issues that reduce productivity. There is a pressing need for such access if Liberia wants to increase the rate of female employment. Investing in the early years can transform not just the lives of children, but their communities.

60 Heckman, J. J., J. Stixrud, and S. Urzua. 2006. “The Effects of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior.” Journal of Labor Economics 24 (3): 411–82. Heckman, J. J. 2008. “Schools, Skills, and Synapses.” Economic Inquiry 46 (3): 289–324. 61 Heckman, J. J., S. H. Moon, R. Pinto, P. A. Savalyev, and A.Yavitz. 2009. “The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program.” Working Paper 200936, Geary Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin.

http://www.ucd.ie/geary/static/publications/workingpapers/gearywp200936.pdf.

Rolnick, A. J., and R. Grunewald. 2007. “The Economics of Early Childhood Development as Seen by Two Fed Economists.”

Community Investments 19 (2): 13–14, 30. Naudeau, Sophie, Naoko Kataoka, Alexandria Valerio, Michelle Neuman, and Leslie Elder. 2010 “Investing in Young Children: An ECD Guide for Policy Dialogue and Project Preparation.” World Bank, Washington, DC. 62 Gertler, Heckman et al. 2014. “Labor Market Returns to Early Childhood Stimulation: a 20-year Follow-up to an Experimental Intervention in Jamaica,” Science. 344 (6187): 998–1001


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10. Investing in ECE is a wise investment for a country to make to eliminate extreme poverty, boost shared prosperity, and create human capital for economies to diversify and grow. Children gain social-emotional and cognitive skills through high quality ECE that set them up for success in school and life. From the project’s perspective, there is a huge benefit in investing in scaled up support for ECE. Further, the cost of inaction is high: in the absence of scaled up investment in ECE, the health, well-being and life chances of Liberia’s poorest children will remain diminished and high potential for a more productive, dynamic and diversified Liberian labor force and economy cannot be fully realized.

Expected Development Impact of the Project

11. Informed by the abovementioned challenges and the evidence from the HIES and EMIS, the project will provide approximately US$10 per student to schools in targeted counties.63 Moreover, the project will provide training for ECE and primary teachers, support a public awareness campaign regarding age-appropriate enrollment and establish community based ECE centers for communities that are too far to access school-based ECE. These components should similarly improve access and quality of early childhood and primary education. 12. The project’s development impact will derive mainly from increased access to ECE, increased knowledge and skills of teachers and improved system monitoring and accountability through school managers, and decentralized MoE personnel. By increasing school funding and effectiveness, the ECE component is expected to equip schools to implement SIPs that promote enrolment of out-of-school ECE-aged children, improve school conditions to improve quality and retention and reduce the repetition rate at the pre-primary level. The results should be a larger share of age-appropriate students entering primary education with the cognitive development that allows them to achieve full potential for future schooling and jobs. Importantly, because the project targets its resources to disadvantaged counties, it is expected to contribute to more equitable distribution of educational services across Liberia and provide better value for money.

Targeting

13. In addition to regional level poverty data64, county-level data from the 2013 DHS on childhood

stunting was found to be a suitable proxy for child poverty to identify priority counties. Arguably,

stunting is a better measure of child deprivation than actual poverty because it considers intra-household

inequalities in a way that poverty cannot. It reflects failure to receive adequate nutrition over a prolonged

period and is also affected by recurrent and chronic illness. Therefore, it represents the long-term effects

of malnutrition (specifically, undernutrition) in a population and is not sensitive to recent, short-term

changes in dietary intake. Moreover, correlation between severe stunting with the poverty measure from

the previous iterations of the household survey (that were representative at the county level) is quite

high. Counties were ranked according to the percentage of children whose height for age Z scores were

below minus three standard deviations (-3 SD) from the median of the reference population.

63 Schools currently charge parents ECE fees as high as US$35 equivalent. However, focus group discussions indicated that these fees are rarely fully paid. Therefore, the assumption is that schools will participate in the School Grants program and agree to reduce/drop their fees on the guarantee that their losses are offset through the grants. 64 HIES 2014 was interrupted due to the Ebola outbreak and so poverty data is only representative at the regional level.


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14. Counties with a substantial donor presence were not considered for targeting. Most project interventions will be conducted in six targeted counties (Grand Kru, River Gee, Sinoe, Maryland, Rivercess and Bomi) that have been selected based on stunting, poverty at the regional level and educational indicators. At the request of the Government, counties that are scheduled to receive substantial investment to education from projects funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were excluded, as were public schools in target counties that are currently benefitting from other externally financed programs. Table 6.1 highlights that not only do these counties have higher shares of children suffering from severe malnutrition, but that on all education indicators, they are worse off than other counties.

Table 6.1. Comparison of Targeted and Non-Targeted Counties on Key Indicators

Severe

Malnutrition (%) ECE NER (%)

% of Teachers Unqualified (ECE)

% of Overage Students (ECE)

Targeted counties 15.90 23 68 72.83

Other counties 11.91 30 43 46.26

Cost Effectiveness Analysis

15. In-service teacher training is more cost-effective than traditional pre-service teacher training. The table below compares the cost of training teachers through the Accelerated C Certificate training with traditional RTTI based C Certificate teacher training. Per student cost of a course of regular pre-service training is US$4,800. The cost to Government for a full Accelerated C certificate course is estimated to be US$800. Thus, a traditional RTTI based C Certificate is 6 times more expensive. Even if we assume that the Accelerated C Certificate may have a lower graduation rate (an estimated 60 percent compared with 95 percent for RTTI based C Certificate teacher training), the cost per graduate is 4-5 times higher for RTTI based pre-service C Certificate training.

Table 6.2. Per Student Cost of RTTI and Accelerated C Certificates

US$ RTTI-based C Certificate Accelerated C Certificate Cost Ratio

Duration of training 18 months

12 months

Total financial cost per student (all years)

4,800 800 6

16. An assessment of the net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) of the project was considered during project design. However, in the absence of a complete household survey (HIES 2014 had been abandoned midway due to the Ebola crisis) in a fragile post – conflict economy, assumptions on returns to education would have been difficult to justify. With HIES 2016, which has not been released yet, a retrospective analysis of the net present value and the internal rate of return of the project will be possible at project completion.

Fiscal Sustainability Analysis

17. Fiscal impact of ECE grants. During project implementation, the fiscal impact of the grants is limited to the indirect or opportunity cost of staff time of government staff involved in planning,


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implementing and monitoring grant activities. After the project closes, the financial cost to the Government of continuing the school improvement grants in the six counties targeted under the project will be US$0.65 million a year, corresponding to around 1.51 percent of the total education budget. Scaling them up to the country would cost approximately US$3.26 million per year, based on a modest increase in students currently enrolled in public ECE schools countrywide. This corresponds to around 5.8 percent of the MoE’s budget. 18. Fiscal impact of teacher training. The project will also finance the upgrading of approximately 1,400 teachers currently teaching in public ECE or primary schools in the deprived counties, through their participation in the Government's in-service Accelerated C Certificate program. Teachers who complete the program are awarded the C Certificate with the corresponding higher pay. Eligible teachers are those untrained teachers currently teaching in public schools in deprived counties. This rollout will be expanded to seventh and eighth counties in the third year if enough untrained teachers that are willing to participate in the program are unavailable in the six targeted counties. During implementation, the fiscal impact of this sub-component is mainly associated with the time of government staff time for administration and monitoring and thus during implementation, fiscal impact is minimal.

19. Fiscal impact on the teacher salary envelope after graduation. The main fiscal impact of the teacher upgrading sub-component is on the teacher salary envelope. Based on 2016 numbers for primary school and ECE teachers, on average, trained teachers with a C certificate earn US$208 more per year as compared to teachers who only have a high school degree. It should also be noted that 20 percent of these teachers are currently not on payroll at all but are likely to be added to the payroll after replacing ghost teachers. In total, once the teachers graduate, the budget impact of training 1,400 teachers is therefore approximately US$292,000 per year, given these salary levels. The alternative should of course not be to not train school teachers, but it is important be aware and prepare for the future higher teacher salary costs which have budget implications. These higher costs are already foreseen in the cost projections prepared in the G2B-ESP. Similarly, principals receiving training will then qualify for higher salaries that amount to an additional US$140,000 collectively.

20. To summarize, the cost to the Government of sustaining the school improvement grants in the targeted counties after project completion is around US$0.65 million per year. Further, the fiscal impact on the salary envelope of potentially upgrading 1,400 teachers and 1,500 school principals is approximately US$0.5 million per year given current salary levels. Thus, the fiscal impact of sustaining the interventions of the project would be approximately US$1.25 million per year.

Value Added of World Bank Support

21. The World Bank has been engaged in the education sector in Liberia for nearly a decade. Among DPs engaged in the sector, the World Bank has provided strategic leadership in policy dialogue with a focus on education quality, access, and good governance. The World Bank has gained valuable experience through the implementation of projects in the education sector and numerous other sectors in Liberia. This has provided many lessons about the specific characteristics of the country’s implementation environment, particularly understanding of and ability to respond to GoL’s capacity and implementation strengths and weaknesses.


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22. The World Bank has successfully supported the application of results-based financing in environments similar to Liberia. It will therefore draw on its experience to support the Government in implementing the results based financing. The World Bank will effectively work with GoL to introduce reforms in the education sector which are aligned with the goals of the ESP. The World Bank’s convening authority is well recognized and will be of value given the need for broad-based consensus and alignment among stakeholders for ensuring a successful GPE process. 23. The World Bank brings technical expertise in planning, financing and capacity-building. Moreover, the World Bank can help identify the prioritization of investments in phases to identify short, medium and long-term activities giving due consideration to the financing demands, availability of resources and absorptive capacity of the system. Also, the World Bank can continue to bring experience in expansion of ECE and teacher management from other countries in the region and beyond. The World Bank has carried out extensive analytical work on Liberia’s education sector, the findings of which have been fully integrated into the project’s design


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ANNEX 7: DETAILED PROJECT BUDGET


Component 1

Subcomponent 1.1 Unit Cost (US$) Quantity Years Total (US$)

ECE school improvement grants 10 68,000 students 3 2,040,000 Preparation and validation of school grant-related activities by NGOs 271a 572 schools 4 620,000

Subtotal 2,660,000

Subcomponent 1.2 Unit Cost Quantity Years Total (US$)

Training of caregivers 1,120b 60 1 67,200 Annual subsidies for caregivers to start/work in community-based ECE 960 60 3 172,800

Subtotal 240,000

Total Component 1 2,900,000 Component 2

Subcomponent 2.1 Unit Cost (US$) Quantity Total (US$)

ECE in-service teacher training 800 700 560,000

Service provider 60,000 annually 4 years 240,000

Subtotal 800,000


Primary in-service teacher training 800 700 560,000

Service provider 60,000 annually 4 years 240,000

Subtotal 800,000

Total Component 2 1,600,000

Component 3 Subcomponent 3.1

Unit Cost (US$) Quantity Total (US$)

Piloting of SQA 150,000 1 150,000 Collection and maintenance of SQA tools and database 110,000 3 330,000 Development of NSQS 57,000 1 57,000

DEO annual trainings (two-day annual training at regional level) 20,000 annually 4 80,000 DEO School Visits Operational Cost- Year 1 120 (10%) n=50 6,000 DEO School Visits Operational Cost - Year 2 120 (35%) n=200 24,000

DEO School Visits Operational Cost - Year 3 120 (50%) n=285 34,000 DEO school visits operational cost - Year 4 120 (100%) n=572 69,000


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Baseline and endline survey and impact evaluation study 250,000 1 250,000

Subtotal 1,000,000


Principal trainingc 660 1,500 990,000

Evaluation after Year 1 of pilot implementation 10,000 per unit 1 10,000

Subtotal 1,000,000

Total 2,000,000

Component 4 Annual Disbursement

(US$) Years Total (US$)

Equity (DLI 1). Increase the proportion of qualified ECE and primary teachers, in the targeted disadvantaged counties

300,000 4 1,200,000

Efficiency (DLI 2.1). Improve system of teacher payroll management 100,000 4 400,000

Efficiency (DLI 2.2). Improve the quality of the teaching workforce 250,000 (Year 0 disbursement:

220,000) 4 970,000

Learning outcomes (DLI 3). Establish a national primary student learning assessment system

300,000 (Year 3 disbursement:

400,000) 3 1,000,000

Total Component 4 3,570, 000

Component 5 Unit cost (US$) TOTALS (US$)

PDT 500,000 500,000

TA for EMIS 300,000 300,000

TA for national learning assessment 150,000d 150,000

Communications 50,000 50,000

Total 1,000,000

Project TOTAL 11,070,000 Note: a. The budget includes costs for selected NGOs in the first year to validate school bank accounts, provide necessary training to schools to ensure understanding of School Grants Guidelines and preparation of SIP; and in the following years, to check whether schools are receiving the school grants and whether the grants are spent in accordance with the SIP. b. The community caregivers training is costed higher than the training for unqualified teachers based on the EPAG program with longer training period than training for unqualified teachers and with a module for business development/internship. c. The principal training is costed lower than teacher training because the principal training does not require subject specific training as envisioned in teacher training, and principals do not receive refresher training from master trainers. d. Estimated at US$150,000 (based on extrapolation of TA required to design EGRA work in 2008, from Wagner 2010). Develop an assessment strategy; identify target grades; identify priority areas (for example, language and numeracy); identify learning standards; develop and internally evaluate test items; design sampling strategy (representative to the county level, other variables, such as gender, SES, and so on); draft an implementation plan; and analyse assessment results.


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ANNEX 8: RESULTS CHAIN FOR THE PROJECT INTERVENTIONS AND DISBURSEMENT-LINKED INDICATORS (DLIs)


Figure 8.1. Getting to Best in Education Project Results Chain for Component 4


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Figure 8.2. Getting to Best in Education Project Results Chain for Fixed Part

Documents

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