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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: PAD3548

INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT

ON A

PROPOSED LOAN

IN THE AMOUNT OF US$250 MILLION

TO THE

REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR

FOR THE

GROWING UP AND LEARNING TOGETHER: COMPREHENSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN EL SALVADOR PROJECT

February 27, 2020

Education Global Practice Latin America and Caribbean Region

This document is being made publicly available prior to Board consideration. This does not imply a presumed outcome. This document may be updated following Board consideration and the updated document will be made publicly available in accordance with the Bank’s policy on Access to Information.

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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS

Currency Unit = U.S. Dollars

FISCAL YEAR January 1 ‐ December 31

Regional Vice President: J. Humberto López (Acting)

Country Director: Yaye Seynabou Sakho

Regional Director: Luis Benveniste

Practice Manager: Emanuela Di Gropello

Task Team Leader(s): Enrique O. Alasino Massetti, Katia Marina Herrera Sosa

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ASA Advisory Services and Analytics

ATPI Early Childhood Technical Assistants (Asistentes Técnicos de Primera Infancia)

CDI Integral Development Centers (Centros de Desarrollo Integral)

CERC Contingency Emergency Response Component

CONNA National Council of Children and Adolescents (Consejo Nacional de la Niñez y de la Adolescencia)

DA Designated Account

DFI Institutional Financial Directorate (Dirección Financiera Institucional)

DFIL Disbursement and Financial Information Letter

DNPI National Directorate of Early Childhood (Dirección Nacional de Primera Infancia)

ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education

ECD Early Childhood Development

ECDLS Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards

EHPM Multi Purpose Household Survey (Encuesta de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples)

ELP Early Learning Partnership

ESA Environmental and Social Assessment

ESF Environmental and Social Framework

ESCP Environmental and Social Commitment Plan

ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework

ESP Education Sector Plan

ESS Environment and Social Standard

E&S Environmental and Social

FM Financial Management

FMA Financial Management Assessment

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GoES Government of El Salvador

GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism

GRS Grievance Redress Service

HCI Human Capital Index

IADB Inter‐American Development Bank

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

ICR Implementation Completion Report

IFR Interim Financial Report

IPF Investment Project Financing

IPPF Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework

ISNA Salvadoran Institute for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents (Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia)

INFOD National Institute of Teacher Training (Instituto Nacional de Formación Docente)

INSAFORP Salvadoran Institute for Professional Development (Instituto Salvadoreño de Formación Profesional)

ISRI Salvadoran Institute of Integral Rehabilitation (Instituto Salvadoreño de Rehabilitación Integral)

KG Kindergarten

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

LMP Labor Management Procedures

MINEDUCYT Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología)

MINSAL Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud)

MoF Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda)

NGO Non‐governmental Organization

PIU Project Implementation Unit

POM Project Operations Manual

IPP Indigenous People Population

PPSD Project Procurement Strategy for Development

PreK Pre‐kindergarten

RF Results Framework

RPF Resettlement Planning Framework

SAFI Financial Management System (Sistema de Administracion Financiera)

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

SEP Stakeholder Engagement Plan

SQS Structural Quality Standards

STC Short Term Consultants

STEP Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement

TOR Terms of Reference

USAID United States Agency for International Development

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services

WB World Bank

The World Bank Growing Up and Learning Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador Project (P171316)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DATASHEET ............................................................................................................................. 1

I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT ........................................................................................................ 7

A. Country Context ................................................................................................................................ 7

B. Sectoral and Institutional Context .................................................................................................... 8

C. Relevance to Higher Level Objectives ............................................................................................. 11

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................... 12

A. Project Development Objective ..................................................................................................... 13

B. Project Components ....................................................................................................................... 13

C. Project Beneficiaries ....................................................................................................................... 15

D. Results Chain .................................................................................................................................. 16

E. Rationale for Bank Involvement and Role of Partners ................................................................... 18

F. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design .................................................................... 18

III. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS .............................................................................. 19

A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ....................................................................... 19

B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation Arrangements ..................................................................... 20

C. Sustainability ................................................................................................................................... 21

IV. PROJECT APPRAISAL SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 22

A. Technical, Economic and Financial Analysis ................................................................................... 22

B. Fiduciary .......................................................................................................................................... 23

C. Legal Operational Policies ............................................................................................................... 24

D. Environmental and Social ............................................................................................................... 24

V. GRIEVANCE REDRESS SERVICES ....................................................................................... 27

VI. KEY RISKS ....................................................................................................................... 27

VII. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING ..................................................................... 31

ANNEX 1. Implementation Arrangements and Support Plan ........................................... 53

ANNEX 2. Institutions in the Early Childhood National Protection System in El Salvador 60

ANNEX 3. World Bank Support to Early Years ................................................................. 61

ANNEX 4. Detailed Project Description ........................................................................... 64

ANNEX 5. Environmental and Social Framework Assessment ......................................... 74

ANNEX 6. Economic Analysis........................................................................................... 77


Page 1 of 80

DATASHEET

BASIC INFORMATION BASIC INFO TABLE

Country(ies) Project Name

El Salvador Growing Up and Learning Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador

Project ID Financing Instrument Environmental and Social Risk Classification

P171316 Investment Project Financing

Substantial

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

19‐Mar‐2020 30‐Jun‐2026

Bank/IFC Collaboration

No

Proposed Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objectives are to: (i) improve Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teaching practices nationwide; (ii) upgrade physical learning environments of selected ECCE centers; and (iii) strengthen institutional capacity for education sector management.


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Components Component Name Cost (US$, millions)

Ensuring ECCE Structural Quality Standards and Curriculum Nationwide 47.00

Strengthening Professional Development of Teachers and Principals at ECCE Official Centers

28.50

Upgrading ECCE Physical Learning Environments 154.50

Institutional Strengthening for the Management of the Education Sector 20.00

Contingency Emergency Response 0.00

Organizations Borrower: Republic of El Salvador

Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education

PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions)

SUMMARY‐NewFin1

Total Project Cost 250.00

Total Financing 250.00

of which IBRD/IDA 250.00

Financing Gap 0.00

DETAILS‐NewFinEnh1

World Bank Group Financing

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 250.00

Expected Disbursements (in US$, Millions)

WB Fiscal Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

Annual 0.00 19.40 31.08 44.94 46.00 47.46 47.49 13.62

Cumulative 0.00 19.40 50.48 95.42 141.42 188.89 236.38 250.00


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INSTITUTIONAL DATA

Practice Area (Lead) Contributing Practice Areas

Education Health, Nutrition & Population

Climate Change and Disaster Screening

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

SYSTEMATIC OPERATIONS RISK‐RATING TOOL (SORT)

Risk Category Rating

1. Political and Governance Substantial

2. Macroeconomic Substantial

3. Sector Strategies and Policies Substantial

4. Technical Design of Project or Program Substantial

5. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability Substantial

6. Fiduciary Substantial

7. Environment and Social Substantial

8. Stakeholders Substantial

9. Other Substantial

10. Overall Substantial

COMPLIANCE

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

[ ] Yes [✓] No


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Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies?

[ ] Yes [✓] No

Environmental and Social Standards Relevance Given its Context at the Time of Appraisal

E & S Standards Relevance

Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Relevant

Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Relevant

Labor and Working Conditions Relevant

Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Relevant

Community Health and Safety Relevant

Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement Relevant

Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural

Resources

Relevant

Indigenous Peoples/Sub‐Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional

Local Communities

Relevant

Cultural Heritage Relevant

Financial Intermediaries Not Currently Relevant

NOTE: For further information regarding the World Bank’s due diligence assessment of the Project’s potential environmental and social risks and impacts, please refer to the Project’s Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS). Legal Covenants

Sections and Description Schedule 2. Section I. A.1. The Borrower, shall establish, operate and maintain throughout implementation of the Project within MINEDUCYT, a Project Implementing Unit (the PIU), with staff, structure and functions satisfactory to the Bank, as described in the Project Operations Manual. Sections and Description Schedule 2. Section III. C. 1. In order to ensure the proper implementation of contingent emergency response activities under Part 5 of the Project (“Emergency Response Part”), the Borrower shall prepare and furnish to the


Page 5 of 80

Bank for its review and approval, a Contingency Emergency Response Manual (“CER Manual”) which shall set forth detailed implementation arrangements for the Emergency Response Part. Sections and Description Schedule 2. Section III. D . 1&2. The Borrower shall ensure that the Project is carried out in accordance with the Environmental and Social Standards and that the Project activities are implemented in accordance with the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (“ESCP”), in a manner acceptable to the Bank. Sections and Description Schedule 2. Section III. D. 3. The Borrower shall: (a) take all measures necessary on its part to collect, compile, and furnish to the Bank through regular reports, with the frequency specified in the ESCP, and promptly in a separate report or reports, if so requested by the Bank, information on the status of compliance with the ESCP and the environmental and social instruments referred to therein, all such reports in form and substance acceptable to the Bank, setting out, inter alia: (i) the status of implementation of the ESCP; (ii) conditions, if any, which interfere or threaten to interfere with the implementation of the ESCP; and (iii) corrective and preventive measures taken or required to be taken to address such conditions; and; and (b) promptly notify the Bank of any incident or accident related to or having an impact on the Project which has, or is likely to have, a significant adverse effect on the environment, the affected communities, the public or workers, including, explosions, spills, and any workplace accidents that result in death, serious or multiple injury, pollution, or any violent labor unrest or dispute between the Borrower or security forces (assigned to protect the Project) and local communities, any case of sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and violence against minors, in accordance with the ESCP, the instruments referenced therein and the Environmental and Social Standards. Sections and Description Schedule 2. Section III. D. 4. : The Borrower shall maintain and publicize the availability of a grievance mechanism, in form and substance satisfactory to the Bank, to hear and determine fairly and in good faith all complaints raised in relation to the Project and take all measures necessary to implement the determinations made by such mechanism in a manner satisfactory to the Bank. Conditions Type Description

Effectiveness Article IV. 4.01 (a). The Project Operations Manual has been adopted by the Borrower

through MINEDUCYT in a manner satisfactory to the Bank. Type Description

Effectiveness Article IV. 4.01 (b). The Borrower through MINEDUCYT has prepared and adopted the

Environmental and Social Instruments in form and substance acceptable to the Bank. Type Description

Effectiveness Article IV. 4.01 (c). The Project Implementing Unit has been established within MINEDUCYT,

with at least a Project manager acceptable to the Bank for purposes of initiating the

execution of the Project, as provided in Section I.A.2 of Schedule 2 to the Agreement.


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Type Description

Disbursement Description

Schedule 2. Section III. B. 1 (b): No withdrawal shall be made for Emergency Expenditures

under Category (2), unless and until the Bank is satisfied, and notified the Borrower of its

satisfaction, that all of the following conditions have been met in respect of said

expenditures:

(i) the Borrower has determined that an Eligible Crisis or Emergency has occurred, has

furnished to the Bank a request to include the proposed activities in the Emergency

Response Part in order to respond to said crisis or emergency, and the Bank has agreed with

such determination, accepted said request and notified the Borrower thereof;

(ii) the Borrower has ensured that all environmental and social instruments required for

said activities have been prepared and disclosed, and the Borrower has ensured that any

actions which are required to be taken under said instruments have been implemented, all in

accordance with the provisions of Section I.C of this Schedule;

(iii) the entities in charge of coordinating and implementing the Emergency Response Part

have adequate staff and resources, in accordance with the provisions of Section I.C.2 of this

Schedule, for the purposes of said activities; and

(iv) the Borrower has adopted the CER Manual, in form and substance acceptable to the

Bank, and the provisions of the CER Manual remain in accordance with the provisions of

Section I.C.1(a) of this Schedule so as to be appropriate for the inclusion and implementation

of said activities under the Emergency Response Part.


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I. STRATEGIC CONTEXT

A. Country Context

El Salvador is facing many economic and social challenges, and the Government’s policies aim

to break the country’s current vicious cycle of low growth, high migration, and high violence. Economic growth has averaged just 2.3 percent annually over the last five years (2014‐2018)1. Per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is expected to remain at around 3 percent over the medium term. Low levels of investment, weak terms of trade, and limited external demand are constraining growth. Despite the reduction in crime during the last years, El Salvador suffers from one of the highest rates of crime and violence in the world. At 60 per 100,000 people in 2017, El Salvador’s homicide rate is more than three times that of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a whole. This high level of crime has substantial economic costs estimated at 10 percent of GDP each year, with some of this burdening the health care and education systems. Almost one‐quarter of El Salvador’s population of 6.4 million live overseas, sending home remittances worth one‐fifth of GDP. This situation is generating a cycle in which low growth and violence fuel each other and both fuel migration which in turn results in an economy driven by remittances and consumption that does not create enough jobs or wealth. Structural bottlenecks need to be overcome to increase El Salvador’s competitiveness and accelerate its human capital accumulation.2

The most effective way to develop human capital is to foster inclusive economic growth that particularly benefits those in the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution. While the income of the poorest 40 percent of the population grew by only 0.3 percent between 2007 and 2012 (the third‐lowest growth in LAC), it grew by 4.1 percent between 2012 and 2017 (the sixth‐highest growth in the region). The Gini coefficient fell from 0.51 in 2000 to 0.38 in 2017, reducing inequality in El Salvador by more than the LAC average. In 2016 and 2017, El Salvador was the second‐most equal country in LAC (after Uruguay), and its Gini coefficient was around the global average. Despite these reductions in inequality, the country still has the largest proportion of vulnerable people in LAC (those with monthly incomes under $5.5 to $133 at 2011 Purchasing Power Parity). Investing in the human capital of El Salvador’s low‐income and vulnerable population will be key to improving the quality of life of the populace. On the 2018 World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI), El Salvador ranked 97 out of 157 countries globally. The HCI measures the combination of skills, health, knowledge, and resilience that a child born today can expect to achieve considering the health and education challenges that exist in the country where the child lives. Children born in El Salvador today will be 50 percent as productive when they grow up as they could be if they had enjoyed full health and complete quality education.4 The infant mortality rate in El Salvador is 15 deaths per 1,000 live births—higher than the rates in Costa Rica and Panama. Less than 34 percent of children under the age of six have attended early childhood development services. Safeguarding human capital throughout the lifecycle requires early education interventions and the promotion of healthy habits, specifically to improve the quality of life of children and mothers.

1 World Development Indicators Database, 2019, https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/dataset/world‐development‐indicators. 2 World Bank, Systematic Country Diagnostic (Washington, DC: 2020) (draft). 3 Unless otherwise specified, the currency cited throughout this document, including the Annexes, is the US dollars. 4 Full (or good) health as per HCI is defined as no stunting and survival up to at least age 60‐ and complete education is defined as 14 years of high‐quality school by age 18. This means that a child born in this generation would fall short of achieving their full potential by 50% and their contribution to productivity in the work force would only be 50% compared to what it could have been if they had benefitted from good health and complete quality education as defined by the HCI. For more information go to https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/hci/HCI_2pager_SLV.pdf


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In addition to its challenges with low human capital and productivity, El Salvador is among the countries most affected by climate change and with relatively high risk of mortality. The country has been included among the 15 most vulnerable countries worldwide for its exposure to natural threats.5 It is estimated that more than 88 percent of the nation’s territory, which concentrates 95 percent of the population, constitutes a risk zone. Separately, the annual average loss from earthquakes is nearly US$176 million, or 0.7 percent of GDP.6 In 2019 tropical storm Ida, for example, more than 43,000 children were directly affected, and the total cost for the damages to public education and culture facilities has been estimated at US$11 million. Climate change impacts, including the expected temperature increase and changes in precipitation patterns, will also lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of climate‐related hazards, such as storm surges and flooding. They will in turn directly impact physical learning environments and facilities, as well as negatively affect vulnerable population’s access to education.

B. Sectoral and Institutional Context

In 2019, the Government of El Salvador defined investing in the human capital accumulation of

the population in the early years of life as its flagship initiative. The Government has adopted a multisectoral national Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy, Crecer Juntos, targeting children 0 to 7 years old. Crecer Juntos aims to enhance the development of children 0‐7 years of age by improving the quality of ECD services nationwide.7 In addition, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología, MINEDUCYT) prepared the Education Sector Plan 2019‐2024, aligned with the national strategy Plan Cuscatlán 2019‐2024, which prioritizes early childhood care and education (ECCE)8 improvements as a comprehensive mix of ECD and childhood learning.

Access to quality ECCE in El Salvador is low and unequal, particularly affecting children 0 to 7 years old from vulnerable groups. The average ECCE enrollment rate is just 34 percent, compared with 50 percent worldwide and 21 percent in low‐income countries. Pre‐kindergarten (PreK) and kindergarten (KG) enrollment rates are below 8 and 69 percent, respectively, with important differences in access by family income and area of residence (see Table 1). Although girls are just as likely as boys to participate in ECCE, girls face more risks at school than boys. Some centers are integrated within schools with older grades and restrooms (not differentiated by gender) are far away from the classroom. Additionally, ECCE centers are mostly concentrated in municipalities with greater economic activity, which increases inequality in access for vulnerable households.

Table 1. ECCE statistics and framework Category Definition Enrollment rates (2018)a Modalities

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

All educational and developmental services for children between ages 0 and 7 years.

Total: 263,664 (33.8%), of which public school enrollment represents 83.7% and rural enrollment 39% Q5/Q1b: 2.5

Pre‐kindergarten (PreK)

Early stimulation and development services

Total: 33,626 (7.6%), of which public sector enrollment

Center‐based services: 150 public schools, 179 private centers, 185 Centros de Atención Integral CAI‐

5 United Nations University, World Risk Report 2016 (Berlin, 2016). Retrieved from https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:5763/WorldRiskReport2016_small_meta.pdf 6 GFDRR, Annual Report: Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation into the fight against poverty (Washington, DC: 2008) 7 See Annex 2 for more details on the institutional set‐up. 8 ECCE includes services of care, stimulation and education for children between 0‐3 years (PreK) and 4‐6 years (KG).


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for children ages 0 to 3 years. Not mandatory.

represents 86.6% and rural enrollment 23% Q5/Q1: 3.3

CBI, and 15 Centros de Desarrollo Integral (CDI). Community‐based modalities: 346 family circles c

Kindergarten (KG)

Educational services for children ages 4 to 6 years; it is compulsory by law.

Total: 230,038 (68.5%), of which public enrollment represents 83.3% and rural enrollment 40% Q5/Q1: 2.3

Center‐based educational services in 4,557 public schools and 742 private centers.

Notes: (a) Enrollment rates indicate the share of children enrolled in public or private PreK (or KG) out of the total number of children between 0‐3 years (4‐6 years) of age. These rates were estimated using data from Boletines Estadísticos No.2 (MINEDUCYT, 2018) and population projections from the General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses (Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos, DIGESTYC). (b) Own estimations using data from Encuesta de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples ‐ EHPM (2017). Q5/Q1 indicates the number of children in quintile 5 enrolled in ECCE services for each child from a quintile 1 household. (c) Community‐based care modalities are provision strategies for rural areas with low population density, where institutional supply is not viable.

In addition, there are several demand‐side constraints, particularly relevant for households with

children 0‐7‐years‐old, that affect enrollment. There is evidence that poor parents of children ages 0‐3 years do not appear to have enough information on the need for adequate cognitive and socioemotional stimulation for their children and on the availability of local ECCE services.9 Most of these parents also prefer home‐based care led by the child’s mother. For parents of children 4‐7 years old, constraints that limit their enrollment are varied. Many parents do not send their children to school because they lack information on the returns to KG compared to those of primary education—potentially driven by the perception of low‐quality of those services‐‐or because, as they have reported, there are important direct and indirect costs associated with enrolling students at this level, such as lack of materials and exposure to school‐based violence and to crime risk outside school.

Low ECCE access and quality affect children’s readiness for school. Although El Salvador does not have a learning assessment system, indicators show the urgent need to improve ECCE quality. For example, the Early Grade Reading Assessment shows that the reading component of children’s readiness for school is low: only 34 percent of second grade students and 40 percent of those in third grade of primary education (9 years old) read according to the standard for their age, with the reading level being significantly lower for children from rural regions and lower socioeconomic status.10 Moreover, despite a gross enrollment rate in first grade of 90 percent, one‐third of those children are over‐age. This last result may be explained by demand‐side preferences of parents to not send their children to ECCE. Most over‐aged children in first grade are also repeating courses because of their low cognitive or socioemotional skills, as measured by school readiness indicators; in most cases, this is the result of a lack of education and care during the early years.11

Salvadoran schools are also characterized by a highly pervasive culture of violence. In 2017, 15

percent of students who dropped out of secondary school reported violence and insecurity as the main reasons. Estimates indicate that Salvadoran students in territories controlled by gangs are three percent more likely to be dismissed from school and have a course repetition rate four percent greater than students in non‐violent territories. In addition, only 53 percent of students in school environments with gang presence express that there is “respect and open dialogue” among their peers, 11 percent less than their peers in gang‐free environments. The gap is similar for other noncognitive skills that can lead to

9 UNICEF, Escuchando la voz de niñas, niños y adolescentes de El Salvador, Fase 2: la voz de madres y padres (2019). 10 USAID, Proyecto Educación para la Niñez y Juventud Evaluación de Lectura Inicial en El Salvador: Informe Final, Project Report (2018). 11 MINEDUCYT, “Estadísticas de Primera Infancia en El Salvador.”


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academic success, such as teamwork, leadership, collaboration, and cooperation. Existing evidence shows that it is possible to achieve the best results if violence prevention starts early.

A key constraint to the expansion and quality of ECCE programs in El Salvador is the low public

investment in these interventions compared to other educational levels. Specifically, only 6.7 percent of the annual educational budget was allocated to ECCE, proportional to 13 percent of the total budget assigned to primary schools. In terms of per capita investment, the cost of education for each child age 0‐6 was US$84 in 2018, while the amount for each primary student reached almost US$458.12 This low investment in ECCE contributes to the low access and high variation in the quality of programs.

The current ECCE curriculum does not respond to a comprehensive ECD framework and needs

improvement to ensure a smooth transition to primary education. The current early childhood curriculum is not linked to a map of comprehensive developmental and learning standards for children. Despite the complementarities between infrastructure and curriculum, the latter includes activities without considering the limitations of existing materials and the availability of infrastructure in the educational system. In addition, it does not clearly state the nurturing care principle, which has been proven to be the most formative experience for young children.13 The existing curriculum is not linked to a child development monitoring system that facilitates early warning and inter‐institutional inter‐agency coordination for child care. In terms of content, the current curriculum lacks topics related to specific groups, such as gender equality, children with special needs, and ethnicity, and it lacks components to promote a culture of peace. To ensure the transition between ECCE and primary education, the curriculum should be articulated among educational levels, particularly to ensure the transition to first grade.

There is also a mismatch between demand and supply of ECCE teachers and great heterogeneity in the quality of the ECCE workforce at the national level. Only 66 percent of ECCE specialized teachers are working in this level, and 16 percent of in‐service ECCE teachers are not specialized. The country developed the National Plan for Public In‐service Teacher Training 2015‐2019 (Plan Nacional de Formación de Docentes en Servicio en el Sector Público 2015‐2019), a program that includes different modules to enhance teachers’ practices and aims to overcome the lack of technical preparation. However, the expansion of quality in‐service training has been limited. Moreover, current training does not build the ECCE workforce’s socioemotional skills, nor does it include skills on teaching practices for prevention of violence, gender‐biases in the classroom, and identification of children with special needs.

The poor quality of the existing physical learning environments is an important constraint to

children’s learning potential, especially in the poorest areas. Of the total MINEDUCYT budget, an average of two percent was invested in school infrastructure during the last four years, and only 0.7 percent was for ECCE official centers14 in 2019. MINEDUCYT has 5,100 public school facilities with 14,450 school buildings countrywide, most of them with classrooms dedicated to ECCE. The regulation that determines the technical parameters for investment projects in the educational system is non‐mandatory and outdated; most ECCE official centers do not comply with minimum quality standards. Additionally,

12 Estimations using data from MINEDUCYT (“Estadísticas educativas,” Boletínes estadisticos, 2018) budget and total enrollment by cohort, including direct and indirect costs per student. 13 M. M. Black, S. P. Walker, L. C. Fernald, ... and A. E. Devercelli, “Advancing early childhood development, from science to Scale 1: Early childhood development coming of age‐‐Science through the life course,” Lancet 389(10064): 77. 14 ECCE official centers are education centers under the direction of MINEDUCYT and funded out of the Borrower’s budget, as further defined in Article 72 of the Borrower’s Education Law. When mentioning “ECCE centers” it encompasses both public and private centers.


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according to Bank estimations, the education sector faces a high seismic risk; the associated diagnosis indicates that 830,000 students learn in spaces with high seismic vulnerability.

Finally, MINEDUCYT’s institutional challenges are limiting its capacity to manage the education

sector efficiently and promote a learning‐oriented policy. The quality of educational services in the national territory is heterogeneous due to the low administrative capacity of MINEDUCYT at the central

level and the limited efficiency of the regional offices.15 At the central level, MINEDUCYT's key activities

are fragmented. At the regional level, processes are not standardized, there is low human capital and unclear lines of communication with the central level. Finally, neither at the central, regional, nor school level is there any information on learning performance for relevant decision‐making, since the country does not systematically participate in international tests, nor has standardized measurements for different levels of education.

C. Relevance to Higher Level Objectives

The proposed Project is in line with the World Bank’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty

and boosting shared prosperity, helping El Salvador accelerate progress towards the achievement of integral and quality early education and development. To contribute to the World Bank’s twin goals, the Project includes components that will help ensure that Salvadoran children receive quality early education, particularly those from the most vulnerable groups. This will translate into improved cognitive and non‐cognitive outcomes in the short and long term, which can stop the intergenerational transmission of low human capital accumulation and poverty. In addition, this Project includes activities to address equity issues on access to quality education. As explained below, infrastructure improvements will be directly targeted to schools attended by students from households from the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution, by including this condition as part of the prioritization criteria.

The Project is also aligned with additional higher‐level priorities, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Country Partnership Framework for El Salvador. First, the Project responds to the SDGs, which stress the importance of obtaining a quality education as the foundation for improving people’s lives and sustainable development. The Project is also consistent with the World Bank’s Human Capital Project, which call for countries to make more effective investments in health and education to improve the productive capacities of their populations. The Project is aligned with Pillar I, “Building and Reinforcing Foundations to Promote Inclusive Growth,” of the FY2016‐FY2019 World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework (CPF)16 and with the Performance and Learning Review17 by helping El Salvador accelerate progress towards the achievement of integral and quality early childhood education and development. Through its considerations for building climate resilience across proposed activities, the Project is also aligned with Pillar 2, “Fostering Sustainability and Resilience,” and Objective #6, “Build Capacity to Manage Disasters and Environmental Challenges.” By incorporating climate change considerations throughout project design, the Project is in line with the World Bank climate change commitments for 2021‐2025. Particularly as they relate to the definition of quality standards for curriculum and physical learning environments and the development of institutional capacity, the Project will reduce observed vulnerabilities of El Salvador’s population and enable the education system to better

15 FUSADES, Social Situation Report 2018‐2018 (Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador: Department of Social Studies, 2019). 16 Report No. 95185‐SV discussed by the Board of Executive Directors on June 23, 2015. 17 Report No. 120362‐SV discussed by the Board of Executive Directors on December 20, 2017.


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adapt to climate‐induced changes. As such, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures have been incorporated in the proposed Project’s sub‐components, wherever applicable.

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposed Project is part of the comprehensive support given by the World Bank to the development and implementation of the Crecer Juntos ECD Policy. The Bank is supporting the design, implementation and evaluation of the policy in a coordinated manner and making use of various financing products and advisory services. In addition, the Bank is supporting government efforts with two closely coordinated projects promoting more efficient investments in health and education services. Table 2 presents a summary of the convergence between the two proposed projects (see Annex 3 for a detailed description).

Table 2. Investing in Early Years: A Sequenced and Well‐Coordinated Approach to Child Development HEALTH (P169677) EDUCATION (P171316)

Investments in children aged 0 to 7 years old require a sequenced and well‐coordinated support across multiple players in child development. The two proposed loans were designed to coordinate interventions across multiple core areas of social, and broader public, policy such as: ((i) development of quality standards; (ii) development of learning materials for children, parents, and caregivers; (iii) development and delivery of training for agents in ECD; (iv) implementation of a management and information system promoting the interoperability of information across line ministries; and (v) provision and monitoring of nutrition services in Early Childhood Care and education centers. Development of protocols of lags and risks, guides

and monitoring for healthy environments in ECCE centers

Development of curriculum in ECCE, and development and support of structural quality standards in ECCE centers

Design of ECD guides and materials for agents serving ECD

Development of didactic materials based on adaptation of the ECCE curriculum nationwide

Training of MINSAL and ISSS Health Staff Training and support of pre‐service and in‐service teachers, and principals at ECCE official centers

Development of school health for initial, preschool and first grade education and monitoring of care through a unified computer system

Coordination of the single registry of MINEDUCYT with a single registry of MINSAL18

Monitor the provision nutritional foods and supplementary feeding contents to ECCE centers

Logistics of food in ECCE centers19

In addition, the proposed Project is coordinated with an Inter‐American Development Bank

(IADB) operation and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) technical assistance that support MINEDUCYT in the implementation of Crecer Juntos (Table 3). Under the leadership of the national government, these projects will support different areas of the ECD policy implemented by the MINEDUCYT.

Table 3. Coordination with IADB and UNICEF’s support to Crecer Juntos World Bank ($250M) IADB ($100M) UNICEF

Joint support to Crecer Juntos in the (i) development and implementation of the Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards; (ii) ECCE structural quality standards; (iii) ECCE curriculum; and (iv) Child Development assessment. Development of structural quality

standards for institutional educational modalities for Early Childhood (0‐7).

Design, support for access and achievement of quality standards in community modalities from 0 to 3 years

Communication and sensibilization on the importance of early childhood education.

18 This Activity is not part of the Education Project, however, MINSAL will coordinate with MINEDUCYT in line with the Crecer Juntos policy. 19 Idem.


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Support for the achievement of quality standards in ECCE official centers.

Revision and adjustment of the national curriculum for early childhood education (0‐7).

old. Creation of Centers of

Excellence for Early Childhood.

Strengthening of Child Development Centers ‐ CDIs.

Articulation with the private sector for the implementation of the Crecer policy and, of the nurseries law (Ley Salas Cuna).

A. Project Development Objective

PDO Statement The Project Development Objectives are to: (i) improve Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

teaching practices nationwide; (ii) upgrade physical learning environments of selected ECCE centers; and (iii) strengthen institutional capacity for education sector management. PDO Level Indicators

i. ECCE teachers with improved teaching practices. a) ECCE teachers improve their gender‐equality attittudes and behaviors.

ii. ECCE official centers supported by the Project with safe physical learning environments and meeting quality conditions to promote learning.

iii. ECCE centers accredited through the structural quality standards accreditation system.

B. Project Components

Component 1: Ensuring ECCE Structural Quality Standards and Curriculum Nationwide (US$47 million)

This component seeks to support the Government of El Salvador (GoES) in developing and implementing structural quality standards (SQS) for all ECCE services (children 0 to 7 years old) offered in centers and in updating the current curriculum in concurrence with the proposed SQS and the country’s Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards (ECDLS). Component 1 has two subcomponents: (1.1) Accreditation of ECCE structural quality standards; and (1.2.) Review, alignment and implementation of the ECCE curriculum nationwide. The SQS will be aligned with the Crecer Juntos ECD policy and validated, under the leadership of MINEDUCYT, with other Salvadoran public institutions20, municipalities, and other key stakeholders from the private sector and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs). The accreditation of ECCE centers will focus on defining minimum SQS in the areas of physical infrastructure and learning spaces equipped and resilient to natural hazards and climate change and applying standards in energy efficiency improvements in building design, lighting, ventilation, and the use of energy and resource efficient appliances, among others. This component will also address climate change risks to school infrastructure through dedicated operational and maintenance procedures aimed at reducing observed climate risks. In addition, the revised ECCE curriculum will raise awareness of climate change by incorporating relevant content into curriculum and instruction, where appropriate, to introduce awareness on emerging climate change topics such as changing patterns of rains, floods and droughts. For several issues related to children’s health and nutrition, this will be done in coordination with the proposed Growing up Healthy Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El

20 The institutions include the Salvadoran Institute for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents (Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia, ISNA), the National Council of Children and Adolescents (Consejo Nacional de la Niñez y de la Adolescencia, CONNA), the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud, MINSAL), the National Institute of Teacher Training (Instituto Nacional de Formación Docente, INFOD), and the Salvadoran Institute for Professional Development (Instituto Salvadoreño de Formación Profesional, INSAFORP).


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Salvador Project (P169677). To complement the Project’s interventions and address demand‐side issues, the Crecer Juntos initiative, with UNICEF’s support, will carry out communication campaigns to inform parents of the importance of ECCE services for their children’s development and learning. Component 2: Strengthening Professional Development of Teachers and Principals at ECCE Official Centers (US$28.5 million)

Building on the SQS and the revised ECCE curriculum under Component 1, Component 2 will

focus on strengthening cognitive and socioemotional skills, and the pedagogical practices of teachers and principals working in ECCE official centers. Component 2 has three subcomponents: (2.1) In‐service training for teachers in ECCE official centers; (2.2) In‐service training for principals in ECCE official centers; and (2.3) Support to pre‐service training for teachers at ECCE centers. Training for teachers and principals will be focused on serving children from 0 to 7 years old, with special emphasis on the needs of different contexts and populations: urban and rural children, those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and those with special needs. A rigorous impact evaluation of the in‐service training program for ECCE principals and teachers will be carried out under this component. This evaluation will include an analysis of the complementarities between principals’ and teachers’ in‐service trainings. This component also aims to revise the national pre‐service teacher training plan to introduce mentoring and effective techniques in teacher training and to ensure the quality of trainers for its implementation. In addition, the component will also finance emergency response training for principals and teachers to enable them to carry out evacuations at the onset of natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, and floods to promote the execution of effective post‐disasters strategies and responses. Component 3: Upgrading ECCE Physical Learning Environments (US$154.5 million)

This component will support the GoES in improving public ECCE physical learning environments

to ensure that they are child‐centered, learning‐oriented, gender‐inclusive, safe, sustainable, resilient to natural hazards and using low‐carbon technologies. Component 3 has three subcomponents: (3.1) Pre‐investment activities for the improvement of ECCE public infrastructure; (3.2) Improving physical environments in selected ECCE official centers; and (3.3) Support to ECCE official centers in meeting structural quality standards. Component 3 will also ensure that ECCE official centers increase their capacity to receive more children and/or resolve overcrowding, and to offer new preschool levels to foster access and transition between the different ECCE levels and the first grades of primary education. The component’s contribution will be twofold: (i) upgrading ECCE official centers standards and design for MINEDUCYT’s use nationwide and (ii) improving learning physical environments of selected vulnerable ECCE centers. In addition, an impact evaluation on the effects of ECCE physical learning environment improvements on key variables such as ECD and learning, teacher practices, and/or school attendance will be defined after Project effectiveness. Component 4: Institutional Strengthening for the Management of the Education Sector (US$20 million)

This component seeks to strengthen MINEDUCYT’s capacity to provide quality services to schools and to efficiently manage the Project. To this end, the component has two sub components: (4.1) Strengthening MINEDUCYT’s institutional capacity for the management of the education sector (which focuses on support to MINEDUCYT to implement its institutional transformation plan and use of learning


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outcomes to improve the quality of education); and (4.2) Project Management for strengthening MINEDUCYT’s capacity to manage and oversee project implementation and monitor and evaluate the Project’s objectives and outcomes. In addition, this component includes strengthening MINEDUCYT’s capacity to give sustainability to the initiatives supported by the Project, including the strengthening of curricular management capacity, centralizing training processes, and strengthening monitoring, supervision and accreditation capacities (including the strengthening of the implementation of the structural quality standards accreditation system), and the ability to comply with environmental and social standards. Component 5: Contingency Emergency Response (US$0.0)

Reflecting the strategic approach taken in El Salvador across the World Bank's portfolio, the

Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) can be activated to facilitate the use of critical resources in the event of a national emergency. As such, in the event of an eligible emergency (as defined in the Contingency Emergency Response (CER) Manual to be prepared and adopted by the GoES before project effectiveness), this component will finance emergency activities and expenditures that meet the conditions stipulated in the CER Manual through a reallocation of project funds. The CERC can be used for the provision of goods, works, and services up to twenty‐five million Dollars (US$25,000,000). The activation involves (i) a government request submitted by the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda, MoF) to the Bank for support of an eligible event through the CERC; and (ii) the preparation of an acceptable Emergency Action Plan for the use of CERC funds that must be approved by the Bank.

C. Project Beneficiaries

Overall, this Project will contribute to reducing gaps in the access to quality ECCE for different

vulnerable groups and children with disabilities, from indigenous populations, and from poor and rural households. The Project will benefit approximately 230,038 ECCE students (100 percent of children in ECCE public and private center‐based modalities)21 nationwide. Beneficiaries will (i) have access to an education that meets minimum quality standards, contributing to an improvement in equity in ECCE and improving the services that vulnerable children have been receiving; and (ii) benefit from enhanced pedagogical practices and a strengthened professional development based on an updated (inclusive and gender‐neutral) curriculum and the ECDLS. In addition, about 425 ECCE centers with greater gaps to meet the SQS will be equipped to enhance their learning environments. The rehabilitated and equipped ECCE schools will directly benefit 47,000 children enrolled in 125 ECCE centers.

The Project will also directly benefit teachers and principals in ECCE official centers. All 7,865 ECCE teachers (100 percent of teachers working in public center‐based modalities in urban and rural areas) will receive quality in‐service professional development, learning materials, and personalized coaching. In addition, all 4,500 ECCE principals (100 percent of public KG principals in urban and rural areas) will benefit from training based on the updated curriculum and ECDLS.

Finally, the Project will benefit the National Directorate of Early Childhood (Dirección Nacional

de Primera Infancia, DNPI), the INFOD, and the MINEDUCYT by strengthening their capacity to work

21 Represents almost 70% of all 4‐6 year old Salvadoran children. Community‐based modalities are excluded from this Project but will benefit from other programs of the Crecer Juntos national strategy. (MINEDUCYT, Boletín Estadístico No. 2, 2018).


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more effectively and efficiently, particularly by improving decision‐making, which can help improve childhood learning on the basis of quality data.

D. Results Chain

The Project aims at producing a qualitative leap on ECCE teacher practices and ECCE public

infrastructure nationwide, as well as establishing an accreditation system that will ensure the institutionalization of the reforms. To this end, the Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards, designed by the GoES under Crecer Juntos, is the base on which all the standards and interventions will be developed. Firstly, during years 1 and 2, the project will support the development of the structural quality standards SQS and the ECCE curriculum, followed by the in‐service teacher training and principal performance standards and the ECCE infrastructure standards. Making use of these quality standards, from year 2 to 6, the project will support their implementation trough i) the operation of the ECCE Centers accreditation system; ii) ECCE curriculum delivery; iii) the delivery of in service training of ECD teachers and principals; iv) the design of architectural prototypes aligned with the structural quality standards; and v) support of vulnerable ECCE official centers to meet the structural quality standards. This is then expected to lead to improved teaching practices and upgraded physical learning environments which are expected to lead to increased access to quality preschool and improved child development. In addition, the project will support key reforms that will enable the MINEDUCYT to improve its education management capacities. Due to the sequencing of activities, not all outputs and outcomes can be measured from year 1.

The achievement of the longer‐term outcomes of the Project relies on some underlying assumptions. These include, among others, having functional schools located at a reasonable distance and in safe areas, enough demand for ECCE from families, and children who are sufficiently healthy to be able to learn. While project activities will address many of the school supply issues, complementary interventions (including communication campaigns, best practices from the World Bank Group platform, Safe and Inclusive Schools Initiative, and the proposed Growing up Healthy Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador Project (P169677)) will help ensure that there is sufficient demand for ECCE, risks of violence are mitigated and children are healthy.


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Figure 1. Results Chain


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E. Rationale for Bank Involvement and Role of Partners

The Bank’s involvement is supported by extensive experience in education project design and implementation throughout the world, combined with on‐the‐ground experience in the education sector in El Salvador.22 Bank´s experience and analytical work informed the policy dialogue around Crecer Juntos and were used to design this operation. In particular, the Bank is making use of its extensive experience developing ECCE projects around world that provide evidence on the effectiveness of: (i) supporting the development and implementation of ECCE quality standards, curriculum, and teacher training, and (ii) fostering access to quality and inclusive physical learning environments. The Bank will also continue pursuing diagnostic assessments and analytical work to prepare and to validate proposed project activities and innovations in the country.

The project is built on a strategic coordination and operational complementarity with the IADB.

Following the GoES’ request to jointly support the implementation of the Crecer Juntos ECD Policy, the Bank and the IADB will assume complementary support roles. The IADB operation will (i) strengthen ECD community services through training, learning materials, and supplies; (ii) build new ECCE centers; and (iii) strengthen MINEDUCYT’s capacities for planning, monitoring, and evaluation. In addition, to reduce transaction costs for the Government, the same Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will manage both operations, using different procedures for each institution.

International and local stakeholders working on ECCE play a critical role in the project. The Bank

has continuously engaged international donors, NGOs, community participation structures, and other stakeholders working in the ECCE subsector throughout project preparation. UNICEF, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Whole Child, Plan International, and World Vision, among others, are key stakeholders that participated in the preparation process. In addition, during project preparation, the Bank engaged relevant stakeholders—NGOs and international donors—to identify and articulate ongoing efforts in ECCE that are part of the Project’s components, such as curriculum, teaching practices, and others. This collaboration will be a key part of the project.

F. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design The Project is framed within the Bank's priorities in education and; international evidence, and

incorporates lessons learned from the previous Bank operation, the Education Quality Improvement Project (P126364,). Firstly, as stated in the closed project’s Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR),23 MINEDUCYT faces several challenges in terms of school infrastructure management that could hinder the Project’s performance and impact. These are mainly due to (i) a lack of school‐level information for infrastructure planning and costing; (ii) problems with land titles; and (iii) an inefficiency in procurement, which improved significantly over time, reducing the internal time required for each step and improving communication within the ministry. Given these constraints, project design includes relevant mitigation measures, such as strengthening information systems, carrying out preliminary pre‐investment assessments prior to the project, defining the legal property of the center as an eligibility condition for investment, and reinforcing school infrastructure procurement processes through specialized technical assistance. Secondly, the Education Quality Improvement Project showed that it is

22 The World Bank has over 2 decades of being involved in the education sector in El Salvador. 23 Report No: ICR00003549, par.39;52


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ineffective to carry out only partial infrastructure interventions in the schools, i.e. only rehabilitating ECCE classrooms without improving primary or secondary education classrooms. These partial interventions are inefficient and inequitable and can also create conflicts within the schools. Accordingly, in cases where ECCE infrastructure work is done in schools with other educational levels, the work will benefit not only ECCE but also primary and/or secondary education. Finally, the ICR highlighted MINEDUCYT’s technical weaknesses in carrying out complex technical processes, such as impact evaluations and analytical products.24 The latter has been considered when including technical tasks within the Project, ensuring that these complex technical tasks are supported by external, qualified technical assistance.

The Project’s design has also incorporated lessons learned from other education projects in El Salvador, especially Fondo del Milenio (FOMILENIO II) a Millennium Challenge Corporation project. For instance, when developing the Procurement Strategy, the Project considered that infrastructure projects in El Salvador have a limited infrastructure market supply and, if not planned correctly, the construction market fails to meet the demand. In addition, the Project builds on strategies to make territorial work viable in contexts of high social violence, including prior community work to raise awareness of the benefits of the interventions. Finally, the Project includes the recommendations for a constant high‐level dialogue with the GoES to speed up decisions that may become slow at the bureaucratic level.

The Project also considers lessons in terms of joint PIUs with the IADB from the Honduras Social

Protection Project World Bank/IADB (P152057); Brazil, Sao Paulo Metro Project World Bank/IADB (P116170), and the 1995 EL Salvador Basic Education Modernization (EDUCO) Project (ES‐7169). According to these experiences, the same implementation unit and a strong coordination across the implementation of projects, including joint supervision missions, can reduce transaction costs for the client and ensure a more effective policy dialogue. In accordance with these lessons, this Project will make use of the joint PIU to ensure national capacities and support the implementation of the Crecer Juntos Policy and the Education Sector Plan, while creating clear rules of the game with a coordinated approach by both institutions.

III. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements

The Project will be implemented by a joint PIU with the parallel IADB operation, located in the

DNPI in the MINEDUCYT. MINEDUCYT has executed investment projects with external resources in recent years, including more than three operations financed with World Bank resources. This arrangement will help ensure that the Project is implemented within the institutional decision‐making processes but, at the same time, is implemented in a timely and effective manner. The PIU will (i) have direct coordination with the MINEDUCYT authorities (Minister’s office) and the Presidency; and (ii) be composed by a qualified and trained team fully dedicated to the Project to ensure that project management, fiduciary processes, and the environmental and social framework are carried out in accordance with Bank policies and procedures. The PIU will also manage the IADB operation, meaning that both projects will have the same project manager, but different operational manuals and staff to implement the different policies and procedures.

The PIU will be responsible for the overall coordination, implementation, and monitoring and

24 Report No: ICR00003549, par.55


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evaluation of Project activities. The PIU will be comprised of a management and administrative team responsible for overseeing all participating and executing project units. The PIU will include (i) a project manager; (ii) a technical coordinator; (iii) a fiduciary coordinator; and (iv) an environmental and social coordinator. The technical coordinator will be the link with the MINEDUCYT´s implementing units, including teacher training and school infrastructure, among others. The fiduciary coordinator will be a well‐seasoned fiduciary staff with experience in projects financed by the Bank or other international development partners that will work as the liaison with MINEDUCYT’s financial and procurement units, each working with a team of technical staff devoted to the Project. The environmental and social coordinator will have a technical team of social and environmental specialists, including a specialist with experience in crime and violence contexts, responsible for supervising the implementation of the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) instruments. Their roles and responsibilities will be detailed in the (Project Operations Manual) POM. The PIU will be embedded in the MINEDUCYT and will respond directly to the DNPI to ensure sustained capacity to adequately manage and implement the proposed project activities. If it is required by the MINEDUCYT, an infrastructure coordinator will be incorporated to serve as a liaison between the MINEDUCYT infrastructure management unit and the other units or instances involved in the execution of Component 3.

The GoES identified the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to potentially provide output‐based services in project Component 3 and part of Component 4.1.1 related to institutional strengthening for school infrastructure management. The contract would be done between the Government and UNOPS (Indirect Financing) using standard agreements with United Nations (UN) Agencies, which allows a single source procurement procedure and establishes that the UN’s financial management and procurement processes apply within the contract. UNOPS has wide international experience in school infrastructure management and building school infrastructure in developing countries, which would be key to ensure timely and high‐quality implementation. UN agencies will be bound by the World Bank’s ESF and the Project’s environmental and social management instruments.

A POM will detail arrangements and processes for: (i) the composition, roles, and responsibilities

of the PIU; (ii) institutional coordination and day‐to‐day execution of the Project, as well as the roles and obligations of the implementing units/directorates; (iii) monitoring and evaluation (M&E), reporting and communication; (iv) eligibility criteria, detailed technical rules, and procedures for selection of schools for infrastructure work; (v) administration, financial management, and procurement; and (vi) other administrative, technical and organizational arrangements and procedures required for project implementation. Any subsequent changes to the POM will need to be acceptable to the World Bank.

B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation Arrangements

Project results will be systematically monitored by the PIU through the Results Framework (RF), using the information provided by the MINEDUCYT's relevant units. To ensure ownership and alignment with national systems, the M&E system will use existing institutional capacities, reporting channels, and information regularly produced by MINEDUCYT. The PIU's technical coordinator will lead reporting on implementation progress and is responsible for collecting and processing the inputs produced by the MINEDUCYT's Planning Directorate and/or implementing units. In addition, the PIU's social and environmental coordinator will lead M&E of the social and environmental instruments. Regular implementation reports will be produced by the PIU and sent to the Bank, following the timelines and contents established in the POM.


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To ensure effective M&E processes, the Project will strengthen MINEDUCYT's M&E capacities.

Subcomponent 4.2 will include technical assistance, training, equipment and software that will allow the PIU and relevant technical units to closely follow up on project execution, and to produce quality reports.

To assess the impact of specific activities under Components 2 and 3, two rigorous impact

evaluations will be carried out through this Project, coordinated by MINEDUCYT. First, the impact evaluation of in‐service teachers’ and principals’ trainings and the complementarities between these two trainings. Second, an impact evaluation of the effects of ECCE physical learning environments improvements. Both impact evaluations will include baseline data collection, that will be implemented before the start of the trainings, and a short‐term follow‐up survey that will measure changes on teaching and management practices and other ECD and learning‐related outcomes. These outcomes will be gathered from a subsample of ECCE centers. MINEDUCYT will be responsible of the design of terms of references to hire survey firms, and all the hiring process, with support of the technical experts. They will be also responsible to closely follow up on impact evaluation execution and to validate or produce quality reports of these activities.

C. Sustainability

The core element of sustainability is the Borrower's commitment to and ownership of the Project at the highest levels as it supports key government priorities ‐ Crecer Juntos, and the new Education Sector Plan 2019‐2024. The Project is central to the Government's efforts to improve the country's human capital accumulation and equal opportunities for its citizens and vulnerable groups. It was designed under the leadership of the Government with full engagement of institutional and local stakeholders involved in the ECD agenda. Over the long term, project outcomes will remain central to El Salvador's economic and social agendas, as well as to its commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The Project’s sustainability has been addressed with the GoES to mitigate financial and institutional capacity risks to the activities introduced as part of the Project. Once the Project is concluded, the GoES will absorb any additional costs derived from the implementation of the newly designed ECCE ECDLS and sustain the necessary and qualified staff to manage the ECCE sector. Financial sustainability presents some risks given the substantial increase in MINEDUCYT teaching and technical support staff (i.e. Early Childhood Technical Assistants, Asistentes Técnicos de Primera Infancia, ATPIs), as well as an increase in infrastructure and furniture maintenance costs. However, given that this Project focuses on improving the quality of the in‐service teaching and technical support staff and not explicitly on increasing access, the impact on the budget due to increasing staff is expected to be relatively marginal and will be easily absorbed by the MINEDUCYT’s budget. Additionally, the capital recurrent costs of the rehabilitated centers represent a small impact on the budget for the Education Sector (Annex 6). Moreover, the Bank and the IADB are carrying out a detailed assessment of how the new financing would impact MINEDUCYT’s budget in the future and how to reduce these risks. The assessment results, that will be ready in March 2020, will be used to inform the preparation of the POM. These risks are also partially mitigated by the GoES’ commitment to universalizing and improving ECCE under the SDGs framework. The capacity of new support units inside MINEDUCYT, particularly those that work in the supervision, monitoring, measurement and evaluation of children's development and teacher


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performance, also needs to be maintained to ensure the quality of the ECCE services. The institutional capacity of the Ministry will be reinforced as part of the activities under Component 4 to ensure their sustainability.

The Project included teachers, principals and other relevant stakeholders in the design processes as key actors for the sustainability of the proposed ECCE quality enhancement activities. High quality ECCE models and learning standards are as important for children’s development as is having implementors on board that understand and execute them, making teachers and principals key in both the design and implementation processes. To mitigate potential resistance from teachers and Teacher Unions, the Project prioritized early and collaborative conversations with relevant sector stakeholders to encourage a participatory process and benefit from a smooth transition and buy‐in from all in the education sector.

The Project will benefit from MINEDUCYT’s collaboration with external institutions to maintain

continued high quality ECCE services. Compliance with the quality standards and ECDLS will need to be coordinated by MINEDUCYT and the staff of the presidency working on the implementation of the Crecer Juntos policy. To enhance local ownership of these ECDLS and guarantee their sustainability over time, the validation process will be participatory and will bring together key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, CONNA, ISNA, NGOs, academia, and the ECCE workforce.

The Project is informed by experiences in other countries to mitigate risks of violence that might

disrupt the provision of services or children’s attendance to ECCE centers. A lesson learned from the last Bank‐financed education project in El Salvador is that chronic insecurity and violence in the country can hinder the expected results, especially interfering with children’s school attendance and learning. The Project is built on an awareness of this challenging scenario, and while it cannot decrease violence around schools, it will inform its activities with evidence and best practices from the World Bank Group platform, Safe and Inclusive Schools Initiative, on what works to prevent violence in and around schools and ensure healthy environments for all children to learn.

IV. PROJECT APPRAISAL SUMMARY

A. Technical, Economic and Financial Analysis

The technical soundness of the Project is based on robust international evidence showing that investing in good quality ECCE is crucial to reduce inequalities between children from rich and poor households and to increase future productivity. The Project considers that the returns to investments in ECCE depend heavily on the quality of ECCE services and, therefore, focuses on improving key aspects identified by the literature to improve ECCE quality, such as better teachers and educators, improved and relevant curriculum, enhanced learning environments, and, above all, improving the quality of preschool education in El Salvador in the long run.

The main benefits of the Project are the improved development of all children and the leveling of the playing field for children from vulnerable groups. Like most investments in education, the benefits will materialize over time, starting with an enhanced school readiness of the beneficiaries when they enter primary, which will in turn improve learning and labor market outcomes. In addition, the benefits of ECCE interventions, as shown by international evidence, include enhanced socioemotional skills, increased


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school enrollment for female siblings, improved physical and mental health, and lower repetition and dropout rates in early grades. In addition to the costs of the Project, the expected cost of the intervention will include recurrent capital costs for the maintenance of buildings. Given that knowledge and skills are cumulative, the importance of a solid foundation early on indicates that short, medium and long‐term benefits stand to outweigh these costs significantly. The economic and efficiency analysis for this operation estimates an Internal Rate of Return that varies between 15 and 16.7 percent, depending on the sensitivity analysis, and a benefit‐to‐cost ratio of 8.8 with a discount rate of 8 percent. The analysis is based on the estimated benefits from future earnings attributable to a higher quality early childhood program in place by first calculating the number of children that benefit from the improved teaching practices under Component 2. The analysis then estimated the impact that the teacher training will have on the children's education outcomes in increased years of schooling and higher learning. These effects were then translated into improved salary income once students join the labor force. The estimates should be considered a lower‐ to middle‐bound because not all benefits were considered (see Annex 6).

B. Fiduciary (i) Financial Management

Financial Management Assessment (FMA) and Mitigation Measures. An FMA of MINEDUCYT, responsible for the implementation of Components 1, 2, 3 and 4, was performed and concluded that the overall controls and systems that it has in place are adequate. The entity has relevant experience implementing World Bank projects; however, the nature of this operation may require relatively complex operational processes within MINEDUCYT to produce reliable and timely financial information. The main challenges identified are (i) the volume of transactions foreseen; (ii) the incorporation of a CERC, something new for the entity and the country; and (iii) the Project’s structure, which includes different administrative and technical units. The following measures will be implemented to ensure satisfactory performance in financial management (FM) functions for project implementation: (i) assigning/hiring qualified FM staff to strengthen the Institutional Finance Directorate (Dirección Financiera Institucional, DFI); (ii) inclusion of internal controls and procedures in the FM section of the POM to ensure adequate contract management and monitoring mechanisms over project funds; and (iii) training on FM and disbursement procedures for FM staff. Basic arrangements to ensure proper control, recording, and reporting are detailed in Annex 1. MINEDUCYT, through its DFI, will produce unaudited semiannual financial statements, as well as annual audited financial statements (under terms of reference and by an external audit firm, both acceptable to the Bank).

Project design includes a Contingency Emergency Response Component (Component 5). The Borrower is expected to carry out Component 5 through one or more implementing entities to be defined in the Project‐specific CER Manual. Once the entity(ies) is (are) confirmed, an FM assessment will be conducted if the entity(ies) is outside of MINEDUCYT.

(ii) Procurement Procurement procedures. The Borrower will carry out procurement under the Project in

accordance with the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” (Procurement Regulations) dated July 2016, revised in November 2017 and August 2018, and the provisions stipulated in the procurement plan and the POM.


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Procurement arrangements. As mentioned above, the Project will be implemented by a PIU, including a CERC component that may cover national emergencies and, therefore, would require coordination with other Government agencies. A complete procurement capacity assessment of MINEDUCYT was carried out in November 2019. MINEDUCYT has previously implemented Bank procurement activities, however, they have limited exposure to the new procurement framework. A series of mitigation measures will be implemented to ensure the satisfactory performance of procurement functions, including: (i) hiring qualified procurement staff for the PIU to manage specific procurement activities under the Project (procurement specialist and/or procurement analyst should receive proper training on the World Bank procurement guidelines); (ii) inclusion of a procurement section in the POM, detailing roles, responsibilities, and timeframes for procurement execution; and (iii) inclusion of non‐Bank standard procurement documents in the POM, as well as the Bank’s standard fraud and anti‐corruption clauses. The process of selection of consultants should take place immediately after Effectiveness to ensure a smooth project implementation. More details on procurement are provided in Annex 1.

Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). The Borrower is expected to carry out Component 5 through one or more implementing entities to be defined in the project‐specific CER Manual. Once the entity(ies) is (are) confirmed, a procurement assessment will be conducted if the entity(ies) is outside MINEDUCYT. This component would require coordination with other government agencies.

Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) Summary. A simplified PPSD was

prepared as part of project preparation to define the specific procurement arrangements, selection methods (including a market analysis approach), and the type of review to be conducted by the Bank. Based on the results stipulated in the PPSD, a procurement plan was agreed between the World Bank and the Borrower for the first 18 months of implementation and will be made available after effectiveness through the Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) online system for planning and tracking procurement activities in World Bank‐financed projects.

Procurement Plan. A procurement plan for the first 18 months of implementation was developed prior to and agreed upon during negotiations of the Project. The STEP system will be used to execute the procurement plan and to submit any prior review activities for the Bank’s acceptance.

C. Legal Operational Policies . .

Triggered?

Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No

Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No .

D. Environmental and Social

The overall environmental and social risk classification of the Project is assessed as Substantial.

The environmental risk classification is Moderate, based on the investments under Component


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3 that will finance substitution, rehabilitation and/or expansion of existing ECCE buildings, as well as rehabilitation works of additional and eligible, vulnerable schools. The potential environmental impacts and risks associated with these activities are deemed to be moderate as they are expected to be (i) predictable, temporary and/or reversible or easily mitigable; (ii) low in magnitude and site‐specific; and (iii) occurring in already‐intervened areas. In addition, the Borrower gained recent experience in environmental management and oversight under the previous Bank‐financed project, which included investments in school infrastructure rehabilitation. This existing experience and capacity will be built upon and further developed and embedded under the Project. For more detailed information on the ESF assessment and instruments, see Annex 5.

The social risk classification is Substantial. The Project is mainly expected to have positive social

impacts from increased quality of ECCE service delivery. The Project’s social risks may include exacerbating existing inequalities if potential impacts and barriers to access for girls, children with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, Afro‐descendants, children living in poverty or geographical isolation, and other vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals or groups are not properly addressed; and risk that Indigenous Peoples may not receive early childhood education in their mother tongues, as well as prejudice or discrimination towards individuals or groups in the provision of services and resources. The Borrower has previous experience with World Bank safeguards, including Indigenous Peoples’ issues, and capacity‐building measures include hiring of a social specialist with experience in crime and violence issues to work full‐time in the PIU.

Based on the scope of the Project's activities, which include technical assistance, capacity

building, and infrastructure interventions, including educational center substitutions and rehabilitation and/or expansion for which the exact locations are not yet known, the Borrower has prepared and disclosed a draft Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF).25 The ESMF includes: (i) a high level Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) describing broad baseline social and environmental conditions, identifying potential environmental and social risks, impacts, and opportunities associated with the proposed activities, and formulating generic mitigation, management, and monitoring measures to address the likely impacts; and (ii) the principles, guidelines and procedures for carrying out site‐specific screening and assessment, confirming and incorporating appropriate management and mitigation measures into contract documents, and providing guidance on effective implementation and monitoring at the subproject level.

The Project prepared, and both the Bank and the Borrower disclosed, a draft Stakeholder

Engagement Plan (SEP) 26, which (i) describes the Project’s stakeholders, distinguishing between those directly affected by the Project and other interested parties; (ii) describes the timing and methods of engagement with key stakeholders throughout the Project’s lifecycle, as well as planned participatory processes related to the curriculum development and training activities, and local‐level consultations once the locations of infrastructure interventions are known; (iii) describes the type of information that will be provided to stakeholders and how feedback from stakeholders will be solicited and recorded; and (iv) describes the Project‐level Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to be implemented by the Borrower, which will be culturally sensitive and accessible to indigenous peoples.

25 The Borrower has disclosed all Environmental and Social Framework documents (ESMF, the RPF, and the IPPF on January 17; and the SEP and ESCP on January 20,2020) in: https://www.mined.gob.sv/noticias/noticias/item/1015297‐divulgacion‐proceso 26 Idem.


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The Borrower developed a draft written Labor Management Procedures (LMP) identifying and

describing the different types of workers that are likely to be involved in the Project, the main labor and occupational health and safety risks associated with the Project, and setting out the principal labor requirements of national law and Environmental and Social Labor and Working Conditions (Standard 2) applicable to the Project. The final version of the LMP will be disclosed prior to effectiveness and will describe the roles and responsibilities of the PIU and UNOPS in relation to labor and working conditions.

Given that the specific sites for infrastructure interventions are not yet known, the Borrower

prepared a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) 27 to cover such potential impacts. The RPF sets out the procedures to be followed for the preparation of Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) when they are required for subprojects under Environmental and Social Land Acquisition, Restriction on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement (Standard 5), as well as eligibility criteria for affected persons, procedures and standards for compensation and relocation assistance, and arrangements for consultations, budget, monitoring, as well as how the project‐level GRM will address involuntary resettlement‐related grievances. The RPF also includes principles to be followed in cases of voluntary land donation and the main principles to be applied for temporary relocation of schools during construction works, as well as a land donation protocol to be applied in case any land donations are included in the Project.

The Borrower, in consultation with nationally representative indigenous organizations,

prepared an Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) 28, which identifies barriers to access and proposes measures to ensure project benefits are culturally pertinent, including in relation to the development of the curriculum, educational tools, and educational agent training. The IPPF also outlines how subproject‐specific Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPP) will be prepared in cases where infrastructure interventions are carried out where indigenous peoples are present or have collective attachment to the project area, per the criteria in Environmental and Social and Indigenous People/Sub‐Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities (Standard 7).

Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). An ESCP was developed and disclosed prior

to Appraisal29. It sets out material measures and actions for the Borrower to address the potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the Project, including through the preparation and implementation of the environmental and social instruments (ESMF, SEP, RPF, IPPF and LMP). The ESCP also refers to the specific Environmental and Social (E&S) documents and plans that shall be developed to mitigate subproject‐specific risks and impacts, including timelines and responsibilities. The ESCP sets out the type and frequency of reports, including grievance, incident and accident reporting requirements. It also defines capacity‐building requirements for the PIU and project contractors on project risks and the applicable Environmental and Social instruments.

Citizen Engagement. The Project will engage with stakeholders throughout project

implementation through information disclosure and consultation activities and feedback obtained will be recorded and used to inform project implementation, in a manner also consistent with ESF requirements. In addition, the project includes participatory processes for the development and validation of structural

27 The Borrower has disclosed all Environmental and Social Framework documents (ESMF, the RPF, and the IPPF on January 17; and the SEP and ESCP on January 20,2020) in: https://www.mined.gob.sv/noticias/noticias/item/1015297‐divulgacion‐proceso 28 Idem. 29 Idem.


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quality standards, the new curriculum, and teacher and principal training, which are captured in the project’s results framework. Moreover, the Project has developed a Grievance Redress Mechanism, the performance of which will be monitored by Intermediate Results Indicator 13 with emphasis on how complaints from project beneficiaries are received, processed, and how responses are provided to complainants. As stated in the ESCP, MINEDUCYT will report to the Bank on the functioning of the Grievance Redress Mechanism on a quarterly basis.

Reducing Gender Biases. Sexist behaviors and negative attitudes have been identified in El Salvador’s secondary schools.30 These discriminatory practices against girls in schools have serious implications on their career choices in the long term, such as attending higher education or studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Moreover, situational studies of FOMILENIO and MINEDUCYT have identified teaching practices as contributing factors that originate and perpetuate gender biases affecting children, especially girls, from early on. Results from the FOMILENIO and MINEDUCYT study found that sexist practices ranged from denying girls access to science labs and sports activities to justifying harassment from teachers and principals. The study generated the institutionalization of a non‐sexist policy in MINEDUCYT with the aim of reducing sexists’ practices in the classroom. This Project will include an analysis of how these practices change after the new curriculum and training, focused on reducing biases and promoting inclusive education, and how they have been implemented. Measuring and monitoring teachers’ attitudes and behaviors towards gender equality in classrooms (PDO Indicator 1.1. ECCE teachers improve their gender‐equality attitudes and behaviors) will provide information about the change in the share of teachers with non‐sexist behaviors and attitudes or the average level of teachers’ non‐sexist behavior or attitudes. The gender indicator contributes to the closing of this gap since it aims to reduce sexist teacher practices from early on in El Salvador.

V. GRIEVANCE REDRESS SERVICES

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 in order 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.

VI. KEY RISKS

The Project’s overall risk is assessed as substantial. Political and governance risk has been assessed as Substantial considering that historically long approval process of internationally financed projects in the country. The Government is working to gather support from different players for a Pact for Education, where partners join a social commitment to seek approval from various sources of financing

30 FOMILENIO and MINEDUCYT (2016). Política de Equidad e Igualdad de Género Plan de Implementación del Ministerio de Educación El Salvador.


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for investments that guarantee educational quality, with ECCE being a central intervention. Within this context, the overall Bank engagement with the GoES’ social plan is important to generate a consensus for implementation of the Crecer Juntos policy. As main mitigation measures MINEDUCYT would (i) hold technical and policy discussions with the Education Commission of the National Assembly; (ii) engage key public and private actors during project implementation; and (iii) build upon previous consensus‐building exercises, such as the Plan for an Educated El Salvador, which garnered the support of different education actors, launched an initiative to improve early childhood interventions, and launched the National Political Dialogue, an exercise to develop inter‐party agreements that included the expansion of ECCE as one of its commitments. The task team will provide support to MINEDUCYT on these measures.

Macroeconomic risk is also Substantial due to high debt levels that trigger the need for fiscal consolidation, with a restraint on expenditure growth that might affect the resources available for early child education. This risk is mitigated by the country’s commitment to increase resources for ECD‐related services as well as the incentive of increased efficiency of spending in the education sector from the implementation of quality and structural standards.

Sector strategies and policies risk is assessed as Substantial as there is a risk of change in

priorities from the development of ongoing sector policies. The new ECD policy Crecer Juntos and the Education Sector Plan are still being developed by the Government and subject to revisions and consultations. To mitigate this risk, key part of the policy, such as the Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards, that is the base for the Project, as well as key diagnostic analysis to inform Component 2 on teachers, and the diagnostic of 300 ECCE Centers to inform infrastructure works to be carried out under Component 3 are already being develop and hope to be done before project implementation.

Technical design risk of the Project is assessed as Substantial given the need for precision in the

sequencing and timing of the roll out of project activities, so a delay in the initial set of activities (i.e. the development of the ECDLS standards) impacts the entire project. To address this risk, the GoES has already begun the development and establishment of the ECDLS using complementary financing, as well as the diagnostic to inform the design of the structural quality standards and their accreditation system.

Institutional capacity for implementation and sustainability risk is assessed as Substantial.

Although MINEDUCYT’s performance in previous Bank operations has been satisfactory, this Project’s size is bigger than previous ones, which poses risks for project management and administration. In addition, the volume of civil works foreseen under the operation may be challenging. Due to their size and/or complexity, school infrastructure and equipment provision processes represent high transaction costs and pose several risks and delays for project execution. To reduce these risks, the Project has a detailed implementation plan, which will be monitored by a strong PIU within MINEDUCYT that will be closely supervised by the Bank. In addition, the Bank worked closely with MINEDUCYT to identify contractors that can support the implementation of some of the project activities. Subcomponents have thus been identified to be totally and/or partially executed by contractors, namely: (i) Improving physical environments in selected ECCE official centers (Component 3) and/or (ii) Institutional strengthening for education sector management (Subcomponent 4.1). Thus far, UNOPS has been identified as a potential partner for the implementation of these sub components.

The integrated fiduciary risk is assessed as Substantial. From the financial management side, the

main risks are: (i) the incremental volume of financial transactions to be managed in this project; and (ii)


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the CERC shall be carried out by one or more implementing entities which will require consolidation of financial information from various sources and strong internal processes and procedures to maintain accurate and reliable financial records. From the procurement side, the risks are: (i) the country’s current security risk could discourage potential suppliers from participating in project activities; (ii) lack of qualified procurement specialists within the implementing unit; (iii) too many procurement processes of civil works running in parallel that might create contract management risks; and (iv) market risks envisioned in the procurement strategy. The mitigation measures included in the Project to ensure the satisfactory performance of the fiduciary functions include: (i) hiring of qualified fiduciary staff in the PIU (ii) periodic training in FM, procurement, and disbursements; (iii) developing the POM, including a specific manual for the CERC; (iv) a thorough market analysis will be delivered to understand market constraints once procurement specialists are hired; (v) interim management letters will be produced within the annual audit to monitor internal controls; and (vi) hiring external auditors. 74. Environment and Social risk is assessed as Substantial. The social risk classification is Substantial. The Project’s social risks may include exacerbating existing inequalities if potential barriers to access to ECD services for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals or groups are not properly addressed. Additionally, there is a risk that Indigenous Peoples may not receive early childhood education in their mother tongues, as well prejudice or discrimination towards individuals or groups in the provision of ECD services and resources. There is also the risk that ECCE centers not under MINEDUCYT (and not financed by the Project) are not subject to adequate rules for the recognition of relevant land tenure rights. Moreover, high levels of contextual violence, including gender‐based and domestic violence, as well as gang related violence, constitute a significant access barrier to project benefits. The potential environmental impacts and risks associated with these activities are deemed to be moderate as they are expected to be (i) predictable, temporary and/or reversible or easily mitigated; (ii) low in magnitude and site‐specific; and (iii) occurring in already‐intervened areas. The Project’s environmental and social instruments described in section D and Annex 5 outline the specific measures and arrangements for managing these risks. In addition, as described in the ESCP, the PIU will have full time social and environmental specialists in charge of E&S management.

Stakeholders risk is assessed as Substantial given the nature of the political and governance context. The Crecer Juntos ECD policy as well as many key activities of this Project—such as the creation and implementation of the Structural Quality Standards—require the coordinating at a vertical level across different levels of government to make sure activities and policies are fully and adequately implemented. To mitigate the risk, the GoES and MINEDUCYT are engaging and plan to continue conducting consultations regarding the project with the different stakeholders as well as the different levels of governments. Furthermore, the Project will support the development of standards that will affect both official and private ECCE centers. The implementation of the standards in private sector owned centers will generate a need for coordination between the public and private sectors. To mitigate this risk, the GoES has reached out to stakeholders, including from the private sector, civil society, non‐governmental organizations earlier on during project preparation and will continue to engage them on the vision of the policy and its implementation.

The “other” risk assessed as Substantial is related to crime and violence, which are endemic in El Salvador and have significant economic, social welfare, health, and governance impacts. Crime and violence may also impede safe access to ECCE and other ECD services. Social violence rampant in the country might affect the Project in two ways. First, implementation of activities (i.e. training, construction)


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may be delayed due to the territorial activity of criminal groups. Second, estimated demand for ECD services may vary due to territorial dynamics, as invisible borders between gang‐controlled territories could make it difficult for families to move freely. The Project is working alongside the regional environmental and social teams on mitigation measures, such as: (i) articulating the Project with the Government Territorial Control Plan; (ii) working with the community leaders and organizing communications campaigns to ensure community support for the ECD activities and members to ensure students' safety while commuting to ECCE centers; and (iii) incorporating the development of socioemotional skills on crime and violence in the curriculum and professional development.


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VII. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND MONITORING

Results Framework COUNTRY: El Salvador

Growing Up and Learning Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador

Project Development Objectives(s)

The Project Development Objectives are to: (i) improve Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teaching practices nationwide; (ii) upgrade physical learning environments of selected ECCE centers; and (iii) strengthen institutional capacity for education sector management.

Project Development Objective Indicators

RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO

Indicator Name DLI Baseline Intermediate Targets End Target

1 2 3 4 5 6

Improve Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teaching practices nationwide.

PDO 1: ECCE teachers with improved teaching practices (Text)

The baseline will be collected in Year 2.

Piloting and adaptation of classroom observation instrument.

Collection of baseline with adapted instrument.

Establishment of targets based on baseline results and teacher performance standards.

The target will be set when the baseline is collected.




PDO 1.1. ECCE teachers improve their gender‐equality attittudes and behaviors (Text)

The baseline will be collected in year 2.

Piloting and adaptation of classroom observation instrument.

Collection of baseline with adapted instrument.

Establishment of targets based on baseline results and teacher performance standards.





Upgrade physical learning environments of selected ECCE centers.

PDO 2: ECCE official centers supported by the Project with safe physical

0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 70.00 110.00 110.00 110.00


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RESULT_FRAME_TBL_PDO


1 2 3 4 5 6 learning environments and meeting quality conditions to promote learning (Number)

Strengthen institutional capacity for education sector management.

PDO 3: ECCE centers accredited through the structural quality standards accreditation system (Text)

No Structural Quality Standards (SQS), no SQS accreditation system, and zero ECCE centers accredited.

No Structural Quality Standards (SQS), no SQS accreditation system, and zero ECCE centers accredited.

SQS developed and validated through aparticipatory process and approved by the Borrower.

SQS accreditation system officially operating for ECCE public and private centers to start accreditation.

20 ECCE centers accredited through the new SQS accreditation system.

60 additional ECCE centers accredited through the new SQS accreditation system.

140 additional ECCE centers accredited through the new SQS accreditation system.

140 ECCE centers accredited through the SQS system.

PDO Table SPACE

Intermediate Results Indicators by Components

RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO


1 2 3 4 5 6 Component 1: Ensuring ECCE Structural Quality Standards and Curriculum Nationwide

IRI 1: ECCE teachers nationwide receive the new ECCE curriculum (Text)

0 teachers.

Launch of the Early Child Development and Learning Standards (ECDLS).

Curricular review and adaptation process completed and validated.

Technical delivery of curriculum to 3,000 teachers.

Technical delivery of curriculum to 3,000 additional teachers.

NA NA 6,000 ECCE teachers nationwide receive the new curriculum.

IRI 2: Classrooms in ECCE official centers that receive learning materials aligned to the new curriculum. (Number)

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,000.00 6,000.00 8,000.00 8,000.00

Component 2: Strengthening Professional Development of Teachers and Principals at ECCE Official Cent


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RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO


1 2 3 4 5 6

IRI 3: ECCE teacher and principal training plans aligned with the ECDLS and new curriculum ready for delivery. (Text)

Current training plan

NA

Training and performance standards for teachers and principals developed and validated through aparticipatory process.

In‐service training plans for teachers and principalsdeveloped.

150 mentor‐trainers complete the new training for teachers and principals.

NA NA

ECCE teacher and principal training plan ready for delivery and 150 mentor‐trainers trained.

IRI 4: ECCE principals trained in school management and leadership aligned to the performance standards and the ECDLS. (Number)

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,000.00 2,500.00 4,000.00 4,000.00

IRI 5: ECCE teachers trained in new professional development process aligned to training standards and ECDLS. (Number)

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,500.00 7,000.00 7,000.00 7,000.00

Teachers recruited or trained (CRI, Number) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,500.00 7,000.00 7,000.00 8,000.00

Teachers recruited or trained ‐ Female (RMS requirement) (CRI, Number)

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,360.00 6,720.00 6,720.00 6,720.00

Component 3: Upgrading ECCE Physical Learning Environments

IRI 6: Pre‐investment studies for all ECCE official centers intervened by the

0.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00


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RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO


1 2 3 4 5 6 Project. (Number)

IRI 7: New prototype of ECCE official centers infrastructure aligned to ECDLS and SQS that ensure safe, inclusive and learning oriented spaces completed (Yes/No)

No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

IRI 8: Infrastructure projects for ECCE official centers completed under the Project. (Number)

0.00 30.00 70.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00

IRI 9: Vulnerable ECCE official centers supported by the Project to reduce the SQS gap. (Number)

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 125.00 225.00 400.00

Component 4: Institutional Strengthening for the Management of the Education Sector

IRI 10: Department delegations that have initiated the organizational transformation (Number)

0.00 0.00 3.00 6.00 9.00 12.00 14.00 14.00

IRI 11: School infrastructure inventory system operating for decision making (Text)

Status quo NA Technical design of the inventory system completed

Automated inventory system piloted

60% of official schools nationwide with information in the inventory system


NA


IRI 12: Basic education official schools implement improvement plans based on the results of the

Status quo

Methodological frameworks, instruments, and standardized tests revised and piloted

National learning assessment implemented

175 ATPI and 1,000 school principals trained on the use of the results of the National

National learning assessment implemented

300 vulnerable basic education schools with improvement plans based on the

600 vulnerable basic education schools with improvement plans based on the

900 vulnerable basic education schools with improvement plans based on the results of


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RESULT_FRAME_TBL_IO


1 2 3 4 5 6 standardized tests (Text) learning

assessment results of standardized tests.

results of standardized tests.

standardized tests.

IRI 13: Grievances related to the Project recorded in the GRM system that are processed and communicated back to the concerned citizens stakeholder within 21 days (Percentage)

0.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00

IO Table SPACE

UL Table SPACE

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: PDO Indicators

Indicator Name Definition/Description Frequency Datasource Methodology for Data Collection

Responsibility for Data Collection

PDO 1: ECCE teachers with improved teaching practices

Measures the number of ECCE teachers working in ECCE official centers that reflect a positive change in their teaching practices from a given level to a higher one. ECCE teachers that will be evaluated conform a representative sample of the first cohort of teachers to receive the new teacher training plan.

Anually (starting in Year 4).

Results of a classroom observation instrument that will be adapted for the El Salvador ECCE context.

Measured through a classroom observation instrument that will assess teaching practices and generate a score/level. The description of score/level of teaching practices will be established after the piloting of the instrument (in year 3)

An international firm will be hired to apply the instrument and collect the data. The MINEDUCYT's National Directorate of Early Childhood will validate it and report it to the Bank.


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and described in an evaluation rubric. The teaching practices of a representative sample of public in‐service PreK and KG teachers will be evaluated before the training starts (end of year 3). Two annual follow‐ups to the same group of teachers will be conducted to determine the number of teachers who positively changed their teaching practices, according to the instrument's rubric. The application and data collection of the instrument will be carried out by an independent firm, with an internationally‐validated test specifically adapted for the El Salvador ECCE context.

PDO 1.1. ECCE teachers improve their gender‐equality attittudes and

Track reductions in gender‐specific attitudes/treatment

Anually (starting in

Measured through

Measured through a classroom observation

An international firm will be hired to apply


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behaviors of boys and girld. The indicator will measure gender biases and stereotypes in teaching practices and therefore will have a negative relationship, i.e. a larger decrease in the score/level of gender biases and stereotypes, the better the teaching practice to promote gender‐equality in classrooms. Selected teachers will be drawn from those participating in the new in‐service teacher training plan.

Year 4).

the classroom observation instrument that will be adapted to the El Salvador ECCE context to measure teaching practices (measured through PDO 1).

instrument that will assess teaching practices and generate a score/level. The description of score/level of teaching practices will be established after the piloting of the instrument (in year 3) and described in an evaluation rubric. The teaching practices of a representative sample of public in‐service PreK and KG teachers will be evaluated before the training starts (end of year 3). Two annual follow‐ups to the same group of teachers will be conducted to determine the number of teachers who positively changed their teaching practices, according to the instrument's rubric. The application and data collection of the instrument will be

the instrument and collect the data. The MINEDUCYT's National Directorate of Early Childhood will validate it and report it to the Bank.


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carried out by an independent firm, with an internationally‐validated test specifically adapted for the El Salvador ECCE context.

PDO 2: ECCE official centers supported by the Project with safe physical learning environments and meeting quality conditions to promote learning

Tracks the substitution, rehabilitation and/or expansion of selected ECCE official centers according to the minimum conditions to promote learning established by the Structural Quality and Infrastructure Standards. The minimum standards of physical quality conditions will be defined during year 1. Targets are cumulative.

Annually (starting in year 3)

Project progress report.

MINEDUCYT will prepare reports on finalization of school civil works.

MINEDUCYT ‐ Directorate of Infrastructure.

PDO 3: ECCE centers accredited through the structural quality standards accreditation system

Tracks progress in the development of the Structural Quality Standards (SQS), the development and institutionalization of the SQS accreditation process, and the number of ECCE centers accredited. The SQS will include standards for: (i) ECCE workforce; (ii) Physical

Annually (starting in year 2).

Project progress report and web page, SQS accreditation system, and Official Gazette.

Target 2: The validation of the SQS will be done through a participatory process and will include workshops that will review, discuss, and approve the SQS with the participation of key ECCE stakeholders representing both Pre‐K

MINEDUCYT ‐ National Directorate of Early Childhood and Project Implementation Unit.


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and learning spaces; and (iii) School educational project, among others. To receivethe SQS accreditation, an ECCE center must comply with a minimum number of the SQS as set forth in the system's official document, disclosed in the Official Gazette.

and KG educational levels. Key stakeholders must include: MINEDUCYT technicians, trainers, teachers, principals, academics, among others. The Education Minister should review, approve the SQS, and sign a Ministerial agreement stating the approval of the SQS. Proof of accomplishment will include: (1) Executive report about the workshops describing the event and adding: i) list of attendees and ii) document with the SQS validated; and (2) Ministerial agreement (i.e. letter) approving the SQS. Target 3: The SQS accreditation process will be developed and published in the Country’s Official Gazette. The accreditation team


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includes a trained supervision and monitoring team ready. Proof of accomplishment will include: Unit of Accreditation established and with staff trained and working in the Unit. SQS online portal operating and the SQS accreditation system published in the Country’s Official Gazette. Targets 4 a 6: These milestones track the quantity of ECCE centers accredited. Proof of accomplishment: Number of centers accredited by accreditation unit.

ME PDO Table SPACE


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Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: Intermediate Results Indicators

Indicator Name Definition/Description Frequency Datasource Methodology for Data Collection

Responsibility for Data Collection

IRI 1: ECCE teachers nationwide receive the new ECCE curriculum

Tracks the successive progress of steps to ensure that ECCE teachers nationwide receive the new ECCE curriculum. The steps include the official launching of the ECDLS, the revision and adaptation of the ECCE curriculum, and the technical deliveries of the curriculum to ECCE teachers.

Annually (Years 1, 2, 3, and 4).

Project progress report and web page.

Target 1: This activity comprises the launch of the Early Child Development and Learning Standards (ECDLS) with a minimum participation of 1,000 attendees among the 4 events. Proof of accomplishment: MINEDUCYT will present proof of coverage of the launching through main media (radio, television—press release—social networks, and other digital media) and through journalistic notes, attendance lists by event, and photographs. Target 2: This activity comprises the revision and adjustment of the curriculum (and its

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Early Childhood.


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programs) based on the ECDLS and according to the component description. The validation process of the curriculum will be done through a participatory process, which will include the development of workshops to review, discuss, and approve the curriculum’s adjustments with the participation of key ECCE stakeholders representing both educational levels: Pre‐K and KG education. Key stakeholders must include: MINEDUCYT technicians, trainers, teachers, principals, academics, among others. Proof of verification: There will be a report on the validation process that includes: (1) An executive report about the workshops describing the events


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and adding: i) list of attendees with name, signature, identity number and school name and ID. Target 3‐4: Once the new curriculum has been developed and printed, MINEDUCYT will organize technical meetings where they will present the main changes of the curriculum and distribute the materials to all Pre‐K and KG teachers. Proof of accomplishment: Targets 3‐4 will be confirmed based on attendance lists (with the teacher's name, signature, and school code) as well as photographs that there has been a national representation of the teachers who have received the curriculum during the technical meetings. Teachers


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who received the curriculum should be representative at a national level on the following variables: proportion of urban‐rural teachers, and proportion of teachers in schools with less than 5 teachers. The information will come from the department of educational statistics.

IRI 2: Classrooms in ECCE official centers that receive learning materials aligned to the new curriculum.

Tracks the number of classrooms in official ECCE centers that receive learning materials aligned with the new curriculum. Targets are cumulative.



There will be a national representative sample of schools whose classrooms should have the learning materials aligned with the new curriculum.

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Early Childhood.

IRI 3: ECCE teacher and principal training plans aligned with the ECDLS and new curriculum ready for delivery.

Tracks the successive progress to have the teacher and principal training programs ready for delivery. It includes the development of the training and performance standards for teachers and principals, respectively, the development of the training

Annually (from year 2 to 4).


Target 2: The validation of the training and performance standards will be done through a participatory process. This process will include at least 2 workshops to review, discuss, and approve the standards with the participation

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Early Childhood, Project Implementation Unit, and the National Institute of Teacher Training (INFOD).


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plan and materials based on a diagnosis of teachers' and principals' knowledge and skills, and the training of 150 mentor‐trainers who will conduct the teacher and principal training. Training and performance standards will be aligned with the new curriculum and the ECDLS.

of key stakeholders representing both educational levels: Pre‐K and KG education. Key stakeholders must include: MINEDUCYT technicians, trainers, teachers, directors, academics, among others. Proof of accomplishment will include: (1) A report on the validation workshops that took place to review the training and performance standards for teachers with list of attendees; (2) a report on the validation workshops that took place to review the training and performance standards for principals with list of attendees; (3) a document with the training and performance standards for teachers; and (4) a document with the


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training and performance standards for principals. Target 3: MINEDUCYT will develop the teacher and principal training based on the diagnostic of teachers and principals. Proof of accomplishment: In‐service training plans for teachers and principals done according to the training and performance standards for teachers and principals. Target 4: Based on the diagnostic results MINEDUCYT will develop the teacher and principals’ training and will train, for 6 months, 150 mentor‐trainers who will be responsible to conduct the teacher and principal’s training. Proof of accomplishment will


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include a report that contains: (1) Selection plan for mentor trainers nationwide; (2) training programs for mentor‐trainers, teachers, and principals; and (3) proof of that the 150 mentor‐trainers finished their training.

IRI 4: ECCE principals trained in school management and leadership aligned to the performance standards and the ECDLS.

Tracks the quantity of Prek and KG principals working in official ECCE centers that are trained (i.e. that pass the training based on the criteria established in the POM) in the new training program on school management and leadership. The training will be based on the performance and ECDLS standards and new curriculum. Targets are cumulative.

Anually (starting in year 4).

Project Progress Report.

MINEDUCYT will record the quantity of principals that participate in the training program through sign‐in sheets with personal information and signatures.

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Early Childhood and INFOD.

IRI 5: ECCE teachers trained in new professional development process aligned to training standards and ECDLS.

Tracks the number of teachers working in official ECCE centers that are trained (i.e. that pass the



MINEDUCYT will record the quantity of teachers that participate in the



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training based on the criteria established in the POM) in the new training program aligned with the training standards, ECDLS, and new curriculum. Targets are cumulative.

training program through sign‐in sheets with personal information and signatures. The training will be provided nationally to approximately 8,000 teachers working in official ECCE centers; however, considering attrition, we have set the target indicator to 7,000.

Teachers recruited or trained



MINEDUCYT will record the quantity of teachers that participate in the training program through sign‐in sheets with personal information and signatures. Targets are cumulative.


Teachers recruited or trained ‐ Female (RMS requirement)



MINEDUCYT will record the quantity of teachers that participate in the training program through sign‐in sheets



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with personal information and signatures. Targets are cumulative.

IRI 6: Pre‐investment studies for all ECCE official centers intervened by the Project.

This indicator tracks the number of pre‐investment studies carries out in the first year of implementation, which will be a necessary input for the start of the Project's infrastructure activities.

Year 1.


The pre‐investment studies are done by technical teams on selected sites and provided to MINEDUCYT Directorade of Infrastructure.

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Early Childhood and Directorate of Infrastructure.

IRI 7: New prototype of ECCE official centers infrastructure aligned to ECDLS and SQS that ensure safe, inclusive and learning oriented spaces completed

New technical regulation legalized and mandatory.

Years 1 and 2.


The prototype will be done by a technical team that will ensure alignment to ECDLS. The prototype will be provided to MINEDUCYT Directorade of Infrastructure.


IRI 8: Infrastructure projects for ECCE official centers completed under the Project.

Number of infrastructure projects (i.e. carpetas técnicas), including design, site study, and costing of infrastructure works, that are completed under the Project. Targets are cumulative.

Annually, years 1 to 3.


MINEDUCYT will collect the ending works certificate for each the target centers.



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IRI 9: Vulnerable ECCE official centers supported by the Project to reduce the SQS gap.

Tracks the quantity of official ECCE centers identified in the quality gap diagnosis as the most vulnerable and that are supported by the Project with resources to meet the SQS and reduce their quality gaps. Targets are cumulative.



These targets are achieved through the number of ECCE centers with the greatest vulnerability that are supported to meet the minimum Structural Quality Standards necessary to reduce the SQS gaps. At the end of the support, the standards established to support each center should have been met. Proof of accomplishment: The milestone will be achieved based on the number of centers that comply with the SQS for which they have received support.


IRI 10: Department delegations that have initiated the organizational transformation

Tracks the number of departments that have initiated the organiational transformation. Targets are cumulative.

Annually.


MINEDUCYT will do field visits to corroborate the use of manuals, protocols, and updated procedures established in the reorganization process.

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Education Management.


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IRI 11: School infrastructure inventory system operating for decision making

This indicator tracks the development of the school infrastructure inventory system and the percentage of schools surveyed. The survey will be used for decision making regarding school infrastructure needs that can help prioritize normal (maintenance) interventions or extraordinary interventions (like those in case of floods or earthquakes).

Annually (starting in Year 2).


For Target 2, there will be the technical design manual of the inventory system. For Target 3, there will be a sample selection of 10 schools (rural and urban) that have completed the pilot questionnaire. For Targets 4 and 5 MINEDUCYT will use a national sample to confirm that schools that have a completed questionnaire in the inventory system.

MINEDUCYT National Directorate of Planning.

IRI 12: Basic education official schools implement improvement plans based on the results of the standardized tests

Tracks the progress in developing the plan to ensure that basic education public schools implement improvement plans based on the results of the standardized tests, as well as the number of basic education schools that develop an improvement plan based on test results. Targets of basic education schools with improvement plans based on the results of

Annually.


MINEDUCYT will have instruments and standardized tests revised for El Salvador. MINEDUCYT will confirm that the learning assessment has been piloted. MINEDUCYT will do a national representative sample of the vulnerable basic education schools to check that they have

MINEDUCYT Evaluation Management Unit.


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standardized tests are cumulative.

done improvement plans based on the results of standardized tests.

IRI 13: Grievances related to the Project recorded in the GRM system that are processed and communicated back to the concerned citizens stakeholder within 21 days

Tracks the percentage of grievances related to the Project that are received, processed, and communicated back to the concerned stakeholder according to the Grievance Redress Mechanism within 21 days. The Grievance Redress Mechanism is included in the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.

Annually.


The Office of Information in the MINEDUCYT will maintain a database of project‐related grievances. The Operations Manual will describe the reporting mechanisms between the Office of Information and the PIU.

MINEDUCYT ‐ Office of Information and Project Implementation Unit.

ME IO Table SPACE


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ANNEX 1. Implementation Arrangements and Support Plan

Project Institutional and Implementation Arrangements

The Project will be implemented by a Project Implementing Unit (PIU) located in the DNPI in the MINEDUCYT. MINEDUCYT has executed investment projects with external resources in recent years, including more than three operations financed with World Bank resources (See Figure 1.1). This arrangement will help ensure that the Project is implemented within the institutional decision‐making processes but, at the same time, is implemented in a timely and effective manner. The PIU will (i) have direct coordination with the MINEDUCYT authorities (Minister’s office) and the Presidency, and (ii) be composed of a qualified and trained team fully dedicated to the operation, to ensure project management, fiduciary processes and environmental and social framework are done in accordance to Bank’s policies and procedures.

The same PIU will manage the IADB operation. This PIU will also manage the IADB parallel operation, meaning that both projects will have the same project manager (see Table 1.1). However, each operation will have different operational manuals and fiduciary staff that will implement different policies and procedures. There are ongoing discussions to define if the legal and social and environmental teams could be shared by both operations, given that the client is asking to minimize the structure. This will be defined once the IADB operation is more advanced.

MINEDUCYT Fiduciary Units Financial Directorate ‐ DFI Procurement Unit – UACI Legal Unit

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION UNIT (WBG – IADB)

Minister of Education

Technical coordinator and support team

WBG

Project Manager WBG – IADB

MINEDUCYT'S Technical Units i. Middle‐school Directorate ii. Tertiary Education Directorate ii. Infrastructure Directorate v. Teacher Training National

Institute. v. Other.

Environmental and social coordinator and support team

WBG

ECCE National Director

Fiduciary coordinator

and support team WBG

Presidency – CRECER JUNTOS

Figure 1.1. Project Implementing Unit


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Table 1.1 Joint PIU JOINT PIU

MANAGEMENT FIDUCIARY & LEGAL SAFEGUARDS

Shared Project Coordinator

Shared POMs

Shared FM Staff

Shared Procurement

Staff

Shared Legal Staff

Shared Policies & Procedures

Shared E&S Specialists

Shared Policies

Yes No No No No No No No

The PIU will be responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of all project

activities. The PIU will comprise a management and administrative team responsible for overseeing all participating and executors project units. The PIU will include (i) a project manager; (ii) a technical coordinator; (iii) a fiduciary coordinator; and (iv) an environmental and social coordinator. The technical coordinator will be the link with the MINEDUCYT´s implementing units, such as teacher training and school infrastructure, among others. Implementation of project activities will be carried out by the relevant technical directorates presented in the chart below, who will also coordinate and collaborate closely with its departmental and municipal delegations. The fiduciary coordinator will be a well‐seasoned fiduciary staff with experience in projects financed by the Bank or other international development partners that will work as the liaison with MINEDUCYT’s financial and procurement units, each one working with a team of technical staff devoted to the operation. The environmental and social coordinator will count on a technical team of social and environmental specialists in charge of supervising the implementation of the ESF instruments. Their roles and responsibilities will be detailed in the POM. The PIU will report directly to the Minister of Education, Science and Technology

A POM will detail arrangements and processes for: (i) the composition, roles, and responsibilities of the PIU; (ii) institutional coordination and day‐to‐day execution of the Project, as well as the roles and obligations of the implementing units/directorates; (iii) M&E, reporting and communication; (iv) eligibility criteria, detailed technical rules, and procedures for selection of schools for infrastructure work; (v) administration, financial management, and procurement; and (vi) other administrative, technical and organizational arrangements and procedures required for project implementation. Any subsequent changes to the POM during project implementation will need to be acceptable to the World Bank.

Financial management

Financial management tasks will be handled by MINEDUCYT’s Institutional Finance Directorate (DFI, for its name in Spanish). The DFI will be responsible for carrying out FM tasks for Components 1, 2, 3 and 4, which include: (i) budget formulation and monitoring; (ii) cash flow management (including processing payments and submitting loan withdrawal applications to the Bank); (iii) maintenance of accounting records, including the maintenance of an inventory of fixed assets for the Project; (iv) administration of underlying information systems; (v) preparation of in‐year and year‐end financial reports; and (vi) arranging for the execution of the external audit. MINEDUCYT has experience implementing Word Bank financed projects, which overall have had suitable FM arrangements. The PIU will also have in its staff a fiduciary liaison for coordination purposes with the DFI, to be financed under the Project.

Staffing. The key FM staff are the director of the DFI and the chief of budget, accounting, and treasury, ‐which have specific staff dedicated to projects financed with external sources‐, and the public


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investment coordination chief. The staff is qualified and experienced in the public sector and implementing projects financed by the Bank. However, considering the additional workload related to Project activities, the DFI will be strengthened with three experienced staff for budgeting, accounting and treasury, and public investment for monitoring, who will be financed with institutional budget (GoES resources). Terms of Reference for these positions will be included in the POM.

MINEDUCYT will be responsible for preparing and monitoring the annual operating plan and

budget. Project annual operational planning will be led by the PIU, in coordination with the technical and fiduciary team. The annual operational plan will be the main input for budget formulation. The DFI will be responsible for preparing and monitoring the budget. The budget will be integrated into the MINEDUCYT’s annual budget and monitored through the National Financial Management System (SAFI), and its formulation and execution will follow local requirements. The DFI will establish a major budget line (Unidad Presupuestaria) for the Project with sub‐lines (líneas de trabajo) corresponding to the respective components.

Project accounting will be managed through the Integrated Information System. The integrated

system includes budgeting, treasury, and accounting modules. Project accounting will be recorded on an accrual basis, in accordance with the government’s accounting policies; however financial statements required by the Bank will be prepared on a cash basis with the support of an auxiliary information system that is being updated to be ready by effectiveness.

MINEDUCYT has adequate internal controls and procedures. Its operations are guided by: (i) the

Financial Management Law (Ley AFI); (ii) the annual Law of the General Budget of the State; (iii) MoF regulations and manuals; and (iv) internal control technical standards. Project‐specific FM arrangements will be documented in the POM, which will include: (i) roles and responsibilities of the FM staff; (ii) internal controls for the Project; (iii) content and formats of the interim Financial Reports (IFRs), annual financial reports; and (iv) auditing arrangements.

A Designated Account (DA) will be opened at the Central Bank of El Salvador in United States

Dollars for the implementation of Components 1, 2, 3, and 4. For this Project, the “Treasury Single Account” will apply, whereby MINEDUCYT will have its sub‐accounts.

Disbursement arrangements for components 1, 2, 3 and 4. The following disbursement methods

may be used to withdraw funds from the loan: (i) reimbursement; (ii) advance; and (iii) direct payment. Under the advance method and to facilitate implementation, MINEDUCYT will have access to the DA to be used exclusively for deposits and withdrawals of loan proceeds for eligible expenditures. As needed, MINEDUCYT will request the MoF to withdraw funds from the DA for payments to be made directly from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Funds deposited into the DA as advances, will follow Bank’s disbursement policies and procedures as described in the Disbursement and Financial Information Letter (DFIL) and Disbursement Guidelines. The flow of funds for centralized payments is illustrated in Figure 1.2:


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The DFI will prepare and submit semi‐annual IFRs within the 45 days after the end of the semester. The IFRs will contain at least: (i) a statement of sources and uses of funds (with expenditures classified by category) and cash balance; (ii) a statement of budget execution per component and subcomponent; and (iii) a reconciliation of the Designated Account. The DFI will be responsible for consolidating the financial information, including transactions under Component 5.

The DFI will prepare the Project’s financial statements on an annual basis. The Project’s annual financial statements will be audited by a private firm under terms and conditions acceptable to the Bank and will cover all project components, including the CERC Component, if activated. The Project’s annual audit reports will be submitted to the Bank no later than six months after the end of each audited period. Audit costs will be financed by the Project. Audited financial statements will be disclosed on MINEDUCYT’s website and the World Bank will make them available to the public in accordance with its Policy on Access to Information.

MINEDUCYT should retain all records (contracts, invoices, bills, receipts and other documents)

evidencing expenditures until at least the later of: (i) one year after the Bank has accepted the audited financial statements covering the period during which the last withdrawal from the loan account was made; and (ii) two years after the closing date. MINEDUCYT will provide access to the Bank for examination of such records.

Financial Management arrangements for Component 5 ‐CERC will be detailed in the specific CER

Manual, including roles and responsibilities of financial management staff.

Procurement This section refers to components related to the Project’s traditional components.

Implementation arrangements for the CERC will be described in the CER Manual which will be a disbursement condition for this component.


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Procurement will be carried out in accordance with the Procurement Regulations. Procurement under the Project will be carried out in accordance with ‘World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers’ dated July 2016 and revised in November 2017 and August 2018 (‘Procurement Regulations’), and the provisions stipulated in the procurement plan and the operational manual. All procurement methods and procedures are required to be consistent with the World Bank’s Core Procurement Principles and ensure that the World Bank’s Anti‐Corruption Guidelines and Sanctions Framework and contractual remedies set out in its Legal Agreement are adhered to.

A Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) was completed as part of project

preparation. The World Bank’s standard procurement documents will be used for all contracts that are subject to international competitive procurement. As defined in the PPSD, international market is expected to be used specially in consulting services, in which there is limited market within El Salvador. When approaching the national market, in accordance with paragraph 5.3 of the Procurement Regulations, a simplified bidding document will be agreed within the POM, including national procurement arrangements for publication and enforcement of including Bank’s standard fraud and anti‐corruption clauses. Comprasal will be used for publication purposes at national level.

Procurement capability assessment. An assessment of MINEDUCYT, conducted for the

preparation of the Project and PPSD, identified the following procurement risks: (i) Ministry has previously implemented World Bank funds; however, they have limited exposure to the World Bank’s new procurement framework; (ii) country’s current security risk, which could also impact Project activities; (iii) lack of qualified procurement specialists within the implementing unit; (iv) too many procurement processes of civil works running in parallel that might create contract management risks; (v) market risks envisioned in the procurement strategy; (vi) the requirement to obtain approval within the Ministry is long and could cause delays in procurement processing, including contract management; and (vii) lack of delegation in contract signing.

A series of mitigation measures will be implemented to ensure the satisfactory performance of

procurement functions, including: (i) hiring qualified procurement staff for the PIU to manage the Project’s procurement activities. At least one procurement coordinator, two procurement specialists, and an assistant are foreseen to be contracted under Terms of Reference (TORs) agreed with the Bank, with relevant experience in donor‐funded procurement, particularly in World Bank or IADB rules and procedures. (ii) The POM will include a procurement section, detailing roles and responsibilities and including flow‐charts with specific timeframes. (iii) The POM will also include non‐Bank standard procurement documents, including the Bank’s standard fraud and anti‐corruption clauses. (iv) The Borrower will possibly seek delegation of authority to the project coordinator to sign contracts and approvals within contract management. Procurement staff will be invited to participate in World Bank training on Procurement Regulations.

Contingency Emergency Response (CERC) component. It is expected that the Borrower will carry

out Component 5 (CERC) through one or more implementing entities to be defined in the project CER Manual. Once the entity(es) is (are) confirmed, a procurement assessment will be conducted on the entity (es) if different from MINEDUCYT. This component would require coordination with other government agencies.


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The World Bank’s STEP system will be used to prepare, clear, and update the Procurement Plans and conduct procurement transactions for the Project. This textual part, along with the Procurement Plan tables in STEP, constitute the Procurement Plan for the Project.

Strategy and Approach for Implementation Support The Implementation Support Strategy and Approach has been developed based on lessons

learned, the Project content, and its risk profile, aiming at making the implementation support to the GoES flexible and efficient. The plan places a strong emphasis on a close support and communication between the World Bank and MINEDUCYT.

The World Bank will provide strong implementation support to the Project’s components, as

well as guidance regarding technical, fiduciary, and social issues. The World Bank’s support will be organized in (i) general supervision, (ii) fiduciary and safeguards management support, and (iii) technical support in key areas. i. General supervision. Project supervision will be carried out by the Co‐TTLs. At least one Co‐TTL

should ideally be based in the El Salvador country office, to ensure close project supervision. The Co‐TTLs will ensure that project implementation is consistent with the World Bank requirements and as specified in the legal documents. It is expected that a fluid information exchange will be maintained with MINEDUCYT senior officials, exploring trust and good communication.

ii. Financial Management Supervision. Implementation support will review the implementation of FM arrangements and performance, identify corrective actions as necessary, and monitor fiduciary risks. Supervision missions will take place on a semi‐annual basis and include: (i) desk review of IFRs and audit reports, following up on any issues raised by auditors, as appropriate; (ii) participation in project supervisions at least twice a year to look into the operation of the control systems and arrangements described in this assessment; and (iii) updating the FM rating in the Financial Management Implementation Support and Supervision Report (FMISSR), as needed. In addition, during the first year of implementation, the Project will be closely monitored (quarterly) to ensure that the FM arrangements are working as intended and to make changes as needed.

iii. Social and environmental standards support. Supervision of the ESF instruments will be carried out

and supervised by the World Bank Social and Environmental Specialists assigned to the Project, during semiannual supervision missions and also on an on‐demand basis. The supervision will include field visits.

iv. Technical support. The World Bank will provide technical support based on World Bank staff and/or

short term consultants (STCs)– according to staff availability ‐ and include: (i) international expert on ECCE quality standards; (ii) international expert on teacher policies for the activities under Component 2; (iii) school infrastructure expert (member of the Safer Schools team) and a local STC (school infrastructure specialist) to supervise school infrastructure works under Component 3; (iv) education management expert to support the GoES in activities under Component 4. These experts will assist the Co‐TTLs to provide comments on MINEDUCYT´s strategies and plans, as well as TORs and/or intermediate or final reports. In particular, experts (i) and (ii) will provide assistance to ensure that the results are met, and, together with the World Bank technical staff, the expert will also support select quality assurance of the selected studies, including the impact study. The expert under


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(iii) will carry out the quality assurance of key products, as pre investment studies and the supervision of school infrastructure works.

Table 1.2 Skills and Resources

Focus Skills Needed Number of Staff Weeks / STCs (Per

Year)

Number of trips (per year)

Monitoring of implementation TTL/Co‐TTL 40 4

Analyst 8 2

Supervision and training in fiduciary and safeguard matters

Procurement, 12 3

FM, and 10 2

Social Specialist 8 2

Environmental Specialist 8 2

Development of ECCE Structural Quality Standards

ECCE Quality standards specialist

10 2

Development of ECCE curriculum ECCE curriculum specialist

Development of teacher practices plan, instruments and training plan preparation

Teacher Training Specialist

Selection of schools to be rehabilitated, prototype development and technical supervision

Infrastructure Specialists (2) 20 2

Quality assurance in Component 4 – Institutional Strengthening

Education Management Specialist

6

Administrative support Administrative staff ‐ ACS 20


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ANNEX 2. Institutions in the Early Childhood National Protection System in El Salvador

Source: World Bank, Early Childhood Education Diagnostic for El Salvador (Washington, DC: 2019).


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ANNEX 3. World Bank Support to Early Years A sequenced and integrated approach of analytical and lending support

1. El Salvador’s national Early Childhood Policy, Crecer Juntos is well informed by international experience but adapted to country context. For decades now, El Salvador has experienced high migration rates and crime and violence which contribute to slow economic growth and hindered the human development of the population. However, its young population (27.1 years average age) is El Salvador’s window of opportunity for growth and development. The Government of El Salvador has recognized the importance of focusing on the early years and defined among its main priorities the implementation of a national Early Childhood Development Policy with the objective to help children residing in El Salvador maximize their development potential. This policy, called Crecer Juntos will support children from the gestation period to age 7, that is, throughout their early childhood development, using a comprehensive and sequenced approach to the different dimensions of child development. The policy aims to achieve a personalized monitoring of each child’s development trajectory. The policy draws upon a large set of international experience from within and beyond Latin America, including the ongoing initiatives “Chile Crece Contigo", Colombia’s "De Cero a Siempre”, Peru’s "Primero la Infancia" and "Uruguay Crece Contigo"31. All these policies share a comprehensive and sequenced approach to early childhood development, which has inspired El Salvador in the development of Crecer Juntos. 2. At the center of this policy is the capacity of the state to monitor the development trajectory of each child in multiple dimensions. This will be done through a “window of contact" in social public services, including health, education, and social protection. From pregnancy to age 3 years old, almost all children in El Salvador participate in the public health system, and some children already participate in the public education system. Starting from age 4 and beyond, the contacts with the public health system decrease in intensity and those in contact with the education system increases in relevance. Throughout this time, family and parent interaction plays a transformational role in child development. Crecer Juntos includes services to strengthening caregivers’ early childhood parenting skills, as a cross‐cutting element to the full set of actions that are implemented. Finally, through the country’s social protection system, several actors come to play to offer services that are needed for selected groups of vulnerable and special needs children. The Crecer Juntos policy thus envisions a variety of benefits and services to children and their families, including the following:

a. Essential (universal) age‐appropriate services, or availability of services aiming to be available to all children;

b. Differentiated benefits or services for children whose families are affected by social and/or economic vulnerabilities; and

c. Specialized services targeted to children with individual risks or vulnerabilities (e.g., children with disabilities or developmental delays).

3. Achieving positive childhood development outcomes relies on a solid implementation of the policy. At the core of Crecer Juntos is a mechanism to track each child’s development trajectory at different ages. This is being supported through a shared management information system that allows to record inputs from the various sectors, health, education and social protection services that children

31 “Chile Crece Contigo” targets children from gestation to the first cycle of basic education (approximately 8‐9 years old); “De Cero a Siempre” covers children from 0 to 5 years old; “Primer la Infancia” covers children from 0 to 6 years old; and “Uruguay Crece Contigo” covers from 0 to 4 years old.


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receive (from conception to birth). It also allows the activation of those necessary services and benefits that are necessary, in a timely manner, through referral protocols agreed among service providers. At selected “contact points” with children, Crecer Juntos will introduce childhood development screening tools, which will allow to activate alerts (“warnings”) for the corresponding provider of the need for timely and relevant benefits or services. Given its intersectoral nature, the management model for Crecer Juntos will be coordinated from the Presidency of the Republic supported by the governmental coordination structure created through the Presidential Commissioner of Operations. 4. A national rollout via age cohorts will ensure strategic, sequential and cumulative support during early years. In addition, a progressive deployment of the implementation of the policy nationwide has been adopted, first prioritizing younger cohorts. The scale‐up of the model Crecer Juntos through a ‘cohorts modality’ will allow interventions to be prepared and implemented within the required time. In the first days of the policy, in 2020, these efforts would be concentrated mainly on the health benefits and services associated with health. In 2021, some education benefits, such as Family Circles, would be strengthened. In 2022, the kindergarten level should be prepared to receive children who have been covered by Crecer Juntos and who would exhibit greater school readiness than previous generations, with the first‐grade level ready to receive them by 2023. By 2024, age coverage would be complete, and Crecer Juntos would be fully implemented nationwide.

5. The World Bank Group supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Crecer Juntos policy, through a package of Analytical and Advisory Services (ASA) and results‐based operations in Health and Education. Since FY19, in the context of a regional ASA on Early Childhood Development policies in Central America (P169033), the Bank team promoted a series of knowledge exchanges on the sequencing and integration of early child development services. The team actively helped the country develop the strategic vision and informed the development of the new policy and reflected in two projects under preparation.[1] Through the proposed Project and another proposed investment in the health sector (P169677), the Bank would offer substantial financial support (totaling $500 million) to the implementation and evaluation of the Crecer Juntos policy. The design of the two projects is highly complementary, and well‐sequenced, and will support the broader implementation of Crecer Juntos. In particular, both projects would support the (i) Development of quality standards; (ii) Development of learning materials for children, parents, and caregivers; (iii) Development and delivery of training of Early Child Development (ECD) agents; (iv) Implementation of a Management and Information System promoting the interoperability of information across line ministries; and (v) Provision and monitoring of nutrition services in Early Childhood Care and Education Centers (ECCE). Through the two operations, the Bank has identified areas of joint support that will lead to an efficient use of resources and to achievement of the development objectives, as detailed in Table 3.1.

[1] The Health and Nutrition Global Practice Project (P169677) aims at strengthening health promotion behaviors among children aged 0 to 7 and their mothers during preconception and gestation; strengthening the early identification of risks and developmental delays in children aged 0 to 7; and improving the provision of quality health‐care maternal and child services. The Education Global Practice Project (P171316) aims to increase access to quality preschool education and improved child development.


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Table 3.1. Investing in Early Years: A Sequenced and Well‐Coordinated Approach to Childhood Development

AREAS OF COORDIONATED

SUPPORT

LINES OF ACTION RESULTS

HEALTH (P169677) EDUCATION (P171316)

Development of Quality Standards in Early Child Development

Development of referral protocols for early identification of risks and developmental delays in children. (Sc321.2, 1.3 MINSAL) Development of guidelines for healthy environments in learning spaces. (Sc1.3 MINSAL) Monitor the quality of water and sanitation at school facilities. (Sc1.3 MINSAL)

Review, alignment and nationwide implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) curriculum based on structural quality standards and the Early Childhood Development and Learning Standards (Sc1.2 MINEDUCYT) Development of basic structural quality standards for learning spaces (Sc1.1 MINEDUCYT) Support to ECCE official centers in meeting defined structural quality standards (Sc3.3 MINEDUCYT)

Establishment and Harmonization of ECD standards in health and education services

Design of learning materials for children and adults, in Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Design ECD guides and learning materials for agents serving Early Childhood (Sc1.2, Sc1.3 MINSAL)

Design ECD guides and learning materials for implementation of the ECCE curriculum nationwide (Sc1.2 MINEDUCYT)

Learning materials harmonized and coherent among the Ministries of Health and Education for the implementation of the Crecer Juntos Policy

Training of agents serving EC

Training of MINSAL Health Promoters and Basic Health Team (Sc2.1)

In‐service training for teachers at ECCE official centers (Sc2.1 MINEDUCYT) In‐service training for principals at ECCE official centers Support to pre‐service training for ECCE teachers (Sc.2.3 MINEDUCYT)

Establishment of minimum curricula and knowledge on ECD to be held by ECD agents

Interoperability of sectoral information systems with Crecer Juntos Management Information System

Child development tracking functionalities within health management information system (Sc.1.2; Sc.2.1 MINSAL)

Interoperability of the single registry of MINEDUCYT with a single registry of MINSAL.33

Integrated data (on beneficiaries and services to input Integrated Management Information System of Crecer Juntos

Nutrition in ECCE centers

Monitor the quality, provision and supplementary nutritional content of food in the ECCE Centers (Sc1.3 MINSAL)

Logistics and distribution of food in schools.

Coordination across MINSAL and MINEDUCYT on the availability and quality of nutritional programs in schools


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ANNEX 4. Detailed Project Description

The Project is aligned with the priorities of the national policy, Crecer Juntos, and with the

MINEDUCYT’s strategic plan. It was also coordinated with the education operation designed by the IADB and with support and advocacy initiatives carried out by UNICEF (Table 4.1). The Project will emphasize the implementation of early childhood education, with special attention to the 4‐7‐year‐old group and the institutional modalities. Component 1: Ensuring ECCE Structural Quality Standards and Curriculum Nationwide (US$47 million)

This component will support the Government of El Salvador (GoES) in developing and implementing structural quality standards (SQS) for all ECCE services (children 0 to 7 years old) offered through institutional modalities,34 including public and private providers, and updating the current curriculum in concurrence with the proposed SQS and the Early Childhood Development and Learning standards (ECDLS). The SQS will be aligned with the Crecer Juntos ECD policy and validated, under the leadership of MINEDUCYT, with other public institutions such as ISNA, CONNA, MINSAL, National Institute of Teacher Training (Instituto Nacional de Formación Docente, INFOD), Salvadoran Institute for Professional Development (Instituto Salvadoreño de Formación Profesional, INSAFORP), municipalities, and other key stakeholders from the private sector and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs). For several issues related to children’s health and nutrition, this will be done in coordination with the Growing up Healthy Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Development in El Salvador Project (P169677). To complement the Project’s interventions and address demand issues, the Crecer Juntos initiative, with UNICEF’s support, will carry out massive communication campaigns to inform parents of the importance of ECCE services for their children’s development and learning. Component 1 has two subcomponents:

Subcomponent 1.1. Accreditation of ECCE structural quality standards (US$1 million). The main objective of the subcomponent is to accredit ECCE centers with a minimum set of SQS. To achieve the objective, the subcomponent will (i) define the minimum SQS that will serve as a framework for the accreditation of ECCE institutional modalities, both public and private; and (ii) will develop and operate an accreditation system. The SQS will undergo a validation process that includes reviewing key inputs to inform their design, in coordination with relevant stakeholders, and articulating them with the existing national standards and norms, as well as with the ECDLS that are being developed prior to the start of the Project. The accreditation system will focus on defining minimum SQS in the areas of: ECCE workforce profiles and development of human capital; teacher‐student ratio; and physical infrastructure and learning spaces resilient to natural hazards and climate change, among others.

The process for validating the SQS includes reviewing key inputs, in coordination with relevant

stakeholders, and articulating them with the existing national standards and norms, as well as with the child development and learning standards that are being developed during the year before starting the Project implementation. The model will focus on defining structural minimum quality standards in the areas of (i) maximum child per adult ratio; (ii) ECCE workforce (teachers, non‐teaching staff including ATPI, caregivers, and volunteers from both public and private sectors) competences and skills; (iii) existence of educational, safety and other plans; and (iv) physical infrastructure resilient to natural hazards, climate change, and learning spaces. Setting standards for institutional education services will directly impact

34 Institutional modalities are all center‐based ECCE services.


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equity by establishing quality minimums to which the more vulnerable currently do not have access. Subcomponent 1.1 will also create a process for accreditation of SQS for institutional ECCE modalities, which will be mandatory for both the public and private systems.

This subcomponent has four core activities: Activity 1.1.1 is the development of structural standards. This process will encompass the following activities: (i) an assessment of the political, normative, institutional, and budgetary conditions, to evaluate the feasibility of raising standards; (ii) an analysis of the costs for the public system to close quality gaps among ECCE facilities; and (iii) the design of regulatory mechanisms to implement the funds in order to reduce gaps in structural standards. The second Activity 1.1.2 consists of designing and formalizing the start of operation of the accreditation system for centers for institutional ECCE modalities, public and private. Activity 1.1.3 is the establishment of the certification’s institutional framework, and the mechanisms to certify the educational quality of public and private institutional modalities. This activity involves (i) developing the capacity to monitor and control the fulfilment of structural standards, (ii) the promotion of the accreditation system, and (iii) the creation of regulations to support the standards. Finally, Activity 1.1.4 will provide inputs for social inclusion and environmental protection that support design and implementation of SQS.

The subcomponent will finance international technical assistance to support the design of the standards and the certification system, which are pioneering processes in the country. In addition, it will finance national consultancies to carry out the diagnosis of gaps and the costs of closing gaps, and the training of supervisors for the certification process. MINEDUCYT personnel will be trained in the skills needed to make the process sustainable and scalable to other educational levels. At the end of the Project, a small proportion of the 5,200 existing centers are expected to have successfully completed the accreditation process.

Subcomponent 1.2. Review, alignment and implementation of the ECCE curriculum nationwide

(US$46 million). This subcomponent will support (i) the revision of the national ECCE curriculum to ensure its alignment with the ECDLS; and (ii) its implementation through the preparation and delivery of learning materials to ECCE official centers. The adjusted curriculum will retain the elements of socioemotional skills but will be revised and updated based on the principles of peace and democratic values, nurturing care, gender equality, interculturality, and inclusive education. It will also include separate learning strategies for children with special learning needs, those living with their imprisoned mothers, and those from ethnic minorities. The curriculum proposal will include a set of childcare strategies, which will be compatible with the achievement of learning standards in different real‐life contexts. Special attention will be given to the development of multi‐grade curricular applications for the 1,200 rural schools with ECCE services located in the most vulnerable regions. Specific interventions will also be designed for intercultural education as well as children with special needs. The curriculum will seek articulation across ECCE and the first grades of basic education, to promote coherence and continuity of the education service provision and to facilitate the process of curricular revision for all levels, in accordance with ECDLS. The ECCE curriculum will be revised through an evaluation of the current curriculum, the development of an adaptation proposal, and its socialization and validation among relevant actors, such as universities, teachers and parents. The subcomponent will support the implementation of the curriculum through the preparation and delivery of learning materials to 100 percent of ECCE official centers (4,500 ECCE centers). The subcomponent will define, where relevant, the technical specifications for the materials for the implementation of the curriculum.


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This Subcomponent is divided into six activities: i. Activity 1.2.1 is the public launch of the child development standards that will be elaborated

through an intersectoral process coordinated by the Office of the First Lady. The child development standards will be the reference for various instruments to be developed by the Project, such as the curriculum review, teacher and principal standards, and training plans.

ii. Activity 1.2.2 is the review, adaptation and publication of the ECCE curriculum and aims to aligning the current curriculum to the validated child development standards.

iii. Activity 1.2.3 consists of the technical delivery of the curriculum to ECCE teachers, ensuring that all teachers have the curriculum available to planning and organize their class. This activity involves the printing of the curriculum and the logistics of delivery to teachers at the regional level.

iv. Activity 1.2.4 will design and implement materials for teachers and families. In the pursuit of equity, the subcomponent will support the development of guides and materials for curriculum application in specific class contexts and for different kinds of populations. The material developed for families will allow them to get involved in the development of their children, using pedagogical strategies.

v. Activity 1.2.5 will design and provide teaching resources to schools for the implementation of the curriculum. The subcomponent will deliver the didactic material to implement the curriculum to all classrooms (9,100) that serve early childhood in the public system.

vi. Activity 1.2.6 will design and implement materials that support the curriculum and encourage social inclusion. Materials will be developed with an intercultural approach, including material in Braille, material to support families with children with disabilities, and didactic material provision for native language rescue programs.

Component 2: Strengthening Professional Development of Teachers and Principals at ECCE Official Centers (US$28.5 million)

Building on the SQS and revised ECCE curriculum under Component 1, Component 2 will focus

on strengthening the cognitive and socioemotional skills, and pedagogical practices of teachers and principals working in institutional ECCE public modalities serving children from 0 to 7 years old, with special emphasis on the needs of different contexts and populations: urban and rural children, those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and those with special needs. A rigorous impact evaluation of the in‐service training program for ECCE principals and teachers will be carried out under this component. This evaluation will include an analysis of the complementarities between both in‐service trainings. The component also aims to revise the national pre‐service teacher training plan to introduce mentoring and effective techniques in teacher training and to ensure the quality of trainers for its implementation. Component 2 has three subcomponents:

Subcomponent 2.1. In‐service training for teachers in ECCE Official Centers (US$20 million). This subcomponent aims to enhance practical teaching skills in line with the revised ECCE curriculum for in‐service teachers working in public ECCE services. Special attention will be given to building capacities for gender‐neutral teaching practices free of gender‐based violence and to identifying children at risk from exposure to multiple forms of violence. In addition, teachers will be prepared to face the pedagogical challenges of multi‐grade classrooms and ethnic diversity and to address the challenges of children with special needs. The activity will include (i) a diagnosis and characterization of in‐service teachers’ ECCE


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knowledge and pedagogical competencies; (ii) the design of a training plan of trainers; (iii) the preparation of a critical mass of trainers; (iv) the design of an in‐service teacher training plan; (v) the provision of the teacher training; and (vi) carrying out an impact evaluation of in‐service training for ECCE teachers. Through the teacher training, the subcomponent will also support the creation of a teachers’ support group to strengthen peer‐to‐peer learning and the in‐service training for ECCE teachers. The main outcomes of interest for the impact evaluation will be pedagogical practices, teachers’ socioemotional skills, and children’s cognitive and socioemotional skills.

Sub‐component 2.1 has six main activities. Activity 2.1.1 will formulate the training standards for teachers, that are linked to a diagnosis of in‐service teachers’ knowledge and skills and a sample evaluation of classroom practices. Practices will be evaluated through a standardized instrument such as TEACH. The training standards will be directly linked to the adjusted curriculum, as they will define what teachers should know and should be able to do in the classroom. Activity 2.1.2 will design the training plan for trainers who will be responsible for the teachers mentoring. The subcomponent will support the hiring of an international consultancy for this design given the limited local knowledge of because training standards and mentoring. Activity 2.1.3 consists of the preparation of a critical mass of 160 trainers who will be awarded scholarships to complete a six‐month training process, with foreign teachers and with a week of training abroad in order to learn about foreign program experiences. The best performers will go on and implement future teacher training and mentoring.

In a second block, Activity 2.1.4 aims to the design of an in‐service teacher training plan with a

duration of 1 year, and which will combine three sessions of group training and classroom mentoring. This avant‐garde design is based on the international evidence that teacher training processes with effects on practice are those that combine traditional strategies and classroom coaching. The in‐service teacher training plan will also include skills for social and environmental inclusion. Particularly important will be the specific training for the care of children with disabilities and to support interculturality. After that, Activity 2.1.5 will support the implementation of this pioneer training in the country. The training will be provided nationally to approximately 8,000 public early childhood teachers in two cohorts of 4,000 each. Additionally, strategies to the incorporation of in‐kind incentives and the use of a digital interaction platform will be additional strategies included.

The condition of schools from a territorial perspective is very heterogeneous (see Table 4.3).

For example, rural schools tend to be small and most face the challenge of multi‐grade classrooms, while in urban areas a common problem is large schools with overcrowding and exposure to violence. These considerations require a differentiated thinking for the training strategy because rural teachers are isolated and dispersed, while urban teachers may have restricted mobility due to violence despite working in networks.

Table 4.3 Distribution of Teachers in Schools

Urban (percent) Rural (percent) Kindergartens (KG) Schools with KG Kindergartens Schools with KG

1 to 2 teachers 29.8 53.1 61.8 95.4 3 to 5 teachers 32.4 36.8 26.5 4.2 More than 5 teachers 37.8 10.1 11.8 0.4 Total 100 100 100 100

Source: MINED; data from Observatory 2018.


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Finally, Activity (2.1.6) will be to elaborate an impact evaluation that measures the effects of the

in‐service teachers´ training on pedagogical practices, students´ learning and socioemotional development in a subsample of schools.

Subcomponent 2.2. In‐service training for principals in ECCE Official Centers (US$6 million). The Project recognizes the leading role of principals in the improvement of the quality of education, increasing parent participation, and mitigations of risks (e.g., climate risks) associated with inhibiting learning. For this reason, this subcomponent will strengthen school leadership with an emphasis on principals’ capacity to monitor and evaluate teaching practices. Activities will include: (i) the diagnosis and characterization of in‐service principals’ ECCE knowledge and competencies; (ii) the design of a training plan for trainers; (iii) the preparation of a critical mass of trainers; (iv) the design of an in‐service principals’ training plan; (v) the provision of training to principals; and (vi) carrying out of an impact evaluation of in‐service training for ECCE principals. Principals oversee all levels of the school, so their training will improve the overall quality of the center and teaching practices. The main outcomes of interest for the impact evaluation will be principals’ management and leadership skills, teachers’ pedagogical practices, and children’s cognitive and non‐cognitive skills.

The principal’s training will be implemented in three cohorts that will encompass the total of KG principals (4,500 KG principals working in KG‐only schools and schools with other levels). It will include the instruction of 30 trainers. The role of principals is in practice merely administrative, and a more pro‐active role for principals, from a pedagogical perspective, requires not only the development of more technical skills, but also their empowerment as team leaders. The training will consider that about 3,500 principals are also teachers and that about 500 are multi‐grade classroom principals/teachers.

Subcomponent 2.3. Support to pre‐service training for ECCE teachers (US$2.5 million). There

will be a gap between the quality of human capital needed to implement a new standards‐based curriculum and the quality of pre‐service teachers, as their curriculum is not linked to quality standards (see Figure 4.1 Diagram of standards). This subcomponent will carry out a process of review and adaptation of the early childhood pre‐service teacher training curriculum currently offered in higher education institutions. The process of review and adaptation of the curriculum and its respective accreditation will be used as the basis for pre‐service teacher training at the national level. The subcomponent is expected to be led by the National Teacher Training Institution (INFOD), which will help strengthen its role in ensuring the quality of training. However, in the event that INFOD has not complied with the necessary legal and organizational agreements, it may be executed through higher education institutions in compliance with the Bank's procurement regulations. The Project will grant scholarships to a group of applicants who could be recent graduates or graduates of the new training plan, promoting the allocation of scholarships among the best candidates.


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Figure 4.1 Diagram of standards and their scope in the country

Component 3: Upgrading ECCE Physical Learning Environments (US$154.5 million)

The component will support the GoES in improving public ECCE physical learning environments

to ensure that they are child‐centered, learning‐oriented, gender‐inclusive, safe, sustainable, and resilient to natural hazards and climate change. The component will also promote the increased capacity of ECCE official centers to receive more children and/or resolve overcrowding, and to offer new preschool levels to foster access and transition between the different ECCE levels and to the first grades of primary education. The component’s contribution will be two‐fold: (i) upgrading ECCE official centers standards and their design for MINEDUCYT’s use nationwide; and (ii) improving learning physical environments of selected vulnerable ECCE centers. In addition, an impact evaluation on the effects of ECCE physical learning environment improvements on key variables such as ECD and learning, teacher practices, and/or school attendance will be defined accordingly. With the exception of the regularization of ECCE official centers, the other activities under Component 3 will potentially be carried out with the support of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to guarantee timely and‐high quality delivery of project activities. This Component has three subcomponents:

Subcomponent 3.1 Pre‐investment for the improvement of ECCE public infrastructure (US$5.5 million). This Subcomponent has three main actions: (i) defining the scope of the Project’s investments; (ii) updating the national standards for ECCE public infrastructure; and (iii) supporting the regularization of property registration of ECCE centers in the relevant registries. Firstly, the pre‐investment activities will be carried out in a group of ECCE centers which were selected during project preparation. Based on existing information, MINEDUCYT has selected a set of 300 ECCE official centers according to the following criteria: (i) ECCE enrollment, (ii) overcrowding, (iii) social vulnerability of children attending the school, and (iv) risk of collapse by natural event (i.e. earthquakes). The short‐listed school facilities will be inspected to collect basic/updated data and to select the final list of approximately 110 school facilities to be intervened under Subcomponent 3.2.


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Table 4.4 shows the location and enrollment conditions of a prioritized set of 300 schools, according to the criteria described above. These schools will be visited by MINEDUCYT before the start of the Project in order to determine a smaller list (of approximately 110 schools) with suitable conditions to be rehabilitated or replaced, including size of the land and, confirmation of intervention needs.

Table 4.4 List of 300 Priority Schools

District Seismic Risk Enrollment

Type 1 Type 2 PK and KG Total Schools

AHUACHAPÁN 4 21 2,114 4,480 25

CABAÑAS 12 1,599 2,385 12

CHALATENANGO 3 8 770 971 11

CUSCATLÁN 6 8 1,867 1,998 14

LA LIBERTAD 4 15 2,769 2,858 19

LA PAZ 11 14 1,782 2,574 25

LA UNIÓN 7 5 998 1,192 12

MORAZAN 5 18 1,504 3,777 23

SAN MIGUEL 12 16 1,819 3,078 28

SAN SALVADOR 6 8 2,081 2,081 14

SAN VICENTE 8 25 2,783 4,571 33

SANTA ANA 17 7 1,243 1,758 24

SONSONATE 9 16 2,577 4,931 25

USULUTÁN 8 26 3,116 5,371 35

Grand Total 100 199 27,022 42,025 300

Source: MINED; data from Observatory 2018.

Secondly, building on lessons learned during the early implementations of these activities, using

international evidence and best practices, and incorporating children’s health and nutrition standards from the Growing Healthy Together: Comprehensive Early Childhood Education in El Salvador Project (P169677), the Project will update the national school infrastructure standards with new technical specifications for ECCE learning spaces, furniture, and equipment. This technical assistance will ensure that ECCE public buildings, furniture and equipment are child‐centered, inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable, and learning‐oriented. This activity will develop a set of integrated requirements and provisions (architectural, engineering, social‐environmental, etc.) to guide the pre‐investment phase of new public ECCE infrastructure nationwide. The new technical regulation will be legalized to make it a mandatory level for all MINEDUCYT infrastructure. Finally, in support of the MINEDUCYT infrastructure investment improvement strategy, the subcomponent will support the formalization of property titles of a group of selected ECCE official centers, that are not currently registered, based on criteria of (i) early childhood enrollment, and (ii) risk of collapse due to natural event (E.g. earthquakes) that are not currently registered. This activity will be carried out through the Property Legalization Institute (Instituto de Legalización de la Propiedad), that is a decentralized institution attached to the Ministry of Housing.

Subcomponent 3.2 Improving physical environments in selected ECCE Official


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Centers (US$129 million). This subcomponent includes comprehensive infrastructure works to help approximately 110 selected MINEDUCYT ECCE centers meet the quality standards defined under the Project and improve their capacity to receive preschool students. To this end, the Project will substitute, rehabilitate and/or expand ECCE official centers selected pursuant to criteria set forth in the POM, following the infrastructure standards developed under the Project. As part of the infrastructure upgrade, when a school has the required physical conditions, the subcomponent will expand the ECCE supply through new ECCE classrooms to receive more students when there is a proven demand for ECCE services. In addition, given that some school facilities may present risks to students’ safety and the need to intervene in each school as a whole, the infrastructure works will benefit not only the ECCE physical investments, but all educational levels and spaces. The intervention will be comprehensive, ensuring access to basic services, climate‐resilient design of the spaces, application of low carbon technologies and energy efficiency standards and appliances, and strengthening complementary spaces, such as playgrounds, sports or other recreational areas.

Subcomponent 3.3 Support to ECCE Official Centers in meeting structural quality standards (US$20 million). This subcomponent will provide infrastructure works and/or goods provision to ensure that ECCE official centers selected pursuant to criteria set forth in the POM meet the minimum structural quality standards. Based on a comprehensive diagnostic of the existing ECCE service delivery to measure the current quality of ECCE facilities, MINEDUCYT will prioritize approximately 400 ECCE official centers to benefit from corrective maintenance of spaces, equipment and furniture. This will include minor interventions such as (i) construction of bathrooms, (corrective maintenance of basic services systems (e.g., water, electricity); (ii) corrective maintenance of components (roofs, doors, floors, etc.); and (iii) corrective maintenance of furniture and equipment.

Funds will be allocated based on the results of the structural standards gap study to be carried

out under Component 1 and will aim to provide opportunities for the most vulnerable schools (see Table 4.5). These schools will develop proposals based on the gaps identified.

Table 4.5 Proportion of Early Childhood Schools with Various Learning Space Conditions

Urban Rural

Kindergarten

Schools with kindergarten

Kindergarten Schools with kindergarten

Library 4.2 47.5 0.0 14.4

Recreation area 34.9 58.7 29.4 42.0

Dining room 16.0 14.2 14.7 16.0

Kitchen 49.6 55.6 32.4 44.9

Warehouse 26.9 28.0 44.1 47.3

Educational support room

0.4 35.3 2.9 5.1

Source: MINED; data from Observatory 2018. Note: The numbers are percentages of kindergartens that have the different amenities—library, recreation area, dining room, kitchen, warehouse, and educational support room.

Component 4: Institutional strengthening for the Management of the Education Sector (US$20 million).


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The objective of this component is to strengthen the MINEDUCYT’s capacity to provide quality services to schools and to efficiently manage the Project. To this end, the component will support:

Subcomponent 4.1. Strengthening MINEDUCYT’s institutional capacity for the management of the education sector (US$8 million). This subcomponent focuses on two macro‐processes: (i) the provision of support to MINEDUCYT to implement its institutional transformation plan; and (ii) and the use of learning outcomes to improve the quality of education.

i. Subcomponent 4.1.1 Support for institutional transformation focuses on (i) assisting the

MINEDUCYT in the implementation of its institutional transformation plan, with emphasis on operationalizing the new organizational structure in the territory (whose design has been developed with technical assistance from the World Bank prior to the Project’s start). This includes the revision of the management structure and processes, as well as the training of human talent in the regions. This is a key process to support the decentralization process and the relationship with schools, and its strengthening will emphasize ensuring capacities for the adequate functioning of the main areas of the Project, such as early childhood, curriculum, teacher training, the management of school infrastructure and educational evaluation; (ii) Strengthening the management of school infrastructure, aimed to ensure adequate planning, pre‐investment, investment, supervision and maintenance of school infrastructure at the central, regional and local levels. Among the main areas for strengthening. Priority will be given to the design of a management system for school infrastructure, the development of an education infrastructure inventory system; and support for the preparation of an investment plan based on information produced by the inventory. The Project will finance technical assistance, development and/or acquisition of necessary software and minor equipment for communication and management of the infrastructure; and (iii) Strengthening capacities for inclusive and sustainable educational management, which will include the design of structures, procedures, manuals and training to ensure that the MINEDUCYT has the necessary areas that can ensure compliance with rights and care for the environment throughout its institutional work. In all these actions of 4.1.1, the Project will provide technical assistance and provide, as well, minor equipment for communications and management, and operating expenses, but will not hire personnel or finance infrastructure works. To be defined during implementation, one, several or any of these actions may be carried out by external actors hired by the Project if deemed necessary during implementation. The strengthening of the management of school infrastructure, will be linked to Component 3.

ii. Subcomponent 4.1.2 Use of learning outcomes to improve the quality of education will focus on

measuring learning, disseminating results, training staff, and ensuring their use of results at the school level to monitor and improve the quality of education in basic education. Activity 4.1.2.1 includes the creation of a learning assessment unit, within the framework of the institutional transformation of MINEDUCYT, which includes the reorganization of the quality assessment system. This process also includes: actions of 4.1.2.2 Design and application of national standardized assessments for language and mathematics, which includes in at least two grade levels and, the collection and processing of two rounds of census tests assessments for these levels; 4.1.2.3 Dissemination; which includes the dissemination of results and training of educational agents (Principals and ATPIs) on the use of these results for educational planning and improvement of learning through friendly methods and tools for communication and follow‐up of results; 4.1.2.4


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Support; which includes support for the elaboration and implementation of educational improvement plans, especially focused on contributing to the improvement of learning in reading, writing and mathematics in primary school (grades 3 and 4). Activity 4.1.2 may finance national and international technical assistance and goods necessary for communication and management of learning outcomes but may not finance infrastructure works.

Subcomponent 4.2 Project Management (US$ 12 million). Sub‐component 4.2 addresses Project

management. This Subcomponent includes the human resource needs that will be supported during the Project by the different areas (a) technical, (b) procurement and (c) financial areas. The subcomponent will support the strengthening of MINEDUCYT’s capacity to manage and oversee the project implementation and monitor and evaluate the Project’s objectives and outcomes. In addition, this subcomponent includes strengthening MINEDUCYT’s capacity to give sustainability to the initiatives supported by the Project, which includes the strengthening of curricular management capacity, centralizing training processes and strengthening monitoring, supervision and accreditation capacities (including the strengthening of the implementation of the SQS accreditation system), as well as the ability to comply with environmental and social standards.

Component 5: Contingency Emergency Response (US$0.0)

Reflecting the strategic approach taken in El Salvador across the Bank's portfolio, the

Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) will provide immediate response to eligible emergencies. As such, in the event of an eligible emergency (as defined in the CER Manual to be prepared and adopted by the GoES), this component will finance emergency activities and expenditures that meet the conditions stipulated in the CER Manual through a reallocation of project funds. The CERC can be used for the provision of goods, works, and services. The activation involves (i) a government request submitted by the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda, MoF) to the Bank for support of an eligible event through the CERC; and (ii) the preparation of an acceptable Emergency Action Plan for the use of CERC funds that must be approved by the Bank.


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ANNEX 5. Environmental and Social Framework Assessment

The overall environmental and social risk classification of the Project is assessed as Substantial.

The proposed social risk classification is Substantial. The Project is mainly expected to have positive social impacts from increased quality of ECCE service delivery. The Project’s social risks may include exacerbating existing inequalities if potential impacts to and barriers to access for girls, children with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, afro‐descendants, children living in poverty or geographical isolation, and other vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals or groups are not properly addressed. Additionally, there is a risk that Indigenous Peoples may not receive early childhood education in their mother tongues, as well of prejudice or discrimination towards individuals or groups in the provision of services and resources. In addition, the legalization of early childhood schools that are not registered under MINEDUCYT carries the risk of affecting existing rights or claims to land if not accompanied with clear and adequate rules for the recognition of relevant land tenure rights. Moreover, high levels of contextual violence, including gender‐based and domestic violence, as well as gang related violence, constitute a significant access barrier to project benefits. The Borrower has previous experience with World Bank safeguards, including Indigenous Peoples’ issues, and capacity strengthening measures include hiring of a social specialist with experience on crime and violence issues to work full‐time in the PIU. In addition, measures to identify specific risks at the local and municipal level and to strengthen capacity for social management, including management of contextual risks related to crime and violence, have been included in the Project’s design.

Based on the scope of the Project's activities, which include technical assistance, capacity building, and infrastructure interventions, including educational center substitutions and rehabilitation and/or expansion, for which the exact locations are not yet known, the Borrower has prepared a draft of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). The ESMF includes: (i) a high level Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) describing broad baseline social and environmental conditions, identifying potential environmental and social risks, impacts, and opportunities associated with the proposed activities, and formulating generic mitigation, management, and monitoring measures to address the likely impacts; and (ii) the principles, guidelines and procedures for carrying out site‐specific screening and assessment, confirming and incorporating appropriate management and mitigation measures into contract documents, and providing guidance on effective implementation and monitoring at the subproject level.

The ESMF (including the ESA) considers requirements for coordination and consultation with beneficiaries and affected persons to ensure that potentially adverse environmental and social risks of subprojects are identified and managed and includes measures to strengthen the Borrower’s capacity to the management and oversight of the environmental and social risks. In addition, the ESMF provides guidelines for subprojects to (i) reflect the implementation of technically and financially feasible design measures for improving energy, water and raw materials use and to promote greater climate and natural disaster resilience; (ii) where applicable, identify measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential adverse impacts on biodiversity and on the sustainable management of living natural resources; and (iii) identify measures to ensure facility and community safety during construction and operation. The ESMF also includes a section describing the Environmental and Social requirement aspects of the CERC, establishing that its activities will need to comply with the same environmental and social requirements


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applicable to non‐CERC activities. The draft ESMF includes a discussion on resources available for specific mitigation measures. Resources for the development of subproject instruments are included as part of the subproject costs. The draft ESMF was disclosed by the Borrower on January 17 and by the Bank on January 18, 2020.

The Project has prepared, and both the Bank and the Borrower have disclosed, a draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), which (i) describes the Project stakeholders, distinguishing between those directly affected by the Project and other interested parties; (ii) describes the timing and methods of engagement with key stakeholders throughout the Project’s life‐cycle, including engagement activities carried out before appraisal, and planned participatory processes related to the curriculum development and training activities, and local‐level consultations once the locations of infrastructure interventions are known; (iii) describes the type of information that will be provided to stakeholders and how feedback from stakeholders will be solicited and recorded; and (iv) describes the Project‐level Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to be implemented by the Borrower, which will be culturally sensitive and accessible to indigenous peoples. The draft SEP also includes a notional budget for the implementation of stakeholder engagement activities during project implementation. The Borrower carried out national consultations with key stakeholders, including MINEDUCYT staff, civil society organizations working with vulnerable groups, the leaders of nationally representative indigenous organizations, and experts in indigenous and inclusive education between January 6 and 10, 2020. Additional Project consultations with representatives from indigenous organizations and communities took place on January 21, 2020, and the feedback obtained was integrated in project design.

The Borrower has developed draft written Labor Management Procedures (LMP) identifying and describing the different types of workers that are likely to be involved in the Project, the main labor and occupational health and safety risks associated with the Project, and setting out the principal labor requirements of national law and Environmental and Social Standard S2 Labor and Working Conditions applicable to the Project. The final version of the LMP will be disclosed prior to Effectiveness and will describe the roles and responsibilities of the PIU and UNOPS in relation to labor and working conditions.

Given that the specific sites for infrastructure interventions are not yet known, the Borrower

has prepared a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) 35 to cover such potential impacts. The RPF sets out the procedures to be followed for the preparation of Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) when they are required for subprojects under Environmental and Social Standard 5 Land Acquisition, Restriction on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement, as well as eligibility criteria for affected persons, procedures and standards for compensation and relocation assistance, and arrangements for consultations, budget, monitoring, as well as how the project‐level GRM will address involuntary resettlement‐related grievances. The RPF also includes principles to be followed in cases of voluntary land donation and the main principles to be applied for temporary relocation of schools during construction works, as well as a land donation protocol to be applied in case any land donations are included in the Project. A final temporary relocation protocol will be finalized prior to the adoption of the POM and will inform the terms of reference for the development of project Specifications (Carpeta técnica) for specific subprojects. The RPF was disclosed by the Borrower on January 17 and by the Bank on the 18, 2020.

35 The Borrower has disclosed all Environmental and Social Framework documents (ESMF, the RPF, and the IPPF on January 17; and the SEP and ESCP on January 20,2020) in: https://www.mined.gob.sv/noticias/noticias/item/1015297‐divulgacion‐proceso


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The Borrower, in consultation with nationally representative indigenous organizations, prepared an Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF), which identifies barriers to access and proposes measures to ensure project benefits are culturally pertinent, including in relation to the development of the curriculum, educational tools, and educational agent training. Such measures and resources for their implementation have been included by the Borrower in the Project’s design. The Borrower conducted an additional consultation with the Indigenous National Coordinating Council of El Salvador and its member organizations on January 21, 2020 to validate the measures in the draft IPPF, and the feedback of this consultation was included in the Project’s design. The IPPF also outlines how subproject‐specific Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPP) will be prepared in cases where infrastructure interventions are carried out where indigenous peoples are present or have collective attachment to the Project area, per the criteria in Environmental and Social and Standard 7 Indigenous People/Sub‐Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities. The IPPF was disclosed by the Borrower on January 17 and by the Bank on January 18, 2020.

Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): An ESCP was developed and agreed with the borrower and disclosed by both, Bank and borrower, on January 20, 2020 prior to Appraisal. It sets out material measures and actions for the Borrower to address the potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the Project, including through the preparation and implementation of the environmental and social instruments (ESMF, SEP, RPF, IPPF and LMP). The ESCP also refers to the specific Environmental and Social documents and plans that shall be developed to mitigate subproject‐specific risks and impacts, including timelines and responsibilities. In addition, the ESCP sets out the Borrower's commitment to: (i) ensure the PIU is sufficiently staffed to manage the Project's Environmental and Social risks; (ii) provide periodic reports on the implementation of the environmental and social measures, as well as on the Project‐level GRM; (grievance redress mechanism iii) report to the Bank incidents and accidents related to the Project; and (iv) ensure capacity building on the Project's Environmental and Social instruments to PIU staff and contractors is carried out.

Should the Project's Contingency Emergency Response Component be triggered in response to

the occurrence of an eligible emergency, the necessary environmental and social instruments and measures shall be developed as required, prior to the undertaking of emergency response activities, to ensure compliance with the Environmental and Social Standards.


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ANNEX 6. Economic Analysis Rationale for investing in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

The first years of life are the most formative for the human brain and investing in early childhood development is recognized as an effective practice to close achievement and inequality gaps. Recent literature on early development education concludes that inequality in early childhood experiences produces inequality in ability, achievement, health, and adult success.36 By investing and providing resources to disadvantaged children and their parents early enough and reducing inequalities at birth, disadvantaged children could have better opportunities from the beginning, resulting in greater social and economic equity. Further, ensuring similar opportunities for all children translates into a more productive economy. In fact, Garcia et al (2017), estimate that for every dollar invested in early childhood education programs, the beneficiaries’ lifetime labor income increases by US$1.3. Moreover, investing in education goes beyond economic outcomes: a more educated population generally has better health, engages in less crime, and has higher democratic participation and more environmental consciousness. In terms of macroeconomic growth, evidence shows that investing and equalizing education lead to a higher average level of cognitive skills, which in turn leads to higher economic and societal returns through a higher labor productivity and improved human capital. Recent literature shows that quality of education is positively correlated to higher individual earnings, which ultimately translate into higher labor productivity and eventually to economic growth.37 ECD is one of the most cost‐efficient investments in human capital, and its benefits are generated both in the short and the long term.

In addition to the inherent benefits of early childhood education, strong investment is needed in pre‐primary education in the context of the low‐quality of preschool provision in El Salvador. In addition to low access rates, El Salvador’s low ECCE quality is affecting children’s readiness for school, especially for those living in rural regions and from households of lower socioeconomic status. For instance, available data from assessments show that only 34 percent of second grade students and 40 percent of those in third grade of primary education (9 years old) read according to the standard for their age. El Salvador also faces an important proportion of overage children. With the large out‐migration that the country faces, as well as the high rate of violence in the country, actions are needed today to increase the quality of human capital and wage premiums, as well as setting the basis for a peaceful society. Rationale for Public Investment

Public financing for the Project is justified on two grounds: equity considerations and economic returns. Early childhood education lays the foundation for lifelong learning, with early interventions generating positive benefits that extend beyond childhood and affect labor productivity. The benefits of early childhood education interventions include enhanced school readiness; improved cognitive and socio‐emotional skills; increased school enrolment for other female siblings; improved physical and mental health; lower repetition and dropout rates in early grades; improved overall educational outcomes; and increased engagement of mothers in the workforce. In addition to the inherent benefits of early childhood education, strong investment is needed in pre‐primary education in the context of El

36 J. J. Heckman, “The economics of inequality: The value of early childhood education,” American Educator, 35(1), 31. 37 E. A. Hanushek and L. Woessmann, “The role of cognitive skills in economic development,” Journal of Economic Literature, 46(3), 607‐68.


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Salvador, given the skills needed to take advantage of its huge youth bulge as well as the inequality in access to education services for the poorest households. Households from the bottom quintiles will require state interventions to access good quality public preschool education, as they often lack information and cannot afford any other (private) alternative schooling and indeed may have no other available services. Moreover, international evidence points to significant economic returns – both public and private –generated by investments in ECD. Research‐based evidence points not only to a high return on investment from high‐quality early childhood interventions per dollar invested, but also to a higher rate of return compared to interventions directed at older children and adults.38 Value Added of the Bank's Support

The World Bank has been actively engaged in supporting Early Childhood Education Projects for many years across the region and the world in countries such as Serbia, Vietnam, Honduras, and China, acquiring extensive knowledge of specific challenges and opportunities, and it has derived helpful lessons for successful implementation. Moreover, the World Bank has extensive knowledge of the education challenges that El Salvador is facing, having assisted the country through joint research, policy advice, and project financing in a broad range of key education issues. Thus, the World Bank has the experience in supporting governments with expanding preschool services and addressing issues of equity, efficiency, infrastructure, and other challenges in the preprimary education subsector. In addition, the proposed Project will leverage the Bank’s robust financial, operational, and analytical models. Returns to ECCE

The economic and efficiency analysis for this Project estimates an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) that varies between 15 and 16.7 percent, depending on the sensitivity analysis, and a benefit‐to‐cost ratio of 8.8 with a discount rate of 8 percent. This analysis is based on the estimated benefits from future earnings attributable to a higher‐quality early childhood program in place, made by first calculating the number of children that benefit from the improved teacher practices under Component 2. The analysis estimates the impact that the teacher trainig would have on the children’s education outcomes—increased years of schooling and higher learning. These effects were then translated into improved salary income once students join the labor force. The estimates should be considered a lower‐ to middle‐bound, because not all benefits were considered. There are also important individual gains from investing in education that are not captured in this analysis, in part due to data limitations and in part due to difficulty in quantification of benefits. For instance, the benefits from the improved efficiency resulting from a stronger institution is not accounted for in the benefits. Nonetheless, the estimated rate of return of 16.7 percent makes the Project an attractive investment. The model assumptions are shown below along with a table summarizing the net present value (NPV) of total quantifiable benefits and costs associated with the Project. Cost‐Benefit Analysis

Main principles guiding the analysis: i. Benefits. The Project is expected to improve academic achievement and student retention for

those students who benefit from attending the renovated ECCE centers. ii. Costs. Total project financing during the implementation period amounts to US$ 250.00 million.

.


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Discounting the cost stream at a rate of 8 percent – which is the discount rate used by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund – yields a discounted present value of US$137 million (see Table 6.1)

iii. Assumptions. The analysis performed relies on assumptions (Table 6.2) that are the basis for measuring improved academic achievement and an increase in student retention in the later stages of the education lifecycle.

Table 6.1. El Salvador ECCE Project: Summary of Costs and Benefits (USD)

In USD In USD millions

Benefits Increase in annual earnings from improved academic achievement and higher retention [1]

22,399,710,982

22,400

Total Benefits 22,399,710,98

2 22,400

Present value of total benefits 1,211,395,835 1,211

Costs 209,814,907 210

Present value of total costs 137,479,597 137

NPV of net benefits 1,073,916,239 1,074 Benefit‐to‐cost ratio 8.81 8.81

Source: World Bank staff calculations.

Table 6.2. Assumptions for El Salvador’s ECCE Cost‐Benefit Analysis

BENEFITS 1. Earnings

Net average salaries and wages/month (2018) USD 346.6 Net average salaries and wages/month (2019) USD 370.8 2. Labor Market

Number of years to labor market entry (cohort starts preschool at 3 years old) 16 years Number of years to labor market entry (cohort starts preschool at 4 years old) 15 years Number of years to labor market entry (cohort starts preschool at 5 years old) 14 years Years of labor market participation 25 years Return of one additional year of schooling 7.2% COSTS 1. Cost of Project Development Cost of training teachers per student USD 1,301.2 Sources:

Earnings are average non‐zero monthly income (US$) of salaried individuals ages 15‐64 years in El Salvador based on EHPM 2018.

Returns of one additional year of schooling are private returns to schooling for salaried workers based on a Mincer regression specification, based on EHPM 2018.


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Earnings for 2019 adjusted using inflation projection reported in "Proyecciones de crecimiento económico real e inflación. 2019‐2020. Modelo Integrado Macroeconométrico de Proyecciones” (MIMPRO, marzo de 2019) from Departamento de Estadísticas Financieras y Fiscales, Gerencia de Estadísticas Económicas.

Cost of training teachers per student is estimated as the total project cost divided by the total number of students in the education system.

Fiscal Sustainability

The fiscal sustainability analysis shows that the Project will have a minor impact on the

Education Sector’s budget and spending in El Salvador’ fiscal accounts. A fiscal analysis was performed to assess the impact of the Project—specifically the capital recurrent costs of the rehabilitated centers—on the budget for the Education Sector as well as for the country. The estimates suggest an average increase of 0.03 percent on the yearly budget for the education sector per the Project duration and representing an average increase of 0.001 percentage points in the country’s GDP, suggesting the operation is sustainable.

Table 6.3. Fiscal Sustainability of the Project

Baselin

e Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Units 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

A. Scenario without the Project

Education Spending USD millions 1,017 1,021 1,075 1,111 1,179 1,190 1,197

Education Spending % of GDP 3.77 3.62 3.66 3.62 3.69 3.58 3.46

Budget of Project costs B. Scenario with base estimations using IMF Projections

GDP (current prices) USD millions

26,989 28,202

29,394

30,657

31,922

33,225

34,581

GDP growth (current prices) % 3.6% 4.5% 4.2% 4.3% 4.1% 4.1% 4.1%

Project cost by year (recurrent costs) 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Cumulative cost 0.0 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5

Education spending including Project USD millions 1,017 1,021 1,076 1,112 1,179 1,191 1,197

Education spending % of GDP 3.77% 3.62% 3.66% 3.63% 3.69% 3.58% 3.46%

Project cost on MINEDUCYT Budget % 0.00% 0.00% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03%

Data sources: UNESCO UIS Stats education database; and IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2019 (growth rates are based on current prices rather than constant prices). The projected government expenditure in education was calculated applying the projected education share of the public budget to the Projected GDP.

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