Technical Assistance Report

The views expressed herein are those of the consultant and do not necessarily represent those of ADB’s members, Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature.

Project Number: 46913 PPTA June 2012

Pakistan: TeleTaleem Project

PAK: TeleTaleem1 Project Project Preparatory Technical Assistance Concept Paper

Date: 25 May 2012

1. Country partnership strategy (CPS) / Regional cooperation strategy (RCS): TA Concept Paper for VP Approval. Year included in CPS/RCS/COBP/ROBP/CPS or RCS Midterm Review Report: N/A

Document reference number and date approved: N/A

In case of change in the PPTA title, type, or amount, please state reason: N/A

2. Coverage

X Country Subregional Interregional

sovereign X non-sovereign

3. Assistance Focus

a. Sector(s): Agriculture and natural resources Industry and trade

X Education Public sector management

Energy X Transport and ICT

Finance Water supply and other municipal infrastructure and services Health and social protection Multisector

Subsector(s): Pre-primary and basic education, upper secondary education, technical education and vocational skills training, ICT

b. Targeting classification

X Targeted intervention

TI-H X TI-M TI-G

X General intervention (more indirectly addressing poverty reduction)

c. Theme(s)

X Economic growth Gender equity

X Social development X Private sector development

Environmental sustainability Governance Regional cooperation and integration Capacity development

Subthemes: Promoting economic efficiency and enabling business environment, human development, private sector investment

d. Location impact

Relative weight of spatial impact of the project

High Medium Low

Rural X

Urban X

National X

Regional

4. Partnership N/A

5. Name of the Specialist (project team leader) in charge of the project: M. Azim Hashimi

Name of the Alternate Specialist: Siddhartha Shah

Local Number: 5513 Local Number: 6622

Email Address: mhashimi@adb.org Email Address: sidshah@adb.org

6. Department/Division: PSOD/PSIF1 and CWRD/PRM

1 Taleem is the Urdu (Pakistan‟s national language) word for Education

2

7. Key Development Issues to be addressed: Key Development Issues: Access to quality education is widely acknowledged as the primary driver of broad-based socio-economic development. Unfortunately, as reflected by the key basic education indicators, Pakistan‟s scorecard in the education sector has been very poor. Literacy rates - an indicator of a minimal level of education attainment - stands at 57%, staying stagnant over the last 5 years and falling well short of the 88% UNDP‟s Millennium Development Goals target for 2015. Net Enrolment at the primary level is showing similar trend, with a gain of only 5% during the last 4 years. At the current pace, full primary enrolment may not be achieved before 2050. The primary completion rate, a measure of education quality, stood at 54.6% in 2008/09, for public institutions. The number has dropped sharply since 2005/06 and has gone flat for the last 3 years. This indicator signifies poor quality of the public school system, which lacks teachers, has substandard quality of teaching and inadequate infrastructure. Even in comparison to similar economies of the region, Pakistan‟s performance in education is unsatisfactory; Pakistan‟s EDI (Education for All Development Index) is 0.640 in comparison to 0.797 for India and 0.759 for Bangladesh

2.

The technical education and vocational training (TEVT) segment performance is equally disappointing. In 2008/09, enrolment stood at 264,712 trainees, spread over 3,159 TEVT Institutes, i.e. an increase of only 11% the 3 year period. Despite the presence of training colleges and centers, the existing TEVT curriculum and quality of instruction has not kept pace with the present day job market. The requirements increasingly demand a much higher competency level, development of soft skills, and use of modern technology, etc. to attain relevant livelihood and employable skills.

Analysis of the basic and technical education segments points towards low access, poor quality and weak relevance. Over the last 10 years, multiple initiatives have been launched to address these issues. An estimated US$3 billion of development assistance has been given for long-term programs, including education sector reforms, teacher education, assessment upgradation and education data management. In parallel, Rs 1,215 Billion (or roughly $17 billion) have been invested in education by Government of Pakistan, from 2005/06 to 2009/10. Despite these investments and interventions, the vital education indicators show no significant improvement.

The Way Forward: The present situation calls for change in focus and strategy driven by technology and innovation. Conventional approach of simple physical school expansion to increase enrollment has to evolve into more innovative modes of increasing access to education. The improvement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Pakistan in recent years provides an unprecedented opportunity for Pakistan to significantly improve access to quality education by connecting students through ICT to the educational resources. Enabling Environment in Place: A lot of ingredients (in the IT and Education sectors) are already in place to deploy ICT for improved quality of education.

(i) Policy: Pakistan‟s first National IT Policy was launched in 2000, with a revision due in 2012. The revised policy draft talks about “eEducation”, covering ICT-centric capacity building, IT infrastructure (including computer and internet footprint), content development, outreach programs; necessary enablers to ensure ICT integration into education. The ICT infrastructure component is covered more elaborately under the Telecom Act of 1994. This Act has been followed up by sub-sectoral policies, i.e. broadband policy and the mobile policy, defining the long-term goals in these areas. (ii) Infrastructure: Pakistan‟s ICT infrastructure has experienced pervasive expansion and upgrade in the last decade in terms of mobile, internet and PC penetration. As of June 2011, Pakistan‟s teledensity stands at 69%, with almost all of it attributed to 109 million mobile subscribers

3. The country has 1.39 million broadband

2 EDI is a composite index based on primary enrollment, adult literacy, gender and survival rate indicators.

3 www.pta.gov.pk

3

connections and an internet user base of around 20 million. Pakistan‟s ICT Development Index Score – a measure of country‟s progress towards becoming an information society - improved from 1.56 to 1.83, from 2008 to 2010, posting 17% change as compared to the 14.4% average for the developing countries

4.

Internet access is now available in over 3,000 cities and towns of Pakistan including semi-urban and rural areas. Broadband internet footprint is expanding fast, especially through wireless connectivity. There are 7 wireless broadband service providers in Pakistan, with a subscriber base of approx 700,000 using WiMAX and CDMA technologies

5. Mobile internet using EDGE is being offered by all five mobile operators in Pakistan. GPRS

(supporting low speed internet) and SMS services are available to 100% of mobile subscribers and used frequently. PC penetration in Pakistan is 13% of Households in 2010, up from 9.8% in 2008

6. It is showing a strong growth,

especially in comparison to similar economies and the developing countries (India‟s PC penetration is 6.1% HH in 2010). The other major point of access is the Netcafe. Pakistan has a well grounded community based internet access through netcafes and telecenters, thereby connecting a large number of internet users who can‟t afford a PC at home.

(iii) Technology: Pakistan market has a strong and vibrant PC and mobile vendor community. The country is home to roughly 110 million mobile phones. From brand names to compatibles, all type of hardware is available in Pakistan. It also has a strong maintenance and support capability resource pool present in urban and semi-urban areas. The country also has a significant used hardware market, which helps bridge the affordability gap for majority of the users. Smartphones and tablets are also making a notable entry into the market. The declining price curve at the global level is helping the spread of these handheld devices in developing countries. (iv) Content Development: Pakistan has a rich and talented pool of IT and software companies with specialization in content development. Game and interactive applications for mobile devices is a hot development niche in Pakistan. There are several ongoing initiatives for creating education centric digital and interactive content; these include creation of animated and game based learning content, educational videos, localization of international content, conversion of existing content into electronic form, etc. (v) Institutional Support: Teacher education curriculum has undergone significant transformation in recent years. One notable development is the induction of ICT track in the new curriculum for the Bachelors and Associate Degrees in Education, for elementary/secondary school teachers. Emphasis is on computer literacy for teachers and using ICT as an instructional aid in the classroom. As part of the Government of Punjab IT Labs program, teachers were trained in IT skills before placement in schools. Public sector training organizations like Directorate of Staff Development have now included basic IT trainings as part of in-service teacher training program. (vi) Financing: GoP sponsored Universal Service Fund (USF) under its various broadband initiatives has already signed contracts worth $195 Million for provision of telecom and broadband services in under-served areas of the country

7. National ICT Research and Development Fund is another source of funding available for

proliferation of ICT enabled services in the country. Its vision is to transform Pakistan‟s economy into a knowledge based economy by promoting efficient, sustainable and effective ICT initiatives through synergistic development of industrial and academic resources. One of their focus areas for R&D is to leverage ICT to develop scalable and sustainable solutions to deliver international quality education. In the development sector DFID is about to launch Development Innovation Fund for education sector in Pakistan. USAID‟s „Improving the Quality of Reading Activity‟ is a 5-year, $30 Million program which aims to improve the quality of reading and numeracy skills in 500,000 students in Sindh.

Relevant Regional Initiatives confirm High Potential: There are many regional experiences that reinforce the positive impact of ICT for education, in terms of deeper outreach, unlimited access and transformation of teaching-learning process. Teachers Resource Centers in Maldives have been equipped with virtual learning environment for

4 www.itu.int/wsis

5 www.pta.gov.pk

6 www.pta.gov.pk

7 www.usf.org.pk

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online teacher education across various islands. Multi-purpose Community Telecenters have also been established for providing ICT-enabled services. In India, Educomp is transforming the way teachers teach and students learn in schools. Under the Edureach program, Educomp has partnered with fourteen (14) State Governments covering over 14,500 government schools and benefiting 7.9 million students. Indian government has also launched a satellite EDUSAT exclusively to serve the needs of interactive satellite-based distance education system in the country. The pan African e-Network project, now in its 2nd phase, is assisting African countries in capacity building by way of imparting quality education to 10,000 students in Africa over a 5-year period in various disciplines from some of the best Indian Universities/Educational Institutions. In Bangladesh, Village Communications and Internet Project by Grameen Communications aims to provide rural communities with ICT enabled educational facilities. RI-Sol in collaboration with Intel has established 47 Internet Learning Centers in 10 districts of Bangladesh providing online communication tools to be used by teachers and students. Open University of Sri Lanka, and Indira Gandhi National Open University India are also actively providing open distance learning services. Reviewing these regional initiatives and evidence of increasingly widespread use of ICTs in education initiatives around the world, endorses the case for the effective integration of ICT for education in Pakistan. 8. TA Description:

Given the key development issues highlighted above, there is an urgency to meet the country‟s education obligations. The most plausible approach, promising the deepest and quickest impact is to integrate ICT assisted advanced learning technologies into the present Education system. ICT for Education‟s potential to deliver has been validated within the region. The purpose of this TA is to explore and design strategies for effective and broad-based integration of ICT in basic education and TVET, based on latest trends and experiences.

This TA can be best implemented by partnering with an organization that is already pursuing similar goals and currently poised at early stages of planning large scale deployment. This approach would ensure expedited project initiation followed up with an effective implementation. TeleTaleem (T2) one of the very few companies - with a proven track record -active in the ICT education sector has been identified as the Implementing Partner for this TA. TeleTaleem is an eLearning service that connects learners and teachers to quality learning sources. T2 provides an ICT platform to enable the users to access learning resources, unrestricted by geographical, social, institutional and time boundaries. It is a cross cutting initiative able to serve all educational segments – from primary to tertiary and from teacher education to technical and vocational education. Using T2, a teacher or a master trainer is able to reach out to the learner through ICT without travelling to remote and inaccessible areas, saving time and money. In addition, the learner has unlimited access to a rich repository of learning and training materials of T2. T2 is expected to be self sustaining from the revenues generated for the fees charged for its services.

T2 platform comprises three sub-systems; Learning Management System, Content Management System and Virtual Classroom. The Learning Management System comprises of a course creation & management module, integrated scheduler management, assignment submission tracking and assessment, forums and groups. The Virtual Classroom includes access to live class with full audio/video interactivity, unlimited number of white boards, online chat, screen and document sharing with annotation/markup features. The Content Management System comes with recording and playback options, repository for storing learning collateral and storage of content developed over time. All lectures that are delivered through T2 are recorded and stored in the repository and can be accessed later through a variety of access devices both in/outside the class. The supported content types include plain textual content in the form of books, powerpoint slides, animated interactive content, game based learning content, lesson plans, training videos, activity based projects, etc. Development of an integrated assessment module is also in its initial stages.

T2 development, starting in mid-2009, is a collaborative effort based on the inputs of leading specialists and practitioners in Education and Technology. Since inception, T2 has engaged with a broad and comprehensive mix of stake holders and user groups. Starting 2010, T2 service has undergone an extended validation cycle with a wide variety of user cases. T2 has connected with a broad category of institutions, educators and education authorities, ranging from schools to teacher education to training institutions, from public, private and non-profit sectors.

T2 service is backed up by a technology driven business group, Comcept, with exposure in ICT products, services

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design and delivery. Setup in 1992, Comcept has been involved in various technology related ventures – It set up WorldCall, a telecom services provider, which was eventually sold to OmanTel; it also started Burraq Telecom (later Wi-Tribe) – one of Pakistan‟s largest long distance international (LDI), wireless local loop (WLL) and Wi-Max operator – later acquired by Qatar Telecom. Comcept recently deployed the TeleSehat

8 platform at Shifa –

Pakistan‟s leading hospital - to deliver healthcare services in Northern Pakistan through remote tele-clinics. *CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION DELETED*

Specifically, T2 will deliver (once fully operational):

A. Basic Education: Pervasive and unlimited access to quality teaching and learning environment, focused on need-based teacher education and continuous development. For a teacher, T2 will provide web-based portal to access quality training material, master trainers and mentor teachers on a 24x7 basis devoid of any geographic dependency. The access availability will be in close proximity of workplace, via on-premises school computer labs or off-premises T2 Centers, T2 mobile units, and even handheld devices (i.e. mobile phones). T2 will also have self assessment modules to ensure that the teacher training has achieved the desired results. The same platform later will be used by teachers to teach students in remote locations where there are general (and subject specific) teacher shortages.

B. Technical Education and Vocational Training: Market-driven-employable skills will be delivered through

quality instructors based on upgraded curriculum. T2 in partnership with international training institutes (like City & Guild UK), will offer accredited training programs based on current market requirements. These trainings would lead to globally recognized certifications thereby improving candidates‟ chances of placement. T2 will also offer linkages to web-based jobsites and career counseling organizations and consultants. In addition to providing access to the right training opportunity, T2 will connect the junior trainers to master trainers located anywhere in Pakistan or abroad.

C. Tutorial Education: Introduce quality subject-specific-tutoring with broad-based access. T2 will provide short-

term, non-degree based tutorial services, connecting quality tutors with prospective learners from anywhere to anywhere. The idea is to give access to demand and need based quality tutoring services through T2-enabled franchised learning centers. The learner can also avail the T2 service from his/her home as well using internet. T2 will also host collaborative assignments, peer-to-peer interactions and access to relevant supplementary resources.

TA Funds Usage: TeleTaleem is at an early inception stage with major development work to be undertaken. The TA funds would be utilized to conduct situation and gap analysis, market analysis, business planning, preparation of a feasibility report, and a detailed program design & implementation template. Key activities proposed to be undertaken through TA include:

Research & Situation Analysis After the initial project startup activities, a detailed research and situation analysis will be conducted with the help of a consulting firm. Research and analysis of this phase will have two key components. Firstly, an understanding and analysis of all stakeholders that may either benefit or be affected by the availability of advanced learning solutions. Secondly the initial stakeholder analysis will be followed by an in-depth gap analysis that will focus on the identified target population whose needs will be further examined through workshops, meeting with leading experts and focused group discussions. A nationwide survey will also be conducted to validate and probe gaps identified. Independent consultants will prepare a best practices and technology roadmap report after conducting studies on latest trends in innovative/blended learning pedagogy, ICT4E advances, standards, ICT infrastructure and web services.

System Design Based on the inputs of the previous phase, detailed design will be carried out to ensure that technological, educational, learning, institutional, gender and content related considerations are met. Based on the design requirements, service framework and system architecture will be developed.

8 Sehat is the Urdu word for health

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Content Provisioning Existing learning content and repositories shall be identified and arrangements will be put in place so as to leverage the already available content using ICT. Learning Technologists & Content Specialists will work together to outline the interface requirements of the selected repositories for integration in the overall service framework.

Business Planning Research and situation analysis will also lead to a comprehensive business planning exercise covering customer analysis, competitor analysis, market analysis, market sizing and segmentation, feasibility, etc. The feasibility study will include pricing analysis and preparation of a financial model for the T2‟s program and services.

Partner Network Development This will be an on-going activity aimed at developing the partner network with relevant subject specialists/master trainers/institutions. Partnerships will also be cultivated for provisioning content and ICT infrastructure and technology. Potential partners will be identified, shortlisted and selected.

Program validation The designed program will be validated in the pilot phase. Multiple small scale pilots may be conducted which will include setup of the infrastructure and service in target areas and connecting learners and teachers as per the designed teaching-learning scenarios..

Program design review Program design review workshops will be held to assess the pilots and the program will be tweaked based on the feedback received.

TA final report The project will complete with the preparation of the TA final report which will contain a validated program design and an implementation template.

a. Link to Country Partnership Strategy/Regional Cooperation Strategy: The proposed assistance to the Project is consistent with: a) Strategy 2020, which emphasizes support for the education sector (especially access to education for all) and private sector development, and b) the Pakistan CPS with its emphasis on economic infrastructure and private sector development. The project also remains synergic with the Education 2020: A Sector Operations Plan, which identifies ICT for Education as a key priority area.

b. Impact The impact of the TA will be improved access to higher quality learning resources for students and teachers using ICT.

c. Outcome Preparation of a medium to long-term program design and implementation plan for TeleTaleem.

d. Outputs

Report on latest advances and trends in ICT4E and eLearning

Gap analysis and need assessment report

Service framework design document

Pilot sessions report

Business plan including marketing plan and financial model

Program design document

PPTA final report

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9. Assumptions and risks Assumptions

1. Effective participation by stakeholders (students, learners, teachers, institutions) 2. Access to quality education remains a constraint in various parts of the country

Risks

1. Slow adoption of advanced learning technologies by teachers and learners 2. Resistance to change in adopting new methods and technologies from potential users at the grassroots

level 3. Security conditions in the country restrict travel, movement and field activities of consultant teams

10. Implementation Arrangements

a. Proposed executing/implementing agency (EA/IA)

ADB will be the executing agency of the TA. PSIF1 or PRM (as deemed appropriate from an implementation standpoint) will be responsible for consultant recruitment, oversight, monitoring and evaluation. This will be carried out in close coordination with T2‟s CEO as client‟s focal point. The consultants engaged under the TA will deliver the key outputs of the TA. The duration of specific individual consultants‟ assignments will vary in line with their required output levels. The 18 month TA is expected to be implemented in three phases: a) Situation/Gap Analysis (approx. 8 months), technical and financial feasibility (approx. 6 months), program design and validation (approx. 7 months). There will be some overlapping between the three phases. The procurement and deployment of the consultants is provided in the following implementation schedule.

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15 M16 M17 M18

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS

Hiring of all Independent Consultants

Education Policy Advisor

Team Lead - Education

Learning Technologies Specialist

Team Lead - Systems (1)

Media & Communication Specialist

PACKAGE 1: RESEARCH, DESIGN & MANAGEMENT

Procurement Of Services

Implementation

PACKAGE 2: SYSTEMS

Procurement Of Services

Implementation

PACKAGE 3: LEARNING

Procurement Of Services

Implementation

PACKAGE 4: CONTENT

Procurement Of Services

Implementation

PACKAGE 5: BUSINESS PLANNING & MARKETING

Procurement Of Services

Implementation

Intermittent Full Time Consultants' Recrutiment

Implementation Schedule

b. Institutional/organizational/procurement and financial management assessments on the EA/IA previously conducted

Yes No

c. ADB inputs

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ADB fund will provide (i) consultancy support, (ii) support for training, workshops, seminars and conferences, (iii) surveys, and (iv) other related costs. See Appendix 2 for outline terms of references for consultants, firms and individuals, who will be engaged by ADB in accordance with ADB Guidelines for Procurement (April 2010 and as amended from time to time) and ADB Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (April 2010 and as amended from time to time). ADB‟s support will include 186.7 person months of international (5.7) and national consultants‟ (181.0) input. This includes 150.5 person months of consulting firms‟ input and 36.2 person months of individual consultants. Consulting firm assignments are divided into five packages covering areas of Design, Management and Research, Systems Development, Learning and Content Development, and Business Planning and Marketing. Design, management and research package requires extensive field work covering the provinces of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan; given the security situation, language requirements, local context, and presence of local consulting firms with sufficient international capacity - or local subsidiary of an international firms (such as Gallup, Development Alternatives International, Crown Agents, Coffey International etc.) - this package would be restricted to domestic as deemed appropriate. Systems, Learning and Content Development packages would be also open to international firms, however to be price competitive these firms would be expected to work through national consultants (associate firms/individuals) as sufficient in-country capacity is available in education and ICT in public and private sectors in Pakistan. It is considered prudent to engage national experts who not only have the experience of working and understanding the local situation, infrastructure and industry but will also identify the gaps and design a system. In considering national consultants, experts who have experience of working with international organizations will be preferred. Recruiting national experts also ensures sustained capacities in scaling-up of the program in medium to long term. The implementation of PPTA will be done by dividing the various discrete work streams into distinct packages to be conducted by consulting firms and individual consultants. The individual consultants apart from their own distinct responsibility will also in some cases be responsible for supervision of the consulting firms. Please see Appendix 2 for outline of the TORs. The consultants will be hired using Qualification and Cost Based Selection Method. In the event request for expression of interest does not attract participation of suitable international firms or international consultants, ADB will proceed with selection of national firms and national consultants. Advance procurement actions will be undertaken before the TA effectivity as deemed appropriate. Given that the content, duration of services, and consultants‟ outputs are clearly defined, the Lump Sum contracting method is proposed. During the preparation of RFPs and detail terms of reference, the payments to the consultants will be quantified and linked to the outputs. The procurement plan for recruitment of consultants is given below.

Procurement Plan

General Description

Contract Value

$ million

Selection Method

Proposal Type

International or National Assignment

Contracting Method

Package 1: Design Management & Research

0.381 QCBS (90:10)

Simplified Technical Proposal (STP)

National Lump Sum (LS)

Contract

Package 2: Systems 0.107 QCBS (90:10)

STP International/Na

tional Lump Sum (LS)

Contract

Package 3: Learning 0.164 QCBS (90:10)

STP International/Na

tional Lump Sum (LS)

Contract

Package 4: Content 0.087 QCBS (90:10)

STP International/Na

tional Lump Sum (LS)

Contract

Package 5: Business Planning and Marketing

0.083 QCBS (90:10)

STP National Lump Sum (LS)

Contract

Individual Consultants 1 International, 5 National Consultants (53 person months)

0.278 Individual

Consultant Selection

International/

National Time-Based (Full Time /Intermittent)

Total 1.100

d. Complementary inputs to be provided by Government and/or other TA providing agencies

None anticipated

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11. Nature/extent of government/beneficiary involvement in identifying or conceptualizing the assistance: No substantial government or NGO inputs are anticipated. In collaboration with ADB, the T2 will give primary direction to the consultants in achieving ToR objectives under the implementation arrangements. GoP‟s no objection would also be obtained before financing PPTA activities.

12. Cost Estimates The total cost of the TA preparation/development is estimated at $1,461,000, including sponsor/T2 financing. It is proposed that ADB, under PPTA, provide $1,100,000 equivalent on a grant basis from TASF-Others. The remaining funding would be provided by T2 in the form of estimated salary equivalents for staff time (estimated 80 person months) spent on managing the PPTA, office accommodation and support for the consultants.

Source Amount ($)

ADB Financing TASF-others 1,100,000

Sponsor Financing (salaries, office accommodation) 0,361,000 Total Cost 1,461,000 ADB = Asian Development Bank; TASF = Technical Assistance Special Funds Source: ADB and Sponsor estimates

The ADB funds contributed to PPTA will be initially financed as a grant. If the envisaged Project is completed successfully then an appropriate mechanism will be put in place to seek the recovery of the ADB financed amount (most likely in the form of equity participation).

13. JSF Amount Requested $0.00

a. Elements that justify JSF financing: N/A

b. Coordination with local Japanese Embassy or any other embassy when external funding is involved

Name of the staff of the local Japanese Embassy / external partner embassy whom you have briefed:

N/A

Date of the discussion: N/A Results of the discussion: N/A

14. Estimated period of TA implementation:

a. Approval of TA Q2 2012 b. Physical completion of TA Q1 2014 c. Closing of TA Q2 2014

15. Expected Year of Ensuing Loan/Grant: 2014

16. Indicative Amount of Ensuing Loan/Grant:

TBD

17. Description of Ensuing Loan: TBD

18. Indicative loan/grant modality: Equity

10 Appendix 1

PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND MONITORING FRAMEWORK PAK: TeleTaleem Project

Design Summary

Performance Targets/Indicators

Data Sources/Reporting Mechanisms

Assumptions and Risks

Impact Improved access to higher quality learning resources for students and teachers using ICT.

Provide TeleTaleem (T2) services to at least 100,000 learners and 10,000 teachers within the first five years of operation

At least 500 T2 Centers/points of access using existing infrastructure (such as schools) established within the first five years of operation

Completion rate (primary and secondary) increased from [xx]% to [xx]% over a five year period

Note: All impact indicators will be updated after completion of situation/gap analysis

T2 annual reports

National education data and statistics

Assumptions

Access to education and quality remain a constraint in various parts of the country

Risks

Resistance to change in adopting new methods and technologies from potential users at the grassroots level.

Slow adoption of information communication technology by teachers and learners

Outcome TeleTaleem‟s medium to long-term program design and implementation plan prepared

Final PPTA report issued with program design and implementation.

Gap analysis and need assessment report

Business and Marketing Plan

Financial Model

Program Design Document

Risks

Security conditions in the country restrict travel, movement and field activities of consultant teams

Outputs 1. Study on latest

advances and trends in ICT4E and eLearning carried out

2. Gap analysis and need assessment conducted

3. Service framework design document prepared

4. Pilot sessions conducted

5. Business plan including marketing plan finalized and financial model prepared

6. Program design

ICT4E report completed by month 3

Gap analysis and need assessment report submitted by month 11

Service framework design document prepared by month 13

Pilot sessions report submitted by month 17

Business and Marketing Plan and Financial Model prepared by month 16

Program design document prepared by month 17

PPTA final report delivered by month 18

TA monitoring and progress reports

TA review missions

Situation/Gap Analysis Report

Business and Marketing Plan

Financial Model

Program Design Document

Assumptions

Effective participation by stakeholders (students, learners, teachers, institutions)

Availability of internet in all target areas

PPTA milestones are met on time

Risks

Security conditions in the country restrict traveling, movement and field activities

Appendix 2 11

document prepared 7. PPTA final report

submitted

Activities with Milestones 1. Study on latest advances and trends in ICT4E and eLearning carried out

1.1. Study on latest trends in blended/innovative learning pedagogy (by Month 3)

1.2. Study on latest ICT4E advances, trends & standards (by Month 3) 1.3. Study on ICT infrastructure, web services, standards (by Month 3)

2. Gap analysis and need assessment conducted

2.1. Stakeholder identification & analysis (by Month 4) 2.2. Comprehensive gap analysis including provincial/district workshops,

sample survey, data analysis and finalization of user requirements (by Month 11)

3. Service framework design document prepared 3.1. Infrastructure feasibility analysis and report (by Month 11) 3.2. Preparation of functional requirements (by Month 12) 3.3. Preparation of systems specifications (by Month 13)

4. Pilot sessions conducted

4.1. Engagement of training experts and pilot validators (by Month 14) 4.2. Identification of learning scenarios and creation of learning design (by

Month 15) 4.3. Setup of remote ends and pilot sessions conducted (by Month 17)

5. Business plan including marketing plan finalized and financial model prepared 5.1. Competitor & pricing analysis (by Month 11) 5.2. Marketing plan preparation (by Month 13) 5.3. Financial model revision and feasibility analysis (by Month 15)

6. Program design document prepared

6.1. Preparation of program design document (by Month 17) 6.2. Program design review workshops conducted (by Month 17)

7. PPTA final report submitted

7.1. Preparation of PPTA final report (by Month 18)

Inputs

ADB: US$ 1,100,000

TeleTaleem: US$ 361,000

International Consultants 5.7 person months

National Consultants 181 person months

12 Appendix 2

OUTLINE TERMS OF REFERENCE A- Consulting Firms Consulting firms will be hired under the TA in various packages for research & situation analysis, system design, content provisioning, business planning, partner network development, program validation, program design review and issuing TA final report. The TORs stipulates that national consultants‟ services will be required. Five national consulting firms, about 158 person-months, would be required to be recruited. The procurement of consultants will be carried out in a manner permitted under ADB Guidelines for Procurement (April 2010 and as amended from time to time) and ADB Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (April 2010 and as amended from time to time). The firms will report to ADB and also work closely with T2. The outline TORs for the firms are given below:

Package-1 Research Design and Management (7 National Consultants: 54 person months). The objective of the consulting firm is to support and advice T2 in planning and development of PPTA. Program design document and Final PPTA report shall be prepared with the assistance of the consulting firm. A national consulting firm that specializes in qualitative and quantitative research, data management and analysis, institutional development, program and project design & management will be required. The firm will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. Detailed tasks:

Support and advise T2 in planning and implementation of the PPTA, and in ensuring that the objectives and deliverables are achieved in a timely, effective and efficient manner

Undertake detailed stakeholder analysis and develop an institutional and partner network development framework for T2

Conduct a comprehensive gap analysis and needs identification exercise aimed at establishing a better understanding of the present situation, issues, requirements and opportunities relating to innovative learning technologies and e-Learning in Pakistan. The aim is to arrive at evidence-based and reliable information that will not only be used for future planning but will also serve as a country-wide baseline of the T2 initiative. The exercise should focus on both qualitative as well as quantitative analysis based on data collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory.

Provide an independent evaluation of initiatives and activities undertaken by T2 for validation of its program design

Prepare/compile a detailed Program design document and facilitate the design review workshops

Provide support in the preparation of the Final PPTA Report

Outputs:

PPTA management and monitoring frameworks

Gap analysis and needs identification workshops

Survey for gap analysis and needs identification

Gap analysis and needs assessment report and data

User Requirements

Stakeholder identification and institutional networking framework

T2 Program design validation reports

Program design review workshops

T2 Program design document and PPTA Final Report

Appendix 2 13

Package-2 Systems (1 International Consultant: 1.7 person months, 3 National Consultants: 11.5 person months). The objective of the consulting firm is to evaluate, suggest and implement most feasible technical solutions for T2. A national consulting firm will be engaged that specializes in architecting large scale web-services platforms, delivering audio/video interactivity and content storage/retrieval services. The firm will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. Following detail tasks will be completed and output delivered. Detailed tasks:

Evaluate IT & Telecom infrastructure locally and globally with specific relevance to large scale multi-network, multi-device internet access and high traffic web services.

Carry out in-depth requirement analysis to create functional requirements.

Develop high level service framework, defining the standards, core design features and elements, interworking, etc.

Define the system architecture and associated low level system design and specifications

Prepare SOPs as guidelines for technical operations of the service.

Provide inputs on all aspects of technical setup and connectivity between the learners, learning repositories and teachers.

Conduct technical and infrastructural feasibility for the implementation of the service scenarios

Engage with educationists, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations.

Manage Pilot infrastructure setups and carry out technical assessments of the sessions. Outputs:

Functional Requirements Document

High level Service Framework Design Document

High level Network and System Architecture Design Document

Low level System Design and Specifications Document.

Service Operations Manual covering Technical standard operating procedures.

Package-3 Learning (1 International Consultant: 1.6 person months, 18 National Consultants: 58.7 person months). The objective of the consulting firm is to evaluate and implement ICT assisted learning methodologies with the help of technical experts, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts. A national consulting firm with broad-based exposure to multi-segment education sector development work, with exposure in distance education, blended learning and ICT assisted learning methodologies. The firm will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. Following detail tasks will be completed and output delivered. Detailed tasks:

Explore latest trends and best practices in ICT assisted learning methodologies.

Provide relevant input in creating innovative digital educational content and its appropriate applications i.e. e-books, animated interactive content; game based learning content, training videos, etc.

Carry out identification, selection and hiring of Pilot Validators i.e. School Teachers, University teachers, Teacher Educators, Tutors, Instructors, Professional Trainers.

Guide Pilot Validators to create Learning Design Samples to be used in Pilot sessions.

Work with Pilot Validators to conduct pilots and carry out assessments and compile pilot reports.

14 Appendix 2

Interact with ICT technical experts, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations.

Actively participate in program design review workshops.

Outputs:

Learning Design Guideline

Learning Design Samples

Report on Pilot Sessions

Pre and Post Test Assessment Documents. Package-4 Content (1 International Consultant: 1.4 person months, 5 National Consultants: 9.8 person months). The objective of the consulting firm is to evaluate and implement ICT assisted learning methodologies with the help of technical experts, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts. A national consulting firm is to be engaged with specialization in identification, sourcing, development and dissemination of digital education content. The firm will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. Following detail tasks will be completed and output delivered. Detailed Tasks:

Explore and propose appropriate content type for ICT assisted learning methodologies and practice.

Carry out in-depth requirement analysis to create functional requirements.

Specify the framework to generate, store and retrieve digital educational content and to host appropriate applications i.e. ebooks, animated interactive content, game based learning content, training videos, etc.

Study and propose learning content alignment with learning standards

Prepare Learning Repository design.

Define integration interface of learning repository to the overall service framework.

Engage with ICT technical experts, educationists, learning technologists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations.

Actively participate in program design review workshops. Outputs:

Functional Requirements Document – Learning Repository

Learning Repository Design Document

List of national & international learning repositories, content developers and content providers

Package-5 Business Planning and Marketing (3 National Consultants: 13 person months). The objective of the consulting firm is to evaluate and implement ICT assisted learning methodologies with the help of technical experts, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts. A national consulting firm with specialization in marketing and feasibility preparation with exposure to development sector related business development. The firm will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. Following detail tasks will be completed and output delivered.

Appendix 2 15

Detailed Tasks:

Study key education segments – basic education, teacher education, technical/vocational education and tutoring.

Explore latest trends and best practices in ICT for Education.

Carry out requirement and market analysis to build a comprehensive marketing plan.

Build a financial model covering applicable business scenarios.

Carry out feasibility analysis to finalize the business plan.

Develop Partnerships with content developers and content providers.

Engage with ICT technical experts, educationists, content specialists, learning technologists and business analysts to design marketable products/services and work on associated business scenarios.

Actively participate in program design review workshops.

Review relevant component of program design document. Outputs:

Marketing plan identifying market size and segmentation, target market, customer and competitive analysis

T2 Financial model.

Business plan

16 Appendix 2

The estimated breakdown of individual experts under each package is given below: Package Name Expert Type National/Intern

ational Person months

Research Design and Management

Team Lead - Design, Management and Research

National 10.64

Program Design & Management Specialist National 8.18

Institutional Development Specialist National 3.77

M&E Specialist National 9.77

Deputy Team Lead – Research National 7.82

Research Specialist National 7.23

Data Management Specialist National 5.82

Total 7 / 0 53.23

Systems

System Architect 1 International 1.68

System Architect 2 National 3.41

Network Specialist National 4.09

IT Specialist National 3.95

Total 3 / 1 13.14

Learning

Education Specialist National 3.55

Training Specialist 1 International 1.64

Training Specialist 2 National 3.55

Pilot Validators x 16 persons National 51.64

Total 18 / 1 60.36

Content

Senior Content Specialist International 1.36

Content Standards and Interface Specialist, National 1.95

Interactive Multimedia Content Specialist, National 1.95

Game-based Learning Content Specialist National 1.95

Video-based Content Specialist

National 1.95

Legacy Content Conversion/Digitization Specialist

National 1.95

Total 5 / 1 11.14

Business Planning & Marketing

Team Lead Business Planning National 5.23

Marketing Specialist National 5.23

Finance Specialist National 2.23

Total 3 / 0 12.68

Appendix 2 17

B- Individual Consultants Individual Consultants will be hired under the TA to advise ADB and T2 on policy, procurement, design, supervision, implementation and overall management of the services to be performed by the consulting firms under the technical assistance. The TORs stipulates that national consultants‟ services will be required. About 6 consultants (53 person-months) would be required on intermittent basis to be recruited. The procurement of consultants will be carried out in a manner permitted under ADB Guidelines for Procurement (April 2010 and as amended from time to time) and ADB Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (April 2010 and as amended from time to time). The individual will report to ADB and also work closely with T2. The outline TORs for specialists are given below: The Education Policy Advisor (International Consultant: 1 person month) will be a national consultant who has experience in both national and regional education policy development and implementation. The advisor will help align the designed program with the national education policy, identify implementation issues and provide advice based on international experiences and lessons learnt. The advisor will also identify the gaps in the policy itself, at the national and sub-sectoral levels. The consultant will be required to deliver an Analysis Report on Education and ICT Policy Framework in Pakistan by performing the following tasks:

Explore Education and ICT Policies in Pakistan and within the region.

Carry out a gap analysis and possible solutions.

Identify relevant stakeholders in key education segments.

Participate in the needs identification surveys and workshops to give input and analysis

Participate in meetings with key stakeholders and policy makers.

Provide input to strategy formulation that is in line with education policy

Actively participate in program design review workshops

Review relevant component of program design document. The Learning Technology Specialist (National Consultant: 13 person months) will be responsible for ensuring that the T2 design and content framework is optimized for the advanced learning, in step with the latest global trends and best practices and appropriate for local adoption. The Consultant will be responsible for managing the technical integration part of learning repositories into the service delivery framework by closely working with the Content team and the Systems team. The Consultant will assist in the finalization of requirements specification and overall service delivery framework. The consultant will be required to deliver a) report on latest advances and trends in ICT4E and eLearning and, b) RFP for Service Package 4 Content. The consultant will perform the following tasks:

Study and propose applicable technologies, latest trends and best practices in the field of eLearning and ICT4E

Manage the procurement process of Service Package 4: Content

Review and Approve ALL Outputs of Service Package 4: Content

Participate in the needs identification surveys and workshops to assess requirements and give input

Provide relevant inputs in creation of Functional Requirements and Service Framework under Service Package 2: Systems

Provide input in Technical Audit of T2 existing design

Provide input in T2 design revisions and upgrade

Review and Approve Learning Design Guideline

Review and Approve Learning Design Samples

Review Pilot sessions and provide relevant input

18 Appendix 2

Engage with educationists, ICT technical experts, content specialists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations

Actively participate in program design review workshops

Review relevant component of program design document The Media and Communication Specialist (National Consultant: 3 person months) will devise a communication strategy in order to target education sectors with the close coordination of other consultants on board. A national consultant with specialization in media and communications services targeting development and education sectors. The consultant will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. The consultant will be required to deliver the Media and Communications Plan by performing the following tasks:

Study key education segments – basic education, teacher education, technical/vocational education and tutoring.

Explore latest trends and best practices in ICT for Education.

Participate in the needs identification surveys and workshops to give input and analysis

Participate in meetings with stakeholders and target groups.

Actively participate in program design review workshops.

Review relevant component of program design document. The Team Lead - Education (National Consultant: 7 person months) will be responsible for ensuring that the T2 design and content framework is in step with user expectation and optimized for large scale adoption in the targeted education segments. Team Lead Education will be responsible for ensuring that the T2 design and content framework is in step with user expectation and optimized for large scale adoption in the targeted education segments. Through workshops, reviews and validations, the Team Lead Education will help develop a consensus based final program design and service framework. The consultant will be directly supervising the delivery of Learning team, to design and review sample Pilot implementations. The consultant will guide the Learning team to evaluate the program design and present their findings. The consultant has to have broad-based exposure to multi-segment education development with exposure in distance education; blended learning and ICT assisted learning methodologies. The consultant will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. The consultant will be required to deliver a) report on latest advances, standards and trends in ICT assisted learning methodologies, b) list of stakeholders and target group and, c) RPF for Service Package 3: Learning. The consultant will perform the following tasks;

Explore latest trends and best practices in ICT assisted learning methodologies.

Identify relevant stakeholders and target population in key education segments.

Participate in the needs identification surveys and workshops to give input and analysis

Participate in meetings with stakeholders and target groups.

Manage the procurement process of Service Package 3: Learning

Review and Approve All Outputs of Service Package 3: Learning.

Review Learning Design Guideline and provide feedback.

Review Learning Design Samples and provide feedback.

Review and Approve Pre & Post Assessment Docs.

Review Pilot sessions and provide relevant input.

Review and Approve Report on Pilot Sessions.

Provide relevant input in creating innovative digital educational content.

Appendix 2 19

Interact with ICT technical experts, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations.

Actively participate in program design review workshops

Review relevant component of program design document The Team Lead - Systems (1 National Consultant: 14 person months) will be the principal ICT technical expert for this TA, driving a broad spectrum of activities covering high level technology assessment, technical audits, functional requirements definition, service designing and implementation review. The consultant will be directly supervising the delivery of Systems team. The consultant has to be a specialist in architecting and auditing large scale, real time web-services platforms, delivering audio/video interactivity and content storage/retrieval services. The consultant will have to work closely with T2 and other consultants hired under this PPTA to fulfill its responsibilities. The consultant will be required to deliver a) Technology Roadmap of ICT in Education: Report on latest advances and trends in ICT Infrastructure, Web services, Internet access devices, relevant standards, etc with ICT4E focus, b) RFP for Service Package 2 Systems, c) T2 Design Audit Report and, d) T2 Design Revision Report. The consultant will perform the following tasks:

Study and propose applicable technologies, latest trends and best practices in the field of eLearning.

Evaluate IT & Telecom infrastructure locally and globally with specific relevance to large scale multi-network, multi-device internet access and high traffic web services.

Provide relevant input in RFP Preparation for RFP Package 4; Content.

Manage the procurement process of Service Package 2: Systems.

Review and Approve ALL Outputs of Service Package 2: Systems.

Participate in the needs identification surveys and workshops to assess technical requirements and provide relevant inputs.

Carry out Technical Audit of T2 existing design.

Propose T2 design revisions and upgrade.

Technically audit Pilot setups and proceedings.

Engage with educationists, learning technologists, content specialists and business analysts to design ICT assisted learning paradigms/scenarios and work on associated implementations.

Actively participate in program design review workshops

Review relevant component of program design document

20 Appendix 3

Table A3.1 COST ESTIMATES AND FINANCING PLAN {applicable only for TA financed from a single funding source}

($'000)

Item Total Cost

A. ADB Financing a

1. Consultants

a. Remuneration and Per Diem

International Consultants 133 .0

Number of Person-months 5.7

National Consultants 716 .0

Number of Person-months 181

b. International & Local Travel 93 .0

c. Reports and Communications 24 .0

2. Workshops, Training / Seminars & Conferences b

a. Facilitators Remuneration, Per Diem and Travel 12 .0

b. Workshop Costs 13 .0

3. Surveys 57 .0

4. Contingencies 52 .0

Subtotal (A) 1,100 .0

B. Client Financing

1. Office Accommodation and Transport 141 .0

2. Remuneration and Per Diem of Counterpart Staff 203 .0

3. Contingencies 17 .0

Subtotal (B) 361 .0

I. Total 1,461 .0

ADB = Asian Development Bank Source: ADB and Sponsor estimates

a Financed from ADB (PSOD TA Budget (TASF-Others) b Workshops, Training/Seminars & Conferences

Purpose Venue

Needs assessment and gap analysis, Focus group discussions with key stakeholders

6 major cities across the country covering Punjab, Khyber-Pakthunkwha, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Program design review workshops 6 major cities across the country covering Punjab, Khyber-Pakthunkwha, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Appendix 4 21

Initial Poverty and Social Assessment

Project Number: 46913 June 2012

PAK: TeleTaleem Project

22 Appendix 4

INITIAL POVERTY AND SOCIAL ANALYSIS

Country/Project Title: PAK: TeleTaleem Project

Lending/Financing Modality:

PPTA for an OCR equity investment Department/ Division:

PSOD/PSIF1 jointly with CWRD/PRM

I. POVERTY ISSUES

A. Linkages to the National Poverty Reduction Strategy and Country Partnership Strategy

The Project is consistent with ADB‟s Strategy 2020 in relation to providing selective investments in the education sector. It supports inclusive growth and provides opportunities for technology development which will provide broad-based cost-effective educational services. Improved education is an important component of development of human capital which is essential for economic development. Similarly access to quality education is the key component under the Sixth Pillar (Human Development for the 21st century) of Pakistan‟s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper II covering FY 2008 and beyond. To achieve outcomes under the Education component, Government of Pakistan has committed to, inter alia, increased financing for the sector, enhancing governance for greater accountability of education service providers to the community, and improving utilization of resources by educational institutions including IT leveraging. The recently concluded country partnership strategy consultations between the Government of Pakistan (GoP) and ADB highlighted the demand for infrastructure development in the sector and emphasized improvement in quality of service delivery. ADB consultations with other potential donors to GoP also highlighted the need for improving fiscal and financial management to create greater fiscal space for enhanced spending by provincial governments in the social sectors including education. The Project will be instrumental in improving the performance of learners by increasing enrolment and completion rates (basic education and tutoring segment) and making them more marketable/employable (for technical education and vocational training segment).

B. Targeting Classification

1. Select the targeting classification of the project:

General Intervention Individual or Household (TI-H); Geographic (TI-G); Non-Income MDGs (TI-M1, M2, etc.)

2. Explain the basis for the targeting classification: TA focus is on increasing accessibility to quality basic education (including primary education, which is one of the key MDG Goals [Goal 2])

C. Poverty Analysis

1. If the project is classified as TI-H, or if it is policy-based, what type of poverty impact analysis is needed? N/A

2. What resources are allocated in the PPTA/due diligence? None

3. If GI, is there any opportunity for pro-poor design (e.g., social inclusion subcomponents, cross subsidy, pro-poor

governance, and pro-poor growth)?

Project design may be enhanced by adding pro-poor features such as providing scholarship or subsidies to qualified poor

girls/women students and other individuals who are part of marginalized groups. It is expected, however, that T2 services wil l

allow for access to better quality education and improved employment chances after course or module completion.

II. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ISSUES A. Initial Social Analysis

Based on existing information: 1. Who are the potential primary beneficiaries of the project? How do the poor and the socially excluded benefit from the

project? Primary beneficiaries are students, teachers, trainees and instructors. The TA is intended to explore pragmatic strategies that will help connect these beneficiaries, inclusively and equitably, located in geographically and socially disadvantaged areas.

2. What are the potential needs of beneficiaries in relation to the proposed project?

Potential needs of the beneficiaries are easy and cost-efficient access to content, resources and specialists, in both basic and technical education, from anywhere and anytime. These needs are more pronounced for potential beneficiaries located in semi-urban and remote locations and for girls/women, who are socially constrained in terms of travel from their homes/villages. Capacity building for teachers and education tutors that will be adopting and using ICT for educational purposes, readiness of students/learners in using the technology as an alternative mode in gaining knowledge, readiness in the part of service provider to design the technology which best suits the needs of the learners and their environment.

3. What are the potential constraints in accessing the proposed benefits and services, and how will the project address

them?

Appendix 4 23

This draft is for consultation purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB‟s Management, Board of Directors, or the Government of [country]. Comments may be submitted to [e-mail address] by [deadline].

The potential constraints are identified as: (a) Lack of physical infrastructure in terms of school buildings, technical training centers and essential facilities. (b) Weak and outdated curriculum, teaching material and teaching aids. (c) Lack of well qualified, adequately trained teachers and instructors (d) Institutional readiness and resistance in adapting new methods and technologies (e) Slow adoption of information communication technology by teachers and learners – affecting quality of teaching on

the side of the teachers/tutors and absorption rate (students/learners) (f) Insufficient fund availability to meet existing requirements based on conventional remedial actions (g) Affordability of accessing education via eLearning

The TA will explore and define an ICT enabled solution strategy that will transcend the afore-mentioned infrastructure, social and fiscal constraints to reach out to all students, teachers, trainees and trainers with appropriate educational and training interventions.

B. Consultation and Participation

1. Indicate the potential initial stakeholders. Initial potential stakeholders include teachers, teacher educators, principals, school management committee members (from the community), education managers and education policy makers. Specifically, these are

Comcept (Pvt.) Limited – the lead in T2 technology development for the proposed Project and other service providers

T2 Teachers – master trainers, teacher mentors, teachers that will be trained (primary education teachers, teachers involved in technical education and vocational training (informal education tutors)

Potential T2 students/subscribers – individuals who will avail of eLearning education

T2 eLearning partners: (a) participating schools for primary and secondary eLearning activities, (b) for vocational and technical training – local and International Training Institutes, (c) institutions involved in short-term, non degree based tutorial services (for long distance education)

Government institutions ( Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information Technology, Provincial Governments) whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research)

2. What type of consultation and participation (C&P) is required during the PPTA or project processing (e.g., workshops,

community mobilization, involvement of nongovernment organizations and community-based organizations, etc.)? The TA‟s success is tied-in to effective consultative process with relevant stakeholders and user group. The TA will cover a multi-stage series of workshops to do gap analysis/need assessment at provincial & district level, design review and program dissemination. The TA also involves meeting with leading experts and specialists and focused group discussions at district level.

3. What level of participation is envisaged for project design? Information sharing Consultation Collaborative decision making Empowerment

4. Will a C&P plan be prepared? Yes No Please explain. C&P plan will be one of the outcomes under component 1 of consulting services.

C. Gender and Development

1. What are the key gender issues in the sector/subsector that are likely to be relevant to this project/program? In case of basic education the gender bias affects both girl students and female teachers. Social issues and lack of girls elementary schools (nearby) lead to low girl enrolment beyond primary. Similarly, female teachers avail limited in-service trainings because out-station travel is severely restricted due to social and cultural constraints. Similar trends exist on the Technical Education front as well.

2. Does the proposed project/program have the potential to promote gender equality and/or women‟s empowerment by

improving women‟s access to and use of opportunities, services, resources, assets, and participation in decision making?

Yes No Please explain.

The project will identify strategies to leverage ICT integration and advanced learning platforms to provide alternative means of teaching-learning practices well suited to girl students and female teachers, in close proximity to their home/workplace. Additionally, female teachers will have access to best training opportunities and online teacher educators without the need to travel outside their homes/villages.

3. Could the proposed project have an adverse impact on women and/or girls or to widen gender inequality? Yes No Please explain.

The Project has no adverse potential impact to widen the gap. In general, access to education is a problem both for males and females in Pakistan.

24 Appendix 4

III. SOCIAL SAFEGUARD ISSUES AND OTHER SOCIAL RISKS

Issue Nature of Social Issue Significant/Limited/ No Impact/Not Known

Plan or Other Action Required

13

Involuntary Resettlement

The ensuing Project will not invest in activities that will entail any physical or economic displacement.

No impact. Full Plan Short Plan Resettlement

Framework No Action Uncertain

Indigenous Peoples

The ensuing Project will not invest in activities that will affect IP communities‟ distinct habitats, ancestral territories, natural resources in their customary lands, or exploit indigenous knowledge.

No impact. Plan Other Action Indigenous Peoples

Framework No Action Uncertain

Labor

Employment Opportunities Labor Retrenchment Core Labor Standards

Positive impact in terms of employment generation

Limited. Although employment generation will not be significantly high, there is a premium for teachers that will be involved in this Project in terms of having their technical skills upgraded to cater to the needs of the Project.

Plan Other Action No Action Uncertain

Affordability

The TA will lead to improved accessibility to quality education without any impact on affordability.

No impact. Action No Action Uncertain

Other Risks and/or Vulnerabilities

HIV/AIDS Human Trafficking Others (conflict, political

instability, etc.), please specify

None. No impact.

Plan Other Action No Action Uncertain

IV. PPTA/DUE DILIGENCE RESOURCE REQUIREMENT

1. Do the TOR for the PPTA (or other due diligence) include poverty, social and gender analysis and the relevant specialist/s? Yes No If no, please explain why

Will be covered under component 1 by the research specialist. 2. Are resources (consultants, survey budget, and workshop) allocated for conducting poverty, social and/or gender analysis, and C&P during the PPTA/due diligence? Yes No If no, please explain why. Will be covered under component 1 by the research specialist.