World Bank



Aide Memoire: Ghana Education MissionGhana Secondary Education Improvement Project (P145741-Cr. 5452)Proposed SEIP Additional Financing (P163628)March 27-April 4, 2017A. INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A World Bank technical support mission for the Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP) was undertaken from March 27 to April 4, 2017. The mission team took the opportunity to engage with Government of Ghana (GoG) on the proposed Additional Financing (AF) of US$50 million for the SEIP. The SEIP mission reviewed the achievement to date of project results under components 1 and 2 and discussed year 3 disbursement linked indicators (under Component 1); engaged with the implementation team on proposed senior high school (SHS) policies and implications for SEIP; and developed a comprehensive terms of reference for the upcoming Mid-Term Review and discussed additional analysis required. The mission team also participated in the two-day Ghana Education Evidence Summit and stakeholder workshop on “Engaging the Private Sector in Delivering Basic Education in Ghana;” held on March 28 and 29. The objectives of the mission were outlined in the mission announcement letter dated March 13, 2017. The Aide Memoire summarizes the context, key findings and agreements reached during the mission.The team appreciates the collaboration of the GoG and the cordial environment in which discussions were held, notably the leadership provided by the Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum, Deputy Minister for Education, and Mr. Enoch H. Cobbinah, Chief Director, Ministry of Education. The team would also like to thank Mr. Jacob Kor, Director General, Ghana Education Service (GES); Mrs. Cynthia Bosomtwe Sam, Acting Deputy Director General, GES and Mr. Chris Koramoah, Financial Controller, GES. The team appreciates the coordination by Mr. Hayford Riley Wilson, Project Coordinator SEIP. A list of persons met is attached as Annex 1. Mission members included the following staff from the World Bank: Deborah Newitter Mikesell, Sr. Education Specialist; Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh, Sr. Education Specialist; Mariam Nusrat Adil, Operations Analyst; Thomas K.S. Anang, Senior Procurement Specialist; Oni Lusk-Stover, Sr. Education Specialist; Michael Gboyega Ilesanmi, Social Safeguards Specialist; Franklin Kuma Kwasi Gavu, Environmental Specialist; Kennedy Fosu, Communications Officer; and Kathleen Beegle, HD Program Leader. Stephen Tettevie, Team Assistant, and Janet Adebo, Program Assistant provided mission support from Accra and Washington DC respectively. Jean-Christophe Maur, Senior Economist, IFC joined the team during the Evidence Summit on March 23-24.B.CONTEXT Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP): The Secondary Education Improvement Project was approved by the World Bank Board on May 20, 2014 for an amount of US$156 million (IDA), signed on July 30, 2014, declared effective on October 3, 2014, and launched on November 4, 2014. The project was restructured on August 30, 2016 to ensure reallocation among disbursement categories and revise the percentage of expenditures to be financed for all categories up to 100% financing. The Project Development Objective is to increase access to senior secondary education in underserved districts and improve quality in low-performing SHS in Ghana. This is a five-year IPF closing on November 30, 2019. It uses a results based financing approach under the first component which aims to increase access with equity and quality in SHSs. Component One comprises Pillar 1 and 2 as follows: The first results area (Pillar 1) aims to expand senior secondary places through the construction of 23 new SHS in underserved districts; rehabilitate and expand 50 existing low performing SHSs and support attainment of disadvantaged students (e.g., through scholarships to 10,400 students from low income families, especially girls). The second results area (Pillar 2) focuses on improving the quality of education in 125 selected low-performing SHS through: (i) strengthened school management and accountability; (ii) improved mathematics and science teaching and learning; (iii) expanded information, communication technology and internet connectivity in schools; and (iv) the implementation of school performance partnership plans. Component Two uses a traditional investment approach to finance technical assistance, management, research and monitoring and evaluation for effective project implementation. Disbursements: The year zero disbursement linked indicators were achieved and verified on February 20, 2015. The year one disbursement linked indicators were achieved and verified on February 25, 2016. The year two disbursement linked indicators are expected to be verified on April 15, 2017. Disbursement to date is US$80.34 million (58% disbursed). The next disbursement would be an advance against Year 3 DLRs based on meeting five (5) out of six (6) DLRs in year 2.Evidence Summit and Private education workshop: The mission participated in the first Ghana Education Evidence Summit “Towards Quality Education in Ghana: Using Evidence to Achieve Better Learning Outcomes” sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). The SEIP helped support the workshop through its research agenda sub-component which brought international and national researchers together to present and discuss rigorous research on the education sector in Ghana. The second day of the summit provided a forum to plan the future research agenda and identify key research gaps that would need to be addressed over the short and medium term. In addition, the summit included a forum on the private education market in Ghana and guidelines on how to encourage more public-private partnerships in supporting all Ghanaian pupils. It was agreed that the Summit would be conducted annually to help influence education policies. The SEIP research agenda funding could support selected research topics throughout the implementation of the project. Request for Additional Financing: The GoG has requested additional financing of US$50 million and a proposed extension of the SEIP closing date to November 30, 2021. A formal letter from the Ministry of Finance was submitted to the World Bank after the mission on April 7, 2017. To ensure expedited preparation before the end of the WB FY, a concept memo has been drafted during the mission and circulated for further processing in the Bank. To facilitate delivery of the AF before July 1, 2017, the Bank and GoG will need to work quickly to define and appraise the SEIP AF project activities. The mission recommended weekly audio/video conferences to expedite preparation. The proposed AF is summarized in the aide memoire below. C.KEY FINDINGS and AGREEMENTS REACHED Implementation Progress (IP) is on track, albeit four months delayed due to the national elections and transition arrangement in December 2016 and January 2017. The?GoG reported in mid-March that it has met the disbursement-linked results for year 2. The disbursement-linked results for year 2 include the following achievements: (a) 80% construction works completed (achieved and verified); (b) increase in enrolment in low performing schools by 1,000 seats (achieved); (c) at least 4,000 SHS students receiving scholarships in project schools (achieved); (d) Publication of updated school performance data for FY15/16 online and in brochure (partially achieved); (e) SPPPs for 80 schools signed?(achieved); and (f) ICT-based instruction rolled out in about 50% of targeted schools (achieved).Disbursement Linked Results verification: The independent verification has already confirmed the achievement of the construction of new works (January, 2017 report). The remaining results are now being verified by the independent verification agency after some delay in school enrolment for first year students and the slower pace required for effective installation and testing of i-boxes.?The school mapping publication as a digest (in addition to an online version) has also been delayed because of some missing school-level data and the longer than anticipated procurement process to print hard copies of the digest.?Although the online version is available, the procurement for the printing of the digests will take several additional weeks to complete.?The independent verifiers were requested to take an additional 10% sample in order to collect more data on progress in SEIP schools in anticipation of reporting at the Mid-term Review. Overall progress: The mission noted the slow-down in implementation progress to date, and the partial achievement to date of activities to meet the year 2 disbursement linked results given the time for national elections and transition period to conclude. Some Contractors had not been paid for five months (since October 2016). In particular the mission raised concerns about the lack of progress on construction of new schools --only 8 out of 23 are practically complete, and for some additional 6 sites, only the E-Block is complete although the school has been operationalized. This means that for some sites, school is ongoing while certain sections are partitioned off for construction. The situation is not conducive for learning and there is the additional risk that some incomplete schools will remain unutilized into the next academic year. For facilities improvement, only 45 out of the 50 rehabilitated/expanded schools have been completed and are in use, although only 40 have been formally handed over. Even with limited progress on infrastructure activities, other interventions have contributed to progress against the results indicators and the team was commended for exceeding disbursement linked result targets for new seats utilized, School Performance Partnership Plan (SPPP) implementation and number of scholarships offered. About 100 Senior High Schools have submitted their SPPPs and?80 have been reviewed, approved, signed and initial funds disbursed.?As such, the related DLR has been met and this helps pave the way for other DLRs by supporting school- level interventions to improve quality of SHS teaching and learning.? Training has already been rolled out to over?1,700 science and mathematics teachers, surpassing the end of project target. Evaluation of the training reveals a continued lack of qualified teachers and high teacher absenteeism.?Additional staffing audits, leadership training and resource materials are being provided to address these challenges. A consulting firm is providing technical assistance to strengthen the in-service training modules for teachers. Electronic content has been developed for the i-campus teaching and learning portal with 200 modules in core subjects for SHS1?completed to date. Year 2 content development?is completed and work has begun on year 3 content.? The i-boxes?deliver pre-prepared video lessons, student exercises and content assessment to SHS students and teachers.?The i-boxes have been rolled out to the initial 70 schools following on the heels of i-box utilization training.?However, the independent verification indicates that the technology is not being adequately used by students and teachers in many schools that still lack the infrastructure (computer labs) to access the content. The current policy prohibiting cell phones and/or tablets further prevents students from accessing the i-campus on their personal devices. An impact evaluation is being conducted to test the i-box concept, and the remaining schools will receive the i-box in September, 2017. An updated implementation progress report was submitted to the mission team. This will be updated over the coming week. Constructive meetings were held with various members of the technical implementation teams and relevant divisions and units in the MOE and GES and provided feedback on all received activity reports. The team also helped to review the overall implementation and procurement plans and steps towards achieving year 3 results. The project is rated Satisfactory for both the Project Development Objective (PDO) and for Implementation Progress (IP). With respect to PDO, the mission noted that there has been an increase in access to senior secondary education in beneficiary districts, but it is too early to measure an improvement in the quality of the low-performing SHS in Ghana, although the data demonstrate an increase in examination results against last year (WASCCE performance). ?Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project Year 2 DLR Verification (P145741- CR.54520) STATUS OF DLI ACHIEVEMENTDLIDLRRequirements/Comments Verification source/documentsVerification ProtocolStatus??????DLI 2: Increase in new seats for SHS students in underserved school districtsDLR 2.3: About 80% of all construction works completed (aggregated)Works completion guidelines- as of February 2017 85.7% complete as per CWT reportIndependent Verification Firm reportIndependent Verification Firm to visit sites and verify against monthly construction supervision reports COMPLETED and Verified by Independent Verification Firm (KE&T) and reviewed by the World Bank.80% verified??????DLI 3: Increase in number of seats utilized in existing low-performing schoolsDLR 3.3: About 1,000 seats utilized (cumulative) Improvement in total enrolment in 125 schools from 2014/15 EMIS data. 2016/17 data comes from school survey.Independent Verification Firm reportEnrolment data collected through school reporting and in future through school mapping. Independent Verifier will visit 10% sample of schools to confirm enrolment records as compared to submissions by school PLETED and to be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB Consult) and reviewed by World Bank in April.(5,889 seats)??????DLI 4: Increased enrolment in SHS in targeted districts and schools for students from low-income families, especially girlsDLR 4.3: At least 4,000 SHS students receiving scholarship in selected schoolsTotal number scholarships in both first and second year are 5,398 which exceeds the target for this DLR. 61% of beneficiaries are girls.?Independent Verification Firm Report?Independent Verification firm will visit schools to validate receipt of funds and will check that selection criteria has been adhered to. ?COMPLETED and to be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB Consult) and reviewed by the World Bank.?(5,398)??????DLI 5: Annual Publication of School Performance ReportDLR 5.2: Publication of updated school performance data for FY2016 online and in brochure All schools (including private) mapped and information uploaded onto school mapping portal and printed digest.World BankSchool mapping functional and digest is being compiled and printed. Additional information is still being collected from schools which did not provide data-- monitoring visits ongoing.To be verified by the World Bank once digest is printed- expected by May 1, 2017. See ??????DLI 6: School Performance Partnerships in 125 Beneficiary SchoolsDLR 6.3: 80 selected schools signing performance partnerships out of the 125 selected schools80 plans have been signed, and additionally funds have been allocated for the schools (first tranche).Independent Verification FirmIndependent Verification firm would sample schools to confirm plans are available and initial funds have been PLETED and to be verified by the Independent verification Firm (DAB Consult). ??????DLI 7: Improved learning outcomes in 125 selected SHS (quality package) DLR 7.3: ICT based instruction rolled out in about 50% of selected SHS70 i-boxes have been rolled out to 70 schools. Teachers in these schools have already received training. Independent Verification Firm Independent Verification Firm to validate through school visits, interviews with teachers PLETED and to be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB Consult).Meeting the fourth round (Year 3) of Disbursement Linked Results: Component 1 disburses according to the achievement of agreed disbursement linked indicators with benchmarks for each year pre-determined as disbursement linked results. Year 1 indicators were fully achieved in February 2016 and an advance of SDR18.2 million (US$25.34 million) was disbursed in two tranches – March and September towards meeting the Year 2 results (following the restructuring in August 2016). The mission reviewed the verification protocol and assumptions for meeting the next set of indicators for Year 3. See table below for status of Year 2 DLRs. The advance on Year 3 DLRs would only be available once 5 out of the 6 DLRs are met (See Annex 3 for DLR verification for YEAR 3)Proposed Additional Financing (US$50 million) The AF would scale up activities under the disbursement linked results areas related to increasing both access and quality in selected low-performing schools in targeted districts. See proposed allocation by result area below.Financing of Disbursement linked Indicators/ComponentsOriginal Funding and Proposed AF (US$ 50 million)?Components and ResultsAmount of Financing Allocated per DLI/ componentType of Modification (PAD)Proposed AF costTotal Cost1.??????Support to increase access with equity and quality in SHS140.1??Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity????DLI 1Targeting of school expansion in underserved school districts5.54--?5.54DLI 2Increase in new seats for SHS students in underserved school districts23.2--?23.2DLI 3Increase in number of seats utilized in existing low-performing schools23.2Scale up1033.2DLI 4Increased enrolment in SHS in targeted districts and schools for students from low-income families, especially girls23.2Scale Up932.2?Pillar 2: Improve quality of education????DLI 5Annual Publication of School Performance Report18.56Continue9?27.56DLI 6School Performance Partnerships in 125 beneficiary schools (now 225)23.2Scale up1033.2DLI 7Improved learning outcomes in 125 selected SHS (quality package- now 225)23.2Scale up932.22Management, Research, M&E15.9???Program management/operational costs/communications/verification/technical assistance/training/research15.9Scale Up?318.9?TOTAL156?50206The AF is not expected to alter the design of the SEIP but instead provide opportunities for expansion and strengthening of key efforts, particularly those related to improving access to and quality of low performing secondary schools. Selection of additional schools: The proposed AF would not change the PDO indicators except to revise the targets based on the increase in beneficiary schools within the selected districts. Under the SEIP, districts were ranked based on the following criteria: (i) demand for senior secondary school places (defined by the ratio of JHS3 pupils in year x to SHS1 pupils in year x+1 for the same district); (ii) district poverty index; and (iii) size of school population. Criteria have various weights in the ranking and reflect both the capacity as well as demand for schooling. The bottom 100 districts were selected based on the above criteria ranking all the 216 districts in Ghana. Up to 125 SHSs based on WASSCE and facilities assessment were selected. The AF would now aim to cover all schools in the selected 100 districts (up to 221 SHSs) as well as the 23 newly constructed schools. The expansion therefore retains the transparent and poverty-targeted criteria and avoids significant recalculation of the baseline indicator data, annual and cumulative targets. As such, support will be provided as follows:Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in Senior High Schools (Current allocation: $140.1 million; Total allocation with proposed AF: US$187.1 million)Pillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districts (Current allocation: US$125.1 million; revised allocation with proposed AF:US$144.1 million): The DLIs associated with this pillar (DLIs 2-4) aim to reward significant increases in the number of new seats utilized in the newly constructed schools as well as the existing low-performing schools. In addition, the increase in enrollment was to be further targeted to include more students from low-income families, especially girls. The activities expected to contribute to the achievement of these results (construction of additional seats, improvements to existing schools and scholarships (now bursaries) to students from low-income families would be continued for the current targeted schools under the AF.Additional schools: In an effort to extend the impact of greater access to SHS, the additional financing would support additional schools in the targeted 100 districts (approximately 100 schools, plus 23 newly constructed schools under the SEIP). New scholarships (bursaries) for needy students to cover private costs would be rolled out for existing and new targeted schools. Facilities improvements based on a comprehensive needs assessment would be targeted to the 75 original SEIP schools that did not receive upgrading. With the proposed extension of the SEIP by another two years, the implementation of minor works/rehabilitation would be completed in time to absorb the increased enrollment expected/forecasted. The selection of additional schools to benefit under the SEIP would use the original comprehensive targeting criteria that was used to identify the underserved districts and low-performing schools under the Parent project. The AF, coupled with an extension of the period for implementation, would allow for: (i) the expansion of seats utilized in existing low-performing schools (75 schools beginning in the September 2017 school term) from an original target of 10,000 to 15,000; and (ii) an increase in the number of students receiving scholarships (from the original target of 10,000 to 20,000). Given the experience with the first round of upgrading to 50 SHS, the AF could support a more demand driven approach to meeting infrastructure needs well aligned with the SPPPs to ensure strategic alignment with school priorities. Pillar 2: Improve quality in low-performing SHS (Current allocation: US$15 million; revised allocation with proposed AF: US$43 million): The DLIs associated with this pillar (DLIs 5-7) aim to reward school level improvements in the quality of the teaching and learning offered in the low-performing SHS. Contributing to the overall outcome of improved completion scores on the standardized WASSCE for math and science in particular, the ongoing GoG program supports an interactive school mapping portal, grants to SHSs through the SPPPs, leadership training, intensive science and math training and resources for teachers, and the roll out of an innovative mechanism for ICT based instruction through the Ghana patented i-campus/i-box (Adedo). All of these activities contribute to a “quality package” for the SEIP schools and have just recently been rolled out. Initial feedback is positive on the mapping, ICT activities and first year and a half of leadership, math and science teacher training. The SPPPs provide a mutual accountability mechanism for incentivizing SHS quality improvement activities as enrollments increase through the expansion of infrastructure and scholarships.Quality interventions: Under the AF, these quality packages would therefore be extended to approximately 123 additional schools. The AF would also reward the increased number of teachers benefitting from math and science training, with potential customized materials and lesson plans created through either the MS4SSA (World Bank regional initiative on math and science for Sub-Saharan Africa) program; (science and math training provided by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences-AIMS) or other follow-up teacher strengthening activities, and the expansion of the i-box technology, training, content development and internet connectivity for the additional 123 ponent 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation (Current allocation: US$15.9 million; Total allocation with proposed AF: US$18.9 million)Under the AF, a proposed US$3 million will be provided to project management and supervision, specifically to cover costs related to technical assistance for MOE, GES and other key implementing agencies. In addition, the funding will continue to sponsor key trainings. The funding would support web-based school monitoring through the innovative school mapping portal and the subsequent enhancements being made to use this tool to better monitor program activities. Independent verification firms would be supported to annually verify the disbursement linked results. The research and diagnostic activities to support analysis on SHS policy and strategy will be particularly critical to scale up now that GoG has announced the implementation of free SHS expected to commence in September 2017. The necessary data analysis and implementation assessments could be supported to help guide such a transformative agenda, especially in light of the structural nature of the education system (boarding vs. day schools), fiscal constraints (limited non-salary education expenditures), and quality challenges (low learning outcomes at completion of basic education). The AF could also support more systematic procurement and financial management capacity at school level in order to strengthen the implementation of the SPPPs and facilities upgrade. Operational costs of the SEIP associated with the scale-up and/or continuation of activities through the extended AF closing date would also be supported. Economic Analysis for AF: The economic analysis will evaluate the economic impact of the project so far and provide an evidence-based rationale for scale-up of key interventions under the AF. The team will require additional support from GoG to confirm the figures in the economic analysis and ensure consistencies across the data by April 19, 2017. In particular, the team would require verified information on the following:Number of public and private SHS in Ghana as at March, 2017Number of teachers trained for SPPP (with dates of training), number of unique schools benefitting from SPPP trainings Average (total and annual) unit?cost of scholarships disbursed to dateTotal expenditure on school mapping (by categories across component 1 and 2)Total expenditure on iBox ?(by categories across component 1 and 2, including SPPP)Estimated maintenance and replacement costs for iBox (annual per school)Subsidy estimates per student (day/boarding) per TERM and YEAR prior to free SHSScholarship estimates per student (day/boarding) per TERM and YEAR for free SHSTeacher and Administrative salary cost estimate projections per YEAR for free SHSProposed Timetable for Additional Financing for delivering FY17DateConcept Memorandum review/approvalMarch 31, 2017Decision MeetingApril 29, 2017AppraisalMay 5, 2017NegotiationsMay 19, 2017BoardJune 27, 2017SigningAugust 1, 2017EffectivenessSeptember 8, 2017Upcoming Mid-Term Review: The Mid-Term Review (MTR) was postponed and is now planned for September 2017. The mission agreed that the postponement would allow for additional analysis on project outcomes and impacts. The MTR will also coincide with the planned SPPP/leadership peer review workshop to bring participating schools together to discuss the project results, challenges and lessons, and to consider potential revisions to strengthen project outcomes and impact in the sector. With the potential for additional financing being effective by the MTR, the MTR would offer a good forum to launch the additional financing, address the implementation plans for the additional activities and expansion of new project schools. It was agreed that the following reports/analysis will contribute to the MTR:Road Map for MTR (timeline for analyses, logistics and stakeholder engagement)WAEC ranking of schools, with explanations of the ranking criteria CSSPS analysis and triangulation of student choice, vacancy declared, placement and enrolment in SEIP schools including dates of first year student registration Analysis of SHSs contributing to university, polytechnic and tertiary enrollmentSchool mapping analysis; update on SHSs (mostly private) which have not provided data for digestIndependent Fiduciary Review (Bank can share sample TOR) Independent Procurement Review (Bank can share sample TOR) Technical review of construction and facilities upgrade- ongoingSafeguards ReviewRevised implementation plan with addition of new project schools in targeted districts for AFRevised procurement plans for AFCost-benefit analysis of project interventions- including unit cost analysis of free SHS policy (including projected salary and non-salary costs) Qualitative survey on math and science and leadership trainings Whatsapp leadership, SPPP, i-box platform survey Analysis of SPPPs through most recent monitoring reportAnalysis of Monitoring Reports—both quantitative and qualitvDecisions on MS4SSA adoption and roll out under the additional financingAnalysis of possible AIMS math and science trainingCost comparisons on school operational costs Procurement: A review of the updated procurement plan for Component 2 (which was cleared in January 2017) was undertaken by the mission and overall performance was assessed. With the plans for additional financing, the mission recommended a value for money procurement audit of both components 1 and 2. A sample TOR will be shared with the team by April 20, 2017. Assessing procurement to date, the mission noted that in total, 29 procurement activities were planned to be executed. 17 contracts have successfully been executed representing (58.62%), 5 contracts are on-going representing (17.24%), one contract was at pre-contract stage, representing (3.4%) and 6 are yet to be initiated, representing (20.74%). Total amount of procurement US$2,594,142.42 out of which an amount of US$2,275,296.42 is committed representing about 76%. This is a significant achievement as procurement left to be executed is less than 24%. The Bank reviewed its Prior/Method Thresholds which was applied in preparing the procurement plan for 2017. Due to the increase in the thresholds, most of the procurement would be undertaken by the procurement team of SEIP. Procurement records for the contracts reviewed were complete, chronologically filled, secured and kept with the procurement officer. The overall procurement risk rating is maintained as Substantial and the Procurement Performance rating is Moderately Satisfactory. In addition, according to the World Bank’s procurement policy, the new Additional Financing is subject to the new procurement framework, however the GoG has requested to seek a waiver and apply the Procurement and Consultant Guidelines applicable to the original project/original financing to the Additional Financing. This waiver will be requested pursuant to paragraph 3, Section VI of Bank Directive “Procurement in IPF and Other Operational Procurement Matters” and Section III – Scope, I. Procurement During IPF Preparation - C. Additional Financing of the Bank Procedure “Procurement in IPF and Other Operational Procurement Matters.” The task team supports GoGs request for an exemption from applying the new procurement framework because the Additional Financing involves minimal new procurement and application of the new procurement framework offers little advantage in this particular regard.Safeguards update: The short technical mission did not include a comprehensive safeguards review. The Safeguards Performance Chart was shared with the team and indicates where contractors are not performing well. Therefore, the mission agreed that the Safeguards consultant working in the MOE provide an update by April 19, 2017 on how outstanding issues from the last mission’s reporting (October, 2016) have been addressed. A-RAP additions have been documented and shared with the Bank Social Safeguards Specialist for review on February 17, 2017. The RAPs will need to be re-disclosed. With the preparation for additional financing, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) would need to be updated to reflect the additional beneficiary schools and re-disclosed.Monitoring and Evaluation: The mission requested that the monitoring reports be shared from visits in October 2016 and more recently in March 2017. The mission reminded the team that it had been agreed during the previous mission that the monitoring teams would use standardized templates for the collection of information and evaluating activities which would be uploaded on tablets/laptops for more timely data collection, collation and analysis. The Results Framework was updated in March 2017 (See Annex 6) and still requires calculations on direct project beneficiaries (using EMIS data and monitoring reports). Some typos were discovered in the reporting of the completion rate data (target) and corrected in the latest version of the framework. In addition, the team was advised to continue sensitizing schools on the calculation of completion which is really a survival rate. Reaching mutual understanding on defining repeaters would help ensure more accurate reporting on this key indicator. The mission recommended that special registers be given to each SEIP school to more easily capture the data. With regard to the PDO indicator on educational attainment, it was agreed that the team would indicate the dates of the next household survey and census to determine whether the SEIP would need to conduct a separate survey to report on key indicators. With an extension of the closing date proposed for the SEIP, the end line survey would need to be confirmed given the current plans for the next Ghana Living Standards Survey 8 planned for 2021 and the national census planned for 2020. The team will further discuss with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to determine survey options. Communications: The communications team has scaled up the outreach and public relations activities and will continue to roll out campaigns through SMS, TV and newspaper fora. The communications plan for 2017 was shared with the mission. The coordination with the CSSPS has helped to make information on SEIP available to recently placed students. Going forward, the team will need to expand sensitization to all new schools added under the Additional Financing. The communication activities could also include some short videos of interviews of beneficiaries at SEIP schools. The mission encouraged the communications team to include in the work plan activities for strengthening internal communication between MOE and GES, better supervision of district Public Relations Officers and Girls Education Officers. The mission recommended a quarterly newsletter to update policy makers and other stakeholders about SEIP activities and results. D.DISCLOSURE The World Bank and GoG confirm their understanding and agreement to publicly disclose this Aide-Mémoire. The disclosure of this Aide Memoire was agreed with project counterparts led by Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum, Deputy Minister for Education, Ministry of Education at the wrap-up meeting held on April 3, 2017 at the Ministry of Education.E.PENDING ACTIONS/NEXT STEPS Description of ACTIONDate DueSTATUS and Responsible PartySEIPLetter from MOF requesting Additional FinancingApril 7, 2017DONEIndependent Verification of Quality DLRsApril 15, 2017DONETechnical Review of civil works contractedApril 19, 2017MOE, CWTSafeguards report documenting all RAP issuesApril 19, 2017MOEProcurement Review MTR- TORApril 20, 2017GES, MOE, WBFiduciary Review-MTR- TORApril 20, 2017GES, MOE, WBSPPPs Assessment (performance review)June 1, 2017GESLetter from DG to Regional Directors on Head teacher selection and transfersApril 4, 2017DONEData for Economic AnalysisApril 19, 2017GES/MOESchool Mapping (Adedo) Digest printedMay 15, 2017GES, MOEMTR analyses completedAugust 15, 2017GES, MOEAppraisal of Additional FinancingMay 2017WB, MOE, GESTechnical Review of civil works completedJune 2017MOE, CWTMS4SSA workshop application submittedApril 19, 2017MOE, GESMS4SSA workshopMay 15-26, 2017MOE, GES, WBAnnex 1: List of People MetMinistry of FinanceLawrence NyanorSnr Economist, WBU0243438322lnyanor@.ghMinistry of EducationDr Matthew Opoku-PrempehHon. Minister0302662772minister@.ghDr Yaw Osei AdutwumDep. Minister0206335932yaw.adutwum@Enoch Cobbinah Chief Director0202030286enoch.cobbinah@H. R. Wilson SEIP Co-ordinator0208111627yoku02@Mawuli SebgefiaHead, ICU0244695607segb2002@Cynthia Lawson-HeymanSEIP Administrator0203628202cynthialheyman@gmail,comWilhelmina AsamoahDirector F&A0578289188amasamoa2@Isaac Biney Director, PBME0244484518isaacnbiney@Paul K MensahCWT, QS0206933776pkmensa7@Kofi HowardCWT, Engineer0244376789kegyirhoward@Philip T OkleteyCWT, Architect0208528948pipokletey@Aruna NelsonProcurement0244068823aruna4040@Matilda TetteyPRO0244595298youmonknow@Rahinatu DariPrin Accountant0244635096rahidari25@yahoo.co.ukEmelia B. O. DerkyiDirector, Finance0208167941emelia_derkyi@Dan Osman MwinHead, PR0244732876danosmanmwin@Mirabel BentilPBME0260900031mkbentil@Caesar W. SowahICT, Programmer0543525962caesarsowah@Agbemabiese G. AlexSEIP Secretariat0207407499abgemabiesealex@Noah AsanteSEIP Secretariat0244502865nanalyfe@Monica D. TandohSnr Planning Officer0244478235monica1tee@Caitlin WillamsODI Fellow0557389023c.jwilliams90@Ernest Wesley-OtooD. P Co-ordinator0244101822ernest7000@Divine Ayidzoe Director SRIM0244466125ayidzoedivine@Ernest Owusu-AnsahHead, M&E0246617273awaygas@Bernard AyensuM&E0267730142bkayensu@Daniel AdonuHead, Audit0208002307danieladonu61@yahoo.co.ukVan-Excel Acheampong(Proc. Unit) Service Person0274277267vanexcel.vanexcel@Franklin BediakoPRO0277551225fab.bediako@Samuel AdjeiSnr. System Analyst0277470144samueladjei@hotmail.co.ukLawrence FianuFPMU, Engineer0244834109lawriee2002@Mary HammondNational Service Personnel0244236815aturks87@Shirley AcquahNational Service Personel0243732432amaboah23@Ghana Education ServiceJacob A.M. KorDirector-General0244798521korjacob313@Cynthia Bosomtwe-SamTL Research0209834524efuasam@Felicia Boakye- YiadomDir. / Ag Exe Sec NACCA0244682111feliciabyadom@Naa-Dei ThompsonChief Accountant0244696501naathom@Dr. Chris KoramoahAg FC0204343020yawkriss@Dr. Dorothy GloverSEIP Coordinator (Q&U)0207366900abraglover@Kwasi A. AnokyeCSSPS0202510037kabankwa@Rev Jonathan Bettey Pro Head0208236592jonathanbetteywell@Kwame A. A. AgyapongGPEG Project Coordinator0244519507kwame.agyapong09@David A. BanaminiPR Unit0243246124banamini@Augustus AgyemfraSED0244709335agyemfra1@Richmond Atta-WilliamsICT0264530270ratta-williams@.ghAkandi A. BismarkChief Int. Auditor0208188744akandiba2006@Bernard NtimHead, Budget0202621724byntim13@Elizabeth DufieAccount Officer0247926191Elizabethdufi@Andrews K. Quaning Head, SMT0244132853andrewsquaning@Adams ZuwiiProcurement Officer0248454999zudams@Obeng EnninICT0246957152obengennin@.ghMichael InkoomDirector0277129427minkoom@Beatrice Zalia AliDirector-GES Procurement0208110079brownzalia@Dr. Evelyn OduroNTC, Ag. Exe. Sec0244686241evebed@AgenciesJoshua MalletDirector0244438643jcmallet@Samuel Ofori-ArkoHead F&A0267375166soforiarko@yahoo.co.ukRobert ObenyahField Co-ordinator0201061195robenyah@yahoo.co.ukConsultantsAaron Asant-AddaiEnvilogica Consult0244368671envilogica@Kwaku Osafo-AffumStruc Engineer0244638830kosafoaffum@yahoo.co.ukAlex L. AbabioTwum Boafo & Part., Q. S0246454061lawerhababio54@Boateng Twum-BarimaTwum Boafo & Part., Assist. Q. S0244886706boatengtb@Dr. Albert AwuahUDC, Director0208164805urbanconsortium@yahoo.co.ukDavid GyampohCONPRO Ltd, Q. S0501368447davidgyampoh@Philip AntwiPDC, Project Engineer0243811633philippantwi56@Eric QuaoUDC, Project Engineer0247656725ericquao@Annex 2: Implementation Status Detailed UpdateComponent 1: Pillar 1 Access with EquityCivil works- new construction: With regard to meeting the disbursement linked indicators for increasing access to SHS in beneficiary districts, the GoG aims to construct 23 new schools through 46 contract lots. Construction began in July 2015 with completion scheduled for October 15, 2016. Overall percentage of work completed as of end of February 2017 is 85.7%. The three vocational blocks and two technical blocks have not yet been awarded and it was agreed that these should be awarded without delay to ensure that the benefits to the students are realized as soon as possible. CONSTUCTION- EXPENDITURE TO DATE?NO. OF CONTRACTSTOTAL BUDGETPROJECTED FINAL COST (GHS)TOTAL PAYMENTS BALANCE (GHS)% Paid% complete?Facility Upgrade5025,273,19525,023,06820,892,7504,130,31783.4997.92New Works46313,464,724303,339,955186,486,248116,853,70761.4885.70Total96338,737,920328,363,023207,378,999120,984,024??While the target for the DLR of reaching 80% has been met, the category of poorly performing contractors are still dragging down the progress for completion of several of the new schools. The mission noted that eight schools have been completed (both lots A and B) and about thirteen E-blocks have been completed. Current monthly average progress has been 1.4% or less since November. The summary of performance groupings is indicated below.GROUPPROGRESS% RANGEPERFORMANCE BASED ON % ACHIEVEDNO. OF CONTRACTSACompleted and Handed Over100VERY GOOD11BPractical Completion100 - 98GOOD9CBetween 90% and 98% complete98 - 90SATISFACTORY 6DBetween 75% and 90%90 - 75POOR11EBelow 75% complete<75VERY POOR7???TERMINATED2?TOTAL46 Source: CWT summary Feb 2017The E-blocks and all ancillary facilities should be functional to ensure that students already enrolled (3,111) have full educational opportunities to complete their first year of SHS. The mission learned that none of the science labs have been operationalized as the contract for the science equipment and installation while awarded in September, has not yet produced any results. In addition, some of the schools also do not have functioning ICT labs as equipment has not yet been delivered and/or installed. The construction contracts would need to be extended given the current status as of April 2017. It was agreed that as with usual contract management practice, the price indices on the contracts would be frozen for contracts extended beyond the original contract completion date.For lots where construction may extend past April 2017:Monthly progress targets would be fixed and monitored. The contract would be terminated if the targets are not met for several consecutive months.The worst performing contracts of the two lots (both at one school) have been terminated. It has been estimated that it would take about thirteen months to complete the procurement (four months) and construction (nine months).Cost escalation: The mission discussed concerns about the projected increase in total construction cost and the significant variance in costs between sites as it is not clear why the projected costs vary when plans, Bills of Quantities (BoQs) and super structures are the same (the exception is the foundations which vary because of site differences in slopes). While the mission has noted that the cost overruns have been reported lower than 26% it is not clear if this includes the contingency amounts. Therefore it will be critical to initiate the technical review immediately. The savings on the cost enhancement while welcomed, should not divert the focus of the CWT. ?Besides the?reduction in indices they must consider: the?variation in quantities for same?buildings for the above plinth level are not justified and need to be reviewed by an independent?person. Until this is settled, the final bills of the contractors cannot be cleared; the manner in which the contractors have claimed higher index by delaying submission of their bills or even delays in progress is unfortunate. Contractors should be entitled to the fluctuations as per their work plans ONLY.?The revised projected final cost of the New Construction civil works is now estimated at GHS 303,339,955.17. This exceeds the original total Contract Sums of GHS 268,592,293.86 by GHS 34,747,661.31 representing an increase of 12.94% of the total Contract ValueEven though the building designs are the same, the costs varied widely between sites for substructure, super structure and external development - between (-)5% to 56% for sub-structure at sites with basements and relatively flat ground levels; between (-)2% to 19% for superstructure; and between (-)7% to 39% for external works. The CWT agreed that there might be some errors in calculations. There was an error in the principle used to calculate the fluctuations in some payment certificates, which were reviewed at random. The on-going work between the MOE (CWT) and the Consultants to arrive at the full details of the projected cost increase has been slow and needs urgent and expeditious actions. The mission team strongly recommends that the details in variations are finalized quickly so that the contracts can be closed where works would be completed soon. In the forthcoming payment certificates of contractors, the amounts for variations would be withheld and the fluctuations would be calculated as per the last official cost index declared by GSS. The payments made to date on account of the variations and fluctuations calculated on provisional indices would be adjusted and released only after the variations are finalized and official indices are declared by GSS.The technical review would verify the differences in quantities for the same items at various sites, quantities of additional items executed at sites, calculations of fluctuations etc. The MOE requested the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to review its indices used for calculating fluctuations from April 2016 onwards and determined that the indices were in fact overestimated. This inquiry has resulted in over US$2 million in reduced fluctuation demonstrating the need for careful review of all variances and price fluctuations. Other issues and agreements on civil works:The mission team recommended that the GoG should consider terminating the contracts of poor performing Supervision Consultants. District Assemblies are required to provide access road, electricity and water supply to the schools sites. The current status is: electricity is available at 20 new construction sites. The transformer designs have been changed at three sites where the supply voltage is 33KvA compared to 11KvA planned originally; water connection has been provided to three sites and bore-holes are to be used to supply water in the remaining 20 sites. Depending on the water quality test reports, water treatment plants will be installed after consulting the Community Water and Sanitation Agency for advice on the treatment and siting of additional boreholes if need be; access is possible through roads to 20 sites, minor road works are required for one site, and major road works are needed for two sites. It was agreed that the CWT would work with supervision consultants and District Assemblies (for provision of potable water and access roads) to prepare time lines for provision of the above facilities. In case delays are expected in providing the water treatment plants at sites where the students would join from this academic year, the District Assemblies would ensure that alternate arrangements are made for potable water. DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES OBLIGATIONS – NEW CONSTRUCTION S/No.Lot No.SiteContractor% PROGRESS PER LOT FOR JAN. 2017% PROGRESS FOR E-BLOCK ONLY% COMPLETION /HANDING OVERSTUDENT ADMISSIONACCESS AND UTILITY SERVICES ACCESS ROADWATER CONNECTIONELECTRICITY CONNECTION1AS02AAdugyamaNickseth100100.00Handed overDec. 22, 2016Students admitted in Oct. 2016Access is satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteAS02BAdugyamaNickseth100-2AS01AAgric NzemaBarry's Limited 99100.00Sectional Handing OverStudents admitted in Nov. 2016Access is satisfactoryGWCL Water connected to site.Awaiting installation of meters.AS01BAgric NzemaBarry's Limited99-3GA01AKatamansoKrane Construction Ltd100100.00Sectional Handing OverStudents admitted in Nov. 2016Access is satisfactoryBorehole water requires treatment. Electricity available on siteGA01BKatamansoTonyan100-4GA02AFafrahaAntartic Contract Works 100100.00Handed OverNov. 11, 2016Students admitted in Oct. 2016Access is satisfactoryGWCL Water connected to site.Electricity available on siteGA02BFafrahaAntartic Contract Works 100-5GA03AKwabenyaConstruction Logistics100100.00Handed OverNov. 11, 2016Students admitted in Oct. 2016Access is satisfactoryGWCL Water connected to site.Electricity available on siteGA03BKwabenyaG.R Construction100-6BA01ANew LongoroChina Railways100100.00Handed OverDec. 30, 2016Students admitted in Nov. 2016Access is satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteBA01BNew LongoroChina Railways100-7UW01ALogguLubie99100.00Handed OverFeb. 15, 2017Students admitted in Jan. 2017Access is satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteUW01BLogguLubie98.79-S/No.Lot No.SiteContractor% PROGRESS PER LOT FOR JAN. 2017% PROGRESS FOR E-BLOCK ONLY% COMPLETION /HANDING OVERSTUDENT ADMISSIONACCESS AND UTILITY SERVICES ACCESS ROADWATER CONNECTIONELECTRICITY CONNECTION8AS03AAsuosoAkalifa100.00100.00Handed OverDec. 21, 2016Ready for admissionAccess satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteAS03BAsuosoIvag Const. Ltd.73.94-?9UE02AZuluguTop Construction 98.72100.00Handed OverFeb. 17, 2017Students admitted in Jan. 2017Access satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteUE02BZuluguTop Construction99.00-10VR01AAdaklu Aduadi /TsrefeSarbah93.7595.0093.19?Major roadworks requiredBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity available on siteVR01BMacoby99.38-11VR02AYawbram Defiat Dev. Co.97.7498.0092.29Students admitted in Dec. 2016Access satisfactoryBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity available on siteVR02BYawbramBudox Const. Co.93.07-12NR02ADaboyaTop Construction96.75100.00Sectional Handing Over (E-Block)Students admitted in Dec. 2016Access satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteNR02BDaboyaTop Construction 96.32-13ER01AAnum ApapamIntegrated Properties Limited94.4298.00Sectional Handing OverStudents admitted in Nov. 2016Access satisfactoryBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity not yet connected to siteER01BAnum ApapamIntegrated Properties Limited97.05-?14CE01AOfaakor KasoaBarry's Ltd.77.5098.60Sectional Handing OverStudents admitted in Dec. 2016Access satisfactoryBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity availableCE01BOfaakor KasoaAquila Int. Ltd78.02-?15ER02AMaame KroboPerfect Business Const. Ltd.82.0995.00Sectional Handing OverStudents admitted in Jan. 2017Access satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteER02BMaame KroboBig Foot74.00-S/NOLOT NO.SITECONTRACTOR%PROGRESS PER LOT FOR JAN. 2017% PROGRESS FOR E-BLOCK ONLY% COMPLETION /HANDING OVERSTUDENT ADMISSIONACCESS AND UTILITY SERVICES ACCESS ROADWATER CONNECTIONELECTRICITY CONNECTION16WR03ANsawora EdumafuaKKF Classic Co73.3091.00NOT YET STARTEDAccess satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available on siteWR03BNsawora EdumafuaZotime Ent. Ltd98.08-Handed Over17BA03ABassaExcellent Builders Co.80.6687.0079.10Access satisfactoryBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity available on siteBA03BBassaIs-Joy Ltd74.78-18UE01ATambilguAraco61.9470.0062.51Access satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity available through 33kv transformerUE01BTambilguMyturn Ltd.66.29-19NR03AMpahaBeobiya Ltd. 59.4978.0062.96Access satisfactoryBorehole yet to be drilledElectricity available through 33kv transformerNR03BMpahaU-Comm Ltd.77.91-20WR01AManso AmenfiDavid Walter58.7072.0060.56Major roadworks requiredBorehole water requires treatmentElectricity not availableWR01BManso AmenfiJustmoh Ltd.76.66-21NR01ASangKundim Ltd.62.4279.0063.21Access satisfactoryAwaiting borehole test resultsElectricity available through 33kv transformerNR01BSangKoddeg Ltd.75.95-22BA02ANew KokrompeRinacand78.186.3076.50Access satisfactoryBorehole water suitable for consumptionElectricity not availableBA02BNew KokrompeAlexiboam76.1623WR02AAdabokromJowak35.13-TerminatedTerminatedAccess satisfactoryBorehole drilled but water yet to be testedElectricity nearby but not connected WR02BAdabokromJowak42.33-TerminatedService available but not adequateService not availableCivil Works-Facilities upgrade: Additional civil works are being implemented through rehabilitation of 50 SHSs to help meet the DLR for Component 1. The Component 1 DLR is related to increased seats in existing under performing schools. Forty-five out of 50 SHSs have their rehabilitation completed and forty have been formally handed over. All forty-five SHS’s are being used by the schools. One contract has been terminated (Lot UW03). Works carried out to date under the contract has been assessed by the Supervising Consultants and the CWT and bid documents prepared for the re-award of the contract. The re-award of the contract has been stalled due to the transition process. CWT undertook site inspections to 41 Facility Upgrade sites in January and February 2017 to carry out in most cases, final inspection of works handed over and in their defects liability period, and in some cases to prepare snag lists prior to handing over of the facilities to the beneficiaries. The Total Contract Value of the 50 SEIP Facility Upgrade Works is GH?22,223,550.67. The total variations on the Facility Upgrading Works is GHS 874,149.56. The Variations are due to ground conditions and differences between Contract Bills of Quantities and re-measured quantities. There were some changes in the scope of the Rehabilitation Works. The Fluctuations on the Facility Upgrade is estimated at GHS 2,572,655.75. This brings the Total Variations and Fluctuations to GHS 3,446,805.31. The Revised Projected Total Cost of the Facility Upgrade including Variations and Fluctuations is estimated at GHS 25,023,068.10. This exceeds the Original Total Contract Sum of GHS 22,223,550.68 by GHS 2,799,517.42 representing 12.60% increase of the original Contract Value as indicated above.MONTHFACILITY UPGRADES WORKSEXPECTED OVERALL TARGET (%)% ACTUAL OVERALL PROGRESS % MONTHLY PROGRESSFEBRUARY 201668.072.65.6MARCH 201676.082.710.1APRIL 201684.086.33.6MAY 201692.088.62.3JUNE 2016100.092.53.9JULY 2016100.094.842.34AUGUST 2016100.096.381.54SEPT. 2016100.097.581.20OCTOBER 2016100.097.820.24NOVEMBER 2016100.097.840.02DECEMBER 2016100.0097.840.00JANUARY 2017100.0097.840.00FEBRUARY 2017100.0097.840.00There is also the need to follow up on maintenance arrangements- It was agreed that supervision consultants would share the finalized maintenance manuals that are currently being discussed and reviewed with the schools. Looking at additional financing interventions, the team urged caution about the plans for increased expansion/construction in existing schools as a means to increasing enrolment in these schools. Looking at the data to date, in the schools where such interventions were rolled out (50 schools) the increase was only 24% and this was mainly accounted for by large increases to about 3 schools with growth over 100%. Even with significant outreach to raise awareness about the rehabilitated/new senior high schools and to admit qualified students from the JHSs in the relevant communities, the expansion remains modest.Enrollment increases in SEIP low-performing schoolsAverage enrolment growth 2013/14 to 2016/17Total18.9%In the 7515.1%In the 5024.6%Number of schools with growth in 3 years of project32last 2 years of project34Growth in % girls enrolled 2013/14 - 2016/17Number of schools87Average growth per school3%Maximum growth23%Additional Financing and Contracting: The mission agreed that consultancies for civil works, rehabilitation, works supervision and independent verification would all be re-advertised as contracts draw to a close.Scholarships have contributed to increasing enrolment in low-performing schools, having been rolled out to 5,398 students across 108 of the 125 SEIP schools. At least 61% of scholarship beneficiaries are girls. This figure includes the students from the 2014/2015 academic year currently in SHS2 and students from the 2015/16 academic year in SHS1. The selection of beneficiaries for 2016/17 academic year is underway. The total number of scholarship beneficiaries is 5,398 (2014/15: 2,074 beneficiaries; and 2015/16: 3,324 beneficiaries). The highest proportion of scholarships are in the Ashanti region (19 percent) and the lowest proportion of beneficiaries is in the Upper East region (2 percent). The challenges of high attrition of head teachers, undue delay in submitting reports, delay in collecting cheques for disbursement and subsequent delay in paying student remittances remain. The SEIP accounts are still not active for all schools (Accountant Generals Department is required to provide clearance before school accounts can be opened). This means that head teachers have to come to all the way to headquarters in Accra to pick up checks for scholarships. Beneficiary schools are still struggling to provide termly returns on the scholarship program making it difficult to track performance and attendance. Cheques for the first year are usually disbursed in the third term. In view of the commitments made under the new free SHS policy, the SEIP scholarships would be reduced to approximately US$150 per student per year to cover remaining private costs to SHS for low-income students (including school bags, school sandals, transportation etc.). The mission recommended that the GES internal audit unit support a scholarship audit and in 2017, the Component 2 budget should provide for more regular routine audits at the regional level. In addition, the mission recommended that schools provide their account numbers so that funds can be transferred through Banks rather than physical collection of cheques. School Performance Partnership Plans (SPPPs). The status on SPPPs remains as determined during the December, 2016 mission. The SPPPs for 80 schools have been vetted and signed with funds disbursed against the schools’ plans for goods and services activities. Prior to releasing funds, the schools must have outlined acceptable plans to facilitate the procurement process. A verification protocol for assessing school performance on the SPPPs preparation and implementation by scoring and ranking schools was agreed during the last mission to be shared with the Independent Verifier. The team looks forward to receiving this verification guidelines for input. The data scoring and ranking SHSs on the basis of SPPP implementation will be shared with the GES for management administrative decision making. The impact of low capacity of school heads and administration to implement SPPPs is critical. The presentation on Component 2 budget and expenditure, indicated SPPPs to be among the lowest expenditures in 2016. Only 6.41 percent out of the total SPPP budget of GHC272,000 (US$64,700) was spent on eligible activities in 2016. The necessary training for school heads and administration was not undertaken and this has the potential for slowing down the school implementation of SPPPs. The team strongly recommends that the planned SPPP training for 2017 should be fully implemented to ensure that low implementing schools are supported. In addition the high turnover of head teachers has also impacted implementation as new teachers have not had SPPP training. A training is being planned in April 2017 which would include procurement capacity building to expedite production of the procurement plans and subsequent release of remaining SPPP funding. It was agreed that quarterly presentations of Component 1 expenditures (including SPPP and other quality expenditures) would be initiated to better monitor progress against the activity. In addition, the mission agreed to conduct an analysis of the monitoring reports for the MTR to better understand expenditures under the SPPPs. The team was advised to code activities without being too prescriptive for ease of monitoring and data analysis. The DG has also agreed to send a letter to all Regional Directors to limit the transfer of head teachers in SEIP schools and to ensure that high capacity heads are assigned to SEIP and AF schools. Schools will also work on their 2017 annual plans during the training in addition to procurement plan updates.Pillar 2: Improve Quality in low-performing Senior high SchoolsSchool mapping: A local name has been selected for the school mapping portal “e-Adido’ meaning “knowledge is meant to be shared”. The new name will be included in the soon to be published Digest (expected May 2017). The digest has been delayed because data was missing from some schools (mostly private SHSs). In addition, new procurement awards had been frozen during the election and transition period (the Procurement Authority Board is yet to be set up). The digest is also going to be made available on the Ministry’s website. It was agreed that some verification would be conducted to verify that the digests have been distributed to all JHS (e.g., phone calls to JHS heads). The digest is missing the WAEC rankings as these were not received in time. The mission team recommended that SHS which had not provided the data should be listed and tagged with “data not available”. It was also recommended that regional listing should be in alphabetical order and the enrollment should be cross-tabulated by programs and class (i.e. SHS1, SHS2, SHS3). The mission team also recommended that heads be made to verify data provided on their schools and a unique identification and coding for each school should be determined. The second phase of school mapping - to enhance the school mapping platform and expand its scope to include scholarship information, M&E and academic performance tracking - has been proceeding well and significant improvements have been made to the portal to tackle the integration of these databases. One issue that needs to be addressed is how to route the comments received on social media to the appropriate school heads for their responses. The ability for the portal to respond quickly to citizen comments/complaints is critical for its continued relevance, use and real time problem solving. In addition, the portal fills the information gap for students selecting SHS schools, but only if all schools are reporting in a timely manner. It was agreed that more sensitization and training would be provided to head teachers during the upcoming leadership trainings. ICT: The mission is pleased to note that the iboxes have been procured (160) and 70 have been installed by end of January. The content for SHS1 and SHS2 has been uploaded onto the machines which includes video lessons, interactives and assessments as well as over 3,000 additional open source resources (e.g., Khan Academy). It was agreed that the list of resources would be shared with the team for further quality assurance and suggestions on appropriate materials that can be included. Training has been conducted for four core subject teachers and one ICT teacher from each of the first 70 schools to receive the iboxes, while the remaining schools will receive the training and ibox in September 2017. The mission learned that procurement is still ongoing for installation accessories such as UPS, access points and solar panels. It was advised to make sure that the equipment is functional at each school. The mission also advised the team to review the estimated costs for connectivity (US$1,100), solar panels (US$12,000) and solar panel installation (US$1,200) as the unit costs appeared very high. Content for the final year of senior high school (SHS3) is being developed in 2017 and would focus more on subject reviews. The mission recommended that the team consider how to include more interesting resources to keep students engaged and eager to use the system. The mission also discussed whether new policies on technology in schools would need to be considered to allow for increased access to these resources. Suggestions for day students include using their phones and providing i-boxes to local public libraries. The mission also recommended that the plans for the ICT studio be put on hold until after the results of the impact evaluation on the functionality, use and cost effectiveness of the i-box are better determined. e-transform and e-learning projects: The 125 SEIP schools plus 23 new SHSs will participate in the training by KACE. Training for eTransform and eLearning SHS beneficiaries will consider an additional 200 and 240 SHSs respectively using the harmonized unit cost for training agreed among the MOE, GES, Ministry of Communications (MOC) and KACE.The Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) will lead in reviewing the ICT curriculum bringing in all the relevant stakeholdersKACE is invited to provide a proposal for the review and may suggest key stakeholders for the ICT curriculum reviewThe ICT training modules developed under the Global e-Schools Community Initiative (GESDI) will be shared with KACE and all stakeholdersA list of resource persons already trained under other ICT project will be utilized in the KACE training as relevantA technical committee made up of key stakeholders will be constituted to oversee the proposed training by KACEContent from CENDLOS will be released to accelerate and inform the KACE trainingA selection process for subject area specialists for the training will be agreed between KACE and CRDD.Science and math: An assessment strategy workshop was held in March 2017 in preparation for rolling out school based assessments using an extensive question bank. CADENA has been providing technical advice under this activity and would help roll out the training in July for creating relevant assessments. The mission requested to see the implementation plan for assessment roll out. The current local arrangements rely on science coordinators in every district as well as district support teams who do in-service STEM training. Unfortunately capacity is weak and the district support teams are not functioning. The i-box teacher portal is still not well understood by all teachers. The plans for the Ghana Olympiad have been initiated although the strategy was too narrowly focused. The mission advised that the preparation for the Olympiad focus more on rolling out science and math enrichment activities to all SEIP schools and giving teachers the resources needed to make the learning fun and accessible. The focus on selecting representatives to attend the national competition in September should be secondary. The mission also requested to know who is doing quality assurance on the syllabus and activities for this Olympiad enrichment. In preparation for the MTR, it was agreed that science and math teachers would be surveyed (possibly through a moderated Whats app intervention) to gage their progress under the SEIP, use of i-box if applicable and sentiments on trainings. A delegation is planning to attend the upcoming MS4SSA workshop in Worcester, MA to investigate the potential for adopting the methodology as a pilot under the SEIP. The list of proposed attendees and the filled in application form to attend the workshop would be completed by the team by April 19, 2017.Leadership: The two day training held in October/November 2016 continued to sensitize head teachers to the standards and expectations delineated in the leadership manual. The manual is still not finalized. The mission recommended that the manual be finalized as soon as possible and distributed to schools. In addition, there should be some workshop launched by May for all new head teachers given the high turnover rate. A refresher training is being planned for August/September and could provide a platform for MTR stakeholder engagement and the launch of the additional financing. The mission discussed the possible creation of a school leadership index (SLI) to better monitor and assess progress. The mission learned that the feedback from monitoring is that there have been some improvements in leadership in the SEIP schools. However, many of the Heads are still not communicating regularly about the project and reporting on various activities. The mission encouraged the team to sensitize the Heads about how they will be assessed throughout the project period. Research: A consultant has been contracted to oversee the research agenda (CERED at University of Cape Coast). There were some delays in preparing the inception report because the research leader became the Vice Chancellor of UCC. Therefore the team has a new leader (Dr. Francis Medahe) and the report has been shared. The areas for research focus include scholarships, science and math and teacher training performance. In addition, the team would look at teacher deployment and school level systems. The mission recommended that the research agenda also focus on key areas relevant to implementing the government’s new free SHS policy and produce short data analyses (as described for the MTR preparation) over the next several months. The Research fellow is now on board and working across the research agenda at the Ministry and to help build capacity while managing the research database. Statistical training is being rolled out to interested staff in different departments of education agencies. The Research database is being developed, but has not yet been populated. Different categories of entries (academic research/papers, manuals, project info, etc.) are being considered and criteria for vetting submissions has been determined. A national service person is also to be appointed/posted to the Ministry to support the research team. The student perceptions study is ongoing (team is completing field work in April). A mapping of NGOs, CSOs and DPs operating in Ghana is also being considered. IPA and MOE/GES hosted a research evidence summit March 28-29, 2017. In addition, the mission also agreed to explore study tour options for the team to visit Shanghai, Korea and possibly Vietnam in October/November 2017.Impact evaluations are underway to test the impact of the ibox package and to assess the extent to which follow-up science and math teacher training has an impact on student learning. The principal investigator and field coordinator were hired in May and have completed the baseline study. The report would be shared by April 8, 2017. It was agreed that the impact evaluation consider conducting a midline survey in September before the roll out of the additional i-boxes to better capture impact of i-box activities given the considerable interest to scale this high cost activity. The baseline and midline surveys would include lesson observations, assessment of facilities, surveying teachers and students. The mission discussed how to define the follow-up teacher training intervention that would need to be rolled out by the end of the calendar year. It was agreed that the team could explore piloting the Math and Science for Sub-Saharan Africa intervention as the follow-up science and math teacher support. Alternative options include electronic mentoring messages to teachers. The mission agreed that further clarification is needed to define the follow-up teacher training and the observation tool that would be used to measure impact. A proposed road map of the design is attached as Annex 4. Financial Management: Overview of Project ExpendituresComponent 1 Summary of activity expenditures BUDGET LINESBUDGET(GHS) ACTUAL EXPENDITURE(GHS)CUMMULATIVE TOTALBALANCESCHOLARSHIP 53,040,000.00 5,185,847.63 11,345,885.62 16,531,733.25 36,508,266.75 SPPP'S 51,000,000.00 - 5,817,752.05 ? 5,817,752.05 45,182,247.95 ICT IN EDUCATION 19,349,380.00 1,856,673.20 4,866,602.10 588,000.00 7,311,275.30 12,038,104.70 NEW CONSTRUCTION 310,464,724.27 95,412,318.01 91,073,930.55 ? 186,486,248.56 123,978,475.71 FACILITY UPGRADE 25,273,195.90 9,395,871.07 11,496,879.42 ? 20,892,750.49 4,380,445.41 REFURBISHMENT FOR e LEARNING PROJECT 220,905.00 - - ? - 220,905.00 SUPERVISION CONSULTANCY -NEW CONTRUCTION 12,549,750.00 3,924,887.84 5,900,257.90 ? 9,825,145.74 2,724,604.26 SUPERVISION CONSULTANCY -FACILITY UPPGRADE 4,210,442.25 562,610.57 1,874,552.34 ? 2,437,162.91 1,773,279.34 CONSULTANCY-CIVIL WORKS TEAM 1,104,000.00 135,700.00 494,650.00 86,550.00 716,900.00 387,100.00 CONSULTANCTY VOC-TECH BLOCK? - - ? - - CONSULTANCY-PROC. /M&E SPECIALIST 649,992.00 - 404,350.09 37,306.67 441,656.76 208,335.24 CONSULTANCY-EXT. WORKS & OTHER DOCUMENTATION 951,750.00 951,750.00 - ? 951,750.00 - CONSULTANCY-NEW WORKS DESIGN REVIEW CONTROL 37,189.00 37,189.00 - ? 37,189.00 - CONSULTANCY-FACILITY UPGRADE DESIGN REVIEW CONTROL 30,000.00 30,000.00 - ? 30,000.00 - CONSULTANCY- SAFEGUARDS 178,900.00 178,150.00 - ? 178,150.00 750.00 CONSULTANCY- SAFEGUARDS IMPLEMENTATION MONIRORING 251,635.00 44,631.32 114,436.00 ? 159,067.32 92,567.68 CONSULTANCY- VOCATIONAL & TECHNICAL BLOCK DOCUMENTATION 254,000.00 206,712.77 - ? 206,712.77 47,287.23 FURNITURE NEW SCH. (23 SHS) 11,425,788.00 - 3,864,960.00 1,510,464.60 5,375,424.60 6,050,363.40 FURNITURE-OFFICE EQUIPMENT NEW SCH. (23 SHS) 1,380,000.00 - - 136,200.15 136,200.15 1,243,799.85 FURNITURE UPGRADED SCH. (50) 2,214,300.00 - - 186,909.30 186,909.30 2,027,390.70 FURNITURE UPGRADED SCH. NEW 22 CLASSROOMS 490,000.00 - - ? - 490,000.00 FURNITURE -LAB EQUIPMENT, HARDWARE & CHEMICALS 23 NEW SCH 30,406,113.19 - - ? - 30,406,113.19 FURNITURE -SEIP SECRETARIAT 325,814.66 - 159,625.63 ? 159,625.63 166,189.03 COST OF MONITORING AND SITE MONITORS OF 23 SHS AND 50 UPGRADED SHS 1,000,000.00 495,538.78 294,453.41 84,670.18 874,662.37 125,337.63 CONTINGENCIES ?2,000,000.00 831,155.40 153,740.54 12,063.00 996,958.94 1,003,041.06 TOTAL 528,807,879.27 119,249,035.59 119,249,035.59 2,642,163.90 259,762,567.27 269,045,312.00 Component 2 Budget, Expenditure and Overview by Focal Area for Year 2Annex 3: Disbursement Linked Indicators for YEAR 3 RESULTS?Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project Year 3 DLR Verification (P145741- CR.54520) DLIDLRRequirements/Comments Verification source/documentsVerification ProtocolStatus??????DLI 2: Increase in new seats for SHS students in underserved school districtsDLR 2.4: About 5,000 new seats created in underserved districts(US$4.64 m)Independent Verification Firm reportIndependent Verification Firm to visit sites and verify against school enrolment records, subsidy collection list and school mapping reports To be verified by Independent Verification Firm (KE&T) and reviewed by the World Bank.??????DLI 3: Increase in number of seats utilized in existing low-performing schoolsDLR 3.4: About 3,000 seats utilized (cumulative) (US$4.64 m)Improvement in total enrolment in 125 schools from 2014/15 EMIS data. 2017/18 data will come directly from school survey.Independent Verification Firm reportEnrolment data collected through school reporting and through school mapping. Independent Verifier will visit 10% sample of schools to confirm enrolment records as compared to submissions by school heads.To be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB Consult) and reviewed by World Bank.??????DLI 4: Increased enrolment in SHS in targeted districts and schools for students from low-income families, especially girlsDLR 4.4: At least 6,000 SHS students receiving scholarship in selected schools(US$4.64 m)Total number scholarships in all three years where at least 6o% of beneficiaries are girls. With introduction of Free SHS- scholarships will be fully distributed. (10,000) (US$ 4.64 m)?Independent Verification Firm Report?Independent Verification firm will visit schools to validate receipt of funds and will check that selection criteria has been adhered to. ?To be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB consult) and reviewed by the World Bank.???????DLI 5: Annual Publication of School Performance ReportDLR 5.3: Publication of updated school performance data for FY2016/2017 online and in brochure (US$4.64 m)All schools (including private) mapped and information uploaded onto school mapping portal and printed digest.World Bank and random spot checks to JHS and district offices.School mapping up and running and digest is being compiled and printed. Additional information is still being collected from schools during ongoing monitoring visits.To be verified by the World Bank once digest is printed See for online version??????DLI 6: School Performance Partnerships in 125 Beneficiary SchoolsDLR 6.4: 100 selected schools signing performance partnerships out of the 125 selected schools(US$4.64 m)100 plans have been signed, and additionally funds have been allocated for the schools Independent Verification FirmIndependent Verification firm would sample schools to confirm plans are available and initial funds have been received.To be verified by the Independent verification Firm (DAB Consult). ??????DLI 7: Improved learning outcomes in 125 selected SHS (quality package) DLR 7.4: ICT based instruction rolled out in all targeted SHS(US$4.64 m)Teachers in these schools received training. iBoxes are functioning Independent Verification Firm Independent Verification Firm to validate through school visits, interviews with teachers trained.To be verified by Independent Verification Firm (DAB Consult)Annex 4: Proposed Design for Impact EvaluationFinal Groups:Phase 1 iBox: These were the first X schools to receive an iBox, they remain unchangedPhase 1 iBox + new intervention: Among the Phase 1 iBox receivers, these are the ones that will be randomly selected to receive a new intervention (MS4SSA or text messages)Phase 2 iBox: These were the SEIP schools that receive an iBox in Sep 2017Phase 2 iBox + new intervention: Among the Phase 1 iBox receivers, these are the ones that will be randomly selected to receive a new intervention (MS4SSA or text messages)New intervention: These are among the 25 non – SEIP schools that will become SEIP in September 2017 under AF. Half of these will be randomly selected to receive a new intervention in January 2018. No new intervention: These are among the 25 non – SEIP schools that will become SEIP in September 2017 under AF but will not receive a new intervention. Research questions:Does iBox work: Compare Group 1 and 2 at midline survey iBox impact through longer duration: compare A and C at endlineDoes new intervention work better with Phsase 1 iBox or Phase 2 iBox: compare B and D at endlineDoes new intervention work: CompareAnnex 6: SEIP Results Framework (March 2017)IndicatorUnit of MeasureBaseline 2014Cumulative Target ValuesFrequencyData Source/ MethodologyResponsibility for Data Collection20152016201720182019???TargetActualTargetActualTargetTargetTarget???Indicator One: Increase in Transition Rates from JHS3 to SHS1 in targeted districtsPercentageEMIS 2013/14 39%39%EMIS 2014/15 40%41%EMIS 2015/16: 43% 43%46%47%AnnualEMISMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GES Indicator Two: Increase in SHS educational attainment within the two poorest quintiles in targeted districts (disaggregated by gender) PercentageTotal: 8.4%N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/ATotal: 15%End of ProjectPopulation and Housing Census (2010) and end line survey measuring the highest level of education completed by 20-22 year-oldsMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GES HQ; GSSMale: 11.1%Male: 18.9%Female: 6.1%Female: 11.7%Indicator Three: WASSCE achievement of 6 credits and above within beneficiary schools (disaggregated by gender)PercentageTotal: 10.7%Total: 11.0%Total: 7.4%Total: 12.0%?Total: 10.7%Total: 13.5%Total: 14.5%Total: 15.0%AnnualWAEC/EMIS Annual WASSCE league table MoE (PBME); WAECMale: 11.6%Male: 11.9%Male: 8.6%Male: 12.9%?Male:12.6%Male: 14.4%Male: 15.4%Male: 15.9%Female: 9.5%Female: 9.8%Female: 5.8%Female: 10.8%?Female:8.1%Female: 12.3%Female: 13.3%Female: 14.3%Indicator Four: Direct project beneficiaries (students, teachers, institutional leaders)(cumulative)NumberTotal: 0Total: 4241Total: 134,721Total: 108992?TBD June 2017Total: 178597Total: 233499Total: 276970AnnualMoE, Independent Verification end line Survey ReportMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GES HQMale: 0%Male: 2387 (56.3%)Male: 72,993 (54.2%)Male: 61778 (56.7%)?Male: 100672 (56.4%)Male: 130713 (56.0%)Male: 154763 (55.9%)Female 0%Female: 1854 (43.7%)Female: 61,729 (45.8%)Female: 47214 (43.3%)?Female: 77919 (43.6%)Female: 102767 (44.0%)Female: 122187 (44.1%)Intermediate-level Results Indicators Component 1: Support to Increase Access with Equity and Quality in SHSPillar 1: Increase Access with Equity in senior secondary education in underserved districtsIntermediate Result Indicator One: Number00003,1115,00015,00015,000Annual M&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GESNew (additional) SHS seats created and utilized by SHS students in the targeted schools (cumulative)Intermediate Result Indicator Two: Number0Baseline Enrolment in 2014/15 (EMIS) = 132,2295001,259Enrolment collected from schools as of February 2016 = 133,4881,000?3,0005,00010,000Annual M&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GESIncrease in seats created and utilized within low performing beneficiary SHS schools (cumulative)5,889Intermediate Result Indicator Three:Number02,0002,1434,0006,00010,00010,000AnnualM&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME,SRIMPR, GESScholarships are distributed to low income students in the participating districts and schools (cumulative) 5,398Pillar 2: Improve Quality in low-performing senior high schoolsIntermediate Result Indicator One: Number MathematicsMathematics: 0Mathematics: 0Mathematics: 331Mathematics: 120?Math: 645 (304 in year 2)Mathematics: 240Mathematics: 360Mathematics: 360AnnualM&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR, GES Teachers participating in training to upgrade or acquire new skills in Mathematics or Science (cumulative)Number ScienceScience: 0Science: 0Science: 576Science: 100?Science: 1,126 (550 in year 2)Science: 250 Science: 500Science: 500Intermediate Result Indicator Two: PercentageTotal: 81.7%Total: -Total: Total: 81.7%?Total: 81.6%Total: 82.7%Total: 83.7%Total: 85.71%AnnualSchool Registry/ EMISMoE, PBME, SRIMPR; GES Increase in completion rates in targeted schools (disaggregated by gender)Male: 81.8%Male: -Male: Male: 81.8%?Male:81.4%Male: 82.8%Male: 83.8%Male: 85.8%Female: 81.2%set using average of completion rate for cohort ending 2013/14 and 2015/16.Female:- Female: 81.2%?Female: 81.8%Female: 82.1%Female: 83.1%Female: 85.1%Intermediate Result Indicator Three: Number00080?100125125AnnualM&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR, GESNumber of Performance Partnerships for Learning with beneficiary SHSs established (cumulative)100Intermediate Result Indicator Four: Number 00070125125125AnnualM&E Report, Web-based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR, GES, NITASHS ICT packages implemented in beneficiary schools (cumulative)70Component 2: Management, Research and Monitoring and EvaluationIntermediate Result Indicator One: Yes/NoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesAnnualM&E Report, Web-based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR, GESMonitoring system established and functioning to annually track data and publish information on all SHS schools in GhanaIntermediate Result Indicator Two: Number0001?235AnnualM&E Report Web based school monitoringMoE, PBME, SRIMPR, GES Research and Sector analyses conducted to inform elaboration of Secondary Education Strategy (cumulative)1 ................
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