Rapò sou Akonplisman ak Rezilta Aplikasyon: Bay yon Edikasyon ki Kalite an Ayiti (PEQH)

Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: ICR00006211 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT IDA D1230 ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 21.1 MILLION (US$ 30 MILLION EQUIVALENT) AND IDA D4700 ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 28.1 MILLION (US$ 39 MILLION EQUIVALENT) AND TF B0083 ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF US$ 18 MILLION TO THE Republic of Haiti FOR THE Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) July 2 9 , 2023 Education Global Practice Latin America And Caribbean Region Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange Rate Effective Jul y 13, 2023 ) Currency Unit = Haitian Gourde (HTG) HTG 156 = US$1 US$ 1.35 = SDR 1 FISCAL YEAR October 1 - September 3 0 Regional Vice President: Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Country Director: Lilia Burunciuc Regional Director: Jaime Saavedra Country Manager: Laurent Msellati Practice Manager: Emanuela Di Gropello Task Team Leader: Quynh Thu Nguyen ICR Main Contributor : Axelle Latortue ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CDB Caribbean Development Bank CETN EMIS Coordinating National Technical Team ( Coordination de l’Équipe Technique Nationale du SIGE ) CPF Country Partnership Framework DDE Departmental Directorate of Education ( Direction Départementale de l’Éducation ) DPCE Directorate of Planning and External Cooperation ( Direction de la Planification et de la Coopération Externe ) EFA Education for All EMIS Education Management Information System EPGC Community - Managed Public Primary School (École Publique à Gestion Communautaire) GA Grant Agreement GAC Global Affairs Canada GDP Gross Domestic Product GoH Government of Haiti IDA International Development Association IDB Inter - American Development Bank IRI Intermediate Results Indicator IRR Internal Rate of Return ISR Implementation Status and Results Report NDPV Net Discounted Present Value NPV Net Present Value MENFP Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle) ONAPE National Education Partnership Office ( Office National de Partenariat en É ducation ) PAD Project Appraisal Document PDEF MENFP Ten - Year Education Sector Plan ( Plan décennal d’éducation et de formation ) PDO Project Development Objective PDOI PDO - level Indicator PEQH Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti Project PIU Project Implementation Unit PLR Performance and Learning Review QAS Quality Assurance System RF Results Framework SABER Systems Approach for Better Education Results SY School Year ToC Theory of Change TWP Tuition Waiver Program UEP Studies and Programming Unit ( Unité d ’Études et de Programmation ) UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services USI Information Systems Unit ( Unité de Systèmes d’Information ) DATA SHEET ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 1 I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES ................................ ....................... 5 A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 5 B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION ................................ .............................. 11 II. OUTCOME ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 15 A. RELEVANCE OF PDOs ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 15 B. ACHIEVEMENT OF PDO (EFFICACY) ................................ ................................ ........................ 16 C. EFFICIENCY ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 21 D. JUSTIFICATION OF OVERALL OUTCOME RATING ................................ ................................ .... 22 E. OTHER OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS ................................ ................................ ......................... 23 III. KEY FACTORS THAT AFFECTED IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME ................................ 24 A. KEY FACTORS DURING PREPARATION ................................ ................................ ................... 24 B. KEY FACTORS DURING IMPLEMENTATION ................................ ................................ ............. 24 IV. BANK PERFORMANCE, COMPLIANCE ISSUES, AND RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME .. 25 A. QUALITY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION ................................ ................................ ....... 25 B. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND FIDUCIARY COMPLIANCE ................................ ..................... 26 C. BANK PERFO RMANCE ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 27 D. RISK TO DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME ................................ ................................ ....................... 28 V. LESSONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................ ................................ ............. 28 ANNEX 1. RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND KEY OUTPUTS ................................ ........................... 30 ANNEX 2. BANK LENDING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT/SUPERVISION ......................... 47 ANNEX 3. PROJECT COST BY COMPONENT ................................ ................................ ........... 49 ANNEX 4. EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ................................ ................................ ........................... 50 ANNEX 5. BORROWER, CO - FINANCIER AND OTHER PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS ... 53 ANNEX 6. MAIN CHANGES DURING RESTRUCTURING ................................ ........................... 54 ANNEX 7. QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM (QAS) ................................ ................................ .... 57 ANNEX 8. ORIGINAL PROJECT RESULTS CHAIN AND THEORY OF CHANGE ............................. 60 ANNEX 9. SCHOOL CLOSURES BETWEEN 2018 AND 2023 IN HAITI ................................ ........ 62 ANNEX 10. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ................................ ................................ ................ 66 The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 1 of 68 DATA SHEET BASIC INFORMATION Product Information Project ID Project Name P155191 Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) Country Financing Instrument Haiti Investment Project Financing Original EA Category Revised EA Category Partial Assessment (B) Partial Assessment (B) Organizations Borrower Implementing Agency Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) Ministry of National Education and Professional Training (MENFP) Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO The objectives of the Project are to: (i) strengthen public management of the education sector; (ii) improve learning conditions inselected public and non - public primary schools; and (iii) support enrollment of students in selected public and non - public primary schools. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 2 of 68 FINANCING Original Amount (US$) Revised Amount (US$) Actual Disbursed (US$) World Bank Financing IDA - D1230 30,000,000 30,000,000 29,505,277 TF - B0083 17,800,000 17,600,000 17,600,000 IDA - D4700 39,000,000 39,000,000 39,458,568 Total 86,800,000 86,600,000 86,563,845 Non - World Bank Financing 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 Total Project Cost 86,800,000 86,600,000 86,563,846 KEY DATES Approval Effectiveness MTR Review Original Closing Actual Closing 10 - Nov - 2016 07 - Mar - 2017 30 - Oct - 2022 30 - Jan - 2023 RESTRUCTURING AND/OR ADDITIONAL FINANCING Date(s) Amount Disbursed (US$M) Key Revisions 16 - May - 2019 15.62 Additional Financing 03 - Feb - 2021 41.61 Change in Results Framework Change in Components and Cost Reallocation between Disbursement Categories Other Change(s) 19 - Nov - 2021 58.93 Reallocation between Disbursement Categories 07 - Apr - 2022 77.64 Reallocation between Disbursement Categories 06 - Sep - 2022 81.62 Reallocation between Disbursement Categories 26 - Oct - 2022 82.06 Change in Loan Closing Date(s) 23 - Jan - 2023 85.75 Cancellation of Financing Reallocation between Disbursement Categories The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 3 of 68 KEY RATINGS Outcome Bank Performance M&E Quality Satisfactory Satisfactory Modest RATINGS OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN ISRs No. Date ISR Archived DO Rating IP Rating Actual Disbursements (US$M) 01 27 - Jan - 2017 Moderately Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 0 02 10 - Aug - 2017 Satisfactory Satisfactory 2.00 03 27 - Mar - 2018 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 5.78 04 31 - Oct - 2018 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 10.42 05 18 - Mar - 2019 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 13.35 06 24 - Sep - 2019 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 19.37 07 08 - Apr - 2020 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 31.48 08 22 - Oct - 2020 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 39.40 09 08 - May - 2021 Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory 52.50 10 24 - Nov - 2021 Satisfactory Satisfactory 58.93 11 06 - May - 2022 Satisfactory Satisfactory 79.58 12 26 - Nov - 2022 Satisfactory Satisfactory 83.72 SECTORS AND THEMES Sectors Major Sector/Sector (%) Education 100 Public Administration - Education 17 Primary Education 83 The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 4 of 68 Themes Major Theme/ Theme (Level 2)/ Theme (Level 3) (%) Human Development and Gender 100 Education 100 Access to Education 90 Education Financing 45 Teachers 52 Education Governance, School - Based Management 62 Education Facilities 52 ADM STAFF Role At Approval At ICR Regional Vice President: Jorge Familiar Calderon Carlos Felipe Jaramillo Country Director: Mary A. Barton - Dock Lilia Burunciuc Director: Amit Dar Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi Practice Manager: Reema Nayar Emanuela Di Gropello Task Team Leader(s): Juan Baron, Melissa Ann Adelman Quynh Thu Nguyen ICR Contributing Author: Axelle Latortue The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 5 of 68 I. PROJECT CONTEXT AND DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A. CONTEXT AT APPRAISAL Context Country Context 1. The Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) Project (P155191) was prepared in 2016, during a time when Haiti had made positive strides in economic growth, all the while maintaining its status as one of the poorest countries in the world. The largest Caribbean country by area and population (estimate d at 10.7 million in 2016 1 ), Haiti had attained a Gross Domestic Product (GDP ) per capita of US$ 1,305 in 2016, but also had a Gini coefficient of 0.6, the highest in the Americas. Six years out from the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010, recon struction efforts, which tapped into one of Haiti’s sources of resilience, had yielded tangible progress. The earthquake killed about 230,000 people (including many professionals and public servants), displaced 1.5 million people, and caused damages and lo sses equivalent to 120 percent of GDP. Through an increase in external funding , remittances from the Haitian diaspora, borrowing by the Government of Haiti (GoH) and private sector investments , tangible progress had been made post - earthquake. Key reconstru ction achievements by the time of Project appraisal included rebuilt infrastructure, including the main road network, improv ed connectivity between major cities , private sector development , and the re - establishment of education services. However, Hurricane Matthew then struck the country’s southern departments in October 2016, leaving 1.4 million people in need of lifesaving assistance, and damaging more than 3, 5 00 schools . 2. Political violence and instability — identified as both symptoms and drivers of fragility in Haiti — had been kept at bay during a period of relative calm within the country’s tumultuous political history; however, this tenuous calm had been showing signs of decline in the months leading up to Project approval. Following the first peace ful transition of presidential office to an opposition candidate in the country’s history in 2011, tensions between the Executive branch of Government and the Parliament prevented the organization of legislative elections in 2012 and 2014. In 2015, a gover nment was put in place, holding nearly simultaneous municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections, which exacerbated divisions and yielded results that were contested in late 2015, giving rise to a transitional government. Then, due to Hurricane Mat thew, elections rescheduled for October 2016 were again postponed, concluding with the seating of a new Government in February 2017. In fact, classified by the World Bank Group (WBG) as a country in a situation of Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV), a key driver in Haiti perpetuating fragility has been the State’s dysfunctional social contract with its people, characterized by, inter alia , limited institutional capacity to provide basic services and security, challenges in creating an environment conduc ive to growth, low human capital, and a lack of transparency which undermines trust in institutions. The country is trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, inequality and conflict. Sector Context 3. In response to insufficient provision of education services by the GoH , inadequately regulated 1 World Bank Group (WBG) DataBank: https://databank.worldbank.org/source/2?country=HTI . The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 6 of 68 non - public providers filled the gap , causing a financial burden for the average household. N on - public schools constitute over 80 percent of primary schools 2 , includ ing non - profit and for - profit in stitutions owned and operated by a range of actors, such as religious institutions, non - governmental organizations, and individuals. Dialogue and collaboration between the public and non - public sectors as well as GoH capacity to regulate non - public schools was minimal. Although the GoH had financed tuition waivers programs for non - public schools earlier, recent reductions in financing and perceptions of low quality of some of these programs meant that gains in access were at risk of reversal. 4. In general, capacity for sector management remained a long - standing GoH priority and challenge . Entrenched issues affecting sector management included discrepanc ies between regulatory texts or standards and the de facto functioning of the institutional struct ures; excessive centralization within the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training ( Ministère de l’ É ducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle , MENFP) and a lack of information flow; a lack of regular, reliable sectoral data 3 ; the lack of a culture of strategic planning at both central and decentralized level s of government, and difficult working conditions for public servants . 5. S tudent achievement had remained low . Once in sc hool, o nly about half of children entering the first grade would reach g rade 6. A 2015 pilot fourth - grade learning assessment in mathematics conducted in public and non - public schools by MENFP revealed scores only slight ly better than random guessing . A k e y factor associated with the weak results was the low quality o f the teaching and learning environment. Classrooms suffered from a dearth of teaching and learning materials . O nly 56 percent of primary schools had a source of drinking water, according to the 2013 - 14 school census . Public sector t eachers were regularly not paid on time. Eighty percent of teachers in the first two cycles of basic education were found to be underqualified in 2015 - 2016 . 4 6. To address the sector’s governance and quality challenges, MENFP took initial steps in 2014 to increase its oversight of the education system , and the PEQH Project invested in developing th e systems to do so . In August 2014 MENFP announced Twelve Policy Measures and a National Pa ct for Education Quality to work on sector oversight through enforcing minimum requirements for schools . In line with these new MENFP priorities, t he vision for the PEQH Project was that it would build on ongoing and prior WBG - financed support - in particu lar, the Education for All Project – Phase II (EFA II, P124134) that closed in June 2018 and overlapped with the PEQH Project for about 15 months - to invest in developing systems to, in the long term, enhance primary education access and quality. The PEQH Project also accounted for an important shift in GoH priorities that occurred in the months prior to its preparation: a shift toward higher investment and support by the GoH for the public system. 7. For more focused support and in coordination with development partners, the PEQH Project would concentrate its key interventions in four of Haiti’s administrative departments in southern Haiti. 2 Unless otherwise cited, original sources for data presented in the Sector Context section of this document can be found in th e original Project Appraisal Document (Report No. PAD1690). 3 Only two complete statistical yearbooks had been produced and made p ublic in the five years prior , weaken ing MENFP’s sector strategic decision - making position and its ability to monitor and manage school quality. MENFP’s Directorate of Planning and External Cooperation (DPCE), Studies and Programming Unit (UEP), and Inform ation Systems Unit (USI), in reliance on the regional Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE s ) for data collection, operated with fragmented data collection and storage systems, with few data protocols in common and little cross - directorate sharing of information . 4 Cambridge Education 2019. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 7 of 68 EFA II had financed activities in eight departments, with most beneficiary schools benefiting from only one or two project - financed interventions. The PEQH Project , while it had a systemic vision, would provide a more comprehensive package of services to a smaller set of schools, which would allow potential synergies , enhance impacts of interventions on quality, and facilitate local capacity building and coordination with development partners. Theory of Change (Results Chain) 8. A results chain was provided in the Project Appraisal Document (PAD). In the first Project restructuring in May 2019, a Theory of Change (ToC) illustration was provided. This ToC was partially different from the results chain at appraisal, with no change to expected Project outcomes and minimal changes to linkages between activities and outcomes. For the ICR, the ToC in Figure 1 incorporates elements from both the original results chain and the May 2019 ToC. The original results chain and May 2019 ToC are included in Annex 8 for refer ence. Figure 1. Theory of Change for the Project Activities/Outputs Intermediate Outcomes PDO goals/parts Long - Term Outcomes 9. Project design was influenced by and aimed to respond to the country’s drivers of fragility. B y helping mitigate fiscal constraints and deliver basic social services in a context of : (i) a lack of trust by the people in the GoH, and (ii) high levels of social discontent and unrest, the Project helped to strengthen the social contract between the State and Haitian people, while also alleviating schooling cost pressures on the disadvantaged. The Project’s design and its ToC were ba sed on the WBG’s prior knowledge and experience with the fragile context and its past impacts on education sector projects. An underlying assumption for the ToC hence was a reasonable likelihood that there could be shocks over the Project life. The Projec t design therefore maintained tried and tested mechanisms of support to enrollment and learning conditions from • Develop Education Management Information System (EMIS) • Refine and implement a primary school Quality Assurance System (QAS), including student learning assessments Public School Improvement Model Community Education Grant Program Results - Based Financing Model for Non - Public Schools initiated Tuition Waiver Program (until phase - out) • Fully functional EMIS • Implementation of QAS enabled Strengthened public management of the education sector Increase educational outcomes School improvement plans designed and implemented (based on QAS data, for Improvement Model schools) N on - public schools satisfying basic operating conditions V ulnerable students enrolled in non - public schools Improved learning conditions Enrollment supported in public and non - public primary schools The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 8 of 68 prior projects, such as the provision of school feeding services and school materials by non - government service providers, all of which compleme nted tuition waiver support for impact. Thereby, the ToC aimed to mitigate potential negative impacts of external factors. 10. The ToC also reflected capacity limitations in Haiti by keeping the intervention logic chain closer to output - level rather than out come - level, especially as it relates to the second and third goals of the PDO. The outcome of “improved learning conditions” allowed for a broad range of types of improvements, including those of more specific and short - term in nature than a goal of improv ed education quality would have been. This level of Project ambition was on par with the needs and capacity of the context. Project Development Objectives (PDO) 11. The Project Development Objective (PDO), as stated in the PAD and in the Financing Agreement, comprised three goals within its formulation. They were : (i) to strengthen public management of the education sector; (ii) to improve learning conditions in selected public and non - public primary schools; and (iii) to support enrollment of stude nts in selected public and non - public primary schools. Key Expected Outcomes and Outcome Indicators 12. In line with the P DO, the Project had three key expected outcomes , operationalized through associated PDO - level indicators ( PDOIs). The first two outcomes had one PDOI; the third had three . 13. The establishment and use of an EMIS was the key achievement meant to demonstrate attainment of Outcome 1 “Public management of the education sector is strengthened”. It was expected that the EMIS’s detailed te chnical design would be developed and endorsed by MENFP, EMIS data would be made accessible across MENFP directorates and communicated to local stakeholders, and the EMIS data would be used by MENFP to make resource allocation decisions by Project completi on . It is important to clarify that while PDOI 1 was formulated to convey that the use of an EMIS would help enable (or lay the ground for) national implementation of a Quality Assurance System (QAS, described in Annex 7) and the QAS was a key Project out put, it was not within the scope of the Project itself to implement a QAS on a • PDOI 1. Use of an Education Management Information System (EMIS) to enable national implementation of the Quality Assurance System Outcome 1: Public management of the education sector is strengthened • PDOI 2. Proportion of schools suported by the Project that achieve a "sufficient" level of school learning conditions Outcome 2: Learning conditions have improved in selected public and non - public primary schools • PDOI 3.a. Number of children (of which female) enrolled in primary school through the provision of community education grants f or school access • PDOI 3.b. Number of children (of which female) enrolled in primary school through the provision of tuition waivers to non - publi c schools • PDOI 3.c. Number of children (of which female) enrolled in primary school through the provision of results - based financing to n on - public schools Outcome 3: Enrollment of students is supported in selected public and non - public primary schools The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 9 of 68 national scale 5 . Under the Project, relevant QAS data would be incorporated in the EMIS in a format allowing for decision - making on the use of MENFP’s resources. 14. With respect to Outcome 2 “Learning conditions have improved in selected public and non - public primary schools”, Project interventions were expected to yield more schools meeting MENFP criteria on learning conditions. The Project would rely on tracking of learning conditions assessment scores per the QAS to identify schools meeting MENFP criteria. A t Project preparation, the QAS was under development ; therefore, baseline data and annual and end targets were not available . 6 15. Achievement of Outcome 3 “Enrollment of students is supported in selected public and non - public primary schools” was meant to support and track the number of children enrolled in primary schools using various programs financing these schools (that the Project either developed or brought to completion). T hree types of programs would support enrollment in public and non - public scho ols, albeit on the smaller scale than in pre ceding WBG - financed projects : 7 (i) the Tuition Waiver Program for non - public schools, which was being phased out; (ii) the Community - Based Program for public schools, which was financed under previous WBG operat ions and was to continue in existing communities ; and (iii) the new Results - Based Financing Program for non - public schools, which was to be developed . Components 16. Component 1: Improving Institutional Capacity and Governance (Appraisal: US$3.0 million; Actual: US$3.6 million). This component aimed to strengthen the technical capacity of selected MENFP units to improve service delivery and educational governance. Key activities to be financed included: (i) refining and piloting the QAS; (ii) deve loping an EMIS that would incorporate data generated by the QAS; (iii) designing and administering learning assessments of public and non - public primary schools as part of the QAS; and (iv) strengthening the relevant MENFP directorates’ institutional plann ing and budgeting practices. 17. Component 2: Supporting Access to Quality, Public Primary Education in Poor Communities (Appraisal: US$13.5 million; Actual: US$52.8 million). This component aimed to support access to quality primary education in selected sch ools in disadvantaged communities through two programs. 18. Subcomponent 2.1: Support to the cohorts of the community education grant program under the EFA II Project . This sub - component aimed to continu e support provided under the EFA II project to 61 community - managed primary schools (EPGCs - Écoles Publiques à Gestion Communautaire ) , allowing existing student cohorts to be financed through grade 6 . The EPGCs were created under EFA II to contribute to th e supply of schools in relatively remote and particularly underserved rural communities, providing them with training and grants to offer educational services to school - aged children. Under the PEQH Project, existing b eneficiary communities’ School Managem ent Committees would continue being funded through: (i) designing community education plans based on community engagement and data collection; and (ii) providing community education grants to implement these plans, which could finance expenses such as 5 The Project description in the PAD and original Financing Agreement explicitly called for “refining and piloting the QAS” . The PAD also highlights that active dialogue was underway with other development partne rs in Haiti for coordination and scale - up. 6 At Project appraisal, baseline data was expected to be collected during the first year of Project implementation. This indica tor was later dropped and replaced with a new measure of Outcome 2, as explained in S ection B . 7 Under the EFA II project, at its peak (2012 - 2013), the tuition waiver program alone enrolled 135,000 students. This number had decreased annually thereafter, with EFA II financing 45,027 students in its last year in 2016 - 2017. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 10 of 68 scho ol rehabilitation, teacher salaries, supplies and equipment, staff training in school management, and students’ tuition and transportation expenses. 19. Subcomponent 2.2: Public School Improvement Model. This subcomponent aimed to improve access to a quality education in beneficiary public primary schools through a P ublic S chool I mprovement M odel. The model aimed to improve the behaviors of and dynamics among school - level actors in relation to school administration and leadership, teaching practices, learning assessment, community involvement, and accountability. QAS assessments would be used to evaluate learning conditions and learning outcomes, identifying each school’s strengths and weaknesses. School directors, in a participatory process with parents and o ther stakeholders, would then develop annually and implement improvement plans based on priority areas identified . Activities to be financed included: (i) the provision of technical assistance and training to school directors in management and leadership, and to teachers on pedagogical skills and content knowledge; (ii) the development and implementation of information and communication activities for school directors, school officials and other stakeholders; (iii) school improvement grants to fund planned activities, such as small infrastructure works, school materials, uniforms, and furniture; and (iv) school feeding, deworming and nutrition supplements to students. 20. Component 3: Supporting Access to Quality, Non - Public Primary Education in Poor Communities (Appraisal: US$11.5 million; Actual: US $ 22 million). This component aimed to support access of poor children to non - public schools while improving learning conditions in those schools. It comprised two sub - components: 21. Subcomponent 3.1: Support to the final tuition waiver program cohort under the EFA II Project . This sub - component aimed to bring to completion the non - public school Tuition Waiver Program (TWP) financed by the WBG and development partners since 2007. The final cohort of students to benefit from a full course of TWP support from g rade 1 would complete g rade 6 by Project closing . P er - student tuition waiver grants were provided to participating schools in exchange for the schools’ commitment to allow stud ents to attend tuition - free and respect basic MENFP school operating criteria, such as maximum class sizes and the provision of textbooks. It also aimed to finance communication activities to raise awareness about the new results - based financing program (s ub - component 3.2, described below) that would replace the TWP . 22. Subcomponent 3.2: Support to the development and implementation of a replicable model for results - based financing of non - public schools. This sub - component would support the design and imple mentation of a results - based financing program for selected non - public primary schools, providing grants to their management committees. To improve on the TWP by more rigorously incentivizing schools to improve teaching and learning conditions, t he program would provide a per - student grant conditional on schools’ attainment of measurable results related to their learning conditions and student learning outcomes. Schools found to be out of compliance would be exited from the program and ineligible to return. The program was expected to entail: (i) carrying out an assessment of learning conditions and learning outcomes in participating schools, using QAS tools 8 , with assessment results communicated to schools using a school scorecard tool managed by the Project; (ii) providing technical assistance and training to school direc tors in management and leadership; (iii) providing technical assistance and training to teachers on 8 The QAS learning condition s questionnaires and a standardized learning assessment would be administered at the beginning of implementation, and periodically thereafter. Learning assessments were planned to be administered once every academic year. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 11 of 68 pedagogical skills and content knowle dge; and (iv) school feeding, deworming and nutritional supplements to students , if called for in QAS assessment results . 23. Component 4: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (Appraisal: US$2.0 million; Actual: US$8.3 million). This component aimed to support Project management and supervision, monitoring, and evaluation, and activities to strengthen MENFP’s monitoring and evaluation functions. B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING IMPLEMENTATION Restructuring processes 24. The Project was restructured seven times during its implementation. Key changes introduced through restructuring are summarized below, and more detail can be found in Annex 6. (i) The first restructuring (R1) occurred in May 2019. The Project was advancing in a satisfactory manner despite some delays, with 53 percent of original financing disbursed. With limited revenues and great needs, per GoH request , R1 (i) scaled up interventio ns to increase impact, and (ii) added a gender dimension in relation to schools’ social and physical environments, to address disparities in dropout rates affecting girls . Additional financing included US$3 9 million through a grant from the International D evelopment Association (IDA), and up to US$18 million equivalent through another grant (to be disbursed in installments, with US$2 million in the first installment) from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), bringing the total committed amount to US$86 million equi valent. A Contingent Emergency Response Component was also introduced (but never activated) to facilitate response to an eligible emergency. (ii) The second restructuring (R2) was approved in February 2021 and aimed to align the Project with shifted MENFP prior ities in response to the changes in the country context and COVID - 19 pandemic. Protests over sociopolitical and economic grievances, which started in July 2018 in several cities, culminated in total lockdown during September - December 2019 , causing closure of s chools, businesses, and the GoH and its services , with about 80 percent of school - aged children in Haiti not attending school , according to MENFP data . Then the arrival of COVID - 19 in the country in March 2020 prompted MENFP to close all schools and te acher training centers for about five months. As such, some students were out of school for nearly a full academic year. Project interventions were thus reoriented to: (i) support MENFP’s COVID - 19 response plan; and (ii) reach additional beneficiaries to help protect education access and primary school retention. R2 also included an amendment to the Trust Fund Grant Agreement governing GAC funds, to accoun t for a second installment of $8.9 million, increasing the GAC grant amount available to the Project to US$10.9 million. (iii) The third restructuring (R3), approved in November 2021, reallocated funds across disbursement categories to ensure sufficient funds fo r tuition waivers to non - public schools. It also updated the Project Environmental and Social Management Framework in view of school infrastructure - related activities introduced after the August 14, 2021 earthquake of 7.2 magnitude , which struck three sout hern departments of Haiti, where Project - supported schools were located. (iv) The fourth and fifth restructurings (R4 and R5) were approved in April 2022 and September 2022, respectively. They each amended the Trust Fund Grant Agreement for GAC funds to add funds. R4 added an installment of US$2.2 million, and R5 US$4.7 million. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 12 of 68 (v) The sixth restructuring (R6) was approved in October 2022, just before the original Project closing date of October 30, 2022, and extended the closing date to January 30, 2023 for all Project grants to allow for completion of repair works in schools, which had experienced interruption due to a lockdown and unprecedented context of insecurity, with rapid increases in gang activity, road blockages, fuel shortages, violent protests — and wi despread school and business closures. (vi) The seventh restructuring (R7) cancelled US$200,000 from Project funds to correct a WBG funds calculation error incurred at R5. Revised PDO and/or PDO Indicators (PDOIs) 25. There were no revisions to the PDO during the Project life; however, PDOIs were revised in wording, scope and end targets. PDOI 1 was revised at R1 in its end target to broaden the scope of data use in relation to EMIS implementation: rather than expecting EMIS data to be used for resource allocation decisions by MENFP as was stated in the original end target wording, the end target was changed to expect the utilization of EMIS data for decision making (in a broader sense) by MENFP, as this was considered a sufficient measure of and better proxy for strengthened public management of the education sector. PDOI 2 was replaced at R1: the original PDOI 2 (“Proportion of schools supported by the Project that achieve a “sufficient” level of school conditions”) was replaced by: “Net proportion of schools supported by the Project that improve their school learning conditions score”, which had a new calculation methodology. During initial QAS implementation, the Bank team concluded that tracking the proportion of scho ols having achieved a “sufficient” level of school conditions 9 might not provide enough granularity to capture changes in school quality under the Project. The revised formulation would allow for school quality scores to be compared to baseline scores whi le also having data on any schools regressing. 26. PDOI s for outcome 3 were revised both at R1 and R2 . First, two new PDOIs were added : “PDO I 3.d. Number of children enrolled in the sub - component 2.2 ‘full package’ public primary schools, of which are female” at R1 , to capture at the PDO level enrollment supported through the P ublic S chool I mprovement M odel 10 ; and “PDO I 3.e. Number of children enrolled in sub - component 2.3 ‘light - package’ primary schools, of which are female” at R2 , to track enrollment supported through the new ly created Critical Support for Public School Operation QAS - based interventions (described below) , added to reach additional beneficiaries . Second, annual and end targets were revised to reflect the overall scale up of activities to support student access to school . Specifically , cumulative end targets were increased for PDOI s 3.a ( “Number of children enrolled in primary school through the provision of community education grant s for school access, of which female ” ) at R1 to reflect a h igher number of children than anticipated ; and 3.c (“Number of children enrolled in primary school through the provision of results - based financing to non - public schools, of which female”) to reflect more schools supported, at R1 due to scale up from additional financing and at R2 due to the reorientation of funds towards the protection of education access via this program 11 . PDOI 3. d had its end target reduced at R 2 (from 192,000 to 120,000 cumulative annual enrollment) to reflect a reduced number of public schools supported via a full QAS package (with the 9 A description of the QAS and the levels of school quality can be found in Annex 7. 10 These activities were already under implementation as planned in the original Project design, but the associated enrollment numbers had not originally been incorporated a t the PDO level of the results framework. 11 At R1, the end target for PDOI 3.a was increased from 15,000 to 16,000 cumulative annual enrollment to reflect a higher number of children enrolled in supported EPGCs in the initial year of Project implementation . To reflect the increase in the number of non - public schools supported through the results - based financing program, the end target for PDOI 3.c was increased during both R1 and R2 , from 50,000 to 71,00 0 at R1, then to 91,000 cumulative annual enrollment a t R2. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 13 of 68 schools moved from this activity benefiting instead from the light QAS package, accounted for in the new PDOI 3.e end target ). Revised Components 27. Changes were introduced to all components during the Project’s lifetime, in particular through the first two Project restructurings. Component 1: Improving Institutional Capacity and Governance 28. Component 1 activities were scaled up under R1 with new activities thanks to additional financing. An additional US$1.5 million was allotted for more technical assistance to MENFP’s Information System Unit (USI) and other technical and decentralized MENFP departments, to support EMIS data collection, reliability, and use. Additionally, US$900,000 were added to introduce ( i ) gender upgrading of the QAS; ( ii) gende r - disaggregated trends in the EMIS; (iii) gender assessments of teacher practices 12 ; (iv) behavioral studies on gender norms; (v) training of MENFP staff at central and decentralized levels; and (vi) the development and distribution of communications mater ials on gender equality topics. 29. Under R2, new activities were added at a cost of US$2 million, thanks to funds reallocated from other activities that had shown slower implementation than expected and/or had become of lower priority to MENFP, to support t he response to COVID - 19, including (i) communications activities for COVID - 19 prevention ; (ii) the operationalization of a MENFP distance learning platform under development at the time, and (iii) the development of pedagogical content for the platform and other media. Component 2: Supporting Access to Quality, Public Primary Education in Poor Communities 30. Under R2, to reach more students using existing funds following the sociopolitical lockdown and COVID - 19 school closures, the QAS - based interventions targeting beneficiary schools under this Component were revised. Subcomponent 2.1: Support to the cohorts of the community education grant program under the EFA II Project 31. Under R1, financing of students’ transportation services was elimina ted to focus Project financing on tuition expenses, and the 61 community - based schools were to receive a new “light package” of QAS - based interventions instead of the original “full package” 13 . Subcomponent 2.2: Public School Improvement Model 12 The QAS questionnaires already took into account gender considerations so this activity did not need to be implemented; activities related to the gender assessment of teacher practices did not materialize ; and a planned study on gender norms was reprioritized and rescheduled to be covered by the new PROMESSE project . 13 The light QAS packages for public schools included QAS data collection, funds to cover schools’ operating costs, delivery of school feeding services or food rations, the provision of school textbooks and kits, training on reading instruction methods, and technical assistance to school management committees. The full package included all interventions in the light package, plus other elem ents including QAS learning assessments, implementation of school improvement plans, rehabilitation of latrines, and gender clubs. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 14 of 68 32. Additional financing was added to this sub - component under R1, with 69 public primary schools expected to be added to the Public School Improvement Model to scale it up. These schools were expected to benefit from the full package of QAS - based intervention s, which was expanded to include training in climate change and response to natural disasters and on gender equity ; and gender informed latrine rehabilitation for security, privacy, cleanliness, clean water, and menstruation health — although some of these e lements added to the full package did not materialize. Clubs (referred to as “gender clubs”) for girls, boys, and parents, respectively, were also introduced to promote awareness of gender - based violence and harmful stereotypes and enable safe r spaces for girls, including by promoting sexual and reproductive health knowledge and parental support . 33. At R2, the Public School Improvement Model was reduced in scale, with only 70 of the original 149 public beneficiary schools receiv ing the full package of QAS - based interventions. To focus and facilitate implementation and supervision, the se 70 schools were in two of the four targeted departments, namely Nippes and Sud . The remaining schools originally benefiting from this model were shi fted to a new Sub - component 2.3. (New) Sub - component 2.3: Critical Support for Public School Operation 34. Sub - component 2.3 was added under R2, with reallocated funds from other sub - components. A total of 136 schools — with 79 public schools originally receiving the full package of QAS - based interventions and 57 new schools selected per existing criteria — were expected to benefit from a light QAS package. Component 3: Supporting Access to Quality, Non - Public Primary Educatio n in Poor Communities 35. Changes were made only to Sub - Component 3.2. No cha nges were made to Sub - component 3.1: Support to the final tuition waiver program cohort under the EFA II Project. Subcomponent 3.2: Support to the development and implementation of a replicable model for results - based financing of non - public schools 36. Under R1, US$6.5 million was added to scale up the results - based financing model to additional schools, with an expectation of more than doubling the number of student beneficiaries. Due to data collection challenges, the criteria for selecting beneficiary schools were reduced to three; and due to costs and a shift in focus, school feeding related activities (food rations, deworming and nutritional supplements) w ere eliminated for non - public schools ( although continued for public schools) . The original QAS - based interventions for non - public schools were expanded to include training on climate change, response to natural disasters and gender equity. In addition, financial incentives were to be provided to schools to implement gender clubs and gender - informed latrine rehabilitation ; h owever, these new activities did not materialize as part of this model . 14 37. Under R2, cost savings achieved from other activ ities were used to add an expected 18 schools to the results - based model . The package of QAS - based support for non - public schools was reduced in scope to consist of technical assistance, results - based tuition waiver grants, teacher training, and (in a samp le of schools) learning assessments. In addition, based on implementation experience until that point, school 14 Activities related to gender equity were implemented in selected schools as part of the Project’s public school programs. The World Bank Providing an Education of Quality in Haiti (PEQH) (P155191) Page 15 of 68 tuition waiver grants were deconditioned from student learning outcomes given the fragile context (including school interruptions and closures) an d low capacity. Instead, the grants were conditioned on input - and process - based indicators such as alignment of schools with MENFP’s calendar and programs and availability of books for students. Component 4: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation 38. Under R1, about US$3 million were added to sustain Project management and monitoring activities and hire additional staff to support implementation of gender activities for the scaled - up Project. Under R2, a planned impact evaluation was cancelled due to an inability to implement it in the increasingly challenging context. Other Changes 39. Additional changes introduced through restructuring included: (i) revisions to intermediate results indicators (IRIs) for clarity or to align to adjusted activities, including revisions to targets per the pace of implementation or reflect the scaled - up or scaled - down activities, and the addition of indicators (for instance, to introduce gender - focused activities or new WBG corporate indicators); (ii) the triggering of a new safeguard s policy (OP 4.09 on Pest Management) under R1, as small works may involve the incidental use of pesticides or herbicides; and (iii) revisions to Project costs and reallocations to disbursement category amounts in connection with changes to components or to address cost under - or over - runs. Annex 6 provides additional information. Rationale for Changes and T heir Implication on the Original Theory of Change 40. Of the Project’s seven restructurings, the first two included changes that entailed re