CÔTE D'IVOIRE AF TO STRENGTHENING PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM OPERATION

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The World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are providing funding for the government’s Education Sector Plan - ESP - (the Program) via the Basic Education System Strengthening Operation (Operation pour le Renforcement du Systeme Educatif de Base, ORSEB, P177800) for an amount equivalent to $364.7 million (IDA: EUR350 million; GPE: USD14.7 million). The operation’s provides financial incentives for the Government to reach results in education ($344 million, the Program) and includes a technical assistance component ($20.7 million) to support strategic investments in technical, fiduciary, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity (the Project). The original financing was approved in December 2022. The additional Financing in the amount of $60.65 million will result in a total amount for the Operaiton of $425.35 million ($28.40 million for the technical assistance component and $396.95 million for the Program). The additional financing (AF) is aligned with the 2023-2027 Country Partnership Framework (CPF), which supports the Ivorian Government’s objective of reducing poverty levels by half and achieving middle-income status by 2030. The AF is also in line with the Education Strategy for West and Central Africa which promotes 'a region where all girls and boys come to school ready to learn, acquire real learning and are ready to enter the labor market with the right skills to become productive and fulfilled citizens'. The Operation's Project (technical assistance) component (initial financing of $20.7 million) provides strategic support and finances key aspects to help Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENA) coordinate and implement the Program, which initially targets primary education. This component will receive additional financing to continue the Program’s expansion to lower secondary. The TA component of the AF will provide technical assistance (TA) to help MENA support key aspects of the system relating to: (a) equitable access and retention in lower secondary education. TA which will be used to support the MENA and gradually ensure a transfer of skills from UNICEF to the MENA will be mobilized to: (i) finalize the support package for retaining girls in lower secondary schools (prevention of violence at school, sexual and reproductive health, activities relating to water, hygiene and sanitation, individualized support plan, awareness-raising campaigns, etc.) ; and (ii) pilot this girls' retention support package in a limited number of local lower secondary schools (before its implementation at scale under the Program). (b) quality of learning in secondary education. More specifically, TA will be mobilized to: (i) assess the impact of the local lower secondary school policy on girls' enrolment; (ii) assess the impact of the generalization of BONAMAS on the availability of textbooks in lower secondary education; and (iii) design a framework document for the management of dual-discipline teachers (service obligations, workloads and mobility of these teachers) and support its implementation in a limited number of DRENAs.The TA component of the AF will also provide technical assistance to support key aspects of the governance-related system in secondary education. The TA will be mobilized to: (i) finalize the institutional system of Objectives and Performance Contracts at lower secondary level; (ii) support the evaluation of private and public lower secondary schools; and (iii) support the redefinition of the role of the inspectorates.IPF for additional financing will focus on 3 Result Area: (1) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve equitable access to education services; (2) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve quality of education services; and (3) establishment of activities or mechanisms to improve governance of education services.IPF component will also support the Ministry’s citizen engagement activities through specific and local consultations around girls' schooling in order to foster meaningful engagement with local communities on this subject.Technical assistance will be provided to the following directorates within MENA: the CAC, the DELC, the DPFC and the DVSP.