Sierra Leone Free Education Project

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The parent Free Education (FREE) Project (P167897) in the amount of US$50 million equivalent (IDA grant) was approved on June 29, 2020, and became effective on August 10, 2020. It’s co-financed through a grant of US$15.97 million equivalent from the European Commission (EC); the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom; and the Embassy of Ireland (Irish Aid) through a World Bank-administered Sierra Leone Education Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), TF073453. The parent project comprised of five components: (i) Component 1- Policy, Governance, Accountability and System Administration; (ii) Component 2- Teacher Management and Professional Development; (iii) Component 3 - School Level Education Development; (iv) Component 4- Project Management, Coordination and Monitoring and Evaluation; Component 5- Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC). The FREE Project has received approval for two Additional Financings (AFs). The first, totaling US$6.85 million, was provided by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) under the COVID-19 Education Response initiative (P174958). It was approved on February 6, 2021, successfully implemented, and closed on December 31, 2022. The first AF also included a restructuring for an additional component (Component 6- COVID-19 Education Response).The second AF (P178704), amounting to US$33.7 million, aims to enhance access to education and support foundational learning for all. This includes US$20 million from IDA and US$13.7 million from the Education Above All (EAA) World Bank Partnership Facility Single-Donor Trust Fund. It was approved on September 26, 2023, with the IDA Financing Agreement becoming effective on December 20, 2023. The EAA Grant Agreement is still pending signature. The second AF also included a restructuring for an additional component (Component 7- Enhancing Access to Education and Supporting Foundational Learning for All).The proposed additional financing (AF) will allow the project to scale up key interventions that support the education reform including learning environment and safety of children. In parallel, the restructuring will allow the project to reallocate funds where it is needed as the NGO Consortium dropped out as an implementing partner for administering Out of School Children (OOSC) activities. The Results Framework has been revised to reflect the changes associated with the proposed AF.