Sudan Primary Education Emergency Support Project

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Sudan went through a promising phase when the country started reconnecting with the international community in 2019. However, this optimism was abruptly cut short in October 2021 due to a military takeover, putting Sudan in profound economic and social instability. This event led the World Bank to trigger its Operational Policy (OP) 7.30 – Dealing with De Facto Governments, which paused disbursements to the government in all World Bank operations and processing of new operations in Sudan, effective October 27, 2021. The recent conflict that erupted in mid-April 2023 between Sudan's military (Sudanese Armed Forces) and a paramilitary group (Rapid Support Forces) further exacerbated the country’s economic and social instability and disrupted daily life and basic services, including education. The project will be financed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in the amount of US$41.9 million with UNICEF as a recipient and implementing entity. The project development objective (PDO) is to support reopened schools in target states and learning continuity in the Republic of the Sudan. The project, an Investment Project Financing, consists of three components with implementation led by the UNICEF: (i) Provision of School Grants; (ii) Facilitating Learning Continuity; and (iii) Project Management, Coordination, Technical Assistance, and Monitoring and Evaluation. The project will finance activities to keep schools open in relatively secure areas, establish safe learning environments, and ensure schools have the minimum package for daily operation. The project will also provide learning materials and expand distance and digital learning program to ensure learning continuity of children. The implementation period for the Project is about 2 years with the closing date of December 31, 2026. The direct beneficiaries are primary school-age children. Approximately 2.4 million students in 3,000 public primary schools which are reopened or in the process of reopening in relatively more secure states will benefit from school grants. Approximately 200,000 students, including at least 50 percent girls, in 3,000 targeted public primary schools will benefit from the project through provision of remedial learning, socio-emotional, and safe learning and support. About 6,000 facilitators/teachers will be trained in intensive remedial education interventions. In states with active conflict, approximately 1.5 million primary school-age children not in school will benefit from the provision of learning materials. The project will also support school stakeholders and local experts in building their capacity and promoting ownership and accountability. UNICEF will be the recipient and implementing entity of the Project, working together with implementing partners (nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] and civil society organizations [CSOs]). UNICEF has been selected through a competitive process and considered to be the most suitable partner for the World Bank to implement the Project based on: (a) their significant experience in managing complex projects in FCV environments; (b) their experience specifically in implementation of World Bank funded projects in other similar contexts including the Yemen Restoring Education and Learning Emergency Project (P175036); (c) their proven track record in education activities such as school grants, e-learning program, project management, procurement, and financial management; (d) strong presence on the ground, have proven that they are very well equipped to work in most conflict-affected and difficult to access areas in Sudan, and have the capacity to reach out to the most vulnerable beneficiaries; and (e) the ability to quickly scale up project activities. Currently, there is no Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Sudan, but the proposed project is aligned with the World Bank’s Country Engagement Note (CEN) for Sudan for FY2021–2022 (currently extended). It will contribute to Focus Area 1, Objective 2.3 of the CEN: “Strengthening service delivery and resilience”. Additionally, the project is well aligned with the World Bank Africa Strategy for 2019–2023 and the World Bank Strategy for Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (FCV) 2020–2025 and builds on World Bank’s support for the education sector in Sudan at the federal and state levels through a range of programs implemented over the last two decades. The Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2018-2022 has expired in December 2022, but the overall challenges and priorities in the sector remain the same. These include addressing access, equity, and learning. The project will complement and leverage other relevant ongoing projects supported by the World Bank and other development partners, including the World Bank-assisted Sudan Somoud Enhancing Community Resilience Project (P181490, US$160 million) which is under preparation and will be financed by the Sudan Transition and Recovery Support (STARS) Multi-Donor Trust Fund.