Guyana’s education sector has made remarkable progress in the last 15 years and continues to be a priority for Government investment. The Government of Guyana has prepared a draft Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2020-2024 – Vision 2030. The ESP sets five priorities: (a) Improving governance and accountability; (b) Improving performance at all levels; (c) Improving the efficiency of the education system; (d) Reducing inequities in education; and (e) Contributing to lifelong learning and employability.
Click to Download: GESP - Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework - P174244
The Government, with the support of the International Development Association (IDA) through the World Bank, is currently preparing the Guyana Education Sector Program Project for further enhancement of the education sector and assist in implementation of the ESP. The Project will assist the Government in achieving its goals by focusing on improving learning outcomes at the pre-primary and primary level, supporting management of the system, and targeting vulnerable students to reducing inequities, all of which would increase future economic opportunities for students.
In 2018 the World Bank launched the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) which enables the Bank and Recipients/Borrowers to better manage environmental and social risks of projects and to improve development outcomes. The ESF offers broad and systematic coverage of environmental and social risks and makes important advances in areas such as transparency, non-discrimination, public participation, and accountability. This is achieved through the implementation of ten (10) Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) which constitute the ESF, and which set out the requirements that apply to projects funded by the Bank.
ESS7 focuses on Indigenous Peoples. During the environmental and social screening of the Guyana Education Sector Plan Implementation Grant this standard was deemed to be relevant to the Project since, although the project will be implemented nationwide, the activities proposed under Component 1 target students in the Nursery levels 1 and 2 located in Administrative Regions where Indigenous Peoples presence is significant (Administrative Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9). As a result, the following actions were recommended:
- Prior to appraisal, prepare an Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) in scope and scale proportionate to the scope and scale of the project activities proposed under Component 1. A main focus of the IPPF will be the extra care that will be taken for designing and implementing the activities financed (training, textbooks) acknowledging and reflecting the cultural identities of the different Indigenous communities involved.
- During project implementation, prepare an Indigenous Peoples Plan (IPP), also in scope and scale proportionate to the scope and scale of the project activities under Component 1, as part of the specialized consultant services for the development of the training and textbooks adaptation to be financed during the project implementation.
This IPPF was prepared as was recommended. The IPPF is to establish the requirements of ESS7. It presents the relevant baseline information, describes the policy, regulatory and institutional framework, identifies the potential impact of the Project on the Indigenous population, outlines the process for preparation of the IPP, identifies the areas to be addressed by the IPP, and presents the organizational arrangements for ensuring compliance with the IPPF and subsequently the IPP. The IPP is expected to be prepared and implemented during Project implementation, prior to the commencement of activities involving the Indigenous population.
Click to Download: GESP - Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework - P174244
