Bhutan : Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education (UPSIDE) Project
The Project was designed as a response to a devastating earthquake that hit Bhutan in September 2009. The Prject was approved on 12 August 2010 for a total cost of $3.0 million to be funded as a grant by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). It became effective on 23 August 2010 and will be completed by 22 August 2013. The project's objectives are to develop a model safe learning environment and enhance people's disaster risk management (DRM) capacity in Mongar and Trashigang, the two most affected districts. These objectives will be achieved through: (i) restoration and improvement of 4 heavily damaged primary schools; (ii) strengthened disaster risk management (DRM) capacity through school-based DRM and community-based DRM training and planning; and (iii) project management, monitoring, and evaluation. The Department of School Education under the Ministry of Education is the executing agency, and Mongar and Trashigang district administrations are the implementing agencies.
Project Details
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Project Officer
Panth, Brajesh
South Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Bhutan -
Modality
-
Sector
- Education
Project Name | Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education (UPSIDE) Project | ||||
Project Number | 43558-012 | ||||
Country / Economy | Bhutan |
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Project Status | Closed | ||||
Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Grant |
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Source of Funding / Amount |
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Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth |
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Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Partnerships |
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Sector / Subsector | Education / |
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Gender | Effective gender mainstreaming | ||||
Description | The Project was designed as a response to a devastating earthquake that hit Bhutan in September 2009. The Prject was approved on 12 August 2010 for a total cost of $3.0 million to be funded as a grant by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). It became effective on 23 August 2010 and will be completed by 22 August 2013. The project's objectives are to develop a model safe learning environment and enhance people's disaster risk management (DRM) capacity in Mongar and Trashigang, the two most affected districts. These objectives will be achieved through: (i) restoration and improvement of 4 heavily damaged primary schools; (ii) strengthened disaster risk management (DRM) capacity through school-based DRM and community-based DRM training and planning; and (iii) project management, monitoring, and evaluation. The Department of School Education under the Ministry of Education is the executing agency, and Mongar and Trashigang district administrations are the implementing agencies. | ||||
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Since ending its self-imposed isolation in the 1960s, Bhutan has embarked on active development strategy that is based on the principle of gross national happiness. This has resulted in a significant rise in living standards and improvement in socio-economic development indicators. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged around 7% since 1998, resulting in an increase in GDP per capita from $51 in 1961 to around $1,800 in 2009. Bhutan has also managed to reduce poverty from 36.3% in 2000 to 23.2% in 2007. It has also sustained progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and is on track on almost all of them. Bhutan has already halved its infant mortality rate. The gross primary education enrollment rate has increased by fivefold, and average life expectancy has doubled between 1970 and 2000. 81% of the population has access to safe drinking water and 90% had access to improved sanitation in 2007. Despite the rapid economic growth and significant development efforts in the past, around a quarter of the country's people, primarily in rural areas, continue to live below the national poverty line. Income inequity is among the highest in Asia, and a large segment of the population continues to draw livelihoods from subsistence farming. Regional disparity between the rural and urban areas is stark in terms of access to basic services and economic opportunities. The Government has thus put equitable socio-economic development at the core of its 10th Five Year Plan (FYP) (2008-2013). Among the five strategic priorities in the 10th FYP are: (i) expanding strategic infrastructure; (ii) investing in human capital; and (iii) synergizing integrated rural urban development. In line with the Government's development strategy, ADB's Country Strategy and Program (CSP) (2006-2010) emphasizes poverty reduction through economic diversification as the overarching goal. The CSP lists infrastructure, urban development, financial and private sector development as its areas of focus. The eastern region which was affected by the earthquake is the remotest area in the country that takes over two days to reach by car from the capital. Socio-economic infrastructure is lacking and people suffer from high incidence of poverty. With the devastating impact of the earthquake, this region is expected to plunge deeper into poverty, exacerbating the already stark rural-urban socio-economic disparity. Prolonged education in provisional settings is likely to compromise the quality of education. Immediate support is thus needed to provide income generation opportunities and restore essential education services. Moreover, Bhutanese people need to strengthen their resilience and preparedness to minimize the loss and damage from future natural disasters. The Project aims to establish model safe learning environments through structural and non-structural measures that could be replicated elsewhere. The Project is well aligned with the Government's 10th FYP that puts equitable socio-economic development at its core and includes human capital development and reduction of regional disparity as its strategic priorities. It is hoped that the project will help prevent regional disparity to widen further. |
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Impact | Improved education infrastructure and increased disaster preparedness in earthquake-affected areas. |
Project Outcome | |
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Description of Outcome | Model safe learning environmental developed and people's disaster risk management capacity enhanced. |
Progress Toward Outcome | The earthquake resilient design of buildings will ensure that buildings constructed under the project using the technique will not collapse during ensuing earthquake. This design technique started in the project became the design standards for school buildings in Bhutan. To ensure the adoption of this design, the Department of School Education (DSE) engineers in Mongar and Trashigang have received training in better construction quality management. Also, the project undertook capacity building of government agencies at the national and local level, including schools, and gewog community representatives. As part of Component B, Disaster Risk Management training and planning processes have been institutionalized with the detailed manual prepared using funding from Save the Children organization. |
Implementation Progress | |
Description of Project Outputs | Strengthened disaster risk management (DRM) capacity. Project Management - Efficient and effective project management system established. Restoration and improvement of the learning environment. |
Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | B.2: 2,133 people participated in the CBDRM training and 34% (718) were women. B.3 Gewog submitted CBDRM plans to Dzongkhag for incorporation into Dzongkhag level plan. The plans are currently being utilized. B.1: On DRM training, all of the 88 communities in Mongar have been trained (100%) while 69 of the 76 communities trained in Trashigang (91%). C.1: PMU fully staffed. Quarterly progress report received on time. C.2: Works in Mongar and Trashigang completed. C.3: Training manuals distributed and are being utilized. C.4: Baseline surveys for teachers, students and communities in Mongar and Trashigang completed. Endline survey was conducted in April 2013 and the final report was received in Aug. 2013. A.2: 71 SPBD (MoE) engineers were trained in Earthquake Resilient Design and Supervision (31 engineers from MOE, 26 engineers from Mongar, and 14 engineers from Trashigang). A.1: Construction of all 4 community primary schools (CPS) namely (i) Thangrong, (ii) Pam, (iii) Yangneer, and (iv) Narang is 100% complete. A.3: Staff were trained in approriate sanitation. However, although the O&M manual was prepared the training on the use of the various tools for maintenance was not held due to time constraints. The project closed in Oct. 2013 and the EA will carry out the training using RGoB's budget. |
Geographical Location |
Safeguard Categories | |
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Environment | C |
Involuntary Resettlement | B |
Indigenous Peoples | C |
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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Environmental Aspects | None |
Involuntary Resettlement | None |
Indigenous Peoples | None |
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
During Project Design | Focus group discussions were held with poor communities and teachers to identify how to utilize the school facilities to address some of their needs, such as expanded nonformal education. |
During Project Implementation | While actual construction requires professional design and supervision to ensure quality, communities will be involved in project construction. To ease the communities' burden, their labor contribution will be monetarily compensated. To strengthen people's resilience for future disasters, the project will provide training on CBDRM, including a variety of stakeholders such as local governments, school teachers, communities, and students. The project promotes collaboration and participation, i.e. national and district governments, gewog (cluster village) governments, community leaders, and school teachers. The implementing agencies will hold periodic meetings with local officials and communities to report progress and problems. |
Business Opportunities | |
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Consulting Services | tbd |
Procurement | t bd |
Responsible ADB Officer | Panth, Brajesh |
Responsible ADB Department | South Asia Department |
Responsible ADB Division | Human and Social Development Division, SARD |
Executing Agencies |
Department of Education Ministry of Health and Education |
Timetable | |
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Concept Clearance | 07 Dec 2009 |
Fact Finding | 07 Dec 2009 to 12 Dec 2009 |
MRM | - |
Approval | 12 Aug 2010 |
Last Review Mission | - |
PDS Creation Date | 22 Mar 2010 |
Last PDS Update | 27 Mar 2014 |
Grant 9149-BHU
Milestones | |||||
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Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
Original | Revised | Actual | |||
12 Aug 2010 | 23 Aug 2010 | 23 Aug 2010 | 22 Aug 2013 | 22 Oct 2013 | 18 Mar 2014 |
Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
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Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
Project Cost | 3.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
ADB | 0.00 | 17 Jun 2022 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 100% |
Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
Cofinancing | 3.00 | 17 Jun 2022 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 100% |
Status of Covenants | ||||||
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Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
Rating | - | - | - | Satisfactory | - | Satisfactory |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.
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Title | Document Type | Document Date |
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Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education | Procurement Plans | May 2013 |
Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education (UPSIDE) Project | Grant Implementation Manuals | Sep 2010 |
Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education Project | Grant Assistance Reports | Jul 2010 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
None currently available.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.
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Rebuilding Schools in Eastern Bhutan
After the 2009 earthquake in eastern Bhutan, in partnership with the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and ADB the government rebuilt four schools, which now provide earthquake resilient classrooms for more than 700 children.
Tenders
Contracts Awarded
Procurement Plan
Title | Document Type | Document Date |
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Upgrading Schools and Integrated Disaster Education | Procurement Plans | May 2013 |