Myanmar : Equipping Youth for Employment Project

Project Name

Equipping Youth for Employment Project

Project Number

48431-003

Country / Economy

• Myanmar

Project Status

Active

Project Type / Modality of Assistance

• Loan

Source of Funding / Amount

Loan 3472-MYA: Equipping Youth for Employment Project

Source	Amount
Asian Development Fund	US$ 98.49 million

Strategic Agendas

• Inclusive economic growth

Drivers of Change

• Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
• Governance and capacity development
• Knowledge solutions

Sector / Subsector

• Education / Education sector development - Secondary - Secondary - social protection initiatives - Technical and vocational education and training

Gender

Gender equity theme

Description

Building on ongoing Asian Development Bank (ADB) technical assistance (TA) support, the proposed Equipping Youth for Employment Project (EYE) -- formerly titled Preparing Youth for the Workplace Sector Development Program -- will provide cohesive support to secondary education subsector (SES) and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) reforms, to ensure these subsectors are mutually aligned and collectively serve Myanmar s evolving labor market and socioeconomic context. [[FOOTNOTE: In partnership with Australia via 2 cofinanced TAs, ADB is the only development partner organization (DPO) currently supporting SES, and is one of a small number of DPOs supporting TVET, with ADB providing support via these TAs as well as a TVET-focused TA financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. ]] The Project will combine policy-level and investment-level support for rationalization of SES and TVET and address key interlinked challenges in subsector management, access, and quality and relevance via 3 outputs: (i) policy frameworks and capacities for cohesive, workforce-responsive SES and TVET enhanced; (ii) new SES curriculum delivered and access expanded; and (iii) new TVET programs introduced and access expanded. The Program will provide programmatic support to nationwide reforms, as the main support to SES within the forthcoming National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) for 2016-2021 and closely coordinated with other development partner organization (DPO) support for TVET. The EYE is included in ADB's Myanmar country program for 2016.

Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

SES (which produces most workforce entrants) and TVET (which suffers from very low access) are largely supply-driven and not responsive to Myanmar s evolving labor force needs. SES and TVET are also not mutually aligned or strategically linked. Such gaps in subsector management are interlinked with gaps in access and quality. Analysis of data from the 2014 Census indicate that just above 80% of youth complete primary education, but less than half (roughly 44%) complete lower secondary education (LSE). Of the roughly 1.1 million new primary school entrants each year, only 10% complete upper secondary education (USE) 11 years later. [[FOOTNOTE: Figures herein draw on ADB-supported analysis household survey and other data as part of Myanmar s Comprehensive Education Sector Review. See http://www.adb.org/projects/47177-001/documents ]] Given that most forms of TVET (like higher education) require USE completion, this leaves a missing million youth without access to many forms of employment, skill training, or higher education. Prospects are particularly bleak for the more than half of all youth (and large majority of those in poor households) unable to complete even LSE. [[FOOTNOTE: Forthcoming reforms will extend the current 11-year system to a KG-12 system, adding kindergarten and USE grade 12.]] Partly as a result of this, TVET access has been very low, with only 1 in 60 youth aged 16-19 enrolled in any form of training (versus 1 in 9 enrolled in higher education), and training virtually nonexistent in rural areas or in construction, mechanical, or industrial skills. Finally, low quality directly undermines access. In SES, outdated, weakly relevant curriculum and rote-based pedagogy (i) undercut learning outcomes, evidenced in the two-thirds failure rate on the matriculation exam at the end of USE; (ii) drive up costs of LSE and particularly USE; [[FOOTNOTE: ADB-supported analysis suggests that USE (not university) poses the highest per-student expenditure burden on households, and private tutoring (driven by rote-based assessment) is the largest component of education costs.]] and (iii) contribute to lack of interest as the lead reason cited for SES dropout. Similarly, perceived low quality and relevance undermine both demand for TVET and trainee employability. Collectively, such challenges leave the majority of workforce entrants poorly educated and un- or poorly skilled, undercut national poverty reduction and inclusive growth objectives, and threaten to trap the economy in a natural resource extraction-based, low value-added model. [[FOOTNOTE: See (i) http://www.dica.gov.mm/sites/dica.gov.mm/files/document-files/psd framework final 01 apr englidh.pdf ; and (ii) ADB. 2014. Myanmar: Unlocking the Potential. Country Diagnostic Study. Manila. Respondents to the Myanmar Business Survey 2014 cited human resources (e.g., weak mastery of foundational knowledge and hard and soft skills like critical thinking, numerical skills, and problem-solving) as the second most serious barrier to business.]]

At the same time, Myanmar has put in place critical keystones for SES and TVET reforms. These include (i) the new government' s redoubled emphasis on education, with the education budget tripling during fiscal years FY2011/12 and FY2013/14 alone; (ii) adoption of an evidence-based approach, with the ongoing Comprehensive Education Sector Review feeding into formulation of the NESP; and (iii) commitment by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and other agencies to pursue cohesive SES and TVET reforms. EYE will directly support these reforms to realign SES and TVET to collectively provide the vast and evolving array of "soft" and "hard" skills needed in a Modern Myanmar. EYE will directly support the government's reform agenda for SES and TVET aimed at Both of the SDB's complementary policy- and investment project component's will support improved subsector management, quality, and access, and . EYE will align with priorities for SES

Impact

Education and skills base for inclusive growth enhanced

Project Outcome

Description of Outcome

Secondary education and TVET realigned to evolving labor force needs and equitably expanded

Progress Toward Outcome

Outcome indicators are only due in 2022, but are expected to be achieved. The Midterm Review, scheduled for May 2020, will systematically assessment of progress at the interim stage.

Implementation Progress

Description of Project Outputs

Policy frameworks and capacities for cohesive, workforce-responsive SES and TVET enhanced

New SES curriculum delivered and access expanded

New TVET programs introduced and access expanded

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)

Progress toward DMF targets had been accelerating, though Covid-19 poses some challenges.

Ongoing: Initial framework for 'soft and 'hard skills targeted by secondary education and TVET curricula developed, and more specific mapping work ongoing;

Ongoing: Support on national qualifications framework and learning pathways still in early stages.

Ongoing: Under approved National Assessment Policy, secondary education student assessment guidelines in semi-final draft. New high school completion certificate to be introduced at end of SY2019/20. Other support on exams/assessment in early/mid-stages

Target already exceeded (with follow-up training rounds planned): 156,630 teachers and head teachers including 141,043 females (90%) trained in first annual round, already exceeding DMF targets for entire project duration

Ongoing: Civil works to upgrade incomplete schools delayed but expected to be contracted in February 2020 and completed before SY2021/22

Ongoing: Initial baseline analysis in 2017, with final pre-intervention baseline study for impact evaluation of school upgrading planned in 2020, and endline evaluation in 2022.

Ongoing: 37 officials covered to date. Additional cross-cutting capacity building program on reform delivery under preparation, while subsector-specific capacity development programs are ongoing under outputs 2 and 3

Completed: National Assessment Policy (approved and launched in September 2019) includes emphasis on equity across gender and other dimensions

Ongoing: Policy support still in early stages.

Ongoing: Policy document drafted, targeting finalization and approval in Q2 2020

Ongoing: Policy document drafted, targeting finalization and approval in Q3 2020

Ongoing: 4-year phased reforms commenced in SY2019/20 with successful introduction of new LSE grade 6 curriculum and provision of 11.6 million improved, more gender-sensitive textbooks and teacher guides

Ongoing: TVET Law and related legislation still in draft (delayed), targeted for 2020-21 approval.

Ongoing: TVET Council will be established after TVET Law approval. EYE support ongoing for framework on public-private partnerships in TVET and support to the Human Capital Working Committee under the Private Sector Development Committee

Ongoing: TVET quality assurance framework in early-stage development, building on an assessment completed in 2019.

Ongoing: Policy work on COEs for TVET curriculum development in early stages. While awaiting the policy, MOE recognized 1 COE in 2019.

Ongoing: Policy work on expanding access in early stages building on work that informed CBMSC stipend and dormitory programs.

Ongoing: CBMSC stipend program guidelines approved in March 2019, with program introduced in 3 TVET schools to date (for expansion to 11 schools in April 2020). An interim evaluation is planned by end 2020.

Ongoing: Skill standards and curricula for 22 new CBMSCs (in addition to ongoing 8 CBMSCs) at various stages of development, expected to be completed in 2020

TVET civil works completed (still in retention period) at all 15 schools.

Ongoing: To date, 34 female and 33 male teachers have been trained

Ongoing but significantly delayed: To date, 724 male and 65 females have benefited from training. Progress will accelerate with expansion from 5 to 15 schools in May 2020 and launch of new CBMSCs in Q3-Q4 2020;

Ongoing but significantly delayed: Stipend program currently limited to 3 schools (expanding to 11 in April 2020), with stipends provided to 47 trainees including 8 females (only 17%). Stepped-up efforts to recruit more females and ethnic group youth underway

Geographical Location

Nation-wide, Ayeyawady Region, Bago Region, Kayin State, Magway Region, Mandalay Region, Mon State, Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing Region, Shan State, Yangon Region

Safeguard Categories

Environment

B

Involuntary Resettlement

C

Indigenous Peoples

B

Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects

Environmental Aspects

As confirmed by PPTA analysis, the Project is category "B" for environment in view of minor potential impacts, principally in terms of potential safety and health risks associated with the construction phase of provision of additional classroom blocks at existing school sites as part of secondary education schools under output 2. This civil works has not yet commenced: tendering is underway, and contracts (targeted for award in November 2019) will incorporate/annex the environmental management plan.

Involuntary Resettlement

As confirmed by PPTA analysis, the Project is category "C" for involuntary resettlement (no involuntary resettlement).

Indigenous Peoples

As confirmed by PPTA analysis, the Project is category "B" for indigenous peoples (typically termed 'ethnic groups in Myanmar), as the Project is expected to generate substantial positive benefits for all ethnic groups and to promote enhanced equity.

Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation

During Project Design

Project conceptualization and design have drawn on substantial analysis and dialogue with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministries of Industry and Labor, Immigration, and Population, other government agencies, development partner organizations (DPOs), and other stakeholders (including the private sector) under the umbrella of Myanmar's Comprehensive Education Sector Review (CESR), as well as 3 ongoing ADB technical assistance projects. Detailed design work also drew dialogue and consultations with other non-government stakeholders (e.g., CSOs), as well as a series of focus group discussions with students and out-of-school youth, parents, teachers, and other community members in selected townships throughout Myanmar.

During Project Implementation

The Program is directly supporting the implementation of the government's National Education Sector Plan (NESP) for FY2016/17-FY2020/21. It is also expected to develop the capacity of MOE and MOI counterparts (as well as other agencies including MOLIP) at different levels, ranging central to local levels in areas including stakeholder and community engagement, including suporting MOE and MOI in conducting systematic consultation and participation to support awareness of and participation in national reforms, including ensuring inclusion of poor and vulnerable groups. CSOs have sent trainees to participate in TVET training and collaboration with CSOs in communication and recruitment is being scaled up. Other examples of expected stakeholder engagement will range from SES curriculum reform processes (e.g., engaging CSOs in the curriculum development process, to ensure that new curriculum and materials are sensitive to gender, ethnic group, and disability issues), engaging employers in identifying priority skill needs and ensuring employability of graduates, to community engagement in school-based management and school improvement planning.

Business Opportunities

Consulting Services

All consultants will be recruited according to ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2013, as amended from time to time).

Procurement

All procurement will be in accordance with ADB Procurement Guidelines (2015, as amended from time to time).

Contact

Responsible ADB Officer

Mangahas, Joel V.

Responsible ADB Department

Sectors Group

Responsible ADB Division

Human and Social Development Sector Office (SG-HSD)

Executing Agencies

Ministry of Education

Timetable

Concept Clearance

19 Jun 2015

Fact Finding

11 May 2016 to 26 May 2016

MRM

22 Sep 2016

Approval

28 Nov 2016

Last Review Mission

-

Last PDS Update

31 Mar 2020

Funding

Loan 3472-MYA