Jordan Education Reform Support Program-for-Results Additional Financing

About the project

Tangible progress has been made in expanding access to education in Jordan over the past four decades, but challenges remain both in the areas of access and quality of education. Access challenges are particularly severe for Syrian refugee children in Jordan. Expanding access to quality KG2 poses a formidable challenge, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including Syrian refugees.

The Additional Financing (AF) is providing timely technical and financial support to cope with the medium-term challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Education sector financing will be a key challenge in times of increased pressure on the public budget, reductions in disposable incomes of families, and pressure on international financing as donor countries themselves have often been severely affected by the pandemic. The AF provides crucial support for investment in the human capital of the generation that will have to pay for the debts that countries are incurring to cope with the crisis today. The AF will further support MOE in leveraging investments in distance learning as a launching pad for more effective and inclusive education services. This AF builds on previous financing for the Jordan Education Reform Program-for-Results and is aligned with the larger landscape of support by development partners to the Jordanian education sector.

Project Development Objective (PDO)

To expand access to early childhood education, and to improve student assessment and teaching and learning conditions for Jordanian children and Syrian refugee children.

Project Implementation Status

The operation has disbursed US$248.84 million (83 percent of the total loan amount). These disbursements include an advance of
US$116.8 million, out of which US$84.3 million are pending verification of achievement.

• Achievement towards the PDO and Implementation Progress are rated Moderately Satisfactory. The operation is on track to
  achieve its PDO, as follows:
  • PDO Indicator 1. Number of Jordanian children and Syrian refugee children enrolled in KG2. The indicator exceeded its
    target of 120,000 students, reaching 135,187 in 2023/24 (from 80,000 at baseline).
  • PDO Indicator 2. Number of Syrian refugee boys and girls benefitting from the PforR Program interventions. The indicator
    is progressing behind its yearly targets, reaching 165,919 students in 2023/24, from a baseline of 125,000 (Target: 180,000).
    74 percent of the target has been achieved (40,919 of 55,000 additional Syrian refugee students). The drop-out effects of the
    COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in migration patterns explain this result. The team is closely monitoring the potential
    impact of the observed return of Syrian refugees to their home country on this indicator.
  • PDO Indicator 3. Number of teachers evaluated against the new National Teacher Professional Standards (NTPS) who meet
    the minimum performance standards. The indicator exceeded its target of 6,400 teachers, reaching 10,086 teachers in
    2023/24.
  • PDO Indicator 4. Regulation separating the dual purpose of the Tawjihi exam developed and adopted. The indicator has been
    achieved (a regulation was issued in July 2023 separating the dual function of Tawjihi).

• Additional results have been achieved and pending verification and disbursement: Roll-out of the QAS to over 961 public and
  private KGs; a final draft of a National Student Assessment Framework has been completed; over 40,000 K-12 teachers met
  minimum standards in socioemotional practices as defined in the teacher evaluation framework; and technical guidelines on the
  design of a PPP modality for expanding private KG services have been approved.

• The Government of Jordan has requested a restructuring and extension of the closing date of 12 months (May 31, 2026) to maximize the impact of the operation by aligning the DLRs more closely with the current landscape and responding to the evolving needs of the sector. The restructuring will reallocate between DLRs and revise the verification protocols.

Relevant Documents:

• Project Appraisal Document (PAD)
• World Bank Project Information Page