WASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2023 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on May 31 approved $40 million in financing for the Education Quality Improvement Project (EQIP) in Moldova. The project aims to improve the quality of education service delivery in Moldova, with a particular focus on disadvantaged students, including refugees from Ukraine who are enrolled in educational institutions. A $10 million non-reimbursable concessional grant was provided by the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) to support the project.
The EQIP Project will address the issues related to preprimary, primary, and secondary education service delivery in project-supported schools and kindergartens. The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have exacerbated and widened learning inequities in Moldova. At the same time, these developments also offer a unique opportunity to transform the education system. This will be achieved through improved teacher practices, a learning recovery program for disadvantaged students, an improved learning environment in targeted schools and kindergartens, and the development of the institutional capacity to design, implement and evaluate education reforms and refugee response interventions. The project will also support the improvement of access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for disadvantaged children, including refugees from Ukraine. This will be achieved through the expansion of the network of state-owned kindergartens, as well as support of the government’s efforts to mobilize private sector financing. The goal is to bridge the gap in ECEC service provision in an inclusive manner, while also increasing access for refugee children and their mothers to the labor market, thereby reducing their economic and social vulnerability.
The project will also benefit from co-financing grants, including $4.8 million from the Global Partnership for Education Fund, and $5 million from the Early Learning Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
Since joining as a GCFF Benefiting Country in 2022, Moldova has received over $44 million in concessional grants. These grants have leveraged $344 million in total financing in concessional terms. The GCFF has also supported three policy measures to codify or expand rights or protections for refugees and host community members.
The GCFF was established in 2016 to provide concessional financing to support middle-income countries (MICs) that provide a global public good by hosting large numbers of refugees. The Facility is a partnership that brings together refugee hosting countries, donor countries, multilateral development banks, and the United Nations.
Contact: Subhash Ghimire