Social Assessment of the Additional Financing of Heqep on Tribal Populations

SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

SOCIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ADDITIONAL FINANCING OF HEQEP ON TRIBAL POPULATIONS

AND

TRIBAL PEOPLES FRAMEWORK

Salma Akhter

Professor

Department of Sociology

University of Dhaka

18 August 2013

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:1

METHODOLOGY:6

Indigenous Peoples (IP)/ Tribal People (TP):7

Specific Funding Requirement of the World Bank’s Policy OP 4.10.7

Indigenous Peoples/Tribal People of Bangladesh8

SECTION 2: IMPACT ASSESSMENT12

Reviews of the some HEQEP projects with their

objectives findings and recommendations in CU, CUET,

CVUAS

SECTION 3: BENEFICIARIES OF THEHEQEP PROJECTS: CONSULTATION24

WITH FACULTIES, STUDENTS, MANAGEMENT

SECTION 4: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS30

SECTION 5: BANGLADESH: HIGHER EDUCATION QUAOLITY 33

ENHANCEMENT PROJECT (HEQEP)

SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK (SMF)

ANNEX1: AIF 1st round Sub-Projects43

ANNEX2: 2nd Round AIF52

ANNEX3:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE UNIVERSITIES COVERED 71

UNDER CONSULTATION

ANNEX 4: NEGATIVE LIST 76

ANNEX 5: SOCIAL SCREENING FORM77

REFERENCES80

Table 1: Areas of TP Concentration in Bangladesh10

Figure1 Distribution of IP in Bangladesh11

.

Table2: TribalStudents of CVASU: 29

Table3: TribalStudents of CUET30

INTRODUCTION:

Higher education is the catalyst for economic growth and poverty reduction. To meet the globalization challenges raising higher education quality to the world standard is essential. Bangladesh Govt. has taken initiatives to develop the quality of tertiary education. Govt. plans to prepare university graduates in such way that they can successfully compete in the context of international knowledge society. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education, with the assistance of the World Bank, has undertaken a Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP). The project aims at improving the quality of teaching-learning and research capabilities of the tertiary education institutions through encouraging both innovation and accountability and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher education sector. The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh is the implementing agency of the project. A HEQEP Unit has been established in UGC for implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of the activities. (

One of the rationales for World Bank’s involvement in the sector and for the original project was to build upon the success of the past decades in primary and secondary education, and to start addressing the many weaknesses plaguing higher education identified in Bangladesh’s Higher Education Strategic Plan 2006-2026. The Project was viewed as the first operation of a long-term, phased program of support aimed at improving the quality and relevance of the sector. Higher Education is an integral part of the strategy to increase transformative investment and enhance the business environment and this strategy constitutes thethirdpillar of Bank’s FY11-14 Country Assistance Strategy. The Education Policy 2010 and Sixth Five Year Plan (2011-15) haveplaced emphases on creating a knowledge society through providing better skill to the graduates of tertiary education. The original IDA credit amount for Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) was approved on March 17, 2009 and became effective on May 13, 2009. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve the quality and relevance of the teaching and research environment in higher education institutions through encouraging both innovation and accountability within universities and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher education sector. The progress towards achieving the PDO has continued to remain Satisfactory since the last Implementation Support Mission in April 2013. Pace of implementation has accelerated and the project continues to show strong evidence of progress against project outcomes and intermediate results indicators, inter alia: (i) increased satisfaction in all key stakeholders (students, faculty, and employers) based on mid-term satisfaction surveys completed in June 2013; (ii) accelerated fund utilization by the sub-projects under the AIF resulting from increased on-time technical assistance and training provided by University Grants Commission (UGC) and the project unit; (iii) process for institutionalizing the competitive funding mechanism has been carried out according to schedule; (iv) increased access to Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) with 12 percent of students and 18 percent of faculty members having access (compared to 0% at baseline); (v) target of the Key Performance Indicators related to BdREN are likely to be achieved by the end of December 2013; and (vi) digital library has been established and fully operational in 34 universities (TOR)

The key reforms that are being implemented under the project are: (a) establishing enabling conditions to enhance the quality and relevance of teaching, learning and research in universities; (b) introducing an efficient instrument for the allocation of additional public funds to universities with an emphasis on innovation and accountability (Academic Innovation Fund, AIF); (c) reinforcing the strategic and institutional capacity of the sector both at the central and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) level; (d) establishing a high performance BdREN and digital library which will link faculty and students of Bangladesh to the global academic community and learning resources; and (e) developing a national level Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) to support planning, monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the sector. The rationale for the proposed AF is to build on the successful implementation of reforms under the original project mentioned above. Specifically, it will expand the successful reforms in the areas of quality enhancement of tertiary education, research and innovation, and governance and management in which the Bank has a vast and in-depth experience. For quality enhancement, the AF will support the establishment of the quality assurance mechanisms at both national and institutional levels. The AIF will continue to aim, through the distinct four windows, deepening reforms in a number of areas (i.e. improved teaching and learning, enhanced employability of graduates through market relevant research and programs, innovation through stronger university-industry linkages and commercialization of research; improved transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, and improved management and implementation of activities).

The following components/activities will be financed with additional financing of US$110 million: (i) Component 1: Promoting Academic Innovation; (ii) Component 2: Building Institutional Capacity of Tertiary Education Sector; (iii) Component 3: Raising the Connectivity Capacity in the Higher Education Sector (BdREN& Digital Library); (iv) Component 4: Establishment of Quality Assurance (QA) Mechanism; and (v) Component 5: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation.

The World Bank has two social safeguards policies – OP 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement and OP 4.10 Indigenous People. The originalproject did not trigger either of the policies. Since the AF will not undertake any activities that require land acquisition or the displacement of people (with or without title) from private or public lands, or any adverse impact on livelihoods, OP 4.12 will not be triggered for this phase of the project either. However, as the current project will work in Universities that may be geographically placed in thewider area of influence where tribal populations live, OP 4.10 will be triggered for this AF phase of the project.

The purpose of this Social Assessment is to understand the impacts of the original project and the potential impacts of the AF on tribal populations/student/faculty body. With regards to the latter, the SMF contains in additionto the SA a Tribal Peoples Framework to provide guidance on consultative practices with tribal teachers and students, promote inclusion and participation, recommendations to enhance positive outcomes and mitigate for adverse impacts, roles and responsibilities (though this is preliminary and will be finalized at a later stage) for the implementation of the framework via site specific plans, grievance redress procedures and monitoring and evaluation. Universities and Institutes will be screened for the presence of tribal students and those which show a concentration will develop specific plans for the tribal teachers and students based on the framework provided in this SMF.

METHODOLOGY:

The study makes an assessment of potential impacts of the projects on the Indigenous Peoples and will providea framework for addressing the potential impacts if there is any.

In doing so, the study followed the following steps:

• Review all relevant project documents;
• Undertake a desk research of how many sub-projects under the parent project has been working in areas where there may be relatively higher concentrations of tribal populations;
• Visit on a sample basis some Universities operating in such areas, especially Chittagong University ;
• Review the ongoing subprojects scope of work in consultation with the relevant project officials including identifying the number of tribal and ethnic peoples involvement as faculty member, researchers or students;
• Assess whether the specific project activities have had any direct impact (positive or negative) on tribal people, their way of life, livelihoods, cultural priorities etc.; and
• Assess whether within the scope of this project there is any need to undertake special measures for tribal students.

Due to the major concentration of the tribal people in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), it is likely that CHT’s tribal students would prefer to have their higher education in the Universities and other Academic Institutions in Chittagong. Chittagong is adjacent to the three Hill Districts named Rangamati, Bandarban, Khgrachhari which are home to the highest number of tribal communities. The study consulted teachers, students, administrative authorities of 3 major Higher education providers namely Chittagong University (CU), Chittagong University of Engineering and technology (CUET) Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU) situated in Chittagong.

Indigenous Peoples (IP)/ Tribal People (TP):

The International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (IP) (1995-2004) was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations through Resolution 48/163 of 1993. Its objective was the strengthening international cooperation by contributing solutions of the problems that affect Indigenous Peoples in areas of health, human rights, environment, education and development. In recognition of this, the World Bank has articulated and adopted, annex ‘C of OP 4.10’ as part of its operational policy to guarantee the protection and involvement of indigenous peoples in all development activities which have the likelihood of impacting on members of this group, whether as individual, groups or communities.In 1982, the World Bank became the first multilateral financial institution to establish a safeguards policy on Indigenous Peoples. The current Indigenous Peoples policy (May 2005) recognizes that the distinct identities and cultures of Indigenous Peoples are inextricably linked to the lands on which they live and the natural resources on which they depend. The policy requires client governments to seek broad community support of Indigenous Peoples through a process of free, prior, and informed consultation before deciding on development projects affecting Indigenous Peoples.

Specific Funding Requirement of the World Bank’s Policy OP 4.10.

Policy document OP4.10 of the World Bank contributes to the Bank's mission of poverty reduction and sustainable development by ensuring that any development activity and their accompanying processes fully respects the dignity, human rights, economies, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples. Hence, it is a requirement that all projects which are proposed for financing by the World Bank are assessed to see whether the policy needsto be triggered keeping in mind the geographiclocation, nature and scope of activities.

The policy requires client governments to seek broad community support of Indigenous Peoples through a process of free, prior, and informed consultation before deciding on development projects affecting Indigenous Peoples.The policy requires that Indigenous Peoples benefit from the commercial development of natural resources.Project must include measures to (a) avoid potentially adverse effects on the Indigenous Peoples’ communities; or (b) when avoidance is not feasible, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for such effects. Bank-financed projects are also to be designed and structured in a manner to ensure that the Indigenous Peoples receive social and economic benefits which are culturally appropriate and gender and intergenerationally inclusive.

Indigenous Peoples/Tribal People of Bangladesh:

Other terms relating to the concept of indigenous peoples include "cultural minorities," "ethnic minorities," "indigenous cultural communities, "tribals," "scheduled tribes," "natives, and "aboriginals. Accepted or preferred terms and definitions vary country by country, by academic discipline, and even by the usage of groups concerned. In Bangladesh, IPs are often referred to as Adibasi, small ethnic groups, ethnic communities, hill people (paharis) and forest people. For the purposes of this document IPs will be referred to as tribal people (TPs) as per government definition.

Bangladesh is by and large religiously, ethnically and linguistically homogeneous. Its population is nearly 160 million (estimated 2010); it is roughly 85 percent Muslim, others are mainly Hindu, Buddhist and Christian. More than 99 percent speak Bengali. The overwhelming numbers of people are ethnic Bengalis although they are a mixed group containing Aryan,Dravidian, Mongoloid and other racial traits. Despite the homogeneity of people as a Bengalination, the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) comprising the districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban has asignificant number of ethnic minorities (0.45 percent of the total population of Bangladesh) whobelong to the ‘mongoloid group’ and live in a geographically compact area. The CHT is situatedin the extreme southeast of Bangladesh, bounded on the north and northeast by the Indian stateof Mizoram and Tripura, and on the south and southeast by Myanmar (Burma), and on the eastby the district of Chittagong. The area is politically, strategically and economically a vital region,having common borders with both India and Myanmar.The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) are home to the country’s largest concentration of tribal peoples.

The CHT is inhabited by a variety of ethnic groups popularly known in Bangladesh as ‘tribes.’ Three major tribes are the Chakma, Marma and Tripura. They constitute more than88 percent of the total number of TPs in the CHT. Other tribes are Tanchangya, Mro,Bawm,Pankhua, Chak, Kheyang, Lushai and Khumi. The Chakmas, including TanchangyasandMarmas, are Buddhists. The Tripuras are Hindus Hindus, although a substantial number ofthemhave converted into Christianity in the recent decades. Earlier, the Mros were Buddhist

Andanimists, but many now have their own religion. The Bawms, Pankhuas and Lushais areChristians. Overall, the social and political organization, way of life, economy and culture aremore closely linked to those of the hill people of Assam and upper Myanmar than to thesettledwho occupy the alluvial plains of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, which makes up thegreater part of Bangladesh. (ADB 2nd HT Rural Development IP Plan, March 2011).

Nearly all the indigenous peoples also include traditional indigenous elements in their formal religious beliefs and practices.The indigenous peoples have their own languages, both in written and oral forms. Although the languages of the Chakma and the Tangchangya have close links with Bengali and Assamese, these languages have developed their own distinctive identity over the centuries. The languages spoken by most of the other indigenous peoples belong to what is known as the Tibeto-Burman family of languages.However, the Chakma script is closer to the Khmer script than to the Burmese. The medium of instruction in Bangladesh is the Bengali language, and there is no information available indicating any plans to include indigenous language instruction at educational institutions.Mros had no written language of their own, but some could read the Burmese and Bangla scripts.

There are 13 indigenous ethnic communities living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh. There are approximately 600,000 indigenous people in the CHT.The primary census report of 2011 illustrates that total ethnic population group of Bangladesh 1st is Chakmaconsisted 4,44,748 people while the Marma, the second largest ethnic group compares with 2,02,974 person.

Other than CHT, some other ethnic groups are inhabitants in NorthWest part of the country. Santals are inhabitants of Rajshahi and Dinajpur. There are a few groups also in central and Northeastern parts. Khasis, Garos, and Khajons in Mymensingh and Sylhet regions. In these regions the tribal population is scattered and has become mixed with the mainstream Bengali population. In Southeast there are Rakhains whose origin is Myanmar but many currently live in Cox’sbazar.

Table 1: Areas of TP Concentration in Bangladesh

.

Areas of TP Concentration / Predominant TPs / %
National
TPs / % of
District
Populations
Plains
1. / Rajshahi Division, Naogaon, Dinajpur
Rajshahi, &Joypurhat Districts / Santal, Munda and Oraon / 36 / 4
2. / Sylhet Division, Maulavibazar and Hobigonj
Districts / Khasia, Manipuri, Patro,
Garo and Tripura / 8 / 3
3. / Madhupur Area of Dhaka Division / Garo/Mandi / 7 / 2
4. / Patuakhali (Barisal Division) and Cox’Bazar (Chittagong Division) Districts / Rakahain / 6
5. / Khulna Division, in Sundarbans / Munda / 2
Hills
6. / Chittagong Hill Tracts / Chakma, Marma, Tripura and others / 41 / 44
Total / 100

Source: ADB 2nd Rural Development Project IP Plan, March 2011 (on basis of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), 2001)

Source:ADB 2nd Rural Development Project IP Plan, March 2011

SECTION 2:IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Reviews of the some HEQEP projects with their objectives findings and recommendations in CU, CUET, CVUAS

The following assessment of possible impacts of HEQEP projects on Indigenous People was conducted based on review of project aims and outcomes.

• Project Development Objective

The proposed Project would strengthen faculties at differentPublic and Private Universities through infrastructure, automation of library facilities, research and curricular improvements through training while building the basis for improved facilities management and future.

• Project Beneficiaries: The main Project beneficiaries would be the students and teachers at the public and private Universities.

The rationale for the proposed AF is to build on the successful implementation of reforms under the original project mentioned above. Specifically, it will expand the successful reforms in the areas of quality enhancement of tertiary education, research and innovation, and governance and management in which the Bank has a vast and in-depth experience. The AIF will continue to aim deepening reforms in a number of areas such as improved teaching and learning, enhanced employability of graduates through market relevant research and programs, innovation through stronger university-industry linkages and commercialization of research; improved transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, and improved management and implementation of activities).