Equitable Access to Quality Education Project (ADB-58335-001)

Regions
  • East Asia and Pacific
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Kiribati
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Oct 28, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Kiribati - Ministry of Education; Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Education and Health
  • Technical Cooperation
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Grant
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 35.80 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 35.80 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Media Documents
Other Related Projects
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Apr 4, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Nov 10, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the Equitable Access to Quality Education Project in Kiribati seeks to address disparities in access, quality, and equity within the education system, particularly for students residing in the outer Gilbert Islands. The project is aligned with national and regional frameworks, including the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2024-2027 and the Kiribati Partnership Compact. The project has three outputs. Output 1 focuses on expanding gender-responsive, climate-resilient education infrastructure. This includes replacing vulnerable, temporary classrooms with disability-accessible, climate-resilient facilities across nine outer island primary schools. Upgrades also extend to student dormitories at King George V School and the Kiribati Teachers College (KTC), improving access for boys and encouraging more male teachers from outer islands. Additional interventions include the provision of light trucks for student transport, piloting inclusive safety and maintenance protocols, and training transport operators on gender and child safety. Trained maintenance officers will be deployed and supported for two years to ensure sustainability.

Output 2 aims to strengthen curriculum, assessments, and delivery systems by addressing student retention (push and pull factors). It includes upgrading the digital technology curriculum, establishing digital technology resources or computer labs in junior secondary schools, and enhancing family-life education. Interactive and age-appropriate content will support students' understanding of gender equality, violence prevention, and reproductive health. Output 3 expands teacher training and community engagement. Teachers will receive in-service training on updated curricula, digital skills, gender-responsive teaching methods, and strategies to engage boys. Community-based activities will promote positive social norms and student retention. A dropout prevention pilot and a new attendance tracking system will be implemented in project schools.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

Environment: category B. Environmental impacts are expected to be site-specific and localized, with no significant or irreversible effects.

Involuntary Resettlement: category C. Project activities will take place on government-owned or leased land, as confirmed in the social due diligence report. The project is not expected to involve involuntary resettlement, but if any economic or social impacts arise, a resettlement plan will be developed as needed.

Indigenous Peoples: category C. The project is not expected to impact Indigenous Peoples, as defined under ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement, since Kiribati's population is predominately Micronesian.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Grant (Asian Development Fund): US$ 30.00 million
Grant (Global Partnership for Education Fund): US$ 5.00 million
Grant (Technical Assistance Special Fund): US$ 0.80 million


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

The Secretary
Ministry of Education
P.O. Box 263, Bikenibeu, South Tarawa
Republic of Kiribati
Telephone No.: +686 75229275
Email Address: kbaitere@mfed.gov.ki or kfsu.procurement@gmail.com
Or: cbryson@adb.org

Project Officer: Cindy Bryson
Designation: Principal Social Sector Specialist - Asian Development Bank
Email: cbryson@adb.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

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How it works