Key stakeholders: Ministry of Education & Higher Education(MOE&HE), European Union(EU), CARE International and Save the Children
1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.1. About CARE International
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. Its programs go beyond meeting basic needs at the onset of an emergency to helping affected communities recover and rebuild their lives long after the crisis ends. CARE has been assisting communities in Somalia since 1981. CARE works in partnership with the government, international NGOs, civil society, leaders and local authorities in order to bring effective and lasting change to the most vulnerable communities. CARE currently works through three main programs: firstly, the Rural Women program which supports poor, rural women and girls in addressing long term underlying causes of poverty and vulnerability as well as social, cultural, political and economic obstacles towards positive change. We help women and girls improve their economic status, access education and support them to play a greater role in local leadership and conflict resolution. Secondly, the Urban Youth program focuses on job creation and livelihood opportunities for poor youth through interventions such as secondary education, vocational training, small business development and microfinance. Thirdly, the Emergency program provides direct humanitarian relief to victims of drought and conflict in Puntland, Mogadishu, Lower Juba and Galmudug state. CARE Somalia has three programmes namely Rural Women, Urban Youth and emergency. This project falls under Urban Youth.
1.2. About Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin phase III
Puntland: The Puntland State of Somalia is in the midst of momentous political, social and economic transformation since its leaders declared the territory an autonomous region in 1998. The region has managed to maintain relative peace and security in recent years, which has enabled it to establish political and administrative institutions, basic social services, an active civil society, and a growing private enterprise community. Besides, much progress has been made in the education sector in the last few years. Despite these improvements, however, educational provision, participation and completion in Puntland are among the lowest in the world. The Gross Enrolment Rate[1] (GER) for primary for the year 2018/2019 reflects 63.7% (Girls: 57.4%; Boys: 69.9%) whilst the secondary wing stabilized at 19.5 %(Females: 16.5%: Male: 22.3%).
The major challenges experienced in the education sector in Puntland are related to weak institutional and technical capacity, low participation of children from marginalized groups such as those from pastoralist communities, concerns on the quality of education and Technical Vocationa Education and Training (TVET) provision which does not address the needs of the target groups.
Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin phase III: With funding from European Union (EU), a consortium comprising of CARE (lead agency) and Save the Children are implementing a three year which began on 24 November 2018 and will end on 23 November 2021). The project entitled Waxbarashadu Waa IftiinIII (Education is Light III) project aims to address educational challenges in close coordination, support and guidance of the Ministry of Edcation and Higher Education (MoE&HE). The Overall objective (Impact) of the project is: **‘***Improve the educational attainment and the employability of relevant target groups, contributing to poverty reduction within an increasingly peaceful, secure and democratic Somalia’ whilst the ***specific objective (Outcome)*** is ‘Consolidated and expanded, equitable and inclusive quality education, and vocational training opportunities for Somali children, youth and adults’.* The project is being implemented in all the 9 regions of Puntland namely Nugaal, Sanag, Hayland, Sool, Ayn, Karkar, Mudug, Bari, and Gardafu and targets children, youth and adults including vulnerable groups and public systems/institutions for effective education service delivery. The project focuses on primary education, special needs, Emergency education, Alternative Basic Education (ABE), Non Formal Education (NFE), secondary education, TVET and capacity building of the Ministry of Edcation and Higher Education (MOE&HE). The project aims to achieve the overall and specific objectives through the following two results namely:
· Result 1: Increased access to quality education and training for all children, youth and adults including vulnerable groups
· Result 2: Strengthened public systems for effective education service delivery
The project activities are as follows;
The activities being implemented broadly include the construction of new schools, construction of additional classrooms in existing schools, rehabilitation of classrooms; construction of toilets/WASH facilities for schools, provision of teaching/learning materials, community Education Committee (CEC) training, scholarships forchildren in need; teacher training (pre-service), capacity building of MOE&HE, COVOD-19 response, enrollment drives and awareness, TVET training; curriculum development for Non Formal Education (NFE) and Joint Review of the Education Sector(JRES).
The project stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project are divided into three namely the holders of obligations, holders of responsibilities and rights holders. The holders of obligations consist of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Regional Education Officers, CARE and Save the Children while the holders of responsibilities comprise the teachers, District Education Officers (DEOs) and the schools in the intervention area. The last category comprises of the project beneficiaries such as parents, students and communities.
2. OBJECTIVE OF THE MIDTERM REVIEW:
The Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin phase III is seeking to procure the services of a consultant to conduct a midterm review to assess the progress towards the project outputs, outcomes and impact levels. The midterm review will be inclusive by having full participation of the project staff and stakeholders such as Ministry of Education & Higher Education (MOE&HE), European Union(EU), CARE International and Save the Children and beneficiary communities. The midterm review will be implemented by an external consultant identified/selected by the Country office procurement committee in close coordination with the MOE&HE. It is considered to be external to ensure the objectivity and impartiality, but this does not exclude the technical support from MOE&HE, the Consortium and CARE Netherlands.
2.1. Overall objective
The main objective of this mid-term review/evaluation is to assess the degree of progress in the implementation of the expected results of Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin III intervention as well as establish recommendations about the intervention design and implementation and its application to improve on the interventions. This review will cover a set of activities related to the project and as outlined in the project’s result framework and implementation plans.
2.2. Specific Objectives:
- The review must put a special emphasis on the quality of running processes including the design of the project. The findings and recommendations of the review/evaluation will be used by the consortium partners to inform the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, appropriation, harmonization, alignment and coherence.
- Identify the challenges and lessons learned in the context of the development of the Project
- Note the degree of participation and involvement of all the key stakeholders in the intervention
2.3. The Scope of the MTR
The MTR will look into the progress, achievements, constraints and lessons of the project under the expected results and cover project implementation from the start to date. The consultant will be expected to travel to all regions of program implementation (security permitting). The Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin Phase III program is implemented in all regions of Puntland State of Somalia: Bari, Cayn, Gardafuu, Hayland, Karkaar, Mudug, Nugal, Sanaag and Sool regions. The assignment will involve a visit to the target schools based on samples derived in consultations with MOEHE and the implementing partners. The consultancy will conduct a desk review, field data collection, data analysis and report writing and presentation of findings during a validation workshop to be organized for partners and the Donor.
2.4. Evaluation criteria used and key questions
The MTR will focus on the expected results with due consideration of the support received from EU and implementing partners; CARE, Save the Children and MoE&HE throughout the project implementation period. In doing so, the MTR shall follow the OECD/DAC Criteria and include evidence under each criterion supported by qualitative and quantitative data. Specifically, the mid-term review seeks to answer the questions highlighted in the table below;
Table 1: OECD/DAC Criteria
S/n
OECD/DAC Criteria
Key questions
1
Relevance
To what extent did the project intervention conform to the needs and priorities of target groups, and education policies?
2
Effectiveness
To what extent were the project objectives achieved at the results level? Did the benefits reach the target group as intended? Were benefits distributed fairly between gender and across social and cultural barriers?
3
Efficiency
To what extent are the costs of project intervention justified by its results, taking alternatives into account? Analyze the quality of day-to-day management (adequacy of project budget, management of personnel, project properties, communication, relation management with community leaders, other development partners, etc).ell
4
Appropriateness
How well did the activities respond to education service demands; considering the requirements for adaptation, ownership, accountability, and cost-effectiveness?
5
Sustainability
How and to what extent did the activities take into account longer-term needs and the interconnectedness of the existing human resources for education problems? To what extent were the stakeholders consulted and involved in selection processes for beneficiaries, and implementation? Assess the degree of commitment of stakeholders and the extent to which the capacity of beneficiaries and partners were built and strengthened and Suggest improvements for future interventions.
6
Coordination
Has coordination/planning been effective within and between consortia? Was the division of labour (sectoral, geographical) within the consortia appropriate/effective? How effective was the coordination with authorities through the Steering Committee? Did this improve the day to day implementation of the programme?
7
Impact
What processes led to the attribution of the results? What are the effects of the project on the beneficiaries?
2.5. Lessons learnt:
The objective of this component of the MTR will be to document key lessons learnt to contribute to organizational learning; To establish and describe the best practices/promising practices in management of program that can be shared and replicated and bad practices/weakness to be avoided in future programs/projects; The consultant/team should provide information on the economic/political/financial conditions that should exist, qualifications of CARE required stakeholder participation, and other factors that should be in place to/to inform the re-design of operations.
3. TECHNICAL APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY
The consultant shall use a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. A qualitative approach will adopt data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and case studies, whereas quantitative approach will adopt the use of school-level questionnaires to collect primary data from schools and literature review for secondary data from project documents such as the proposal, Indicator performance tracking tool, log frame, evaluation framework and implementation plans. The sample size must be statistically representative of the population. The analysis will involve statistical and content analysis using appropriate packages as deemed fit by the consultant. The analysis among others should show trends and to the extent, possible should disaggregate data by gender and location. Unless otherwise, the consultant shall use the sampling techniques consistent with the baseline for ease comparability of performance and targets.
4. EXPECTED DELIVERIES
The consultant will be responsible for defining and carrying out the evaluation tasks. This will include the design of the evaluation methodology (specification of the techniques for data collection and analysis), development of data collection tools, structured field visits and interactions with beneficiaries. The methodology and data collection tools will be reviewed and validated with the consortium partners, CARE Netherlands and approved by the European Union Representatives. Specifically, the consultant shall carry out the following activities
· Conduct desk review of internal materials including progress reports, project designs and log frame
· Prepare and present an inception report detailing their understanding of the ToR and how the assignment will be carried out for discussion with WWI III project team and management. The inception reports must include proposed methodologies for data collection, analysis, report writing and dissemination
· Develop data collection tools and materials for executing the task and share it with the client for approval.
· Design a logical plan for the data collection, management and analysis based on context and consultations with CARE, SCI, and MOE&HE
· Recruit qualified staff to collect, analyze, write and submit the review report.
· Organize and implement the evaluation
· Compile both the secondary and primary data collected.
· Analyze the findings.
· Develop a draft report and submit to CARE, SCI, MOE&HE and the donor for feedback
· Submit a final report by incorporating all comments given by the consortium, MOE&HE and others
· Make powerpoint slides on the summary of the findings and present during the validation workshop
· And all the fill copies questionnaire/tools use during the process remain to be the property of CARE International.
The consultant is expected to work closely with the CARE International, Save the Children and MoEHE management team to ensure all relevant information is included in the documents to ensure the development of quality documents.
5. ROLE OF CARE AND ITS PARTNERS
CARE will have the following functions: provide oversight, supervision and coordination of the assignment; coordinate document reviews and approval of all deliverables as per the terms of reference; provide linkages between the consultant and the project stakeholders, and arrange for logistics for field visits. The consultant will report to the Consortium Coordinator and work closely with MEAL departments of the consortium partners and MoEHE. During the assignment, dedicated project staff will be assigned to support the assessment team in coordinating the collection of data and to provide necessary information for planning purposes. Logistical and administrative support will be provided for example, office working space, transportation or associated expenses during the field data collection.
6. DOCUMENTS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Documents and sources of information to which the evaluator will have access:
Document⃰
Location
Project Document
CARE Somalia
Logframe
CARE Somalia
Budget
Consortium Coordinator
Baseline study and Needs Assessment
CARE Somalia (MEAL Manager)
Follow up reports
CARE Somalia (Project/MEAL Manager) and Consortium
Memorandum of understanding between Consortium partners and MOEHE
CARE Somalia
Other relevant information provided by the project management unit
CARE Somalia (Puntland)
⃰
7. MTR REPORT STRUCTURE AND PRESENTATION
The principal output of the mid-term should be a report, detailing the approach, methodology and limitations, findings, conclusions and recommendations, referencing all relevant documents and intermediary work it is based upon. The mid-term evaluation report (max 30 pages, excluding the preliminary pages and annexes), will contain a short executive summary (max 3 pages) and a main body of the report covering the background of the interventions, a description of the assessment methods and limitations, findings, conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations. The mid-term evaluation report will be submitted one week after receipt of the consolidated feedback from CARE International. The report should be three (3) Hard-cover-bound copies and soft copy in two (4) CD- ROMs in pdf version.
8. PROFILE OF THE CONSULTING TEAM
The potential consultant/expertise required to meet the following minimum requirements to qualify for the submission of his/her proposal.
- Previous experience in similar tasks or consultancies
- The capability of the expertise to undertake the assessment should not be less than a degree and preferably should have a secondary degree with experience
- The financial proposal should clearly itemitize the activities and the related costs with accurate totals..
- The consultant should be willing to work closely with the project staffs
9. GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND VALUES
The external evaluator will be required to;
- Adhere to internationally-accepted good practices and solid ethical principles and standards;
- Be skilled in implementing diverse evaluation methodologies;
- Ensure the evaluation is an inclusive and participatory learning exercise; and
- Be culturally adaptive and gender-sensitive.
- Fulfil the criteria of professionalism, impartiality and credibility. Maintain total independence and sole responsibility for the final content of the report and recommendations
- Copyright and disclosure: all author rights rest with the contracting entity of the assessment, in this case, the CARE International.
10. IMPLEMENTATION WORK PLAN
Activity
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Desk review of project documents and reports
Development and submission of the inception report (including methodology and study tools
Consultative and briefing meetings in Nairobi country office
Field work (pre-test of tools, data collection and debriefing)
Data analysis, report writing and submission of the draft report
Revision, finalization of the report, submission and approval
11. EXPECTED PROFILE OF THE CONSULTANT
The consultant will have the following expertise:
1) Master’s Degree in Education, Social science, Business Administration and/or any other relevant discipline and not less than five years relevant professional experience in conducting programme reviews/evaluations
2) In-depth knowledge and understanding of capacity building techniques for non-profit organizations involved in health programming.
3) Demonstrated experience in developing organizational development and strengthening strategies for organizations. Previous consultancy experience of this nature is an added advantage for this assignment.
4) A very good understanding of education system structures in Somalia. An understanding of how the government of Puntland operates and implements education services will be necessary for this assignment.
5) Proven expertise and experience in developing capacity-building strategies.
[1]*Puntland MOEHE EMIS Year Book 2018-2019 19 final***
How to apply
All applications should be sent to SOM.Consultant@care.org latest by1700 Hours (GMT +3) 6 December 2020 in one email, with separate attachments for the technical and financial proposals in pdf and a Subject line ‘Technical and Financial Proposal’ for midterm review of the Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin III (Education is Light III) project.