Terms of Reference - Assessment of Educational Actors’ Capabilities to Implement Accelerated Learning Models and/or Programs in Ethiopia
Introduction
Ethiopia has made remarkable progress towards girls’ education, with substantial increases in preprimary, primary and secondary school enrolment. However, the number of out-of-school children (OOSC) remains high. A recent study by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Luminos Fund and UNICEF, on the magnitude of out-of-school children in Ethiopia indicates that there are over 13.3 million children out-of[1]school across the country, from ages 4 to 16 years old (6 million pre-primary OOSC, 4.5 million primary OOSC, and 2.8 million lower secondary OOSC). Among these, 64.5% of pre-primary OOSC, 23% of primary OOSC, and 53.5% of lower secondary OOSC are girls, showing that there are still fewer girls in the education system than boys.
To address the problem of out-of-school children, the Ethiopian government and its partners have implemented accelerated learning programs that aim to bring children who have been excluded back into mainstream education. These programs are critical to meet the government’s aspirations in the Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap (2018-30) and the Education Sector Development Program VI (ESDP VI) (2020/21 – 2025/26) to transform the education system and improve on quality, relevance, and equitable access from pre-primary to secondary school levels.
The government is now working towards scaling the implementation of accelerated learning programs across the country to reach the growing number of out-of-school children. Aligned with this effort, with the financial support of the Graça Machel Trust through African Child Policy Forum, Luminos Fund is implementing a new research project called Back2School, which seeks to generate evidence and knowledge on accelerated learning programs in Ethiopia and see how those programs can be further improved, adapted and scaled-up across the country. The project builds on a review of the Second Chance Accelerated Learning Program in Ethiopia, Tanzania’s accelerated learning program - Complementary Basic Education for Tanzania (COBET) – and othersimilar programs in Ethiopia and Kenya in order to refine a model of accelerated learning that can be adapted and scaled-up in the three countries.
One of the key activities under the Back2School project is to assess educational actors' capabilities. This assessment will interrogate how feasibly distinctive elements of the enhanced COBET model could be woven into the scaled Accelerated Learning Program already underway in Ethiopia. The assessment will involve document reviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key education stakeholders at national, regional and woreda levels with the aim to identify key approaches/strategies to adapt, implement and scale an enhanced model in Ethiopia.
The purpose of this ToR is, therefore, to invite interested consultants to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake an assessment of educational actors’ capabilities to implement accelerated learning models and/or programs in Ethiopia.
Purpose and specific objectives of the assessment
The main purpose of this assessment is to evaluate educational actors’ capabilities in Ethiopia and document their strengths, gaps, good practices and lessons to implement accelerated learning models/programs in Ethiopia.
Specifically, the assessment intends to achieve the following objectives:
Scope of work
The assessment will explore and document all educational actors who are currently implementing and/or scaling accelerated learning programs in Ethiopia to provide access to education for out-of-school children, particularly girls. While the assessment will cover all governance tiers from the woreda to federal level, it should focus on the core governmental and non-governmental actors that have a clear role in the implementation and /or scaling of accelerated learning in Ethiopia. The result of this assessment will provide a detailed picture of the prevailing capacity of Ethiopian education actors to introduce, implement and scale the refined accelerated learning model to be developed by Back2School at the end of the project period. Hence, the scope of the assessment is limited to those actors who already have some exposure or involvement in the ALP project, as opposed to all actors in the education sector more broadly.
Methodology
The rapid assessment will use both quantitative and qualitative research design to collect both primary and secondary data. The data collection methods will mainly include a desk-based review of relevant documents, key informant interviews with relevant experts and officials, in-depth interviews with senior government actors and local and international NGOs, etc., focus group discussions and on-site observations. Research participants will be drawn from both governmental and non-governmental organizations, including but not limited to, the Ministry of Education, Regional Education Bureaus, woreda level education offices, and program implementers of accelerated learning. Data will be analyzed and reported in a standard scientific method
Deliverables
The consultant(s) will be expected to provide the following deliverables:
Timeframe
The estimated duration of the assignment is 30 days. The consultant will submit a clear work plan with specific timelines, which will be reviewed and agreed on at the beginning of the consultancy work. The consultant is expected to deliver according to the following indicative timeline below:
Key Milestone Timeline
Relevant qualification and experience and technical proposal
This will account for 70% of the assessment score. Service providers/consulting firms shall fulfil the following competency, knowledge, and skills requirements.
Education
The service providers must clearly indicate key personnel to be involved in this work. In cases of group-based applications, Luminos Fund expects a gender balanced team. Core team members are expected to have:
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