AGA KHAN FOUNDATION (Pakistan)
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.
The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] is seeking high caliber Consultant/Consultancy firm to conduct a baseline study of SIP project. The project is being implemented in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral and consultant is required to travel as per agreed workplan.
Programme Brief
a) Title: School Improvement Programme (SIP)
b) Programme Districts: Ghizer, Diamer, Ghanche, Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
c) Duration: February -April 2017
d) Implementing Partners: Aga Khan University – Institute for Educational Development
Professional Development Centers (North and Chitral)
Background
The School Improvement Programme (SIP) is implemented in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral to improve the learning achievement of children in government and community schools and communities in the designated geographical areas. The SIP is testing a refined cluster-based school improvement model focusing on primary schools while working with the government. The SIP seeks to address the key foci of the Gilgit-Baltistan Education Strategy (2015-2030) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector Plan 2015-2020, namely access and equity, quality and relevance and governance and management, in order to transform the quality of educational services and ensure every child learns effectively.
More specifically the project aims to achieve:
- Increased capacity of government educational officials to lead, manage, monitor and evaluate school improvement.
- Improved capacity of parents and School Management Committees / Parent Teachers Committee (SMC/PTC ) to engage in and support school improvement efforts
- Improved capacity in leadership & management, including instructional leadership of head teachers.
- Improved capacity of teachers in relevant pedagogy and building inclusive, effective learning environments
- Improved learning outcomes of children.
Base-line Study
The proposed assignment is to conduct Baseline study of SIP which will comprise of the following key steps:
- Produce an inception report for the baseline study including the following sections:
1.1 Key baseline consideration and approach
1.2 Baseline methodology
1.3 Data collection tools
1.4 Plan for formation and training of data collection team
1.5 Plan for data entry and analysis including database
- Coordinate data collection and data entry process
- Analyse data and develop a study report
- Present a draft study report to AKF (P) for review and feedback within the agreed timeframe.
- Present a final version of the study report (including recommendations) to AKF(P) and its partners within the specified time frame of the study.
Scope
The baseline study aims to gather and analyse data of 120 schools in GB & C. It should mainly focus to set the base value for key results as given in the Results Framework.
The consultant will propose an appropriate methodology for the baseline study and will design appropriate data collection tools. AKF(P) has already conducted a baseline of 60 schools out of the total of 120 schools at the initiation of the pilot phase of the programme. The consultant is expected to review these tools, identify gaps and revise the existing tools to include areas where additional information is required. In 2017 an additional 60 schools are to be included; therefore, a complete data set will be required from these schools.
The Consultant will be expected to work closely with a number of key stakeholders throughout the design and implementation of this baseline study. This will include AKF(P), AKU-IED PDCs, government education department officials, school teachers, head teachers, parents, SMC/PTC members and students.
The baseline study will be a mixed methods study that must utilize both quantitative and qualitative methods Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) and in-depth Interviews (IDIs) will be used to collect data about perceptions and to gauge the depth of prevailing situation within schools and communities. Suitable suggestions from teachers, IT staff and education officials for the use of ICT in education may also be recorded.
The baseline will be conducted in all project target schools and their catchment communities. The baseline data will be disaggregated valley wise by sex, age, disability etc. Consultant must ensure quality measures for data quality assurance; data quality control measures should be included in the proposal such as human error elimination technique etc.
The baseline will be conducted in 120 schools of all project districts of KPK and GB. Please note that the below stated consideration/questions are provided for facilitation purposes only. Additional considerations may arise.
Key Considerations
- A strong situational analysis of each school and community using both quantitative and qualitative data and analysis. Capturing the ‘story’ of what is happening in education within the valley.
- Access to education, especially for girls, including out of school children from the early years to grade 10. Who is not in school and why? Attendance, drop outs, retention and completion. Possible solutions.
- What happens to students, especially girls when they leave school? What is felt about this? Implications?
- Teachers and head teachers’ content knowledge, teaching skills, attitude towards education, learning and their commitment.
- Any previous teacher and head teacher training, including involvement in donor-funded educational development programmes (e.g. Pakistan Reading Programme, MIED, CAI) and the benefits and opportunities.
- Analysis of the classroom learning environment and student learning with a special focus on teaching practices and early grade students. How welcoming is the classroom environment? Are the home backgrounds and languages of the children valued? What is missing?
- Level of school resources and physical learning environment.
- The current level of community and parental engagement. The role of communities, (especially women), in the management of schools and the level of involvement in their children’s education
- The current level (and level as stated before the initiation of the SIP pilot in 2016 for the first batch of schools) of government engagement in project schools. Government representatives’ understanding of the factors affecting the educational situation in the valley and the level of commitment.
Timeframe
The entire evaluation process will be completed over a period of 45 days. The consultant(s) is expected to be on-board by mid February 2017 and immediately start working to finalise the study design. Meanwhile, meetings with the AKF project team and, implementing partners will be scheduled in order to finalise the baseline plan. The field work is expected to take approximately 10-12 days covering all project schools of GB and Chitral including meetings with district and provincial government representatives, partners and other relevant stakeholders.
The draft report will be submitted to AKF(P) within 15 days following the field visits. The Consultant will finalize the report 7 days after receiving comments from AKF(P) and partners.
Deliverables
- The consultants, after initial discussions, will share a detailed inception report with AKF(P) outlining steps for the review process, new and revised instruments as required.
- The consultants will submit a well-organized and well-formatted report in English language in print and electronic version. The report outline will be finalized with the consultant during the initial discussions and finalization of the inception report.
Required Qualifications
The Consultant is expected to have:
- At least a Master’s or equivalent relevant qualification in education, early childhood development, public policy, economics or related fields.
- A proven record of at least 15 years of experience in the development field out of which at least 10 years specifically to the relevant subject.
- Experience in education monitoring and evaluation, and in developing base-lines (especially of the early years and school development).
- Experience in the leadership and management of development programmes will be considered an asset.
- Credible records and references of previous consulting experience in Pakistan
- Fluency in the English language (written & spoken). Proficiency in local languages will be an added advantage.
AKF(P) offers a competitive remuneration package and conducive working environment. We are an equal opportunity employer - females are encouraged to apply.
Only online applications will be entertained. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2017.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
For more information about AKDN, please visit www.akdn.org