Job Description

TERMS OF REFERENCES FOR THE MIDTERM REVIEW OF THE WAXBARASHADU WAA IFTIIN IV (EDUCATION IS LIGHT IV) PROJECT

PUNTLAND, SOMALIA

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. This project falls under Urban Youth Program.

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. In addition, much progress has been made in the education sector in the last few years. Despite these improvements, educational provision, participation and completion in Puntland are among the lowest in the world. The Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) for primary and secondary education as per the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE) latest EMIS data stands at 32.1% (Boys:35.26%; Girls:28.8%) and12.2% (Boys:16.1%; Girls:9.1%) respectively.

The major challenges experienced in the education sector still relates to weak institutional and technical capacity leading to poor service delivery as well as limited oversight. Weaknesses are evident in inadequate database for policy formulation, monitoring and performance evaluation; low access to quality, relevant and equitable education exists at all levels as well as limited pedagogical skills and the availability of teachers, especially in rural and nomadic areas.

It is against this backdrop that a consortium comprising of CARE and Save the Children  are implementing three-year EU-funded Waxbarashadu Waa Iftiin IV  (Education is Light IV) project which began on 13 June 2022  and will end on 12 June 2025) to address educational challenges in close coordination, support and guidance of the MoE&HE in the Puntland. State of Somalia. Through this ToR, CARE (lead agency) is planning for a midterm evaluation(13 June 2022 – 12 December 2023) of the 3 year consortium project to ascertain the achievements and implementation levels against the set indicators of the EU funded consortium project.

The Overall objective(impact) of the project is “Improve the educational attainment and the employability of relevant target groups” whilst the specific objective(outcome) is ‘The governance, quality, relevance and inclusiveness of education and training sector are improved’. 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, secondary education, Alternative Basic Education (ABE), Non Formal Education (NFE), TVET and capacity building of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE). The project aims to achieve the overall and specific objectives through the following three results areas namely:

• Result 1:Increased access to inclusive and equitable quality education at primary and secondary levels
• Result 2: increased inclusive participation of youth and adults in quality technical and vocational education; training linked to employment and economic opportunities
• Result 3: Enhanced capacity of public institutions to lead, monitor, and manage the education system

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 for children in need;  teacher training (pre-service/in-service), capacity building of MoE&HE, post-COVID19 safe return to schools, 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 midterm review is seeking to procure the services of a consultant to conduct a midterm review to assess the progress made 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 IV/Education Is Light IV intervention as well as establish recommendations about the intervention design and implementation and its application to improve on the interventions. Further, ensure adaptation of informed strategies where the project may have experienced risk/challenges affecting achievement of targets. 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 IV program is implemented in all regions of Puntland State of Somalia.The assignment will involve a visit to the target schools based on samples derived in consultations with MoE&HE 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;

Experiences and Qualifications

The consultant will have the following expertise:

1)     Master’s Degree in Education, Social science and/or any other relevant discipline and not less than five years of 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.

Skills Required

Attachment

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