Recruitment of a Consultant for Distance Final Evaluation – (200002KK), Kupang

Recruitment of a Consultant for Distance Final Evaluation – (200002KK), Kupang

1. Background

MEMBACA project phase 2 is a continuation from the previous project of  literacy boost project that has been implemented in Kupang District since 2014.  [1]Literacy Boost (LB) is a program designed to guide schools, parents and communities to better support the literacy development of their children. It was developed in response to growing evidence of gaps in basic literacy learning, which demonstrate a clear need to increase the effectiveness of basic reading instruction, including the promotion of good literacy practices in school and out. In order to improve literacy learning, LB focuses on three areas:

• Reading Assessment: LB practitioners assess children’s reading levels and evaluate their literacy learning needs based on those assessments. Assessments are used to inform school-based personnel of children’s strengths and weaknesses, and help staff and teachers tailor their lessons to meet children’s needs.
• Teacher Training: Teachers are trained to incorporate skill-building into their regularly scheduled curricula. By focusing on five core reading skill areas throughout lesson planning and implementation, teachers ensure that children build a solid foundation for literacy. Ongoing assessments of student progress are used to guide teachers’ focus.
• Community Action: Quality teaching and learning environments inside and outside of schools help all readers grow their reading skills. The LB program guides parents and communities to support children as they learn to read and foster their love of reading. 

The goal of this project is to ensure at least 1,700 children in Kupang District to attain their right to high quality primary education in protective learning environment for literacy skill improvement. To achieve this goal, the project will focus on two immediate objectives; (1) To enhance children’s learning outcomes, with a particular focus on literacy, in a safe and inclusive learning environment; and (2) To enhance community participation and government stakeholders’ engagement in the provision of quality basic education services

1. Objectives

The objectives of this evaluation is:

• To describe, assess, review and critically evaluate the achievement of results intended and unintended, positive and negative and identify major factors which influence those results.
• To review the overall project implementation and determine what has worked well and has not worked well and in which context.
• To examine the project design relevance, implementation fidelity, potential sustainability and replicability.
• To gain insights into the level of beneficiaries and stakeholder (e.g., community and local/national government, implementing partners, donor) satisfaction and expectation towards the project activities and or service delivery.
• To distil and document lessons learned from the project implementation, including those pertaining to approaches, strategies, gender mainstreaming, child participation, project management, and partnerships.
• To provide recommendations in light of the findings of the evaluation to enable Save the Children to sustain the benefits of the project and effectively respond to any future needs/issues in Indonesia and globally.

1. Scope of evaluation

This evaluation is expected to descibe the results of MEMBACA II implementation, in district, villages, schools, and individual level. We expect to have evaluation perspective from all level stakeholders such as:

1. Policy makers in district level
2. Policy makers in village level
3. Policy makers in school level
4. School supervisors
5. Teachers
6. Village facilitators
7. Communities
8. Children
9. SC staff

1. Primary Evaluation Questions
2. How well was the project implemented as intended?
3. Did the project reach its intended target populations?
4. Did beneficiaries have a positive experience with the project?
5. Did the project achieve its intended outcomes?
6. Did the project provide value for money?

1. Methodologgy

This evaluation will use qualitative approach and the methodology of this evaluation should be adjusted to consider health and safety issue during COVID-19 pandemic. “Do no harm” principle should be used when designing study approach and methodology.

Some potential methodology to be done during COVID19 pandemic:

1. Desk review of key documents, including strategy documents, prior evaluation reports, monitoring reports and other documents judged relevant.
2. Literature search and review of material on the environment in which the project operates, and recent developments which impact objectives and activities
3. Phone call interviews with key project staffs, representatives of the project’s stakeholders, village and school level informants, and representative of children.
4. Review of evaluations and annual reports of other project in the same sector and with the same/similar target population.
5. Online questionnaires distributed to selected informants/ respondents.

Site visit are not required.

1. Scope of work and expected activities/ timeline

1. Deliverables

• Inception report prior data collection activities based on documents review/ desk review.
• Data collection tools
• Data collection report
• Data analysis results, including raw data, database, and/or analysis outputs.
• Draft of evaluation result
• Final evaluation report
• Knowledge transition materials; powerpoint presentation and Evidence Brief pages.

1. Selection Criteria

To be considered, individual consultant or evaluation team members together must have demonstrated skills, expertise and experience in:

• Designing and conducting project evaluation using qualitative approach
• Conducting research and/or evaluation in the field of education, particularly in relation to basic education and literacy.
• Leading socio-economic research, evaluations or consultancy work in East Nusa Tenggara that is sensitive to the local context and culture, particularly child rights, gender equality, ethnicity, religion and minority groups and/or other factors.
• Conducting ethical and inclusive research and/or evaluation involving children and child participatory techniques
• Conducting ethical and inclusive research and/or evaluation involving marginalised, deprived and/or vulnerable groups in culturally appropriate and sensitive ways
• Managing and coordinating a range of government, non-government, community groups and academic stakeholders
• Sound and proven experience in conducting evaluations based on OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, particularly utilisation and learning focused evaluations
• Extensive experience of theories of change and how they can be used to carry out evaluations
• Able to conduct distance study with limited access to informants and sources.
• Report writing and presentation skills

There is a high expectation that: 

• Members (or a proportion) of the evaluation team have a track record of working together.
• A team leader will be appointed who has the seniority and experience in leading complex evaluation projects, and who has the ability and standing to lead a team toward a common goal.
• The team has the ability to commit to the terms of the project, and have adequate and available skilled resources to dedicate to this evaluation over the period.
• The team has a strong track record of working flexibly to accommodate changes as the project is implemented.

1. Proposal

Candidate should submit their proposal with narative and budget plan which:

• Demonstrate your understanding of the study requirements and provide your proposal for how you would approach the research/evaluation. Your proposal will be assessed on whether the approach and methodology are robust, appropriate (actionable, sensitive, responsible) and indicates that it will achieve the study requirements.

• Demonstrate your understanding of the deliverables and activities to be implemented, by:
  • Describing your proposed approach to project management and track record of delivering on time and on budget.
  • Providing a project plan with indicative timeline and defined roles and responsibilities of team members.

• Demonstrate your expertise and experience in conducting evaluation using qualitative approach or mixed-method.
• Demonstrate your experience and track record in conducting evaluation in area of education.
• Demonstrate your experience and track record in conducting evaluation in Eastern Indonesia that is sensitive to local context and culture.

[1] Literacy Boost Toolkit Introduction, Save the Children, 2012

Location: Kupang

Employee Status: Fixed Term

Closing Date: Jun 16, 2020

Apply here