Consultant for Evaluation of the Pastoralist Education Project (PEP) in Kenya and Ethiopia

The Pastoralist Education Program (PEP) is an initiative of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in collaboration with civil society organizations (NGOs and CBOs), the local government and communities.  

The goal of the project is to contribute to the attainment of access to quality basic education for pastoralist children and youths in selected districts in Ethiopia and Kenya.   Banyan Tree Foundation one of the funders of the program, and IIRR are seeking an evaluator of the project.

PEP was initially implemented in eight districts of northern Kenya (Isiolo (Merti), Marsabit North (Maicona), Laisamis, Moyale, Sololo, Samburu Central, Samburu North and Samburu East) and six Woredas (Sewena, Yaballo, Moyale, Adola, Goro Dola and Dillo) in Southern Ethiopia.  

However, for the last two years, for the purpose of being more effective, the coverage has been scaled down to four districts in northern Kenya (Merti, Maicona, Laisamis, and Sololo)  and  four Woredas (Moyale, Dillo, Adola, Goro Dola) in Ethiopia.  
In both countries, the program targets pastoralist communities which have remained marginalized for many years.  

The communities’ way of life limits their access to social services such as education and health.  

Provision of education is characterized by limited access due to: long distances from home to schools with greater concentration in urban areas and for more sedentary groups, poor infrastructure, understaffing and in many cases unqualified teachers, and poor provision of teaching/learning materials. 

Consequently, enrolments are consistently low and there are high dropout and low transition rates with very few children completing primary education.
 

The PEP program was designed to respond to the above mentioned needs.   In the first phase (2006-2009) IIRR and its partners focused on increasing opportunities for out-of-school children to access basic primary education.  

This was achieved by initiating contextually relevant approaches which included feeder schools in the villages with no schools, and mobile classes for the highly mobile communities and evening classes for the shepherds (boys and girls unable to attend school during the day because of herding duties).  Literacy classes for the adults were also part of the interventions.  
 

The second phase (2010-2012) focuses on improving student learning outcomes with emphasis on early grade reading.  Supporting children to stay in school  to complete the primary school cycle and transition to secondary schools is a priority.
 

In both phases, building the capacity of local government departments, local organizations (NGOs, CBOs)  for effective management of education has been a consistent theme.  

Consultant  for  Evaluation  of  the  Pastoralist Education Project (PEP) in Kenya  and  Ethiopia

Purpose of the evaluation
 

This evaluation, is taking place seven years (six years in Ethiopia) after its inception.  Its purpose is to:

• Assess the progress made in attaining the goal and outcomes of the project.
• Assess sustainability of the changes attained by the project at the school, community and government levels.
• Review the capacity of the local organizations (NGOs/CBOs) involved in the project to implement work in the field of education as a result of capacity building interventions by the project.
• Provide an overview of other agencies working in the field of education for pastoralist communities and successful or potential education models and approaches used by the organizations. 

Scope of the evaluation:
 

The evaluation should answer the following questions:
 

1. To what extent has the program contributed to improving education opportunities for pastoralist children, boys and girls, by increasing access, retention, and learning outcomes in the selected districts and Woredas implementing PEP? How effective is the teacher training program? Has it improved the teachers’ teaching practices in the classrooms? 
 

2. To what extent has the program been effective in building the capacity of local organizations to implement education programs?  Have the organizations grown in other sectors of development which compliment /support their education work?  Has the program contributed to the growth of IIRR education work and its overall development interventions for the pastoralist communities?   
 

3. To what extent has the project involved the government and communities?  Has the program been successful in mobilizing additional resources to support education in the target communities?  Are the schools sustainable in the absence of donor funds?
 

4. What broader change has taken place in the communities as a result of this program?    
 

5. Who else is working in the field of education in these regions?  Are there any successful or promising education approaches or models in pastoralist areas?   
   

• The methodology used by the consultant will include both qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluating the program.  
• The evaluation will be carried out using a participatory methodology, involving children and youth, parents, school management committees, community leaders, teachers, and education personnel. 
• The evaluator is expected to use, but not be restricted to, the following methods: desk literature review, participatory approaches including focus group discussions, dialogue and conversations with different stakeholders, observation techniques and questionnaires.  

Specific Tasks
 

The consultant is expected to undertake the following:

1. Review relevant documents on education in both Kenya and Ethiopia with reference to the pastoralists.
2. Review all PEP documents in order to have an informed understanding of the program. 
3. Design appropriate qualitative and quantitative data collection tools to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
4. Hold conversations and dialogue about the program with IIRR, NGO/CBO partner organizations, relevant government departments, local leadership, teachers, children, parents and communities in the program areas in both Ethiopia and Kenya.
5. Visit selected organizations working on education for pastoralist communities in both Ethiopia and Kenya. 
6. Compile the evaluation and learning report.

Deliverables

• Inception report with clear methodology and data collection methods, and work plan.
• Data collection tools
• Evaluation report

Duration

• Desk review: 4 days
• Development of data collection tools: 2 days
• Field visits: 20 days 
• Data analysis and report writing: 6 days

Profile of the consultant(s)

• At least a Master’s degree  in social sciences or related  technical field (preferably in education, social sciences - education in emergencies or similar fields)
• At five years’ experience of working in field of pastoralist education and/or education in emergencies
• Strong analytical, and research background yielding well analyzed and actionable reports as well as an established track record in professional report writing .
• Experience in undertaking Program evaluations with atleast 3 referee institutions

Application Process
 

Interested candidates should submit:
 

An application letter addressing the selection criteria including how the candidate’s previous experience matches the consultancy objectives as well as his/her interest for the position. 

It should indicate the candidate’s availability and consultancy rates. 

Also the applicant should look at the draft program and indicate which presentation areas is within his/her expertise. 

The letter should be no longer than two pages.

An updated CV including relevant work experience and qualifications

At least 2 references with full contact details.

All applications should be sent to recruitment@iirr.org with the subject line: Pastoralist Education Consultancy.  

Applications should be submitted before October 16th 2012   before 5pm to:

Human Resources and Administration Officer,
International Institute for Rural Reconstruction,
Africa Regional Center, P. O. Box 66873-00800, Nairobi,
Email: recruitment@iirr.org

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.