Evaluation of Basic Education SO II Community/Government Partnership Program USAID Ethiopia – June and July 2005 Ginny Seitz - Juárez and Associates WID IQC Funding Mechanism October 5, 2005 BACKGROUND ‡ BESO II CGPP: Improve quality and equity in primary education through increased community participation and support ‡ Changes in USAID Strategic Plan: “If famine is to be prevented, then Ethiopian people must reach a stage of development in which they have the resiliency to prevent widespread decline in livelihoods following shocks that bring food crisis.” Economic and social resilience means the capacity of individuals and their communities to withstand shock without exhausting coping mechanisms, without sliding into destitution. To achieve resilience, BESO II CGPP-related requirements are: increasing primary school enrollment with girls’ parity and the local management of social services (e.g., schools) by communities. ‡ MoE Decentralization after BESO II began implementation: Decision power devolved from national to regional and woreda levels. EVALUATION PURPOSE ‡ Assess effectiveness of implementing partners in their respective CGPP targeted regions ‡ Assess effectiveness of project management and its impact on the program implementation ‡ Measure CGPP’s impact on communities and local government education agencies to date ‡ Understand key external factors that influence project implementation ‡ Identify and analyze implementation issues ‡ Assess the impact of changes in key personnel of implementing partners on project activities ‡ Identify lessons learned and make recommendations for project improvement METHODOLOGY ‡ Two Teams of two researchers ‡ One week data collection in Addis at partner headquarters, MoE, etc. with follow-up in week 4 ‡ Two weeks for field data collection ‡ Selection of regions, woredas and schools followed sampling criteria ‡ Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (individuals and groups) ‡ Participant observation ‡ Document review ‡ Participatory tools with PTAs and GEACs (Girls Education Advisory Committees) SAMPLING CRITERIA Criteria for regions: ƒ Socio-cultural diversity ƒ Representation of ABE centers ƒ Representation of an “emerging” area ƒ Good representation of implementing partner 5 Regions selected: SNNPR and Amhara (World Learning), Tigray (Tigray Development Association), Afar and Oromiya (Save the Children) SAMPLING CRITERIA ƒ Time/distance from a “hub” to woreda and schools ƒ Only rural schools ƒ Socio-cultural diversity ƒ At least 2 School Improvement Plans implemented ƒ Dropout rate (high and low schools) Criteria for woredas and schools: INDIVIDUALS and GROUPS INTERVIEWED ƒ 3 Regional Education Bureaus ƒ 9 Woreda Education Offices ƒ 21 Schools (including School Directors and Teachers) ƒ 20 PTAs ƒ 20 Girls Education Advisory Committees ƒ 3 Implementing Partners (senior staff) ƒ 2 Regional project offices ƒ 2 Zone Coordinators ƒ 12 SDAs/SDCs ƒ 6 Other stakeholder groups (MoE Department of Planning, WAT, ABE School Management Committee, ABE teachers) EXTERNAL FACTORS ƒ Recurrent drought ƒ No drinking water at schools ƒ Civil unrest ƒ Out-migration ƒ Decentralization of education ƒ Teacher transfers not within policy guidelines ƒ MoE policy to downgrade schools ƒ Increasing demands for community contributions ƒ Cultural beliefs and practices harmful to girls FIELD CHALLENGES… My hotel B B C NEWS June 2005 UK Halts Aid Over Ethiopian Deaths UK Development Minister Hilary Benn announced the move in Addis Ababa after meeting Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Mr Benn called for Red Cross access to people detained in military camps since last week's protests, and called for them to be charged or released. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair telephoned Mr Meles on Sunday to express his concern at the shootings. Mr Meles is a member of Mr Blair's Africa Commission, which has been pushing for more aid to Africa. Protests have been banned since the elections last month The UK has suspended a $36m (£20m) aid increase to Ethiopia after 36 people died in the election protests. Findings: TARGETS ‡ All IPs or exceeded Intermediate Results targets „ IR3.1: % of CGPP schools with weighted drop-out average for grades 1-4 below regional average „ IR3.2a: % PTAs that have raised at least 5 education issues to local government of which 2 issues are related to quality and equity „ IR3.2b: %of education issues raised that were responded to by local government „ IR 3.3: % PTAs that have taken actions of which 50% are related to equity and quality ‡ Not enough longitudinal data to identify a trend ‡ IPs need to track sub-indicators and report on them to USAID ‡ Enrollments have increased, especially for grades 1 and 2 ‡ Dropouts have decreased, but not all IPs cannot account for transfers ‡ PTAs/KETBs are raising issues with woredas; woredas are not fully responding School addition under construction Findings: CAPACITY BUILDING & TRAINING ‡ WL & Save have a full set of formal training materials on community participation, school management, accounting, etc. TDA has few formal resources. ‡ Training with WL and Save is based on a cascade model, moving from woreda level to school level to community. SDC/SDA responsible for GEAC training. ‡ Sustainability training is provided by WL and Save and is a criteria for third School Incentive Award. Findings: CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING ‡ SDAs/SDCs do a significant amount of informal training at the school level. ‡ Formal training is not provided to GEACs by WL and Save, although Save has extensive gender resources, and includes gender components in training SDCs. (TDA training for GEACs done by WAT.) ‡ Training materials are significantly lacking at school and woreda level. PTA members with SDC (3rd from right) Findings: CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING ‡ ABE centers are established before teaching materials are available. This has led to incomplete facilitation. ‡ ABE Community Management Committees are exercising ownership of the centers. However, women excluded from formal membership. (No GEAC structure for ABEs. Low enrollment of girls.) ‡ Serious miscommunications between donor/implementers and and Community Leaders. Clan leader, Afar Findings: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT School Improvement Plans Achieved: Communities leveraged up to 400% of grants in labor, materials, cash ƒ Build classrooms ƒ Fence school compounds ƒ Prepare sports fields ƒ Build separate latrines for boys and girls Findings: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT ƒ Build and/or repair desks, tables, chairs and blackboards ƒ Build pedagogical centers ƒ Build libraries ƒ Repair water pipe ƒ Build office for teachers (used for GEAC) Findings: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT ISSUES RAISED BY PTAs WITH WOREDAS: ƒ Farmers residing on school compound: help in evicting ƒ Latrines destroyed: help in keeping out vandals and in repairing ƒ Need for drinking water: bicycles to transport from river; storage drum ƒ Permission to build a secondary school ƒ KETB/wordea assistance in getting community to accept plans ƒ Resources for school-based agriculture for income generation ƒ Resources to hire a school guard ƒ Resources to upgrade school ƒ Provide qualified teachers: increased quality expectations from community Findings: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT GIRLS EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEES ƒ Grew out of a community innovation at one school in SNNPR in BESO I project ƒ Not mandated by Ethiopian government ƒ Not “girls clubs” ƒ Includes teachers, students, mothers, community leaders ƒ Supported by project staff and teachers trained by other BESO project ƒ Community members receive NO separate resources or training ƒ GEAC only formal space in community for addressing gender inequality Members of Girls Education Advisory Committee in Oromiya Findings: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT GIRLS EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEES Data Collection Tools: ƒ Group interview facilitated and translated by women ƒ Drawing ƒ Storytelling ƒ Decision Matrices GEAC members were asked to draw the reasons why girls do not go to school Barriers to girls’ education identified by GEACs Most important: ƒ Early marriage ƒ Abduction and Rape for marriage “irrecha” in Oromiya “abusuma” in Afar Abduction and Rape for Marriage: ƒ Man has no funds for bride payment or is refused by girl’s family ƒ Man abducts and rapes girl (often age 12-13) ƒ Rape reduces her future marriage value ƒ Traditional leaders negotiate settlement with parents ƒ Girl “marries” abductor Barriers to girls’ education identified by GEACs ‡ FGM ‡ Lack of knowledge about female biology (embarrassment) ‡ Low cultural value placed on women and girls ‡ Dependency of mothers ‡ Teasing by male students ‡ Low self-esteem of girls ‡ Poor examination results ‡ Distance from school (fear of rape, abduction, and “misbehaving” girls) Afari children in ABE Center Barriers to girls’ education identified by GEACs ƒ Demand for female child labor ƒ “If a girl is educated, she will not be a good mother” ƒ Absence of female role models ƒ Fathers see education of girls as “wasted” ƒ Belief that girls will become sexually“ out of control” ƒ Increase in orphans Child beggars in Tigray GEAC Strategies ƒ Meet with student body to encourage boys’ respect for girls ƒ Office built by PTA for use of GEAC to counsel girls ƒ Girls Clubs refer girls for counseling and early marriage alert ƒ Tutoring program for girls (Academic prizes for girls) ƒ Conduct household census to identify girls who should be in school ƒ Incentives offered to families with girls in school (WFP) ƒ Establish school “police” to protect girls on way to school and on compound ƒ School-based income-generation to support extremely poor girls (clothing, food, etc. provided) Teacher in Tigray primary school At the school… ƒ Boys and girls instructed on illegality of rape and how to interact and respect each other ƒ Biology and Hygiene classes for girls ƒ With PTA: Construct separate latrines and request female teachers GEAC Strategies ƒ Members, including girls, present socio-dramas and read poetry to promote girls education and gender equity ƒ Educate and enlist cultural leaders (clan and religious) to support girls education and discourage abduction, etc. ƒAwareness-raising campaigns on harmful effects of FGM, early marriage and motherhood; connections to HIV/AIDs ƒ Home visits to parents to discourage early marriage and encourage girls education ƒ When necessary, report plans for early marriage to police and demonstrate at police headquarters and courts ƒ Brought in authorities to inform community on illegality of abduction and early marriage ƒ Follow girls’ attendance and follow-up with parents when girls are absent ƒ Identify people who will adopt orphans ƒ Establish child rights committee In the community… Results of GEAC Strategies Members of GEAC with school principal at “positive deviance” school ƒ Increased enrollment ƒ Decreased drop-outs ƒ Improved girls academic performance ƒ Girl-friendly and safe school environments ƒImproved attitudes and behaviors of boys ƒ Girls come to school during menstruation ƒ Increased self-esteem ƒ Girls report abuse to GEAC ƒNew resources for school Results of GEAC Strategies “The significance of the intervention by the Girls Advisory Committee is that it interrupts the resolution of the conflict by traditional means, i.e., they discourage the intermediaries from mediating between parents and abductor’s family to settle with girl “marrying” abductor. The abduction now becomes a criminal act subject to intervention by the formal justice system. By refusing to act as intermediaries, respected and influential community leaders validate the view that abduction is wrong and unacceptable in the community.” Holie Folie, WL, Ethiopia ƒ Parents, community leaders better informed ƒ Early marriages prevented ƒ Girls “saved” girls from irrecha and abusuma ƒ Decrease in abductions ƒ Hold police and courts accountable (prosecutions) Lessons Learned from GEACs ƒ GEACs have provided a crucial link from school to families and cultural leaders. ƒ GEACs have organically broadened their mission and are community-based institutions for resiliency. ƒ GEACs are the least-resourced of all CGPP activities. Yet, they have created a safe place for girls and a valid space within their communities to advocate for girls education and gender equity. ƒ GEACs are in the front lines against early marriage and other harmful gender practices. ƒ Membership on GEACs of mothers, teachers, students and community religious and clan leaders (men and women) is good strategy for establishing legitimacy of its issues. ƒ GEACs have contributed to MoE’s decentralization goals by mobilizing communities and acting on issues raised by girls in schools. 12 and 13-year-old members of GEAC in Afar Lessons Learned from GEACs ƒ GEACs have had little training and field-level resources, yet have increased expectations from project for training (TOT) and locally appropriate gender training materials. ƒ Gender resources available from partners not accessible or relevant to community context. (Too theoretical, not contextual or participatory.) ƒ Problems encountered are usually associated with the inability of male SDA/SDC, school directors, and others to abandon traditional patriarchal ABE Center students in Afar roles and behaviors. Lessons Learned from GEACs ƒ People in traditional communities are willing to protect and educate girls. ƒ Traditional community structures and religious institutions (Iddir, Church, Mosque) can be influenced for positive social change when properly approached and convinced. ƒ Community-based structures are essential to long-term gender change. Teachers and member of PTA (right) in Oromiya Recommendations regarding GEACs ‡ Provide additional gender training and resources to staff and members of GEACs ‡ Produce materials for use by GEAC members at community level ‡ Provide TOT training to GEAC members ‡ Advocate for formal recognition of GEACs by woreda education offices ‡ Include of GEACs in sustainability plans “It is unconscionable that in the 21st century girls as young as 7 or 8 can be sold as brides. There is no denying that extreme poverty is the driving factor that has enabled the practice to continue, even in countries where it has been outlawed. … We need to be shining the spotlight on early marriage and its underlying causes. … We must continue to do everything we can to ensure that girls have every opportunity to become agents of change and to expand the ‘realm of what is possible’ for their societies and the world at large.” Charlotte M. Ponticelli Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues U.S. Department of State September 14, 2005