Ethio-Education Consultants (ETEC) Piluel ABE Center - Itang October 2008 Addis Ababa Ethio-Education Consultants (ETEC) P.O. Box 9184 A.A, Tel: 011-515 30 01, 011-515 58 00 Fax (251-1)553 39 29 E-mail: etec.con@ethionet.et THE MID-TERM EVALUATION OF USAID/PACT/TEACH PROGRAM REPORT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Ethio-Education Consultants (ETEC) would like to acknowledge and express its appreciation to USAID/ETHIOPIA for the financial support and guidance provided to carryout the MID-TERM EVALUATION OF USAID/PACT/TEACH PROGRAM, Cooperative Agreement No. 663-A-00-05-00401-00. ETEC would also like to express its appreciation and gratitude:  To MoE Department of Educational Planning and those RSEBs that provided information despite their heavy schedule  To PACT/TEACH for familiarizing their program of activities and continuous response to any questions asked any time by ETEC consultants  To PACT Partners for providing relevant information and data by filling out the questionnaires and forms addressed to them.  To WoE staff, facilitators/teachers and members of Center Management Committees (CMCs) for their cooperation to participate in Focus Group Discussion (FDG) ACRONYMS ABEC Alternative Basic Education Center ADA Amhara Development Association ADAA African Development Aid Association AFD Action for Development ANFEAE Adult and Non-Formal Education Association in Ethiopia BES Basic Education Service CMC Center Management Committee CTE College of Teacher Education EDA Emanueal Development Association EFA Education For All EMRDA Ethiopian Muslim's Relief and Development Association ESDP Education Sector Development Program FAL Functional Adult Literacy FDG Focus Discussion Groups IP Implementing Partner KCADO Kind Heart Children Aid Development Organization LIA-ET Love in Action - Ethiopia MDG Millennium Development Goal MoE Ministry of Education MOFED Ministry of Finance and Economic development ODA Oromiya Development association RFA Request for Application REST Relief Society of Tigray RSBE/RSEB Regional State Bureau of Education or Regional State Education Bureau SEPDA Southern Ethiopia Peoples Development Association SNNPR Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region SOW Scope of Work TEACH Transforming Education for Adults and children in the Hinterlands TWG Technical Working Group USAID United States Agency for International Development WCAT Wabi Children's Aid and Training WEO Woereda Education Office WEOCB Woreda Education Office Capacity Building WORTH A Global Initiative to Address Gender in Equality and Women's Economic Empowerment TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms Executive Summary ............................................ i-xii 1. Background and Introduction .................................................1 1.1 Background .................................................1 1.2 Introduction .................................................1 2. Objectives of the Evaluation .................................................3 3. Methodology of the Evaluation .................................................3 3.1 Document Review .................................................3 3.2 Primary Data collection Instruments .........................................3 3.3 Sampling .................................................3 3.4 Data Collection and Orientation ................................................4 4. Limitation of the Evaluation .................................................4 4.1 Time Limitation .................................................4 4.2 Access to Up-to-date Data .................................................5 5. Data Sources .................................................5 6. Findings .................................................5 6.1 Findings from MoE, RSEBs & PACT .......................................5 6.1.1 The Ministry of Education .......................................5 6.1.2 Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs)............6 i) Amhara Regional State Education Bureau6 ii) Gambella Regional State Education Bureau .................................................7 iii) Tigray Regional State ...............................8 iv) Afar Regional State ...................................9 v) Oromia Regional State ............................10 vi) SNNPR ...............................................11 6.1.3 PACT ...............................................12 6.2 Findings on Individual Program ..............................................13 6.2.1 Woreda Education Office Capacity Building (WEOCB) ................................13 i) Planning of WEOCB...............................13 ii) Management of the WEO Capacity Building ...............................................14 iii) Training ...............................................14 iv) Progress and Results of WEOCB Program ...............................................15 v) The Training Materials ...........................17 vi) Monitoring of Woreda Education Capacity Building Program .....................17 6.2.2 The ABEC Program ...............................................18 i) Planning of ABEC Program....................18 ii) Management of ABEC ............................21 - Organizational Set up and Personnel Management ..................21 - Financial Management ...................23 iii) Some of the Limitations of the CMC Management ............................................24 iv) Input ........................................................24 v) Monitoring of ABECs .............................30 vi) Progress of ABEC Children's Program ...33 6.2.3 FAL Program ........................................................39 i) Planning FAL Program ...........................39 ii) Management of FAL Program ................41 iii) Monitoring of FAL Program ...................41 iv) Input for FAL Program ...........................43 v) Progress of FAL Program .......................43 7. Challenges, Opportunities, Lessons Learned and Effort Towards Influencing Policy ........................................................46 7.1 Challenges ........................................................46 7.2 Opportunities ........................................................49 7.3 Lesson Learned ........................................................50 7.4 Effort towards Influencing Policy ............................................50 8. Conclusions ........................................................51 9. Recommendations ........................................................53 10. References ........................................................60 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Ethiopia is a developing country trying hard to get out of poverty to join the middle income countries as a result of which improvement is taking place at a faster rate in various areas of development including education of various levels. Since education is a means for social and economic development, Ethiopia is committed to meet Education For All (EFA) goal by the year 2015. The primary school gross enrollment ratio and net enrollment ratio are 91.7% and 79.1% respectively. The adult literacy rate is 50%. The Ethiopian Government has planned to reach 5.2 million non￾literate adults by 2011. But only 0.5% of the education budget is allocated for adult and non-formal education. The remaining 20% out of school children found in very remote and inaccessible areas cannot easily be reached through expanding access to formal primary education by 2015 due to various constraints like cost of school construction, limitation of resource, difficulties for children to attend school due to long distances of walking from homes in scattered settlements to school and vice versa. The solution is ABE which is flexible and adaptable to local conditions to provide Education For All (EFA) with less cost and short time frame. 1.2 Introduction The USAID provides development assistance that includes non-formal education for children and adults. A request for application by USAID was issued in November 2004 to implement alternative basic education for children, functional literacy for adults and woreda capacity building program. PACT responded by submitting its proposal entitled "Transforming Education for Adults and Children in the Hinterland (TEACH). USAID accepted PACT's proposal and signed a five-year cooperative agreement to reach 275,000 out of school children and 220,000 adults and to strengthen the capacity of personnel in at least 70 WEOs. As a result of baseline survey these figures were later revised to 150,000 and 55,000 targets for children and adults respectively. In the last three and a half years 550 ABECs have been built, providing learning opportunities to nearly 80,000 children for the first time in their life. ii The mid-term evaluation of the program based on the guideline provided by USAID is carried out in 6 regions, 13 woredas and 26 ABECs by ETEC. Data is also gathered from eleven PACT partner NGOs. 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION The evaluation aims at looking into the planning, management, inputs, processes and results of the TEACH program with emphasis on the following:  assess whether the necessary inputs, organizational set-up, procedures and guidelines have been in place to achieve intended results of the TEACH program;  determine the effectiveness of the planning, management and monitoring processes of the TEACH program to achieve intended results;  measure progress and results of the TEACH program as per the objectives and targets set;  identify and analyze implementation challenges, issues and opportunities; and  identify lessons learned and make recommendations for future implementation. 3. METHODOLOGY OF THE EVALUATION Data Sources, Data Collection Process and Sampling Primary data collection instruments like questionnaires, interview guides, observation guides, and forms were developed to gather responses from appropriate sources. Data collectors were given orientation on how to use the instruments for collecting data. Relevant documents from appropriate sources have been reviewed by the study team. Based on the criteria set for sampling 6 Regions, 13 Woredas, 11 NGOs and 26 ABCs were selected for evaluation. Of the six regional offices contacted, the Amhara and Gambella Regional State Education Bureaus heads were able to give their time for interviews while the remaining three were unable due to being too busy in other works. But later the required data were made available by the concerned bodies. 4. LIMITATIONS OF THE EVALUATION 4.1 Time Limitation The scheduling and shortage of time have set some limits to the study. Some key persons needed for interviews were difficult to get because of engagement in various activities. iii The shortage of time has not allowed the team members to cover more distant woredas and sites. These limitations did not, however, affect the conclusions reached at and the recommendations given although they could have enriched the findings. 4.2 Access to Up-to-date Data There is limitation related to getting up-to-date data on enrolment, attendance, contribution of communities, etc. For example getting the reaction of the Regional State Bureau of Education (RSEB) heads of Oromya, Tigray, Southern nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) was difficult. 5. FINDINGS 5.1 The Ministry of Education (MoE) USAID/PACT/TEACH program, according to the MoE, has great contribution in expanding access to education in pastoral and semi-agricultural least developed regions. The MoE's emphasis given to adult literacy program is relatively low, while the USAID/PACT support to the program and the WEO personnel capacity building has highly been appreciated. 5.2 Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs) i) Amhara RSEB The bureau believes that NGOs activities are considered part and parcel of the regions development efforts. As far as the TEACH program is concerned, the bureau plans and works in close cooperation with PACT's partner NGOs, especially with ADA. During the implementation, the RSEB fills gaps uncovered by USAID/PACT like providing additional facilitators and books with no cost to the USAID/PACT and partner NGOs. The bureau indicated that the region has found the program extremely useful in reaching the unreached communities and that it is grateful to the USAID. It was also pointed out that due to the deep rooted educational problem in the region, still more assistance is needed. ADA, a PACT partner NGO as an implementing agency of TEACH works very closely with REB and other government bodies. It has assigned a highly qualified and experienced professional for TEACH programs who makes regular visits to woredas and checks on supervisors' work. The woreda TEACH supervisors work closely with the staff of WEO. The other partner organizations also work closely with the RSEB and WEOs. iv ii) Gambella Regional State Education Bureau According to the head of the RSEB, the initiator of TEACH in Gambella is PACT￾Ethiopia. The RSEB has contributed to the plan. The head of the bureau indicated that the bureau's contribution and opinions were received into the formulation of priorities. The USAID/PACT/TEACH program is incorporated in the five year plan of the region. The program implementers are WEOs and the partner organization ANFEAE/Gambella. The RSEB supports in the area of textbook provision, and selects and recruits facilitators. So far the accomplishment of TEACH is said to be successful except in the area of adult education where accomplishment is not as expected. The practice related to adult education at RSEB level needs strengthening since there is inadequate staffing at WEO level. iii) Tigray Regional State In Tigray Relief Society of Tigray (REST) runs 40 ABECs financed by USAID/PACT. REST and the RSEB have agreed that REST will operate non-formal education programs as part of its integrated development program by securing funds from funding agencies. Prior to starting the ABEC program, REST identified the most needy communities with collaboration and participation of the WEO. It has also made arrangement with the RSEB for the sustainability of the program. The role of ANFEAE in the region as in the other regions is to provide training to WEO staff. The training has helped in promoting the non-formal education in the region. iv) Afar Regional state Ethiopian Muslim's Relief and Development Association (EMRDA) is the partner of PACT in Afar Region. EMRDA is the first NGO to work in the education sector. Until very recently Dulecha was one of the deprived woredas in the region. Due to budget constraints the woreda administration started approaching NGOs to be involved in the provision of education to deprived communities in the woreda. The first NGO involved was EMRDA. The first ABEC was completed in 2006 and children started enrolling. It is now three years since the TEACH program started. According to the program evaluation of the 2007/8 academic year by a team composed of officials from EMRDA, Regional Education Bureau, PACT/Ethiopia, the Woreda Administration and WEO, a change in the administration of TEACH program was proposed to increase the direct involvement of WEO as a result of which the technical and financial contribution of PACT will be channeled directly to the woreda education office. v Due to the drought in the region, the enrollment of children has been low. So far the construction of the second phase of ABECs did not go as planned. v) Oromia The RSEB of Oromia has fully participated in planning of the TEACH program and has incorporated the same as part of its education bureau plan. During the implementation, the RSEB is involved in giving directives to WEOs. It participated in ANFEAE training of WEO staff. It also organized training of facilitators and CMC members. As far the accomplishment of TEACH program in the region is concerned, it is very satisfactory according to information supplied by the bureau. vi) SNNPR The evaluation team has contacted two of the PACT partners in the SNNPR - Southern Ethiopia People's Development Association (SEPDA) and Love in Action Ethiopia (LIAE). The RSEB has evaluated the TEACH program in the region and is very well accepted as part of the regional education plan. The TEACH program is incorporated in the five year education plan of the region. SEPDA and the RSEB work jointly and closely in planning and implementing the TEACH program. The program has made education accessible to children and adults who did not have any access in the past. Despite this, the FAL program is not strong as expected. The ANFEAE training of CMC members and facilitators has direct impact on the improvement of the education system in the regions. 5.3 PACT At head office level PACT has four professionals and one intern directly responsible for TEACH program. Staff from other departments also participate in the implementation of the program. PACT's staffs are not enough to monitor all the centers under the 27 implementing partners. Planning ABE, FAL, and building the capacity of woreda education personnel are prepared in consultation with the 27 partner NGOs carefully identified by PACT. The project is implemented by local NGOs selected by PACT. PACT monitors the implementation through quarterly field reports and periodic field visits to some centers. vi 5.4 WEO Capacity Building The importance of building the capacity of WEOs is not questionable. It is crucial for the implementation of TEACH - functional adult literacy and the ABEC program for out of formal school children. The government has realized the important role of the woredas. i) Planning of WEO, CAB Initially PACT planned to cover a total of 52 woredas for TEACH program and delegated ANFEAE to carryout the WEO capacity building program. So far ANFEAE has trained a total of 1893 WEO staff and has covered 521 woredas. ANFEAE, prior to commencing the training program has carried out WEO capacity and training needs assessment. Based on findings of assessment of capacity needs, prepared 17 training modules and one manual which were refined on the basis of feedback from validation workshop. ii) Management of WEO Capacity Building Program ANFEAE carried out the assessment in 22 woredas in six regions. After the findings based on the assessment, ANFEAE employed professionals to develop 17 modules used for delivering the training. iii) The Training The training was provided in two phases of five days duration each; during phase 1 participants from 521 woredas were trained and during the 2nd phase 55 TEACH woredas were added. Trainers were selected from 11 colleges and given a five-days training of trainer course. iv) Progress and Results of WEOCB The target set for training was 600 staffs from 60 woredas. The task of training these staffs was found to be difficult due to their educational level differences. The variation of the qualifications of the trainees was from grade 6 primary education up to college degree level. Training all these together were found to be difficult as confirmed by ANFEAE. Another problem was the turnover of some of those trained during the first phase of training who did not show up for the second phase of the training. The target set for training was 600 staff from 60 woredas but those trained is reported to be 1,893. vii v) Training Materials The training materials are useful to promote quality education for adults and children. The manuals are written in four local languages - Amharic, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna and Somali. vi) Monitoring of Woreda Education Capacity Building Program The program does not include a monitoring component which should have been part and parcel of the program. Although field monitoring of woreda CB was carried out by ANFEAE and PACT in 2006/7 that resulted in providing copies of the training materials to be kept and used by WEO staff for reference, there is still a need for more regular follow up of the program. 5.5 The ABEC Program i) The Planning and Management of ABE Program The planning and management of ABE program for children and adults is done by the same organization and persons for practical purpose. At head office level of PACT there are four professionals and one intern directly responsible for TEACH programs - one leading the programs, one responsible for adult education program, one responsible for documentation and communication. In all ABECs 2-4 facilitators are assigned for each center. The number of the facilitators is enough, the problem is their qualification. Alternative strategies are suggested to raise the enrollments of children and adults and spread of coverage e.g. use of double shift and better approach to pastoral areas (refer to recommendation 9.26) ii) Monitoring of ABECs PACT Monitoring Mechanism PACT has clearly laid mechanism for monitoring the activities of the ABECs. Each partner NGO has assigned one supervisor per woreda to visit each center at least once a month. viii 5.6 Challenges MATRIX THAT SHOWS CHALLENGES OF ABE AND FAL PROGRAMS AND CAPACITY BUILDING S.N ABE Program S.N FAL Program S.N Capacity Building 1 Child Labour 1.1 Lack of parents' knowledge about the effect of child labour to school attendance and achievement 1.2 Child labour as obstacle to school attendance 1 Motivation and Poverty 1.1 Lack of motivation of adults to attend literacy 1.2 Poverty of parents in deprived communities and drought prone areas 1.3 Life style of communities in pastoral area 1 Capacity Building 1.1 Strengthening WEO capacity building through training 1.2 Improvement of training manuals 1.3 Strengthening capacity of CMC members 1.4 Improving teaching methodology of facilitators 1.5 Making PACT/TEACH project flexible 1.6 Exchange of experiences of best examples of practices on a continuous bases 1.7 Sustainability of ABE and FAL program through training and handling over the ABEC to WEO 1.8 Use of multimedia approach - advocacy of child right - promotion of basic education (through print media, radio, television, etc) 1.9 Turnover of trained WEO staff 2 Textbooks and Writing Materials 2.1 Lack of provision of adequate writing materials 2 Policy and Guidelines Absence of clear policy and guidelines for FAL program ix S.N ABE Program S.N FAL Program S.N Capacity Building 2.2 Shortage of textbooks 2.3 Shortage of teaching aids 3 Inaccessibility Some ABECs are inaccessible to vehicle and difficulty to transport education materials and supervise 3 Supervision and Monitoring 3.1 Inadequate supervisory service 3.2 Shortage of budget for supervision 3.3 Shortage of logistic and finance for monitoring at PACT level 4 Supervision and Monitoring 4.1 Inadequate supervisory services 4.2 Shortage of supervisory budget 4.3 Shortage of logistic and finance for monitoring at PACT's level 4 Inaccessibility Some ABECs are inaccessible to vehicle and difficulty to transport education materials and supervise 5 Salary of Facilitators Low salary compared to government salary scale 5 Salary of facilitators Low salary 6 Qualification of Facilitators Problem of getting qualified and experienced facilitators 6 Qualification of Facilitators Problem of getting qualified and experienced facilitators 7 Splitting Woredas Woredas made to split into two require more resources 7 Splitting Woredas Woredas made to split into two require more resources x S.N ABE Program S.N FAL Program S.N Capacity Building 8 Soaring Costs 8.1 Acute shortage of budget for construction and purchase of furniture 8.2 Shortage of desks 8 Soaring Costs Acute shortage of budget for the construction of ABECs and purchase of furniture 9 Database Limitation 9.1 Establishment of database for Educational materials, finance, property and enrollment 9.2 Training on record management 9 Database Establishment of database 10 WORTH & Women Literacy Program 10.1 Expanding and strengthening the program to unreached communities 11 Sustainability Most ABECs have no reading rooms 10 Same 12 Raising the present ABEC enrollment 76,000 to the planned target (150,000) 11 Raising the present FAL enrollment 32,109 to the planned target (55,000) xi 5.7 Opportunity MATRIX THAT SHOWS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ABE AND FAL PROGRAMS AND CAPACITY BUILDING S.N ABE Program FAL Program Capacity Building 1 Support provided to TEACH program by MoE; - Provision of strategic guidelines - Inclusion of non-formal education statistics in the Education Statistics Annual Abstract Same Provision of strategic guideline 2 Demand for Abe and FAL programs and Capacity Building by RSBEs Same Same 3 The CMC availability to provide the leadership Same - 4 NGOs willingness to participate in providing education in remote areas Same Same 5 The current experience of USAID/TEACH Project that can serve as a starting point to work in remote unreached areas Same Same 6 The commitment made by the Ethiopian government to meet EFA and MDGs Same Same 7 Availability of dedicated and hardworking facilitators and supervisors and commitment of local officials at woreda level to the TEACH approach Same Same 8 Willingness and acceptance of TEACH by the community Same Same 9 The provision of data entry forms provided to the programs that can serve as a nucleus to establish a database system Same Same 10 Selection of Teacher Training Colleges to strengthen the non￾formal education program by initiating separate department Same Same 11 Cost sharing approach by community to expand ABECs Same - 12 Creating job opportunity to higher local facilitators and supervisors xii S.N ABE Program FAL Program Capacity Building 13 WORTH & Women Literacy Program have great potential to make the functional adult literacy program meaningful to the beneficiaries through enhancing various life skills 14 Various training manuals were prepared in four language (Amhara, Tigrigna, Oromigna and Somali) Same Same 15 Collaboration between government, community and NGOs to implement the program Same Same 5.8 Lessons learned  That the Alternative Basic Education Approach works and is useful to help meet the MDGs  With adequate guidance and supervision the ABEC approach is an effective mechanism to make education accessible to remote communities  The Functional Adult Literacy requires more effort and perhaps a new approach to attract rural people to attend the program  The Women Literacy and WORTH programs will have a great potential to succeed  Collaboration among government, NGOs and communities to start Alternative Basic Education in the underserved rural areas.  Preparation of various training manuals in four languages (Amharic, Oromigna, Tigrigna and Somaligna to build the capacity of WEOs.  The three triangular pedagogical approaches, i.e. ABE children program, FAL program and Capacity Building are complementary and enforce each other as found the field. USAID/PACT/TEACH Project's Effort towards Influencing Government Policy PACT has carried out various activities at federal and regional levels to promote education development and in particular non-formal basic education and adult education and contribute its part to influence government policy. Recently developments show that more and more emphasis is given to non-formal adult education as shown in the ESDP III. THE MID-TERM EVALUATION OF USAID/PACT/TEACH PROGRAM 1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Ethiopia, a landlocked country, with a population of about eighty million and a land area of 1.1 million sq.km., is trying hard to get out of the poverty and join the middle income countries. However, resources are scarce, and the recurring drought, wars and conflicts, terrorism, uncontrolled population growth and so many other constraints add up to its enormous challenges. Despite these challenges the country is showing some progress. The economy is improving, schools and colleges are expanding, health institutions, especially health posts and health centers are increasing, housing and road construction is progressing at a faster rate for the country. These are encouraging signs of sustainable development that needs to be supported and encouraged. Ethiopia's commitment to Education-For-All (EFA) by the year 2015 and the higher social return of basic education necessitated a much higher focus on primary education. Accordingly, Ethiopia has been expanding access to primary education in the last fifteen years reaching a gross enrollment ratio of 91.7% and a net enrollment ratio of about 79.1% by 2006/7. However, the remaining 20% are mostly found in the remote pastoralist and semi-pastoralist areas of the country. This target group will be the most difficult to reach using only the formal education system alone. The cost of school construction alone will be a major hindrance let alone coupled with so many other constraints the Government had to face and the limitation of resources. One of the major obstacles for children, especially girls from so many scattered settlements, to attend school is distance of schools from their home. One of the means to encourage children to attend school is to bring the school closer to them in both distance and relevance. The ABEC can play an important role in this regard. The ABE is an ideal approach for creating a literate and knowledgeable society that is necessary for local and national development. 1.2 Introduction The U.S government and people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have provided needed support to the development effort of Ethiopia in various fields and education is one of them. To help meet universal primary education (UPE), USAID has adopted a program that takes schools closer to the children through alternative basic education centers, introduce a curriculum that meets the needs and interests of the learners and use flexible approaches to teaching that respond to communities' economic and cultural realities. Since education is critical to overcome negative factors of sustainable development such as population growth, environmental degradation, poverty, lack of good governance and conflict, etc., the centers are also 2 intended to serve as community development centers, where functional adult literacy on population and family planning, the environment, HIV/AIDS, and agricultural extension information and other skills could be imparted. A request for application by USAID was issued in November 2004 to implement alternative basic education for children, functional literacy for adults and woreda capacity building program. PACT responded by submitting its proposal entitled "Transforming Education for Adults and Children in the Hinterland (TEACH). USAID accepted PACT's proposal and signed a five-year cooperative agreement to reach 275,000 out of school children and 220,000 adults and to strengthen the capacity of personnel in at least 70 WEOs. As a result of baseline survey these figures were later revised to 150,000 and 55,000 targets for children and adults respectively. PACT was awarded the TEACH program through an agreement signed with USAID/ETHIOPIA in November 2004. Following this agreement, PACT developed an overall five-year plan and identified the 52 target woredas in close consultation with regional education bureaus and woreda education offices. It then selected 27 local non￾government organizations (NGOs) to implement TEACH in the 52 disadvantaged woredas of the country. Implementation began in June 2005 through the agreement with the local NGOs and included the formation of Center Management Committees (CMC) in each identified community, consultation with the wider community on the objectives of TEACH and community support, followed by the construction of the ABECs the recruitment and training of supervisors and facilitators. The total budget for TEACH is $11,783,865 (Birr 111,946,717.50) with $8,942,974.00 (Birr 84,958,253.00) obligated to-date. In the last three and a half years 550 ABECs have been built, providing learning opportunities to nearly 80,000 children for the first time in their life. The mid-term evaluation of the program is carried out in 6 regions, 13 woredas and 26 ABECs. Data is also gathered from nine PACT partner NGOs. The mid-term evaluation of USAID/PACT/TEACH program is based on the guideline provided by USAID for the effectiveness and efficiency of implementation with regard to planning, management, monitoring, input, organizational setup, progress and results as suggested in the TOR and the technical proposal for all the three programs: ABEC children's program, Functional Adult Literacy program and woreda education office capacity building program. Following the award to carryout the mid-term evaluation of USAID/PACT/TEACH program by USAID/Ethiopia, Ethio-Education Consultants (ETEC) carried out the evaluation in Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray regions and covered a total of 13 woredas and 28 ABECs. Of the 27 partner NGOs data is gathered from nine of them: ADA, REST, ODA, EDA, ANFEAE, KCADO, LIA/Ethiopia, SEPDA and WCAT. 3 This report includes an executive summary, background and introduction, objectives of the evaluation, the methodology, limitations, findings, conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and references. Annexes are included in Part II of the report. 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION The evaluation is aimed at looking into the inputs, processes and results of the TEACH program with emphasis on the following:  assess whether the necessary inputs, organizational set-up, procedures and guidelines have been in place to achieve intended results of the TEACH program;  determine the effectiveness of the planning, management and monitoring processes of the TEACH program to achieve intended results;  measure progress and results of the TEACH program as per the objective and targets set;  identify and analyze implementation challenges, issues and opportunities; and  identify lessons learned and make recommendations for future implementation. 3. METHODOLOGY OF THE EVALUATION 3.1 Document Review The study team has looked at various pertinent documents from PACT Ethiopia, Basic Education System Overhaul (BESO) project, Education Sector Development (ESDP), Ministry of Education (MoE), UNESCO and documents from Non-Government Organizations (NGO), etc. 3.2 Primary Data Collection Instruments For primary data collection, questionnaires, interview guides, observation guides, and forms were developed to gather responses from MoE, RSEB, PACT, partners, WEOs, supervisors, CMC member's facilitators and pupils. The questionnaire items covered planning, management, monitoring, inputs, progress and results of TEACH program. 3.3 Sampling Criteria were set for sampling regions, woredas and sites. As much as possible attempt has been made to cover as many regions as possible to represent regions from north, south, east and west of the country, and also more developed and relatively less developed regions. Attempt is also made to cover resettlement sites, pastoral, and safety net areas. 4 TABLE 1: REGIONS, NGOS, AND CENTERS COVERED FOR THE MID￾TERM EVALUATION OF TEACH PROGRAM Regions WERDA NGOs No. of ABECs Afar Dulecha EMERDA 2 Amhara Lay Gaint ADA 3 Tach Gaint WCAT 1 Tarma Ber EDA 2 Gambella Gog & Itang ANFEAE 4 Oromiya Gemechis ODA 2 Sirara Aje ADAA 2 Shashamene Zuria KCADO 2 SNNPR Arbaminch Zuria and Derashe SEPDA 4 Lemo LIA 2 Tigray Wukro REST 2 6 Regions 13 Woredas 11 NGOs 26 ABECs *FAL program is conducted in ABECs using the same facilities (classrooms, seats, etc). As shown in table 1 above a total of 6 regions, 13 woredas, 11 NGOs and 26 ABECs are covered by the evaluation. Of the six regional education offices only Afar is not visited although Dulecha woreda and two ABECs within the woreda were visited. Therefore, woredas and ABECs from all the six regions have been covered in the evaluation. In other words of the six regional education offices five were visited, but the evaluation has covered the woredas and ABECs in all the six regions. 3.4 Data Collection and Orientation A total of five consultants/evaluators were deployed to the field for data collection. ETEC professionals gave a half-day orientation on how to fill-out questionnaires and forms and provide summary of their findings, before their departure for field work. At field level, 11 local facilitators assisted the data collectors. The ETEC management staff, in addition to coordinating the evaluation work, has taken the responsibility of data collection in Addis Ababa, from the MoE, PACT Ethiopia, and from 6 PACT partners head offices, i.e., ODA, EDA, LIA Eth, KCADO, WCAT and ANFEAE. Upon the return of the evaluators from the field, there was a debriefing session where problems, challenges and experiences were discussed. 4. LIMITATIONS OF THE EVALUATION 4.1 Time Limitation The scheduling and shortage of time have set limits to the study. Since the evaluation of the study was carried out towards the end of the academic year difficulties were encountered as those people needed for the interview were engaged in other activities such as supervising national examination, preparing for the end-of-the year final examination and planning for the coming year. 5 The shortage of time has not allowed the teams to cover more distant woredas and sites. These limitations however did not affect the conclusions reached at and the recommendations given although they could have enriched the findings. Despite the crowded time table of the officials and experts in the different government offices, they have managed to sit with the evaluation teams to respond to questionnaires and interviews and carryout lengthy discussions on the TEACH program. 4.2 Access to Up-to-date Data Very serious limitation faced was getting up-to-date data on enrolment, attendance, contribution of communities, cooperation of community, etc. 5. DATA SOURCES A total of 13 woredas and 26 ABE centers under eleven NGO partners were covered in six regions for data gathering. In addition to responding to questionnaires and filling out forms, some of the NGOs: Amhara Development Association, Southern Ethiopia Peoples' Development Association and Relief Society of Tigray have provided additional information about the activities of their organizations. 6. FINDINGS 6.1 Findings from MoE, RSEBs and PACT The following section includes findings based on the responses from MoE, RSEBs, and PACT in brief. 6.1.1 The Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education, through the steering committee established to approve plans and monitor accomplishments, makes direct contribution to USAID/PACT TEACH programs. It monitors the implementation of the programs through the Technical Working Group. The MoE, in its annual report includes the contribution of USAID/PACT TEACH program. USAID/PACT/TEACH program, according to the MoE, has had great contribution in expanding access to education in pastoral and semi-agriculturalist regions. During the past Education Sector Development Programs (ESDPs) of the MoE emphasis given to adult literacy program has been relatively low and USAID/PACT support to this program has been highly appreciated as a result. Similarly, the contribution of USAID/PACT to 6 build the capacity of educational personnel in the regions has received high appreciation by the MoE. 6.1.2 Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs) i) Amhara State Education Bureau Head of the Amhara Education Bureau who was very busy at the time of the visit had to arrange a meeting outside office hours. The meeting lasted for about one hour. According to questions presented to him, the Regional State Education Bureau plans education projects with the NGOs operating in the region. The NGOs' projects are RSEB's projects. As far as TEACH program is concerned RSEB plans with the NGOs and especially with Amhara Development Association that operates the largest number of ABECs. RSEB officials discuss with them and select the most deprived woredas with prevalence of communities where education has not reached. During implementation the RSEB has filled gaps uncovered by USAID/PACT: it has provided additional facilitators where the enrolment becomes more than the PACT assigned facilitators can handle. The RSEB has provided books with no cost to the USAID/PACT partner NGOs. The RSEB has also participated in up-grading the capacity of CMC members and facilitators. The TEACH program is part of the regional state education plan. The RSEB has found it very useful. Many NGOs operate education projects in the region. Unfortunately they resist working in the remotest parts of the region where their help is most needed. But USAID/PACT/TEACH program has gone where others are not willing to go. The region has found the program extremely useful in reaching the unreached communities and is grateful to USAID. But relative to the educational problem the region has, the bureau would like to have more assistance. In this regard the assistance required includes:  More ABECs as a priority;  Upgrading some of the existing centers to full-fledged primary school; and  Help in improving the quality of teaching staff and ABE center management committees. PACT Implementing Partners in Amhara Regional State The Amhara Development Association (ADA), a PACT partner NGO implementing TEACH has a strong organization capacity, a broad constituency of over 140,000 members and works very closely with the regional education bureau and other government bodies. It has a board and a secretariat. ADA has assigned a highly qualified and experienced professional for TEACH programs. He makes regular visits to the woredas and supervises the work of the supervisors and visits the centers as well. At woreda level people with experience and qualification to supervise and help in the implementation of the programs make regular visits to ABECs and provide guidance to 7 the facilitators and CMC members and the community at large. The woreda TEACH supervisors work closely with the staff of the WEO and in particular with the NFE supervisor. They in fact work as a team. The other PACT partners operating in the Amhara Region are WCAT and EDA. WCAT is responsible for ten ABECs in Tach Gaint Woreda. The head of WCAT is in Addis Ababa and their branch office in Lay Gaint. The office in Lay Gaint coordinates the various projects administered by the NGO WCAT. In each office there is a person responsible for the education program. Reports from the woreda level supervisor are sent to the head office through the branch office in Lay Gaint. The work of the WCAT education person in Lay Gaint is to coordinate all the education project financed by different donors. The supervisor assigned to Tach Gaint is stationed in WEO and is directly responsible to WEO although his salary is paid directly by the Lay Gaint WCAT coordinating office. Emanuel Development Association operates in North Showa Zone of the Amhara Region in Tarmaber Woreda. It is responsible for ten USAID/PACT financed centers. EDA like WCAT has projects coordinating office in Tarmaber and the ABEC supervisor works in the coordinating office. In implementing the ABE program of TEACH EDA works with the relevant offices from woreda to the center level. The planning process starts from the Regional Education Bureau and EDA plans the implementation in consultation with the Woreda Education Office. ii) Gambella Regional State Education Bureau According to the head of the RSEB, the initiator of TEACH in Gambella region is PACT Ethiopia. As one of its partners and program implementers, the RSEB had the chance to see and contribute to the already made plan. The head of the bureau said that the bureau believes its contribution and opinions were assimilated and received into the formulation of priorities. Local needs have been adequately incorporated into the TEACH plan. TEACH is not singled out in the plan. The five-year regional plan shows what development partners will do in the life span of the plan, so the USAID/PACT/TEACH program is incorporated in the five-year plan. The actual program implementers are WEOs and the partner organization ANFEAE/Gambella. The RSEB supports in the area of textbook provision. The professional development or capacity building program aimed at achieving continuous improvement to properly manage the ABE program is in our domain. The RSEB selects and recruits trainees. So far 52 professionals from the region and woredas have benefited from the arrangement that enabled them to carryout their management tasks like planning, working in team, resource management and community mobilization. 8 So far the accomplishment of TEACH is good and encouraging except in the area of adult education where accomplishment is not as expected, though there is an understanding and agreement of the usefulness of functional adult literacy (FAL). PACT and its partner ANFEAE have not translated this recognition of the importance of the program into concrete and practical action. The practice at the RSEB level is weak and fragmented. The adult education program is taken care of by alternative basic education or non-formal education in the absence of professionals assigned to it. There is inadequate staffing at WEO level as well. PACT plans to reach "55,000" adults countrywide in five years time but little has been done in Gambella. PACT mentioned: conflict, poverty, mobility, settlement pattern, general awareness (lack of), readiness (not being ready) and human resource capacity of the respective offices as reasons for not meeting the target in Gambella. ANFEAE, the implementing partner of PACT in Gambella is responsible not only for WEO capacity building program, but for all the three TEACH programs, i.e. the children ABEC program, the functional adult literacy program and WEO capacity building. For the implementation of these programs ANFEAE has a branch office in Gambella. The Gambella office is responsible to coordinate the ABEC program in 18 centers distributed over six woredas of the region. From the six woredas ANFEAE has trained 21 WEO staff as part of its capacity building program. At head office level in Addis Ababa ANFEAE has the manpower and the organizational set up, but has shortage of transport facilities and had to rent cars for field work. The accomplishment in Gambella is regarded by the REB head as encouraging with the exception of the adult literacy program. iii) Tigray Regional State REST runs ten ABECs in Wukro woreda financed by USAID/PACT. Currently, it has 68 centers financed by various organizations and so far has handed over 137 ABECs to the WEOs. REST has a strong organizational set up that helps the successful implementation of development projects. At head office level it has a program coordinator and an assistant for the education unit. At Wukro woreda level there is an education supervisor within REST woreda coordinating office. REST has a working procedure and guideline that accommodates the participation of the various relevant offices from the regional level to the kebele level. The CMC members are active. The implementation of ABEC program financed by USAID/PACT is successfully underway. REST and the RSEB have agreed that REST will operate non-formal education programs as part of its integrated development program by securing funds from funding agencies. Prior to starting the ABEC program REST makes careful assessment of the communities. Since the needy communities are numerous, REST prepares an order of priority and 9 identifies the most needy communities as first priority. The whole process of identifying communities is done with the collaboration and participation of the WEO, and the kebeles. Tigray did not have the curriculum for ABECs when REST started the program; it followed the formal education curriculum. Eventually it worked out the curriculum and prepared the textbook. This is one area where REST made a contribution to the REB ABEC program. REST has also made arrangement with the REB for the sustainability of the program. Facilitators are undergoing training during the summer vacation that qualifies them as full/fledged lower primary school teachers. ABECs are constructed following the primary school standard as much as possible. In addition, the facilitators follow short training programs that include initial training for 15 days followed by refresher courses of 10 to 15 days once or twice a year. Other inputs provided to ABEC that can help to upgrade the ABECs to regular primary schools included provision of water, latrines, desks, the construction of more durable centers, etc. REST is confident that these inputs will facilitate the smooth upgrading of the ABECs to regular primary schools. Success of the ABEC program in Tigray region that contributed to overachievement include: the effort of REST to develop a sense of ownership among the beneficiary communities, close follow-up and monitoring and REST readiness to effectively use feedback of PACT field report recommendations. The Role of ANFEAE in Tigray The role of ANFEAE in the region as in the other regions is to provide training to WEO staff. Training provided by ANFEAE has helped in promoting the non-formal education program in the region. ANFEAE has conducted capacity building training program in different venues within the region. This has contributed in alleviating the problem of awareness and incompetence to manage the program. Training materials of ANFEAE are effectively utilized. There is a demand for additional reading materials and references induced by the manuals provided by ANFEAE. iv) Afar Regional State The Ethiopian Muslims Relief and Development Association (EMERDA) is the partner of PACT in Afar region. According to the head of the Dulecha woreda education office, who has worked in the woreda for some seven years, EMERDA was the first NGO to work in the education sector. Until very recently Dulecha was one of the deprived woredas in the region. But since the Government decentralized the administration to the woreda level, the woreda administration has tried to make education accessible to deprived communities. But due to budget constraints it could not do much by government budget alone. 10 The woreda administration started approaching NGOs to be involved in the provision of education to deprived communities in the woreda. The first NGO that responded was EMERDA. Working modalities were agreed upon and the construction of the first ABEC was completed in 2006 and children started enrolling. The activities of the centers is monitored monthly by a committee composed of CMC members, TEACH supervisor and WEO staff. Staff from EMERDA and PACT planned to monitor the program every three month, but so far they have managed to come only twice a year. Although it is only three years since the TEACH program started it has contributed to the improvement of the education program in the woreda. At the beginning of the 2007/8 academic year, the program was evaluated by a team composed of officials from EMERDA, Regional Education Bureau, PACT/Ethiopia, the woreda administration and WEO. Following the evaluation, a major change was made in the management of the program. It was agreed that the WEO will be directly involved for the implementation and that the technical and financial contribution of PACT will be channeled directly to the woreda education office. Constraints: Due to the drought the enrolment of children has been very low and many could not continue to the next level. The capacity of the community is weak to make the necessary contribution as they promised. The TEACH supervisor is weak to follow up the program as desired. Both the EMERDA program coordinator and the TEACH supervisor are not interested in the program. Because of them the second phase of the construction of ABECs did not go as planned. It is also due to their negligence that the facilitators were not paid on time and they are not receiving the required training. This situation has affected the ABEC program seriously and the facilitators are not doing their work as required of them. v) Oromia Regional State The RSEB of Oromia region has fully participated in the planning of TEACH program. According to the regional officer responsible for the non-formal education program, the office has discussed the plan and has fully accepted TEACH for implementation in the region. To this end the RSEB has carried out the following activities:  Identified pastoralist zones and other deprived woredas  Developed implementation strategy with the NGOs  Prepared the curriculum for pastoralist and semi agricultural communities  Developed curriculum for FAL The TEACH program is incorporated in the RSEB regional education plan During the implementation the RSEB provided directives for implementation to the WEOs. It participated in ANFEAE training of WEO staff and also organized training of facilitators and CMC members. 11 As far as the accomplishment of TEACH is concerned it is so far very good. The communities have participated in the implementation. They have provided separate toilets for boys and girls in many of the ABECs, they have allotted spacious area for the construction of ABECs and the CMCs have made the time table flexible. All these efforts of the communities have contributed for the success of the program and increase of enrolment. But the success of the FAL program is not progressing as expected. Among the strong points of TEACH pointed out by the gentleman from the non-formal education section include:  Support provided by the NGOs and PACT  Follow up and supervision  Training provided by ANFEAE The following suggestion is forwarded for improvement:  Cluster supervisors should attend the training along with WEO staff  More effort to help the communities become aware of the importance of FAL  Stronger coordination with the RSEB to avoid problems at lower levels  More training for facilitators focusing on methods of teaching  Further strengthening of community participation  Training of CMC and Kebele board members. vi) SNNPR The evaluation team has covered two of the PACT partners operating in the SNNPR. These are, Southern Nations Nationalities People's Region Development Association (SEPDA) and Love in Action Ethiopia (LIAE) A representative of the REB in the region has the following to say during an interview. The regional state education bureau has evaluated the TEACH program for the region with the technical working group (TWG) and is very well accepted as part of the regional educational plan. The program target - the pastoralist and needy communities in the region are also priority areas for the RSEB. The curriculum was prepared that can address the needs of the target communities. During the implementation of the program the RSEB approached the College of Teacher Education at Arbaminch to train locally recruited facilitators for the ABECs. The expense for the training of the facilitators was covered by PACT. So far 190 facilitators are trained. The TEACH program is incorporated in the five year education plan of the region. SEPDA and the RSEB work jointly and closely in planning and implementing the TEACH program. The achievement of TEACH is very good. It made education accessible to children and adults who did not have any access in the past. Despite the constraints many of the peripheral communities have managed to contribute their labour and local materials and 12 the program has created a sense of ownership. They now feel the program is theirs. The communities feel more confident now than before the start of the program. Currently the FAL program is not as strong as expected, but the program has started and it may improve in the course of time. According to PACT, that FAL is not very strong as expected in the South is true, but mainly due to lack of appropriate initiative, support and action by the RSEB. No curriculum and textual materials have been developed by the RSEB to date, despite PACT's support to the initiative. The Role of ANFEAE ANFEAE has contributed a lot to improve the quality of education in the region. The training provided by ANFEAE to WEO and zonal education office staff plays a great role in closing the know how and skill gap of staff members. It has helped not only the non￾formal education but the formal education as well. The ANFEAE training has a direct impact on the training of CMC members and facilitators and the improvement of the education system in the region as a whole. 6.1.3 PACT At head office level of PACT there are four professionals and one intern directly responsible for TEACH programs: one heading the programs, one responsible for the adult education program, one responsible for documentation and communication. Staff members form other programs: WORTH, capacity building, HIV/AIDS, etc, collaborate for implementing the TEACH program. According to TEACH supervisors PACT has too many partners that could not be managed by existing staff of PACT particularly administration and finance. PACT’s staffs have not been enough to monitor the 27 implementing partners. Planning According to PACT the planning for TEACH is done on the basis of the request-for￾application (RFA) from USAID. PACT's proposal for the implementation of the three programs, i, e., alternative basic education for out of school children; functional adult literacy and build the capacity of woreda education personnel to enable them to effectively manage both non-formal and formal education programs, are prepared in consultation with the 27 partner NGOs carefully identified by PACT. According to PACT, the program is progressing satisfactorily. But, as a new venture in new and deprived areas, the challenges are many and progresses have been made. Most of implementation challenges were faced in less developed regions and in areas where the leadership is not strong. PACT is also learning in the process and is trying out more innovative methods such as the women literacy to focus more on the women. 13 PACT is not the implementing agency of TEACH. The project is implemented by local NGOs, whom PACT selected on the basis of their track record in implementing projects at the local level and their willingness to take part in the program. Occasionally USAID Basic Education staff monitors the TEACH project. PACT monitors the implementation through quarterly field reports from the implementing partner NGO and also monitoring visits to sample sites According to the agreement with USAID/Ethiopia, TEACH is a five year project lasting from 2004 to 2009. But the actual implementation period is only about three and half years as a result of the late start of actual implementation. The time has been very short for such wide spread program that requires more extended time. 6.2 Finding on Individual Programs 6.2.1 Woreda Education Office Capacity Building (WEOCB) The importance of building the capacity of the woreda education office cannot be over emphasized. It is important for all aspects of education in the woreda. It is crucial for the implementation of the other two programs of TEACH, i.e. functional adult literacy and the ABEC program for children. The Government has realized the important role the woredas can play to promote national development and has decentralized most responsibilities to the woredas. As gathered from government officials' statements this process of decentralization is likely to go as far as the kebeles. i) Planning of WEOCB In the WEO capacity building program of TEACH, PACT planned to cover a total of 63 woredas selected for TEACH program. It delegated Adult and Non-Formal Education Association in Ethiopia (ANFEAE) and contracted a specialist to carryout the WEO capacity building program. So far, ANFEAE has trained a total of 1893 WEO staff and has covered 521 woredas without requiring additional finance, an achievement that should be appreciated. Details are shown in table 2 on page 14 below. ANFEAE, prior to commencing the training program, has carried out WEO capacity and training needs. ANFEAE developed tools passing through the following stages: pre￾capacity assessment visit to develop data collection tools, this is done in four woredas within four regions. The assessment aimed at identifying capacity gaps of WEOs in the planning, management and implementation of non formal education for both children and adults. It developed and tested the tools for data collection. The data collected were analyzed and a validation workshop involving all the 52 woredas was conducted in two sessions to confirm the capacity and human resources development needs of the target woredas. The workshop resulted in identifying 17 training topics around non formal education planning and management capacity development of WEOs. 14 ii) Management of the WEO Capacity Building Program ANFEAE developed the assessment tool for the purpose of examining both the institutional and programmatic capacity of the WEOs using different capacity related factors related to the work of the WEOs. The responses to the data collection instruments to the factors such as: WEO organization structure and systems, Human resources, educational management, planning, supervision, etc. were rated using six point rating scale. ANFEAE carried out the assessment in 22 woredas in six regions. After analyzing and synthesizing the findings, ANFEAE employed professionals to develop the 17 modules used for delivering the training and used as a reference for the WEO staff. The instruments used for needs assessment included questionnaires and discussions. It seems that the primary purpose is to find out how much they know about the work they are suppose to do. iii) The Training The training was provided in two phases, each of five days duration. For the first phase participants attended from a total of 521 woredas. For the second session only the 63 TEACH woredas were included. The first part of the training included the following 8 topics:  Concepts, Approaches and Principles of NFE  Planning and Implementation of NFE  Concepts of Adult Functional Literacy  Community Mobilization of NFE program  The role of leadership on NFE programs  Gender mainstreaming in NFE programs  Facilitation skill and participatory training  Supervision of NFE programs The second part of the training treated the following set of topics and is provided to TEACH targeted woredas  Generation, processing and utilization of the educational information  Human resource management and development  Community-Based project development for the expansion of quality NFE  Monitoring and evaluation skills in improving the quality of NFE programs  Documenting best practices for the expansion of quality NFE programs  Advocacy and lobbying skills for the expansion of quality NFE programs  Action research on NFE Qualified staff from REB and zones, teacher education college deans were given orientation on NFE for three days in Adama. ANFEAE had to do three training sessions based on the assessment of findings they provided the orientation stated earlier, trained 15 33 college staff from 11 colleges as trainers. At first ANFEAE selected individuals from Addis Ababa as trainers/facilitators, but later on considering the problem of sustainability of recruiting individuals and the advantage of attaching the training to institutions, it resorted to teacher training colleges and qualified staff from regional education bureaus to conduct the training. ANFEAE assessed the capacity and ability of 8 colleges and found out that the colleges do not have experience in non-formal education and adult literacy programs and that they do not have library materials. ANFEAE had to do two things: first to prepare the colleges by providing a four-day training of trainers course to 33 college staff from 11 colleges, and second to purchase reference materials, including books and electronic materials for 20 colleges and five universities for which USAID/PACT provided the funds. iv) Progress and Results of WEOCB Program Relative to the target set for training 600 woreda staff from 60 woredas, and the final tally of trained staff surpassed it by many fold as shown in table 2. The task of the training must have been difficult considering the variation of the qualification of the trainees as shown in table 3. This is confirmed by ANFEAE during consultation. Another major problem pointed out by ANFEAE was the turnover of some of those trained. They are not sure where those dropouts have gone; what they know is that many of those who were supposed to appear for the second phase of the training did not show up. 16 TABLE 2: WEOs COVERED AND STAFF TRAINED FOR CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM S.No Regions No. of Woredas Planned No of Woreda Covered Number of Participants Planned Number of Participants Trained Actual M F T Male Female Total 1 Afar 10 25 39 1 40 87 2 89 2 Benishangul Gumuz 3 19 10 - 10 71 1 72 3 Gambella 6 15 21 21 53 3 56 4 Oromiya 90 193 303 44 347 626 65 691 5 SNNPR 46 100 148 33 181 318 47 365 6 Amhara 47 102 169 4 173 355 30 385 7 Somali 15 33 52 - 52 115 4 119 8 Tigray 18 34 53 3 56 113 3 116 Total 235 521 795 85 880 1,738 155 1,893 The trained participants have shown a total increase of 115% over the planned target while the female increase, over the planned target was 182%. The female trained participants are 8.2% of the total trained WEO personnel. As shown above in table 2, the regional distribution of trainees is reasonable. But in table 3, below the academic qualification of the trainees is wide apart. In Afar 15 of the woreda "professional" staffs are below grade 6 level and 35 of 89 trainees are grade 10.and below. Trainees for Somali woreda education office capacity building are 31 below grade 6 and 55 grade 10 and below. Whereas in Oromiya the lowest qualification of the trainees is graduation from TTIs and the large majority are college diploma holders. During the training all the trainees have to study the same material irrespective of their educational qualification, i.e. the degreed and the participant of grade six qualifications. Although the absence of qualified staff in some regions is beyond the control of the implementing NGO, it would have been much more effective if the trainees were treated separately by fitting the training and the training material to their level of qualification The female participation in the training is pointed out by ANFEAE as a weak point that requires attention. Only 155 were females out of the 1893 trainees (see table 2). 17 TABLE 3: TRAINEES ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION v) The Training Materials As a result of the assessment mentioned in previous sections, the major findings indicated the need for training in the areas of:  NFE program approach, objectives, principles and work procedures;  Management and leadership approaches of NFE;  Planning of NFE programs;  Decision making skills; and  Monitoring and evaluation and community mobilization. Each of the seventeen manuals deals with different aspects of how to promote quality education for adults and children like the nature of non-formal education, how it should be planned, managed and implemented, etc. The manuals are written in four local languages: Amharic, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna and Somali vi) Monitoring of Woreda Education Capacity Building Program The program does not have a monitoring component which should have been part and parcel of the program. It is necessary to find out how much the training has helped: improve the expansion and management of the non-formal education; find out if those trained are on their jobs, the adequacy of the training, etc. To the question of whether the WEOCB training has helped, those trained responded that the training has helped them not only for the non￾formal education program but also for the improvement of their work in the formal education sector. They also said the training modules have helped them as a reference guide. In general they are appreciative of the training provided. S.N Regions