Nigeria: Terms of Reference (ToR) End Line of Girls’ Education Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Northeastern Nigeria (International Consultant).

Jul 17, 2022 | Save the Children
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The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.

Years of insurgency in Northeastern (NE) Nigeria have resulted in massive displacements of populations, widespread violation of human rights, and critical barriers to essential services. The conflict has weakened an already poor education system, further hindering children’s access to education. The emergency in NE Nigeria represents a unique case where the systematic destruction of education is a key objective of Armed Opposition Groups (AOG) insurgents, with the deliberate targeting of schools, teachers and students, particularly girls. It is estimated that over 1,200 schools have been destroyed1 , with many more damaged, looted or occupied by armed groups. Moreover, it is estimated that 2,295 teachers have been killed since 20092 , in addition to the displacement of approximately 19,000 more.

There are limited programs for out-of-school children to transition to the formal system or to vocational training institutions. In total, there are an estimated 1.4 million girls and nearly 1.3 million boys out of school and facing an uncertain future without education. NE Nigeria faces huge gaps in the quality and size of the teaching workforce. Years of insurgence in the area has led to the death and displacement of teachers in Borno and Yobe. An additional 59,074 qualified teachers are needed in the region to reach the required 40:1 pupil-to-teacher ratio8 . In addition, low levels of literacy and education levels among the female population, as low as 14.9% in Yobe and 18% in Borno9 , lead to a shortage of sufficient numbers of qualified female teachers. This has led to the reliance on an under-qualified workforce of volunteer teachers. It was therefore critical to invest not only in capacity building and support for teachers, but also to provide career growth pathways and certification processes for volunteer teachers. There is a political willingness in the region to collaborate with implementing partners to improve the recruitment and capacity building of teachers.

The project had identified different drivers of change at the various levels of the socio-ecological systems, starting with girls themselves. A gender-transformative and multi-sectoral strategy is necessary in order to work towards the ultimate outcome of crisis-affected girls exercising their equal and inalienable rights to quality education and GE in the states of Borno and Yobe in NE Nigeria (1000). Given the positive policy environment, including national political commitments to education for all (e.g. UBE Act; the National Gender Policy; and the National Policy on Gender in Basic Education), the ECG project will address the underlying factors that prevent girls from achieving these rights.

Rationale

The independent evaluation of Girls’ Education Project is a mandatory step mainly to assess overall project performance during implementation period, its results identify key lessons learned for ending program and for the future strategies. The evaluation constitutes an important contribution to the envision program on primary education and potential for scaling up and disseminating knowledge being implemented by Save the Children in its strategies. The independent evaluation will also build on other small studies that the project has carried out during its implementation period.

Objectives

The specific evaluation objectives are: 

• To independently verify (and supplement where necessary) record of achievement as reported through interim, and annual reports and defined in the project. Page 3 of 10
• To assess the extent to which the project performed well which includes considering how well the project met its objectives and how principles of effectiveness and efficiency in relation to delivery of its outcomes.
• Compare EL values of the indicators with the BL;
• What has happened because of GAC’s funding that wouldn’t have otherwise happened; and
• Assess how project’s education and capacity building activities have contributed to the achievement of national priorities.
• Draw lessons learnt – what lessons have been learnt so far which can be applied in the similar interventions in future projects.
• Appraise the project partnership approach (including management structures, communications and relationships) to community implementation, research and advocacy in relation to the project’s achievements.
• Assess how MEAL system and function has effectively contributed towards achieving Girls’ Education Project’s ultimate outcmes.
• What is the level of progress of change from the baseline over the intervention period?
• Who are the key influential in the project’s targeted communities that shape social norms, who do people turn to (particularly adolescents, married and unmarried) when they have problems;

For full details on this TOR including deliverables and evaluation criteria, please visit the link provided.