Multi-Country Evaluation of Regional Knowledge and Leadership Areas : Area 4: Inclusion of all Out of School Children in Quality Learning in CEE/CIS

Detailed description of project Back

UNICEF has adopted in the CEE/CIS region a ‘system’ approach to programming with the view to accompany reforms and contribute to concrete changes at institutional, societal and individual level. The Multi-Country Evaluation of Regional Knowledge and Leadership Areas regroups evaluations in 5 strategic result areas with the dual purpose to (i) informing and guiding UNICEF’s future work in CEE/CIS, and (ii) generating evidence for documenting how UNICEF contributed over the past decade to outcome and impact results for children. Strategically, it will be assessed how equity gaps are being reduced, and how indicators – as reflected by indicators related to the most disadvantaged children – are closing up with national averages.The present evaluation responds to the fourth key result area, i.e. Inclusion of all Out of School Children in Quality Learning.

Despite average primary school enrolment rates in the CEE/CIS region of above 90-95%, there exist strong sub-national disparities with significant numbers of children from specific groups receiving no basic education at all. Children most likely to be out of school comprise a broad variety of profiles:children from ethnic minorities, including Roma, children with disabilities; gender-related disadvantages, primarily at the disadvantage of boys; children from the poorest households; children who are working; children performing below academic standards.

The objective of the evaluation is (i) to document and report on impact results in terms of changes in children’s life; (ii) to assess and demonstrate how such results were made possible through system changes; and (iii) to document the contribution of UNICEF to these system changes. In addition, the evaluation will ensure that mechanisms for the assessment of impact results embrace issues of (i) contextual adequacy (regarding tailoring programming approaches to the qualitative differences between inequities), (ii) coordination (with other stakeholders), (iii) coherence (across policies and other supporting interventions) and (iv) protection (in terms of adequacy of the response of the respective education systems to protecting vulnerable groups).

Type of services provided

PROMAN provides the services of a core team of three experts, supported by four regional inclusive education experts for the field consultations.

The following evaluation process and methods are applied:

• Extensive document review;
• Review of national and international education outcome data;
• Key informant interviews of relevant stakeholders;
• Self-assessment by national education staff;
• Qualitative data analysis according to Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM).

The Assignment consists of

• An Inception Phase;
• Extended Document Review and preparation of the Country visits (Armenia, fYROM, Kosovo, Serbia, Turkey);
• Country Visits ;
• Reporting ;
• Presentation and validation of outcomes.