Professional Documents
Culture Documents
June 2014
2
Acronyms
Table of contents
Executive summary ............................................................................................................. 4
1. Background ..................................................................................................................... 7
2. The project ....................................................................................................................... 8
3. Evaluation objectives and methodology........................................................................ 9
3.1 Objectives of the evaluation ......................................................................................... 9
3.2 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 9
4. Key programme outcomes ............................................................................................. 9
4.1 Capacity building for teachers...................................................................................... 9
4.1.1 The modules, training delivery and consolidation of knowledge .......................... 10
4.1.2 Programme outcomes ......................................................................................... 13
4.1.3 Focus on two non-targeted schools .................................................................... 15
4.1.4 Teacher support networks: description and evaluation of this measure............... 15
4.1.5 EMI's partners ..................................................................................................... 17
4.1.6 The challenges ................................................................................................... 18
4.2 Capacity building for school directors ........................................................................ 18
4.2.1 Core training for school directors ........................................................................ 18
4.2.2 Teacher support networks................................................................................... 19
4.2.3 Programme outcomes ......................................................................................... 19
4.2.4 Challenges facing the basic education sector ..................................................... 21
4.3. Training and capacity building for PTAs .................................................................... 21
4.3.1 Training module .................................................................................................. 21
4.3.2 Implementation and monitoring ........................................................................... 21
4.3.3 Programme outcomes ......................................................................................... 22
4.3.4 The challenges ................................................................................................... 22
4.4 Community awareness raising ................................................................................... 23
4.4.1 The choice of topics and the training module ...................................................... 23
4.4.2 Implementing the training and monitoring outcomes ........................................... 23
4.4.3 The outcomes and the changes observed/reported ............................................ 24
4.5 Research/advocacy ................................................................................................... 26
4.6 Summary in light of the criteria relating to schooling and improving pupils' learning ... 26
5. Project Management ..................................................................................................... 28
5.1 Management.............................................................................................................. 28
5.2 Trainers ..................................................................................................................... 28
5.3 Working with CiC and developing EMI's capacity....................................................... 29
5.4 Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................... 29
5.5 Accounting and financial management ...................................................................... 30
6. Learning Questions: High quality education - the project's contribution towards
social cohesion ................................................................................................................. 30
7. Relevance effectiveness efficiency impact sustainability .............................. 30
8. Recommandations ........................................................................................................ 31
Appendix I: Overview of the programme outcome indicators........................................ 33
Appendix II: Compiling quantitative data ........................................................................ 34
Appendix III: Graphical representation of the recommendation .................................... 39
Appendix IV: List of the people interviewed and the schools visited during the
evaluation mission ............................................................................................................ 40
Appendix V: Evaluation programme ................................................................................ 45
4
Executive Summary
Eben-Ezer Ministry International (EMI) and Children in Crisis (CiC) have been working in the Plateau
region since 2007, one of the most isolated areas of South Kivu, providing support to a crumbling
education system, left in ruins following decades of bad governance and conflict. The latter has led to
ineffective provision of initial teacher training, a shortage of qualified staff, an almost total absence of
state-run support and monitoring services, low enrolment and retention rates, particularly for girls and
the relative disengagement of parents, whose involvement and financial contributions nevertheless
remain key, both in terms of running and developing the region's schools.
An initial programme, aiming both to improve access to and standards of education, was implemented
between 2007 and 2009 and provided training to the school director and three teachers from each of
the 105 target schools. Bolstered by the successful outcomes of this programme, yet aware of the
significant gaps which remain, EMI and CiC rolled out a second phase to the programme (2010-2014)
funded by the Baring and John Ellerman Foundations and Comic Relief (CR), with additional support
from the Turing Foundation, the Bliss Family Trust and other individuals, foundations and trusts.
This second phase consolidated learning from the training organised in the schools involved in phase
1 and scaled-up the programme by targeting 72 new schools. Three main innovations were
introduced: re-establishing Parents Teacher Associations (PTA), implementing Teacher Support
Networks (exit strategy) as well as wide-ranging community awareness-raising activities on a number
of key issues.
The evaluation of this second phase was carried out by two consultants from 10th to 26th May in
Uvira, Minembwe, Marungu and Katobo. The main findings are summarised below.
1. Capacity building for teachers: firstly, the evaluators highlighted the relevance of the types of
training offered as well as the quality of the EMI/CiC teams' instructional design, the capacity to adapt
the various modules year on year and to remodel them (in mid-2013) using a competency-based
approach to professional development. The training strategy used offered quite intense support to
those groups of schools identified annually whose teaching staff were offered training, support and
monitoring over a period of around 10 months, with a total of 176 (1 of the 105 target schools in the
Baring and John Ellerman component ceased to function in 2010) schools supported by the
programme, and 176 school directors and 1,055 teachers trained or given refresher training by the
end of the programme. Two training cycles were organised for each cohort of schools (a total of 33
days), which were supplemented by two one-week follow-up missions in each of the target schools.
The main strengths of these training and monitoring activities included: the high participation rate of
teachers; the fact that training covered all teaching staff (to help reduce the impact of staff turnover
within schools and to make school directors aware of their responsibility); the dynamic and
participatory nature of training sessions as well as the relative consolidation of learning resulting from
the follow-up activities organised by the trainers (one of the project's added-values).
One major limitation was nevertheless observed: in order to target a very high number of schools, EMI
and CiC chose to implement a rolling programme, providing support over short periods (10 months)
after which the schools trained received no further support or monitoring, which, without detracting
from the outcomes and achievements of the programme, may help explain in part the relative decline
in learning observed in some schools.
Either way, in terms of teaching practices and improving the school environment, significant changes
were observed, despite the fact that these varied greatly from one school to another: use of active and
participatory teaching methodology; improved application of the national curriculum and the core
teaching documents; use of textbooks and teaching resources provided; wide use of positive
discipline; an increasing sense of responsibility amongst teaching staff (attendance and punctuality);
the installation of latrines in most schools and an improved capacity to manage and mediate conflict.
To ensure the sustainability of these outcomes and to address the aforementioned limitations, the
programme planned to implement teacher support networks. These networks, bringing together 3 or 4
schools, were set up to take over the reins and ensure initial training was provided independently to
new teachers as well as a degree of continual professional development for all teaching staff. In
theory, this measure was perfectly appropriate, all the more so as discussions are underway within the
MoE to roll it out nationally.
5
In practice, however, it was more problematic. Whilst some of the networks work well and meet
reasonably regularly, others are no longer operational, which leads us to draw the conclusion that
although this model is feasible more intensive support for these networks is required over the long-
term to consolidate the work carried out.
2. Capacity building for school directors: directors of the 176 target schools took part in general
training (core curriculum) as well as an additional 3-day training course on school management. The
module was also reviewed in 2013 (competency-based approach), making it possible to target more
clearly the key areas involved in running a school and in particular the pedagogical dimension, in
which school directors' involvement had been relatively low. Two follow-up visits were organised after
the on-site training offered to school directors during which the EMI trainers were able to offer
individual, targeted support to participants.
The outcomes for this component were marked in terms of the administrative and financial aspects of
running a school, however more mixed results were observed for the pedagogical component, which
varied from one school to another depending on the involvement and active role played by the director
in pedagogical matters. Overall, however, management practices often remained focussed on
administrative aspects, primarily addressing teacher and pupil attendance figures and teaching reports
to be filled out and sent to management. The school directors maintained that they carried out
classroom visits, gave advice and ran CPD meetings (SERNAFOR), however the evaluators were not
able to assess their implementation, scope and quality from the information available. The majority of
the changes observed therefore related to administrative aspects of school management (punctuality
of teachers, changes in the punishment systems, checks on staff, etc.) and financial matters (use of
basic accounting tools, setting school fees in consultation with parents, etc.). By way of a conclusion,
two objectives remain: to ensure more directors are able to ensure minimum standards are adhered
to; to enable some directors to develop a real momentum with regard to their management and
performance.
3. Reviving parent teacher associations (PTA): the aim to provide capacity building for PTAs stemmed
from the overall ambition to involve communities more in educational issues, and more specifically, in
managing schools. Two main problems were highlighted in relation to the training module used by the
EMI teams: the wide range of objectives which were not particularly coherent and the vague definition
of the role of PTAs, which could be improved by referring to their 3 main functions more specifically.
Nevertheless, the training course was delivered well, the school directors' participation was meaningful
and most of the parents were very actively involved. At the end of the programme, 176 PTAs had
been set up and revived, with 979 parents trained including 313 women.
All the PTA members interviewed stated that the training had enabled them to learn about and
understand the actual remit of a parent teacher association, which had been largely misunderstood.
Parents also became more involved, mainly in the administrative and financial aspects of running
schools (checking late arrivals, punctuality, mediating in the event of conflict, monitoring disciplinary
measures, setting fees, getting involved in various infrastructure-related projects, tighter monitoring of
the management of funds, in particular through the implementation of management councils in some
schools).
The involvement of parents in pedagogical aspects, a critical issue, remained very limited, however
two significant changes - better working relations between schools and PTAs and the development of
new accountability practices (increased reporting from school directors) - are evidence of a significant
trend towards increased ownership and involvement amongst PTAs that the programme has managed
to initiate.
by the commitment and motivation of the three awareness-raising committees we met, despite the fact
they were all volunteers, however it is likely that EMI/CiC's aforementioned rolling approach and the
departure of their teams had a negative impact on the sustainability of some of the other committees
which we did not meet. We should also highlight the work carried out in association with the UK-based
project, "In Place of War" (IPW), specialists in developing participatory theatre and performance, with
Minembwe radio station as well as with the Club Umuco, a particularly enthusiastic local community
theatre group. The use of theatre and radio programmes as vehicles for raising awareness was
perfectly appropriate and explains, at least in part, the successful outcomes achieved in this
component of the programme and some of the main changes observed, including: increased
importance placed on the role of girls and their schooling, a more equal distribution of household
chores, almost unanimous condemnation of early marriage, greater awareness amongst parents
about the importance of education and their increased involvement in helping, monitoring and
developing local schools.
Having analysed the various activities carried out, the evaluators went on to analyse their impact using
two different approaches: 1) access to education (monitoring of enrolment rates) and 2) improvements
in the quality of education (monitoring the TENAFEP pass rate).
EMI and CiC worked on enrolment rates by comparing data for the academic year preceding their
support with the data for the academic year during which they organised their support. Significant
1
developments were noted . As for the evaluators, they focussed on changes in the workforce at the
target schools and noted, over periods of 3-4 years, a positive development (up 4.5%), due, at least in
2
part, to the increased appeal of the schools on the programme . In terms of success rates, due to a
3
major fraud issue, it is not possible to rely on the data collected . Consequently, the evaluators hereby
insist on the necessity for EMI and CiC to develop an alternative test model in order to be able to
assess the impact of their future work more accurately.
By way of a conclusion, despite the high number of target schools, the remoteness of the target area
and all the associated logistical issues, and despite the devastating, fatal events at the end of 2011,
EMI/CiC have played a substantial part in reorganising and reviving a deeply dysfunctional primary
education system by raising general standards for teachers, by giving a sense - admittedly as yet only
partial - of responsibility to school directors and by getting parents more involved.
Having said that, several considerable challenges remain and there is a real risk of seeing a
deterioration in the programme's outcomes in the event of a break in support.
Consequently, we recommend that EMI, CiC and their funding bodies launch a 3rd phase quickly in
order to consolidate the progress made during the first two phases, and in particular:
1
CR: up 6% (2010-2011), up 5% (2011-2012), up 20% (2012-2013), up 32% (2013-2014). Barings: up 11%
(2011-2012), up 9% (2012-2013), up 14% (2013-2014). .
2 Figure obtained from the data collection carried out by the evaluators in 20 schools. EMI/CiC's internal
monitoring data reports a figure which fluctuates around 10-11% (appendix 1).
3
Cases of fraud linked to various problems, including the requirement to retain a certain number of pupils in order
to benefit from the fees paid by parents, an issue which EMI/CiC have tried to address with interesting results (eg.
exchanging exam results with other schools to ensure pupils who are underperforming do not re-enrol).
7
Parents' meeting: Kalingi primary school Grade 3 pupils: Mufariji primary school
1. Background
Taking the character of the projects location into consideration is key to understanding both
its origins and the inherent implementation difficulties and obstacles faced.
In South Kivu, the Mid and High Plateau is a remote area which is difficult to access by land
without using roads which are in bad condition and which make progress slow and
dangerous. The availability of air transportation (provided through the UN) is limited; EMI has
been fully supported but the reality is that UN personnel have to have priority
On a socio-economic level, the area is inhabited by various tribal groups whose coexistence
has occasionally led to conflict and whose main activity revolves around farming and
livestock. In the past, inter-ethnic clashes as well as the presence of rebel groups and
traffickers have led to population movement and displacement. The region is currently
experiencing relatively peaceful times, but the population has been left scarred, particularly
the children, and a cloud of concern hangs over their future.
On an educational level, the remoteness, the regular conflicts, the withdrawal of public
authorities from the area, the lack of awareness and the poverty of parents have led to a
continual decline in education both in terms of the quality of teaching and learning and the
schooling of children, particularly young girls.
In view of the context, particularly the declining education system in the region, EMI and CiC
decided to implement a project to improve the quality of teaching and learning for primary
school children from 2007, by working primarily on teacher training. Following this first phase,
which took place between 2007 and 2009, the second phase, which is the subject of this
evaluation, continued to work along the same lines. Lessons learnt from the first phase were
integrated by adapting a range of activities linked to the requirements of the target
populations. Improving the overall quality of education remained the main objective of phase
2.
2. The project
The project under evaluation was composed of two main elements:
The first, funded by the Baring and the John Ellerman Foundation, focussed on
capacity building for the 3 additional teachers and the director in the 105 schools
which formed part of the first training phase, on refresher training for the 3 teachers
trained during this 1st phase as well as on work to revive the PTAs.
The second part has been delivered in two halves; i)funded by Comic Relief (CR)
(and others), focussed on the training of 6 teachers and the director in 72 new
schools targeted by the project in the Mid and High Plateau, on reviving the PTAs, on
implementing teacher support networks as well as 40 community animator
committees (awareness-raising component); ii) funded by the Baring and John
Ellerman Foundation (and others), focussed on revisiting the 105 schools (although,
as already explained, this in fact reduced to 104) from phase 1 to train the 3 untrained
teachers, refresher train the previously trained 3 teachers and school director. PTA
training and TSNs were also incorporated.
In addition, the project aimed to contribute towards EMI becoming a reference organisation in
the education arena, both in the project implementation zone but also at a regional and even
a national level.
The project was to be rolled out over a four-year period, from 2010 to 2014.
The evaluation should measure the degree to which the various elements of the project
have been achieved through their associated activities.
The evaluation analyses how well the project was managed and the contributions of the
main stakeholders involved in its implementation.
The evaluation assesses the project in light of standard criteria relating to relevance,
efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability.
Finally, based on the three aforementioned objectives, the evaluation gives a series of
recommendations for the future.
The evaluation process analyses two aspects linked to the projects success (learning
questions): the criteria for high quality education and the project's contribution to social
cohesion.
3.2 Methodology
4
See data collection tables in appendix
10
For teachers and directors from the 176 target schools, training on the core curriculum was
organised into eight main modules5.
The general pedagogy and subject-specific pedagogy modules the two key areas of
the training programme - were designed to address the serious shortcomings in initial
teacher training, offering a means of professionalising and improving the knowledge base of
under-qualified teaching staff, as well as the opportunity to build capacity in teaching
methodology which is generally very weak: lack of familiarity with key teaching pedagogies; a
rough approach to planning, preparing and delivering lessons; lack of awareness of the
national curriculum and its requirements; low-level of pupil participation.
A second set of modules focussed on teacher behaviour, supervising children and also the
issues which have had more or less of a direct impact on access to and the quality of
education. Including this as part of the core curriculum was therefore viewed as coherent
given the programmes' objectives.
1) EMI/CiC deals with the issue of corporal punishment and the application of severe
punishments for pupils "at fault" (e.g. weeding a teacher's field): a reasonably widespread
practice which is ethically wrong but also has a direct impact on pupil motivation, on the
opting out of some pupils and therefore on the high drop-out rates recorded. The "child
rights" and "positive discipline" modules were therefore designed to address this issue
and provide a means to make teachers aware of their responsibilities, to continue to raise
the status and rights of pupils and, ultimately, to increase pupil retention rates within
schools.
2) Another issue: the irregular attendance and lateness of teachers and directors and the
effects of this deeply-rooted, lax approach to running a school on the quality of education
(failure to adhere to schedules and the National Curriculum, low curriculum completion
rate) as well as on the overall negative image parents and the community have of these
schools. In addition to the work to raise teaching staff's awareness of their responsibilities,
presented in point 1, EMI/CiC incorporated a "Professional ethics" module into the core
curriculum.
Similarly, the last two modules (Peace and health education and the environment) were
developed in order to address the Plateau region's specific contextual issues, offering a
means of improving the classroom environment but also of using education as a vehicle to
raise awareness, to encourage people to get involved and to bring about social change in a
region deeply scarred by inter community conflict and tensions, facing serious health and
environmental problems.
5General pedagogy, subject-specific pedagogy, professional ethics, child rights, positive discipline, psychosocial,
health education and the environment, peace education
11
The inclusion of these modules was one of the innovative aspects of the second phase of the
programme and an appropriate means of addressing the aforementioned shortcomings in
initial teacher training, both in terms of classroom practice and subject knowledge. Despite
the fact that significant progress also needs to be made in other subject areas (History,
Biology, etc.), the priority given to French and Maths - the two core subjects - is fully justified.
Refresher training was carried out in the 105 schools which were part of the Barings project,
where 3 of the 6 teachers as well as the director were offered initial training between 2007
and 2008.
The aim was therefore to bring them up to standard as well as to consolidate and update
their learning. This refresher training was necessary due to the high level of staff turnover in
schools and the departure of a number of the teachers previously trained by EMI/CiC (see
appendix 2, table 4). This enabled new teachers, who had not benefited from training in
2007-8 and who were not included in the core curriculum training for 2010-14, to take part in
general pedagogy and subject-specific training which was admittedly shorter, but
nevertheless key.
Some of the training modules were designed for the launch of phase 1 of the programme,
others during the course of this phase. The EMI team played a key part in developing them
and was supported through 1) several training sessions by the Uvira representative from the
MoE 2) a pedagogical advisor provided by CiC for over a year and 3) organised
consultations with CEPAC and the Congolese Ministry of Education curriculum department.
Over the course of the years, the EMI and the CiC teams met regularly to discuss, review
and develop these modules, as such creating a high-quality training resource tailored to suit
the training requirements identified in the region.
A module review workshop was organised in 2013. Run by an external consultant, this
offered the opportunity to review these modules, a useful and widely appreciated process
both by the EMI trainers and the teachers who took the modules.
The starting point for this review process: putting together professional competency
guidelines for primary teachers in order to identify and set out key competencies for each
area of activity. Having chosen to focus on professionalisation, the EMI team therefore took
on the task of reviewing each of the eight modules, redrafting them and organising them
based around these various competencies, as well as the details, materials and resources
required to develop them.
In terms of course design, without challenging the quality of the worked previously carried
out, this approach seemed both useful and interesting: modules were more in line with
national policy and the pedagogical aspirations of the current national curriculum, the quality
of training was improved thanks to the advantages this approach brought in terms of clarity of
content and training and appropriation objectives as well as the involvement and motivation
of the teachers being trained.
It is however unfortunate that this review took place some time into the programme, and as
such only benefited the fourth and last cohort of teachers and directors trained by the
programme in Bibokoboko and Lemera.
Having said that, the two organisations managed to develop a package of very high quality
training modules covering a wide range of training areas, which were tailored to suit and
12
comply with national policy in the sector and which, over time, could undoubtedly become a
reference for state and non-state stakeholders working in the area of teacher training in
DRC.
EMI/CiC's training strategy is based on offering relatively intensive support to school groups
(18 for Comic Relief and 35 for Barings) identified annually in each of the project's six zones
of intervention6 and in which the teaching staff was given training, support and monitoring
over a period of roughly ten months by the EMI teams (six trainers for CR and five for
Barings). This support was broken down into four key stages:
1) 23 days of general training organised during August. For Comic Relief, this training
was offered to all of the teachers and directors in each of the 18 target schools each
year, whereas for Barings, three teachers (i.e. those who did not receive training during
phase 1) from each of the 35 target schools took part. They were divided into groups of
30 people and worked with one of the EMI trainers in charge of the training programme
for all eight modules. Further details about the competencies targeted by each module
and their duration can be found in the appendix (table 1).
1) Quantitative data
The programme reached its objectives and complied with its forecasts (1,231 people trained
from 176 schools), despite the fatal events of October 2011.
The way in which the EMI team managed to get back on its feet, to reorganise itself and to
stay the course during this extremely difficult time is quite remarkable and demonstrates the
genuine commitment of the EMI teams, without forgetting all the support, both moral and
logistical, offered by CiC which also deserves to be highlighted here.
The table below outlines each of the training modules/topics and comments on the key
changes in practices noted by the consultants in the schools they visited and/or discussed
with the teachers and directors during the three discussion workshops organised on site
(Marungu, Katobo and Minembwe).
7
According to EMI internal monitoring: 87% of teachers (Comic Relief) use A&P methodology (compared to 8% at
the beginning of the programme). For the Barings component, the figures are 68% compared to 30% at the
beginning of the programme.
14
8
According to EMI internal monitoring: 93% of teachers (Comic Relief) use positive discipline (compared to 8% at
the beginning of the programme). For the Barings component, the figures are 77% (compared to 22%).
15
Whilst it is difficult to make generalisations based on two school visits, the serious failings
recorded there do highlight the positive changes observed in the project schools. The visits
carried out in these two schools can be summarised as follows: no director present at the
time of the visit; serious issues of punctuality amongst teachers; lax approach to running the
school and supervising children (completely left to their own devices in the absence of
teachers); no copies of the national curriculum, few or no textbooks, few or no up-to-date
teaching documents; systematic use of chalk and talk approach to teaching; very low level of
pupil participation; little or no use of teaching resources; homework rarely given; low level of
subject knowledge; teaching staff generally very demotivated (NB: $5 (3)/month for
teachers in the school visited in the Marungu area).
The implementation of teacher support networks is one of the innovative aspects of this
second phase of the programme. They form the main element of EMI/CiC's exit strategy and
were designed to address the key challenges to ensuring the sustainability of the
programme's outcomes:
The level of staff turn-over at schools and the departure of trained staff (see table 3),
which can be explained by their lack of job security. The challenge: to train newly
recruited teachers and crucially, to raise standards.
The inherent weaknesses in initial teacher training, teachers very low level of
qualifications, the limitations of the training delivered by EMI/CiC (a relatively short
training course in relation to the magnitude of requirements - but nevertheless high
quality training which was in many cases the only training which teachers had
received for many years), and because of this, the need to offer teachers continual
professional development.
Along similar lines, the "rolling" nature of the training and the fact that support was
concentrated over short periods of time (9 months) and then discontinued.
The almost complete lack of state-run educational monitoring and supervisory
services and the withdrawal of most of the school governing bodies in charge of this
type of monitoring9.
The inadequacy of SERNAFOR and its inability to address the challenges of
providing high quality, sustainable continual professional development for teachers.
Bringing together three to four schools within each of the programme's zones of intervention,
the teacher support networks were designed to take the helm, organise regular training and
independently ensure initial training for new teachers as well as continual professional
development for the others, by capitalising on the resources and skills available internally.
This is an appropriate measure. Its application is currently under discussion at the MoE.
The training module: the module designed at the beginning of the programme was
subsequently reviewed in 2013 following the workshop on teacher support networks
which the EMI programme officer attended in Kinshasa. Whilst the module was
redesigned using a competency-based approach, determining the key competency
nevertheless proved problematic. It should have been more detailed and more
practical in its composition in order to give members of the networks a clearer idea of
their responsibilities and the operational strategies and approaches to setting up and
running these networks.
Training: at the end of the programme, 47 networks had been set up following the
three-day training courses organised for the director and one teacher from each
school. Without challenging the usefulness of the relatively formal approach to the
training courses (giving information about the role, remit and internal organisation),
they could have benefited from having a more practical focus (developing action
plans, programmes of activity, identifying together the skills/resources available) in
order to lay the foundations and embed these networks in a more concrete fashion.
Follow-up: as a result of being set up during the training session in December, the
networks only benefited from one follow-up visit. During this visit, the trainers' time
was mainly devoted to monitoring teachers and observing lessons, less time was
9
Only the 8th CEPAC has an educational advisory department, but the funding it has so far received for its
schools is not yet enough to put in place a package which could be used to establish an effective educational
support system in these schools (4 advisers for 266 primary and secondary schools) and this is particularly the
case in the Plateau region.
17
allocated to supporting and coaching the networks and those running them, an aspect
which, given the complex nature of launching these collaborative approaches, would
have benefited from greater support. An additional problem: the "rolling" nature of the
programme which once again limited the programme's capacity to ensure the work
was both continued and reinforced.
Due to the aforementioned weaknesses, but also due to a serious issue with motivation and
local technical capacity, which is still not adequate enough to promote involvement in these
kind of training activities, the overall outcomes of this part of the programme remain broadly
mixed, and vary greatly once again from one zone of intervention to another.
Whilst it is clear that some of the networks are not or no longer operational, others seem to
be working well and continue to meet at more or less regular intervals (an average of five
times a year for the networks which the consultants met), making it possible to maintain a
certain level of continual professional development within the schools in question10, offering if
not an alternative, then at least an addition to the SERNAFOR service which schools have
for the most part abandoned, and highlighting both the potential of this measure as well as
the difficulties in setting it up. We will come back to this point in more detail in the
recommendations.
Whilst Congolese NGOs often tend to work in isolation, it is interesting to highlight that
throughout the implementation of this programme, EMI, with active support from CiC, has
tried to build collaborative links and coordinate their work with bodies both at a local, district
and national level. We have listed and explained them below:
The Uvira I local education officer took an active role in training the EMI trainers, right
from the beginning of the programme, particularly with regard to developing training
modules.
Training modules presented to the MoE (Uvira I and II) and official recognition
secured.
Training modules presented to the National Ministry in Kinshasa where the approval
process is currently underway.
Involvement of the local education authorities and the Uvira I inspector in the launch
of the two training programmes. They were not, however, directly involved in running
the training sessions.
Active involvement in the Uvira education sub-cluster, co-lead by EMI, which helped
to increase the organisation's exposure.
Meetings with the CEPAC governing body to share information and particularly to
discuss the modules, the training materials and the selection of beneficiary schools.
Despite this, we noticed duplication in their detailed lesson plans which created a
certain amount of confusion within schools supported by both organisations.
10
Some of the topics discussed during these meetings: reviewing the programme of study, training on detailed
lesson planning, subject-specific training (mainly French and Maths) and model lessons delivered by various
members of the networks.
18
In point 4.1.4 we listed and explained some of the main challenges faced by the EMI/CiC
programme: inadequate initial teacher training, lack of job security, high level of turnover
(particularly in non-mechanised schools), the near-complete withdrawal or lack of state-run
educational monitoring services and the main school governing bodies.
By way of a conclusion for this "capacity building for teachers" component, we would like to
put forward a further key challenge: standardisation.
During the programme implementation, EMI/CiC was faced with schools which were in very
different situations in terms of 1) their infrastructure (bricks and mortar buildings v schools
built from local materials which were often run down), 2) their status (private schools, non-
mechanised schools or state-run and funded schools), 3) teachers' level of qualifications and
the level of supervision by directors and 4) the teaching and pedagogical resources and
equipment available.
This considerable diversity highlights a major issue: the DRC education system's complete
lack of minimum standards both to regulate how primary schools operate (and the conditions
required for establishing them) and to guide their development.
The consequences of this lack of standards could be seen in the field: 1) a relative
proliferation of non-viable schools whose development prospects remain very low, if not
hypothetical 2) a lack of direction or vision even in the better organised schools, a result of
the absence of clear objectives (and standards) from which to draw up effective professional
development plans and 3) operational challenges for organisations such as EMI and the
targeting of some schools which simply did not meet the necessary conditions to implement
changes.
Firstly, this analysis looks at the means implemented to build the capacity of school directors,
and secondly it presents the impact these made within the primary schools.
The core training comprises training modules for teachers and a specific module relating to
school management.
Comments:
Until 2013, the module was mainly based on imparting knowledge relating to the
administrative management of schools. Since 2013, the key areas of management have
been clearly defined and the training has targeted the development of operational
professional competencies. The aim is for directors to move from the position of an
administrator, to that of a manager, capable of improving the performance of their team and
their school. In terms of pedagogy, the director should focus on the pedagogical supervision
of teachers and the provision of a system to assess pupil performance. It is unfortunate that
this reorientation towards developing competencies only took place at the end of the
programme.
The module was delivered through week-long on-site training sessions. From 2013, the new
version of the module instigated the use of active teaching methodology and several role
plays preparing for real-life management situations.
The on-site training was followed up with two support phases in the field, carried out by the
EMI trainers. The support visits offered an opportunity to see how management practices
had changed, to correct any divergence of practice and to remind directors of the key
notions.
Whilst the primary mission of teacher support networks was to train teachers, the
involvement of directors also enabled them to identify best practice and to discuss
management issues with their counterparts in the other schools belonging to the network.
Quantitative data: at the end of the project, 176 directors had been trained
Changes in practice observed in the various areas of school management.
Comments:
Given the starting point, it seems that the most effective directors today are those who
ensure the minimum rules are adhered to and that their schools are operational: children
come to school - teachers take classes - the facilities and materials are available to ensure
effective teaching and learning - parents are involved in the running of the school. For the
administrative and financial management component, significant progress has been made
which is a first step. In terms of the pedagogical management component however, the
outcomes and changes remain more limited, a fact which needs to be viewed within the
context of the starting point which, in this area, was particularly weak before the project.
Two objectives remain: to ensure more directors are able to ensure minimum rules are
adhered to; to enable some directors to develop a real momentum with regard to their
management and performance.
Comments:
These visits highlighted how the education system probably worked before the project began
and before the specific school management training was given.
21
As regards capacity building for school directors, there are several challenges:
To move towards applying standards to primary schools, which would cover several
aspects: the status of the school, the infrastructure, the equipment, teachers'
qualifications and pay. Indeed, it was noted that the involvement of directors, as well as
the effective deployment of their competencies, often depended on the status of the
school, its financial resources and the involvement of parents;
To review the status of school directors and in particular the recruitment process, career
path and how these are handled.
To establish initial training for directors which could be implemented as part of the their
pedagogical studies or as a specific management module;
To initiate a change in governance at all levels of the educational authorities. The aim
would be to introduce the ideas of target-based and project-based management and to
instil greater use of evaluations;
To set up or restore monitoring and evaluation of school directors, either through school
inspectors, or through the school governing bodies.
Eventually, directors should become key players in the education system for, in the end, it is
their role to ensure national education policy is implemented. In Congo, where there is no
intermediary administration, this is all the more so as they are solely responsible for ensuring
their schools are well managed.
It is important to highlight that both for the capacity building with teachers and the capacity
building with directors, EMI/CiC consistently involved the decentralised education authorities
and the most established governing bodies, in particular the CEPAC 11 . In addition, they
contacted other NGOs involved directly or indirectly in the education sector.
Comments
The structure of the module is confusing; it targets a wide range of objectives without any
overall coherence. Indeed, how is it possible to associate a management-specific
competency with two others relating to pedagogical and educational matters?
The competency relating to involving PTAs in school management lacks structure. It should
have been divided into three separate skills along the lines of: getting involved in a school's
pedagogical management - administrative management - and financial management.
Despite this misjudgement in its design, the module offers resources to explain the remit of
PTAs to parents, and to equip them to intervene in the 3 management areas.
11
Involving and informing partners focussed on developing training modules, the implementation phases on-site
and the outcomes. By working this way, EMI made it clear that they chose to promote national policy in terms of
the curriculum, training and running the education system effectively.
22
The on-site training session, which in some cases also involved the school directors, was
followed by a monitoring phase to assess the level of commitment of the PTAs and to
organise an action plan.
Quantitative data: 176 PTAs were trained, namely 979 parents including 313 women.
Changes in behaviour and practice: according to all the PTA members interviewed, the
training enabled them to find out about and understand the actual remit of the PTA, which
was unclear to almost all of them.
Comments:
The training had a significant impact on parents and school management.
Bolstering PTAs on a pedagogical level so that they can contribute effectively in this area
and that this involvement helps to improve the quality of education: understanding how
the education system is organised - understanding the curriculum and pedagogical
approaches - understanding how learning is assessed, which will enable parents to
monitor their children's work and to engage in constructive dialogue with teachers and
the school director;
Finding a middle ground between the PTA prerogatives and those of the school director.
PTAs should not interfere too much in the operational management of schools but should
act as a source of advice, support and, in some cases, be called upon to make an
assessment;
The biggest challenge is undoubtedly obtaining financial support from parents, who find
this burden difficult to bear and which remains the true obstacle to children's education.
As such, it would be preferable for teachers to be mechanised, for their status to be
raised and for schools to be granted an operational budget which reflects the reality of
their requirements.
The awareness-raising component was a new development introduced during the second
phase of the programme. At the beginning of this phase, the EMI officer in charge of this
component carried out a baseline evaluation of the various zones of intervention. This
evaluation helped identify the key awareness-raising topics12.
Overall, the choice of topics is deemed appropriate: 1) they address real issues and are
tailored to the region's specific context and 2) most are directly linked to educational issues,
as such the awareness-raising component supports the overall project strategy in a
completely coherent way.
In relation to the training module, it was developed by the EMI team at the beginning of the
programme with the particular benefit of various contributions from those people taking an
active role in this area. Key competencies were agreed for each awareness-raising topic,
which have been set out in detail, presenting several references, in the form of documents as
well as the structure and content of the key awareness-raising messages and arguments
(see table 5 in the appendix).
Four training cycles were organised by the EMI trainer13, who was supported from 2012 by
an assistant trainer. Despite the trainer being a victim of the attack at the end of 2011 and
having to postpone the training for over six months due to serious health problems, the
awareness-raising component managed to achieve its objectives, which demonstrates once
again the determination of the EMI teams to implement this programme.
Overall, these training sessions targeted 243 community animators (including 100 women)
identified in association with religious leaders, who underwent a four-day course, as well as
153 pastors and local leaders who were given a one-day course in each of the zones of
intervention. The participation of pastors and their involvement in both selecting the
animators and in the training itself was fully justified, essential even, given their role and
influence in the local communities.
12
The role and the importance of education; education for girls; the role of parents in supervising their children's
schoolwork; the prevention of early marriage; involving women in decision-making processes; hygiene, sanitation
and preventing HIV/AIDS
13
In Minembwe, Marungu, Itombwe and Bibokoboko.
24
At the end of these training sessions, 40 community animator committees had been set up.
They were then tasked with running two to three awareness-raising sessions per month,
mainly in churches, on a voluntary basis.
Whilst the EMI trainers brought a certain amount of ethnic and cultural diversity to the
committees - and without detracting from this - it is nevertheless important to note the case of
the Kitoga committee in which 6 members are Bafulira and from the 8th CEPAC, which
seems to have limited their capacity to intervene in different church/tribal communities.
The EMI awareness-raising team should also be more diverse in the future in order to
improve its capacity to mobilise people.
Two follow-up visits were systematically organised by the EMI trainers, which was key in
terms of consolidating learning. On this point, EMI's "rolling" approach nevertheless
presented a certain drawback, as this monitoring and supervision were limited to a relatively
short period (10 months), after which the trainers, having been sent to other areas, no longer
had any direct contact with the committees. Despite the fact that the three committees we
met were highly motivated, and whilst it is difficult to come to a clear-cut conclusion on this
point, it seems likely that this rolling programme had a negative impact on the sustained
commitment of some of the committees trained.
CiC and EMI also worked in association with the UK-based NGO "In Place of War" (IPW),
specialists in participatory theatre, to implement this awareness-raising component. IPW was
tasked with training the EMI teams which would go on to train the animator committees. The
IPW representative also went to Minembwe and to Bibokoboko to work directly with the
committees established in these areas and in particular the Club Umuco in Minembwe, a
particularly dynamic local community theatre group with which EMI and CiC signed a
partnership protocol, thereby entrusting the group to carry out some of the awareness-raising
work and radio broadcasting. Using theatre as a means of raising awareness and this
partnership with the Club Umuco are two factors which contributed significantly to the
sustainability and relevance of this awareness-raising component.
At the end of the programme, records showed 11,280 participations (including 5,992 women)
in the various awareness-raising activities organised by the 40 committees, making an
average of 282 participations per committee, which seems a relatively low figure overall, but
this probably reflects the committees' varying levels of input and pro-activity.14
We should not forget that some of the direct beneficiaries of this awareness-raising
component include the 153 local leaders trained, as well as the thousands of radio
Minembwe listeners, who tuned in to the awareness-raising programmes.15
The table below summarises the main changes observed and also draws on the work carried
out in the focus groups organised in Minembwe, Marungu and Katobo (see table 6).
14
The figures presented by the EMI trainer do not show the number of individual people who took part in the
various awareness-raising sessions.
15
Radio Minembwe broadcasts over a wide area in this region and covers almost the whole of the Mid and High
Plateau.
25
16 EMI's internal monitoring shows the following results: 43% of class prefects are girls (Comic Relief
schools). They represent 30% of class prefects in Barings schools.
26
sanitation and schools, where changes seem to be more visible (installation of latrines,
preventing Tippy Taps, etc.).
HIV/AIDS Nevertheless, some accounts do suggest changes are being made in terms
of treating milk (i.e. boiling to eliminate the transmission of TB) and the
building of family latrines, to a limited extent.
Some significant changes were observed in this awareness-raising component and these
relate mainly to the importance parents place on education, on the schooling of girls and on
the fight against early marriage, the three topics which were the primary focus of the
community animator committees.
Whilst these changes are particularly apparent in Minembwe, where a critical mass seems to
have been reached to ensure the values and behaviour promoted by the programme
continue to be communicated and reinforced independently, in Marungu - a more isolated
area and one in which EMI is the first organisation to have carried out this type of
awareness-raising campaign - it is not yet the case.
We recommend that EMI continues their awareness-raising work, by capitalising on the
genuine interest developed by the programme, on the information shortfall which it managed
to address as well as on the active involvement and real commitment of the committees we
met. Furthermore, we recommend that they extend and ensure the sustainability of their work
in particular by developing the use of participatory theatre, by extending the "Club Umuco"
model, by offering monitoring in the field and more permanent and in-depth support to the
animator committees. It may also be worth considering offering limited financial support.
4.5 Research/advocacy
Throughout the programme, EMI/CiC successfully carried out advocacy work with the
central government as well as the decentralised education authorities.
o At a national level, the teacher training modules are currently being validated by
the MoE.
o At a regional level, advocacy work produced significant results: the opening of a
local MoE office for personnel in Minembwe, the decentralisation of the TENAFEP
exams and the creation of two distinct educational authorities in Uvira and Fizi.
o At a local level: EMI/CiC worked with schools and communities to ensure the
mechanisation fees ($150 - $200 [90 - 120] per application) were collected and
the applications sent to the authorities, whilst monitoring the situation in Bukavu
and Kinshasa.
In order to build capacity in this area, in April 2013 EMI/CiC recruited a person to take
specific responsibility for research and advocacy. To date, Patrick Rugabirwa has carried
out research into several areas including initial teacher training for primary teachers
(pedagogical training) and the key barriers to educating children in the High and Mid
Plateau region.
This approach is effective and the results are promising with a view to a third phase to
the programme.
4.6 Summary in light of the criteria relating to schooling and improving pupils'
learning
Having completed this analysis of the various activities implemented by the project, the
evaluation team felt that over and above the changes in practice and situation, noted in
various places, these activities had an impact on two points which are strong indicators of
improvements to the education system in the High and Mid Plateau region: the enrolment
rate of children in primary school (4.6.1) and the TENAFEP pass rate for 6th grade pupils
(4.6.2)
27
The evaluators focussed on monitoring school enrolment rates and their development in the
target schools, which were positive as the table below shows:
Enrolment (before) Enrolment (after)
1.1 Marungu HP average (3 non-mechanised primary schools) 186.2 147.5
1.2 Marungu HP average (3 mechanised primary schools) 165 204.2
1.3 Katobo MP average (5 mechanised primary schools) 218.3 197.8
1.4 Fizi HP average (8 mechanised primary schools + 1 private
235.94 268.28
primary school)
OVERALL AVERAGE (weighted) 213.4 222.9
From a sample of 20 schools (>10%), we can see a 4.5% (10 pupils) increase in
enrolment (which would equate to 1,680 pupils out of the 176 target schools).
We should first highlight that this connection between the increase in pupil numbers
and the hypothetical increase in the overall enrolment rate is impossible to establish.
Whilst it cannot be ruled out that this increase is the sign of higher enrolment rates in
the region, it is also due to the greater appeal of the schools involved in the
programme and therefore the transfer of pupils between schools.
There were significant increases in the mechanised schools in Minembwe and
Marungu (up 14% and 24%), which goes some way towards indicating the effect of
mechanisation on the appeal of a school (this was not confirmed for the Katobo area).
We can also note a considerable reduction in the drop-out rate in the target schools, taking
all year groups as a whole: an average of 15.9% for the two years before the programme
started and an average of 9% for the two years after the programme launch (see table 11).
EMI and CiC suggested using pass rates for the internal exams organised by schools as a
monitoring indicator, however this is not appropriate given the tests which pupils take in each
school are not identical. The end of primary school state exams (TENAFEP) offer a more
appropriate reference point. The table below show the average pass rates recorded for the
TENAFEP before and after EMI's support in a sample of 20 schools.
The overall increase in the pass rates remains very limited (up 0.4%) and there is
even a decrease in the mechanised schools in Marungu and Katobo. Stranger still: in
Marungu, the pass rates in the non-mechanised schools are higher than those in the
mechanised schools.
When processing the data collected in the schools, it rapidly became apparent that it
would quite simply not be possible to use this data due to a widespread problem of
28
fraud with the TENAFEP, which, according to several contacts, is the work of the
directors and teachers themselves for the reasons highlighted on page six. For
example: eight of the 20 schools involved in the study have pre-project records
showing scores of 100%, sometimes over several years, which is suspect to say the
least.
In light of this, it seems impossible to use these success rates to evaluate the impact
of the programme on the quality of teaching. Consequently, it is essential for EMI and
CiC to develop an alternative, standard test model in the future for all the schools on
the programme in order to provide reliable data with which to assess and report on
the impact of their work.
5. Project management
In this section we assess the project management, whether the various planned activities
were successfully completed, the respective remits of each of the team members and how
they worked together, the monitoring/evaluation process and the involvement of the EMI/CiC
partnership.
5.1 Management
The projects operational management team worked well together, despite the tragic death of
the Education Manager, Eraste Rwatangabo, and the death of three other members of the
EMI team, in October 2011. Jean Paul Rubyagiza (EMIs current Education Manager
previously part of the original training team) and Amy Parker (CiC Programme Manager)
worked constructively together, enabling the activities to be completed successfully and
adapting them in accordance with the circumstances. This close and considerate cooperation
facilitated the exchange of knowledge and competencies.
The Finance Manager, whose involvement went far beyond what would normally be
expected, was heavily involved in ensuring the smooth-running of the project.
Internal management was of high quality, dynamic and participatory: monthly internal
coordination meetings, quarterly activity planning involving all the trainers and general
debriefings at the end of each of the five annual field missions, an important factor which
made it possible to ensure there was enough communication between members of the two
teams and that their respective tools and approaches were coordinated.
The evaluators observed a strong team spirit amongst the EMI teams, positive leadership,
good working relations, high quality discussions and strategic planning carried out on a
regular basis as a group and, overall, a marked drive to capitalise on lessons learnt.
The only comment to make: the executive secretariat could be more directly involved in the
future, particularly in terms of representation and advocacy, whereas its role was
undoubtedly too restricted to general administrative and financial management, something
which EMI and CiC nevertheless worked on throughout the programme.
5.2 Trainers
The main limitations facing trainers related to logistics and security, due to the fact they were
working in a very isolated, sometimes volatile area, on mountainous terrain, where the
distances between schools are often very considerable. They spent around 105 days per
year in the field - in difficult conditions and not always appropriately equipped - where they
organised two training cycles (August and December), two follow-up missions (October and
February) as well as a visit to identify and assess schools (April). In the future, consideration
will undoubtedly need to be given to inverting their time allocations (currently 1/3 in the field -
2/3 in the office). This would enable a greater presence of the teams on-site - despite the
limitations highlighted - as well as continuous monitoring and supervision of the schools and
the staff trained, which is vital to consolidating learning.
The trainers each expressed their wish to continue the work they had started and to receive
further training in order to do so: in data handling software, course design, managing
development projects, the Congolese education system, etc.
Without taking a directly operational role, and leaving its local partner enough independence
to manage and implement the programme, CiC nevertheless carried out monitoring and
offered intense technical, methodological and strategic support, working closely with the EMI
teams throughout the programme (weekly telephone calls and regular field visits, around four
times a year).
This made it possible to build EMI's capacity slowly but surely in terms of planning,
monitoring, evaluating and reporting.
CiC also acted as a driving force behind the various steps taken by EMI with regard to the
education authorities on a provincial and national level.
This substantially reinforced EMI's exposure and credibility in the sector. Today the
organisation is invited to participate in various strategic workshops in Kinshasa and
Bukavu17. This was not previously the case and it is mainly due to CiC's support.
Capacity building activities were also organised by CiC for some members of the EMI team:
personal security and first aid, strategic planning18, administrative and financial management,
gender and child rights, leadership and management. This training, consolidated by coaching
sessions which EMI has been receiving since the beginning of their partnership with CiC in
2007, has strengthened EMI's technical and organisational capacities, the impact of which is
increasingly evident today.
We should however note that over the past few years CiC has remained EMI's main, if not
sole, partner. Whilst this has been conducive to building very strong working relations, it also
raises the questions of EMI's dependence and relative financial vulnerability.
The monitoring and evaluation tools and system developed by EMI with technical support
from CiC are relatively advanced and comprehensive: 1) pre- and post-training tests were
used during the main training cycles to assess the degree to which the topics delivered had
been understood and taken on board and 2) annual field visits by all the trainers to the
schools which had received training made it possible to collect the data required to report on
17
In particular, EMI took part in the national workshop on teacher support networks, was invited to Goma by the
DRC Education for the East platform and also participated in the annual provincial pedagogical meetings
organised in Bukavu.
18
At the end of this training course EMI developed a long-term strategic plan, the operational implementation of
which to date still remains limited.
30
To a certain extent, the evaluators were surprised by CiC's exacting standards in terms of
monitoring and financial reporting, but also by the way in which EMI managed to meet these
standards, which were fully understood and generally accepted, and the application of which
reduced the financial risks significantly. Expenditure forecasts, financial reporting, requests
for funds and transfers were all carried out on a monthly basis, which represented a
considerable workload for EMI's financial department, but one which the accountant, with the
support of a bookkeeper, seemed to be able to manage without any major difficulty. No
significant delays were recorded in terms of transfers or payments.
Whilst this system was laborious to set up initially, EMI now seems accustomed to it and fully
capable of meeting the standards imposed by the main active institutional donors in the
region, particularly in terms of risk management, authorising expenditure, the procurement
process, etc19.
In answer to the first question, the analysis and interviews carried out by the evaluators
highlighted several distinctive elements of a high quality education in the region20: pupil
attainment; pupil satisfaction; the level of teaching competencies; a decent salary for
teachers; pupil monitoring by teachers; school facilities; teaching resources;
monitoring/evaluation carried out by education authorities; school management.
With regard to the project's contribution to strengthening social cohesion in the region,
the various activities undertaken had a significant impact. This can be evidenced by: 1)
the various tribal groups living side by side and building constructive working relations
within and around the schools, 2) the overwhelming adoption from all parts of the
community of the principle of mandatory, high quality primary education, 3) the
commitment made by the various churches to challenge customary practices such as
early marriage, marriage by abduction, excluding girls from school, etc.
19
These standardised procedures are set out in the administrative and financial procedures manual which EMI
developed with technical support from CiC.
20
These two issues were discussed with the various focus groups (parents, directors and teachers) organised by
the evaluators in Marungu, Katobo and Minembwe. The main conclusions to come out of these discussions are
summarised in table 10 in the appendix.
31
Relevance: The project provided solutions which were appropriate to the specific
educational issues in the High and Mid Plateau region:
o The systemic approach enabled the targeting of key stakeholders involved in
education and facilitated active dialogue;
o The training activities were designed to bring about deep-rooted, sustainable
changes in behaviour and practice.
Effectiveness: Apart from difficulties linked to the security context, to the isolated
nature of the project area and to the tragic death of the head of programme,
almost all the activities were successfully completed.
Given the lack of reliable data for the TENAFEP, it is up to EMI/CiC to design an evaluation
mechanism which is able to offer an accurate assessment of pupil learning for those involved
in the programme compared to those in non-targeted schools.
8. Recommendations
Focus 1: Professionalising initial teacher training for primary teachers.
Focus 2: Setting up feeder primary schools (reference schools) where trainee teachers
can complete teaching practice.
Focus 3: Building up a network of associated schools around each model school.
Focus 4: Consolidating the networks of associated schools, supervised by the trainers.
Focus 5: The EMI trainers should support and train the directors of the associated
schools in order to implement school projects progressively (to begin with, based on
minimum standards).
Focus 6: EMI should identify and draw up the list of minimum standards.
Focus 7: EMI should increase its research and advocacy work with the aim of developing
expertise in the area of teacher training.
32
Focus 8: EMI should help the Club Umuco roll out its awareness-raising activities
throughout the region.
NB: The graphical representation of the model put forward by the evaluators is presented in
appendix 2.
33
The table below presents the internal monitoring data collected by the EMI teams for some of
the key indicators. For the more qualitative changes, we would refer readers to the
observations set out by the evaluators earlier in this report.
75% of teachers prepare their lessons and reports 81% (CR); 78% (Barings)
70% of pupils pass their end of year exams See EMI/CiC internal evaluation
80% of final year pupils take the TENAFEP 80.8% (CR); 89.7% (Barings)
An 80% increase in the use of A&P teaching An increase of: 79% (CR); 38%
methodology (Barings)
50% of schools organise inter-school activities 88.4% (CR); 86.5% (Barings)
Child rights Ensuring teaching practice is in line with child rights 1.5
Figures
I. BARINGS Planned
recorded
Number of teachers trained 315 313
Number of teachers given refresher training 315 312
Number of directors trained 105 104
II. COMIC RELIEF
Parents and members of the PTAs (Marungu & Katobo, Uvira area)
Issue 1: Education for girls
Initial situation and obstacles Current situation (changes)
Girls were responsible for all household chores Girls are considered as equals to their brothers
(washing, collecting wood, water, etc.) (schooling and household chores)
The status of girls has improved / parents
understand that an educated girl can offer
Girls had to stay at home in the morning to look considerable support to her family ("after
after the babies completing their studies, girls give more
consideration to their parents and can support
them")
Girls had to stay with their mothers and help Girls speak out more in groups and in the
them work in the fields presence of their parents
They were directed towards marriage very young
so that the family could get the dowry (money
and/or cows)
Whilst there has been a reported case of a
They were not entitled to inherit woman who recently inherited, these remain
exceptional
Issue 2: the fight against early marriage
Initial situation and obstacles Current situation (changes)
People are now aware of and widely abide by the
A girl could be married off from the age of 13 or
legal age to marry (18 years old). Girls' right to
14, and her opinion would not be taken into
choose is more widely recognised: choice of
account
husband and choice of schooling v marriage
Girls were seen as a source of wealth, whatever Signature of a statement of commitment by the
their age ("We didn't consider the age, as long as religious leaders of the various churches on the
we got the money or the cows for the dowry") Uvira High Plateau
Cases of parents being excommunicated for
having married off their children/underage girls
Change in mentality observed in young girls: their
priority is education and completing their
schooling
Cases of pregnant girls who return to school after
having given birth (which did not happen
previously)
Table 7: monitoring the development in fees paid by parents
*data was collected over the two years prior to EMI/CiC's programme ("before") as well as over the
two years following the programme ("after").
Weighted average for the Uvira area (MP & HP) 42.0% 45.0%
Table 9: Monitoring workforce and drop-out rate for girls (final 2 years of primary school)
Monitoring workforce and drop-out rate for girls in 5th and 6th grade
% of 5th Drop-out rate, Drop-out rate,
% of 5th and
and 6th 5th and 6th 5th and 6th
6th grade
grade girls grade girls grade girls
girls (before)
(after) (before) (after)
Uvira HP & MP average (non-
23.5% 22.8%
mechanised)
Uvira MP & HP average
42.1% 46.5% 14.7% 10.6%
(mechanised)
Average for Fizi High Plateau
48.1% 48.0% 12.5% 5.7%
(mechanised)
OVERALL AVERAGE 42.7% 43.3% 13.7% 8.3%
The various tribal groups are represented within the PTAs and awareness-raising committees:
members work constructively and get on well together
Learning Question 2: The necessary conditions for high quality education
The criteria (in order of priority)
Competent, qualified and motivated teachers ("passionate about their vocation")
The PTAs and parents are actively involved in their children's education as well as in the
management of schools. Regular dialogue between directors, teachers and parents
Table 11: monitoring the number of pupils dropping out (all year groups taken together)
Appendix IV: List of the people interviewed and the schools visited
during the evaluation mission
Participants
Men: 28
Women: 83
Grand total: 111
Groups of 15-20 people who met during the 3 workshops (around 50% women).
45
Date Activity
11/05 Arrival
Journey from Bujumbura Uvira
Planning
12/05 Workshop with the trainers
13/05 AM: Workshop with the trainers
PM: Workshop with the awareness-raising team
14/05 AM: Workshop with the trainers
PM: Interview with research and advocacy
15/05 Team A: Team B:
Journey to Minembwe Journey to Marungu
16/05 Mufariji primary school (CR) (lesson Primary school (Barings)
observations, interviews with director, (idem)
parents, teachers, pupils, PTA)
17/05 Workshop at Mishashu primary school Workshop at Bijojo primary school
(Appendix IV): (Appendix IV):
AM: Teachers, directors AM: Teachers, directors
PM: PTA, leaders PM: PTA, leaders
18/05 Church - awareness-raising in action Church - awareness-raising in action
19/05 Rubemba primary school (non-targeted) Ngogwe primary school (non-targeted)
(lesson observations, interviews with (idem)
director, parents, teachers, pupils, PTA)
20/05 Kalingi primary school (Barings) Kahololo primary school (Barings)
(idem) (idem)
21/05 Evomi/Tujenge primary school (CR) Journey to Gitigarwa
Interview: Samson; SECOPE Workshop (Appendix IV)
Journey to Uvira
22/05 Journey to Uvira Visit to S/PROVED II Uvira
23/05 Interviews: CEPAC, Sebagabo, Rubyagiza, Amy
24/05 AM: Feedback
PM: End