Baseline study - Access to education - Iraq (KR-I)

1. Introduction

1.1. Context

The mission of the French Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate all human suffering, and contribute to all efforts related to protection, social welfare, prevention, education and health care.

The French Red Cross is operational in Northern Iraq since 2013, especially in Dohuk, Ninewa and Erbil governorates. Focused first on the influx of Syrian refugees, then on the IDP crisis and the challenging return of population in newly liberated areas, FRC is providing assistance in a range of sectors including WASH, Livelihoods, Shelter and Relief. The Iraq programme presently employs about 41 national staff and 12 international staff. In 2017, FRC continues its emergency and early recovery assistance for Syrian refugees, Iraqi IDPs, returnees and most vulnerable host communities, and extend its range of activities with the implementation of an Access to Education Project.

The French Red Cross works in partnership with the local branches of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS). Having benefitted from previous trainings and being one of the oldest national society in the region, the IRCS represents a privileged partner. The IRCS volunteers will play an essential role in the implementation of the project, supporting FRC staff in all activities. The IRCS will provide a crucial expertise of the local context and its volunteers, anchored in the areas of interventions, will ground the project in local practices and give it legitimacy.

1.2. Project Background and Description

1.2.1. Background

Further to the Syrian crisis and its consequences for bordering countries, the French Development Agency (Agence française de Développement - AFD) launched a tender offer to fund Non Profit Organizations to carry out projects that aim to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people (Syrian refugees and host communities), and to strengthen local organisations and institutions.

Responding to this tender offer and being selected, the French Red Cross (FRC) developed a first version of the project in 2015. For administrative reasons, it has been delayed in its implementation until today. The fast evolving regional context, in addition to the important influx of Syrian refugees, forces the FRC to also take into account a massive influx of Internal Displaced Populations (IDPs) which is significantly deteriorating the whole humanitarian situation and especially exerts pressure on basic services such as education and health.

1.2.2. Description

Name of project To strengthen educational basic services capacities in order to integrate Syrian children refugees and to address the needs of the whole targeted population in Iraqi Kurdistan (Dohuk governorate)**Country** Iraq**Geographic location of project** Dohuk or Erbil District, Iraqi Kurdistan**Project start date** July 2017**Project end date** July 2020**Duration** 3 years**Donor** Agence Française de Development

The main objective of the project is to improve the access to education for children of the Syrian, IDPs and Host communities in the governorate of Dohuk.

To realise this objective, the project is organised around three results:

• School planning: Educational infrastructures are improved through physical rehabilitation and empowerment of parent-teacher associations (PTAs)
• Psychosocial Support: Families and educational teams’ capacity to prevent children’s school failure and exclusion due to psychosocial issues is strengthen
• Community projects: Access to schools is improved by addressing barriers and increasing parents and education teams’ involvement

A summary of the initial project’s expected outcome, outputs, indicators are as follows (subjected to change following initial assessment and baseline study):

Project summaryIndicators**Source and means of verification**Overall objective**To strengthen educational basic services capacities in order to integrate Syrian, IDPs and Host communities children refugees and to address the needs of the whole targeted population**Specific objective**To promote, to facilitate and to improve the access to education for the Syrian, IDPs and Host communities children in Iraqi Kurdistan (Dohuk governorate)

% of beneficiaries declaring improved welcoming, learning conditions and confidence towards school which enable better schooling of children

% of beneficiaries declaring improved welcoming, learning conditions and confidence towards school which enable better schooling of childrenInitial and post assessment**Results**

R.1: Educational infrastructures are improved through physical rehabilitation and empowerment of educational teams, parents and PTAs

# of school improvement plan produced per school

# of priorities of the school improvement plan reached per school

Registration list of PTAs

Training curriculum

Attendance sheet

Each school has 1 improvement plan

Report of acceptance of work**R.2 : Families and educational teams’ capacity to prevent children’s school failure and exclusion due to psychosocial issues is strengthen**

% of the families identified as facing psychosocial difficulties who benefit from specific psychosocial support activities

% of decrease in the number of disciplinary hearing

Pre and post-test on educational team’s knowledge

Training curriculum

Attendance sheet

FRC/DRC internal activity report

Psychosocial initial and post diagnosis of each vulnerable family

R3: Access to schools is improved by addressing barriers and increasing parents and education teams’ involvement**

# of parents/teachers meetings per year facilitated per the PTAs

% of decrease in the absenteeism rate of children in the schools

% of unschooled children (unschooled during at least 1 year since school aged) included in the targeted schools

PTAs’ activity report

Schooling projects

Disciplinary hearing reports (school director)

2. General objectives of evaluation mission

2.1. Justification and objectives of the evaluation

The French Red Cross (FRC) is starting a 3-year project, funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which has for objective to improve the access to basic education for all the children (Syrian refugee, internally displaced people and the host communities) in the targeted areas of the Dohuk and/or Erbil Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan. This project will be implemented in collaboration with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), the IRCS will have a key role in all phases of the project and its volunteers will be actors of this study.

For the good monitoring of the project, a baseline study is commissioned in order to achieve the following objectives:

• To propose changes in the logical framework as and if necessary to ensure project coherence and relevance
• To collect some basic data in order to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the project during its implementation and after it is completed.
• To inform improvements in the delivery of the project during its lifetime
• To enable sound and evidence-based reporting of the findings and lessons learnt throughout the process

For this consultancy, the FRC seeks to procure the services of an independent, external consultant(s) to design, plan and conduct a rigorous baseline study. The baseline study is anticipated to begin around January 8th 2018.

During the baseline study, the consultant(s) will also be required to support the Project Management Team to design, establish and implement a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability strategy.

2.2. Sphere of evaluation

The consultant(s) will conduct their mission under the responsibility of the FRC Education Project Manager.

The geographical scope of the consultancy is the governorates of Dohuk and Erbil.

They will be based in FRC guesthouse in Duhok and could use FRC cars for movement around the governorates.

The FRC education PM will facilitate local contacts at Duhok level, and could support for coordination in Erbil. She will as well provide all relevant key documents and guidelines to the consultant(s).

3. Consultancy Approach and Methodology

3.1. Approach

With the project’s logical framework, the Federation’s guidelines, as well as other relevant guidelines for evaluation in the fields of education and psychosocial interventions, in mind, the consultant(s) will be required to design, plan and carry out the project’s baseline study, using both quantitative and qualitative data. The consultants will work closely with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS). The IRCS volunteers will play a major role in carrying out the study and must be factored in the planning process and involved in the activities once in the field.

The findings will be the foundation for rigorously evaluating this project’s overall process, impact, effectiveness, and sustainability.

3.2. Methodology

For the evaluation approach, the consultant(s) will be required to design the following:

• Quantitative research methodologies that will give a clear information of the situation of the target populations and provide a foundation to later assess the impacts attributable to the project in terms of access to education and well-being of children. What is important is to study a representative selection of the experiences, challenges and difficulties faced by the children and their family. This involves identifying a representative sample of children from Syrian, IDPs and Host communities from the targeted areas and showing their situation in terms of access to school, their attendance and risk of dropping-out, as well as general well-being. Quantitative research methodologies should include household and school surveys, etc.
• Qualitative research methodologies should seek to examine the theory of change and intervention logic of the project, it should support the quantitative research and show the linkages between barriers to education’s access, the project’s intervention and expected results. It should also go more in depth into assessing the potential linkage between the state of children’s psychosocial well-being, the reasons of those psychosocial issues, and school access and results. Qualitative research methodologies should include focus group discussions, workshops, semi-structured interviews with key informants / stakeholders, etc.
• Sampling frameworks for both qualitative and quantitative should be of a sufficient size and representativeness to allow:
  • reasonable levels of certainty that the findings are representative for the target population, especially the different groups (IDPs, Syrian, Hosts)
  • reasonable ability to generalise the intervention’s effectiveness to similar contexts
  • reasonable ability to generalise the insights into what works and why for similar contexts

The sampling framework should allow household-level measurement of barriers to education, since the risk factors are often located in the family or community and will not necessarily be measurable in school.

Important:

• The evaluation methods must be documented and archived clearly to be used for a second baseline study that will be done internally before the second phase of the project. The project team should also be able to use it over the project monitoring course and for the end line evaluation
• The inclusion of gender and diversity must be a strong focus of the baseline study, as they are essential criteria in all aspects of the project – this include methods enabling children to participate actively and effectively in the project

4. Consultancy deliverables

1. One training conducted for IRCS volunteers in order to conduct the consultancy on evaluation design, sampling framework, research instruments and research ethics. Duration and content of training to be determined by the consultant(s)
2. Inception report, submitted in English and in electronic form together with 3 bound colour hard copies. The report should detail:
   • Baseline study approach (sampling framework, data collection strategy, methodologies, etc.)
   • Risk management plan, detailing measures to mitigate any potential risks to the realization of the activities and in the monitoring process, including identified risks and assumptions, anticipated challenges, health and safety issues, and proposed contingency plans for identified risks
   • Quality assurance plan setting out the systems and processes for assuring the quality of the research process and deliverable, including piloting of all research activities; training of volunteers conducting the primary research; logistical and management planning; field work protocols and data verification including back-checking and quality control by supervisors; and data cleaning and editing before any analysis
   • Research ethics plan detailing approach to ensuring complete compliance with international good practices in research ethics and protocols, particularly with regard to safeguarding children (including parental and/or age-appropriate consent), vulnerable groups and those in fragile / conflict affected states. The plan should also describe administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality of those participating in the research and the data collected from the study
   • Primary quantitative and qualitative research instruments used in the realization of the baseline study
3. Baseline study report that describes the initial conditions against which progress will be measured or comparisons to be made to show the effects and impacts of the project in the final project evaluation report. The main body of the baseline study report should not be more than 30 pages, excluding additional annexes of data collection tools used in the study.
4. Comprehensive monitoring strategy / plan for project data collection over the course of the project, for the mid-term evaluation and for the end line evaluation
5. MEAL Toolbox containing a set of tools that will be used throughout the project and ensure the good monitoring of activity progress based on the baseline data collected. Tools should be adapted for project team use
6. Presentation of baseline study findings to the Education project team, FRC programme team and IRCS key members (management, focal point, volunteers)

5. Chronogram

The consultant(s) will submit a timeframe for the duration of the baseline study which should not exceed 30 days. Time for obtaining visa should be considered and should be done on consultant(s) own time but with the support of the FRC; considering the evolving political situation, time for travel can vary and should also be considered.

• Travel time: 2 days
• Time period worked in the field: 20 days (including training of the IRCS volunteers)
• 2 days working on first draft and findings in preparation of the presentation
• 1 day presentation
• Time period necessary for writing the report and annexes: 5 days.

Total mission duration: 30 days

A specific chronogram must be provided in the technical proposal.

NB: the schedule can be reviewed according to circumstances.

6. Consultant(s) profile

• Relevant degree(s) in social sciences or development studies, preferably in international education
• Strong experience with and knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods and sampling strategies
• Experience with in designing and conducting studies using experimental or quasi-experimental techniques. Experience with longitudinal study designs desired.
• Statistical analysis skills and strong proficiency with data analysis packages such as SPSS or STATA and qualitative data analysis software e.g. ATLAS.ti, NVivo or equivalent
• Proven experience in conducting baseline study surveys and evaluations, preferably on education programmes
• Knowledge and expertise in international education programming desired
• Research experience working with children will be an added advantage
• Excellent communication and written skills in English
• Capacity-building and training experience preferred
• Experience in assessing / evaluating projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Strong knowledge of the Iraq/Kurdistan context preferred
• Arabic/Kurdish language skills preferred

The candidates interested are requested to submit their application by email before the 31st of January, 2018 at 12PM to tender-iraq.frc@croix-rouge.fr.

This application must include:

• A CV of the consultant(s).
• A cover letter describing the relevant experiences regarding the present evaluation, the registration number of the entity and/or the consultant and at least 2 relevant referrals. This letter should also mention the consultant(s)’ availabilities (if different from the mentioned dates)
• A technical offer signed and scanned presenting the understanding of the present Terms of Reference, the approach suggested including the methodology and the evaluative questions in relation with the mentioned criteria.
• A financial offer signed and scanned indicating all the costs related to the completion of the service including
  • Consultant(s)’ costs: the accommodation, food, transport, communication expenses
  • Translation costs
  • Enumerators stipend
  • Training workshops
  • Data entry staff if needed)

The offer should also include all of the following information:

• The name, address of the consultant and its signature (stamp if exist),
• The currency
• Terms of payment,
• The date of the offer
• The validity of the offer,
• The terms and timetable of the report delivery
• A reference table of the major evaluations carried out (maximum 10).