Budi Education Support Project – Final Evaluation

Background:
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005 brought an end to the civil war that had ravaged southern Sudan since it gained independence in 1956.  The CPA increased prospects for peace and transition to recovery. Despite progress in the implementation of the CPA, humanitarian needs still remain immense in the country.  The civil war severely damaged the national economy and reduced the availability of basic social services and livelihood opportunities and resources in both rural and urban areas.  Budi Education Support Project (BESP) was implemented in Budi County – located in the Eastern Equatoria State of southern Sudan – from March 2007 to December 2009.  This region, like the rest of southern Sudan, has extremely low levels of socio-economic development.  The goal of the project was to improve access to quality basic education for children of school going age and performance of the education system as part of poverty eradication and sustainable development of local communities in Budi County.  HIV/AIDS awareness-raising was carried out in a cross-cutting fashion, targeting pupils, parents, teachers, government officials and general population.

Purpose/objective:
The overall objective of the final term evaluation is to see how far the project has achieved its stated objectives. The evaluation reveals if the project was relevant in the community context and also reveals gaps that have been identified or encountered in the course of implementation.  Finally, recommendations are made for future interventions in the area. The evaluation covers the accomplishment of all the expected results as outlined in project document and detailed in the annual work plans during the period of March 2007 – December 2009.  All the different project components and activities stated in the original log frame are assessed. 

Methodology:
A number of methodologies were used to collect, collate and analyze data.  The desk review included secondary data from project documents which included the design document, log-frame and   quarterly reports.  Methodologies for primary data collection included household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations. The data collection was undertaken by both the consultants and ADRA recruited enumerators.

Key findings:
At the beginning of the project 9.865 children of school age in Budi County had been enrolled, while at the end of the project 12,697 were enrolled against a set target of 15,142.  This yielded an increase in enrolment of 29%, but had a negative variance of 16%. This could be attributed to the prevailing food insecurity, harmful cultural practices, and a target based on data that may need to be verified.
Due to the training for the local education officials and headmasters there has been a marked improvement on the management and delivery of educational activities in Budi County. For example, prior to 2007, some of the headmasters were operating schools without time tables and mixing different curricula, after the training 88% of the headmasters now have a time table displayed in their schools. A total of 108 teachers have been trained and records show that at least 95% of the participants score above 40% (pass mark) and therefore the management of the learning institutions will be easier as 108 more  staff have  be trained. In addition, Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Advocacy groups – which were also trained by the project – help to monitor the teachers and have regular meeting between themselves and the teachers to discuss matters appertaining to the administration of the schools. All this is currently possible due to the capacity building that has been undertaken by the project.
By providing quality education for the children of Budi, the project has contributed to the medium and long term poverty eradication and sustainable development of local communities in Budi County.
Additionally, there was an increase in percentage of population who know 2 modes of prevention of HIV/AIDS from the baseline findings of 41% to 61% while Teachers, HIV/AIDS school groups, PTAs and Advocacy Groups promoted HIV/AIDS awareness in the community such that the 55% of students can list 3 major ways that HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted, compared to baseline findings where only 41% of the respondents could list 2 ways of transmission.  Moreover, at the inception of the project, only 27% of the student could list 2 modes of prevention of HIV/AIDS compared to 66% of students who knew 3 modes at the end of the project.  Six HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns were conducted by pupils, teachers, PTA members and local authority staff.

Recommendations:
1. The consultant recommends measures that can be  implemented in order to minimize  disparities in gender enrolment and improve girls' enrolment at the primary level include;
 Provision of material support including school uniforms, stationery, school bags and food rations to girls pupils who attain a preset minimum monthly attendance of school such 80% per month;
 Ensuring that separate sanitation facilities are available for female pupils;
 Encouraging the recruitment and deployment of female teachers to act as role models;
 Instituting systems / processes to ensure girl child security whilst at school;
 Allowing for policies where even if a girl gives birth she can still go back to school
 Target the husbands of the girls who were dropped out of school due to married.  The husband would be talked to so that they can be sending their young wife’s to school, and they should be tasked with responsibility of ensuring that their wives always attend schools. 
2. The participants who were admitted in the In-service Teacher Training (INSERT) had stated that they attained various levels of academic qualification, which could not be verified by the presentation of certificates.  This is because most of the vital certificates were destroyed during the civil war.  In future it is recommended that in addition to such participants stating their academic qualification, they should undertake an entry examination that would consist both written and oral. 
3. Some of the headmasters who were invited for the training on school administration had academic qualification of below primary 8.  This level of education did not equip them with appropriate the level of academic exposure that would have enabled them to understand the management concepts that were being trained.  It is the consultant opinion that such headmasters should be attached to the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) unit that is being implemented as a sister project of ADRA SSS.  Once they attend classes in ALP and they achieve a primary 8 certificate they can then join the INSERT.  
4. It is important to have gender balance in the PTA members as it was noted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) officials that the female PTA members could be quite good advocates for the implementation of the Teachers Support Program.  This could be explained by the fact that most of the time women in this community undertake domestic and farm work and as such are the main contributors of the payment in kind such as cereals, working in the teachers’ farms, etc.  
5. If funds would become available, it would be advisable to construct boarding schools for girls.  The community should be requested to provide enough land that would be used to produce the schools own food.  Also an income generating activity for the boarding school can be established so that it can finance all it activities.
6. It had been planned that ADRA SSS will deliver HIV/AIDS awareness programs in primary schools in Budi County.  Through video shows, lectures, and dramas, it is expected that the students will be able to gain adequate knowledge on the disease and disseminate the information to their communities.  Further ADRA SSS in collaboration with the schools would organize thirty student groups in thirty primary schools of the county to deliver HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns during important occasions such as the AIDS Day.    This is an important activity and very effective tool in enhancing awareness of HIV and AIDS in the community, however despite this activity being carried out, there were no out puts in the log frame, neither was there a measure of success of the activity of forming student groups in the county.  It is recommended that :
i. In  the formation of such groups be included in the outputs of the activities;
ii. For effective peer counseling to take place the leadership of the students groups is trained in basic skills of training so that the groups can have maximum impact on crating awareness among fellow students.  The training should be undertaken at the beginning of the school year, which should focus on enhancing the student’s life skills, listening skills, importance of confidentiality, techniques for modeling behavior, handling negative criticism and understanding of others.  The mode of training should be through discussions, exercises and role play.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
ADRA Norway appreciates the finding and recommendations contained within this report and will incorporate these in related projects.