Rewrite the Future Global Evaluation - Angola Midterm Country Report

Background

Rewrite the Future is a global programme and campaign by Save the Children that aims to bring quality education to children in countries affected by conflict. The global evaluation seeks to investigate how have Save the Children’s project level interventions have contributed to improving the quality of primary education for children affected by conflict. The evaluation is being carried out in two phases, a 2008 phase (focusing on process) and a 2010 phase (focusing on the outcomes). It includes case studies of four country programmes. Each country evaluation team has selected a particular area of focus to illustrate an innovative and effective approach that targets the particular issues in the quality of education within that country.

The evaluation in Angola has focused on teacher professionalism and investigated how Save the Children has worked together with local education authorities and community bodies such as parent associations, child protection committees and children to improve teacher professionalism through training, supervision, support and monitoring. Due to the nature of the partnership between Save the Children and the local education authorities, it is difficult to attribute aspects of progress exclusively to Save the Children. The findings of this evaluation represent the successes and challenges of the provincial education systems as well as those of Save the Children.

Purpose/objective

This midterm report is one of four country case studies conducted as part of the Rewrite the Future Global Evaluation. The Global Evaluation seeks to address two major research questions:

• In general, how have Save the Children’s project level interventions contributed to quality primary education for children affected by conflict? (process)

• Specifically, which project level interventions have had what impact on the education quality of children affected by conflict? (impact)

Methodology

Data was collected from a total of fourteen predominantly rural schools in Zaire and Uige and from six accelerated learning classes in Kwanza Sul. Interviews and focus groups were carried out with teachers, directors, supervisors, students, parents and child protection committees. The evaluation also included a learning assessment of 93 grade three students and observation of 30 lessons. Since Save the Children works with the local education authorities to support all schools in an area, it was not possible distinguish schools in the evaluation as project schools and comparison schools as has been done in other country studies in the global evaluation.

Key findings

• Poor learning outcomes in basic literacy: Around half of grade 3 children tested could not read a word from a simple text in Portuguese.

• Lack of knowledge of child centred teaching methods. Lessons tended to consist mainly of the teacher writing on the board, going over the material repeatedly then asking the students to copy what was written. Few educational professionals, including supervisors, demonstrated knowledge of child centred teaching methods.

• Low of impact of teacher training courses. There was no significant difference found between the teaching of trained teachers and that of untrained teachers as measured by the lesson observation tool developed for this evaluation.

• Teacher misconduct in some schools. Four cases of teachers making sexual advances to female students were identified. One case of teachers asking students for money, one case of teachers demanding labour from students and one case of a teacher coming drunk to school were also mentioned by student groups.

• Physical and humiliating punishments are still relatively widespread in schools. All teachers and directors interviewed stated that children were not beaten in schools. However, most of the student focus groups (12/16) reported that teachers sometimes beat them, often with sticks or cables. At four of the schools students reported a range of other inhumane physical or humiliating punishments, including being made to crawl over gravel.

Recommendations

• Save the Children needs to change the focus of its input into teacher development from logistical support for existing Ministry of Education programmes to technical input into developing new teacher training courses. Supervisors and trainers need training in child centred teaching methods.

• The role of the supervisor needs to be made clearer and either integrated into the teacher training system or into the school based supervision system. A clustered approach to supervision is preferable to a centralised approach.

• Save the Children’s new approach of developing child friendly schools responds well to the changing context in Angola. There is a need to develop models of good practice in quality education and schools where innovative approaches can be demonstrated.

• The Accelerated Learning Programme could be expanded both as a context for development of improved teaching methodology and as a means of improving access to education for adolescents, especially girls.

• Teacher training and support needs to focus on ensuring that children learn to read and write. Specific training could be given to teachers of lower grades and preschool classes. Training in teaching methods that support constructive bilingualism and literacy in local languages may be more effective than training in Portuguese language.

• Child protection activities need to be more closely linked to schools and safe reporting mechanisms need to be developed through which students can report abuse by teachers.

• Strategies to increase the number of female teachers in rural areas should be explored. These might include supporting the education and training of rural females, supporting female teachers to live and work in rural areas and ensuring that returnees with education but lacking certificates can enter the teaching profession