Speed School - Partner Project final evaluation

1. Project Description and Background to Evaluation:
The Speed School concept is an accelerated learning program.  After 9 months of teaching non school starters and or drop out children (boys and girls) from 8 to 12 years can be transferred in 4th year of formal school.
 
To reach its educational objectives in the Dioro and Farakou Massa areas within the Segou Region, the Millenium Villages Project, financed by The Center of the Millenum Objectives, requested and obtained from Strømme Foundation West Africa the implementation of 20 centers of Speed School for the 2011-2012 school year. Due to good performance APSM ONG was chosen by SFWA to implement the project, which aimed at enrolling 600 children within the project area.

2. Purpose/objective:
Analyze the implementation of the Speed School Project to discover lessons learned and to contribute towards bulidling similar funding mechanisms.

3. Methodology
Based on the participation of all stake holders the evaluation consisted of; document analysis, organisation framing meeting, field visits and interviews, analysis of findings and production of final report with discussion of results with all stake holders. 

4. Key findings
Strengths
• 443 children (230 boys and 213 girls) from 8 to 12 years were registered in 20 centers and 341 children (180 boys and 161 girls) regularly attended classes
• 290 children (153 boys and 137 girls) were transferred into formal education system
• The benefiting communities understood well the concept and recognized its performance.
Some of them are ready to send their children to the centers. Surveys are currently
made in the villages on the initiative of the villagers themselves for the implementation of
the 2nd year of the SSA/P.
• Dioro village fully costed the running and opening of one center, including teacher salaires.

Weaknesses
• The influence of the Islamic religion through the strong presence of coranic schools in the zone has been a great hindrance in the implementation of the project
• The expected number of enrolled learners was not reached, possibly due to insufficient sensitization of the population
• High teacher turnover; 23% of trained teachers gave up because of the tough conditions of work. The majority of them were not from the project area, for the future the project should  promotion local employement where fit
• High drop out rate of students:  maybe a result of insufficient sensitization
• Lack of communication in the program implementation: Measures should be taken to address the factors preventing parents to enroll their children to speed school and once children are enrolled to let them regularly attend centres.
• The data base provided by the Millenium Villages Project were not correct. This database should give details about the existence of the target group
• Lack of baseline survey for the projet to know better the context of the projet

5. Recommendations
• Timely sharing of information on project implementation and strategic desissions between the implementing NGO and the decision makers
• During the planning phase, the implementing NGO to better describe, analyse and define indicators to follow up hypothesis such as the influence of coranic schools within the project area
• For the implementing NGO; as early as possible set up Center Management Committees to contribute to the awareness of the speed schools program within the community
• SFWA to do a baseline survey for the projet before the implementing NGO starts its work

6. Coments from the organisation, if any: (this section to be filled by the staff responsible in SF’s Regional Office)