PROJECT EVALUATION Primary Education NGO Project (PENGOP)
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PROJECT EVALUATION Primary Education NGO Project (PENGOP) 13 June 2003 Gado, Mamadou. Anthropologist- Sociologist. Community Development Specialist. Garnier, Maurice. Evaluation Coordinator. Professor of Sociology. University of Indiana, USA. Marcos, Bienvenue. Former Cabinet Minister. Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Conference Coordinator. National University of Benin. Zato, Ali. Retired Primary School Inspector. Note of Thanks The Evaluation team would like to express its sincere gratitude to all those people who participated in this exercise. Our thanks are addressed in the first instance to the personnel of World Education who were available to us at all times. In particular, we would like to thank World Education’s representative in Benin, Mr. Alan Miller, and his training and program director, Mr. Latifou Yessoufou. The members of the World Education team who accompanied the team as it went around the country, Ms. Nadège Djitrinou and Ms. Mélanie Sodouloufo, and the drivers, Félix Biaou and Rafiou Ouro Kougba, resolved many problems and demonstrated great competence. Such an undertaking requires strong logistical support. Also required is that the people we wanted to interview should be available to us for this purpose. We were able to visit with a large number of parents and staff from the APEs, CAPEs, FEDAPEs and FENAPEB organizations, as well as education authorities at all levels (school directors, teachers, district education officers, and MEPS officials). All these contacts took place in an atmosphere of frank exchanges of views, which was greatly appreciated by the team. The team wants to thank all the interviewees who generously accepted to meet us give us their time and energy to discuss, express opinions and hopes for the future, frustrations, and doubts, as the country moves forward to face the great challenge of decentralization, and the role to be played by parents in this new context. We hope that all these people find in this work the evidence of their inputs. Finally, the team would like to thank the people who took part in the team feedback session that took place June 6, 2003. The questions raised by the participants at this function were very relevant to our work and brought clarifications, and sometimes modifications to the team member’s conclusions that make up this report. We are very much obliged to these people. For the team, Maurice Garnier Team Coordinator 1 List of Abbreviations APE Association de parents d’élèves (school-level parents’ association, similar to PTA in US) ATAPE Assistance technique aux Associations des Parents d’Elèves (French name for PENGOP) AVD Association villageoise de développement (local leaders and V.I.P.s grouped into private non- profit development association) CAPE Coordination des Associations de Parents d’Elèves (district level federation of APEs) CARE Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (this name no longer used; it is now known as “CARE International” (U.S. PVO) CEP Certificat d’études primaires (grade school diploma) CLEF Children’s Learning and Equity Foundation (USAID-funded project managed by The Mitchell Group) CP Conseiller pédagogique (trainer of teachers) CS Circonscription scolaire (district/commune school administrative unit) C/CS Chef de circonscription scolaire (district education officer) DDE Direction départementale de l’éducation (regional education office) D/DEPS Directeur départemental de l’éducation (regional education officer) DDPS Direction départementale de la planification et de la statistique (regional education statistics office) DEP Direction de l’enseignement primaire (national directorate of primary education) DPP Direction de la planification et de la prospective (direcectorate of national education planning and statistics) EQF Éducation de qualité fondamentale (quality of education indicators: minimum requirements) ENI École nationale des instituteurs (teacher training college) FENAPEB Fédération nationale des associations de parents d’élèves du Bénin (national federation of parents’ associations) FEDAPE Fédération départementale des associations de parents d’élèves (regional association of parents’ associations) GF Groupement des femmes (village/neighborhood level women’s group) GV Groupement villageois (village development committee) HEPS Health Education in Primary Schools (USAID-funded project managed by MCDI) IFESH International Foundation for Education and Self Help (U.S. PVO) INFRE Institut national pour la formation et la recherche en éducation (National Training and Research Instiotute : responsible for curriculum development) MCDI Medical Care Development International (U.S. PVO) MENRS Ministère de l’enseignement national et de la recherche scientifique (Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research : old name for MEPS and two other education ministries) MEPS Ministère de l’enseignment primaire et secondairee (Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education) ONG Organisation non gouvernementale (non-government organization : NGO) PAM Programme alimentaire mondial (World Food Program: WFP) PENGOP Primary Education NGO Project (USAID-funded project managed by World Education) PLAN Known in Benin as “Plan-Bénin”, PLAN is a British-based international NGO, formerly known as the Foster Parents Program, formerly based in U.S. PNUD Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (United Nations Development Program : UNDP) RUP Responsable d’Unité pédagogiqsue (district-level teacher training coordinator) SEP Service de l’enseignement primaire (primary education service : not used presently) SOSP Service de l’organisation et scolaire et de la prévision (regional education planning and statistics office, now DOSP) 2 SPES Service des programmes, de l’évaluation et de la scolarité (regional office for pedogogical support and evaluation of academic performance, now DSEP) SPIDE Service du personnel d’inspection et de direction de l’enseignement (MEPS personnel office) SPSF Service de la promotion et de la scolarisation des filles (girl’s education office) UDP Union départementale de producteurs (regional federation of cotton producers unions) UE Union européenne (European Union) USAID United States Agency for International Development (U.S. goverenmental agency for overseas economic and social development) WE World Education (U.S. PVO) 3 Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………. 6 Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………………12 1. Overview………………………………………………………………………………..12 2. Methodology……………………………………………………………………………17 3. Findings………………………………………………………………………………....22 3.1 PENGOP’s Impact on Civil Society Participation in the Education Sector…..22 3.1.1 Changes in Organizational Capacity and Performance of APEs………23 3.1.2 Co-management………………………………………………………..26 3.1.3 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 32 3.2 Impact of Administrative and Financial Management Systems on Attainment of Project Objectives…………………………………………………………. 33 3.2.1 Project Funding………………………………………………………...34 3.2.2 Partnerships…………………………………………………………… 35 3.2.3 Sustainability of PENGOP Activities…………………………………. 39 3.2.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 39 3.3 Role of ERO, EAF, and EES Assessments…………………………………... 40 3.3.1 ERO…………………………………………………………………… 41 3.3.2 EAF…………………………………………………………………….42 3.3.3 EES……………………………………………………………………. 42 3.3.4 Quantitative Analysis of ERO and EAF………………………………. 45 3.3.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 49 3.4 Impact of Action Research Strategy on Attainment of Project Objectives…...50 3.4.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 53 3.5 Impact on Education Sector………………………………………………….. 53 3.5.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 55 3.6 Principal Results of Project…………………………………………………... 56 3.6.1 Construction…………………………………………………………....56 3.6.2 Administrative Competency and Performance………………………... 56 3.6.3 New Dynamic Surrounding the School……………………………….. 56 3.6.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 59 3.7 Effectiveness of APE Federations in Serving APEs…………………………. 59 3.7.1 Illustrative Cases……………………………………………………….60 3.7.2 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 67 3.8 Have APEs Justified Their Existence?………………………………………. 67 3.8.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 69 3.9 Sustainability of Projects……………………………………………………...69 3.9.1 Positive Factors………………………………………………………...70 3.9.2 Negative Factors………………………………………………………. 70 3.9.3 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 72 3.10 Impact of PENGOP on NGO Ability to Develop Education Sector………….72 3.10.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 73 3.11 General Conclusion…………………………………………………………... 74 3.11.1 Possible Ways Ahead…………………………………………………. 74 4 3.11.2 Recommendations……………………………………………………...76 3.11.3 Action Research………………………………………………………..77 3.11.4 Sustainability………………………………………………………….. 77 Appendices 1. Guide des entretiens (Interview Guide) 2. Liste des personnes recontrées (List of Interviews) 3. Documents consultés (Bibliography) 4. Liste des projets financés par World Education/Benin au cours de ATAPE II (List of projects financed by World Education/Benin through the PENGOP II Project) 5. Sous-prefectures du projet ATAPE : Toutes phases (Regions in which ATAPE operated : all phases) 6. Évaluations EAF (EAF Evaluations) 7. Évaluations ERO (ERO Evaluations) 5 Executive Summary The Primary Education NGO Project (PENGOP) operates within the framework of USAID/Benin's Strategic Objective for Education: More Children Receive in an Equitable Manner a Basic Education of Quality. PENGOP's specific objective is to increase the involvement of civil society in the education system. Increasing