FROM the AMERICAN PEOPLE USAIDI Liberia Read Liberia Project
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USAID FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE USAIDI Liberia Read Liberia Project Book Distribution Plan Contract Number: AI D-669-C-17 -00003 Prepared for USAIDI Liberia United States Agency for International Development Office of Acquisition and Assistance ATTN: Contracting Officer's Representative 502 Benson Street 1000 Monrovia 10 liberia Prepared by RTIInternational 3040 Cornwallis Road Post Office Box 12194 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194 This publication is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Contractor and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Table of Contents List of Figures ....................................................... ....... ...................... .. .. ................... iv List of Tables ... ... ... .............................. ... ....... ... ................. ... ................ .................... iv Acronyms and Abbreviations .. .. ... .......... ........ ... .. ... ....................... .......................... .. v I. Read Liberia Project Background ............. .................... ...... .. ............... ..... ..... .. .. 1 II . Overview and Objectives ............................ .. ................................... .. ...... .......... 2 Ill. Methodology ...................................................... ......................... .. .... .. .. ............. 2 IV. Read Liberia's Approach to Book Distribution ..... .... .................. ... ..................... 4 A. Key Elements of the Distribution Model ................ ....... .. ............ ... ................................ 4 B. Distribution Chain .. ..... .. ..................... .. ........ ... ... ........................................... ................. 6 C. Roles and Responsibilities ................................... ........... .. ..................... .................. ..... 6 D. Differences from the MOE National Distribution Plan ............................. .. ... ... .............. 7 E. Additional Operational Considerations ... ... .... ........... ....................................... ..... ....... .. 8 1. Transportation Factors ...... .... ............................................................................... 8 2. Post-delivery Book Auditing ........................ ..................... ... .. ....... .. ............... ....... 8 3. lncentivizing Community Actors/Limiting Communication for Track & Trace .. ... 9 V. Book Distribution Implementation Plan ... ........................... ..... .... ....................... 9 A. Locations of Counties ...... .............................................................................................. 9 B. Book Distribution Plan Implementation Timelines ......................... ................. .......... .. 11 C. Book Distribution Implementation Work Plans .... ............ .. .......................................... 13 D. Track & Trace Development Work Plan .. .... .. .... ....... ................ ... .. .................. ... .... ... .. 15 Annex A Lessons Learned from the Track & Trace Alpha Field Test in Malawi, Sept. - Oct. 2016 ....................................... .. ............... .... .... .. ............ ... .. ......... A-1 Annex B. Sample Book Package Labei ....... ... .. ... ... .. ... .......... .. .............................. B-1 Annex C. Estimated Delivery Times to Schools ............ ....................................... C-1 Book Distribution Plan iii List of Figures Figure 1. Distribution Chain ............................. ......... ............................... ............ ............. .. ... 6 Figure 2. Map of Project Focus Counties ... .... ..... ................................... .... ......................... 10 Figure 3. Key Milestones: February 2018 Distribution .. .. ... ..... ... ............ .......... ... ·· ······--··· ... 11 Figure 4. Track & Trace Development Key Milestones: February-June 2018 ........ .... .... ..... 11 Figure 5. Key Milestones: August 2018 Distribution ..... ... ... ........ ................... ............ ......... 12 Figure 6 . Template of Timeline and Key Milestones: January 2019 through End of Project 12 Figure B-1 . Sample Book Package Labei .. ............ ........ .. .. .... ................... ............. ............. B-1 List of Tables Table 1. Roles and Responsibilities for Distribution and Track & Trace .. .... .............. ............. 7 Table 2. February 2018 Distribution Work Plan .. ........................................... ..................... 13 Table 3. August 2018 Distribution Work Plan ................... ..... ........ .. ...... .. ..... .. .. .. ........... .... .. 14 Table 4. Track & Trace Development Work Plan ......................... .. ........ .......... ... ........ ....... .. 15 Table 5. January 2019 + Distribution Activity Template ...... ............... ... ...... ... .. ................. .. 16 Table C-1. Estimated Delivery Times to Schools .. .. .................... ... ..................... .... ... .. ...... C-1 Book Distribution Plan iv Acronyms and Abbreviations AO area of operation CBO community-based organization CEO County Education Officer CSF Community Systems Foundation DEO District Education Officer EM IS education management information system G1 , G2 . grade 1, grade 2 GPS Global Positioning System IR Intermediate Result KG kindergarten MERIT Malawi Early Grade Reading Improvement Activity MOE Ministry of Education NGO nongovernmental organization PTA parent-teacher association SIM subscriber identification module SMC school management committee SMPP Short Message Peer-to-Peer SMS short message system UMARCO Union Maritime Commerciale Corporation USAID United States Agency for International Development Book Distribution Plan v I. Read Liberia Project Background The purpose of the USAID-funded Read Liberia project is to improve early grade reading skills for Liberian students in grades 1 and 2 (G1 and G2, respectively) and pilot test emergent literacy skills for Liberian students in public kindergarten (KG) schools. By the end of the project, it is expected that KG students will have improved their oral vocabulary skills in English and that G1 and G2 students will read grade level text with fluency and comprehension. Read Liberia is a five-year project (2017- 2022) that will reach approximately 60,000 learners, in 640 government primary schools and 60 kindergarten schools, in the six most densely populated counties of Liberia (Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba), each year1. The project will comprise four Intermediate Results (IRs): IR 1, Government commitment to and support of evidence-based reading instruction increased; IR 2, Early grade reading classroom instruction improved; IR 3, Service delivery systems in early grade reading improved; and IR 4, Parent, community, and private support for early grade reading increased. A key component of "IR 2. Early grade reading classroom instruction improved" is distributing evidence-based early reading materials to support classroom instruction in KG, G 1, and G2. The instructional materials to be developed under Read Liberia will become the main support for effective reading instruction. The project's objective is to distribute early reading materials to schools on time and in a cost-efficient manner. The timely distribution of materials to all target schools is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of Read Liberia in improving teachers' instructional practices and learners' progress in reading. The failure to deliver the materials to teacher training events and schools when they are needed could prompt teachers to improvise instructional strategies that are not part of the evidence-based reading program. When the instructional strategies of the reading intervention are not used consistently from day one of the school year, the effect of the intervention may not be as strong. However, the timely distribution of materials to schools has historically been costly and difficult in Liberia. Factors related to the weather and road conditions make some schools very difficult to reach. Furthermore, accurate information on where schools are located and whether they are in service may not be up to date. Add itionally, book distribution operations face the risk of "leakage," whereby materials procured for free distribution to schools are not effectively delivered to schools but instead "leaked" to the market for resale. To address these challenges, RTI International, as prime Contractor for the implementation of Read Liberia, will provide technical assistance to the Liberian MOE on how to strengthen the system for distributing textbooks and materials to teachers and learners. The RTI Read Liberia team will work with the MOE to design and implement low-cost solutions that the Government of Liberia will be able to sustain and scale to all counties in the future. This document lays out RTI 's plan for technical assistance on book distribution under Read Liberia, following the principles of cost efficiency, use of low-cost technological solutions, and sustainability. The plan also proposes appropriate synergies with applications of mobile technologies to ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution of reading materials. Another key element of the plan is the engagement of school management committees (SMCs) or parent-teacher associations (PTAs) in materials distribution