Final Evaluation August 2013

Strengthening Local Governance and Participation for the Realization of Children’s Right to Education January 2010 to June 2013 Funded by the European Union Final Evaluation August 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to express our appreciation to the Ministry of Education and Sports, particularly the two Deputy Director Generals of the Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education, Ajaan Keun Saysanavongxay and Ajaan Sipaphone Manivanh, who assigned staff to support the evaluation as well as making themselves available to meet with us. Special thanks are due to staff of Plan International in the Lao PDR at the national, provincial, and district levels for their support in organizing schedules, managing logistics, and arranging meetings during the fieldwork portion of this evaluation. In particular, we would like to recognize Thongmany Keosavang, Education Assistant from the Plan Country Office for her tireless assistance with interpretation, her patience, and her helpful suggestions. We would also like to acknowledge the members of the evaluation team from the Ministry of Education and Sports in Vientiane, from the Provincial Education and Sports Service in Houay Xai and the District Education and Sports Bureau in Pha Oudom, Pak Tha, and Meung. Their contributions were invaluable. Close to 300 informants – children, parents, teachers, principals, Village Education Development Committee members, government officials, and the staff of international NGOs – provided input into the evaluation. Without their contributions, this report would not have been possible. Christine Munro W. John Howe Consultants Asia-Oceania Development Network www.asiaoceania.net September 2013 NOTE: In line with Plan International‟s Child Protection Policy, the photographs included in this report were taken by the consultants (unless otherwise credited) with the permission of the subjects on the understanding that they would be used exclusively in this report and not for other purposes. LIST OF ACRONYMS AODN Asia Oceania Development Network ASLO Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes BEP Basic Education Programme DESB District Education and Sports Bureau ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development EFA Education for All EMIS Education Management Information System ESDP Education Sector Development Plan ESWG Education Sector Working Group EU European Union FTI Fast Track Initiative INGO International Non Government Organisation LDC Least Developed Country MDG Millennium Development Goal MoES Ministry of Education and Sport MoFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs MTR Mid-term Review NER Net Enrolment Rate NGO Non Government Organisation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development OECD/DAC Assistance Committee PA Pedagogical Advisor PESS Provincial Education and Sports Service RIES Research Institute for Educational Science SBG School Block Grant SoQ School of Quality TOR Terms of Reference VEDC Village Education Development Committee WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i LIST OF ACRONYMS ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. INTRODUCTION 5 1.1 Project Background 5 1.2 Purpose of the Evaluation 5 1.3 Methodology 5 1.4 Evaluation Team 6 1.5 Evaluation Challenges and Opportunities 6 2. FINDINGS 7 2.1 Relevance 7 2.1.1 Relevance to International Strategies and Goals 7 2.1.2 Relevance to Local Needs 7 2.2 Effectiveness 7 2.2.1 Objective One 8 2.2.2 Objective Two 9 2.2.3 Objective Three 11 2.2.4 Objective Four 14 2.2.5 Objective Five 15 2.2.6 Beneficiaries 16 2.3 Efficiency 16 2.3.1 EU Financial Report 17 2.3.2 Plan’s Financial System 17 2.3.3 Planning and Budgeting 18 2.4 Sustainability 18 2.5 Impact 19 3. MANAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP 19 3.1 Management 19 3.1.1 Education Technical Support 19 3.1.2 Current Staffing Levels 19 3.2 Synergies among Plan Sectors 20 3.3 Partnership 20 4. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES 21 4.1 Gender 21 4.2 Disability 21 4.3 Ethnicity/Language 22 5. KEY CHALLENGES 22 6. LESSONS LEARNED 23 iii 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 24 7.1 Governance/Management 24 7.2 Education Quality 24 7.3 Child Rights/Child Participation 25 7.4 Health and Hygiene 25 7.5 Research 25 7.6 Other 26 8. CONCLUSION 26 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: Summary of Evaluation Interviews and Observations 6 TABLE 2: Enrolment Data 2010 to 2013 10 TABLE 3: Net Enrolment Rates 2010 to 2013 (Grades 1 to 5) 10 TABLE 4: Repetition, Dropout, and Survival Rates 11 TABLE 5: Quality of Teaching (From Activity with Children) 12 APPENDIX A: CASE STUDY: Positive Discipline in Schools 27 APPENDIX B: CASE STUDY: School Improvement Grants 30 APPENDIX C: TOOLS 33 APPENDIX D TABLE OF INFORMANTS 34 APPENDIX E: SCHEDULE 36 APPENDIX F LOGICAL FRAMEWORK ANALYSIS 37 APPENDIX G FINANCIAL REPORT 38 APPENDIX H TERMS OF REFERENCE 39 iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION Strengthening Local Governance and Participation for the Realization of Children’s Right to Education1 funded by the European Union, was implemented by Plan International for 42 months beginning in January 2010 in Pha Oudom, Pak Tha, and Meung Districts of Bokeo Province in the Lao PDR. This external evaluation was undertaken from July to September 2013 with fieldwork carried out over a three-week period in August. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the implementation of the project technically as well as to identify strengths and weaknesses in current implementation strategies, with an emphasis on informing future education programme design. The evaluation team, led by two independent consultants was comprised of education officials from national, provincial, and local levels. 2. FINDINGS Relevance The final evaluation assessed the relevance of the Action at several levels - globally, in terms of Plan International's global Education Strategy 2010 - 2013, as well as Education for All (EFA) targets and Millennium Development Goals (MDG); nationally, with regard to the Government of the Lao PDR's Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP); and locally, in relation to the issues and problems that the Action tried to address within the three target districts. The evaluation found a high degree of relevance at all of these levels. Effectiveness The overall objective of the Action was to support the development of primary education services to reach and respond to the specific needs of marginalized groups and remote communities in realizing their rights to education in Lao PDR. Plan, with its MoES partners, has been able to meet this objective. In terms of specific objectives, Plan has strengthened the management and governance of primary education in the target districts through training and support to local authorities and village committees. Access, retention, and completion of five years of primary education have improved during the Action and it is clear that Plan‟s efforts have contributed to this. Through comprehensive in-service training, Plan worked to improve the quality of primary education in the three districts. Although research has indicated that learning outcomes for students are still not positive, there are signs that teaching methods have improved and a more child-centred, active learning approach is being used in classrooms. In addition, Plan‟s multi-pronged approach to strengthening schools in cooperation with the WASH and Child Rights/Child Participation sectors has shown positive results in achieving healthy, non-violent, and inclusive learning environments. At the national level, Plan‟s evidence-based advocacy is contributing to policy discussions. All students in the 143 schools, 6,742 (45%) of whom are girls, school principals and teachers, and members of the VEDC were direct beneficiaries of the Action, Families and communities as a whole are indirect beneficiaries as they are the target for awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of education, child rights and child protection, and health and hygiene. Efficiency In terms of efficiency, the evaluation focussed on financial management, including the systems and processes used for the transfer of funds from the centre to the field, as well as rate of expenditures. This includes a brief analysis of overall expenditures of the Action, as well as Plan's financial management system, particularly at district level, and encompasses some aspects which may have implications for financial management in future education programming. 1 Referred to throughout this report as the Action in line with European Union terminology 1 The final evaluation found that Plan's finance system had managed the EU grant efficiently and effectively. Overall, the breakdown of expenditures would appear to be appropriate for an Action of this nature, with the bulk of expenditures either involving direct activity costs or support costs. Sustainability Measuring the longer term positive benefits of this Action is difficult as it was completed only a few months ago. However, it is possible to consider the likelihood of sustainability by examining the project design and the current context in which the Action has been implemented. Certain elements of the design such as training, follow up, and support for principals, teachers, and members of the Village Education Committee, promote sustainability and can lead to long term gains for children. Other elements that have contributed to the overall achievement of project objectives in the short term e.g. provision of school supplies to children and teaching learning materials to classroom teachers, do not ensure benefits in the long term once funding is no longer available. However, the provision of school supplies was cited numerous times by parents as one of the reasons they are able to send their children to school. Sustainability in education projects is also influenced by the context in which it is implemented. The Lao PDR is still struggling to meet the MDG and LFA benchmarks and thus warrants support from major international donors in the education sector. This ongoing support will help to ensure that gains made to date can be consolidated and thereby lead to sustainable outcomes in the future.

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