Attachment 2_Statement of Objectives Revised.pdf

RFP 72038819R00018

USAID’s Esho Shikhi Activity

Attachment J.1

Statement of Objectives for USAID’s Esho Shikhi Activity

1. Purpose

The objective of the Esho Shikhi Activity is to develop new and innovative approaches that can improve the learning outcomes of marginalized Bangladeshi children in the crisis-affected districts of Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies (i.e., Bandarban, etc.). The Activity will accomplish this goal by increasing learning opportunities, improving the quality of education, building the capacity of district officials and communities to support education, and building communities’ capacity to respond to disasters. The Activity addresses the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Education Policy priority of “children and youth, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable, have increased access to quality education that is safe, relevant, and promotes social well-being.”

USAID/Bangladesh posits that: If students have more opportunities to access learning, if learning opportunities are high-quality, if district and local actors ensure quality education, and if school communities are resilient to shocks and stressors, then students’ learning outcomes in

Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies will improve.

2. Scope

Esho Shikhi will primarily target pre-primary and primary-age Bangladeshi children and will explore the possibility of including secondary age children with a priority of including girl children in Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies by providing tailored approaches to the unique needs of schools in order to improve their learning outcomes in selected subject areas. At the start of the Activity, a Community Needs Assessment will drive the final selection of beneficiary schools and communities, and identified needs will determine the corresponding mix of interventions. In consultation with USAID, a baseline conducted by the contractor at the start of award will inform activity targets.

The beneficiaries may be children in Pre-Primary and Primary government primary schools, low-fee private schools, non-governmental organization (NGO) schools, alia madrasahs, non-formal schools, and/or other alternative education for out-of-school children of pre-primary and primary age. The activity may also explore the possibility of including secondary schools and strengthening early childhood development. The Contractor is not expected to reach children across all of these types of schools. USAID prioritizes gender inclusion and concentrating interventions on measurably and sustainably improving learning outcomes in targeted subject areas in one or a limited number of different school types.

3. Period and Place of Performance

Esho Shikhi is a five-year activity that will be implemented in Cox’s Bazar and surrounding

Pronounced: ā-show she-key geographies . Esho Shikhi will support “host communities,” defined as the upazilas (sub-districts) of Ukihya and Teknaf closest to the Rohingya camps, and support “impacted communities,” meaning the other six upazilas of Cox’s Bazar and three upazila of Bandarban district (Alikadam, Thanchi and Naikhonchari) that are also experiencing the socio-economic stressors of the Rohingya influx. The Activity will not target services to the Rohingya people living in the refugee camps because other U.S. government resources are specifically designed to support refugees.

4. Background

a) Education in Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies

Prior to the Rohingya influx, primary education outcomes in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies were among the lowest nationwide. School access and retention are low. Cox’s

Bazar has of the lowest percentages of children of primary school age enrolling in first grade

(94%) and it is 88.72% for Bandarban .

Cox’s Bazar has the second-highest dropout rate

(31%) and it is 24.5% for Bandarban in comparison to the national average of only 19.2% .

The quality of education in Cox’s Bazar is also poor, and students fail to master foundational skills. Out of 64 districts, Cox’s Bazar ranks second-to-last in reading and math achievement in the primary level National Student Assessment though Bandarban performs a bit better than

Cox’s Bazar.

Similarly, the endline assessment of USAID’s Reading Enhancement for

Advancing Development (READ) activity found that in government primary schools that did not receive the intervention, only 32% of third grade students could read in Bangla with comprehension.

In a region where many people speak the Chittagonian dialect, the Bangla language barrier contributes to poor learning outcomes. The endline assessment of USAID’s Innovation for

Improving Early Grade Reading Activity found that in Cox’s Bazar 31% of children in non-intervention schools finish first grade unable to read in Bangla.

Among these non-readers, on average children could only answer 32% of the Bangla-language listening comprehension questions, which indicates that they may not understand Bangla.

b) Rohingya Influx

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. (2019). “Annual Primary School Census 2018.” Accessed at < https://mopme.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/mopme.portal.gov.bd/publications/94bae6a1_e544_4411_ad5d

_bcf98f350758/Final%20Draft%20Annual%20Primary%20School%20Census-2018.pdf>.

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. (2016). Annual Primary School Census 2016. Accessed at

<http://dpe.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/dpe.portal.gov.bd/publications/b490814d_522e_4f81_b0a0_8f872

7feab27/Final%20APSC%202016,%2029%20December%202016.pdf> Directorate of Primary Education. (2018). The National Student Assessment 2017: Grades 3 and 5. Forthcoming.

Save the Children. (2018). Reading Enhancement for Advancing Development Government Primary Schools

Endline Evaluation. Accessed at < https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00T9P2.pdf> BRAC University Institute of Educational Development. (2018). Endline Evaluation of the Innovation for

Improving Early Grade Reading Activity in Government Primary Schools. Note that students in the assessment sample were from Chokoria, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ukhiya, and Teknaf.

<http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TGWC.pdf>

Since August 2017, more than 740,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Burma’s Rakhine State.

The speed and scale of the refugee flows has resulted in a critical emergency affecting Bangladeshi communities throughout the district as well as the surrounding geographies, although not all upazilas of Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies have been impacted uniformly. Some Bangladeshis are benefitting from employment opportunities created by the humanitarian influx, but for many people poverty is increasing as wages decline and prices for transportation and certain foods increase.

The Rohingya influx has deepened the plight of already struggling schools throughout Cox’s

Bazar and Surrounding geographies. In October 2018, USAID commissioned a Rapid Education and Risk Analysis to understand the impacts of the influx on school communities in six upazilas in Cox’s Bazar.

The following section summarizes the findings.

c) School Attendance and Dropout

School attendance and access are declining for children in Cox’s Bazar. In focus groups, 65% of teachers cited student attendance as their primary challenge. Increases in transportation costs and traffic affect access to schools for teachers and students, especially for girls who feel unsafe or who are harassed while commuting. Poor infrastructure also deters students from attending school. Student focus groups frequently commented on their school’s inadequate sanitary facilities. In addition, many schools are inaccessible for children with disabilities. After attendance, the second greatest challenge that students in the Rapid Education and Risk Analysis focus groups cited was social-emotional issues (49%).

Under financial strain from increased prices and decreased wages, families are withdrawing their children from school because they are unable to afford education-related expenses, such as transportation, food, and school fees.

In addition, primary-aged students are dropping out of school to work in the Rohingya camps.

d) School Quality

In a region where education quality was already poor, the Rohingya influx has further impacted the quality of education service delivery by exacerbating the district’s teacher shortage. The

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education controls teacher recruitment, training, certification, and deployment in government schools, and to date schools in Cox’s Bazar have received a limited allocation of government-salaried teachers. Cox’s Bazar district has the second-to-highest student-teacher ratio (54:1) in Government Primary Schools nationwide.

Communities have traditionally supplemented this shortfall by hiring “para-teachers.” Many of these para-teachers, UNHCR. “Refugee Response in Bangladesh” Operational Portal. Accessed 24 Feb 2019. Source:

<https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/myanmar_refugees> USAID. (2019). Rapid Education and Risk Analysis of Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar. Accessed at

<https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TJTG.pdf> Save the Children. (2018). Self-reliance Situation of Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar. Accessed at

<http://fscluster.org/sites/default/files/documents/self_reliance_assessment_report-final.pdf>

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. (2019). “Annual Primary School Census 2018.” Accessed at < https://mopme.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/mopme.portal.gov.bd/publications/94bae6a1_e544_4411_ad5d

_bcf98f350758/Final%20Draft%20Annual%20Primary%20School%20Census-2018.pdf>.

non-governmental organization (NGO) teachers, and madrasah teachers have left schools to take higher paying jobs working for humanitarian organizations in the camps. Class sizes are expanding as schools cope with the teacher shortage, and students struggle to learn in overcrowded classrooms. The teachers that remain lack the training and materials to deliver quality instruction.

e) Contextual Risks

Cox’s Bazar is the most disaster-affected of the country’s coastal districts, facing flooding, deforestation, and tropical cyclones. It is also one of the least resilient. Although school communities are aware of disaster risks, school-level action to prepare for or reduce the risk of natural hazard impacts is limited. Many government primary schools double as multi-purpose cyclone shelters, but they lack plans for ensuring the continuity of education in the event of a natural disaster. Communities report increases in crime and drug use, which contribute to families’ reluctance to send their children and youth to school.

Bangladeshis express humanitarian solidarity with the Rohingya people, but tensions between the two groups are increasing. Communities express frustration over their perception that the

Rohingya receive more humanitarian aid than the Bangladeshis.

f) Previous USAID Education Activities

Previous USAID activities implemented early grade reading programs in the Cox’s Bazar district. The READ activity implemented by Save the Children provided support to government primary schools in Cox’s Bazar to improve early grade reading outcomes (2013-2018).

The

Innovations for Improving Early Grade Reading Activity implemented by BRAC also provided support to government primary schools for early grade reading in Cox’s Bazar (2015-2018).

A lesson learned from these activities is the need to strengthen education systems and develop capacity at the national and local levels in order to sustain education reforms.

5. Preliminary Performance Objectives Tasks and Deliverables

Task/Deliverable/Report Timeframe

(1) Community Needs Assessment TBD

(2) Political economy analysis of education in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies

TBD

(3) Conflict Sensitivity Assessments (three) 1. before activity implementation

Save the Children. (2019). READ Final Report. Accessed at <https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TJ2D.pdf.>

BRAC. (2019). Innovation for Improving Early Grade Reading: Final Report. Accessed at

<https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TMG3.pdf>

2. after one year of implementation

3. after three years of implementation

(4) Student Learning Assessments:

1. Baseline

2. Midline

3. Endline

TBD

1) Community Needs Assessment

Within the first year of the contract, the contractor must conduct a needs assessment of intervention schools and communities in order to inform needs-based interventions. The assessment must be designed and planned in consultation with USAID and the Ministry of

Primary and Mass Education. At a minimum, the assessment must include an analysis of the following:

● Education landscape in each target community in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies

● Teaching practices and processes

● School enrollment, attendance, and retention rates

● Availability of teaching and learning materials

● Gender and social inclusion analysis to identify the barriers to education opportunities that boys, girls, and children with disabilities face to access quality education

● Dialect mapping to identify children who may struggle to access education in the Bangla language

● Resilience profiles of school communities

● School infrastructure, including water and sanitary hygiene

● Barriers to education for out-of-school children of primary age

● Capacity needs of district and upazila education officials to oversee quality education

● Other donor interventions

2) Political Economy Analysis of education in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies

Building self-reliance and strengthening system capacity at the district and local levels requires an understanding of the political economy of education in the region. Esho Shikhi must conduct a political economy analysis of education that examines power dynamics and decision makers at the national, district, and local levels as it relates to education of Bangladeshi schools in Cox’s

Bazar and Surrounding geographies. Analysis must include an examination of teacher allocation and placement in the district.

3) Conflict Sensitivity Assessments

It is critical that interventions under Esho Shikhi be conflict-sensitive and risk-informed. To ensure that Esho Shikhi is not contributing to conflict drivers in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies, the contractor is required to conduct conflict sensitivity assessments at three points in time: 1) before activity implementation, 2) after one year of implementation, and 3) after three years of implementation. The assessments must examine the conflict sensitivity of the implementing partner’s organization, such as whether hiring practices or collaboration with non-local partners are upsetting conflict drivers. The assessments must also examine the conflict sensitivity of the programming approach (such as beneficiary selection) and identify ways to mitigate drivers of conflict. The assessments must analyze unintended consequences of the activity, including potential for gender-based violence.

4) Student Learning Assessments (Baseline, midline, and endline reports on learning outcomes for each cohort of beneficiary schools and/or communities).

To track student learning progress, the contractor must conduct baseline, midline, and endline assessments on learning outcomes for a representative sample of each cohort of beneficiary schools and/or communities. The baseline data will become the basis for USAID and the contractor to negotiate activity targets. If the contractor’s intervention assesses early-grade reading or early-grade math, the contractor must adapt and conform to the guidance in the Early

Grade Reading Assessment toolkit or the Early Grade Math Assessment toolkit and align with the Standard Foreign Assistance Indicators for education learning outcomes. Learning outcomes must be disaggregated by sex, disability status, and grade. The reports should include a one-page infographic summarizing the findings of the assessments.

6. Performance Objectives

The goal of Esho Shikhi is to improve student learning outcomes in select subject areas in target primary schools and/or communities in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies districts. The

Contractor will provide services to achieve the following four results:

1. Learning opportunities increased.

2. Quality of education in selected subjects improved.

3. District, upazila, and community capacity to plan, manage, and oversee quality education increased.

4. School communities can mitigate or manage the effects of shocks and stressors on education access and quality.

A guiding principle of the USAID Education Policy is the use of evidence and data to drive decision-making and investments. In line with this principle, the Contractor must conduct a needs assessment of each targeted school and community at the start of the activity to inform the mixture of interventions most appropriate to achieve the four activity results in that locality.

Result 1: Learning opportunities increased

The objective of this result area is to increase opportunities for learning for school-aged children in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies. Esho Shikhi will address the barriers that children face to access formal and/or non-formal education so that children have increased opportunities for learning. In light of the protection concerns for learners and education personnel in and around schools, Esho Shikhi will also ensure that education opportunities protect learners and education personnel from internal, external, and environmental threats to their safety, while also promoting their psychosocial well-being.

It is not within the scope of this activity to provide school feeding or stipends (including for students and/or teachers).

Result 2: Quality of education in selected subjects improved

The objective of this result area is to improve the quality of education in targeted subjects and grades. At the start of the Activity, the Contractor will assess student learning to inform the selection of high-need subject(s) and grades where the Contactor will focus. USAID prioritizes selectivity and depth to generate significant learning outcomes in one or a limited number of high-need subject areas. In selecting the subject area(s), the Contractor must take into account the absorptive capacity of school communities and the district system to sustain reform. Note that USAID’s Education Policy prioritizes that: “Children and youth gain literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills that are foundational to future learning and success.

In order to not exacerbate class sizes and further degrade the quality of education, efforts to increase learning opportunities under Result 1 must be balanced by progress in addressing the teacher shortage under Result 2. If the Contractor chooses to target non-formal or alternative education opportunities, the approach must facilitate a transition to formal education, certified equivalent competencies, training, or work opportunities.

Result 3: District, upazila, and community capacity to plan, manage, and oversee quality education increased

A key principle of the USAID Education Policy is to “Strengthen systems and develop capacity in local institutions.” The ability of the people of Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies to sustainably meet their own education needs depends on stakeholders and local institutions having the capacity to ensure quality education. Under this result, Esho Shikhi will build the capacity of government counterparts at the district and upazila levels to plan, manage, and monitor quality education. To address the underlying structural challenges of the teacher shortage, the activity will address and advocate for the effective recruitment, training, certification, and deployment of teachers to Cox’s Bazar at the central ministry level. To inform activities under this result area, the Contractor must conduct a political economy analysis that examines power dynamics and decision makers at the national, district, and local levels as it relates to education of Bangladeshi schools in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies.

In addition to building the capacity of government stakeholders, Esho Shikhi will work with parents and communities, including School Management Committees, to support their engagement in their children’s learning and their ability to oversee school management and

USAID. (2018). “USAID Education Policy.” Accessed at

<www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/2018_Education_Policy_FINAL_WEB.pdf> ensure quality education.

Result 4: School communities can mitigate or manage the effects of shocks and stressors on education access and quality

School communities must be able to mitigate, adapt, and recover from shocks and stressors in order to protect students’ opportunities for learning. Under this component, the Contractor will strengthen school communities’ ability to understand and be resilient to the range of contextual risks present in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies. As identified in the Rapid Education and Risk Analysis, these risks include preparedness for natural hazards, social cohesion, and collaboration between the school and community. USAID defines resilience as “the ability of people, households, communities, countries and systems to mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stressors in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.”

Education in emergencies is a sub-component of the Fourth Primary Education Development

Program, and under this result the Contractor must support implementation of the following education in emergencies components of the Program:

● Regular school-wide and community-linked simulation drills are undertaken to practice, critically evaluate, and improve on response preparedness.

● School level disaster management plans are developed and include all hazards of the schools and local community, as well as risk reduction and preparedness activities.

● Teacher professional development includes awareness-building of Education in

Emergencies and Disaster Risk Response.

7. Operating Constraints

Applicable Policies

The Contractor must operate in line with the following U.S. government policies, frameworks and strategies, as applicable:

● U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education

● USAID Education Policy

● USAID Education Policy: Program Cycle Implementation and Operational Guidance

● Youth in Development Policy

USAID. (2012). Building Resilience to Recurrent Crises: USAID Policy and Program Guidance. Accessed at

<https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Policy%20%26%20Program%20Guidance%20-

%20Building%20Resilience%20to%20Recurrent%20Crisis_Dec%202012.pdf>

Accessed at <www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USG-Education-Strategy_FY2019-

2023_Final_Web.pdf>

Accessed at <www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/2018_Education_Policy_FINAL_WEB.pdf>

Accessed at

<www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USAID_Education_Policy_Program_Cycle_Implementation_a nd_Operational_Guidance_FINAL.pdf>

● Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy

● USAID Disability Policy Paper

8. Coordination

Implementation of Esho Shikhi must ensure coordination of interventions between the

Contractor, the Government of Bangladesh, USAID/Bangladesh, other donors, international and local NGOs working in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies, and project beneficiaries.

USAID recognizes that significant donor resources are already reaching Ukhiya and Teknaf, and the Contractor must identify gaps throughout Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies that development partners are not meeting and seek to fill those gaps.

The U.S. government is providing significant support to Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s

Bazar and Surrounding geographies, and the Contractor must coordinate and—to the extent possible—collaborate with these complementary activities in order to leverage complementary investments. These activities include:

● Shobai Miley Pori (“Everyone Reads Together”) (2020-2025): USAID is partnering with the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to implement a disability-inclusive early grade reading activity in support of the Fourth Primary Education Development

Program. The activity will provide support at the central level and in targeted regions, potentially including Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies. Esho Shikhi should plan to use the disability-inclusive Early Grade Reading Assessment protocols developed by the complementary activity.

● Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelter Refurbishment/Repair and Construction in Cox’s

Bazar and Bandarban (2019-2024): USAID is providing $7-10 million to repair multi-purpose cyclone shelters, many of which also serve as primary schools. USAID is also providing $12-15 million to construct new multi-purpose cyclone shelters.

● U.S. Department of Agriculture, McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (2017-2020): The World Food Program implements a school feeding and literacy activity in 146 government primary schools and madrasahs in the Cox’s Bazar upazilas of Ukihya and Kutubdia. Interventions under Esho Shikhi should not duplicate the efforts of the Food for Education Program. In addition, Esho

Shikhi must coordinate closely with any future McGovern-Dole International Food for

Education and Child Nutrition Program grants for Cox’s Bazar, including sharing data on student learning outcomes with personally identifiable information removed.

● Global Partnership for Education and UNICEF (June 2019 - December 2020): These organizations are funding Room to Read to implement a literacy program in 345

Government Primary Schools in four upazilas of Cox’s Bazar.

● Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): JICA supports the Fourth Primary

Accessed at <www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/Youth_in_Development_Policy.pdf>

Accessed at <www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/GenderEqualityPolicy_0.pdf>

Accessed at <http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDABQ631.pdf>

Education Development Program through a $4 million project to provide technical assistance at the central level in the area of math and science, with a focus on curriculum and textbook development, initial teacher training, and continuous professional development.

The Contractor must complement other donors’ education efforts in Cox’s Bazar and

Surrounding geographies as they evolve over the life of the contract. Currently, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, and Education Cannot Wait provide support to host communities in the upazilas of Ukhiya and Teknaf. Support includes system strengthening for local education authorities, school water and sanitary hygiene block construction, and school effectiveness and improvement grants. In addition, the Contractor is expected to participate in relevant education sector meetings, such as the Cox’s Bazar Education

Cluster.

9. Cost-effectiveness

To ensure evidence-based programming and effective public resource investment management, USAID needs better data on the effects of, and costs associated with, education interventions.

Esho Shikhi must collect cost data to help USAID accomplish the following: (1) estimate levels of investment needed to produce desired outputs; (2) understand the differences in the costs of producing the same outputs across different models; (3) measure inputs into cost categories; and

(4) when sufficient evaluation data are available, calculate cost per attributable outcomes and cost-effectiveness of comparable models. In addition, cost tracking must align with the Cost

Reporting Guidance for USAID-Funded Education Activities.

10. Creative Commons

In accordance with the 2013 White House directives on making education materials open source, the materials and media developed by Esho Shikhi must be licensed with the Creative Commons

Attribution (Creative Commons-By) license. Creative Commons is a non-profit that provides copyright licenses that allow material developers to retain copyright and credit for the original work, while allowing others to copy, distribute, and build upon the work. This licensing arrangement is essential for local partners to scale and sustain the interventions of Esho Shikhi.

Additionally, for all data first produced or specifically used by the Contractor in the overseas performance of this contract, the Contractor shall not release, reproduce, distribute, or publish such data without the written permission of the Contracting Officer. USAID may also require the

Contractor to assign copyright to USAID or another party as circumstances warrant or as specifically stated elsewhere in the contract.

11. Do No Harm

Interventions under Esho Shikhi must be conflict-sensitive and risk-informed. Education that is

USAID. (2018). “Cost Reporting Guidance for USAID-Funded Education Activities.” Accessed at <www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/USAID%20Cost%20Reporting%20Guidance%202018%20FINAL%20%281

%29.pdf> conflict-sensitive encompasses policies, activities, and approaches that promote equitable access to educational opportunity and curricula based on skills and values that support peace and social cohesion. The principle of “do no harm” must be incorporated into programming by keeping in mind the impact of education assistance on potential conflict. This principle requires making all decisions with an awareness of how they could affect power relations and inter-group relations that may contribute to conflict. In an effort to ensure that interventions are conflict-sensitive, the

Contractor is required to conduct conflict sensitivity assessments at three points in time: 1) before activity implementation, 2) after one year of implementation, and 3) after three years of implementation. The conflict sensitivity assessments must identify and address unintended consequences of the activity, including potential for gender-based violence.

12. Gender and Inclusion

USAID’s Education Policy prioritizes reaching marginalized and vulnerable children, especially girls and children with disabilities. Based on the gender and inclusion findings of the Community

Needs Assessments during activity start-up, Esho Shikhi will develop a Gender and Inclusion

Strategy that takes gender and inclusion considerations into account in activity work planning, implementation, monitoring, and staffing. In a country context where girls are more likely to be enrolled in school than boys, the activity must support equal education opportunity for both genders. The Activity must be designed so that female teachers, researchers, officials, and community members have equitable opportunities for professional development and advancement. In addition, the management of Esho Shikhi should promote gender equality and female leadership in its own organizational structures and staffing.

Esho Shikhi must also ensure an inclusive, equitable approach to education. All newly developed content, materials, and media should be designed to be disability-inclusive, gender-sensitive, conflict-sensitive, engaging, and relevant to the Bangladeshi context. To support inclusive education for children with disabilities, Esho Shikhi must ensure disability-inclusiveness in all activities, including classroom management, classroom instruction, and teaching and learning materials.

In addition, Esho Shikhi must implement the principles of Positive Youth Development by engaging youth as key community stakeholders in activity work planning and implementation.

The activity must also be consistent with the goal of USAID’s Youth in Development Policy

(2012): “to improve the capacities and enable the aspirations of youth so that they can contribute to and benefit from more stable, democratic and prosperous communities and nations.”

13. Geographic Information System (GIS)

The Contractor will apply geospatial methods using GIS technology to support USAID’s effort

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. (2019). “Annual Primary School Census 2018.” Accessed at < https://mopme.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/mopme.portal.gov.bd/publications/94bae6a1_e544_4411_ad5 d_bcf98f350758/Final%20Draft%20Annual%20Primary%20School%20Census-2018.pdf>.

For more information on the Positive Youth Development approach, see < https://www.youthpower.org/positive-youth-development>

USAID Youth in Development Policy. (2012). Accessed at

<http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/Youth_in_Development_Policy.pdf>.

to incorporate geographic data and analysis into USAID’s overall development planning, design, and monitoring and evaluation. Geographic data collection, analysis, and submission methods should be included in the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan and the Work Plan.

14. Government of Bangladesh

To support self-reliance in the education sector, Esho Shikhi must work through the governance structures of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and beyond (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs) and its implementing agencies at the local and central levels to implement its initiatives. Esho Shikhi must work closely with these government counterparts and build their capacity to sustain these activities after the life of the activity. The contractor must hold biannual Steering Committee Meetings in Dhaka with the Ministry of

Primary and Mass Education (and others) and the Directorate of Primary Education to provide updates and receive inputs on activity implementation progress. In addition, all Esho Shikhi interventions must align with the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education’s Fourth Primary

Education Development Program, and teaching and learning materials developed must be approved by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.

15. Grants under Contract

Grants under Contract are permitted under this award. Grants under contract will increase local ownership and build capacity within the sector. Support to local organizations is also critical to mitigate potential conflict drivers; the perception that donors provide more funding to Dhaka-based NGOs rather than NGOs based in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies is creating an additional source of grievance and tension in the region.

Grants under Esho Shikhi will build the capacity of local organizations. USAID’s order of preference for grants under contract is: 1) local organizations from Cox’s Bazar/Surrounding geographies; 2) organizations from other parts of Bangladesh, and 3) international or U.S.-based organizations. The objectives of the grants under contract are to (a) support local organizations to meet the district’s education needs, (b) build the capacity of local organizations; (c) lower the barriers to entry for a broad range of non-traditional partners, thereby leveraging innovative solutions; and (d) address challenges to funding for local organizations in Cox’s

Bazar/Surrounding geographies.

16. Sustainability

As highlighted in the USAID Education Policy: “measurable and sustainable improvements in students’ learning is our primary goal.” As such, it is critical that Esho Shikhi design and implement its activities in a way that supports the sustainability of results beyond the life of the activity. To achieve this goal, interventions must be country-owned and must leave lasting, integrated impacts at the activity’s end, including the ability of stakeholders and local counterparts to sustainably finance and equitably deliver services that measurably improve learning outcomes.

17. Local Development

Sustainability in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies depends on local organizations having the capacity to lead their own development. To achieve this goal, it is essential that the

Contractor develop the capacity of the Bangladeshi education organizations with which it chooses to partner. The Contractor will conduct an Organizational Capacity Assessment of its

Bangladesh-based partner organizations.

Based on those needs, the Contractor will develop a plan for strengthening key organizational areas, including appropriate training and technical assistance.

18. Private Sector Engagement

USAID/Bangladesh seeks to engage the private sector in the identification and definition of development problems and the scoping and implementation of solutions to those problems.

USAID recognizes and seeks to leverage the expertise and resources of the private sector to help increase the reach, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainable results and impact of USAID’s development investments. Offerors shall include in their proposals a comprehensive approach to private sector engagement that includes and/or demonstrates the following:

● Understanding and identification of potential private sector partnership opportunities;

● Understanding of how partnerships will contribute to project objectives/results and to the business interests of potential partners;

● A capacity for and approach to fostering innovation that advances sustainable development outcomes;

● Measurable indicators and targets that will determine success;

● Experience engaging the private sector and building and managing public-private partnerships, and achievement of concrete results from previous partnerships.

● Demonstration of why the proposed partnership presents a compelling business interest for prospective resource partners;

● Demonstration of how the proposed partnership contributes to a sustainable increase in:

literacy/ numeracy/primary education/girls’ access to education, among target beneficiaries.

19. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan

Monitoring and evaluation are essential to improve performance and effectiveness, as well as to provide feedback loops to inform adaptive planning and management decisions in a fluid context.

The Contractor will design and implement a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan that permits the efficient and timely measurement of progress toward activity results, aids in the management of Esho Shikhi activities, and provides other data as agreed between

USAID/Bangladesh and the Contractor. The MEL Plan must include a learning agenda to inform activity adaptation and to contribute to the sector’s understanding of the situation and solutions to provide quality education in Cox’s Bazar and Surrounding geographies. The Contractor will

USAID’s Organizational Capacity Assessment may be found at

<http://usaidlearninglab.org/library/organizational-capacity-assessment> regularly monitor: fidelity of implementation, key intermediate and final outcomes, context, dosage of implementation, and costs. The MEL Plan should include gender indicators, and all person-level indicators must be disaggregated by sex and disparities analyzed and addressed. To the extent feasible, monitoring and evaluation should be conducted through or with the participation of local education officials in order to build capacity, and student assessments must be approved by the relevant government agency and include government participation to the extent possible.

The Contractor must conduct student learning assessments at baseline, midline, and endline on learning outcomes from a sample of beneficiary schools and/or communities. Further, if the

Contractor’s intervention assesses early-grade reading or early-grade math, the Contractor must adapt and conform to the guidance in the Early Grade Reading Assessment toolkit, the Early

Grade Math Assessment toolkit. Learning outcomes must be disaggregated by sex, disability status, and grade. As necessary, the Contractor must share data on student learning outcomes

(with personally identifiable information removed) with partners in Cox’s Bazar and

Surrounding geographies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s McGovern-Dole

International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

The Contractor must collect data on all relevant Foreign Assistance Standard Indicators. Student-level indicators must also be disaggregated by grade, age, disability status, and by the number of learners affected by conflict or crisis. Measurement of disability status must follow USAID’s

“How-To Note Collecting Data on Disability in Education Programming.”

20. Collaborating, Learning, and Adaptation

With shifting USAID requirements, Government of Bangladesh and donor policies and programs, a high natural disaster risk, and uncertainty over medium-term solutions for the refugee crisis, Cox’s Bazar and surrounding geographies are fluid contexts that require close collaboration and adaptive management. The Contractor must be able to rapidly incorporate changes in policy, adapt to the changing environment resulting from changes in context and donor involvement, and address emerging needs and evidence to ensure that activities are responsive to new realities. Given this changing operational environment and the need for a flexible and adaptable program approach, USAID expects the Contractor to periodically review activity assumptions and adapt approaches and the theory of change as new evidence emerges.

Collaborating, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) principles can support this responsiveness to changing environments and opportunities. Esho Shikhi should plan time to reflect, identify, and adapt to windows of opportunity, challenges, or emergent evidence.

Available online at < https://www.globalreadingnetwork.net/sites/default/files/resource_files/EGRA%20Toolkit%20Second%20Edition.

pdf>

Note that USAID intends to update this toolkit in the coming years. Available online at < https://globalreadingnetwork.net/eddata/egma-toolkit>

Available at www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/How-

To_Note_on_Collecting_Data_on_Disability_FINALv3.pdf. It is anticipated that USAID’s Shobai Miley Pori

(“Everyone Reads Together”) (2020-2025) will adapt the Early Grade Reading Assessment for learners with disabilities.

21. External Evaluation

USAID intends to conduct one or more external evaluations of Esho Shikhi during the life of the activity. The Esho Shikhi Contractor must work collaboratively with and provide access and data to the external evaluator.

22. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

The Contractor will be required to submit a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan for USAID’s use that describes how the Contractor’s performance will be measured.

[END OF SECTION J.1]