72062318R00004_full_text.pdf

Issuance Date: 11/16/2018 Closing Date/Time for Questions: 11/30/2018, 10 a.m. Nairobi time Closing Date/Time: 01/18/2019, 10 a.m. Nairobi time

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 72062318R00004, Accelerated Quality Learning For Somali Children and Youth contract

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals to implement the Accelerated Quality Learning for Somali Children and Youth contract as described in the attached Request for Proposals (RFP). USAID anticipates awarding one Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) completion type contract with a period of performance of 5 years at an estimated cost range of between $47 million and $49 million. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990. The authorized geographical code is 937.

This procurement will be conducted under full and open competition procedures, pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR Chapter 1). Please refer to Section L for information regarding proposal requirements. Offerors should take into account the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and they are responsible for ensuring proposals are received at USAID. Failure to comply with the submission date will deem any submission unacceptable and it will not be reviewed or evaluated. Faxed proposals are not acceptable, nor will they be reviewed or evaluated. Section L of the RFP sets forth all instructions for the preparation and submission of required proposal contents. Section M states the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. Oral explanations or instructions given before award of the contract will not be binding.

This RFP in no way obligates USAID to award a contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award of a contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID approvals.

This RFP can be viewed and downloaded from www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Further, be aware that amendments to solicitations are occasionally issued and will be posted on the same website from which you downloaded the solicitation. USAID advises to regularly check the above website for amendments.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sam Kraegel, Contracting Officer, USAID Kenya and East Africa http://www.fedbizopps.gov/

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to increase access to quality education for a targeted number of out-of-school children and youth of ages approximately 8-15 in targeted regions of Somalia. The contract will increase student enrollment in AEP sites, improve their safety, monitor acquisition of literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills amongst the learners who enroll in them, and enhance the Federal Government of Somalia’s capacity to regulate them.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

This is a completion-form Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) contract. For the consideration set forth below, the Contractor will deliver the services described in Section C and F, in accordance with performance standards specified in Section E.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

(a) The estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is $TBD. The fixed fee, if any, is $TBD. The estimated cost plus fixed fee, if any, is $TBD.

(b) Within the estimated cost plus fixed fee (if any) specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred by the Contractor (and payment of fee, if any) for performance hereunder is $TBD. The Contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount in accordance with the Limitation of Funds Clause, FAR 52.232.22.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through TBD.

B.4 PRICE SCHEDULE

Description Amount

Total Estimated Cost (exclusive of Grants Under Contracts)

Grants Under Contract (GUCs) $ 2,870,000

Total Estimated Cost $

Fixed Fee $

Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS

The contract clause entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment (JUN 2013)”, FAR Subpart 52.216-7, specifies that the indirect cost rates shall be established for each of the Contractor’s accounting periods which apply to this contract. Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Description Rate Base Type Period

[TBD] [TBD] 1/ 1/ 1/

[TBD] [TBD] 2/ 2/ 2/

[TBD] [TBD] 3/ 3/ 3/

1/ Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/ Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

3/ Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

B.6 COST REIMBURSEMENT

Allowable costs shall be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment, FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment.

B.7 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

Payment of fixed fee will be made upon receipt of a proper invoice and shall directly correspond to the percentage of allowable costs being paid. In accordance with FAR 52-216-8, Fixed Fee, the CO will withhold 15% of the total fee or $100,000, whichever is less until the required awards conditions under the referenced clause have been met.

B.8 MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

This contract is considered non-severable, and is therefore a multi-year contract as defined in FAR

17.103. Therefore, this contract is subject to the requirements of FAR 17.106.

Cancellation Dates:

Contract Year 2: Date: TBD Amount: $0 Contract Year 3: Date: TBD Amount: $0 Contract Year 4: Date: TBD Amount: $0 Contract Year 5: Date: TBD Amount: $0

Cancellation Ceiling:

This is a CPFF Completion type contract where the contractor is authorized to be reimbursed for all costs which are allowable in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, “Allowable Costs and Payment.”

Therefore, the contractor will not incur any costs which would have been amortized over the life of the contract should the contract be cancelled in accordance with FAR 52.217-2. The cancellation ceiling for each cancellation date is indicated above.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

This section sets forth the description of the results, performance requirements, and performance standards for a five-year Accelerated Education Program (AEP)1 contract.

C.1 PROGRAM TITLE: ACCELERATED QUALITY LEARNING FOR SOMALI

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

C.2 PROGRAM PURPOSE, DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS, RESULTS

FRAMEWORK, AND RELEVANCE TO USAID

The purpose of this program is to increase access to quality education for a targeted number of out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY) of ages approximately 8-15 in targeted regions of Somalia.

The program is based on the following development hypothesis:

If enrollment in AEPs is increased;

If the safety of AEP learning environments is improved;

If student learning outcomes in AEPs are improved; and

If federal, state and local government capacity to regulate AEPs using an evidence-based framework as a guide is enhanced;

then greater numbers of OOSCY will access quality education.

The program results framework is presented below:

1 For the purposes of this solicitation, an AEP is considered a longer-term, foundational program designed to work in tandem with the formal education system.

This contract furthers USAID Somalia’s strategic vision set forth in USAID/Somalia’s 2016-2019 Transitional Strategy that inclusive governance, improved social service delivery and economic growth are critical factors in solidifying Somalia’s trajectory towards a more stable, cohesive, democratic and prosperous nation.

In sum, this contract will enable USAID/Somalia to:

➢ Contribute to global targets under the U.S Government Strategy on Basic Education2:

achieving direct outcomes in access to education for marginalized and vulnerable populations and improving learning outcomes for OOSCY.

➢ Provide relevant, flexible, safe and quality education opportunities for out-of-school children and youth in Somalia through AEPs.

➢ Assess and improve USAID-funded AEP student learning outcomes in reading, numeracy and socio-emotional learning.

➢ Provide technical assistance to and build partnerships with federal, state, regional and local Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoE) counterparts, particularly, towards institutionalization of legitimate and accredited accelerated education.

2 The U.S Government Strategy on Basic Education was issued on November 15, 2018, available at https://www.usaid.gov/education/usg-strategy. The USAID Education Policy is forthcoming.

https://www.usaid.gov/education/usg-strategy

➢ Strengthen the capacity of the MoE through technical assistance and partnerships with federal, state, regional and local education stakeholders to deliver, monitor and regulate legitimate, accredited and flexible education opportunities to out-of-school children and youth.

➢ Foster positive gender norms for girls and boys, including a highlighted attention on girls’ access and safety who are less likely to have access to safe, quality education in Somalia.

➢ Promote stability during a key transition period in Somalia through engagement of out-of-school children and youth in education opportunities that advance student learning.

C.3 BACKGROUND

Somalia has experienced a persistent complex emergency since 1991 due to widespread violence, food insecurity and recurring droughts and floods. After the collapse of the Somali Government in 1991, the country’s education system ground to a halt. Schools and universities were destroyed and damaged, forcing closures of education facilities over two decades, particularly in Banadir, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West.3 Education infrastructure was often the primary target, including the deliberate destruction of schools, university lecture halls, libraries and laboratories, sometimes complemented by the targeting of the educated cadre among the warring factions.4 Educational access was restricted, as schooling was possible mainly for those with connections to those in power. Formal school enrollment plummeted to 9.5 percent, and students, teachers, and parents lost confidence and trust in education institutions to deliver a quality education. The country’s literacy rate fell from 55 percent in the mid-1970s to 24 percent in 1990.5

Today’s Somalia is a highly fractured geographic area across 18 administrative regions within five existing and emerging Federal Member States (FMSs) including semi-autonomous Puntland Administration (“Puntland”), South West Administration (“South West”), Jubaland Administration (“Jubaland”), Galmudug Administration (“Galmudug”), and Hirshabelle Administration (“Hirshabelle”); the self-declared Independent Republic of Somaliland (“Somaliland”) and Banadir Regional Administration (“Banadir”) which includes Mogadishu. This geographic scope and diversity makes education planning and implementation highly inefficient.

The Somali National Development Plan (NDP), the first of its kind to be crafted by the central government of Somalia since 1986, covers the fiscal period 2017-2019, and put forth a bold vision and mission for “social and human development” as it relates to the education sector.6 The vision for education is to “build an adequate, well-educated, better skilled and competent workforce that contributes to the economic and human development of the nation.” Illustrative targets include increasing gross enrollment, reducing school dropouts and increasing the number of teachers with appropriate competencies. The NDP emphasizes access, equity, and quality education. It recognizes

3 Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. (2016). Country Profiles Somalia. Retrieved from http://www.protectingeducation.org/country-profile/somalia.

4 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2010). The Quantitative Impact of Conflict on Education.

Retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/QuantImp.pdf.

5 Ali Abdi. (1998). Education in Somalia: history, destruction, and calls for reconstruction. Comparative Education 34, no. 3 (November): 327-340.

6 Puntland and Somaliland have aligned their own development plans to the federal National Development Plan.

http://www.protectingeducation.org/country-profile/somalia http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/QuantImp.pdf that access continues to be a challenge, especially for rural, marginalized populations, and spending on education has not produced learning.

Somalia hosts one of the world’s most significant out-of-school populations. Forty percent of the total 12.3 million7 Somali population, roughly 4.9 million8, are school-aged.9 Of the 4.9 million children who should be in school, enrollment in school is staggeringly low–3 million children are out-of-school.10 Across Somalia, three out of ten children have access to school.

Assessments suggest that even for those children who are in school, they are not actually learning. In an Early Grade Reading Assessment11 conducted in a limited sample of schools around Mogadishu testing students in Grades 2 through 4, when Grade 2 students were asked to read a passage, nearly half of students (47 percent) in Grade 2 could not identify a single word. This reduced to one quarter of students in Grade 3 and 11 percent of children in Grade 4.12 The poor quality of education is also evident in high student dropout rates, especially between Grade 1 and 2.13 In Banadir, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West, roughly one-third of children leave school before Grade 5.14 On the other hand, other data suggests that students are able to decode simply texts and understand literal comprehension or possess reading fluency at 35 correct words per minute (cwpm), less than the 45-60 wpm global benchmark.15

The 2018-2020 FGS Federal Government of Somalia Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) further commits to “developing a quality system that promotes inclusion and from which students achieve core learning competencies in literacy and numeracy and are technologically proficient with lifelong learning and life skills.” Towards this end, the FGS has led on a number of important initiatives, including the administration of national primary and secondary examinations for four consecutive years, inclusive of public and private schools; the validation of a 2017 National Curriculum Framework for primary and secondary schools, both public and private; the development of Memoranda of Understandings of roles and responsibilities between FGS and FMSs; and the finalization of National Education Act which calls for a system “promotes inclusion” from which students achieve “core learning competencies in literacy and numeracy…”16

7 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Somalia. (2014). Population Estimation Survey (PSS). Mogadishu hosts wan estimated population of between 1.6 million people, accounting for 13 percent of the total population of Somalia.

Banadir, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West hosts 56 percent of the total population, followed by Puntland at 18 percent and Somaliland at 25 percent.

8 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2017). Education Cluster Meeting presentation. October 4, 2017.

9 Five to ten-year olds comprise a fifth of Somalia’s population, while the youth bracket of 15-34 comprise 36% of the population. Federal Government of Somalia Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. (2017). Education Sector Strategic Plan 2016-2018.

10 Federal Government of Somalia Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. (2015). Joint Review Education Sector (JRES); UNICEF. (2017). Education Cluster Meeting presentation. October 4, 2017.

11 Early Grade Reading Assessments include a series of sub-tests which measure five key-sub-skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

12 Unesco Institute for Statistics (2016). What Works in Oral Reading Assessments. Conducting an Early Grade Reading Assessment in a Complex Conflict Environment: Is it Worth it? Retrieved from http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/understanding-what-works-in-oral-reading-assessments-2016-en_2.pdf.

13 Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, 2016.

14 Federal Government of Somalia Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. (2017). Education Sector Analysis 2012-2016.

15 Care International (2018). Somali Girls’ Education Program – Transition (SOMGEP-T) midline. Unpublished draft.

http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/understanding-what-works-in-oral-reading-assessments-2016-en_2.pdf http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/understanding-what-works-in-oral-reading-assessments-2016-en_2.pdf

Many of the root causes of low educational quality have been identified. They include, but are not limited to: the absence of a unified education system (Somaliland operates independently, and Puntland semi-independently, though both increasingly showing cooperation to support the federal ministry) which renders the application of universal learning standards particularly complex; a dearth of capacity and systems for strong service delivery; teachers’ absenteeism and limited command of essential content and skills; the absence of appropriate teaching and learning materials in Somali for instruction in reading and arithmetic; resource constraints and non-transparent financial management practices that limit funds available at local levels for school management and upkeep;

an imperfect execution of decentralization policies and practices; low community engagement with the school system; and persistent poverty that limits household options.

All children and youth in Somalia–Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees, pastoralists, rural students, and students from minority clans–have the right to go to school, stay in school and learn.

For Somalia, education has the potential to reduce tensions and build social cohesion; to break down the fractures between communities and clans; foster positive gender norms; and, to create opportunities for positive social interactions between refugees, IDPs and host communities through joint activities.

Through this contract, USAID will support accelerated education programming (AEP) to increase access to quality education for a targeted number out-of-school children and youth of ages approximately 8-15 in targeted geographic areas of Somalia. AEP is primarily implemented and funded through INGOs, NGOs and donors, and part of the non-formal education system. AEP aims to deliver quality education to over-aged out-of-school children by enabling them to reintegrate into the formal education system or complete a partial or full cycle of basic education in a compressed fashion. AEP is consistent with the vision and mission stated in the country’s national education priorities.

C.4 SERVICES, DELIVERABLES, PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS AND

STANDARDS

This section sets forth the results (outcomes of Contractor performance), performance requirements and performance standards reflecting the minimum standards that the Contractor must meet during the contract term. A summary table of performance standards associated with each level of the program results framework is presented below. A reasonable level of improvement is at least .2 effect sizes over baseline. A narrative then follows providing additional information pertinent to the accomplishment of each performance standard. Performance standards are guided by USG Strategy-level reporting, with appropriate disaggregation including ethnic, linguistic, geographic, sex, age, clan/sub-clan.

In accordance with principles of ‘do no harm’, where feasible, sensitive data should be collected at baseline, midline and endline as part of parent or teacher questionnaires. This data should also be supplemented by secondary source data to ensure education services are distributed equitably, and serving the under-served, marginalized populations as intended by this contract. A rigorous and analytical process must be undertaken to ensure equity of services and outcomes.

USAID/Somalia requires that partners take into account conflict dynamics in all programs in order to support the mission’s overarching goal of building the foundation for a more stable and cohesive

Somalia. In an effort to ensure interventions are conflict-sensitive, interventions must be designed, monitored, and periodically reviewed in light of the changing conflict dynamics to ensure that:

a) they do not inadvertently create or exacerbate conflict; b) they factor in the possible impact of existing or potential conflict on staff, implementing partners and the activities themselves; and

c) they seek appropriate opportunities to mitigate tensions and support or consolidate peace and reconciliation.

Program Result: Increased Access to Quality Education for Somali Out-of-School Children and Youth of Ages Approximately 8-15.

Program Requirements Performance Standard(s)

Performance Requirement One: Enrollment in AEPs Increased

● At least 50 percent of students enrolled in AEPs per year under the program are enrolling in school for the first time (USAID Education Strategy indicator).

● Students enrolled, disaggregated by ethnic, linguistic, geographic, sex, age,17 clan/sub-clan.18

● Demonstrated evidence that MoE and AEP stakeholders are actively engaged in AEP enrollment processes.

Performance Requirement Two: Safety of AEP Learning Environments Improved

● At least 60 percent of project-supported AEP sites meet AEP safety accreditation standards by end of the contract.

● At least 60 percent of AEP personnel with increased knowledge of safe school characteristics.

● At least 75 percent girls and boys who report their learning environments as safer and more supportive.

● At least 75 percent of learning environments are within one hour travel time from learners' homes.

● At least 60 percent of AEP sites demonstrate evidence of community engagement on safety.

Performance Requirement Three: Student Learning Outcomes in AEPs Improved

● At least 60 percent of enrolled students demonstrate improved reading skills.

● At least 60 percent of enrolled students demonstrate improved numeracy skills.

● At least 60 percent of enrolled students demonstrate improved socio-emotional skills.

● At least 60 percent of students in Level 3 AEPs

17 Disaggregation will be according to “age-bands” per USAID F Standard Indicator guidance.

18 For purposes of denoting clan/sub-clan classifications, utilize the 4.5 formula for clan/sub-clan designation: Hawiye (Abgaal, Habar Gidir, Hawadle, and Murusade); Darod (Majeerteen, Marehan, Dhulbahante, Ogaden, and Warsangeli);

Digil Mirifle -Rahanweyn (Digil and Mirifle); Dir (Isaaq, Issa) and “.5” (Jareerweyn, Banadiri, and Reer Barawe). For designating a sub-clan, use the clan name first followed by a “/” and the sub-clan name. Example: Hawiye/Abgaal.

“Somali Bantu” and “Jareerweyn” are often used interchangeably, with “Somali Bantu” somewhat more commonly used by diaspora and refugee populations, while “Jareerweyn” is more commonly used by the population within Somalia.

Mission Somalia – Standardized Style/Spelling/Vocabulary. 8/7/2017.

receive an AEP completion certificate.

● At least 80 percent of AEP teachers in target schools are delivering instruction in reading, numeracy, and social-emotional skills.

● At least 60 percent of AEP teachers meet minimum AEP standards for teacher certification by the end of the contract.

● At least 60 percent of teachers observed applying evidence-based instructional strategies.

● 100 percent of classrooms have an adequate supply of teaching and learning materials for reading, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning instruction.

Performance Requirement Four: Government Capacity to Regulate AEPs Enhanced

● Core AEP curriculum is equivalent to FGS national curriculum framework.

● Developed AEP Eligibility Policy defines AEP enrollment criteria and screening process for children and youth.

● Developed AEP Accreditation Policy includes minimum standards for AEP sites and safety.

● Developed AEP Teacher Certification Policy includes minimum standards for teacher certification.

● Developed AEP Learner Certification Policy includes minimum standards for learning outcomes in literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills.

● Demonstrated evidence that MoE, AEP and private sector education stakeholders are engaged in AEP policy development.

● Education Management Information System (EMIS) includes data on USAID-supported AEP (enrollment, literacy, completion and retention).

Cross-cutting Performance Requirement: Youth Civic Engagement Strengthened

● At least 20 percent of youth in each community hosting an AEP engaged in community improvement initiatives that enhance the enabling environment for schooling.

Program Result: Increase Access to Quality Education for Somali Out-of-School Children and Youth of Ages Approximately 8-15

Through this contract, USAID seeks to expand the supply of data-driven, evidence-based alternative education programming in target regions. The Contractor will increase student enrollment in AEP sites, improve their safety19, monitor acquisition of literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional skills

19 USAID adheres to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHCR’s definition of safety and protection in education for people affected by conflict or emergencies as follows (adapted from UNHCR, 2015, p. 5, Education, Issue Brief 1. http://www.unhcr.org/560be0dd6.pdf. See also Guide to the Accelerated Education Principles, http://www.unhcr.org/560be0dd6.pdf amongst the learners who enroll in them, and enhance the FGS, FMSs, regional and local MoEs’ capacity to regulate them. The Contractor’s work under this award must both significantly increase the number of out-of-school children and youth20 who have access to basic education for the first time, ensure they are learning foundational literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills, and must support all learners enrolled in AEPs to progress towards achieving level-specific learning standards in reading, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills developed under this contract. Achieving these top-line results will likely require a number of innovative interventions across the domains of access, safety, quality, and policy development.

For the purposes of this contract, a child or youth is considered out of school if they are not currently engaged in school. There is no threshold for how long as individual must be out of school before they qualify as out of school. In addition to those who have never been in school and those who have been out of school for an extended period, an individual who was recently in school could be considered out of school if circumstances have changed so that they no longer have access to that school (e.g. the school was destroyed in a natural disaster). A child who is temporarily out of school as part of a natural cycle (e.g. summer holidays or harvest season) and is expected to return to school at the end of that cycle should not be considered out of school.

Performance Requirement One: Enrollment in AEPs Increased

Identifying OOSCY and encouraging their parents, guardians or the potential learners to enroll in school for the first time or return after dropping out can be challenging. Opportunity costs of attendance (particularly the need to work and contribute to household income), extreme poverty, school fees, household responsibilities, being overage, limited access to formal schools due to insecurity and distance, not believing an education is relevant, work, poor nutrition and even shame are some of the reasons children and youth do not enroll in school, attend intermittently or drop-out.

AEPs represent an opportunity for children who have had no access to school, as well as for children who have been to school and since dropped out, to receive or to continue their education.

In some areas of Somalia, varying international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are already operating AEPs, though these tend to differ from one another in terms of design, methodology, curricula, assessment, and training for their personnel.

In other areas of the country, there are no functioning AEPs for the populations who desperately need education services.

Under Performance Requirement One of this award, the Contractor must increase AEP enrollment, whether that be in AEP sites that already exist or in those that an examination of available data indicate should be created to serve an underserved population and children outside the reach of the formal education system. In achieving this result, the Contractor is encouraged to draw upon existing models and options for AEP delivery that are available in the country, in order to accelerate the pace of educational expansion. AEP centers will aim to be located in existing spaces such as second shifts of formal schools and community centers with reasonable rehabilitation/retrofitting of such spaces for classroom instruction. Where necessary, the AEP contract may undertake limited

Revised October 2017, available at https://eccnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/AEWG-Accelerated-Education- Guide-to-the-Principles-screen.pdf.

20 USAID Education Strategy Reporting Guidance, p. 26-27.

https://eccnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/AEWG-Accelerated-Education-Guide-to-the-Principles-screen.pdf https://eccnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/AEWG-Accelerated-Education-Guide-to-the-Principles-screen.pdf construction of new AEP semi-permanent or temporary learning centers where other options do not exist. The Contractor must conduct a site selection and submit information on cost, design drawings, Bill of Quantities (BoQs)21 used for TLS construction to the COR for approval.

The Contractor must identify flexible delivery modalities that are adapted to the needs of OOSCY, in particular, girls, rural populations, IDPs, returnees and pastoralists. This may include a flexible school calendar that takes into account seasons and migration patterns; flexible timetables to allow for priority household activities; double shifts; the conversion of classrooms to mobile schools during migration; and other interventions that have been proven to be successful in Somalia’s context. It is estimated that nomadic pastoralists account for 65% of the population in Somalia. This may require employing a variety of implementation models in order to respond to the local needs of children and youth. The Contractor must detail its plan for engaging and mobilizing teachers, students, communities and MoE officers at requisite levels to ensure rapid start-up upon award. This plan must include a comprehensive discussion of sustainability, i.e. absorption of sites, personnel and models within communities and government systems after the end of the program. The Contractor must utilize innovative technology for paying and coaching teachers, tracking accurate enrollment data, and the distribution and digitization of materials. It should be noted that USAID wishes to avoid investing heavily in the education of children who benefit from multiple other options for schooling; the AEPs supported here are meant to provide opportunity for learning to those who otherwise would not receive it, or receive it sporadically.

Performance Standard(s):

● At least 50 percent of students enrolled in AEPs per year under the program are enrolling in school for the first time (USAID Education Strategy indicator).

● Students enrolled, disaggregated by ethnic, linguistic, geographic, sex, age, clan/sub-clan.22

● Demonstrated evidence that MoE and AEP stakeholders are actively engaged in AEP enrollment processes.

Performance Requirement Two: Safety of AEP Learning Environments Improved

Increasing access for out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY) demands safer learning environments23 given the violence, turmoil, and in many cases, the displacement they have experienced during the years of conflict and periodic drought in Somalia. The AEP sites should be safe spaces for children and youth, especially for female teachers and students, supporting not only their cognitive development, but also their physical, socio-emotional development and social and emotional well-being. School-based violence, including school-related gender-based violence (SGRBV), in addition to harmful gender and social norms, can have a significant impact on students’ educational achievements through an inability to concentrate, absenteeism, and school dropout.

Female teachers, short in supply, are less likely to join the teaching profession. Communities where AEP sites operate have a key role to play in awareness and prevention of school-related violence.

A safe school is characterized by a reliable strategy for identifying and mitigating internal, external and environmental threats to safety, and by consistently meeting clear criteria for qualifying as safe

21 The bill of quantities is a document prepared by the cost consultation that provides specific measured quantities of the items of work identified by the drawings and specifications in the tender documentation.

22 Refer to footnote 2. Mission Somalia – Standardized Style/Spelling/Vocabulary. 8/7/2017.

23 For resources related to safe learning environments, please see https://eccnetwork.net/.

https://eccnetwork.net/ for learners to travel to and to attend. AEP teachers, principals and MoE personnel, as well as parents, community members, and representatives of civil society, benefit from an increased understanding of the characteristics that distinguish safe schools from those that are not safe. In addition, experience demonstrates that all AEP personnel have greater potential to contribute actively to school safety when they have had the opportunity to explore how they personally can affect attitudes, behaviors, and environmental factors that threaten their students’ safety.

The juxtaposition of Somalia’s nascent stage of development and the persistent violence against children, youth, and particularly girls in many communities across the country suggest that significant efforts should be made to engage community members, community leaders, parents, guardians, caretakers, community education committees (CECs) and youth in activities that help make the AEP centers safer. At each AEP site, the Contractor should work with communities and youth to help change community behaviors, influence positive social and gender norms, and to specifically help learners to be safer at school, going to and from school, and within the community.

These important stakeholders must benefit from the opportunity to participate in locally-driven safety needs assessments and to develop, implement, and monitor data-driven safety plans that are routinely updated to address multiple and shifting threats to student safety.

Under Performance Requirement Two, the Contractor’s efforts must increase the number of project-supported schools that meet AEP safety accreditation standards. The Contractor must ensure that the broad range of stakeholders from the MoE and from the communities program-sponsored AEPs develop and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the principles of diagnosing, improving, and maintaining community-driven school safety in the Somali context. The Contractor must determine the most efficient and effective process for improving stakeholders’ ability to reduce the incidence of violence in program-supported AEPs. Where possible, the Contractor must also seek opportunities to encourage the MoE to value the development of an agreed upon code of conduct for AEP personnel as a critical necessity for mitigating SRGBV.

Performance Standard(s):

● At least 60 percent of project-supported AEP sites meet AEP safety accreditation standards by the end of the contract.

● At least 60 percent of AEP personnel with increased knowledge of safe school characteristics.

● At least 75 percent girls and boys who report their learning environments as safer and more supportive.

● At least 75 percent of learning environments are within one hour travel time from learners' homes.

● At least 60 percent of AEP sites demonstrate evidence of community engagement on safety.

Performance Requirement Three: Student Learning Outcomes in AEPs Improved

Improved student performance is necessary for learners to advance through the AEP levels and also a critical factor in ensuring that learners do not drop out. When children and youth fail to achieve, they are more likely to attend school intermittently and eventually drop out. While the subjects that will comprise the AEP core framework are all important, the most important skill acquisition is reading (in Somali), particularly in the initial AEP level (equivalent to lower primary). In addition, all AEPs sponsored under this contract will need to provide leveled instruction in the core reading sub-skills (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension)24 and domains of numeracy, as well as in the sub-skills of socio-emotional development selected for the project. The specific sub-skills should be developed in collaboration with Somalia education authorities.

Illustrative skills include empathy, emotional awareness, self-awareness, solving conflict, and peer relationships). Other elements of the national curriculum including science, social studies and Islamic studies are outside the scope of this contract. The topline impact of all activities under this requirement is expected to be that students’ performance in reading, numeracy and SEL improves.

There is no international consensus on the measurement of SEL skills, but the Contractor should reflect improvement on the SEL instructional model chosen.

Basic skills acquisition begins with materials that are skill-specific, age-appropriate, context-relevant, gender-sensitive, conflict-sensitive, and appropriately linked to curriculum expectations and instructions or guides for classroom teachers.25 The provision of student textbooks, supplementary reading materials, and teachers’ guides to AEPs offer learners skills practice in languages specific to their home and learning context (in this case, Somali). In collaboration with linguists and Somali language experts, dialectal and contextual differences of Somali should be considered based on geographic targeted areas.26 USAID seeks to support low-cost, scalable AEP models that prove effective in this area and are sustainable.

A range of AEP learning materials currently exist and may be appropriate for use in the AEP sites.

In collaboration with the MoE, the Contractor should determine how to conduct a rapid inventory of these materials and how to consolidate information on their adequacy and relevance for stakeholders who may be asked to implement AEP programming under result one of this award to increase enrollment. The Contractor must survey the availability and quality of materials in Somali with the specific skill areas (reading, numeracy and SEL) in mind, and present a report of conclusions and recommendations to be considered to adapt, develop or product materials.27 Categories of materials that may be reviewed include: materials developed for early primary grade students; materials developed for AEP or equivalent projects; for a specific purpose (decodable readers, leveled readers, informational text, poetry, storybooks, etc.); without a specific age range in mind (stories, fables, proverbs, etc.); and for teacher reference. Materials should be cataloged for familiarity, equitable representation of gender, race, religion and persons with disabilities, skill level, pedagogical utility and content. Various stakeholders in each country must be consulted including select federal, state and district MoE representatives (especially those tasked with curriculum development and quality assurance), publishers, digital libraries, booksellers and distributors, donors, NGOs, libraries, and language commissions or NGOs, or local or expatriate linguistic professionals to understand the market. This inventory should provide a snapshot of contextual differences of the Somali language, especially in geographic areas targeted.

24 The Landscape Report on Early Grade Literacy Skills. January 9, 2007. Retrieved from https://globalreadingnetwork.net/publications-and-research/landscape-report-early-grade-literacy-skills.

25 For more information, see M. Davidson. (2013). Books that children can read: Decodeable Books and Book Leveling. Retrieved from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JW1V.pdf; JBS International. (2014). Best Practices for Developing Supplementary Reading Materials. Retrieved from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JV69.pdf.

26 Northern Somali dialect, which is the basis for Somali writing, is distinct from Somali spoken in southern Somali such that adaptations may be necessary.

27 Similar work was undertaken under the Data for Education Research and Programming (DERP) project’s Survey of Children’s Reading Materials in African Languages in 11 Countries.

https://globalreadingnetwork.net/publications-and-research/landscape-report-early-grade-literacy-skills http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JW1V.pdf http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JV69.pdf

Where sub-skills in the core three domains (literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional learning) are not addressed, the MoE and Contractor must determine how to fill in those gaps by identifying contextually relevant and developmentally-appropriate sub-skills and competencies. To properly build learners’ socio-emotional skills, modules related to conflict, psycho-social trauma and gender-sensitive topics must be creatively integrated into the curriculum, rather than as a stand-alone subject. Based on the available evidence, effective social-emotional learning programs are sequenced, active, focused and explicit.28 Lastly, in the reading domain, the MoE and Contractor must consider the importance of supplementary reading materials to support the acquisition of reading across all AEP levels; if any of these are missing, they will need to be developed, printed and distributed.

Once the MoE and Contractor have determined what instructional and assessment materials are essential for instruction in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills in AEPs supported by the program, the Contractor must reproduce, adapt or produce materials and ensure that AEP teachers and students have sufficient material resources in the form of textbooks and student workbooks.

Sufficient materials resources is typically defined as at least one reading and one math textbook per child, structured teachers' guides with scripted lesson plans to accompany both of these textbooks, and manipulatives and other supplemental materials (decodeable – one per child – and leveled readers – 10 per classroom), a set of alphabet cards, syllable cards and letter strip (1 set per classroom) to support skills building in the three core areas. The frequency of materials distribution should be determined by the Contractor in collaboration with the MoE and partners. As with the operational supplies, the Contractor should explore ways to offset the costs of materials through possible cost-sharing with AEP providers, local businesses and other donor partners. Once materials are proven to have arrived at the AEPs, the Contractor must support the MoE in verifying that they are being used as intended, which is critical to the learners’ skills progress.

To create a learning environment that maximizes a learner’s opportunity to progress through the AEP levels, teachers will need to provide an adequate quality of instruction. There are four essential keys to quality instruction that teachers will need to practice and that MoE and the Contractor must have to facilitate. These are: a) the correct use of screening instruments for students entering AEP centers, (to determine the most appropriate entry level); b) the correct use of the teachers’ guides and learning materials provided for the teaching of literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills; c) the correct use of formative assessments in these three key skill areas, and d) the correct use of AEP-leveled exams at semester and end-of-year points to determine whether progression to a next level or graduation from an AEP is appropriate for a particular learner.

With respect to screening tests, because the entry age and previous education background, if any, of OOSCY can vary greatly, the Contractor will facilitate the development of screening tests that can determine the appropriate instructional level of the enrollees and serve as a placement tool as well as a diagnostic. The Contractor will collaborate with the MoE and AEP providers to identify existing screening tools and determine what items may be adapted for standard screening tools and which items need to be developed. With respect to AEL-leveled exams, summative assessment tools should demonstrate a learner’s qualification for level completion and certification by the MoE. The development of summative assessment tools should be carried out in coordination with the MoE learning assessment efforts, and should be done in close collaboration with the MoE and AEP

28 Durlak et al (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. Retrieved from https://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/meta-analysis-child-development-1.pdf.

https://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/meta-analysis-child-development-1.pdf https://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/meta-analysis-child-development-1.pdf providers. The development of assessment tools requires tools to be piloted in order to ensure the validity and reliability of testing instruments, before teachers are offered training on them.

The Contractor is to work closely with targeted MoEs to offer effective teacher training and professional development in the use of all of these tools noted above (screening instruments, instructional materials, formative assessments, and summative assessments), as well as to offer post-training support that is intensive, responsive, collaborative and job-embedded. Professional development modules should be adapted from what exist, and revised where needed. As a result of this professional development and post-training support, teachers must demonstrate the ability to use the tools provided to them to offer relevant and conflict-sensitive skills development that is gender-responsive and uses age-appropriate pedagogy. In addition, they must master instructional and assessment techniques that assist them to cope with the known challenges of teaching in the AEP format, (i.e., in a context where there is less time available than usual to teach a curriculum that equates to primary school curriculum)29, and of serving many over-age learners whose content interests may differ from those of younger students in their same level, and learners that exhibit different skill levels in one classroom. The Contractor must devise instructional techniques in which they teach learners at their level. This must entail re-grouping by learning level across grades in school to allow children to learn at their own pace can also enhance achievement.30

The Contractor must determine, in collaboration with the MoE and AEP providers, how best to provide efficient and effective professional development and post-training support over the life of the contract. Refresher training for AEP teachers will likely be needed, as may be strengthening AEP center principals/school directors’ capacity to support the AEP teachers through ongoing classroom-based coaching. Teacher professional development modules may need to be adapted or revised following training depending on how well modules were understood and based on the resulting training evaluations. The Contractor must also track student and teacher mobility during the life of the program.

As the results and performance requirements detailed here make clear, it is imperative that the Contractor work efficiently to assist the MoE to launch AEPs for underserved and/or marginalized learners. As stated, it is recommended that this be achieved through a judicious use, among other tools, of already existing AEP program material. This provides an opportunity, in the early years of this program, for the Contractor to compare different low-cost models for AEP instruction that all meet evidence-based standards of quality instruction in literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills and assess their efficacy using cost data.

Under Performance Requirement Three, the Contractor should plan to propose those low-cost models that warrant external evaluation, detailed in the MEL section below, including those that are already fully operational, ones that are just beginning to operate, or ones that emerge from the inventories and reviews of available material and training tools for AEP instruction. The results of

29 Even in primary schools, a survey in seven African countries found that on average primary school students received less than 2.5 hours of teaching per day, less than half the intended instructional time. The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity. (2016). The Learning Generation. Retrieved from http://report.educationcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Learning_Generation_Full_Report.pdf.

30 Banerjee, Abhijit, Rukmini Banerji, James Berry, Esther Duflo, Harini Kannan, Shobhini Mukerji, Marc Shotland, and Michael Walton. 2017. "From Proof of Concept to Scalable Policies: Challenges and Solutions, with an Application." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31 (4): 73-102.

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