Section C - SOO - Education Systems Strengthening Activity_Amend_01.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

1. PROGRAM TITLE

USAID Liberia Education Systems Strengthening Activity.

2. PURPOSE

The overall purpose of the USAID Liberia Education Systems Strengthening Activity (the Activity) is to build a more capable education system that functions better at the county and district levels to drive, measure, and incentivize the delivery of quality and inclusive education by partnering with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other development partners in the education sector. This Activity will support the Government of Liberia’s (GOL) education priorities by collaborating with the MOE to achieve the following results: 1) Evidence-based decision making increased, 2) Resource management improved, and 3) Accountability enhanced.

The Activity will pursue these improvements in order to help the MOE to keep all children and youth in school and learning, especially marginalized and vulnerable learners such as students who are female, over-age, living in rural communities, and/or have a disability.

3. SCOPE

The Activity will provide support to the central MOE to improve education governance and management. However, in its work to improve governance processes and systems at the county, district, and school levels, the Activity will target the six central counties of Liberia that represent the majority of the population (Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa). The targeting aligns with USAID/Liberia’s 2019-2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and ensures synergy across USAID’s education portfolio to1 maximize results. As a systems-level intervention, the Activity will complement other USAID education activities that intervene at the school level. It will build on past USAID efforts to improve education governance, management, and accountability: the Liberia Teachers Training Program I and II, Governance and Economic Management Support Program, Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research Program, and the Liberia Accountability and Voice Initiative.

4. COUNTRY BACKGROUND

Deep-rooted education governance and management challenges constrain the sustainable financing and delivery of education services that keep all children and youth in school and learning, especially marginalized and vulnerable learners such as students who are female, over-age, living in rural communities, and/or have a disability. These challenges endure in part due to a stalled decentralization process that leaves counties, districts, and schools with low levels of capacity, resources, and authority, and an annual budget that does not provide the resources necessary to improve and sustain quality and equity in education delivery. Low

1 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/CDCS_Liberia_June_2024.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/CDCS_Liberia_June_2024.pdf capacity across government and society, including all levels of the MOE, represent one of the greatest barriers to sustained economic growth in Liberia. The impact on the Liberian education sector includes the following:

● Learning outcomes at all levels in Liberia remain far below MOE expectations. While the rate of students who take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and fail all subjects decreased from 61 percent to 23 percent from 2018 to 2020, only 46 percent passed three subjects and less than 1 percent passed all subjects in 2020.2

● Over-age enrollment continues to exacerbate drop-out rates in all education levels. More than 74 percent of pre-primary, 82 percent of primary, and 85 percent of secondary school students are over-age for their grades.3

● Poor quality of instruction continues to negatively impact learning outcomes in all education levels. On a test of basic literacy and math, only 5 percent of teachers passed with a score of at least 70 percent. Of the remainder, 44 percent conditionally passed with scores in the 40-69 percent range, and 51 percent failed with scores below 40.4

Over the last two years, COVID-19 upended traditional education delivery. Addressing the COVID-19 disruption required a rapid shift to remote learning, adjustments to education support programs, such as school feeding, and an MOE emergency response plan. In 2022, the MOE5 and development partners will complete and publish a new education sector analysis and the MOE will launch a new five-year education sector plan to provide a new baseline and foundation for growth in the post-COVID-19 period.

5. RATIONALE & RELATIONSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA AND

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PLANS AND PRIORITIES

The Activity reflects overarching USG and USAID policy priorities, including the USG Strategy on International Basic Education (2019-2023), the 2018 USAID Education Policy, the National6 7

Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, and the 2013 USAID Strategy on Democracy, Human8

Rights and Governance. In addition, the Activity will support USAID and GOL strategies,9 including the 2019-2024 USAID/Liberia CDCS, the GOL’s 2018 Pro-Poor Agenda for

9 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/USAID-DRG_fina-_6-24-31.pdf 8 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Strategy-on-Gender-Equity-and-Equality.pdf 7 https://www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/2018_Education_Policy_FINAL_WEB.pdf 6 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USG-Education-Strategy_FY2019-2023_Final_Web.pdf

5 Ministry of Education, (2020). Liberia COVID-19 Education Emergency Response Plan.

http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Liberia-COVID-19-Education-Response-Plan_24-May_2020.pdf

4 National MOE Teacher Testing Exercise 2015-2017.

3 Ministry of Education, (2016). Getting to Best Education Sector Plan 2017-2021.

https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/getting_to_best_education_sector_plan_2017-2021._liberia.pdf

2 https://smartnewsliberia.com/liberia-wassce-2020-provisional-results-release-for-senior-high/.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/USAID-DRG_fina-_6-24-31.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Strategy-on-Gender-Equity-and-Equality.pdf https://www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/2018_Education_Policy_FINAL_WEB.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USG-Education-Strategy_FY2019-2023_Final_Web.pdf http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Liberia-COVID-19-Education-Response-Plan_24-May_2020.pdf https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/getting_to_best_education_sector_plan_2017-2021._liberia.pdf https://smartnewsliberia.com/liberia-wassce-2020-provisional-results-release-for-senior-high/

Prosperity and Development (PAPD), the MOE’s Getting to Best Education Sector Plan10

2017-2021 (G2B-ESP), and the MOE’s Inclusive Education Policy (2018).11 12

Under the CDCS, the Activity will address DO 3: Foundation for growth strengthened through a healthy, productive, and educated population, and its three IRs: IR 3.3: Quality of education services improved; IR 3.4 Equitable access to learning increased; and IR 3.5 Foundational rights and access to public services for all Liberians increased. The Activity will also contribute to DO 2: Effective and inclusive governance catalyzed through reforms and greater accountability through two of the three IRs: IR 2.2: GOL empowered and incentivized to deliver quality public services and IR 2.3: Civil society and media enabled to advance reforms and accountability.

In supporting the PAPD, the Activity will address PAPD Pillar 1 - Power to the People: To empower Liberians with the tools to gain control of their lives through more equitable provision of opportunities in education, health, youth development, and social protection, and Pillar 4 - Governance and Transparency: An inclusive and accountable public sector for shared prosperity and sustainable development. The Activity also aligns with three of nine strategies under the G2B-ESP: Establish an effective school quality improvement and accountability system;

Improve the efficiency and performance of the education management system; and Improve the efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of the teaching workforce. The Activity will support the MOE’s visionary Inclusive Education Policy toward quality and equity in education delivery, especially in the areas of collecting inclusive education data and implementing inclusive school quality standards.

In the wake of tremendous disruptions to the education system by a once in a century pandemic, the Activity will support the system strengthening component of the fourth policy priority of the MOE’s education emergency response plan: Recovery, school re-opening and system strengthening. Among other areas, this component calls for a focus on assessment, capacity13 development for county and district education offices and school leadership, school quality improvement and data strengthening, and monitoring and accountability. The MOE’s plan notes a funding gap of over $24 million, illustrating the stark challenge facing the MOE to monitor progress, generate data, and report towards global data milestones on the road to recovery. The fallout from COVID-19 is likely to have an overstated impact on learners who are from already marginalized groups, such as students who are female, over-age, living in rural communities, and/or have a disability. With a focus on equity, a key component of the Activity, these groups will merit special attention.

http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Liberia-COVID-19-Education-Response-Plan_24-May_2020.pdf

12 http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Liberia-Inclusive-Education-Policy.pdf https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/getting_to_best_education_sector_plan_2017-2021._liberia.pdf https://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/Pro-Poor%20Agenda%20For%20Prosperity%20And%20Development%20book% 20for%20Email%20sending%20(1).pdf%20-%20Compressed.pdf http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Liberia-COVID-19-Education-Response-Plan_24-May_2020.pdf http://moe-liberia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Liberia-Inclusive-Education-Policy.pdf https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/getting_to_best_education_sector_plan_2017-2021._liberia.pdf https://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/Pro-Poor%20Agenda%20For%20Prosperity%20And%20Development%20book%20for%20Email%20sending%20(1).pdf%20-%20Compressed.pdf https://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/Pro-Poor%20Agenda%20For%20Prosperity%20And%20Development%20book%20for%20Email%20sending%20(1).pdf%20-%20Compressed.pdf

6. DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS AND PROGRAM RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Development Hypothesis

IF the MOE has:

● professionals at central, county, district and school levels with increased capacity and guidance to fulfill their roles under the Education Reform Act of 2011;14

● institutions and professionals that provide quality and equity in education delivery and are accountable to students and parents;

● comprehensive data, including more information related to equity, and mechanisms in place to produce and use regular, timely, and reliable statistics;

● financial resources and incentive systems that align with their vision for quality and equity in education delivery; and

● civil society partners that are effective advocates for quality and equity in education delivery;

THEN the MOE will be a more capable institution that:

● functions better at county and district levels to drive, measure, and incentivize quality and equity in education delivery;

● keeps students in school; and

● and improves learning outcomes for all children and youth, especially marginalized and vulnerable learners such as students who are female, over-age, living in rural communities, and/or have a disability.

As the MOE transitions to a new education sector plan for 2022-2026, the Contractor will augment USAID’s support to address critical education governance and management challenges which are currently barriers to sustainably improving quality and equity in education delivery.

The Contractor will not attempt to address all of the complex system-level challenges facing the MOE, rather it will provide strategic support that complements and builds on current and past USAID programming as well as efforts led by the MOE and other development partners, including the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

Through forums like the Local Education Group and the Education Sector Development Committee, USAID will continue to help the MOE to promote coordination and collaboration among education programs and donor interventions. Implementing a system-level intervention, the Contractor will augment USAID’s assistance to the MOE to lead this coordination.

The results framework for this Activity is as follows:

14 https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/en/2011/education-reform-act-2011-5902 https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/en/2011/education-reform-act-2011-5902

7. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS

IR 1: Evidence-based decision making increased

Through this Activity, resources will be used to partner with the MOE to improve evidence-based decision making. Comprehensive and reliable data on the education system, regularly collected and systematically used, is essential to improve education outcomes. Central to this work is an effective Education Management Information System (EMIS) and human resources at the central, county, district and school levels that are capable of collecting, inputting, analyzing, and utilizing the data. The MOE aims to conduct a quarterly school quality assessment, an annual school census, and a school grading exercise every three to five years.

With support from GPE and UNICEF, the MOE conducted a school census for 2019-20, the first time since 2015-16. However, the MOE faces onerous logistical and accessibility constraints as it works to establish a cost-effective and sustainable framework and plan for regular data collection, analysis, and utilization. A technical working group composed of USAID and other development partners convened by the MOE is improving collaboration in this area. USAID has worked with the MOE on school quality assessment and decentralized education monitoring under the Accelerated Quality Education and Read Liberia activities.

With support from the GPE’s Getting to Best (GPE-G2B) project, the MOE is developing a national learning assessment policy and framework through which it seeks to create mechanisms to measure learning outcomes beyond the public exams (i.e., West African Examinations Council exams at grades 6, 9, and 12, and university entrance exams), including assessments at grades15

3 and 6. This will be rolled out nationwide in 2022. The USAID Read Liberia activity helped the MOE establish the early grade reading assessment for grades 1 and 2 and implement a group

15 https://www.liberiawaec.org/ https://www.liberiawaec.org/ administered learner assessment. More comprehensive collection and analysis of data on education delivery and learning will enable the MOE to use data to improve quality and equity in education delivery, in line with priorities presented under IRs 2 and 3.

1.1 Data on education quality and equity regularly collected

The Activity will support the MOE, in partnership with other development partners, to conduct school quality assessments, annual school censuses, and school grading exercises in addition to all other assessments and censuses captured in the national assessment framework . The Activity will help the MOE to ensure adequate protocols, tools, and resources for systematized and regular data collection, and pilot new technology, techniques, and incentive strategies for better and more reliable data collection, especially in remote locations. At the start of the Activity, the Contractor will be expected to provide the MOE with updated information on student demographics in the six target counties and account for the impact of COVID-19, especially on marginalized and vulnerable populations. The Activity will support the MOE to expand the availability and use of data on students with disabilities and environmental factors affecting participation in schooling for all children based on the Washington Group on Disability Statistics in line with the vision of the MOE’s Inclusive Education Policy. The Activity is expected to16 help the MOE to ensure technical staff in target counties and districts are trained and equipped to implement and improve the new national learning assessment policy and framework.

1.2 Data analysis and utilization skills improved

The Activity will support the MOE to train technical staff (especially at the central level, but also county and district levels, as necessary), and improve institutional processes for sustainable technical capacity building, in data analysis and utilization. The Activity will therefore help the MOE to identify the critical skills gaps to address in: data analysis; preparing and utilizing analytical reports for inclusive decision-making, planning, and performance monitoring; data consumption (e.g., distinguishing causation from correlation, interrogating data sufficiency, and contextualizing data); and communicating data-informed decisions. To promote equity and inclusion, the Activity will help the MOE to develop the capacity of EMIS staff to analyze disaggregated data (sex, age, socio-economic status, geography, disability, etc.), including disability data disaggregated by type and severity of impairment. The Activity is expected to help the MOE to collect data, analyze and assess them, and to operationalize the recommendations in the course of delivering education services. Therefore, the Contractor will co-create with the MOE a learning agenda and a plan for operations research that focuses on quality and equity in education delivery. Having additional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity in the central, county, and district offices will help the MOE strengthen decentralized implementation of the M&E framework.

Expected Results:

● At least 200 MOE M&E staff are trained across the central office and the six target counties.

● The MOE is better capacitated for increased evidence-based decision making at the central and county levels.

16 https://www.washingtongroup-disability.com/ https://www.washingtongroup-disability.com/

● Regular school quality assessments, annual school censuses, and school grading exercises are conducted in the six targeted counties.

● A learning agenda for quality and equity in education delivery is co-created with the MOE and operations research is implemented in partnership with the MOE.

● Innovations or best practices to improve school-based data collection are piloted.

Illustrative Performance Indicators:

● ES.1-12: Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

● ES.1-59: Education system strengthened through USG-assisted policy reform

● CBLD-9: Percent of USG-assisted organizations with improved performance

● Supp-16: Education System Strengthened: Data Systems

● Custom: Number of schools that report on students with disabilities

IR 2: Resource management improved

Through this Activity, resources must be used to partner with the MOE to improve strategic areas of resource management, in particular those areas that are most closely related to improving quality and equity in education delivery. The MOE lacks the capacity to manage finances, procurement, assets, and human resources effectively, especially at the county and district levels.

In addition, the mechanisms, policies, and funding are inadequate to drive sustainable improvement. As envisioned under the Education Reform Act of 2011, county and district education offices, with support from school-based authorities, should be able to manage their own schools and resources. Ineffective resource management leads to poor infrastructure, lack of supplies, few books in the hands of students, and inadequate support to teachers and school administrators to ensure the safety and suitability of school learning environments. Effective resource management is an enormous challenge beyond the scope of one USAID intervention to address, but there are strategic and innovative opportunities to support the MOE to incentivize quality and equity in education delivery.

Human resources make up around 90 percent of the Liberian education budget and cover three of the seven components of USAID’s Reading Matters framework (teachers, administrators, and mentors). The payroll system includes ghost teachers and teachers who have abandoned their posts. Poorly qualified teachers enter the profession without proper credentials and volunteer and supplementary teachers are not appropriately compensated. Classrooms in remote areas are not attractive to younger teachers and they often leave within two years of their appointment. A recently passed act to amend the Education Reform Law of 2011 included a rural teacher incentive fund that may provide a useful carrot. Building on support from Big Win Philanthropy, the GPE-G2B project, and past efforts by USAID and other development partners, the MOE17 worked to clean the payroll and ensure qualified and appropriately compensated teachers are in the classroom, but more support is needed to institutionalize the reforms. An effective human resources system should include rewards and sanctions, linked to both institutional and individual results.

17 https://www.bigwin.org/case-study/upgrading-education-quality-in-liberia/ https://www.bigwin.org/case-study/upgrading-education-quality-in-liberia/

2.1 Mechanisms to incentivize education quality and equity implemented

The Activity will support the MOE to train technical staff at the central, county, and district levels, and improve institutional processes for sustainable technical capacity building, in resource management. In order to do so, the Activity will help the MOE to identify the critical skills gaps to address in: budgeting and financial management policies and procedures, procurement oversight, resource allocation and costing to connect budgeting with data-driven decision making, and asset and fleet management policies and procedures. With a stronger foundation, county and district offices will be better equipped to implement new mechanisms, innovative and/or based on best practices, that incentivize education quality and equity by institutions and individuals at decentralized levels in ways that align with the Education Reform Law of 2011 and the new Education Sector Plan. Incentive structures may integrate non-monetary and monetary approaches and will align with sub-IRs 2.2 and 3.1. The Activity will help the MOE to pilot innovations in protocols, tools, and technology to streamline resource management processes, reduce opportunities for corruption, and ensure adequate access to appropriate teaching and learning materials in schools and districts within the six target counties.

The Activity is also expected to build the MOE’s capacity to conduct participatory planning and budget allocation, linking quality and equity with improving resource management, which aligns with IR 3.2.

2.2 Education sector human resource management systems strengthened

The Activity will support the MOE to strengthen and sustain the newly established Center of Excellence for Educational Administration, Accreditation, and Certification as a key actor to improve education sector human resource management. The Activity is expected to work with the MOE to assess existing career ladders and corresponding pay scales associated with growth and explore the potential for a comprehensive performance management system for education professionals. The Activity will work with the MOE to ensure that staff have the resources needed to perform their roles, to set clear expectations for staff regarding their responsibilities in improving learning, and to ensure that high performance is rewarded. The Activity will also explore with the MOE the possibility of integrating all education professionals into a single payroll and digitizing a comprehensive payroll database that links with national identification number, registration, and, as feasible, performance. The Activity will work in coordination with the USAID Transforming the Education System for Teachers and Students in Liberia (TESTS) activity and the GPE-G2B project to assist the MOE on plans to train current teachers who lack credentials but are identified as technically proficient. The Activity is also expected to explore supporting the MOE to improve teacher and administrator performance by linking non-monetary and monetary incentives, public recognition, and job opportunities to higher performance and offering teachers and administrators the option of receiving their salary through electronic means such as mobile money.

Expected Results:

● At least 500 MOE technical staff are trained across the central office and the six target counties.

● The MOE is better capacitated to sustainably improve resource management at the central and county levels.

● The Center of Excellence for Educational Administration, Accreditation, and Certification is strengthened to improve the education sector human resource management.

● Innovative or best practices on individual and institutional incentive structures for quality and equity in education delivery are piloted.

● Budgeting, financial management, and recordkeeping policies and procedures are established or improved in the six target counties.

● County- and district-specific education sector plans are established in the six target counties based on the Education Sector Plan.

Illustrative Performance Indicators:

● ES.1-12: Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

● ES.1-59: Education system strengthened through USG-assisted policy reform

● CBLD-9: Percent of USG-assisted organizations with improved performance

● Custom: Number of county- and district-specific education sector plans established

IR 3: Accountability enhanced

Through this Activity, resources will be used to partner with the MOE and civil society organizations to strengthen the supply and demand side of accountability systems. A significant barrier to quality and equity in education delivery in Liberia is the insufficient focus on integrity, ethics, and responsibility within a professional’s area of control. Given the need for accountability in evidence-based decision making and resource management, this focus on accountability extends through IRs 1 and 2 as well. Moreover, the work of improving data collection under IR 1, especially related to improving and strengthening school quality assessments, will link with improvements in accountability pursued under IR 3.

The central MOE exercises limited technical oversight and support of the education system, including with regard to the over 50 percent of schools that are non-state schools. County and district education offices and school boards do not have the technical capacity or resources necessary to fulfill their envisioned roles. School administrators do not provide effective supervision and support for teachers. Teachers do not spend enough time on instruction. Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) do not have enough autonomy. Parents do not know where all the school fees go. Students do not spend enough time in school. On the demand side, few citizen advocacy groups are focused on quality and equity in education delivery and those that are, including organizations of people with disabilities (OPDs), would benefit from additional technical and financial support. Information about the benefits of all children starting school at the appropriate age, reading outside of the classroom, and completing a full basic education needs to be regularly communicated to parents and community leaders.

3.1 Supervision and monitoring mechanisms strengthened

The Activity will support the MOE to train staff, especially county and district education officers and school administrators, and improve institutional processes for sustainable technical capacity building, in supervision and monitoring so schools and teachers receive the support they need to ensure quality and equity in education delivery. In doing so, the Activity will help the MOE to identify critical skills gaps to address in: ethics, internal controls, decision-making and communications, educational leadership and administration, and school management. The Activity will also help the MOE to define roles, responsibilities, and professional standards among staff; ensure that there are adequate policies, practical tools, and reporting structures in place to improve accountability; and implement the new National School Quality Standards and Supervision Tools. The Activity is also expected to support the MOE to explore and pilot best practices and innovations that empower professionals and improve performance, such as a structured mentorship process, professional learning communities, competitions to recognize good performance, and other localized approaches that account for the context of limited resources. The Activity also will support the MOE to conduct or update and disseminate studies on accountability for education quality and equity, which aligns with the learning agenda described under IR 1.2. Illustrative topics include time on task in school, school fees, teacher absenteeism, corruption in the education sector, and school-related gender-based violence.

3.2 Advocacy for quality and equity in education delivery expanded

The Activity will target organizations and groups active in education advocacy and identify new opportunities to build coalitions and communication campaigns that demand and spread awareness about the benefits of quality and equity in education delivery, providing space, opportunities, and mechanisms for transparency as part of the approach to increase accountability. In addition, the Activity is expected to explore with the MOE opportunities to increase visibility on school performance with regard to quality and equity, which may include building on the GPE-G2B project’s school report card initiative, setting benchmarks, and recognizing strong performance. The Activity will support the MOE to train PTAs, in coordination with other USAID education interventions, to fulfill their many roles. Collaboration is also expected to be key with other USAID interventions working to build capacity among civil society and media to reach mutual goals related to improving public service delivery, leveraging and strengthening education advocacy groups and networks, including OPDs, as well as innovative communication methods such as community radio and other independent media. The Activity also will support the MOE to develop and test tools for oversight of county and district education officers and school boards by community and civil society stakeholders as well as joint planning, accountability, and decision-making, and train citizen groups to use them.

Expected Results:

● At least 500 MOE technical and administrative staff are trained across the central office and the six target counties.

● The MOE is better capacitated to sustainably enhance accountability at the central and county levels.

● At least five studies or assessments on accountability for education quality and equity, in line with the learning agenda, are conducted and results are disseminated.

● At least 200 PTAs are strengthened to assume more school-based leadership and oversight.

● Capacity among citizens and civil society organizations in performing oversight and accountability of education delivery is improved.

● Innovative and best practices on monitoring and recognizing school performance with regard to quality and equity are piloted.

● The National School Quality Standards and Supervision Tools are used in the six target counties to monitor school quality and create school improvement plans.

Illustrative Performance Indicators:

● ES.1-3: Number of learners in primary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG education assistance

● ES.1-12: Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

● ES.1-13: Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-based school governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education supported with USG assistance

● ES.1-50: Number of public and private schools receiving USG assistance

● ES.1-53: Number of learners in pre-primary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG education assistance

● ES.1-59: Education system strengthened through USG-assisted policy reform

● Supp-7: Number of parents or community members trained to support children’s education with USG assistance

● CBLD-9: Percent of USG-assisted organizations with improved performance

8. PERFORMANCE MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING

The Contractor must develop an activity monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan (AMELP) and work in partnership with the MOE to collect data that monitors activities through output and outcome indicators that are aligned with and sufficient to monitor the Results Framework, including USAID standard indicators. Data collected by the Contractor will be used for monitoring and evaluation purposes, Agency reporting, and strengthening MOE capacity to collect, analyze, and use data for decision-making. All indicators must be disaggregated by sex, age (as appropriate), geographic location and any other categories required by USAID. At any time during the implementation of this Activity, one or more third-party external evaluations may be initiated. The Contractor must collaborate with the evaluation contractor or researcher and provide relevant data and information to ensure successful completion of such evaluations. All evaluations and data collected by a third-party on activities under this Contract will be shared with the Contractor. The Contractor will employ an integrated strategic learning agenda co-created with the MOE throughout the life of the Contract with specific operations research questions that will inform implementation, scale up, best practices, and lessons learned in the education sector. This could include implementation research conducted by local organizations under the grants under contract (GUC) mechanism.

9. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

The Activity will have no direct effect on the environment. It is a system-level intervention that will provide technical assistance to central and decentralized institutions in the MOE. Per 22 CFR §216.2(c)(2)(i), education, technical assistance, or training programs except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.) are one type of classes of actions that are not subject to the procedures set forth in §216.3.

10. TIMELINE

The Contractor’s updated scale-up plan that depicts when and how activities will be phased-in over the life of the Contract must be reviewed annually and approved by USAID as part of annual reporting and work plan approval processes.

11. GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING

The Contractor must plan and coordinate assistance with other development partners, especially those active in the Local Education Group, and consider capacity building as a central element of all technical assistance. With support from USAID, the Contractor will encourage MOE commitment and leadership to propel reforms with sustainability at the core by closely collaborating with MOE technical staff and education officers throughout Contract implementation. The importance of sustainability cannot be overstated. The Contractor must pursue real commitments from the MOE and strong synergy with other projects focused on strengthening education governance and management in Liberia.

The Contractor must support the MOE to develop and implement plans to train technical MOE staff (central, county, and district levels) and school-level administrators. However, with a focus on sustainability, the Contractor must work in partnership with the MOE to implement changes in institutional processes, norms, and culture, as well as systems of rewards and sanctions, linked to both institutional and individual outcomes. The Contractor should seek to engage Liberian higher education institutions (HEIs) as partners and subject matter experts from the faculty of Liberian HEIs as local capacity development resources in coordination with the National Commission on Higher Education.

Recognizing the limitations of Liberia’s education budget and the potential impact on reaching expected results, the Contractor should coach the MOE to advocate to the Ministry of Finance to fully fund the annual budget request, to track and link current financial resources more effectively with priorities, to secure additional public and private sector funding, and to pilot incentives for improved system performance. Building on sporadic achievements in decentralizing education, the Contractor should gather and share successes and guidance on decentralized entities assuming delegated roles under the Education Reform Act of 2011.

12. LOCAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

The Contractor must support the building of the capacity of local organizations. The Contractor’s performance will be assessed regarding capacity building of these local organizations to provide Contract implementation, and implementation of safety and conflict-sensitive approaches, with strengthened financial and reporting systems. The Contractor must present a local capacity development work plan outlining specific results and milestones that must be reviewed and updated annually and approved by USAID as part of annual reporting and work plan approval processes.

13. GRANTS UNDER CONTRACT

The Contractor should utilize the GUC mechanism to support local communities, education-focused non-governmental organizations, including OPDs and youth-led organizations, higher education institutions, other advocacy organizations, and/or MOE central and decentralized offices in the implementation of the proposed activities as part of their technical approach. All applicable regulations pertaining to 2 CFR 200 for sub-recipients and ADS 302.3.4.13 apply. Prior to implementing the GUC mechanism, the Contractor must develop, in consultation with USAID/Liberia, a GUC Manual that will outline the structure for the selection, award, tracking and evaluation process for the grants. The Manual must be submitted to the USAID Contracting Officer for its approval. The Contractor must reserve at minimum USD $2-3 million of its total budget for grant making. Any grants to partner government entities will be limited to in-kind support.

14. PARTNERSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS

The Contractor must plan for effective coordination among the MOE and its development partners intervening to improve education governance and management and provide active representation in relevant MOE-led technical working groups at the central and decentralized levels to ensure effective coordination. The following donors and interventions are critical to consider for coordination.

The World Bank is implementing the GPE-G2B project (2018-2022) which aims to: (a) improve equitable access to early childhood education, teacher quality in early childhood education (ECE), and primary education in targeted disadvantaged counties (no overlap with USAID’s target counties), and (b) strengthen national school accountability systems. The project comprises five components. The first component aims to improve the quality of and access to ECE in targeted counties through ECE school improvement grants and community-based ECE. The second component, supporting teacher training and certification in targeted counties aims to increase the number and proportion of certified primary and ECE teachers in targeted counties.

The third component, improving school management, accountability, and systems monitoring will improve school quality through strengthened school-based management and more robust school support, monitoring, and accountability systems. The fourth component, achieving better learning through improved equity, efficiency, and accountability will address essential dimensions of the education system using a results-based financing modality. The fifth component focuses on project management and sector program support and coordination.

The World Bank is implementing the Improving Results in Secondary Education (IRISE) project (2019-2023) to improve equitable access to, and quality of, secondary education, and provide a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth component, capacity building, technical assistance, project coordination, and monitoring and evaluation aims to support the effective implementation and management of the project while also building the MOE’s capacity to manage the education system – providing the foundation for effective and evidence-based management and decision-making.

UNESCO is supporting the MOE to undertake a new education sector analysis which will provide more recent and critical data for the MOE and development partners to ensure interventions are in line with the most pressing education sector priorities. UNESCO is also supporting the MOE to launch a new education sector plan for 2022-2026, which will guide efforts to improve education quality and equity in Liberia as well as the design and implementation of the Contract.

UNICEF is implementing the GPE COVID-19 Response project (2020-2022), but more relevant to this Contract is its ongoing work in basic education. UNICEF works to expand access to free early childhood development (ECD) programs; supports teacher training; provides training kits for teachers and learning kits for students; helps design and construct child-friendly classrooms, bathrooms and toilets; and establishes school health clubs to promote safe hygiene, including menstrual hygiene management. UNICEF also helps to create demand for education services by meeting with communities and using community radio to build awareness of ECD, age-appropriate school enrolment, and girls’ education.

USAID TESTS (2021-2026), implemented by RTI International, aims to: 1) strengthen the capacity of eight public, private, and faith-based institutions to train teachers so that they are capable of delivering quality instruction; 2) build critical skills for quality teaching; and 3) improve the enabling environment for teaching practice.

USAID Read Liberia (2017-2022), implemented by RTI International, provides technical assistance to the MOE to improve early grade reading skills for 57,600 Liberian children in grades 1 and 2 in 640 schools in Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba counties. Expected results: 1) Government commitment to, and support of, evidence-based reading instruction increased, 2) early grade reading classroom instruction improved, 3) service delivery systems in early grade reading improved, and 4) parent, community, and private support for early grade reading increased. The Contractor will also need to coordinate with any new USAID literacy activity during the period of performance.

USAID Civil Society Activity (2021-2022, with possible extension to 2026), implemented by DAI Global, will strengthen Liberians’ ability to advocate for policy reforms, policy implementation, and service delivery through multi-stakeholder coalitions that build feedback loops among government, CSOs, and citizens. The Civil Society Activity has the following objectives: 1) Linkages between CSOs with shared priorities strengthened to increase their impact. 2) Civil society’s ability to serve as a conduit for information between constituents and officials enhanced. 3) Supported CSOs’ financial and organizational sustainability. 4) On-going capacity development services available on the local market.

USAID Media Activity (2021-2025), implemented by Internews Network, aims to enhance the human and institutional capacity of the media sector while advocating for and maintaining current media freedoms to reliably carry out responsible journalism, drive reforms, and increase revenue, with four objectives: 1) Capacity of media to produce reliable, relevant, and accurate information enhanced. 2) Media’s ability to serve as a conduit for information between citizens and government is enhanced. 3) Organizational and financial sustainability of community radio stations improved. 4) Enabling environment for freer media strengthened.

USAID Good Governance Activity (TBD) will strengthen the social contract with the GOL through decentralized governance and improved service delivery in select counties. It will be narrowly focused on four objectives: 1) Quality services delivered at the local level; 2) Inclusive local development improved; 3) Domestic resource mobilization improved; and 4) Budget transparency improved.

USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition [LEARN] program, 2017-22), implemented by Save the Children in 220 schools across Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh, River Cess and River Gee aims to address education, food security, nutrition, and health needs. As part of this work, the project supports policy dialogue, system strengthening, and capacity building. LEARN II was awarded to Save the Children and will launch in 2022.

The U.S. Peace Corps conducted a school governance training in Grand Bassa during FY 2021.

They plan to roll out the training to other counties in FY 2023. The training will target county and district education officers, school principals, PTA representatives, and classroom teachers to improve their capacities in overall school management.

15. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Capacity building: The Contractor must focus support on county and district education offices, but central-level technical personnel as well as school management committees and PTAs are also critical groups to drive sustainable reform. Beyond the training of individuals, the Contractor must work with the MOE to update institutional processes, norms, and culture for a sustainable approach to capacity building.

Collaborating, Learning and Adapting: The Contractor must plan to quickly adapt to changing scenarios and test strategies for improving learning, employ rapid feedback loops and other complexity aware monitoring strategies, and iterate and improve approaches as needed.

Moreover, the Contractor must co-create a learning agenda with the MOE and conduct operations research that can be shared broadly to support system-wide improvement.

Decentralization: The Contractor must support the GOL’s vision for an education system that functions better at decentralized levels by leveraging and strengthening technical staff and education officers throughout implementation.

Financing: The Contractor must help the MOE to identify and pilot opportunities to improve efficiency in current internal financial transfers as well as secure additional public and private sector funding, as feasible, perhaps through pay-for-performance principles.

Gender equity and social inclusion (GESI): The Contractor must ensure inclusion in terms of gender, region, and disability with special attention to marginalized groups, targeting a reduction in gender disparities in access to and benefits from education at all levels, as well as in the corps of teachers, administrators, and officials. The Contractor must seek a gender balance in terms of individuals who benefit from training opportunities and support the MOE to implement their Inclusive Education Policy and the National Policy on Girls’ Education. This should include considerations related to school safety and conducive learning environments.

Information and Communication Technology: The Contractor must deploy technology to streamline processes and enhance transparency, as feasible. Any use of technology will ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs, in financial and logistical terms. Appropriateness and sustainability of the intervention are important considerations.

Localization, private sector, and community engagement: The Contractor must utilize a collaborative approach with community and traditional leaders and other local partners, including the private sector, youth-led organizations, community organizations, and faith-based organizations to facilitate ownership, sustainability, and local capacity development. Locally led development supports local institutions, nurtures sustainability, and prioritizes local perspectives and preferences.

Resilience: The Contractor must integrate support to the MOE on resilience and contingency planning for future crises at the central and decentralized levels.

16. RISKS, ADAPTABILITY, FLEXIBILITY, AND RESPONSIVENESS

Liberia is a dynamic context with histories of conflict, insecurity, and emerging opportunities.

What might be an appropriate response or intervention at one point in time may not necessarily be appropriate at another time. There are a number of potential risks involved in undertaking the Activity:

● The GOL does not have the political will to reform corrupt practices that bring material reward for system actors.

● Counties and districts are not ready to assume new authorities to implement the decentralization agenda.

● There is not enough funding to increase allocations to education management and governance through prioritization in budgeting, and there is no new funding available.

● Geographic, weather-related, and financial barriers are insurmountable to collect comprehensive data on a regular basis.

● Liberian HEIs do not have the capacity to develop training programs for education administrators and/or are not able to institutionalize the programs.

● Efforts of development partners are not well coordinated.

● A natural disaster or crisis derails the MOE’s focus on improving education governance and management;…