Pre-solicitation notice_IPEA_ 01052021.pdf

Pre-solicitation Notice USAID Inclusive Primary Education Activity (IPEA)

Synopsis/Solicitation Number: 72044221R00002 Release Date: January 5, 2021

The purpose of this notice is to comply with the synopses and pre-solicitation notice requirements of FAR 5.2, Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. Any solicitation resulting from this notice will be handled in accordance with FAR 5.102(d); therefore, availability of any resulting solicitation package will be limited to this electronic medium. Accordingly, interested vendors, especially small business, are encouraged to register themselves as an interested vendor.

The United States Agency for International Development, Cambodia (USAID/Cambodia) intends to release a solicitation for a project titled “USAID Inclusive Primary Education Activity (IPEA)”. The purpose of this activity is to improve early grade reading skills of children with and without disabilities in primary schools in Cambodia. The two overarching objectives of this activity are:

1. Achieve National Roll-out of the Inclusive Early Grade Learning (EGL) Program.

2. Strengthen School Governance, Transparency and Accountability.

The anticipated solicitation date is on or about January 29, 2021.

A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is attached solely for information and planning purposes. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) and no additional information regarding the planned RFP is available at this time. All necessary information will be supplied at the time the RFP is posted at https://beta.sam.gov/. Questions/requests for information will not be responded to until RFP issuance. Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor the above website for updates concerning this procurement. No proposals for funding should be submitted until after the RFP is issued.

This notice does not obligate USAID to release a solicitation or award a contract nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. In addition, final award cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed and internal USAID procedures have been completed.

Sincerely, Julie Ota Contracting Officer USAID/Cambodia https://beta.sam.gov/

72044221R00002

ATTACHMENT 1 – DRAFT DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF

WORK

ACTIVITY TITLE

ACTIVITY PURPOSE

The purpose of this activity is to improve early grade reading skills of children with and without disabilities in primary schools in Cambodia. The two overarching objectives of this activity are:

1. Achieve National Roll-out of the Inclusive Early Grade Learning (EGL) Program.

2. Strengthen School Governance, Transparency and Accountability.

BACKGROUND

The MoEYS has been working with USAID and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to develop and pilot an early grade learning (EGL) program, specifically focusing on Khmer and Mathematics. The goal was to create a program that could be scaled nationally to improve Khmer language and mathematics learning outcomes in Grades 1 and 2. During the first year of implementation, Grade 1 Early Grade Reading (EGR) showed a 16% increase in vowel identification compared to the baseline. Due to COVID-19 school closures, the Grade 2 results had to be postponed. The reading component is currently implemented in 8 provinces, reaching approximately 32% of primary schools in Cambodia. The mathematics component is expected to reach 5 provinces by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Upon the Minister’s request, the EGR in-service Grades 1 and 2 packages have been integrated into the preservice teacher training diploma courses to be implemented in all Provincial Teacher Training Colleges in the 2020-2021 academic year. Three modules (lower primary, upper primary and assessment modules) on Khmer curriculum for pre-service the Bachelor’s degree teacher training program at Teacher Education Colleges are also being developed under the current program. The current EGL program has been adopted by the MoEYS and is a core focus under the Education Strategic Plan 2019-2023. By the end of the current EGL program in 2021, all 8 provinces will be covered with Grade 1 and 2 for the Khmer component, some of which will be covered with Grade1 and Grade 2 Mathematics.

The current EGR package includes teacher’s guides for semester 1 and 2 of Grades 1 and 2 in Khmer literacy, the student supplementary book, decodable and sensory storybooks, supplemental teaching, and learning materials that complement the Khmer literacy textbook.

Teachers are exposed to the EGL package through a series of in-service teacher training over a 9 day period throughout the course of the academic year. The Math package also has teacher’s guides, supplemental materials and teachers also receive a 9 day in-service training package over the course of the academic year.1 The materials developed for children with hearing disabilities include the upper preschool package (learning materials and teacher guide) for Cambodian Sign Language (CSL) teaching. The adapted EGR package in Braille includes the Grade 1 and Grade 2 materials. All Grade 1 and 2 teachers in 4 special schools that offer education to children with hearing disabilities have been trained in EGL, whereas none have been trained in CSL, apart from teachers who provided bridge classes and integrated classes in Kampong Thom. The current EGL program has not included designated bilingual/multilingual schools (currently 80 schools and will be expanded to 120 schools) as this requires different materials and teaching approaches. Major actors in providing bilingual education are CARE, ICC, and UNICEF.

This activity is designed to build on the success of MoEYS ownership and desired national scale-up of the EGL program. The MoEYS’ commitment to bring the early grade learning program to national scale has increased the demand and need for a more accelerated expansion and implementation plan. This activity will play a crucial role in responding to this demand and will maximize the current successes and leverage other stakeholders’ forthcoming programs toward achieving a sustained positive impact on student learning outcomes at scale.

RELATIONSHIP TO USAID AND CAMBODIAN EDUCATION STRATEGIES

USAID supports the Royal Government of Cambodia’s priorities and its Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2019-2023. The MoEYS aligned the ESP with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 Education 2030 agenda with policy objectives to:

i) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

ii) Ensure effective leadership and management of education staff at all levels.

This activity is aligned with MoEYS policy objectives and will support the new USAID Country Development Cooperation Strategy Development Objective 2 “Health, Education and Welfare of Cambodians improved through improved services”; Intermediate Results 2.2 “Strengthened governance and accountability of Cambodia's health, education and child protection systems”;

and 2.3: “Improved quality of education and child protection services”. USAID believes that an educated and literate Cambodian population will contribute to a more prosperous and democratic Cambodia.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

1 For additional information see the MoEYS Komar Rien Komar Cheh site: https://www.facebook.com/123komar/ https://www.facebook.com/123komar/

Despite current rigorous education reforms, Cambodia is still struggling to ensure students’ improve learning outcomes at scale. Recent assessments show that only 32 percent of male third graders are proficient in Khmer language, compared to 48 percent of their female peers (National Grade 3 student assessment, 2015). Only 8 percent of 15-year-old students achieved the minimum level of proficiency in reading and 10 percent achieved the minimum level of proficiency in mathematics (PISA-D, 2018).

With regard to disabilities2 and inclusion, experience with implementing the All Children Learning activity indicates a lack of trained professionals both in the education and health sectors and the inaccessibility of assistive devices for those living outside the two urban centers (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) of Cambodia. Learning support for children with disabilities is still underdeveloped and the majority of children with a disability find themselves outside of school. In 2017, UNESCO estimated that 57 percent of children with disabilities are out of school, 50 percentage points greater than children without disabilities. For multilingual education mainly offered in Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, Kratie, and Stung Treng, the key challenges include the language barrier between students and teachers and the low attendance and high dropout rates of indigenous children (CARE, 2015). A recent evaluation of the Multilingual Education National Action Plan shows a lack of systematic connection between multilingual preschools to primary schools, which is a barrier to effectiveness. There is also a high demand for qualified indigenous teachers and core trainers for primary education (UNICEF, 2018). This means increasing access for children from ethnic and indigenous minorities and quality of instruction remains a challenge.

On a broader issue of quality early grade learning, historical evidence shows that despite contributions from NGOs and donor programs to support reading since 2010, the quality of learning outcomes for students nationally remains a grave concern. The 2016 national student learning assessment Grade 6 confirms a minimal improvement in student reading skills, using a scaled score comparison for the 10 year period between 2007 (score: 500) and 2016 (score: 504).

This longitudinal record indicates that fragmented interventions which make improvement only in a small number of selected schools cannot move Cambodia out of the learning crisis. The poor foundational skills of children in literacy and numeracy has had a domino effect on the students’ learning outcomes at higher levels. Falling behind from a lack of mastering foundational literacy and numeracy, among other factors, is also a significant driver for school dropout, can demotivate parents to invest in their children’s long-term education, and has the potential to undermine efforts to improve equity as this impacts children from vulnerable groups at a higher rate. The MoEYS statistics show a significant drop in enrollment figures from 98% at primary, to 59.1% at lower secondary and down to 29.7% at upper secondary level. The high enrollment figure at the primary level proves that parents and children acknowledge the importance of education initially; however they are struggling to continue - almost half of the children drop out of school at the lower secondary level. If learning outcomes at scale in the early grades are not addressed, the vast

2 For USAID’s definition of disability please see USAID’s How to Note: Disability Inclusive Education. November 2018. https://www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/How-ToNote_DisabilityInclusiveEducation_0.pdf https://www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/How-ToNote_DisabilityInclusiveEducation_0.pdf number of children, mostly vulnerable children, will continue to miss meaningful educational benefits. It is difficult to envision a realization of quality education and equity for all Cambodia children at higher levels.

The MoEYS has, therefore, continued to emphasize improving the quality of early grade instruction, while concurrently developing broader reform agendas including teacher capacity development and school-based management initiatives to improve the quality of education at all levels. The MoEYS has placed a major emphasis on improving the quality of learning Grade 1 students to improve the quality of education. They have also placed a secondary emphasis on Grade 2 and 3 students to ensure a solid educational foundation in core literacy and numeracy.

However, bringing the EGL program to reach a national scale is a significant endeavor and requires concerted efforts, expertise and resources from multiple stakeholders.

THEORY OF CHANGE

If there are coordinated investments in early grade learning through a holistic approach for school improvement including teacher professional development, transparency, and accountability, then students’ learning outcomes will improve.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES

The Contractor is expected to build MoEYS capacity to provide equitable access to the Komar Rien Komar Cheh early grade learning program at national scale to ensure all Cambodian children, particularly those in vulnerable groups, including slow learners, children with disabilities, and indigenous children, have improved foundational learning skills, particularly in literacy. USAID investments will:

1. Achieve National Roll-out of the Inclusive Early Grade Learning (EGL) Program

Strengthen MoEYS capacity to scale-up the inclusive EGL program: manage, monitor and evaluate the EGL program

The Contractor will build on the success of the current All Children Reading Cambodia activity which has formed strong collaboration and partnership among the MoEYS staff and NGO experts in implementing the EGL program in select provinces. The Contractor will support the MoEYS to scale-up the Grades 1 and 2 Khmer components of the MoEYS Komar Rien Komar Cheh early grade learning program, while working in partnership with other partners to support the Math component. The Contractor may be required to support the implementation of the math component (final determination of math implementation will be negotiated between MoEYS, USAID, and the Contractor). The Contractor will contribute to pre-service and in-service teacher training to enable teachers to implement methodologies to assist children to learn to read with different learning needs in the classroom. The Contractor will support the MoEYS in developing and testing a Grade 3 Khmer reading package.

Where target provinces have multilingual education programs and designated multilingual education (MLE) schools, the Contractor will support non-MLE designated schools for roll out of the Khmer component of the Komar Rien Komar Cheh program. The Contractor will build on the best practices of the early grade reading package implementation to support the MoEYS to strengthen bilingual/multilingual education with emphasis on pre-service teacher training programs and formative and summative assessments for bilingual/multilingual education. The Contractor will coordinate and engage stakeholders working on bilingual/multilingual education to ensure that the support of this activity adds value to the existing MLE program.

The Contractor will support the MoEYS to strengthen education services for children with disabilities including those with developmental delays in pre-school and Grades 1 to 3 in MoEYS special schools and the National Institute of Special Education to improve student reading ability. The Contractor will leverage the existing adapted Early Grade Reading Assessment and teaching and learning resources from All Children Reading-Cambodia to support the MoEYS to improve inclusive education, particularly in literacy for children who are deaf/hard of hearing and blind/vision impaired. The Contractor will build MoEYS capacity to make informed decisions on how to prioritize and implement strategic steps toward inclusive education.

The Contractor will support the Ministry and NGO community to build a strong pool of human resources with core EGL skills adaptable to the new normal and capable to support the MoEYS to roll out and sustain the early grade learning program in the long term.

Strengthen system resilience to ensure effective response to external shocks impacting the delivery of early grade learning

The Contractor will strengthen system resilience to address the weaknesses highlighted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic on the Cambodian education system that resulted in the significant interruption to school operations and subsequent learning loss. The Contractor will support the MoEYS and schools to adapt teaching and learning approaches, including distance and blended learning, responsive to emerging operational contexts. The Contractor will support teachers and students through remedial instruction to strengthen students’ foundational reading skills in Grades 1-3.

Increase MoEYS capacity to sustain the Komar Rien Komar Cheh program and mobilize domestic and external resources for EGL scale-up

The Contractor will build the Ministry’s capacity to mobilize domestic and external resources to bring EGL to scale. Building on the costed plan for rolling out the early grade reading program developed by the current ACL project, the Contractor will support the MoEYS to seek funding from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to ensure that other external resources in early grade learning are mobilized and coordinated to support this national EGL program including the new GPE Multiplier fund that will be managed by the World Bank.

The Contractor will build early grade learning capabilities of the MoEYS to take full ownership of the early grade learning program, building a sustainable system in both pre-service and in-service teacher training as well as the regular operation of schools to ensure that EGL teachers use national core EGL teaching and learning materials, apply effective teaching methodology and have the opportunity to improve their early grade teaching skills overtime via continuous professional development and monitoring and evaluation systems.

2. Strengthen School Governance, Transparency and Accountability

Strengthen School-Based Management

The Contractor will support the implementation of school-based management (SBM) to improve the effectiveness of school governance and accountability at the primary school level. The Contractor will focus on those components most relevant to improving student learning outcomes, particularly in the early grades. The Contractor will leverage the Implementation of the Social Accountability Framework (ISAF) and the existing school-based management modules that aim to strengthen linkages between schools and communities, and to hold the government accountable for the quality of primary education. The Contractor will strengthen and link social accountability and school-based management to:

1. Strengthen school leadership, governance, and performance management;

2. Strengthen school management committees (SMC) capacity to engage with schools to increase transparency and accountability;

3. Strengthen caregiver and parental engagement and partnerships with school authorities;

4. Improve access to information on education system decisions and processes, and the planning, spending, and investment of school funds; and

5. Raise awareness of accountability and integrity challenges and successes in public school education and administration through education and outreach.

Based on the experience of implementing school-based management approaches supported by the World Bank and CDPF, this activity will disseminate best practices and support the adaptation and harmonization of SBM implementation piloted at the secondary level to the primary level. The Contractor will leverage appropriate and cost-effective new or existing technologies to enable the engagement of citizens, caregivers, and parents to strengthen transparency, and accountability for public education services.

Increase civil society engagement and participation in the education sector

The Contractor will empower civil society organizations to support caregivers and parents, school management committees (SMC), and communities to advocate for increased accountability of education service providers. The Contractor will strengthen civil society organizations capacity to support the formation and functioning of SMCs, the drafting and approval of operational and improvement plans, the monitoring of staff performance and school operations, ensuring transparency, and engagement with school authorities with particular focus on the implementation of early grade learning and school-based management. The Contractor will also strengthen the capacity of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) and disability related NGOs and maximize their network to promote early grade learning for children with physical and cognitive disabilities.

GEOGRAPHIC TARGETING CRITERIA

The geographic targeting will be determined in consultation with MoEYS and other development partners to ensure complementarity of interventions to achieve MoEYS targets under the ESP. A primary focus of the activity is to assist target provinces, districts and schools to successfully roll out the early grade learning package to assist the MoEYS to achieve their target of nationwide coverage. This activity focuses on the implementation of the Khmer package, while the Math component may be implemented in a smaller subset of provinces. The implementation of SBM will be implemented in a complementary way with GPE. The Contractor is required to operate nationwide with a particular focus on provinces beyond the current USAID All Children Reading and GPE STEPCAM Komar Rien Komar Cheh intervention provinces. However, current provinces could still be covered to fill identified gaps in early grade learning provision supported under the current Komar Rien Komar Cheh program. Final province selection will be determined in negotiations between USAID, MoEYS, and development partners to ensure complementarity with GPE and other donor target provinces. Additional target provinces may be identified in consultation with the MoEYS depending upon availability of funding and MoEYS prioritization.

USAID requires the Contractor to serve all public schools in a province-wide approach, supporting teachers and students in target grades. It is anticipated that the Contractor will not be responsible for national coverage and that additional target geographic areas will be supported by other partners to improve early grade learning. Grade 3 province selection will be done in coordination with MoEYS. For children with special needs, 5 special schools and the National Institute of Special Education will be targeted. Two Teacher Education Colleges (TEC) and all Provincial Teacher Training Centers (PTTC) will also be included.

REQUIREMENTS:

The Contractor must work at both the national and sub-national levels to strengthen MoEYS system, policies and oversight capacity to expand its ownership and ability to effectively implement the inclusive early grade learning program. The Contractor must work with relevant partners, including the private sector, DPOs, civil society, and NGOs to assist the MoEYS in achieving these key reforms and the objectives of this activity.

The Contractor must use the approved MoEYS Komar Rien Komar Cheh early grade learning program and SBM modules that includes materials developed by All Children Reading Cambodia, GPE-3, the World Bank, and the Capacity Development Partnership Fund (CDPF).

The Contractor must work through existing Steering Committees and technical working groups within the MoEYS and collaborate with national actors working in early grade learning and inclusive education during implementation.

PERFORMANCE MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING

USAID is building evidence and data to assist the MoEYS to effectively advocate to the Ministry of Economy and Finance for increased investments to improve teachers’ capacity to improve student learning outcomes. USAID seeks to build MoEYS capacity to manage a national early grade learning program. The Contractor must conduct data collection as part of the Contractor’s performance monitoring and evaluation plans. USAID may use third party monitors and/or contractors to audit and verify data collected and submitted to USAID. USAID may also conduct a performance evaluation of this award that may use sampling methods that include lot quality assurance for this verification. It is important for the Contractor to demonstrate the MoEYS’ capacity for planning, resourcing and implementing its own early grade learning scale-up program. Data collection towards required indicators for the U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education will take place using EGL assessment instruments. The Contractor must coordinate with external and/or third-party monitors and evaluators engaged by USAID/Cambodia. To ensure that the MoEYS has needed information for planning the scale-up and implementation of the early grade learning program, the Contractor is required to comply with the cost data collection and reporting as outlined in USAID’s Cost Reporting Guidance and Annexes.

The Contractor, through the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan, must generate evidence of improved student learning through implementation. Performance monitoring of the activity should strengthen supervision structures and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) that results in clear actions to improve implementation and assist the MoEYS to use data collected at the national, provincial, district and school levels to better assess student learning and the impact of early grade learning interventions. The Contractor must collect and analyze data collected on students and schools to identify success factors, constraints, and emerging opportunities. The Contractor must partner with the Education Quality Assurance Department (EQAD) of the MoEYS in development of assessments as part of capacity building for EQAD to enable administration and analysis of learning data in the future.

The Contractor’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan, must track key data over the life of the contract. The Contractor must use the phase-in and scale-up of activities over the life of this contract to test models, assess impact, and identify variation in performance.

The Contractor should identify how formative and summative student assessments at the classroom level will be used to inform the Contractor, schools, teachers, communities, and MoEYS authorities to assess the progress of student learning, education access, and inform classroom instruction. The Contractor must incorporate learning data to inform key stakeholders and decision-makers.

USAID is required to monitor all programs being implemented with USAID financing and requires annual collection and reporting of Standard Indicators. The Contractor must focus on indicators that show real impact rather than lower-level indicators and must include relevant standard learning outcome indicators. The required indicators listed below must be included in the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan, in addition to specific Contractor identified indicators. Required Indicators for this contract include, but not limited to:

● Percent of grade 3 students who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension on grade 3 national exam.

● Percent of learners who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension of grade level text at the end of primary school (or grade 6, whichever comes sooner) with USG assistance (ES. 1-2) (Based on the national grade six exam)

● Percent of learners who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension of grade level text at the end of grade 2 with USG assistance. (ES. 1-1)

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

● Number of learners reached in reading programs at the primary level with USSG assistance (ES. 1-5)

● Number of primary or secondary educators who complete professional development activities with USG assistance (ES. 1-6)

● Number of primary school educators who complete professional development activities on implementing evidence-based reading instruction with USG assistance (ES.1-7)

● Number of primary or secondary school educators who complete professional development activities on teaching students with special educational needs with USG assistance (ES.1-8)

● Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other TLMs provided with USG assistance (ES. 1-10)

● Number of primary school classrooms that receive a complete set of essential reading instructional materials with USG assistance (ES1-11)

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

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

● Percent of primary-grade learners targeted for USG assistance who have the appropriate variety of decodable, leveled, AND supplementary readers in the language of instruction with inclusive representation of diverse populations (ES.1-45)

● Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that are inclusively representative provided with USG assistance (ES.1-49)

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

● Number of learners in pre-primary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG education assistance (ES1-53)

Inclusive Education Specific Required Indicators:

● Number of vulnerable persons benefiting from USG-supported social services (ES.4-1)

● Number of service providers trained who serve vulnerable persons (ES.4-2)

● Number of USG-assisted organizations and/or service delivery systems that serve vulnerable persons strengthened (ES.4-3).

GRANTS UNDER CONTRACT

The Contractor may utilize grants under contract (GUC) mechanisms as part of program implementation, where appropriate. For any GUC mechanism the Contractor must indicate to the CO and COR that it is an appropriate mechanism to partner with the organization with specific outlined role(s), and deliverable(s) of the proposed partner(s) by task and justify how the inclusion of any partner via the GUC mechanism will enhance the overall effectiveness, reach, and success of the activity. All applicable regulations for sub-recipients and ADS 302 apply.

PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS

a. Gender Equality: Gender issues, in particular cultural and economic, are critical underlying factors in achieving progress in all development sectors in Cambodia. In alignment with USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, USAID Cambodia seeks to promote gender equality through its activities. The Contractor must ensure that all beneficiaries are benefiting from the activities administered under this Contract. Results for all reporting must be disaggregated by sex. The Contractor must identify where data indicate gender-specific gaps or issues that exacerbate gender inequalities and implement measures to address these as appropriate. The Contractor will ensure that plans to establish an enabling environment in which women and men and boys and girls can equally access, contribute, and benefit from activities are integrated into the work plan and regular reporting.

b. Inclusive Education: The Contractor must ensure inclusiveness in all activities including in-classroom management and instruction, and teaching and learning materials to include persons with disabilities (PWDs) and/or those who provide services to PWD populations in the planning and design phases. PWDs are among the most marginalized groups regarding access to education and skills training. Schools and caregivers alike note the challenge in providing a quality curriculum responsive to the needs of PWD. This activity must strive to ensure that benefits of activities are inclusive of all children, including children with disabilities.

c. Partnerships: The objectives outlined in this activity present a timely opportunity to achieve greater impact and scale in Cambodia through partnership. The MoEYS, GPE, and the robust NGO and private sector community will serve as critical partners to achieve the results of this contract. The Contractor must leverage and use existing tools and mechanisms already developed, approved, and deployed to support Komar Rien Komar Cheh (reading and mathematics), SBM, and Social accountability. Additional partnerships and alliances are encouraged to achieve the results of this contract. In addition to traditional sub-awards, the Contractor will support USAID in identifying, designing and coordinating alliances or public-private partnerships (PPPs).

d. Outreach: The activities under this contract provide an opportunity to communicate with the Cambodian people the support provided by USAID to the Cambodian people.

e. Sustainability: Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of this activity and all of its sub-activities should be designed with this in mind. The ultimate goal is for this activity to make early grade learning improvements that are a permanent and integral part of Cambodia’s education system. To achieve this goal, interventions must be country-owned and must leave lasting, integrated impacts at the activity’s end -- including the ability of host country institutions and the vibrant NGO and private sector communities to carry out effective quality improvement interventions without external assistance. The activities under this contract will strengthen the MoEYS, NGO capacity, and private sector in planning, resourcing, and scaling-up the implementation of the national early grade learning program. The MoEYS capacity to set the strategic course to develop effective, transparent, and accountable systems and policies, and to leverage partnerships and mobilize direct public and private resources is essential to enable the MoEYS to move along a path towards self-reliance in its own oversight of early grade learning.

Facilitating increased harmonization within the NGO community and NGOs’ ability to transition from direct implementation in schools to supporting MoEYS reforms through technical assistance and implementing MoEYS programs will further sustain the envisioned outcomes of this activity.

f. Innovation and Technology: The Contractor should identify appropriate, new or existing, and cost-effective technology that could enhance learning, increase accountability, and enable citizens, parents and caregivers to have greater engagement and increased oversight to improve school accountability for public education services.

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