Request for Information - USAID IMPROVED LEARNING OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION (USAID SABER) (1)_SIGNED.pdf

SOLICITATION TYPE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI NUMBER: RFI-72065620- USAID IMPROVED

LEARNING OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY

EDUCATION (USAID SABER) ACTIVITY

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM NAME: USAID IMPROVED LEARNING OUTCOMES

IN PRIMARY EDUCATION (USAID SABER)

ACTIVITY

ISSUANCE DATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2020; 05:00PM (MAPUTO TIME)

TO: ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

Dear Potential Offeror/Applicants, Thank you for your interest in USAID/Mozambique’s “USAID IMPROVED LEARNING

OUTCOMES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION (USAID SABER)” activity. The purpose of this communication is to obtain industry comment on the attached DRAFT Statement of Objective

(SOO). To that end, information obtained through this RFI will be held in confidence and will not be disclosed to the public unless specifically requested by responding sources.

This Request for Information (RFI) relates to an activity design with the preliminary title of

“USAID SABER”. The purpose of this RFI is to:

1. Obtain details concerning interest in USAID’s anticipated requirements; and

2. Obtain public comments on the Questions to inform the design process.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for planning and information seeking purposes. This RFI is open for comments from any interested US and Non-US Organizations.

This is not a solicitation/funding opportunity or a call for proposals/applications. Please do not submit proposals, resumes or promotional materials, as they will be discarded.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.209(c), the following clause is incorporated into this RFI:

“FAR 52.215-3 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING

PURPOSES (OCT 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

USAID SABER

provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of gathering information and comments to the SOO

Draft attached to this document.

NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The RFI is solely issued to gather information for planning purposes as an attempt to identify capabilities of potential contractors and to gain feedback on the draft Statement of Objectives (SOO). Therefore, respondents are advised that any information submitted may be used to inform the development of the anticipated Statement of Objectives (SOO).

All submissions shall be made by the closing date and time noted on page 1 of this notice. Only submission via email is required; no hard copy delivery will be accepted. E-mail submissions shall be sent to Mr. Jean-Jacques Badiane, at jbadiane@usaid.gov and Ms. Judite Caetano, at jcaetano@usaid.gov.

Interested parties shall prepare their submission in English and shall address the information requested below. All submissions must include Section I “Cover Page”, Section II

“Comments/Questions” and Section III “Capability Statements” (applicable to U.S. Small

Businesses only). Submissions shall use only 8.5 inch by 11-inch paper, single-spaced pages for all narrative documents and each page numbered consecutively. Interested parties must use

Times New Roman font 11 or a similar size typeset and should be provided in MS Word or PDF format.

I. Cover Page with Business Information (1 page)

• Organization/firm: name, address, contact information.

• Point of Contact(s): name, title, phone number, address, e-mail address.

• Statement of self-certification of business size and socio-economic status of the Organization/firm.

II. Comments/Questions (4 Page Limit)

Comments and Questions not to exceed four (4) pages will be accepted from all interested parties regarding the Draft Statement of Objectives and possible forthcoming solicitation. This is not a formal solicitation Q&A period; therefore, the government will not be providing responses.

All comments and questions will merely serve to inform the government on current market trends and further refine the Statement of Objectives. Comments may include but are not limited to feedback on the Draft Statement of Objectives requirements, recommendations on instrument type (Acquisition or Assistance), anticipated demand in beneficiary geographic areas, NAICS code designation, other market considerations, etc.

In order to maximize potential, USAID is seeking to receive feedback on the project approach, including opportunities and potential pitfalls, and individual or institutional perspectives on programs, policies, research, data, activities, and/or development approaches that might be useful mailto:jbadiane@usaid.gov mailto:jcaetano@usaid.gov for the project design, including past successes and failures, opportunities to leverage existing efforts and resources, gaps that need to be addressed, and sectoral and geographic focus.

Please ensure that comments are concise and specific to the information within this RFI. While we welcome any comments you may have, we ask that if you choose to respond, that you answer the following questions to assist USAID:

A. Classroom Instruction Improved

1. Some LIC (Lower Income Countries) have limited resources to deliver quality education services, including the roll out of effective bilingual programs. What approaches have proven to be cost effective in improving early grade reading skills in poor learning conditions settings?

2. Teacher absenteeism in Mozambique is among the highest in the region. The 2019 midline EGRA findings indicate that high rates of school director and teacher absenteeism seems to be associated with student absenteeism. In one study, teachers were always on time in class and were present throughout the class, but student tardiness hampered lesson plan implementation. Delays of 30–40 minutes were frequent. In addition, between 10 percent and 46 percent of enrolled students did not attend classes on the day an assessment was conducted. These absences will require remediation activities later, with consequences for lesson plan compliance. How can teacher and school director absenteeism rates be minimized? What remediation activities do you recommend that show positive results where students are able to make up the number of days they missed in school?

3. A 2019 Assessment concluded that “teachers have some knowledge of gender and inclusion issues and have been given general guidelines to promote them. However, these guidelines focus on promoting equal class participation of boys and girls and distributing students appropriately throughout the classroom.” The evaluation found that aspects of gender equality are not addressed and that teachers have limited ability to put gender equality and inclusion processes into practice. The low proportion of female teachers also counteracts efforts toward gender equality. How can bilingual education training and monitoring pay attention to operationalizing gender approaches (what to do and how to do it)?

B. Student Learning Outcomes Improved

1. In our context children do not get to see scripts of their first language until the first day they go to school. How can interventions be best structured to ensure that children can learn to read in their own language making the best use of the knowledge they bring from home?

2. The 2019 midline EGRA report revealed that a majority of the variance in student scores is explained by factors outside of school-providing clear indication that programming needs to consider home/community interventions that may support student reading skill development and supplement teacher instruction in the classroom. What suggestions do you have for providing support to homes/communities and parents on how to engage in reading related activities at home?

C. Teacher Professional Development Strengthened

1. The 2019 EGRA data indicates that teachers need help reading in the L1 spoken by students. The mean Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) data for teachers in all 3 languages is extremely low for adult readers. Teacher ORF in reading grade 3 text in national languages ranged between 40 and 50 words per minute (wpm) (90 wpm is a good score) and indicates that their own reading skills are too poor to be able to teach reading well to their students. Teacher training and language differences may inhibit supervisors/coaches from providing support to teachers. What innovative approaches can provide continued support and coaching to teachers in a cost-effective way?

2. Many teachers are teaching in multi grade classrooms where they must teach students of different ages, grades, and abilities in the same group. What bilingual pedagogical approaches and materials are necessary to handle this classroom situation?

3. A large number of teachers do not speak the L1 of students. The 2019 EGRA student results were so low that it concluded that “having a teacher that is not a native L1 speaker is not a major factor.” The fact that there is a linguistic mismatch impact on student achievement. What innovative approaches and teacher incentives can be done to help students learn to read and write?

The page limitation includes any attachments. The Government will not review any information, including attachments, more than the five (5) pages, unless otherwise stated in this section.

We look forward to your responses to this Request for Information.

Sincerely, Jean-Jacques Badiane Contracting Officer

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

1. Overview

The Mission intends to design a specific activity that will support the increase of sustainable access to education services in Mozambique, with a focus on rural and peri-urban school districts. This activity will seek to materialize the USAID Mozambique Mission’s Human

Capacity strategic goal, which aims to support the achievement of “Healthier and Better

Educated Mozambicans, Especially the Young and Vulnerable.” In this sense, the Mission has targeted three intermediate results (IR) toward the Human Capacity strategy’s goal:

IR1 - Classroom Instruction Improved

IR2 - Student Learning Outcomes Achieved

IR3 - Teacher Professional Development Strengthened

The main goal of the USAID Improved Learning Outcomes in Primary Education (SABER) activity will be to improve the reading and math skills of Mozambican children, using the bilingual mode. The activity will contribute to the achievement of results under each one of the above IRs. The project will support the Government of the Republic of Mozambique’s (GRM) efforts to improve the quality of education in Mozambique. USAID SABER responds to the

Ministry of Education and Human Development’s (MINEDH) education sector strategic needs and ensures sustained impact and cost-effective implementation, adopting a local-based model which effectively collaborates and ensures capacity development and transfer of responsibilities to local government institutions for sustainability and continuity, while maintaining effective partnership and consultations with MINEDH’s central institutions.

2. Description of USAID SABER

SABER will build on USAID Mozambique’s evidence and results under the USAID supported

Vamos Ler (VL) program and uses lessons learned to further improve early grade reading outcomes in Mozambique, targeting mostly rural communities via bilingual education. USAID

SABER will utilize the grade 3 primary bilingual students supported by the USAID VL program to help bilingual students complete the primary education cycle to grade 6, where classroom instruction will become monolingual and only in Portuguese. Following MINEDH’s bilingual education strategy, USAID SABER will benefit children from rural disadvantaged communities, particularly girls, who do not yet speak Portuguese. USAID SABER will provide services ensuring that teachers and school administrators prioritize and improve student learning.

Innovative approaches will be particularly encouraged for effective learning results.

Implementers will be expected to adopt strategies based on successful implementation elsewhere, particularly innovative evidence-based strategies to improve girl-child learning. USAID SABER will work collaboratively with MINEDH and donor partners to implement this program and complement the efforts from other players in the sector, particularly the World Bank, who intend to support the MINEDH implement similar programs. USAID SABER will provide evidence-based services for improved availability of teaching and learning materials, integrating the implementation approach to MINEDH processes and strategies. USAID SABER will also build stronger buy-in from the start by undertaking consultations with key stakeholders to offer context-appropriate early grade reading solutions to primary school children. The implementation will, to the extent possible, utilize local government partners, including the provinces and district personnel and institutions, with clear responsibilities and tasks set to reduce costs and increase ownership. In addition, USAID SABER will collaborate with local organizations for successful implementation to further build capacity and ensure continuity.

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Mission intends to gather information about the potential service providers in terms of education services and capacity building and institutional development. The Mission is interested in developing innovative teacher training mechanisms that improve the educational attainment of Mozambicans where children are provided with quality education services necessary for their improved welfare and individual self-reliance.

3. Development Challenge

Low Proficiency Scores

Mozambique is setting ambitious reading, writing and math targets for the upcoming years (20 percent in 2024 and 30 percent, in 2029), but these targets may not be achieved unless children learn to read with fluency and comprehension in the primary grades. Children succeed when exposed to effective teachers and learning opportunities, and they acquire grade level competencies to perform well in subsequent grades. Improving and expanding quality education is the biggest challenge of the education sector. The school completion rate of Mozambique was

49 percent in 2018. A 2016 JICA study conducted on teacher competencies revealed a direct correlation with the quality of instruction children receive. Low teacher competencies result in poor quality of instruction. According to MINEDH data, only 1 percent of surveyed teachers master 80 percent of primary grade 4 curriculum, while 60 percent master subtraction (ASE

2019). Providing children with quality education opportunities is key. Available research (2019) shows that 387 million children globally are failing to read in primary education and the lowest percent of children scoring above minimum proficiency levels on learning assessment are in

Sub-Saharan Africa. Available 2018 data show that the reading challenge is twice as difficulty than math in Sub-Saharan Africa. This indicates that a continuous effort to improve reading skills for children and learning outcomes is needed. The earlier children learn to read with fluency and comprehension the better chances of progressing and being successful in all other areas of learning.

School Absenteeism

Mozambique’s teacher absentee rate is among the highest in the region, significantly reducing available instruction time and hindering effective learning. The Mozambican school year starts in

January and ends in October and consists of 168 teaching days where teachers are required to deliver classroom instruction. Each year, the MINEDH pays the salaries of approximately

135,000 primary school teachers. However, teachers are not always in classrooms and teaching and this reduces the amount of time children are exposed to effective learning and compromises their achievement. Numerous studies show that teachers are often late or absent, including the

2013 Aprender a Ler (ApaL) baseline study which found that due to teacher tardiness, classes frequently started late and 54 percent of the teachers observed arrived between 10 and 40 minutes late, reducing the opportunities for reading practice. According to Bold (2017) 45% of teachers in Mozambique are absent or spend less than 2 hours teaching instead of the required

4.21 hours per day. MINEDH (2019), estimates that primary school students experience only 74 days of classroom instruction. A 2015 World Bank study estimated the national absenteeism rate of 44 percent of school directors, 45 percent of teachers and 56 percent of pupils.

Poor Learning Outcomes for Girls

In Mozambique, the illiteracy rate is higher among women at 49.4 percent when compared to men at only 27.2 percent (2017, census). Mozambican women tend to be the least educated and have higher illiteracy rates at ages 15 years and above, which is estimated at 39 percent. A recent longitudinal study on attendance in Mozambique, conducted by UNICEF, shows that girls are more likely to be “on track,” but are underrepresented in primary school. More girls start falling behind at the end of primary education (Grade 6), but not as far behind as boys. Learning opportunities for girls tend to be scarce as one progresses to the northern regions of

Mozambique. Absentee rates are higher in the center and north where student absenteeism can reach 65 percent compared to only 25 percent in the south, putting girls at higher risk of not getting an education. The poverty levels of women and education are interlinked and have significant impact on the education of young children. In Mozambique, women are responsible for educating children. In this context, educating women is likely to have a three-fold effect on the education levels of children. Educated women are more likely to educate their children and cater to their health.

Exclusion of Children by Language of Instruction

According to data from the National Institute for Statistics (INE) 2019 census, 17 percent of the

Mozambique population speak Portuguese as their native language where speakers are concentrated in the capital cities, particularly in Maputo. The vast majority of the population

Most of the population (83 percent) speak one of the 16 local Bantu languages. Available research shows that the use of the Portuguese language as the sole medium of instruction has had a negative impact on children’s ability to rapidly learn to read and in their learning outcomes.

Monolingual teaching in Portuguese works against the academic success of most children and partly contributes to poor reading results. In recent years, the GRM has recognized the importance of teaching children in the language they understand and speak well. In May 2015, the GRM passed a policy decision introducing the use of the first language of the child in primary education. The Education Sector Strategic Plan 2020-2029 operationalize these policy directives and gives particular attention to teaching in the first language of the child in the early primary grades, through bilingual education. This will improve their quality of education, leading to success in learning and increased schooling retention. Since 70 percent of the population live in rural areas where Portuguese is not well spoken and understood most rural children do not hear a word of Portuguese until they enter primary school at the age of 6 and cannot effectively benefit from such services if provided in a language they do not understand.

The GRM is investing, in collaboration with its partners, including USAID, in the promotion of bilingual education to reverse the exclusion of most children caused by the language of instruction. The bilingual modality is from primary grades 1 through 6 when transition to

Portuguese takes place.

Quality of Teaching Workforce

MINEDH identified teacher education as one strategic condition for improving the quality of instruction pupils get in the classroom. New teacher training models have been put in place such as Grade 10 + 3 years of training changed to Grade 12 and 1 year of training. Previously, most teachers had only a primary school Grade 7 and 3 years of pedagogical training, which led to the growing controversy of the overall quality of learning outcomes. MIEDH introduced in-service teacher training as a core strategy to upgrading teacher pedagogical practice, without removing them from the classroom and this has been combined with the use of distance training modality for teacher training. According to SAQMEC “the lack of effectiveness of the education system may, in some way, be explained by the lack of a coherent teacher training policy” (Passos, 2009:125). The study observed that the poor performance of the Mozambican pupils on the

Portuguese and mathematics test might be associated with the lack of a clear and coherent teacher training policy. Concerns over the quality of the teaching personnel persist to date. A recent World Bank 2019 SDI study shows that the quality of the teaching force is still poor with teachers often not mastering basic content.

Limited Pre-Reading Skills

Mozambique children, including the ones benefiting from the USAID VL interventions, lack pre-reading skills. Less than 5 percent of entire population of under five children have access to pre-primary services. Since 2013, Mozambique decided to re-introduce pre-primary education and the new education law approved in 2018 has made this component a formal sub-system in education. This development in education has strong support from the World Bank. Pre-primary education improves a child’s readiness to reading and may shorten the time children take to learn to read. USAID SABER intends to work with GRM partners and donors to implement a next generation of reading activities which combines early grade reading interventions with pre-primary services in the same schools for greater learning impact. Evidence shows that non-teacher community young women can promote female role models at the same time they support student learning by spending 2 hours a day supporting struggling children catch up in math, reading and other subject areas, benefiting poor children benefitted the most with positive effect on test scores.

Poor Schooling Environment, Especially in the North

In primary education, 21,700 classrooms are made of precarious materials and need rehabilitation. In addition, a total of 4,200 classrooms were affected by the recent cyclones Idai and Kenneth in the North. In 201 and 2020, more than 1,000 classrooms were affected by the recent heavy winds and rains that affected 381,000 students. The education sector has a considerable number of classrooms operating under trees which negatively affects the quality of learning. The Northern Provinces are the most disadvantaged and MINEDH sector analysis shows that the proportion of conventional classrooms is highest in Maputo City (99 percent) and in the provinces of Maputo (88 percent), and Tete (74.0 percent). In the remaining provinces, this proportion can drop by up to 45 percent. The provinces of Nampula and Zambezia are the most disadvantaged in terms of availability of conventional classrooms, which has a negative impact on student learning outcomes.

A recent study from UNICEF also shows that educational attainment tends to be “on track” (age vs grade) in the South (Maputo: 89 percent) than in the Northern provinces (Cabo Delgado: 28 percent). In addition, schools from metropolitan areas seem to be better equipped benefitting children from wealthier families residing in those areas. Many children from wealthy families are

“on track” as those from poor households. The study argues for the need to continue equipping schools, since evidence shows that better equipped schools (with desks, libraries and latrines) observe lower levels of nonattendance. Focusing services on rural areas will also increase the prospects of poor children having access to quality services, breaking the prevailing scenario where children from rich families tend to benefit more from education opportunities than those from poor families. In recent years there was some reduction in the percentage of 3rd grade students without school desks from 76 percent in 2013 to 64 percent in 2016, a positive development that should be maintained with focus on the North. The sector also faces difficulties in the availability of teaching and learning materials (TLM). According to a 2019 MINEDH ESA study, the proportion of students with Portuguese and mathematics books varies between 57 percent and 86 percent. Table 5 shows the proportion of students in 2018 with Portuguese and mathematics books in day-shift public primary schools:

Grades 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Portuguese Book 83% 86% 59% 66% 62% 57% 63%

Math Book 79% 84% 58% 67% 61% 61% 65%

Low Nutrition Levels of School Age Children

Many children in the Mozambique school system lag behind in terms of school attendance, retention and overall access due to issues related to poverty levels. The education sector strategy

2020-2029 focuses on the provision of school food and nutrition programs to tackle some of these issues. According to MINEDH, the implementation of school feeding programs facilitates access to school, increases retention and promotes retention all of which are key challenges in education.

The education Law 18/2018 establishes an inclusive education system should consider the differences in individuals, including in the areas of health and build in strategies to respond to and minimize differences. According to a report from INE 2013, around 43 percent of children from

0-5 years of age suffer from malnutrition and many children go to school without having a meal all of which have a negative effect on children’s learning readiness and cognitive abilities.

MINEDH foresees several school feeding interventions, under the PRONAE program (Programa

Nacional de Alimentacao Escolar) developed in 2013, in consultations with partners. According to the PRONAE the Ministry is planning to implement interventions that will improve student’s health and nutritional conditions and contribute to improve their readiness to learn. Although not a powerful intervention, evidence shows that school meals do have some impact on extra years of schooling (2.8 extra years of schooling per $100 dollar).

Summary

SABER is focused on improving learning outcomes in primary education grades 4 through

6, using the bilingual education modality. The purpose of this activity is to acquire evidence-based technical-professional and material assistance to improve learning outcomes in primary education in Mozambique. SABER will build on and amplify the results of the USAID Vamos Ler activity ending in July 2021 while extending well proven and impactful reading intervention services to school children in Grades 4-6 in two northern provinces of Nampula and Zambezia.

4.2 Performance objectives:

The proposed activity will deliver evidence-based services focusing on the following three main areas of intervention:

1) Improving the quality of reading instruction in primary schools,

2) Increasing children learning outcomes in primary schools, and

3) Strengthening teacher professional development

4.3 Performance indicators: The above objectives will support the attainment of the following performance indicators:

Indicator Frequency of reporting Data source

Percent of learners targeted for USG assistance who attain minimum grade-level proficiency in reading at the end of primary school

Once a year • Official Government

Records, if they align with USG activity areas and targeted beneficiaries

• Official reports from Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments, EGRAs, ASER, or other leveled reading assessments in

USG activity areas

• Analysis of secondary data on reading outcomes (e.g.

ASER, EGRA), in so long as the data align with USG activity areas and targeted beneficiaries

Number of parent teacher associations

(PTAs) or community-based school governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education supported with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of learners in secondary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG education assistance

Annual • Official Government

Records

• Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of educators who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

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

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that are inclusively representative provided with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from