Consultant for Final Evaluation of BMZ-PT funded education project in Lebanon

 

SSSE (Society for Social Support and Education) is hiring a consultant with the aim to conduct an evaluation of the following project funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ): Contribute to improving the educational prospects of children affected by the Syrian Crisis in Bekaa.

1.     Background and Rationale

SSSE is a registered Lebanese NGO established in August 2019. It emerged from the NGO Social Support Society (SSS, founded in 2006). SSS initially engaged in supporting the elderly and vulnerable but expanded its engagement to refugee families and their children in the context of the crisis in Syria . In 2019, SSSE spun off as an organization focused exclusively on education for Syrian refugee children.  SSSE's staff and board have built on experience working in education and relief efforts for refugee families since 2012. In collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Education (MEHE), SSSE provides non-formal education for refugee children of school age in the Bekaa Valley to build educational capacity for younger children and rehabilitate and strengthen lost capacity for older children. The children are specifically prepared for the transition into the formal Lebanese education system.

Lebanon is home to more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, many of whom live in the communities of Majdal Anjar and Bar Elias in Bekaa Governorate. Despite several successes in national education policies, the need for formal and non-formal education remains enormous.  Enrolment rates of Syrian refugee children have declined over the past year, particularly in Bekaa, due to a lack of capacity, socioeconomic and social reasons, and a lack of awareness about education. Private and non-governmental initiatives have created additional capacity outside public schools to a) engage out-of-school children in education and b) prepare students for the public school system in the country. 

The project provides a non-formal quality education program in Bekaa Governorate for Syrian refugee children in one school in Bar Elias, aligned with national education policies, international standards and SDGs, with the aim of enabling refugee children to remain in or return to school, as well as providing them with the necessary skills to transition into formal Lebanese education. In addition, the project empowers parents to better understand the importance of education, to follow their children's educational journey, and, in the case of traumatized or behaviorally challenged children, to better manage their children's behavior. It provides for systematic capacity building for teachers in order to continuously improve their performance and raise their qualification level so that they increase their chances on the official labour market in Lebanon (assuming a secure residence status) or upon return to Syria. 

In addition, the project aims to reach and sensitize the Lebanese host community through measures such as raising awareness among Lebanese families and teachers and involving Syrian and Lebanese students, parents and teachers in joint activities. Syrian and Lebanese students and teachers will benefit from a safe and inclusive infrastructure of the school building.

2.     Project area and specific Objective

The project has been implemented in Bekaa, Barelias School, targeting Syrian refugee children with the specific objective: Contribution to improving the educational opportunities of children affected by the Syrian crisis in the Bekaa Valley/Lebanon.

3.     Purpose and Scope of the Evaluation 

This evaluation aims to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the implemented activities (definition according to DAC standards) including providing specific, practical, and actionable recommendations on how to improve the quality of the interventions helpful in ongoing and plan for future projects design. Furthermore the evaluation should assess the situational, projects, and impacts analysis extent to which the projects performed at output and outcome level and should provide

Primary user of the report will be SSSE. The report will be shared with the donor and leading partner with the different stakeholders of the project to ensure the effective and sustainable development of their activities. 

4.     Process and methodology

The consultant/evaluator is expected to develop a detailed methodology for this evaluation in the inception report which will be based on qualitative data collection in gaining insights from a range of stakeholders as well as on analyzing available quantitative data and other relevant documents. The evaluator should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the evaluation is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of people and the communities of which they are members, and to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate, reliable, and legitimate, conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, and contributes to organizational learning and accountability.  

The consultant is expected to use the following methods as minimum:

-        Desk Review of key program documents (analysis of data from reports, like baseline report etc., all program related documents (proposal, monitoring data, interim reports) and others) 

-        Key Informant Interviews (with key school staff, SSSE staff etc.)

-        Focus Group Discussions with teachers, parents and students 

-        Personal interviews 

-        Direct Observation

These requirements can be further elaborated in the inception report as appropriate and needed. Through the methodology it is expected to provide data on all indicators, outputs and outcome of the program under review.

The evaluator will be responsible for identifying a relevant sampling methodology, drawing a sample, and training of enumerators as required, field study with conducting interviews with KI and FGDs. The consultant will also perform data analysis based on the collected data. At the end of the analysis process a draft report will be shared with the project staff for their comments/feedback. 

Ethical considerations:

ln line with international ethical standards, all those engaged in designing, conducting and managing evaluation activities will aspire to conduct high quality and ethical work guided by professional standards and ethical and moral principles. The proposal must identify actual or potential ethical issues, as well as measures and methods adopted to mitigate against these issues. All interviewees will be informed with the purpose of the evaluation and their role and what information is required specifically from them. Confidentiality of their views needs to be ensured. If interviewees will include minors, a written consent should be taken from the persons in charge of their care. All the documents, including data and fieldwork instruments, developed in the course of this consultancy are the intellectual property of SSSE.

5.     Evaluation questions 

The report will answer to the following key questions, the questions are not exclusive, they only serve as a guide:

Relevance:

-        Are the activities and outputs of the programme consistent with the overall goal and the attainment of its objectives?

-        Are the project outcomes/outputs relevant to the priority needs of the target groups?

-        How did the project respond to the target groups’ needs and priorities?

Effectiveness:

-        Which measures were particularly effective?

-        To what extent were the objectives achieved / are likely to be achieved?

-        What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives?

-        Did the projects only achieve intended results and objectives, or were there unintentional, negative or even counterproductive results, which may also have longer-term effects on the target groups?

-        How did activities affect the educational situation of the students?

-        How the activities affected the relationship between Syrian refugees and host community?

-        Were there any clear gaps in the target groups’ needs that were not filled during the implementation of the project? 

Efficiency:

-        Were activities cost-efficient? 

-        Were objectives achieved on time? 

-        Was the programme or project implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives? If so, what are the alternatives? 

Impact:

-        To what extent has the project achieved the intended impacts and has there been any additional impacts?

-        What is the activities’ major impact on the students?

-        How has the project improved the educational situation of the students?

-        Was the indirect target group of beneficiaries reached/impacted? 

 

Sustainability:

-        What were the major factors which influenced the achievement or non-achievement of sustainability of the project?

-        What are the needed tools and need information to measure sustainability?

-        Is there any measurable sustainable impact observed on the beneficiaries of this project?

 

 

6.     Outputs and Deliverables

 

·      Final evaluation report will be prepared by the external consultant in English, in a user-friendly format. The document will be discussed and confirmed with SSSE then presented to the BMZ. The report will include a detailed report on outputs achieved and their indicators (quantitative and qualitative); sustainability, efficiency, effectiveness of the intervention.

The evaluation report will also include practical and actionable recommendation on how to improve the quality of the interventions helpful in future project design. 

·       A file of good quality pictures (technical and social pictures).

·       A contact list of the principal stakeholders met during the evaluation.

·       Final presentation of the evaluation results to SSSE team.

 

The findings and all products arising from this evaluation will be owned by SSSE. The evaluator will not be allowed, without prior authorization in writing, to present any of the analytical results as his/her own work or to make use of the review results for private publication purposes. All case studies, anecdotes, any rough tool used and copies of participatory tools to be submitted to the SSSE team to ensure scientific accountability and data protection of the evaluation.

 

7.     Responsibilities, Timeframe and Duration

 

Overall, management oversight will be provided by SSSE. The consultant is to be based in Lebanon for the entire period of the consultancy.

The evaluation is expected to take place In July 2023. The consultant will receive all relevant documents from SSSE. SSSE will support the consultant to ensure the related administrative and logistics arrangements are met among which accommodation, transport and schedule the appointments.

 

The consultant is responsible to produce the following by the stated deadline:

-           Desk review and submission of the inception report: max. 4 days

-           Data collection and field visits: 3 days

-           Draft evaluation report: 2 days 

-           Final report: 3 days

Timeline 

Activity 

Responsible 

Day 1-4 

• Desk review of key documents 

• Initial briefing about the program; 

• Draft Inception report, detailing evaluation tools, methodology and detailed evaluation schedule; 

• Inception report

• SSSE responsible for sharing all relevant documents and arranging meetings with key staff and stakeholders; 

• Consultant for interview schedule and inception report production; 

Day 4-7 

• Data collection and analysis; 

• Field visits to school 

 

• SSSE responsible for logistics and arranging meeting with beneficiaries/stakeholders 

• Consultant for draft evaluation report 

Day 7-9

• Draft evaluation report which is circulated internally for comments; 

• Presentation of key findings, 

• Feedback on the draft evaluation report and revision

• Consultant for presentation and draft report 

• SSSE for consolidated feedback 

Day 9-12 

• Final evaluation report for submission to SSSE

• Final presentation

Consultant and SSSE 

 

8.     Consultant Profile

·       A minimum of three (3) years of demonstrable experience in leading evaluations in development cooperation and humanitarian projects;

·       Previous experience in undertaking evaluations for education programs or similar work experience in the region - specifically in Lebanon;

·       Good knowledge of the country, national politics and structures and education sector;

·       Previous working experience (min. 5 years) in coordination, design, implementation and monitoring of humanitarian programs;

• A minimum of five years’ experience of working in the development, humanitarian context

·       Qualitative and quantitative methods expertise;

·       Excellent report writing and analytical skills in English; 

·       Proficiency in Arabic language;

• Experiences in qualitative and quantitative participatory M&E methods ideally with international and local NGOs;           

·       Proven gender awareness and sensitivity;

·       Excellent attention to detail and evidence of quality outputs from previous assignments;

·       Strong inter-personal, teamwork and organizational skills;

·       Familiarity with information technology, including proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software;

·       Punctuality and availability to complete the work on time.