Call for Proposal for UWS-UKAM R4 End-of-Project External Evaluation Study

This Terms of Reference (TOR) should be used as a template to develop the complete proposal.

Deadline for Submission of Proposal: 05 February 2025

1. Project Title

End-of-Project External Evaluation Study: UWS-UK Aid Match R4: Increasing Enrollment and Retention of Children in Primary Education in Remote Regions of Nepal (2022–25)

2. Background Information

The UK AID Match R4 (UKAM R4) project was implemented by United World Schools (UWS) Nepal from April 2022 to March 2025. The project aimed to increase enrollment and retention in primary education in the remote districts of Gulmi, Sankhuwasabha, Taplejung, and Bhojpur. Targeting 8,505 children, the initiative sought to address barriers such as poverty, gender inequality, discrimination, and geographical remoteness by ensuring access to quality education through:

• Developing school infrastructure.

• Enrolling and retaining children in UWS-supported schools.

• Training teachers and School Management Committees (SMCs) to provide inclusive, child-centered education.

• Employing community and government teachers in UWS-supported schools.

• Supporting girls’ participation in education.

• Engaging with local governments to transition schools to government management over a 5–7 year period.

Outcomes of the Project:

• Outcome 1: Number of boys and girls retained in newly built or adapted UWS schools/community learning sites.

• Outcome 2: Number of boys and girls reaching the minimum proficiency level in reading and maths in Grades 1, 2, and 3 in newly built or adapted UWS schools/community learning sites.

3. Scope of the evaluation

The evaluation will focus on a sample of schools and communities across six schools of Gulmi district. 

The scope will be limited to evaluating the following activities of the project:

• The impact of teacher training on learning outcomes

• The sustainability of school-level monitoring and capacity building practices from government officials as a result of training and tools provided

Target participants may include:

• Students (currently enrolled)

• School Stakeholders (headteachers, teachers, and School Management Committees)

• Community Members (parents, Mothers Groups, and local leaders)

• Local Government Officials

• UWS Programme and Field Staff

4. Purpose/ Objective/ Rationale

The evaluation seeks to provide an in-depth analysis on teacher training and local government engagement. It seeks to inform how effective teacher training provision has been over the course of the project, and how it has impacted on student learning outcomes. It also seeks to look at how effective local government engagement has been in ensuring sustainability of student retention and learning outcomes post-transition.

5. Intended user(s) and use(s)

The intended users are local government officials and UWS programme management. The uses are to improve teacher training to drive student learning outcomes and to increase the likelihood of sustained success of student retention and learning post-transition.

6. Evaluation Questions

• To what extent were the project’s intended outcomes achieved (e.g., enrollment, retention, teaching quality, and foundational learning outcomes)?

• What changes were observed in students, schools, and communities as a result of the project?

• What was the quality of the teacher training provided?

• What, if any, was the impact of teacher training provision on teaching quality, student retention and learning outcomes?

• To what extent do the training programs contribute to sustained improvements in student learning outcomes at the primary level?

• How did local government officials change their behaviour in monitoring and capacity building at the school level as a result of UWS training and tool provision?

• What elements of the current approach can be institutionalised to ensure the long-term sustainability and functionality of the schools under government management?

7. Guiding principles and approach

The evaluator should complete this section.

Detail the principles and approach that will guide the evaluation (e.g., transparency, partnership, openness, cost-effectiveness, gender awareness, cultural sensitivity, stakeholder participation etc.), should be articulated.

Detail how appropriate ethical procedures will be followed.

8. Methodology

The evaluator should complete this section. Mixed-methods are encouraged, including the use of existing data and new primary data collection to generate new knowledge or to triangulate findings. 

The methodology section should specify as much detail as possible on: 

• Existing information sources/ data collection instruments, protocols and procedures 

• Additional new data collection efforts: information sources/ data collection instruments, protocols, and procedures

• Sampling procedures

• Provisions to obtain needed permissions to collect and report data

• Provisions to store and maintain the security of collected information

• Procedures for analysing quantitative and qualitative data

• Protocols for anonymity/confidentiality

• Inclusion or not of response from those being evaluated

• Data presentation and dissemination methods

Create an evaluation matrix that specifies which selected methods will answer each KEQ.

Existing data includes:

• EGRA EGMA Student assessments

• Training records

• Teacher lesson observations

• School-level paper-based records e.g. enrolment, attendance, retention, national assessments

• Community surveys

UWS will discuss and approve the methodology as part of the evaluator’s scope of work.

9. Roles and responsibilities

Qualifications: 

UWS is looking for a lead evaluator(s) / Consultant firm with a strong track record in conducting evaluations and direct programme interventions. 

Successful consultant firms will be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:  

• Demonstrated experience in conducting external evaluations of development projects;

• Previous work experience in education programmes, particularly with vulnerable or marginalised groups;

• Knowledge and expertise in participatory, qualitative, and quantitative data collection methodology, tools, and analysis;

• High level of research and analytical skills;

• Proven experience in implementing and supervising data collection;

• Ability to produce concise, readable, and analytical reports;

• Proven experience in managing evaluation teams and facilitation skills, and the capability to handle necessary logistics and, if required and agreed upon, including sub-contracting;

• Previous work experience in Nepal is an advantage;

• Excellent spoken and written English and/or Nepali spoken and written language skills are an advantage;

• The company or consultant firms must be legally permitted to operate in Nepal. It is the responsibility of the company and consultant(s) to ensure that all personnel have valid working visas and permits.

Evaluation Criteria: 

• Relevance of proposed approach (30%)

• Technical expertise (25%)

• Stakeholder engagement plan (15%)

• Costing and relevance (30%)

11. Reporting requirements

The deliverables are listed below:

• Inception report, including the following:

  • The evaluation methodology, including sampling, data collection plan and tools;

  • Site selection criteria and respondent selection criteria;

  • Methods for data analysis;

  • Justification of the methods and techniques to be used (including relevant underlying values and assumptions/theories) with a justification of the selections made (e.g. interviewees);

  • Explanation of how gender and disability inclusion, child protection, safeguarding and ethical standards will be followed during the data collection;

  • Provisions to store and maintain the security of collected information

  • Protocols for anonymity/confidentiality

  • Stakeholder and beneficiary mapping (input will be provided by UWS);

• Test data collection tools and make necessary changes;

• Facilitate a half-day workshop with UWS on inception report, methodology, data collection tools, and sampling methods;

• Supervision of data collection (including travel to target areas, where required)

• Final external evaluation report (~30 pages), including:

  • Executive summary

  • Analysis of evaluation data, including charts, tables, and graphs;

  • Analysis of results against evaluation methodology and key research questions;

  • Recommendations;

  • Completed consent forms (including for children and their caregivers and adults);

  • Cleaned data (including data files, transcripts of qualitative data, syntax/ code books etc.);

  • Final sampling methodology (including unit of sampling and sampling frame) and size;

  • Final data collection tools.

• Develop a brief PowerPoint presentation (approx. 15-20 slides) that summarises the key findings of the evaluation;

• Present the key findings in a half-day workshop with UWS;

• Deliver the final report based on feedback from UWS (due within 1 week upon receiving feedback);

• UWS will have unrestricted permissions to publish information from or based on the evaluation

12. Estimation of the cost

The evaluation budget is capped at NPR 10,00,000, covering evaluator fees, reports,  travel, and other associated costs.

The evaluators should develop an accurate and detailed estimation of the cost of the evaluation for the Fees or Expenses portion of the contract should be presented.

An evaluation budget should include the costs of:

• Personnel (e.g. evaluator(s), research assistant, support staff, etc.) per day or lump sum

• Travel (transportation, per diem, travel mobilization expenses, consider class of travel)

• Supplies, equipment and Direct communication costs such as phone, fax, email, postage

• Translation

• Copying and printing

• Workshops (design, findings verification, utilization, etc.)

• Facilitation of use by intended user.

13. Procedures and Logistics

UWS will assist the Evaluation and Enumerator Teams with operational support in Nepal, including local office and site visits, and help with travel and accommodation arrangements. However, the evaluation team is responsible for their own expenses. Office space will be provided in Kathmandu and field offices, but the evaluation team must bring their own computers and materials.

The consultant firm is expected to:

• Utilise his/her computer and materials

• Cover all the expenses for the evaluation team and enumerators involved in the study

• Travel and stay in the specified locations by his/her means

UWS will provide the consultant/consulting firms:

• Introduction to the local authorities/stakeholders

• Assistance in organizing the meetings with the stakeholders

• Logistics support for internal travel arrangements to project locations.

14. Timeline and Milestones

The final report, with all UWS comments addressed, must be finalised by March 31 2025.

The evaluator should complete this section.

Detail the timeline and milestones that will need to be achieved. You can do this by specifying the total number of days and timeline for the whole evaluation, and adding the number of days required to complete each milestone. You can break the phases into:

• Planning

• Data collection / collation

• Data analysis

• Reporting

• Facilitation of use

• Payment schedule for fees/expenses if applicable

15. Quality assessment of the evaluation report

UWS will assess the quality of the final evaluation report utilising IDRC’s Quality Assessment Tool, which can be accessed here (pp.3-4): https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/402480e9-c3ba-4f9b-976f-f24922fbf9a7/content

Three people will assess the evaluation report: UWS Global Head of MEAL, UWS Nepal MEAL Lead, and UWS Nepal Head of Programmes.

16. Annexes

The organisations/firms and/or individuals must submit with accompanying CVs of proposed evaluation team members (If a consulting firm or company, please include a company profile with a company name, registered office address, physical address, telephone numbers, date of registration, registration number, copy of registration certificate, names of directors/proprietors and name of contact person).

17. Application process

UWS invites interested applicants to submit a detailed proposal by completing this TOR template.

Any questions regarding the Proposal should be directed to info.nepal@uwsglobal.net before/by January 29, 2025. Please submit your Proposal and all required documents electronically to info.nepal@uwsglobal.net before/by February 05, 2025, with the Proposal for "UWS-UKAM R4 End-of-Project External Evaluation" in the subject line.