INSPIRE- II: Institutional Support For Participatory, Inclusive and Responsive Education

January 01, 2015

CIP is proposing a 36 month project called Institutional Support For Participatory, Inclusive and Responsive Education (herein referred to as INSPIRE-II) in Swat District to improve access to quality education services for children, particularly girls, and strengthen local governance in the education sector in KP province. In addition it will provide vocational skills and entrepreneurship development to young men and women through training and facilitate home based workers in the project communities; resulting in a greater impact.

This will provide employment and self-employment opportunity to the poor communities and also sustain education efforts carried out by the project. During the 3 months inception phase (Jan-March 2014), CARE International Pakistan identified potential project schools and teachers for INSPIRE II through broad based meeting with communities and education department. Due to a long gap between inception phase and actual start of implementation of the project which is starting from Jan 2015, the data collected and result determined in inception phase will be reviewed considering the changed environment during the initial implementation phase of the project.

The education department consent on this project will also to be re-confirmed at provincial and district level as government has taken many measures and enhanced scrutiny of projects in pipelines and currently being implemented after militants attack at Army Public School Peshawar (KP) in December 2014 etc.

Furthermore there will be new communities/schools by the government for prospective middle level schools and their up-gradation where new baseline data will have to be collected. CIP will validate initially collected data and seek NOC/MoU from the Government of KP during the initial 3-month period of INSPIRE II starting from January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015. The management structure for education is multi-layered and complex. It involves inputs at provincial and district levels.

The project therefore will be working with this multi-layered structure to achieve the project objectives and create ownership and ensure sustainability. During the first year an ALP curriculum will be developed in close coordination with the government provincial Bureau Of Curriculum (BOC), corresponding teacher training with the government Provincial Institute for Teacher Education (PITE) and assessment tools to measure students learning outcomes with the Provincial education Assessment System (PEAS).

This ALP package will be approved by these respective organs of the provincial government in consultation with the department of schools. The project will ensure that innovative learning materials and teacher methodologies are introduced for quality learning. This is important keeping in view that the learning levels of children who are in schools are very low (ASER report 2014). The functions of educational planning, management and monitoring and evaluation are with the district government that has its own budget and will play a key role in the implementation and sustainability of the project including budget allocation for the upgradation of the target schools to middle level.

The Project District Coordination Committee hence would be chaired by the District Coordination Officer and co-chaired by the EDO (District Education Officer) The project will focus on improving access to middle level education for around 1000 students mostly girls beyond the primary level through a second-shift accelerated learning model whereby the local primary schools will be used in the afternoons. The girls who have completed grade 5 or previously dropped out of school, will rejoin middle and secondary education occurring during the later part of the day at the primary schools.

Keeping in view the limited time frame of the project, an Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) will be proposed to the education department in which selected syllabus of grade 6, 7 and 8 will be completed in an 18 month duration (reduced from normal 3 school terms). Student intake will be during the two academic sessions (2015-16 and 2016-17). Overall, the proposed intervention will increase transition rates of girls from grade 6 and also the completion rate in grade 8.

Approximately 35 schools hosting ALP classes for post primary and primary completion in selected schools will be provided with school supplies and missing facilities to be able to provide educational services effectively. The student assessment will be conducted in coordination with the Swat education department for proper accreditation and the teachers will be trained during their training period on how to assess children through specialized tests that would be developed for ALP during curriculum development. The students and out of school youth will also be provided life skills trainings for their better social adjustment, health and livelihood. In addition, around 70 teachers will be recruited and trained during the project and an additional 35 as per requirement of the schools in year two as teaching assistants to support work load of teachers due to the entry of new cohort.

The feeder teachers will be provided in-service teacher training on ALP and will also be offered financial assistance to complete their professional education by facilitating their admission in relevant institutes. Schools will be managed and managed through PTCs. The members of 35 PTCs will be trained in school management (including financial management, record keeping, monitoring, advocacy, gender, child rights, use of community score cards etc.) and almost 25 education department officials in budgeting, accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and financial management and planning.

As a part of provincial government education policy afternoon sessions for primary level are already taking place in Pakistan due to shortage of schools and this includes girls schools also. The middle level girls schools have been discussed with the communities during INSPIRE I. and the communities are supportive of this although their priority is to have regular middle schools in the morning. This model of afternoon schools is proposed on the basis of the advocacy work that will be done with the government to upgrade the primary schools to middle level. To respect the local culture the duration of sessions will be shorter in order for girls and female teachers to reach home before dark.

Barriers towards girls education will be addressed through behavioral change campaigns, and advocacy at district and provincial levels. Furthermore, to achieve sustainability in the long run, INSPIRE-II will establish a Project Steering Committee, District Coordination Committee and PTC forums the latter two at the district level; who will be the prime drivers of the advocacy initiatives with the district government in order to support a wider discussion on the project and solutions for increasing transition rates and the number of girls receiving higher education.

Through the advocacy interventions with the government of which the Project Steering Committee and the Project District Coordination Committee are integral elements; approval for the second shift community based ALP model will be secured. Efforts will be made that the life skill manual becomes a part of in-service/ pre-service learning required by the government for all teachers. Advocacy efforts from the start will include the permanent recruitment of project feeder teachers. Feeder teachers recruited for second shift sessions will be provided with in-service trainings (and refreshers later) on ALP pedagogy, subject contents, school and classroom management, subject contents, learning assessment and life skills.

For this purpose a specialized curriculum will be developed with PITE. Firstly Master Trainers will be developed for this specialized and unique model through who will train these teachers at the district level; a teacher training manual will be put in place. This will not be a one-time training but will also comprise a refresher. The training would comprise interactive learner centered methodologies in the subject matter. In addition teachers will be trained in testing students learning outcomes. The ADOs will be part of this training in order to provide the necessary support to teachers in schools (on the job training).

The purpose is not just teacher training but teacher development also. In this regard cluster level teacher groups will be formed for peer learning and mentoring that would meet monthly. Through community based approach and advocacy the project (on its completion) envisages feeder teachers becoming regular government employees, the targeted primary schools are upgraded to regular middle schools and the provincial government adopts the community based education model in other areas. Supplementing its education intervention in Swat, a two year intervention aiming to enhance employment opportunities for young men and women in Swat is in-line with ROTA’s mission of creating opportunities for young people to access quality education they need in order to realize their full potential and shape the development of their communities. The envisaged project builds upon the ongoing ROTA supported education intervention in Swat through the INSPIRE (Infrastructure support, Professional Improvement to Revitalize Education) project.

The proposed intervention also aims to improve access to, and quality of, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) services by designing and implementing demand-driven quality training programs. The project will introduce innovative approaches, new teaching and learning methodologies and life skills education. The TVET graduates will be provided job counseling, help in job placements and facilitation for self-employment. The project will target home-based skilled workers through community-based trainings; linking them to small businesses, value chains and self-employment opportunities. The project will carry out advocacy with KP TEVTA aimed at increased budget allocation for TVET and institutionalizing career counseling services in TVET institutes in KPK.