Reaching the Unreached - UNICEF · 2019-06-07 · Reaching the Unreached Forward looking assessment of the Community Schools Project UNICEF - EGYPT June 2010 . 2 Bibliographical Information

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Reaching the Unreached

Forward looking assessment

of the Community Schools Project

UNICEF - EGYPT

June 2010

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Bibliographical Information

Title: Evaluation of Community Schools in Egypt

Author(s): Ms. Eszter Szucs Dr. Habiba Hassan-Wassef

Institutions: National Center for Education Research and Development (NCERD), Egypt National Center for Education Evaluation and Examinations (NCEEE), Egypt

Date: June 2010

Region: MENA

Country: Egypt

Type: Evaluation

Theme: Education

Languages: English

Partners: Ministry of Education, UNICEF, CIDA, NGOs

__________________________ The commentaries and opinions expressed in this report represent views of the authors and do not

necessarily represent the positions of UNICEF.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acronyms 7

Glossary of terms 8

Acknowledgments 10

Executive Summary 11

1 Introduction

1.1 Background 19 1.2 Context and purpose of the evaluation 20 1.3 Research Framework 21 1.4 Methodology 23 1.5 Study limitations 32 1.6 Summary of relevant previous research 33

2 Findings

2.1 Access and equity 36 2.2 Learning conditions 53 2.3 Learning outcomes and their causes 62 2.4 Community interactions 86 2.5 Sustainability 93 2.6 Resource strategy 110

3 Conclusions and recommendations

3.1 Conclusions 113 3.2 Recommendations 117 3.3 Immediate next steps 121

Appendices

Appendix 1: Bibliography 122 Appendix 2: Phasing out strategy 125 Appendix 3: TOR, Forward looking assessment of UNICEF community schools project 126

Appendix 4: Results framework 132 Appendix 5: Guidelines for qualitative assessment and tools used 134 Appendix 6: Evaluation time frame 130 Appendix 7: Evaluation team (members of the research team) 137 Appendix 8: List of interviewees 141 Appendix 9: List of sites visited 142

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Appendix 10: Other relevant supporting documentation 143 10.1:Critical Thinking, Achievement, and Problem Solving tests (CAPS) 143 10.2: Pre-test lessons 151 10.3: Memorandum of Understanding between MOE and UNICEF (1992) 154 10.4: Grant arrangement between Canadian International Development 156

Agency and UNICEF for funding of UNICEF’s project (2003)

Tables

Table 1-1: Sample allocation for defined target population 28 Table 1-2: Community school and student sample, by grade type and level 28 Table 1-3: Number and type of respondents (and target groups), by tool 29 Table 2-1a:

Out of school children (6-12 yrs) in Community School sites in six districts 2008/2009

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Table 2-1b Number and percent of children out of school in locality of community school, by gender and age

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Table 2-2: Student characteristics (percent) 43 Table 2-3: Attendance status, by risk factors (percent) 47 Table 2-4: Completion and progression rates, by gender (percent) 49 Table 2-5: Primary school completion rates, by gender and school type, 2007/08 (percent) 49 Table 2-6: School-related inputs students receive from families (percent) 54 Table 2-7: Availability and quality of school materials (percent) 55 Table 2-8: Structural condition of school building (percent) 58 Table 2-9: Availability of infrastructure (percent) 60 Table 2-10: Availability of auxiliary services (percent) 61 Table 2-11: Student performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain and school type (percent ) 63 Table 2-12:

Pass rates on national assessment, by grade level and school type, 2007/08 (percent) 64

Table 2-13: Student performance on CAPS, by standard level and gender (percent) 65 Table 2-14: Student performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain and gender (percent) 66 Table 2-15: Student performance on CAPS, by risk factor (percent) 67 Table 2-16: Student performance in life skills, by skill type and gender (percent) 68 Table 2-17: Facilitator characteristics (percent) 73 Table 2-18: Facilitator performance on Cadre, by cognitive domain (percent) 74 Table 2-19: Facilitator performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain (percent) 75 Table 2-20: Facilitator satisfaction with work aspects (percent) 77 Table 2-21: Supervisor characteristics, by type and rank (percent) 79 Table 2-22:

Technical supervisor performance on Cadre, by cognitive domain and rank (percent) 80

Table 2-23: Availability and quality of capacity-building and support (percent) 82 Table 2-24: Education committee member characteristics (percent) 87 Table 2-25: Interactions between school and community (percent) 90 Table 2-26: Engagements of students and facilitators with community (percent) 91 Table 2-27: Availability of community contributions (percent) 99 Table 2-28: Amount and percent of CSP expenditure, by item and source, 2007/08 105 Table 2-29: Amount and percent of recurrent expenditure, by item and school type 107

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Table 2-30: Capital expenditure estimates, by item (LE per CS per annum) 108

Figures

Figure 2-1: Type of primary school nearest community school (percent) 36 Figure 2-2: Distance of nearest primary school from community school (percent) 37 Figure 2-3: Attendance status (percent) 46 Figure 2-4: Pass rate on national assessment, by grade level, school type and gender, 2007/08

(percent) 64

Figure 2-5: Student and facilitator performance on CAPS, by content field (percent) 65 Figure 2-6: Percent of students by category of general appearance and hygiene 70 Figure 2-7: Highest level students would like to continue education (percent) 72 Figure 2-8: Where facilitators would like to be in the next five years (percent) 76 Figure 2-9: Education committee membership, by year (cumulative percent) 86 Figure 2-10: Total number of community school graduates who have completed secondary school 104

Boxes

Box 2-1: Quality Assurance: Risks and Opportunities (1) 94 Box 2-2: Supply and demand: Risks and opportunities (2) 100 Box 2-3: Partnerships and roles: Risks and opportunities (3) 102

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ACRONYMS

CAPMAS Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics CAPS Critical Thinking, Achievement and Problem Solving (test) CBE Community-based education CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CS Community school(s) CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CSP Community schools project EFA Education for All EC Education committee(s) GAEB General Authority for Educational Buildings GFS Girl-friendly school(s) IRT Item Rsponse Theory LE Egyptian Pounds LEA Local Executing Agency MIS Management Information System MOE Ministry of Education MOLD Ministry of Local Development MOU Memorandum of understanding MS Mainstream school(s) MOSS Ministry of Social Solidarity M&E Monitoring and evaluation NCCM National Council for Childhood and Motherhood NCEEE National Center for Examinations and Educational Evaluation NCERD National Center for Educational Research and Development NGO Non-governmental organisation NSP National Strategic Plan for Pre-University Education Reform OCS One classroom school(s) ROH Rate of homogeneity SCDAWAT Sohag Community Development Association for Women’s Affairs and Training SCOPE Standards-Based Classroom Observation Protocol for Egypt SES Socio-economic status SPME Social Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation SPSS Statistical Package for Social sciences STEPS I Support to Egyptian primary schooling (CIDA funded project) – CSP TOR Terms of reference UN United Nations WASH Water, sanitation and hygiene WFP World Food Programme

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Administrator Ministry of Education (MOE) official, whether at central, governorate or district (local) level.

Al Azhar Religious-oriented education from primary to tertiary level, supervised by the Supreme Council of the Al Azhar Institution.

Cadre A new system for teachers professionalism established in 2007 to provide a career path taking into account an improvement in wages and incentives. The cadre links skills and performance to the promotion process which requires teachers to pass specific professional tests in order to get licenses..

Community development association (CDA)

Civic organization comparable to a non-governmental organization (NGO), located at village or hamlet level.

Community school (CS) Primary school forming part of the community schools project (CSP or project). In Qena, following transfer of community schools to the Ministry of Education (MOE or Ministry) and NGOs/CDA, there are: formerly UNICEF-affiliated community schools and independent (new) community schools, established without support from UNICEF.

Education committee Collective of community members responsible for maintaining CS at the village or hamlet level.

Facilitator Educator (teacher) facilitating the learning process in CS.

Girl-friendly school (GFS) Primary school predominantly for out-of-school girls in deprived urban and rural areas. GFS are implemented through the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood and supported by the United Nations.

Implementing (project) NGO Non-governmental organization responsible for project administration, operation and management at governorate level.

Inspector Technical personnel responsible for technical assistance and quality assurance of teaching, affiliated with the MOE.

Mainstream school Regular primary school, maintained by the MOE.

One classroom school Primary school in the largest majority for girls in remote areas established and maintained by the MOE.

Project staff Supervisors, project directors and other administrative personnel, principally managed by implementing NGOs of the CSP.

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Supervisor Technical or field personnel responsible for quality assurance of teaching and community relations in the CSP.

Sustainability Community Schools continue to operate after the termination of the external funding to fulfill the present and future needs of most disadvantaged children in remote areas

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The research team wishes to acknowledge all those who contributed to the production of this report.

Valuable inputs and support were provided by the UNICEF Country Office management in Cairo led by

UNICEF Country Representative, Dr. Erma Manoncourt and Deputy Representative, Ms. Gillian Wilcox.

UNICEF’s Education Section has been indispensable throughout the process and Inas Hegazi, Education

Specialist, and Amira Fouad, Program Officer, were always available to answer questions. The Social

Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation Section provided input in terms of quality assurance, and the assistance

of Manar Soliman with respect to the data analysis is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, consultations with

the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Section are also acknowledged.

The participation of the National Center for Educational Research and Development and the National

Center for Examinations and Educational Evaluation played a key role in the conceptualization of the

assessment and design of tools (NCEEE kindly shared the tests they had developed), the collection and

processing of data, and their contribution in terms of analysis and revision of the draft report. The heads

of the centres, Dr. Mustafa Abdel Samie and Dr. Naguib Khozam, and the Director of the Testing Unit, Dr.

Na’eema Hassan Ahmed, spared no effort in supporting the study.

Furthermore, we wish to thank Dr. Walid Massoud, Dr. Mohamed Ashraf El-Mekkawy, Dr. Mohamed

Nassef and Dr. Mohamed Ghazy for their assistance in reviewing the draft report and providing valuable

inputs. This is in addition to officials from the Ministry of Education and the ‘one classroom schools’ for

their unwavering cooperation in the field. Further to this, we acknowledge the role of local NGOs in

organizing the collection of information relevant to this study.

Finally, the cooperation of all respondents: children, facilitators, teachers, supervisors and project staff, as

well as community members, Ministry of Education officials, Canadian International Development Agency

and World Food Programme staff, and various other consultants, advisors and NGO staff is duly

acknowledged and very much appreciated.

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Executive Summary

Background

In 1992, the Ministry of Education (MOE) signed an agreement with UNICEF for the development of a

community based education model that provides quality primary schooling to children living in remote

underserved areas, and which gives priority to increasing the enrolment of girls. UNICEF’s role was to

support the development of a technically sound replicable model that serves hard to reach and

marginalized parts of the population, thus improving primary school enrolment rates and narrowing

gender disparities. The overall objective of the community based education model was to accelerate

progress towards achievement of Education for All goals. Remote communities in Upper Egypt were

targeted with a focus on girls, thereby addressing the core causes of disparity: geography and gender.

Underpinned by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, emphasis of the Community Schools Project

(CSP) is on quality education using child-centred techniques.

The community schools project is implemented through a partnership between the Ministry of Education

(MOE), non-governmental organizations (NGO), local communities and UNICEF. The partnership was

extended to include the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 1994 and World Food

Programme (WFP) in 2006. The MOE provides facilitator salaries, curriculum and textbooks, technical

supervision and auxiliary services. UNICEF, with support from CIDA, provides school furniture and supplies,

and is responsible for the day-to-day management and capacity building of the facilitators, supervisors

and project partners. WFP provides daily snacks and take home rations to the children, while communities

make available the classrooms, participate in the management of the schools and ensure their local

relevance through education committees (EC). NGOs contracted by UNICEF provide a field presence for

technical supervision, management and administration of community schools (CS).

In November 2008, UNICEF commissioned an assessment of Phase III activities (2003 – 2009) that aimed

to enhance Egypt's national capacity to deliver quality basic education for all, focusing on girls, and by

consolidating and expanding the community schools model for diffusion to Egypt's mainstream

educational institutions. The assessment was to be comprehensive, acknowledging achievements of the

CSP, identifying best practices and recommending future requirements for capacity building and quality

assurance once funding from CIDA comes to an end and school management is handed over to MOE and

NGOs. Since the structure for the CSP handover has already been identified, the assessment is mainly

concerned with ways to preserve and optimize project accomplishments (primarily in terms of access and

quality). Since the project was last evaluated in 2001, generating new and reliable information that can

provide an up-to-date snapshot was an explicit objective.

Context and purpose

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide a forward looking assessment based on the lessons learned

from the final or sustainability phase (2003 – 2009) of the community schools project. The main focus of

the evaluation will be to develop a project sustainability strategy. It is expected that the evaluation will

yield evidence on the impact of community schools on increasing access, improving quality and achieving

learning outcomes (within the framework of the criteria of child rights in education as indicated in the

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Child Rights Convention), as well as the impact on gender issues. Furthermore, it will contribute to the

Ministry of Education and the strategies of all other education stakeholders in regards to Community

Based Education.

Objectives of the evaluation

The main objective of the evaluation was to undertake a comprehensive and final assessment of the

community schools project that provides scientific based evidence to substantiate the evolution, progress

and achievements of the final phase of the CSP. In particular, the evaluation was designed to:

1. Provide substantiated evidence regarding the achievements of the project principal goals and objectives, as well as broader outcomes (Appendix 10.3, MOE-UNICEF 1992 Agreement refers).

2. Provide answers to the main research questions (listed in Appendix 3, TOR).

3. Provide a basis for the forward looking recommendations and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the CSP.

4. Analyze the sustainability strategies through a review of the management model and

the financial aspects of the CSP.

The realization of the above objectives was achieved through answering a list of questions that were

included in the TOR of the assignment (see Appendix 3). They related to: programme relevance,

effectiveness, efficiency, impact (qualitative and quantitative), sustainability, and costing. The limitations,

along with the unexpected and extended duration of the study made it difficult to prepare capacity

building plans for each stakeholder with clear guidelines, while also taking into consideration the

assessment techniques/tools of the capacity building exercise.

In addition to generating a set of findings and recommendations, the assessment aimed at making a

number of practical contributions towards sustainability of community schools. It is hoped that:

Favourable facilitator and supervisor performance on Cadre tests will go towards securing more stability for CS staff in the education system.

The creation of test items for community school populations will lead to enhanced M&E mechanisms and overall quality of CBE.

Findings and recommendations from this report will help guide new NGO partners in consolidating their involvement with CS.

Review of community schools, especially in Qena, undertaken by the central MOE and specialized institutes affiliated with the Ministry, will deepen awareness, appreciation and ownership of the CSP, as well as cooperation related to CBE. The findings from this assessment will be used as baseline to monitor, safeguard and improve CS quality after the handover.

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Methodology

In addition to surveys and secondary data sheets intended to measure access, learning conditions and

community relations, standardized tests – Critical Thinking, Achievement and Problem Solving (CAPS) in

Arabic, mathematics, science and pedagogical skills – were administered to Grade 4 students and teaching

staff from the CSP after having been adapted to suit the learning outcomes. Moreover, students took a life

skills test that followed UNESCO and UNICEF guidelines in terms of design. In the formulation and

administration of all tools, respect for the characteristics of the study population and confidentiality were

emphasized. The primary purpose of the qualitative component was to allow insight into profound CSP

outcomes and management processes. In-depth and group interviews, focus groups and spontaneous

exchanges were conducted, and although attempts were made to hold discussions with all stakeholders,

the sample size, with the exception for management investigations, was restricted. With regards to the

project history and cost analysis, a review of CSP and related records and documents was performed.

Tools and techniques were pre-tested in two CS that were randomly selected from Assiut and Qena

(understood to represent divergent quality). Using a census, stratified random and cluster sampling, the

principal assessment involved 70 CS, with a maximum of 36 NGO supervisors (technical and field), 138

facilitators and 1,896 students. Since the aim of the assessment is to provide information on the CSP as a

whole, sampling criteria were determined for the entire population (rather than for sub-units). The data

processing and analysis was conducted with the aid of SPSS software.

Given the interest in sustainability, information was collected by governorate in order to fairly represent

the different structures of management. To shed light on inequities, an additional desegregation of target

groups was conducted. Principal themes in qualitative research were synthesized in line with the

assessment framework. The details of the framework, as well as the analysis were designed to allow for

continuous refinement based on insights emerging from the field. Validation relied on triangulation, with

background research, quantitative and qualitative components. The study respected UNICEF’s evaluation

policy for facilitation of evidence-based decision-making and its practical implications throughout the

research process, as well as the national policy and that of other partners. Recommendations are aligned

with the organization’s shifting priorities in light of Egypt’s lower middle income status.

Study limitations

Sampling criteria were determined for the whole population (see Table 1-1: Sample Allocations) to

accommodate the time frame and number of available researchers. National figures were included

whenever possible to compensate for the inability to obtain a statistically reliable sample from

neighboring schools that could be used as a comparison with other school systems. Further research is

needed to confirm any comparisons. Difficulties and shortcomings encountered in the design of the survey

instruments and in their adaptation to the context of the study are detailed under the section on

methodology and the pre-test results. The method of teaching is the hallmark of the CSP; however, it was

not possible to correctly assess a facilitator’s skills in carrying out their planned lessons. Even after

observation, items had been simplified, and data could not be utilized due to the high prevalence of

missing responses.

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Comparative information on access and achievement was not readily available, and secondary data that

exists was, for the purpose of this assessment, not sufficiently detailed. Since secondary information on

employment and broader social outcomes for CS communities and graduates did not exist, either as a

baseline or present information, the study relied on indirect ways to measure the impact of the project.

During the field surveys, the possibility of resistance in making information available was overcome by

creative perseverance and systematic follow-up. Data limitations did not allow for precise calculation of all

details of the expenditure from national and donor sources for CS and MS – comparison was limited to

common core expenditure items. Cost calculations differed when transportation and stakeholder learning

activities were included in CSP costs, thus making them considerably higher than mainstream education

costs under comparable conditions. No conclusions were made as to the real annual financial cost per

pupil/per year for CS students or other community based education initiatives/systems or MS primary

schools. Additional investigations may be required to enable a comparison between the cost effectiveness

and merits of the different CBE initiatives.

Key Findings

Satisfying requirements of the final project phase, a strong and consolidated CS model has been put into

place. In terms of access and learning outcomes, the community schools approaches have been

overwhelmingly effective if compared to other educational enhancement and poverty reduction

programmes across the country. In line with the above requirements, best practices from CS (mainly in

terms of curricula and teaching methods) have been extended to MS, OCS, girl-friendly schools and other

education projects. Most recently, the community schools model has been recognized as a basis for all

CBE initiatives in the Strategic Plan; however, beyond extending the reach of the project, effectiveness in

terms of outcomes needs further attention. Weaker access and learning achievement on the part of MS

and OCS point to an urgent need for measures to improve through a fresh look at these systems.

The study showed that age and gender disparities in enrolment, poor attendance and attrition have been

largely eradicated, and in a number of communities most children eligible for education programmes have

been reached. The objectives of school completion for CSP students and increasing the popularity of

education have been successfully attained. Completion rates are around 90 percent, and of those who

complete their studies in the community schools, progression to preparatory school is nearly 100 percent.

Early marriage and incidences of child labour have, to a large extent, diminished in communities served by

CSP schools.

Echoing earlier findings, CS students perform better in core subjects than their counterparts in

mainstream and one classroom schools (MS and OCS), both in lower and upper-cycle grades. On the

whole, Grade 4 children scored two thirds of questions correct across various tests: 50 percent in Arabic,

63 percent in mathematics, 67 percent in science and 79 percent in life skills. The highest scores were in

Assiut, and Qena performed better than Sohag across all fields, with the exception of life skills. There were

no significant gender differences when looking at achievement and other socio-economic risk factors.

Desegregation of CSP outcomes though, shed light on a number of finer points related to effectiveness

and impact, relevance, reach and efficiency, both in CS communities and beyond. The principal findings

are presented hereunder.

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Unlike technical supervisors, CS children and facilitators performed weakest on critical thinking (compared

to other cognitive domains), pointing to the need to improve training and transfer of these skills. The

Strategic Plan’s emphasis on staffing and quality assurance of CBE, along with the lower percentage of

facilitator salaries in the budget of CS versus other school systems provides a unique opportunity for policy

dialogue towards securing capacity-building, oversight and staffing, as required in order to sustain

community schools. In light of the weak relationship between qualifications and performance, the

possibility for facilitators to have a secondary education, particularly in remote areas where it is difficult to

find qualified teachers, should be promoted (while ensuring that the conditions required for performance

are in place). Extensive supervision and training - though representing a much higher percentage of

expenses in CS than in MS and OCS - are questionable in terms of their relevance and efficiency, especially

given the considerable experience and qualifications of facilitators, along with concomitant gaps in skills in

dealing with contemporary requirements such as children at risk and information technology. According to

available data on common core expenditure items, recurrent cost per child is comparable in CS and MS.

72% of CS recurrent cost is covered by external resources (UNICEF, CIDA and WFP)

At a time when the development of Upper Egypt and its people has become a national priority, more can

be done towards enhancing cooperation between CS, other schools, service providers and communities to

rationalize the harnessing of resources for CS and other education systems. Some deficiencies were

revealed to exist in the provision of textbooks, supplementary materials, furniture, school supplies and

infra-structure services, and were encountered in as many as one third of schools. Facilitators in a number

of schools took the initiative to use local resources to produce their own teaching and learning aids. At

times, the provision of school meals was inconsistent, with public and private school feeding programmes

sometimes overlapping. Supply and demand were not aligned as there was no precise and effective

school mapping that made an equitable distribution of CS possible.

Good practice examples were encountered in Assiut where community school students had the highest

and most equal scores in spite of boasting the greatest percentage of disadvantaged students. The

successful community partnerships and favourable quality of schools that complete the profile for Assiut

were not undermined by the high percentage of disadvantaged EC members. As for Sohag, despite having

the highest vulnerability indicators, the CS clientele of Sohag is not considered the most disadvantaged,

and even with the greatest proportion of socio-economically advantaged EC members, the volume of

donations was lowest. This indicates the need to enhance the efficiency and relevance of the role of the

EC.

While prolific in the identification and promotion of good practice, the findings in this report show that in

changing the scope of the CSP to prioritize mainstreaming, the original objective of reaching remote and

disadvantaged communities with quality education has been undermined. The coverage of target

populations – the hard-to-reach, especially girls – is a fraction of what was expected. No more than 61

percent of CS children are girls (versus the anticipated 70 percent), and barely over 10 percent come from

poor economic stock. Seven percent of students in Sohag and 27 percent of all facilitators are from towns

(and 37 percent have post-secondary qualifications). Interventions to increase local relevance of

community schools, such as community education and the creation of income generation activities, were

minimal and short-lived and are underscored by the less intense student, facilitator and EC engagement

with community members (and vice versa).

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The protective management structure, which was strongly governed by UNICEF, may have been called for

in the early phases of pioneering an initiative and making it a cornerstone of education planning and

practice; however, it is difficult to achieve sustainability under such a management structure. The shift in

strategy to focus on sustainability has brought to the surface limitations in management capacity thereby

compromising the outcome of the training received. This was evident in cases where new actors had to be

brought in, along with NGOs. Capacity-building training was provided by UNICEF to project staff, NGOs and

the EC focused on management and financial skills, all of which succeeded in reducing the reliance on

UNICEF for day-to-day project management. At the end of the day however, self reliance could not be

guaranteed. The rationalization of project costs is underway, but more needs to be done, including

rigorous targeting and creation of modalities for cost sharing.

According to the present assessment, the main factor that has interfered with the full realization of the

innovation and improvement potential not only of CS, but also of other school systems, was: ineffective

planning (including monitoring and evaluation) especially at higher levels. While CS may have successfully

met their founding objectives and even adapted to changing circumstances to some degree (e.g. admitting

students from towns according to capacity, and attempting to ease progression to preparatory school),

this was due, above all, to competent supervision and interventions at the school level.

In line with demands of the final phase, relatively systematic information on students and facilitators is

being gathered, though a formal database is not in place. However, monitoring and examination are not

the same as evaluation. In the latter especially, insufficient attention to relevant aspects in detail

(desegregation of cognitive domains, competence of staff by rank, properties by school and governorate),

along with the inability to detect evolving conditions in and around the CSP, has served to compromise

equity, quality, costing and efficiency all the way from the project strategy through to the classroom. Any

initiative based on partnership needs to have the capacity not only in terms of research but also for

planning and implementation at all management levels to effectively gather, digest, communicate and

react to information.

Conclusions and recommendations

The most significant conclusions and recommendations that result from this analysis are as follows:

With physical access no longer an issue in many CS locations, concerns regarding increasingly acute forms of exclusion and progression in education and broader life become more important. While the National Strategic Plan for Education Reform shifts attention as a result of improved access to quality considerations, the possibility of educational evolution in terms of access, to reach the hard to reach, needs to be integrated into planning not only for community-based education (CBE), but also general education, given the growing significance of linkages between the two.

With regards to progression, community schools, students and staff need to be better connected to mainstream opportunities that are secured through an improved interface with national systems (including an effective liaison between CS and MS at different administrative levels).

On reaching the most excluded, the characteristics of marginalized communities and individuals (both children and youth) needs to be precisely determined, and new ways devised to effectively

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meet their needs. A more active and targeted outreach is required for promoting the establishment of CBE in remote localities and enrolment of the hardest to reach children.

Emphasis on access (for girls in particular), retention and achievement in education is necessary, but it is only the first step. There is a need to balance improving gender equity in school outcomes by promoting equality through women’s empowerment. Currently, the percentage of women in education committees is only 12 percent compared to the 40 percent that was expected to be reached by the final phase. If the example of Qena can be of any indication, it is the child-friendly aspects that need to receive attention. Continuity in support of less conventional subjects such as life skills, arts and sports, positive affiliation with CS on the part of students and staff, equity in access and learning outcomes, and enhanced community interactions will require some sort of guarantee following the CSP handover. At the same time, Qena’s experience suggests that strong MOE involvement can effectively safeguard access and learning achievements. The example of the handover in Qena provided inspiration and confidence in the broader handover process. Mainstreaming good CS practices would benefit from targeting attention on broader child-friendly techniques, which are suited to the conditions of different school systems. Weaker access and learning achievement on the part of MS and OCS point to an urgent need for measures to improve through a fresh look at these systems.

Educational quality is not complete without material conditions. Opportunities provided by the Strategic Plan’s emphasis on building and equipment, reinforced by the lower percentage of capital expenditure in CS versus other budgets, should be taken advantage of through policy dialogue in order to improve CSP learning conditions. Good practice examples, such as ways for replicating Assiut’s most effective educational achievements, including favourable material quality of the schools and successful community partnerships, need to be further investigated and promoted, especially where they are most relevant. Further investigations may also shed more light on the practices in Sohag where, despite boasting the highest vulnerability indicators, the CS clientele of Sohag is not the most disadvantaged.

While prolific in the identification and promotion of good practice, this report argues that with the change in scope of the CSP to prioritizing mainstreaming, the original objective of reaching remote and disadvantaged communities through quality education has been undermined. The coverage of target populations – hard-to-reach children, especially girls – is less than expected. There is a need to revitalize the local relevance of community schools through a number of interventions, including teaching inputs, community education, and income generation.

Handing over CS to the MOE and NGOs as was already accomplished in Qena and negotiated for all schools in line with the final phase stipulations. This offers a unique opportunity to optimize policy and societal relevance, along with providing opportunities for scaling-up through the Strategic Plan’s vision of creating a CBE system. The handover process should be closely monitored and lessons extracted in order to identify and maximize the application of best CBE practices. This way, a valuable contribution can be made in terms of enhancing the relevant niche (of CBE).

The limitations in managerial capacity and financial stewardship- brought to the surface as a result of focus on sustainability – necessitate adapting training and capacity building activities in order to bridge the gaps and to introduce a rational use of resources and modalities for cost sharing.

Although communications and networking between partners has been promoted, the breadth and depth of collaboration along with participants needs to be extended, complete with inclusion of line ministries, private and cooperative sectors, service providers in-and-out of communities, past

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and present CS students and families. There also has to be a relevant and clear vision adhered to by all, with everyone fulfilling their defined and matched roles, and feeling sufficiently competent and empowered to effectively act at their level. In addition, the continued facilitation of networks of cooperation and trust can be enhanced by using different types of incentives.

Measures are needed to compensate for the insufficient attention on details through the use of an appropriate management information system (desegregation of cognitive domains, competence of staff by rank, properties by school and governorate). This will also solve the current inability to detect evolving conditions in and around the CSP. The above shortcomings have served to compromise equity, quality, costing and efficiency of the project. Therefore, any initiative based on a partnership needs to have the capacity not only in terms of research, but also for planning and implementation at all management levels to effectively gather, digest, communicate and react to information. This requires continuous and refined research that is flexible enough to detect and adapt to circumstances that depend on the stage of a country’s development and the educational evolution of the communities in question. The refined research is expected to be respectful of local preferences and open to relevant national and international best practices.

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1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Egypt is one of nine countries targeted by the United Nations (UN) to place a special focus on

implementation of Education for All programming and activities. This agenda has been fully embraced by

the national government, and to move towards achievement of the five EFA goals the Ministry of

Education (MOE), together with UNICEF, established the community schools project (CSP) in 1992. The

focus is on girls in remote communities in Upper Egypt, which thereby addresses the two fundamental

causes of disparity: geography and gender. Underpinned by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the

emphasis is on quality and user child-friendly methods, which lead to the holistic development of children

and caregivers. Through locally relevant curricula, the provision of employment and income-generating

opportunities helps to foster civic engagement, especially on the part of women and disadvantaged

communities. The CSP is integrally linked to the Millennium Development Goals, including poverty

reduction, gender equality, health and environmental sustainability. The impact of education across all

dimensions of development is well known.

The Community Schools Project is distinguished by its pedagogy, with multi-grade, child-centred and

active teaching elements. The ability and pace of learning for each child is respected, while classroom

configuration, materials and novel schedules maximize opportunities for self and peer-directed learning.

Intensive training and support are provided to facilitators through technical and field supervisors,

responsible for quality assurance and community relations.

The CSP is based on a partnership between the Ministry of Education, Canadian International

Development Agency (CIDA), World Food Programme (WFP), non-governmental organizations (NGOs),

local communities and UNICEF. The MOE provides facilitator salaries, textbooks and auxiliary services, and

partakes in quality assurance and curriculum development. UNICEF, with support from CIDA provides

school furniture, supplies, manages the schools and offers capacity building support to facilitators,

supervisors and project partners. Rations from WFP supplement national school feeding programmes and

communities make available classrooms, participate in the management of schools, and ensure their local

relevance through community based education committees (EC). NGOs, contracted by UNICEF, provide

governorate-level field presence for management and administration of the community schools (CS).

In 2003, CIDA and UNICEF initiated the sustainability phase (2003 – 2007) of the CS project, "STEPS I" (see

Appendix 10.4), which aims to consolidate and expand the community schools model developed under the

1992 agreement. STEPS I focuses particularly on the rural areas of the three Upper Egypt governorates of

the CSP: Assiut, Sohag and Qena, and aspires to further diffuse the method throughout the Egyptian

education system.

The STEPS I Sustainability Strategy covered the following actions:

1. Strengthening other key stakeholders (MOE directorates at the sub-national level, partner NGOs and CDAs to allow UNICEF to withdraw from direct day-to-day management of the CS, (MOE-UNICEF agreement of 1992, Appendix 10.3).

2. Gradual phasing out of UNICEF financial support for community schools and their integration into the One Classroom Schools (OCS) Department of the MOE.

19

Specific interventions included the following:

100 schools will be established to serve hard to reach children, particularly girls. Schools developed during Phases I & II will be transferred to MOE. Expanding the reach of the project by mainstreaming good practices through: sharing training

methods, curricula and classroom practices, and enhancing policy dialogue with MOE and other partners.

In 2004, UNICEF undertook the midterm review of its 2002 – 2006 country program, which concluded that

a greater emphasis should be placed on mainstreaming the model to reach regular government schools

rather than scaling up the community schools. As a result, UNICEF suspended scaling up of the model and

started the diffusion process of best practices to the government schools while maintaining the existing

227 schools.

1.2 Context and purpose of the evaluation

In October 2008, UNICEF commissioned an assessment of the community schools project with its 227

community schools in the governorates of Assiut, Sohag and Qena. The assessment was to be

comprehensive, acknowledging achievements of the CSP and, at the same time, applying the lessons

learned and recommending proposals for its continuity in a sustainable manner beyond the end date of

CIDA funding in December 2009. Since the launch of the CSP 17 years ago, a number of perceptions have

taken root, and it was important that the assessment be conducted in partnership with the Ministry of

Education and its specialized research centres. The study design was to be conceived in line with UNICEF’s

evaluation policy while, at the same time, respecting national evaluation policies and those of other

partners as much as possible.1 At the end of the 17th year of the project’s existence, possibilities opened

up to investigate certain questions that were not possible to probe earlier on. For example, the

opportunity arose to trace completion rates up to the tertiary level of education and more reliable

information became available on educational expenditures, which was taken advantage of in this study.

The purpose of the evaluation (see appendix 3: TOR) is to provide a forward looking assessment based on

the lessons learned from the STEPS I community schools sustainability phase, which covered the period of

2003 to the end of the project in 2009. The main focus of the evaluation is to develop a project

sustainability strategy and it is expected that the evaluation will yield evidence on the impact of

community schools on access, quality, gender parity, and learning outcomes within the framework of a

rights based approach to education. Furthermore, it will contribute to the evolution of the Ministry of

Education and other education stakeholders' strategies on Community-Based Education.

Since commissioning the assessment, a number of developments have taken place calling for the

adjustment of the study’s objectives. The 32 UNICEF-affiliated community schools in Qena had been

transferred to the Ministry of Education and NGOs - or smaller community development associations

(CDA) - in February 2009. In May 2009, the agreement with the MOE to take over the rest of the CS after

the end of the project was reaffirmed. As a result, and based on consultation with UNICEF’s education

section, rather than focus on a systematic investigation of possible school-maintaining partners, the

1 UNICEF, 2008a.

20

assessment was primarily concerned with identifying ways to preserve and optimize project

accomplishments (access and quality) in the handover structure. By rationalizing project direction over the

last two years and featuring sustainability ‘experiments’ that were implemented and monitored, the

aspect of CSP management has largely been addressed.

Since financial sustainability continues to present the biggest challenge, research set out to explore two

new potential cost-saving approaches: input-output correlations and targeting and focusing on developing

a resource strategy. This evaluation has drawn upon and supplemented existing studies commissioned by

UNICEF. The scientific methodology that was adopted led to a set of recommendations indicating priorities

for action. Since the last evaluation of the project was conducted in 2001, it was of interest to provide an

up-to-date image, especially as a number of contextual changes have taken place, which may have

influenced the properties of the CSP. Certain questions that were previously difficult to investigate have

become easier to asses – for example, completion rates until tertiary level can now be traced beyond

anecdotal evidence. More information has also become available, such as data concerning project

management and expenditure, as well as the performance of supervisors and teachers, which will serve as

a basis for future planning.

After presenting the questions and methodology of the research, the assessment investigates the

attributes of the CSP compared to its objectives. The focus is on final phase requirements, measured by

their results framework (Appendix 4). At the end of each chapter there is a section dedicated to different

project aims, along with a summary of outcomes in terms of development assistance criteria and a section

highlighting the lessons learned and recommendations for the improvement of the project in line with

contemporary conditions.2 The conclusion summarizes what has been achieved from expected outcomes

and outputs of the sustainability phase and where the project stands in terms of the five evaluation

criteria and the specific questions highlighted in the Terms of Reference (TOR). It also brings together the

principal lesson of the study that focuses on systemic proposals and situates a revitalized next generation

of community schools on the national and international agendas.

1.3. Research framework

As specified in the TOR, the following are of interest to the CSP:

Effectiveness and equity of outcomes for stakeholders, along with ways to achieve them. Impact in terms of stakeholder capacity development. Relevance at local and national levels. Costing and efficiency, with improved financial strategy. Sustainability, including stakeholder financial and technical capacities.

The ocus is on the final sustainability phase 2003 - 2010(Phase III) with the objectives of:3

Increasing access, especially for girls, to quality primary education through CS in target areas. Heightening the relevance and reach of basic education in Egypt. Ensuring the application of best practices of the CS via the Ministry system.

2 Development assistance criteria, available at: http://www.oecd.org/document/22/0,2340,en_2649_34435_2086550_1_1_1_1,00.html. 3 CIDA, 2003.

http://www.oecd.org/document/22/0,2340,en_2649_34435_2086550_1_1_1_1,00.html

21

Increasing cooperation between the MOE, NGOs and communities to actively support and maintain CS as a model for innovation.

Improving management capacity of the MOE, NGOs and communities to maintain CS. Developing an information management system providing relevant and useful information.

Based on the results framework (Appendix 4) of the sustainability phase, along with a broader review of

project documents and related literature, CSP properties have been considered using the following

indicators:

1. Access and Equity: a. Coverage b. Attendance c. Completion and progression d. Transition to and completion of post-primary education

2. Quality – for students and staff: a. Learning conditions b. Learning outcomes c. Broader outcomes

3. Community interaction:

4. Sustainability – defined for the purpose of this assessment as the past and potential capacity of partners along the following dimensions:

a. Existing capacities b. Preparation for handover c. Cost and effectiveness

5. Resource strategy:

a. Changing partners and roles b. Implementation proposals

As part of item 4, independent and former UNICEF-affiliated community schools in Qena have been

considered as examples in terms of sustainability. In the original design, item 5 involved the examination

of UNICEF’s active learning intervention in mainstream schools (MS) to identify the strengths and

weaknesses of this mainstreaming avenue. Due to time and capacity limitations this component , which

would have also involved input-output analysis in CS, as well as the preparation of a capacity building plan

for each stakeholder mentioned with clear guidelines, and also include the assessment techniques/tools of

the capacity building exercise have not been covered in the present document.

In light of UNICEF’s existing efforts to map and build the capacity of partners, rather than delve into an

exhaustive investigation of the subject, the history of project management has been traced in order to

understand and learn from past experiences.4

Discussions with UNICEF management highlighted a set of priorities within which this assessment and its

recommendations need to be grounded:

4 UNICEF, 2008b

22

1. Aid effectiveness: Donor and government cooperation with heightened harmonization, accountability and ownership.5

2. Egypt as lower middle income country: Predominant shift in international organization agendas from project-based service delivery to system impact.6 With increased national resources the budget of the UNICEF country office diminishes given the organization’s global priority to the poorest countries. The focus shifts to activities that have the broadest influence on the system and are capable of allocating their own resources (such as advocacy, mobilizing, knowledge and capacity-building). This means building national capacities and creating an enabling environment for national partners to take over management responsibilities.

3. Organizational and education section goals include: community education at pre-primary and primary levels; active learning and education in water, sanitation and health (WASH); child protection and inclusion of children with special needs.7 The overall objective of UNICEF is to reduce disparities, focusing on children across development sectors from a right-based perspective.8

Relevant country-level agendas – in line with the triple objective of the Strategic Plan (equitable access,

improved quality, and enhanced decentralization and system efficiency) – are referred to throughout this

report.

1.4 Methodology

1.4.1 Design of tools, data collection, processing and analysis

1.4.1.1 Design of tools

Tools and techniques were designed with the characteristics of the research population in mind. This

included children in remote communities, (who at times were limited in regards to literacy and distinct

dialects), community education providers unfamiliar with technical terms, and schools with their own

distinct traits.

The National Center for Educational Research and Development (NCERD) and the National Center for

Examinations and Educational Evaluation (NCEEE) contributed significantly to the development and

administration of the tools. NCEEE was responsible for the creation of standardized learning achievement

tests, and NCERD for the life skills examination and quantitative component. Special attention was given

to instruments that had a positive educative effect on children (e.g. using classical Arabic in examinations,

and facilitators not sitting for tests in front of their students).

Standardized tests on Critical Thinking, Achievement and Problem Solving (CAPS) in Arabic, mathematics

and science (Appendix 10.1), and Cadre in pedagogy were administered to students (Primary 4 or Grade 4)

and teaching staff of the CSP. The suitability of standardized tests had been questioned, and some have

5 Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action, available online at: http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,3343,en_2649_3236398_35401554_1_1_1_1,00.html. 6 UNICEF, 2009

7 Ministry of Education and UNICEF, 2009 8 UNICEF, 2007a

http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,3343,en_2649_3236398_35401554_1_1_1_1,00.html

23

argued that it would be “unfair” to expect community school populations to perform competently on tests

that were reputed to be difficult even for mainstream respondents. However, as both CAPS and Cadre

focus on the critical thinking and problem solving skills that represent the comparative strength of the

CSP, the choice was made to use them.

The CAPS assessments are standardized tests developed to assess student outcomes in mathematics,

science, and Arabic in Primary 4 (G4), Preparatory 2 (G8), and Secondary 1 (G10), with a focus on critical

thinking and problem-solving skills. In the present study, the tests were used for Primary 4 (G4) students.

The CAPS assessments are based on the Egyptian Educational National Standards and national curricula,

and include multiple-choice and tailored response questions. Assessments are usually conducted annually

at the target grades to monitor program impact. The CAPS assessments have been developed by a team of

evaluation and content specialists from NCEEE working with technical consultants from the American

Institutes for Research (AIR) in the United States. Highly standardized procedures took place in CAPS for

the development of its content, performance standards, and scaling to ensure the validly, reliability and

comparability of scores and performance levels amongst groups and across administration years.

Since the forte of the project is expected to be pedagogical in nature, expertise in subject matter beyond

the most relevant level (that is, the knowledge of facilitators compared to that of students) was not

examined, and the Teacher’s Cadre Test was used. Since community school teachers do not have the same

academic background as the mainstream teachers, a review of the Teacher Cadre Tests (TCT) framework

was made by UNICEF consultants and the NCEEE content team and some items were eliminated because

they required a highly academic background. A new version of the TCT was drawn from the item bank, and

through the use of IRT scaling and equating procedures, the comparability of scores between the old and

new versions was ensured.

The life skills test was finalized in line with UNESCO and UNICEF guidelines with the assistance of a

nutrition expert familiar with life in rural Upper Egyptian communities. Physical, social and personal skills

were examined and were in line with CSP and national curriculum directives.

Given that the math and science curriculum in 4th grade classrooms across several mainstream schools

underwent drastic revisions in terms of content (about 50%) in the 2008/2009 school year, NCEEE content

specialists worked on developing a number of new items for the content following the same standardized

procedures that took place during the development of the first version of CAPS. Community schools;

however, were still using the old math and science curriculum, and through the use of IRT scaling and

equating procedures, the comparability of scores between the old and new versions was guaranteed.

After formatting the tools intended to optimize comprehension on the part of respondents, all

instruments were back-translated and reviewed by the research teams to ensure suitable terminology had

been used. All the tools and instruments employed in the assessment - together with the Arabic translated

versions - are presented separately from this report.

24

1.4.1.2 Pre-test

Rather than generate significant findings, the purpose of the pre-test was two-fold: to ensure tools are

valid, reliable and suitable for the research population; and to conduct trial procedures, especially given

the diverse composition of the research team.9

The school-based component of the pre-test was administered in two CS at the Grade 4 level to 56

students and 4 facilitators in total (12 students were absent). Because of the limited number of CS with

Grade 4 classrooms (a total of 36) a larger pre-test sample would not have been possible. The sample size

should; however, be sufficient for an itemized analysis of exams (the schools were randomly selected from

Assiut (Manfalout) and Qena (Farshout), and should represent opposite ends of the quality continuum.

Local administrations in these districts were consulted with the aim of collecting information on

mainstream and one classroom schools (OCS). For the pre-test of Cadre, 36 facilitators from the same

number of non-sample CS were randomly selected; with an equal number from each district (2 facilitators

were absent) tested.

1.4.1.3 Data collection and processing

Quantitative data was gathered by teams experienced in conducting survey research and examinations

with children. Achievement tests for students were administered in the sampled schools, and they were

held in centralized locations for facilitators and supervisors. Researchers prepared for the survey fieldwork

with the help of a detailed guide, and consistency in management of tools across teams and

administrative locations was emphasized.10 In order to ensure quality, the NCERD Project Coordinator

toured field sites and NCEEE set up an “operations room” to communicate with field teams. In addition to

visiting one Cadre testing-session in Sohag, the consultant called the field teams regularly to make sure

that proceedings were on track.11

To ensure all forms had been returned, they were tallied upon receipt.12 To diminish inconsistencies and

incomplete responses, research teams were requested to review all completed forms upon submission.

Data cleaning was conducted at the research institutes as part of the preparation for data processing.

Once data was entered, raw frequencies were produced to identify and correct errors. Scoring of

constructed-response items was made on standardized tests applying a grading scheme that was

developed on the basis of existing responses and the grading of tests was repeated by a number of

different scorers in order to make sure the results were consistent. At NCEEE, ten percent of data was re-

entered and matched with the original set. Quality control commands were designed in Microsoft Access

to circumvent a number of errors. At NCERD, a training workshop tailored to the specificities of the tools

was conducted for data entry staff and the heads of data processing teams who oversaw their work. The

consultant spot checked cleaning and entry of all tools.

9 Sample size of at least 20 should be sufficient for item analysis (see, e.g., Kromrey and Bacon, 1992). 10 Supervisor surveys, along with secondary data collection from implementing NGOs, were administered by the consultant (27 April to 4 May). This allowed for clarification and on-the-spot data cleaning of the two most complex tools (given irregularities, data was also entered by the consultant). 11 Communication went two ways: from the teams if they encountered questions in the field, and the consultant who oversaw procedures provided feedback based on a review of the tools that had come in from the field. Although this last procedure interfered with consistency, revisions in administration were only required in the beginning of fieldwork. Data from these early occasions were aligned with subsequent information, and in light of the changes called for at processing. 12 Reception points included: submission by respondents, field collection before transport to Cairo and the research institutes.

25

Qualitative investigations followed systematic interview guidelines and were conducted by the consultant

with the translator’s assistance. Transparency and confidentiality were emphasized and respected during

the data collection process and a variety of qualitative research methods were used including in-depth

interviews, group interviews, focus group meetings and discussions, consultations and observations with

experts (see Appendix 5).

The purpose of the qualitative investigation was threefold: 1) to clarify and confirm trends uncovered in

the quantitative component; 2) to shed light on the project impact in terms of deeper life and communal

outcomes; and 3) to examine questions of sustainability.13 Due consideration was given to allay the

anxieties and mistrust generated in the wake of the CSP handover. An introductory session was held with

senior project staff, outlining the purpose of the assessment and presenting examples of achievement test

items.14 Participants were asked to transmit what they heard to the schools and communities in their

charge. Given the small sample size, the findings are inconclusive except for issues pertaining to

management.

1.4.1.4 Sampling design and respondents

The complexity of the assessment required a sampling design that satisfies the need for information

relating to students, facilitators, supervisors and schools alike; however, constraints due to capacity

limitations could not be ignored. Reconciling these concerns, a single sample was selected, with diverse

levels of accuracy for various components. Sample constituents are as follows (see Appendix 10.1):

For supervisor surveys and Cadre performance, a census of all technical and field personnel was conducted.

For student and facilitator performance on CAPS and life skills, all CS with Grade 4 classes (except the two pre-test schools) were examined.

For community school characteristics, all CS were used since the population size is small. Means are produced with 95 percent confidence limits of ± 5 percent relative error (supposing a relative standard deviation of 25 percent maximum). Proportions (of 80 percent minimum) are measured with 95 percent confidence limits of ±10 percent relative error. In the case of proportions smaller than 80 percent, reliability is lowered; however, this condition only applies to a small minority of questions (six in the observation sheet). Moreover, aggregated tendencies of positive or negative responses become more reliably detected. A stratified sample, with proportional allocation by districts, was randomly selected to supplement Grade 4 schools. Proportional allocation though, was not relied upon because capacity limitations risked interfering with the accurate weighting of data.

For student characteristics, stratified cluster sampling was employed (the cluster defined as the grade in sample schools). The rate of homogeneity (ROH) – the difference in variance within clusters compared to that in the overall population – was assumed to be small, and the minimum cluster size was set at 15. Thus the number of required schools was 64. This procedure is expected to allow for a reliable sample in case of student portfolios with 95 percent confidence limits of ± 0.1 and a standard deviation for means and confidence limits of ± 5 percent for proportions. In

13 To ensure sampling criteria were respected, respondents were selected by name, based on lists of potential participants with the characteristics sought after. 14 The session was held in Assiut on January 22, 2009.

26

contrast, the sampling error is expected to be higher in student surveys, which only upper-cycle children filled out (i.e. the sample was smaller). Since the portfolio provides the majority of student-related information, this condition was accepted.

For facilitator surveys and Cadre performance, the same stratified cluster sampling method for students was employed. With a cluster size of 2, an ROH of 0.3 (allowing for divergent experience, qualifications and achievement) was selected, thus providing estimates with 95 percent confidence limits of ± 0.2 standard deviations for means and ± 10 percent for proportions in the case of 70 sample schools.

Because the number of 70 is the highest required, it defines the overall sample size (i.e. 70 CS) and both

students and staff were examined. Since the principal aim of the assessment was to provide information

on the CSP as a whole and because more researchers and extra time would not have been available,

sampling criteria were determined for the entire population and as a result, sub-estimates are less certain.

Table 1-1 displays sample allocation information for the defined target population.

1.4.1.5 Calculation of sample size

The calculations made for the size of the sample determined that the overall size should be 70. This is a

hypothetical calculation; however, and requires to confirmation through data analysis. Taking into

consideration various time limitations and competing concerns, this was the figure chosen. The following

equations were used in the calculation:

2

2

0d

pqtn and

N

n

nn

0

0

1

Where “n0” is sample size and “n” is also sample size, when the size of population (227) is small, and “t” is

the normal distribution related to the desired degree of confidence (1,64 with 90% and 1,96 with 95%).

The symbols “p” and “q” (=1-p) represent the probability of responses, per question (related to

dispersion). Since these are all community schools in the three neighbouring governorates, the

assumption was that variance will not be vast (70% accuracy of responses, with 10% dispersion) where “d”

is the desired level of accuracy.

Calculating with 90% and 95% confidence rates and 8% error, the following is revealed:

95% and 8%: n0 = 124 n = 80 90% and 8%: 89 64

Therefore, the figure of 70 falls in between. Of course, this is hypothetical and will need to be confirmed

with data analysis. There are a number of limitations that already exist (data collection is projected to take

two weeks, with the project already being two months late) and due to the various concerns, these were

the chosen figures.

Table 1-1: Sample allocation for defined target population

27

Defined target population* Sample allocation

CS Students CS CS % Students Students %

Assiut 113 2 824 34 30.1 847 30.0

Manfalout 79 1 995 24 30.4 608 30.5

Abou Teeg 34 829 10 29.4 239 28.8

Sohag 82 2 272 26 31.7 773 34.0

Dar El Salam 31 842 10 32.3 292 34.7

Saqulta 26 710 8 30.8 239 33.7

Geheina 25 716 8 32.0 242 33.8

Qena – Farshout 31 900 10 32.3 276 30.7

Total 226 5 996 70 31.0 1 896 31.6

*: Defined target population does not include pre-test schools.

Note: Number of facilitators targeted and sampled is twice the number of CS (given two facilitators per CS).

With the exception of costing, comparison with other school systems has not been an explicit objective of

this research. Because situating outcomes helps anchor the interpretation of results, an attempt was

made for key effectiveness indicators to compare CS to MS and OCS. Since most influence educational

outcomes at the local level, data from neighbouring schools was gathered (in the absence of relevant

secondary data, as detailed in Appendix 5)15. It was beyond the scope of this evaluation to obtain a

statistically reliable sample for these schools. By way of comparison, albeit one where the relevance is

compromised, national figures have been included whenever possible. Further research will need to

confirm any comparison that is made.

Table 1-2: Community school and student sample, by grade type and level

Number of CS Number of students

Assiut Sohag Qena Total Assiut Sohag Qena Total

1st

1 5 1 7 80 160 25 265 2

nd 1 3 0 4 23 88 0 111

3rd

5 5 0 10 170 149 8 327

4th

13 12 5 30 407 347 164 918

5th

0 0 1 1 0 0 51 51

6th

6 1 0 7 167 29 28 224

Multi-grade* 8 0 3 11 – – – –

Total 34 26 10 70 847 773 276 1 896 * Number of children in multi-grade schools is distributed between Grades 1-6 in the table.

15 UNDP, 2008a.

28

Note: Students from multi-grade schools (one school with Grades 1 and 4, one with Grades 2 and 3, two with Grades 5 and 6,

three with Grades 1 and 6, and four with Grades 3 and 4) have been listed according to grade level (this explains the difference

between the two parts of the table). This makes the total number of CS (grade 4) = 34

The next table (Table 1-3) shows the number and type of respondents (by target group) present at

administration of the tools/instruments, together with response rates. All instruments have at least a 90

percent response rate, with the exception of field supervisor surveys (83%). Item response rates are, for

the large majority of cases, nearly complete. When higher than 5%, the findings have been noted.

Interpretation of the magnitude should bear in mind that several reasons exist for the lack of responses:

from unclear question formulation to the desire of respondents to influence evaluator impressions.

Table 1-3: Number and type of respondents (and target groups), according to instrument

Assiut Sohag Qena Total Of which: Response rate

(%) Girls Boys Regular Rank

Students

Portfolio (all grades) 847 773 276 1 896 1 157 740 NA NA 100

Survey (upper-cycle) 543 357 224 1 124 681 443 NA NA 94

Life skills (grade 4) 374 329 154 857 517 340 NA NA 93

CAPS (grade 4) 358 328 129 815 516 299 NA NA 89

Facilitators

Survey (all grades) 67 52 19 138 NA NA NA NA 99

CAPS (grade 4) 31 24 12 67 NA NA NA NA 99

Cadre (all grades) 67 52 19 138 NA NA NA NA 99

Supervisors

Technical

Survey (all) 13 8 NA 21 NA NA 14 7 100

Cadre (all) 13 8 NA 21 NA NA 14 7 100

Field survey (all) 9 6 NA 15 NA NA 9 6 83

NA: Not applicable.

Note: Facilitators and supervisors are all female. The population/sample of supervisors does not include those in Qena (as they are

incompatible with their colleagues and/or are no longer with the project following the handover).

29

Instruments to be completed at the school level were filled out for all CS (Table 1-2 above).16 With respect

to comparison schools, 50 MS and 50 OCS were examined: 23 in Assiut, 18 in Sohag and 9 in Qena.17

1.4.1.6 Data analysis

Analysis of the findings of the investigation was produced with the aid of SPSS.18 Given the focus on

sustainability, information was considered by governorate and corresponded to divergent CSP

management. Additional desegregation of CSP target groups was conducted in order to investigate

inequities in outcomes. Interviews, focus groups and observation notes, recorded during or immediately

following the research occasions, were written up and principal themes were synthesized in line with the

assessment framework.

Both the details of the research framework, as well as the analysis have grounded theory components,

which allow for continuous revision and refinement based on insights emerging from the field. Such a

flexible assessment is especially important in case of international inquiries, along with changing project

and external properties. Given the possible limitations of individual research techniques, validation relied

upon triangulation, featuring background research and quantitative and qualitative components.19 With

potentially divergent views and expectations of CS staff and communities versus ‘external’ evaluators, an

explicit attempt was made to include all perspectives.20 To preserve anonymity of the respondents,

identifying markers have been excluded from this report. Appendix 6 displays the stages of the

assessment, along with their timetable.

1.4.1.7 Qualitative component

The purpose of the qualitative investigation was three-fold:

1. To elucidate and confirm trends uncovered in the quantitative component; 2. To shed light on project impact in terms of deeper life and communal outcomes; and 3. To examine questions of sustainability in detail.

21

Given the small sample size, findings are largely preliminary (except for issues of management). A variety

of research methods were used, aiming to balance confidentiality and capacity limitations (individual

versus group techniques) and include:

1. In-depth interviews with: Five CS alumni who are continuing education and six having dropped out (one turned out to be

absent in the long-term and another was transferred to MS instead of dropping out). Diversity was observed according to location, socio-economic status (SES), gender and type and level of

16

School-level tools are as follows: facilitator interview, observation sheet, attendance sheet, secondary data sheet. 17

For these schools, the comparative sheet was used. 18

SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. 19

Cook, 1998. 20

See ‘natively realist’ critique of triangulation, available online at: http://www.referenceworld.com/sage/socialscience/triangulation.pdf. 21

To ensure sampling criteria were respected, respondents were selected by name, based on lists of potential participants with the requisite characteristics sought after.

http://www.referenceworld.com/sage/socialscience/triangulation.pdf

30

schooling attained (this includes documenting the level at which students dropped out of primary school or did not transit to preparatory).

Management of implementing NGOs (in one case staff was also present).

Management of a CDA responsible for former UNICEF-affiliated community schools (in Qena).22

Management of Misr El Kheir NGO.

Management of community-based education (CBE), NGO and general education departments of the Ministry of Education at the central and governorate levels.

Management of CIDA responsible for the CSP.

Management of the World Food Programme responsible for the CSP (via e-mail).

Management of the UNICEF Egypt country office and education section staff.

Education Advisor, UNICEF Regional Office.

2. Group interviews with: Facilitators from two formerly UNICEF-affiliated community schools.

Facilitators from two independent community schools (in Qena).

Two education committees: divergent in terms of location and type/level of engagement with community schools was sought.

3. Focus groups with: Nine randomly selected facilitators, keeping in mind variance according to location, grade type

and level taught (due to organizational complications, facilitators were only from Sohag.)

Ten technical supervisors randomly selected by location and rank.

Nine field supervisors randomly selected by location and rank.

4. Discussions, consultations and observations with: Members of the communities and families with children in the CS.

Community schools project direction.

MOE staff at the district level.

Academic and education consultants.

UNICEF staff in the Education and WASH departments.

22

Organizational difficulties prevented discussions with more than one CDA.

31

1.5 Study limitations

While the pre-test mitigated a number of shortcomings (see Appendix 10.2), several could not be eliminated and they include:

Test items in Cadre have been taken from the lower-cycle teacher exam and administered across Egypt in August 2008. For reasons of confidentiality, items to be used nation-wide in the future should not be shared with this research; and using a set of assumptions, this condition was accepted. Facilitators and supervisors in CS are unlikely to interact much with teaching staff in MS and Al Azhar schools, and they would not be familiar with test items (their remuneration does not depend on Cadre performance). Since aptitude in pedagogy is consistent across grade levels, the lower-cycle exam was retained.

The CAPS tests in mathematics and science only had some items effectively pre-tested (for reasons, see Appendix 10.2). Since NCEEE was busy with the new Al Azhar Cadre and could not administer a supplementary pre-test before the summer, additional items had to be selected from the existing data bank that featured questions only tried in MS. The difference in performance on items pre-tested in CS and the data bank tested in MS showed some relevance, but since it was not large (maximum ± 10 per cent), bank items were accepted.

While testing locations in the pre-test were deemed less than suitable, whenever possible, they were replaced. Furthermore, exam conditions were not always optimally conducive to performance, potentially biasing outcomes. For example, since facilitators could only be taken away from schools on holidays, a number of them brought their babies and placed them on the exam table while answering test questions.

Time of fielding coincided with Coptic Easter and as a result, a number of children were absent. Analysis of names revealed that absent children included both Christian and Muslim students. Beyond this, it was not possible to determine if any of their characteristics would bias the sample present.

Because confidentiality was seen as a relatively new concept, several challenges were encountered. UNICEF staff could not fully assist with quality assurance, and project personnel were perplexed that not every detail of the evaluation was shared with them, though orientation sessions were conducted in the course of preparations for field data collection. While conflicts were settled in most cases, in one interview, respondents worried that superiors would ask about what was said. On another occasion, superiors sat in on a meeting; however, it was noted that the relationship between the superiors and respondent appeared good.

All in all, the evaluation took a considerably longer timeframe than expected. This was the result of

intertwined conditions including capacity limitations (organizational and partner attributes), which is

especially pertinent in such a large and complex undertaking.23 One consequence was the near-continuous

repetition of tasks (e.g. explanation of research plans to the changing analysts); another was the constant

revision of approaches to adapt to arising situations (both in terms of assessment logistics, as well as

evolving CSP properties), placing more focus on the essentials. Consequently, a number of limitations

arose:

In light of the limitations in assisting with the synthesis, the qualitative component had to be maximally efficient. Inquiries focused on agents and subjects that were not dealt with in the CSP literature and featured respondents who could relate several aspects – case in point: recent alumni who expounded on the CS experience, as well as life afterwards (tradeoffs for this choice are presented in Section 3.1.2).

In the absence of a multivariate analysis (planned as part of the mainstreaming component), causation could not be definitively determined. Given capacity limitations in terms of quantitative analysis, alternative

23 Challenges included: a high number of tools tailored to the various of research populations and information sources; irregularities of community schools such as different grade types and levels, and divergent years of establishment (compounded by the change in duration of primary education in Egypt), which rendered related statistics (e.g. graduation rates, exam performance) that were applicable in a different manner across schools; CS clusters, with certain data not applying only to single schools; and inconsistent monitoring practices across schools, calling for standardization of data.

32

approaches to make up for the loss of rigorous statistical investigation of connections between variables could not be included (e.g. correlations). Based on patterns in data, an attempt has been made to indicate possible relations.

Descriptive statistics (sampling errors, T-tests, etc.) were not possible to produce. While Section 1.4 provides initial expectations on the credibility of findings, they remain assumptions without confirmation in light of research outcomes.

In the experience of the international consultant, this project has been unique and pioneering in many

ways. It has allowed for an unusually close look at the kind of work required by present-day international

agendas (outlined in Section 1.1 above). The principal lesson, if carefully negotiated does not have to

compromise political or technical motivations, is to: clearly define and match the roles of partners and

formulate binding expectations with functional accountability frameworks, based on rigorous capacity

assessment, and all parties’ knowledge of and agreement with respective roles and duties. This should

be matched with a realistic assessment of the feasibility of the research, balancing quality, quantity and

resource concerns. As this exercise has illustrated, all stages of inquiry need to be attentively and

effectively administered and monitored, including not only higher order tasks but also those behind the

scenes and other straight-forward approaches (for example, data entry).

1.6 Summary of previous research

Evaluation of the CSP was undertaken at several points since its initiation in the early nineties. The

evaluation reports that marked the end of a particular CSP phase were important. The following review is

comprised of the points where there was concordance in the observations, comments and

recommendations of the observers. Various recommendations recognized and built upon the long term

investments made for reaching the current level of quality technical performance attained by the CSP

personnel and on the growing demand of mainstream education programmes for the products of the CSP.

The issue of "sustainability," covered during the evaluation of Phase II (2001), was met with findings that

raised additional questions. The 2001 evaluation assessed the sustainability potential (both qualitative and

quantitative) and recommended the introduction of elements to improve sustainability "dynamics," and

identified indicators to gauge the efforts used towards attaining the sustainability goal. It called for the

need to formulate national policy in support of improved management (containing costs) and to raising

efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as identifying of future financial support that would include the

MOE and wider community. No evidence was available regarding the fate of those early evaluation

recommendations as there was no available system for follow up on progress made in implementation of

the CSP mid-term and the end of Phase II evaluation exercises.

The CIDA 2004 Mission Report felt the protraction of Phase III (the "Sustainability Phase") and the inability

to initiate measures that would lead the project towards sustainability were due to the micro

management model of the project that progressively affected self reliance, autonomy and community

empowerment. All of these factors are regarded as important foundations for long term self reliance and

sustainability. The initial centralization of project management by UNICEF weakened the project's

prospects for self reliance and undermined the role and contribution of the main implementing partners,

33

namely, the community, NGOs and the MOE Governorate level Education Directorate. Some efforts were

made to follow up on recommendations, which called for the formulation of a sustainability plan.

In 2004, UNICEF and CIDA conducted an evaluation that revealed the model had achieved a number of

vital results for its continued sustainability such as political commitment, highly skilled project team staff,

and dedicated communities. On the other hand, the review of roles and responsibilities of the different

partners in the CS project showed that UNICEF was largely responsible for many service delivery issues in

addition to its technical assistance. Ensuring a sustainable model implies shifting responsibility for many

items to the MOE and local community/NGO level as per the ministerial decree 30, 2000. Implementation

of the recommendations for progressive transfer of the community schools to the MOE would have made

it possible for the CSP to become progressively independent from donor assistance.

Regarded as one of the basic pillars of the CSP, earlier evaluators had observed that a variety of degrees

of community empowerment were encountered. Recommendations were made for capacity building and

the initiation of other measures to phase out this dependence with more involvement of the MOE

(Governorate Education Directorate level). Strengthening of the project management included defining

the tasks and responsibilities of those employed by the NGO, and the capacity to plan and organize their

work.

Recommendations were made for a review of the containment of costs that represent a financial burden,

which decreases the prospects for sustainability. The burden of transportation and supply costs were

identified as an area where there is scope for containment through wise management, as was the salary

subsidy for CSP Facilitators. Action on this latter point, fully integrating CSP Facilitators as employees of

the MOE, is regarded as a move towards sustainability, as well as cost containment. Past reports went

beyond recommendations for the progressive introduction of "sustainability" elements to listing

measures, actions and distribution of roles amongst project partners during a transition period leading to

self sufficiency (Appendix 2).

Management reform that would pave the way for containing costs was gradually implemented with an

emphasis on expanding partnerships; however, there were no definite prescriptions provided for alternate

source(s) of funds. Income generated by community level activities, as well as cost sharing by the MOE

and the community, were recognized as potential sources for operational costs. Nevertheless, there

seems to have been a convergence of opinion on the need for UNICEF to continue to bear responsibility

for technical support, training and supervision in order to protect the "achievements" of the CSP. Several

evaluation reports commented that the CSP reached a strategic stage in its development that necessitates

continuation of the flow of funds as a prerequisite for the success of the initiative.

Efforts in building the capacity of NGOs and Education Committees for resource mobilization and

launching income generating activities or production cooperatives were undertaken – all of which had

been mentioned in past recommendations. These efforts may have been in the forefront during the early

years of the project and were revisited during the final project phase; however, motivation for resource

mobilization seemed to be gradually replaced by the growing reliance on an uninterrupted continuity in

external financial support.

Changes in the course of Phase III of the project, and in the agreed objectives, were considered a means

for containing costs. It was recommended that no additional schools should be established and that the

project is limited to further developing the "active learning process" and supporting mainstreaming

34

activities as an effective means of transferring CSP best practices to the education system. The original

Education for All CSP objective (MOE-UNICEF Agreement of 1992) is limited to "mainstreaming" the

project outcomes and approaches in integrating the government education system. The recommendations

that provided directives on the matter seem to overlook the fact that "mainstreaming" may spread of the

"process" within the existing education system, but it will not allow for it to reach children of Upper Egypt

who are living in underserved areas beyond the reach of the mainstream school system and who are the

target population of the project as per the MOE-UNICEF Agreement of 1992.

2. Findings

2.1 Access and equity

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documenting the partnership between the

Ministry of Education and UNICEF in advancing the CSP, ‘the objective of the project is to develop an

effective basic education program to serve small, rural communities that do not have primary schools’.

Since the signing of the MOU in 1992, a number of developments have taken place in Egypt, amongst

them the following: more than 14,000 schools have been built with enrolment rates increasing at the basic

levels, in rural areas and amongst girls. A variety of community-based education initiatives have also been

created; yet, less than 20% of estimated needs have been met and around 400,000 children of basic-

education age remain out of school today.24 Upper Egypt has been the focus of development activities and

while nationwide poverty has declined, it has increased in Upper Egypt.25

This and the following chapters consider the importance of community schools against the backdrop of

such changes, all the while keeping the question in mind: Who is not reached by community schools in

terms of population size and quality, and in what ways have these groups/individuals been overlooked?

2.1.1 Coverage

Communities

The 227 community schools are located in 94 hamlets or villages: 46 in Assiut, 38 in Sohag and 10 in Qena.

On the basis of these numbers, there are on average 2.4 CS per location. As Figure 2-1 displays, half of the

schools in the vicinity of a CS are community schools; however, a considerable proportion, especially in

Sohag, are mainstream schools.

24 Ministry of Education, 2007. 25 UNDP, 2008b.

35

Figure 2-1 Type of primary school located close to a community school (percent)*

*: Item non-response is 15.7 percent in total.

The majority of MS primary schools that are located close to a CS are within a 2 kilometre range - least so

in Assiut and almostly in Qena (Figure 2-2).

0 20 40 60 80

Community Schools

Mainstreaming

One Class room

Assiut - Type of primary nearest to CS

Assiut

0 50 100

Community Schools

Mainstreaming

One Class room

Sohag - Type of primary nearest to CS

Sohag

0 20 40 60 80

Community Schools

Mainstreaming

One Class room

Qena - Type of primary nearest to CS

Qena

0 20 40 60

Community Schools

Mainstreaming

One Class room

Total Number of nearest Primary to CS schools

Total %

36

Figure 2-2 Distance of nearest primary school in relation to a community school (percent)

According to CSP requirements, community schools can only be built if there are no other schools within

two kilometres distance.26 Supervisors confirmed that this policy has been followed except in a brief initial

period when community schools were constructed near other schools in order to secure clientele.

However, with the expansion of other systems (MS and girl friendly schools), community schools have

found themselves in the vicinity of other provisions. The condition of building new schools, both MS and

GFS, is, as in the case of CS, a distance of two kilometres. It is not clear why so many institutions have

been constructed near each other, but it is perhaps due to the newly cultivated demand for education on

the part of communities; or because existing CS have facilitated, in more direct ways, the creation of

additional schools.27 Be that as it may, while community schools may not have been actively built near

other schools, they have not been retargeted in line with contemporary conditions. The example cited by

supervisors of community schools closing down because of the presence of nearby schools seems, upon

closer look, to occur when no demand for community provisions exists because children attended MS or

OCS.

26 Ministry of Education and UNICEF, 1992. 27 For limitations of school location planning, including inaccurate population projections, lack of coordination with other school systems, as well as insufficient consultation with communities for the kind of school and location they prefer, see Ministry of Education, 2008 and World Bank, 2005.

0

20

40

60

Less then 2 KM

2to 5 KM 6 to 10 KM

Assiut - Distance of primary schools from nearest CS (%)

Assiut

020406080

Less then 2 KM

2to 5 KM 6 to 10 KM

Sohag - Distance of primary schools from nearest CS (%)

Sohag

020406080

100

Less then 2

KM

2to 5 KM

6 to 10 KM

Qena - Distance of primary schools from nearest CS (%)

Qena %

010203040506070

Less then 2 KM

2to 5 KM 6 to 10 KM

Total % - Distance of primary school from nearest to CS

Total %

37

Regarding nearby community schools, the increase in demand for CS (see Section 2.1.2 for details) has led

to the creation of more schools. Most of the time, they form clusters of a single or conglomeration of

settlements, but sometimes they also expand into other villages and hamlets that, through activities and

connections of project staff and/or education committees, show interest, which has been one of the pre-

conditions of community school establishment. While understandable, not the least in terms of practical

grounds, this implies that remote and isolated communities, without sufficient connections, do not have

access to educational provisions. Despite the above limitations, the expanding number of schools indicates

that more geographic locations have been covered. Some areas, like Farshout which is located in Qena

govrnorate have schools in almost all the settlements; especially with the introduction of OCS, according

to local administrators.

In recent years, there have been attempts to effectively channel schools by filling in gaps in provisions.

Geographic targeting is used by the government to provide integrated services (education, housing, water,

sanitation, etc.) to the most disadvantaged communities on the basis of the poverty map. Governorates,

for their part, aim to have at least one school, regardless of the type, in every settlement. Since the

demand for education and the creation of schools is likely to increase, in order to avoid resentment on the

part of those excluded, broader opportunities need to be ensured over time.28 Community schools, as this

report uncovers, may provide useful lessons for such evolution in supply and demand.

Children

Table 2-1 (a) shows that 4,724 children (54.5% girls aged 6 – 12) remain out of school in the sites targeted

by the CSP across the six districts. Table 2-1(b) shows the results of the CSP field surveys conducted most

recently, assessing the number and characteristics that define children who are out of school in the sites

and locality of the CS.29 While these surveys are meant to determine demand before a new school cycle

starts, they tend to be administered a few years before or after Grade 1 begins. As a result, it is not

possible to calculate with accuracy the number of children who are not covered by community schools.

Though, comparing average numbers per locality and with average enrolment rates in CS (27.1),

approximately 11 eligible children are left out of community schools. Representing the potential clientele

for CS, the attributes of those out of school children will need to be investigated in order to determine

who they are.

While the average number of out of school children per locality is 38, the range is 0 to 100 in actuality

therefore contradicting - in some instances - CSP requirements of the minimum 20 excluded.30 Rather than

seeing a higher percentage of girls out of school than boys, their numbers are comparable, especially in

Sohag.

The greatest proportion of out of school children is within the regular starting age (6 or 7) and nearly half

of all children from Assiut and four-fifths from Sohag are in this group. The second largest percentage in

Sohag is 8-year-olds (around one-tenth) and the rest of the age groups are close to 3%. In Assiut, the

percentage of out of school children according to year is relatively consistently at around 10%.

28 See, e.g., Holt, 2008. 29 Precise definition of ‘locality’ (whether settlement or ‘potential’ catchment area) is not available. 30

Ministry of Education and UNICEF, 1992.

38

Table 2-1 (a) Out of school children (6-12 years) in Community School sites in six districts (2008-2009)

Governorate District Total # of children Out of school children

boys girls total boys girls total

# % # % # %

Assiut Manfalout 4631 4497 9128 132

0 28.5

% 169

2 37.6

% 301

2 33.0

%

Abou Teeg 1466 1353 2819 152 10.4

% 170 12.6

% 322 11.4

%

Sohag Dar Al-Salam 2394 2248 4642 361

15.1% 380

16.9% 741

16.0%

Saqulta 1554 1553 3107 50 3.2% 48 3.1% 98 3.2%

Geheina 1433 1369 2802 13 0.9% 15 1.1% 28 1.0%

Qena Farshout 4389 4029 8418 252 5.7% 271 6.7% 523 6.2%

Total 1586

7 1504

9 3091

6 214

8 13.5

% 257

6 17.1

% 472

4 15.3

%

39

Table 2-1 (b) Number and percentage of out of school children in the locality of community schools,

according to gender and age (2008-2009)

Assiut Sohag Qena Total

Number % Number % Number % Number %

Gender

Girls 20. 55.5 21.0 52.9 162 17.3 21 54.2

Boys 16 44.5 19 47.1 138 14.7 17 45.8

Age Distribution

6 years 11 29.4 21 51.9 - - 15 40.6

7 years 6.0 16.5 11 28.2 - - 9 22.4

8 years 4 12.1 4 8.8 - - 4.0 10.5

9 years 5 12.6 1.0 2.5 - - 3 7.6

10 years 4.0 11.0 1 3.3 - - 3 7.1

11 years 3 7.4 1 3.8 - - 2 5.5

12 years 4.0 11.0 1 1.5 - - 2 6.3

Total 37 100.0 40 100.0 - - 38.0 100.0

Note: Number of CS with available data: Assiut – 25, Sohag – 23, and the number of CS is insufficient in Qena (0).

What happens to these children when a new school cycle starts? Supervisors assured researchers that the

target CS group has been consistently respected and include girls and children over the official enrolment

age. While this may, at first glance, appear to contradict Table 2-1 (b) above, the likely explanation is that

although those from the target group are given priority, when they are fewer in number than the capacity

of the CS, other students are also admitted. The only group categorically denied entry is children with

grave disabilities and they represent, in the estimation of supervisors, less than 1% of all applicants. As far

as available data shows, facilitators judged that 1% of CS students have physical disabilities, 3% have

behavioural difficulties and 10% experience learning difficulties (gifted children were estimated to be

25%).31 The greatest percentage of students with physical and learning disabilities are in Assiut (2% and

11% respectively) and 4% of those with behavioural difficulties reside in Sohag.

31 Item non-response rates are 32.9% for physical disabilities; 28.6% for behavioural difficulties; 11.4% for learning difficulties and 5.7% gifted children in total.

40

In the case of excess applications, children outside the target groups are advised to go to other schools, as

most of the time, there is no guarantee there will be another CS with Grade 1 that will admit them.

According to project staff the majority of children who would like to attend school are ensured an

education; however, the facility they receive it from may not be their first choice.

Who then are the children who are admitted along with the target group? Analysis of student surveys and

portfolios reveal a number of characteristics of community school students, which cannot be considered a

traditional element of CBE (Table 2-2).

The findings can be summarized as follows:

61% of students are girls and 39% are boys (project directives are at least 70% and 30% respectively).32

The greatest percentage of children is of regular school-age: 40% entered CS at age 6

and 32% at age 7. Mirroring out of school children, proportions diminish by year as students become older than their standard grade-level. The percentage of over-age children is greatest in Assiut and lowest in Qena.

Almost all children live in hamlets and villages. While it is not possible to determine if

they are from the same settlement of the CS, practically all walk 30 minutes to school suggesting that even if they are not from the same location, they are from nearby settlements. The situation is somewhat different in Sohag, where 7% come from district towns (markaz).

70% of children live with their immediate family and the rest reside with their extended family. In 9% of cases, one parent is away for longer periods of time, while in 8% of cases one parent is deceased. Children have on average 5.2 siblings (between 0 to 18 years of age): 5.8 in Assiut, 4.8 in Qena and 4.7 in Sohag.

The large majority of fathers work, and almost half are engaged in agriculture, more than a quarter are employed in the service sector and 16% in the public sector. A third are skilled workers or drivers, 5% are employed as educationalists or religious authorities, 5% are owners or merchants, 3% are clerks or head hunters, 2% are police officers or bus conductors, and 1% work as security guards or street vendors.33

Slightly over 60% of children are from families who hold an ‘average’ economic status, while more than a quarter come from ‘good’ economic stock and a tenth are ‘poor’. While these classifications (obtained from student portfolios) are largely subjective, they are not necessarily comparable and they indicate the position of families relative to one another and measured by standards of the locality or catchment area of the CS.

Overall 15% of children work for pay with the greatest percentage doing so in Assiut, followed by Sohag and Qena (24%, 9% and 5%). The large majority are employed in agriculture, with the rest in services. Nearly half are involved in housework (mainly girls) or work for others for free (mainly boys). The rates of child employment are highest in Assiut and lowest in Qena and Sohag (55%, 35% and 33% respectively).

32

Zaalouk, 1995. 33

Classifications are based on country-specific definitions of socio-economic status, developed by the Egyptian Cabinet of Information and

Decision Support Center (2004).

41

The fathers of 70% of children and the mothers of 87% have no formal education. The

percentage of parents who cannot read and write is slightly smaller.34 The proportion of students with parents who have no formal education is greatest in Assiut and lowest in Sohag, and the second greatest percentage of students have parents who hold a secondary education (13% for fathers and 6% for mothers). On average, half of a child’s siblings have gone to school – though participation diminishes the higher up the education ladder (1.3 siblings attended primary school, while 0.7 attended preparatory, 0.5 secondary and 0.1 post-secondary school ).

Seven percent of CS students attended kindergarten and the highest numbers have done so in Sohag, with the least amount in Assiut (11% and 3% respectively).

Table 2-2 Student characteristics (percent)


Age compared to grade level: n= 40

Regular 30.2 46.7 52.5 40.1

+ 1 year 29.5 34.9 34.8 32.4

+ 2 years 17.2 8.2 7.6 12.1

+ 3 years 11.5 5.6 2.9 7.9

+ 4 years 6.8 2.8 1.1 4.4

+ 5 years 4.0 1.7 0.7 2.6

+ Over 5 years 0.8 0.1 0.4 0.5

Place of residence: n=1122

Hamlet 55.3 50.3 53.1 53.3

Village 44.5 42.4 46.9 44.3

District town 0.2 7.3 0.0 2.4

Type of family living with: n= 1101

Immediate 69.1 57.6 88.7 69.5

Extended 29.3 40.7 10.4 29.0

Relatives 1.6 1.7 0.9 1.5

34

According to facilitators, 17% of students have parents who have enrolled in some form of informal education – the lowest percentages are in

Assiut and the highest in Sohag (14% and 22% respectively).

42

Conjugal status of parents: n= 1089

Married 81.6 82.2 82.3 82.0

One away frequently/longer 9.9 7.9 6.8 8.6

Divorced/separated 0.7 2.9 1.4 1.5

One deceased 7.8 7.0 9.5 7.9

Occupation of father/guardian*: n= 1739


Agriculture 56.6 49.3 26.8 49.0

Services 26.9 19.9 46.4 27.1

Public sector 11.1 20.2 21.5 16.4

Industry 3.1 8.0 0.8 4.7

No work 2.3 2.6 4.5 2.8

Economic status: n= 1888

Good 34.6 21.8 17.6 26.9

Average 60.5 63.3 66.6 62.4

Poor 4.9 14.9 12.8 10.1

Very poor 0.0 0.0 3.0 0.6

Level of education and literacy of parents (F – father/guardian; M – mother)

Assiut Sohag Qena

Total

F M F M F M F M

Primary 5.8 1.9 9.7 5.3 3.4 4.8 6.6 3.8

Preparatory 1.6 0.7 5.9 3.3 4.9 5.8 3.9 2.5

Secondary 11.0 3.9 12.8 8.7 19.1 4.5 12.9 5.8

Post-secondary 4.1 0.9 12.4 1.7 3.3 0.0 6.8 1.1

43

No formal education 77.5 91.8 59.2 79.8 69.3 82.7 69.8 86.8

Not applicable NA 0.8 NA 1.2 NA 2.2 NA 1.2

Literate: n= 1892 (M), 1873 (F) 36.7 11.2 49.5 24.7 46.0 21.9 43.2 18.3

Illiterate 63.3 88.0 50.5 74.1 54.0 75.9 56.8 80.5

Not applicable NA 0.8 NA 1.2 NA 2.2 NA 1.2

NA: Not applicable.


Note: There are practically no differences according to gender.

Discussions with facilitators and education committees indicate that children do often come to CS from

MS (if not transferring explicitly, they may withdrawal their applications when new opportunities open

up). The percentage of cases has amounted to no less than half of all students in some CS. A number of

questions related to this finding arise and include:

Do incoming children harbour particular characteristics or do they provoke properties in CS that influence achievement, especially amongst the more traditional clientele of these schools? Chapter 2.3 on learning achievement considers these issues.

Are there any consequences for mainstream schools (for instance, do children with special needs tend to transfer, requiring more attention)? Do those interested in certain aspects of quality education attend?

Are there any implications for the relevance of CS to the local community, especially if children are not from the same settlement as the school? The community relations section in Chapter 2.4 expands this idea further.

Attempts have been made, on repeated occasions (through interviews with central and local administrators, project staff and facilitators), to gain insight into what it might mean for mainstream schools if part of their (potential) clientele attend community schools. Although no specifics could be obtained, two broad lines of argument emerged: one in favour of, or at least indifferent to the issue (CS relieve pressure from MS due to the high student numbers; “they are both education” so there is no problem for the two populations to mix); and the other opposing it (the aims of CS and MS are different, with the former being a “second chance programme” and the other more “serious”). While these arguments may have been or still are the case with certain CBEs, they do not accurately apply to CS, as this report shows.

Why do children from the different populations targeted by the CS enrol in them? Particularly when

community schools were not perceived as anything more than the providers of literacy?

Reconstructing the history of the CSP, facilitators and supervisors pointed to an overall shift in image. As

the idea and value of education gained ground in communities the demand has intensified. Attributes

particularly appreciated by students and communities are centred on quality: the kindness and attention

of facilitators, along with the knowledge and personal development of pupils. All of this was free of charge

and compounded by incentives against the backdrop of mainstream provisions, sometimes going as far as

children fearing of getting beaten in the classroom. The popularity of CS is illustrated by the project staff,

which has led to an influx in applicants coming forward and submitting their certificates for admission;

44

searching for clients is not required anymore. While increasing the interest of child-friendly schools in

various parts of a community is commendable, relying on families to approach the school risks overlooking

the hardest to enrol children.

It has proven difficult to pin down the characteristics of out of school childrenin CS localities. Local

administrators pointed to traditional factors of exclusion, and placed a stronger emphasis on low SES,

poverty indicators and working children; sometimes to the extreme. Members of communities confirmed

there were children out of school, and often the distinguishing factor, in their eyes, was “they [the

children] did not want to go (to school)”.

In addition, there are those for whom the opportunity to enrol in CS was encouraged and became popular. Differences in opportunities can be traced to the composition of families, where older children have no education and younger ones go to CS or another school. Interviews with out of school youth (because they never enrolled or they dropped out) reveal two kinds of attitudes to their current position: when they did not participate in education for a ‘valid’ reason - because their parents died and/or they had to help at home - they tended to be more accepting of their condition. When this was not so and when they did not want to go to school at a time they could have enrolled, they felt more resentment “because (they are) not educated”. Their feelings were aggravated as their chance to attend school had passed them by while the younger ones among members of their families and communities go to school.

2.1.2 Attendance

Taking into account possible seasonal variations in outside engagements, attendance was measured once

every six months.35 Overall, 85% of children were present all six days of the week with 11% absent one day

and 3% missing for more than one day. Attendance in Assiut was slightly poorer than elsewhere, with

almost a fifth of students absent at least one day of the week (Figure 2-3).

Figure 2-3 Attendance status (percent)

n= 848 (Assiut), 773 (Sohag), 276 (Qena), 1897 (Total)

35

These figures are based on the last school days of October to March, which may vary according to the school, as well as the month. While

repeated isolated incidences may produce different results based on the continuous periods, aggregate data for longer time periods were neither available nor possible to collect.

5 2 3 4

1211 9 11

83 87 88 85

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


Present

Absent 1 day

Absent 2 to 6 days

45

Table 2-3 below displays the attributes of CS children by attendance status. It shows that:

As grade level increases, absence from school for more than one day increases. In Grade 6, the number of repeated absences peaks.

The attendance of boys is slightly poorer than that of girls, especially in the case of repeated days.

Attendance is only lowered in the case of poor children. Students from good and average economic quintiles have comparable attendance rates.

Working for money is strongly correlated to attendance, especially when it comes to increased numbers of repeat absences. Working, but not for cash (housework or other tasks around the house, working for others for free), does not significantly correlate with attendance.

Thus, flexible attendance - one of the characteristics of CS - is largely practiced by the target groups for

which it has been intended (i.e. children most at risk). Even with the option of flexible attendance,

community schools fare much better than MS, as evidenced by the data. Considering average attendance

on the last school days of October, November and December, 96% of students in CS were present versus

87% in MS. The difference is predominantly due to Assiut where 95% attended in CS versus 82% in MS

(compared to around 95% in both CS and MS in Sohag and Qena).

Table 2-3 Attendance status, by risk factors (percent)

Present Absent 1 day Absent 2 to 6 days

Gender

Girls (n=1157) 86.9 10.9 2.2

Boys (n= 740) 83.0 11.7 5.3

Grade level

1st

(n= 265) 93.2 6.0 0.8

2nd

(n=111) 92.8 6.3 0.9

3rd

(n=327) 89.0 9.2 1.8

Present Absent 1 day Absent 2 to 6 days

4th

(n=918) 83.5 13.1 3.4

5th

(n=51) 84.3 13.7 2.0

6th

(n=224) 75.0 14.7 10.3

Economic status

46

Good (n=505) 85.5 10.9 3.6

Average (n=1175) 86.5 10.4 3.1

Poor (n=190) 80.6 14.7 4.7

Child work

Works for pay (n=284) 78.9 11.6 9.5

Works but not for pay

(n=1611)

84.5 11.9 3.6

Does not work (n=1063) 85.9 10.9 3.2

2.1.3 Completion and progression

In order to follow the progression of children up to secondary school, latest corresponding cohorts –

graduated from CS before 2004/05 – were examined. In case of these cohorts completion of primary and

continuation to preparatory school took place at least four years ago. Therefore, to diminish the influence

that time may have on the findings, completion and progression rates for the latest graduates were also

considered. While there is an overlap between the two periods in the case of CS with Grade 4 level or

higher (44/70 schools), the comparison of completion and progression rates over time is at least

indicatively possible. In interpreting outcomes, it should be kept in mind that rates are the aggregates for

a sample CS, spanning 6 years and lending, above all, an overall impression of the CSP. Table 2-4

summarizes results, showing that:

Almost 90% of students complete community school – from 87% in Assiut to nearly 100% in Qena. Almost all who complete CS go on to preparatory level studies – particularly in Sohag and Assiut.

36

While the overall completion and progression rates of the two genders are comparable, the completion of boys is slightly more favourable than that of girls in Qena.

Progression rates slightly improve the higher up the education ladder one goes. In Sohag and Qena,

this is especially seen in those who enrolling in, and complete, preparatory school. Practically all students who engage in the earlier stages finish the subsequent one. In Assiut, a third of children are lost in transition to preparatory stage and another quarter do not complete preparatory education; however, all those who complete preparatory go on to secondary level.

On the whole, three quarters of all students are enrolled in technical education and one quarter

attends general secondary education.37

Almost all pursue technical education in Qena, while two thirds do so in Assiut (the corresponding rate is 71 percent in Sohag).

Completion rates are comparable over time, with slight improvements seen in Qena. The

progression rate rose drastically in Assiut and declined slightly in Qena.

36

Average distance between CS and preparatory school is 1.6 kilometres in Assiut, 2.5 kilometres in Sohag and 4.4 kilometres in Qena. 37

Rates are the same nationally (UNDP, 2008b).

47

Table 2-4 Completion and progression rates, by gender (percent)


Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total

Latest cohort (2007-2008)

Completion of CS 87.0 85.5 86.5 89.6 88.8 89.3 95.2 100.0 97.1 89.3 89.0 89.2

Progression to

preparatory

97.6 98.5 97.9 98.6 98.9 98.7 92.5 92.6 92.5 97.5 97.8 97.6

Earlier corresponding group (2004-2005)

Completion of CS – – 85.8 – – 91.3 – – 93.2 – – 89.4

Progression to

preparatory

– – 66.7 – – 100.0 – – 100.0 – – 87.9

Completion of

preparatory

– – 73.6 – – 97.2 – – 94.1 – – 90.2

Progression to secondary – – 100.0 – – 90.1 – – 82.5 – – 90.6

- : Missing data.

Note: Rates are calculated from previous figures in the chain – e.g. progression to preparatory/secondary as a percentage of

CS/preparatory completion.

Table 2-5 compares completion rates in CS, MS and OCS in 2007/08. As far as available data show, community schools are at an advantage over other school systems and more so in Assiut than Sohag. Unlike the six-year aggregates, it was observed in Assiut that completion rates for boys is considerably poorer than the rates for girls in both community and mainstream schools. This may suggest that girls’ rates of completion have improved and/or that of boys has deteriorated over time. The advantage of CS is maintained when making a national comparison: 82% of MS students completed Grade 6 nationwide.38

Table 2-5 Primary school completion rates, by gender and school type, 2007/08 (percent)



Community schools 87.0 85.5 86.5 89.6 88.8 89.3 95.2 100.0 97.1 89.3 89.0 89.2

Mainstream schools 91.0 72.3 80.3 91.1 91.1 91.1 93.8 91.8 92.8 91.5 81.0 85.7

One classroom schools 79.3 NA 79.3 – NA – 87.8 NA 87.8 81.4 NA 81.4

38 Source: Ministry of Education (Policy and Strategic Planning Unit), 2009 (personal communication).

48

Note: Number of CS with data available (i.e. with Grade 6 in 2007/08): Assiut – 6, Sohag – 5; number of CS is insufficient in Qena

(1) and of OCS in Sohag (2).

Facilitators and supervisors confirmed that on the whole, retention has improved over time; however, one

part of this is more of a ‘trompe l’oeil’ than actual reality. With the percentage of children starting school

over-age (above 6 years) declining, fewer students drop out because the issues affecting them – such as

work and marriage - do not reach them at such an early age (in the comparative case of a 10-year-old

versus a 16-year-old in Grade 4). Nevertheless, the CSP target group also benefits from retention.

In addition to fostering awareness of the importance of education, the project has developed a number of

characteristics that diminish dropout rates. Following up with parents of children who are at risk of leaving

school and attempting to convince them - sometimes using monetary incentives collected from

community members or through encouragement from individuals with prestige (supervisors, education

committees) - seems to work in many cases. Those children who do drop out in spite of such efforts are

mainly those with special needs (e.g. parents seriously ill). However, even in these cases, it is not

uncommon for facilitators to provide individual instruction on market days to keep the children up to

speed. The phenomenon of ‘long-term absence’, when children do not come to school for weeks or even

months on end, but enjoy tutoring services and may eventually return, is unique to community schools.

While it symbolizes the essence of these schools, which is retaining those most at risk, it is at the cost of a

greater collective effort. The sustainability of this kind of intervention is considered under the heading,

Sustainability on page .88

With improved retention, continuation of schooling gains ground in importance. Interviews with CS

graduates reveal that the transition to preparatory school is difficult in all cases. Reasons for this are

varied and are commonly grouped under the umbrella of ‘culture’. On the supply side, teaching methods -

from classroom activities (“no corners”) to attitudes of teachers (less time to explain and stricter in

demeanour) and pedagogical routines (less flexibility) - are different in CS and MS. On the demand side,

divergent behaviours of community school graduates (“they have their own sign language”) and different

levels and types of performance distinguish them from MS students, and community school children can

have more or less knowledge than their peers in mainstream schools.

In the first case, the threat of diminishing accomplishments has given birth to a number of strategies,

which includes CS graduates using private tutors and MS staff placing them in separate classes to

safeguard their advantages. Some facilitators, for their part, try to prepare children in the final grade of CS

for the challenges they will face in preparatory and secondary school. Nevertheless, beyond isolated and

personal efforts, it is usually up to CS children to find their way and no systematic attempt has been made

toward easing the transition to MS; especially for children who are already at a disadvantage.

One notable exception that is receiving attention is the recent introduction of preparatory level

community schools. Misr El Kheir is currently establishing three such schools in the districts of Sohag, and

Qena has similar intentions. While these schools may provide an environment that eases some of the

difficulties of transition, a number of questions still arise:

Beyond theoretical arguments in the interest of CS and other students in terms of segregation versus integration (be it at a class or school level), the practical consideration of how long and in what ways the different ‘cultures’ of children can, and should, be maintained needs to be considered.

49

For example, while one cannot avoid being moved when hearing about CS graduates jumping over the school fence at the risk of breaking their limbs so they can go home and help their families in the fields, should they not get used to discipline at some point? To some extent, the answer depends on what the aim of community schools is: is the goal for children to go as far as possible on the education ladder and to branch out in life, in which case preparation for a different environment is important? At any rate, it is always possible that children will encounter lifestyles outside those they are used to and because of this, a degree of familiarity with different ways of living is desirable.

The new preparatory community schools will only admit community school pupils - and not all of them. Capacity is planned for 340 out of the 600+ potential graduates, at least for the time being. It may be useful to take time to consider which students will be admitted. This may be important in view of divergences in terms of personal characteristics and educational trajectories, as seen in the above analysis.

2.1.4 Summary, recommendations and lessons learned

In terms of catering to the educational and broader needs of children, communities and society, the CSP

has been effective and has generated a great deal of impact. It has successfully covered, sometimes in

tandem with country-wide developments, children with limited access (girls and over-age children), and

in the process an increased respect has been cultivated for education, female enrolment and community

schools. Additionally, it has kept up with evolving conditions, effectively accommodating more and more

diverse groups of students (including those less disadvantaged and from small towns). Moreover, if

existing information can be taken as comparison, early marriage and the worst forms of child labour have

diminished, not the least as a result of improved school completion.

The full definition of effectiveness; however, relies on two conditions: the extent to which objectives have

been met and taking into account their relative importance. If the aim of the project is to keep up with

changing circumstances – that is to be forever in search of excluded children – then success of the CSP has

been moderate. The developments outlined in the beginning of this chapter: nationwide reduction of

poverty with an increase in Upper Egypt mean that, at the community level, some families gain an

advantage while their neighbours continue to become impoverished. Although the ‘second layer’ of

clientele with special needs has been effectively accommodated (e.g. those prevented from dropping out),

community schools have not spread to the most isolated localities. Even through children experience

improved access to education on the whole, there are still those who remain the hardest to reach and

keep in school.

The community school population of Assiut is the most disadvantaged on a number of fronts. It has the

lowest share of communities with non-CS schools in the vicinity; it has the highest proportion of over-age

children in- and out of school, the greatest share of children in school with no prior education, the least

educated parents and the highest incidences of child work and special needs. In terms of vulnerability

indicators; however, the project districts of Sohag are, on average, the most vulnerable.39 This suggests a

39

Vulnerability indicators by district (combining literacy over 15, primary and secondary school enrolment, GDP per capita, infant mortality,

unemployment and access to sanitation) are: Sohag: Dar El Salam – 31.4, Saqulta – 31.2, Geheina – 30.6 (average 31.1); Assiut: Manfalout – 31.1,

Abou Teeg – 26.2 (average 28.7); Qena: Farshout – 24.6. Source: WFP, 2009.

50

double compromise of relevance in Sohag, which includes limited coverage of the target population

against the backdrop of those most in need.

Issues related to progression and which have gained ground in the wake of improved enrolment and

retention, have not been sufficiently attended to, thereby reducing sustainability at the level of the

individual. Ambitions of continued education and professional occupation go, for the most part, unrealized

and progression and retention rates diminish higher up on the education ladder. Although resource

efficiency has been reconciled by filling the unused capacity of many CS, once target populations are

exhausted, overall costs remain far from being optimized and opportunities for targeting and cooperation

remain untapped.

The following recommendations can be adjusted to suit altered conditions:

CSP documents do not mention the economic disadvantage of target groups at the level of the individual as the focus is on remote and deprived geographic zones. It is not the point to debate whether children wish to attend CS, especially when the school capacity beyond the target group permits, should be allowed to do so. This, along with other theoretical and practical matters, should be reserved for an event dedicated to the purpose (such as the upcoming CBE conference, which will put the matter in focus and take stock of where it stands). However, given that a non-negligible proportion of CS children are not disadvantaged, a review – including rationalization and targeting – of subsidies is imperative. This will impact provisions from UNICEF, shipments from the World Food Programme, as well as draw down advantages for CS alumni at preparatory and secondary levels in the mainstream school system (waved subscription and textbook fees for example). When determining ‘who should receive how much of what’, care needs to be taken in determining the relevancy of criteria, and that it is accurately defined and measured. For this, precise knowledge of the number and characteristics of children in CS is critical.

Determining overall need and support has implications for school mapping and in light of national trends such as slow population growth and relocation from the Nile Valley to less populated zones, school location planning needs to be strengthened.40 Demand figures, including future projections, need to be accurate, relevant and up-to-date. Given the possibility of a rapid change in clientele, periodic monitoring, with suitable parameters and allowing for adjustments – be they through properly targeted replacement schools or rationalization measures to fit the existing student body – need to be put in place. With respect to other systems such as MS and GFS, the criteria for construction, at least the enforcement of proper building codes and in coordination between schools, should be made more effective.41

As part of the exchange between different kinds of schools (more on this in Section 4.2), cooperation needs to be enhanced between CS and MS (or the new preparatory CS) in the interest of easing the transition. Acculturation through joint activities and visits to new schools, especially in the final year of community school, should be encouraged. Other aids of transition include mentors, be they CS alumni or others at the new schools, who promote habituation on all fronts. Alumni who return to CS (they often come back to see facilitators) can share their experiences with younger students. The network of CS graduates in university, founded in Assiut (sharing textbooks, assisting with housing), is worthy of extension to other governorates, school levels and functions.

40 Ministry of Education, 2007. 41 For a discussion of needs related to CBE, and accurate and relevant data available to the Ministry, see Ministry of Education, 2008.

51

It has not been possible to obtain conclusive evidence on whether the multi-grade curriculum will

be revised. It is also unclear up to what level, and by what date, the mainstream programme will be changed. Nevertheless, the revision (involving both skills and content) suggests that a transfer for children in the future will be more difficult due to the mismatch in curricula between education levels and types of schooling. Pending confirmation, this may provide UNICEF with an opportunity to provide technical assistance, especially since it has significantly contributed to curricula already through the community schools project, to ensure that the multi-grade programme is aligned with the national system, while perhaps seeking to make adjustments at the preparatory level.

It is not unusual for initiatives aimed at tackling disparities to leave behind the most disadvantaged in worsening conditions.42 Constant attention needs to be paid to vulnerable segments of the population to ensure they are not left out. Addressing new types of exclusion requires new forms of knowledge: identification of the attributes of those marginalized, as well as how they are excluded, along with different and effective methods to include them. While preliminary data from this study point to grave special needs and risk aggravating disparities, further research needs to confirm the precise characteristics of children left out of school. Active outreach should always be used to recruit the hardest to reach.

Given the limits of social networks covering remote communities (see also Section 6.2.1) innovative solutions are needed to motivate isolated localities to create schools in their areas. If 90% of children in CS indicated via student surveys that they have televisions (accessible) in their homes, targeted public service announcements adapted to the needs of the communities can be effective in reaching isolated populations. This can be done via social marketing and through the recruitment of private sector support.

2.2. Learning conditions

2.2.1 Home and school

Community schools catering to disadvantaged populations were created to be free of charge. This does

not only include material expenditures but also the cost of children’s work.43 Having presented the

clientele of CS in Section 2.1, this section examines their expenditures related to schooling. Table 2-6

displays results found in student surveys, which indicate that:

Three quarters of children receive school materials from their parents (pencils, erasers, etc.) and a quarter receives supplementary materials (books related to education, etc.). The large majority also have special clothes and shoes for school.

Six percent employ private tutors to assist them with lessons, and in 61% of cases, parents or other family members help with school-related matters.

Contrary to project expectations, all children engage in homework or other activities related to education outside of school hours. More than 90% are granted flexibility with their work or duties around the house and are given peace and quiet in order to focus on their studies.

42 See William Julius Wilson’s argument about the emergence of the American underclass following the civil rights movement (1987). 43

Zaalouk, 1995

52

Two percent use family transport and one percent rental transport to attend school in Assiut; however, Assiut has the lowest percentage of children with additional expenditures (probably in line with the level of disadvantage), except for special clothes and shoes.

Table 2-6 School-related inputs students receive from their families (percent)


Special clothes/shoes 98.2 80.1 93.5 91.5

School materials 54.7 92.5 89.5 73.4

Supplementary materials 14.4 28.8 41.1 23.8

Paid tutor* 3.4 5.3 15.1 6.2

Flexibility with work/help around house 92.5 91.1 90.6 91.7


Average n= 1124

Table 2-7 displays the availability of school materials related to the needs of students and facilitators, as

judged by facilitators. It shows that:

A small minority of facilitators in Assiut (but more than 5% in Sohag and Qena) felt that supplies (pencils, erasers, etc.) are ‘more than sufficient’ in quantity. At the same time, almost a third of facilitators in Sohag judged the quantity of supplies to be ‘not sufficient at all’; and while the majority felt they receive supplies ‘always’ or ‘often’ on time, one fifth in Qena ‘rarely’ receive them on time. Supplementary materials (cards, games, etc.) were judged by half of facilitators as sufficient in quantity, especially in Assiut and Qena. However, in almost a third of cases they were deemed insufficient, especially in Sohag and Qena. The quality of supplementary materials, as well as their variety was seen as ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ good.

In the judgement of more than three quarters of all facilitators, the quantity of general equipment (recorders, etc.) is insufficient, especially in Sohag and Qena. The quality is seen as ‘not good at all’, according to more than half of all staff, especially those in Sohag and Qena (related to lack of electricity).

Five percent of facilitators judged the quantity of furniture to be more than sufficient - especially in Sohag. Qena has the greatest percentage of staff who felt that furniture is about sufficient or insufficient in quantity. The quality of furniture and its usability in practice was judged by most facilitators to be very or fairly good. In Qena, 5% of facilitators judged that the furniture is not of very good quality.

Less than two thirds of facilitators felt that textbooks are sufficient in quantity. One third always receive them on time while 90% receive them almost always, or often, on time in Assiut. One third rarely receive their textbooks and one tenth never receive them on time in Qena.

53

Table 2-7 Availability and quality of school materials (percent)


SUPPLIES

Quantity

More than sufficient 1.5 5.8 5.3 3.6

Sufficient 85.0 42.3 68.4 66.7

About sufficient 7.5 23.1 26.3 15.9

Insufficient 6.0 28.8 0.0 13.8

Timeliness

Always on time 56.1 49.0 31.6 50.0

Often on time 34.8 39.2 47.3 38.2

Rarely on time 7.6 9.8 21.1 10.3

Never on time 1.5 2.0 0.0 1.5

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Quantity


Sufficient 62.7 38.5 57.9 53.0



Insufficient 13.4 48.0 42.1 30.4

Quality

Very good 42.4 42.3 57.9 44.5

Fairly good 56.1 55.8 42.1 54.0

Not very good 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.7

Not good at all 0.0 1.9 0.0 0.7

Variety

Very varied 49.3 34.6 47.4 43.5

54

Fairly varied 49.2 59.7 52.6 53.6

Not very varied 1.5 3.8 0.0 2.2

Not varied at all 0.0 1.9 0.0 0.7

GENERAL EQUIPMENT

Quantity


Sufficient 15.2 11.5 15.8 13.9


Insufficient 72.7 80.8 78.9 76.6

Quality*

Very good 11.3 12.0 0.0 9.9

Fairly good 38.7 22.0 31.6 31.3

Not very good 3.2 2.0 15.8 4.6

Not good at all 46.8 64.0 52.6 54.2

FURNITURE

Quantity


Sufficient 89.5 78.9 63.2 81.9




Quality

Very good 47.8 46.2 15.8 42.8

Fairly good 52.2 53.8 78.9 56.5

Not very good 0.0 0.0 5.3 0.7

Not good at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Adaptability

55

Very adaptable 85.1 67.3 52.6 73.9

Fairly adaptable 14.9 32.7 47.4 26.1

Not very adaptable 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Not adaptable at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

TEXTBOOKS

Quantity


Sufficient 80.6 51.9 42.1 64.5


Insufficient 6.0 17.3 26.3 13.0

Timeliness

Always on time 35.8 39.1 11.1 33.8

Often on time 52.3 37.3 44.5 45.6

Rarely on time 11.9 21.6 33.3 18.4

Never on time 0.0 2.0 11.1 2.2


Average n= 138

In order to evaluate the structural condition of schools, several observations were conducted, and to

ensure reliability, two researchers performed observations in each CS. Since the greatest percentage of

cases with divergent observations per item was 25%, the tool was judged to be reliable. For analytical

purposes, one form per school was randomly retained.44 Table 2-8 presents results, which show:

Nearly half of all community schools, with the exception of Qena, have less space than specified by the requirements of the CSP (a minimum of 1.3 m

2/child).

45

While project requirements emphasize a comfortably covered floor, over one quarter of schools do

not have any floor covering – especially in Qena and Assiut. When the floor is covered, it is mostly with cement or stone.

Despite the project calling for sufficient lighting and a protective school structure, the responses: ‘not very’ or ‘not at all sufficient’ came up in more than a quarter (Assiut) and a tenth (Qena) of cases respectively. The state of the classroom, in terms of cleanliness and renovation, is ‘very’ well or ‘fairly’ well maintained in the large majority of cases with the exception, again, being Qena where a fifth of all classrooms are ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ maintained.

44 The percentage of children in different categories of general appearance and hygiene (Figure 3.1.3) was an exception – and averages per CS were calculated in this case. 45 Ministry of Education and UNICEF, 1992.

56

Practically half of all community schools have a toilet inside the building and 44% have one five

minutes away – be it in another structure or the students’ home. Yet, in 6% of cases – and 10% in Qena –no toilet is available, even one that is five minutes away. Three quarters of toilets close by are ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ clean and Assiut has the greatest percentage of clean toilets (over 80%), while one third in Qena are not clean at all. In the majority of community schools, especially in Assiut, water is available for children to wash their hands.

The opinion of facilitators regarding the overall condition of schools (in terms of light, air and structure)

confirms the above observations: 45% judged the condition of CS to be ‘very good’, 47% ‘fairly good’, 5%

‘not very good’ and 3% ‘not good at all’. The highest ratings were in Assiut (95% very or fairly good) and

lowest in Qena (11% not very good and 16% not good at all).

Table 2-8 Structural condition of the school building (percent)


Space per child

More than 1.5 m2 20.6 7.7 50.0 20.0

1.3 to 1.5 m2 29.4 38.5 30.0 32.9

Less than 1.3 m2 50.5 53.8 20.0 47.1

Floor cover

Carpet 0.0 3.8 0.0 1.4

Tile 0.0 3.8 0.0 1.4


Stone 41.2 30.8 30.0 35.7

Other 50.0 19.2 20.0 34.3

None (earth) 8.8 42.3 50.0 27.1

Lighting

Very sufficient 50.0 19.2 20.0 34.3

Fairly sufficient 41.2 38.5 30.0 38.6

Not very sufficient 8.8 38.5 30.0 22.9

Not sufficient at all 0.0 3.8 20.0 4.3

State of building

57

Very sheltering 47.1 30.8 30.0 38.6

Fairly sheltering 50.0 50.0 40.0 48.6

Not very sheltering 2.9 11.5 10.0 7.1

Not sheltering at all 0.0 7.7 20.0 5.7

State of classroom

Very maintained 38 50.0 20.0 40.0

Fairly maintained 62 42.3 60.0 54.3

Not very maintained 0 7.7 10.0 4.3

Not maintained at all 0 0.0 10.0 1.4

Condition of toilet

Availability

In school 32.4 61.6 77.8 49.3

In close structure 35.2 34.6 11.1 31.9

In students' home 26.5 0.0 0.0 13.0

More than 5 minutes away 5.9 3.8 11.1 5.8

Cleanliness (in school, close structure)

Very clean 28.6 28.0 0.0 23.6

Fairly clean 52.4 48.0 55.6 51.0


Not very clean 9.5 20.0 11.1 14.5

Not clean at all 9.5 4.0 33.3 10.9

Water to wash hands 90.5 79.2 77.8 83.3

Average n= 70

With respect to the infrastructure directly or indirectly accessible to community schools, facilitators

provided the following information (Table 2-9):

Potable water is always available in nearly two thirds of schools; however, in more than 10% of CS it is never available. Only one third of schools in Qena have access to potable water all the time and almost one quarter never do.

Electricity is always available in half of all CS, yet a third can never access it. Sohag has the greatest percentage of schools continuously without electricity and Assiut the lowest.

58

The large majority of community schools never have access to functioning computers and the rest rarely do. The availability of functioning computers is slightly better in Assiut. None of the schools ever have access, either directly or indirectly, to functioning internet.

In line with project requirements, all schools have a library (defined as a collection of books and/or other learning materials).

Table 2-9 - Availability of infrastructure (percent)


Potable water

Always available 64.8 69.3 33.4 62.4

Often available 17.6 15.4 11.1 15.9

Rarely available 8.8 3.8 33.3 10.1

Never available 8.8 11.5 22.2 11.6

Electricity





Functioning computers





Average n= 70

Last but not least, Table 2-10 displays the availability of auxiliary services; and through interviews with

facilitators, the following facts were revealed:

Nearly all schools have health insurance for children, and in four fifth of schools children are vaccinated, while two fifths undergo the school entry medical examination in the first year. Qena has the highest percentage of schools with auxiliary services on almost all counts (least so in terms of check-ups) and Assiut has the lowest percentage.

On top of WFP provisions in Assiut and Sohag, the greatest proportion of CS always or often have school meals, but almost a tenth never do. The situation of Assiut is most favourable

59

(three quarters of CS always have meals and the rest often) and that of Sohag is least encouraging (nearly 40% rarely or never have school meals).

Table 2-10 - Availability of auxiliary services (percent)


Health insurance 97.1 96.2 100.0 97.1

Vaccinations 70.6 88.5 100.0 81.4

Medical check-up 17.6 57.7 80.0 41.4

School feeding





Average n= 70

With or without these conditions, the large majority of children ‘very much’ like their facilitators,

classmates and school (98%, 94% and 98% respectively), and nearly 90% felt that facilitators listen to and

respect their opinions. Around 5% felt their opinions are ‘not very much’ listened to and respected in

Sohag and Qena, and 9% ‘do not know’ in Qena. The reservations of facilitators, like students, often have

to do with socio-economic conditions interfering with educational outcomes (e.g. poverty of children).

All in all, while 99% of students in Assiut would ‘very much’ recommend schools like theirs to other

communities in Egypt, only 94% in Sohag and 85% in Qena would do so (6% would ‘not very much’

recommend them in Qena). Similarly, 97% of facilitators would very much recommend them in Assiut

though not more than 79% would do so in Qena.


While the very existence of CS is proof enough of the partnerships that sustain them, effectiveness is

mitigated in light of the structural conditions of the schools. Although several of the community schools

meet CSP requirements, considerable deficiencies continue to exist, sometimes in as much as a quarter to

a third of all schools. On practically all accounts, CS in Assiut are the strongest in terms of being fully

operational and functional, while those in Qena are found at the other end of the spectrum.

60

Efficiency and relevance of resources are also compromised, as the families of children who help with

school-related matters, and at times provide materials, wind up overlapping with UNICEF support. In a

small but notable minority of CS, supplies and furniture are more than sufficient. World Food Programme

provisions significantly overlap with national school feeding schemes while at the same time leaving out

some CS entirely in terms of school meals.

Recommendations and lessons include:

Redundancies in school materials need to be eliminated. Given that three quarters of CS in Assiut have meals, while a fifth in Qena rarely do, and a fifth in Sohag never do, WFP may consider retargeting its provisions (without compromising contribution to attendance, which is most important in Assiut).

The simultaneous occurrence of excess and insufficient materials points to distribution challenges. Efficient transfer at all points between outside agents and schools needs to be ensured.

School mapping, including clustering between schools, as well as with other providers can be an effective way to relieve shortages and/or align supply and demand.46 As noted in Chapter 2, clusters of CS already exist. They share facilitators, textbooks, and trips but are less involved in material concerns material - for example, sharing more costly resources such as equipment. Schools could invest in equipment together and rotate its use (through mobile provisions if necessary). As for cooperation with MS, so far the only relationship that has been put into place is curriculum related and emanates from community schools. MS facilities like sports equipment, library books or laboratory utilities, could be shared.47

Last but not least, resources in the community can be better utilized. Nearly all (97%) students claimed to have access to electricity in their homes, so it should therefore be possible to connect schools to ICT provisions. Furthermore, 6% of children (the bulk in Sohag and Qena) stated they have access to computers and sharing them with community schools should also be possible. Transfer of CS to the MOE will likely bolster relations between the different school systems. However, given the low regard for CS, as noted by facilitators through the number of blocked attempts to reach out to MS, recognition of CS should be raised.

2.3 Learning outcomes

2.3.1 Student achievements

Core subjects

On average, CS students succeeded in getting 60% of questions correct in the Critical Thinking,

Achievement and Problem Solving test (CAPS). They performed best in science (66%), followed closely by

mathematics (63%), then in Arabic to a lesser extent (50%). The lowest scores were in the ‘critical thinking’

category, with higher scores for ‘knowledge’ based questions than ‘understanding’ ones (Table 2-11).

46 For an overview of the use of school mapping, see Giordano, 2008. 47 According to student surveys, at least 56% of children do not have any books at home (44% in Assiut and 77% in Qena; 10% overall ‘do not know’); 71% never get magazines or newspapers (64% in Assiut and 88% in Qena; 5% overall ‘do not know’).

61

Comparing this, as much as possible, to mainstream students, CS children performed approximately twice

as well in all subjects.48 The greatest difference in performance was in critical thinking. Community school

students scored about twice as high in this domain in Arabic and science and four times as high in

mathematics as their peers.

Table 2-11 - Student performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain and school type (percent)

Community schools Mainstream schools


Arabic

Knowledge 83.0 60.1 56.2 69.6 49

Understanding 74.4 56.1 58.7 64.6 42

Critical thinking 51.4 32.5 31.1 40.6 21

Total 61.1 41.8 41.1 50.2 31

Mathematics

Knowledge 87.6 63.8 69.0 75.1 36

Understanding 72.7 50.7 55.7 61.1 32


Total 75.1 52.5 58.6 63.4 27

Science

Knowledge 83.7 63.3 76.9 74.4 60

Understanding 75.4 61.0 63.5 67.7 33


Total 74.8 59.2 62.1 66.5 35

Average n= 815, response rate 89%

In addition to questions of method, it is not possible to compare achievement on an examination

measuring critical thinking, which is the strength of CS but less so in MS.49 While ‘national assessment’ is

somewhat of a misnomer, as the test varies across administrative units and multiple timelines, not to

48 Data for MS are from 2006. Since this was the first year CAPS had been administered, there have been concerns about the reliability of findings

(not the least because performance had for the most part gone down between 2006 and 2007) (NCEEE, 2008).

49 Rowe and Rizzo, 2008

62

mention regular versus multi-grade curriculum, it aims to assess the knowledge of the curriculum for

students nationwide. As far as available data shows, trends in results – if not magnitude – parallel those in

CAPS. Practically all CS students passed all subjects in Grades 3 and 6 (both in 2007/08 and looking at the

6-year aggregate). In 2007/08, rates were slightly lower when comparing MS and OCS, especially for Grade

6 students (Table 2-12).

Table 2-12 - Pass rates on national assessment, by grade level and school type, 2007/08 (percent)

Community schools Mainstream schools One classroom schools

Assiut Sohag Qena Total Assiut Sohag Qena Total Assiut Sohag Qena Total

Grade 3

Arabic 98.6 100.0 100.0 99.3 92.3 97.7 99.5 95.5 94.7 81.0 100.0 94.8

Mathematics 98.6 100.0 100.0 99.2 94.3 97.9 99.5 96.5 95.4 81.0 100.0 95.3

Grade 6

Arabic 100.0 97.7 –* 98.7 82.9 90.9 99.2 88.3 96.8 94.1 89.1 94.7

Mathematics 100.0 97.7 –* 98.7 85.2 91.7 99.2 89.7 95.4 94.1 89.1 93.8

Science 100.0 98.2 –* 98.8 88.1 91.3 99.2 90.8 97.2 94.1 89.1 94.8

*Missing data.

Note: Number of CS with available data (i.e. with Grades 3 or 6 in 2007/08): Grade 3 Sohag – 11, Qena – 6; Grade 6

Assiut – 6, Sohag – 5. Number of OCS with data available: Grade 3 Sohag – 4; number of CS is insufficient in Qena (1).

Considering student performance according to gender, pass rates for girls and boys were nearly identical

in CS and differed slightly in MS (Figure 2-4).

Figure 2-4 - Pass rate on national assessment, by grade level, school type and gender, 2007/08 (percent)

Grade 3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Science

Mathematics

Arabic

Mathematics

Arabic

Grade 6

CS girls

CS boys

MS girls

MS boys

OCS girls

63

Note: Number of CS with available data (i.e. with Grades 3 or 6 in 2007/08): Grade 3 Sohag – 11, Qena – 6; Grade 6

Assiut – 6, Sohag – 5. Number of OCS with data available: Grade 3 Sohag – 4; number of CS is insufficient in Qena (1).

Returning to CAPS and looking at the Arabic segment of the test, CS children scored highest in grammar

and lowest in reading and writing. In mathematics, they performed best in geometry and poorest in

numbers. In science, students had top scores in biology with the lowest in physics (Figure 2-5).

Figure 2-5 - Student and facilitator performance on CAPS, by content field (percent)

As Table 2-11 shows, students performed best across all subjects in Assiut, followed by Qena and Sohag.

For schools in Assiut the greatest proportion of students are concentrated in the highest scoring level,

with practically no students in the lowest category. Qena had a greater percentage of students in the

advanced category (compared to Sohag), while the proportion of those in the lowest group was

comparable between the two governorates when taking all subjects into consideration (Table 2-13).

Students in Assiut and Sohag scored higher on knowledge portions than understanding and critical

thinking ones across all subjects. In Qena, understanding and critical thinking were tied after knowledge in

mathematics, while understanding was highest in Arabic (Table 2-11).

Table 2-13 - Student performance on CAPS, by standard level and gender (percent)



Arabic

Falling 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.2 10.2 7.6 5.5 18.9 9.3 3.5 6.4 4.5

Growing 17.8 22.2 19.6 47.4 59.3 51.8 56.0 51.4 54.3 36.6 40.5 38.0

Satisfactory 45.3 51.4 47.7 39.7 28.8 35.7 23.1 24.3 24.0 39.1 39.1 39.2

Arabic

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Physics

Earth science

Biology

Numbers

Algebra

Geometry

Reading

Writing

Listening

Grammar

Mathematics

Science

Students

Facilitators

64

Advanced 36.9 26.4 32.7 6.7 1.7 4.9 15.4 5.4 12.4 20.8 14.0 18.3

Mathematics

Falling. 0.0 1.4 0.6 8.1 14.4 10.4 11.0 2.7 8.5 5.3 6.7 5.8

Growing 12.1 19.4 15.1 44.5 35.6 41.4 30.8 56.8 38.0 28.6 30.4 29.3

Satisfactory 42.1 32.7 38.2 38.3 38.1 38.1 28.6 16.2 24.8 38.1 32.8 36.1

Advanced 45.8 46.5 46.1 9.1 11.9 10.1 29.6 24.3 28.7 28.0 30.1 28.8

Science

Falling 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.9 5.9 4.0 5.5 8.1 6.2 2.1 3.3 2.6

Growing 8.4 9.7 8.9 24.9 38.1 29.6 27.5 18.9 24.8 18.5 22.1 19.8

Satisfactory 50.9 45.9 48.9 60.7 44.1 54.8 52.7 51.4 51.9 55.3 45.8 51.7

Advanced 40.7 44.4 42.2 11.5 11.9 11.6 14.3 21.6 17.1 24.1 28.8 25.9

Note: Falling rates begin at 100, growing at 200; satisfactory at 300 and advanced depends on the standardized

scores of subjects (range 100 to 500).

Average n= 815, response rate: 89%

On the whole, girls performed slightly better than boys in all subjects across governorates – with the

exception of science, where boys outperformed girls in the districts of Assiut and Qena. According to

standard levels; however, the proportion of girls in the advanced category was lower than the number of

boys, the only exception being Arabic (and mathematics in Qena).

Table 2-14 - Student performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain and gender (percent)


Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys

Arabic

Knowledge 85.9 78.8 61.4 58.3 59.3 47.3 71.2 66.8

Understanding 73.2 76.1 55.9 56.5 60.3 54.4 63.9 65.6

Critical thinking 53.5 48.1 35.7 26.7 32.1 28.2 42.5 37.2

Total 62.5 59.0 44.0 38.1 42.5 37.2 51.4 48.0

Mathematics

Knowledge 89.3 85.3 63.7 64.2 71.9 61.1 75.8 74.0

65

Understanding 73.4 71.7 50.3 51.5 55.1 56.2 60.8 61.8


Total 76.1 73.6 52.7 52.4 59.2 55.9 63.6 63.1

Science

Knowledge 83.2 84.6 65.3 59.7 77.2 75.1 74.9 73.6

Understanding 75.2 75.7 63.2 57.1 63.8 63.1 68.2 66.8


Total 74.5 75.2 61.0 55.8 62.0 62.5 66.7 66.0


Table 2-15 - Student performance on CAPS, by risk factor (percent)


Arabic Math Science Arabic Math Science Arabic Math Science Arabic Math Science

Economic status

Good 59.7 68.6 70.8 42.6 57.6 63.1 34.0 51.9 65.7 50.0 62.4 67.3

Average 61.9 78.1 76.8 41.3 50.4 57.2 45.0 62.4 63.4 50.8 64.4 66.7

Poor 61.8 79.8 75.9 40.1 50.7 59.5 30.6 45.6 23.7 45.9 59.1 61.5

Present 60.9 74.7 74.6 42.5 53.0 59.6 42.4 59.3 63.0 50.1 63.1 66.4

Absent 61.6 76.6 75.7 37.3 49.6 56.1 29.2 52.0 53.7 50.5 65.4 67.1


Standard deviation of performance in all subjects is considerable, especially in Qena (19 to 23 percent,

versus 17 to 19 percent in Sohag and 13 to 19 percent in Assiut). Since achievement does not vary much

by gender, the question of what powerful influences exist is raised. It has not been possible in the

framework of this study to conduct a thorough investigation of the determinants of performance;

however, two potential influences, economic status and attendance, have been included in the analysis.

As Table 2-15 reveals, in the large majority of cases there is no difference in subject achievement between

the categories of students. Nevertheless, certain tendencies are noted:

66

In Assiut, performance improves from good to average depending on economic status; the performance of poor students is comparable to that of average status. Performance improves slightly amongst students who are present in school for all six days of the week compared to those who are absent at least one day.

Qena has the greatest gap in performance between the different categories of children, with those at risk

having lower scores. While the advantage of average over good economic status is retained (except in science), achievement of poor children is considerably lower than that of their peers. Students who are

absent at least one day per week also score lower than those present all six days.

Comparable performance between groups is borne from standard deviation patterns. In the majority of

cases, intra-school deviation is less than intra-governorate, and the greatest difference in performance

appears to be between schools (ranging from 41% to 80% in Assiut, 29% to 57% in Sohag and 26% to 70%

in Qena in Arabic, for example).

Life skills

In addition to core subjects, life skills are an important part of the CS curriculum. On average, children got

78% of questions correct in the life skills test (Table 2-16). In the case of core subjects, achievement was

highest in Assiut. Performance in Qena was considerably weaker, especially in the social skills category

than the other two governorates (89% and 49% overall in Assiut and Qena). The best results came from

the physical skills category, followed by personal and social skills (82%, 77% and 76% respectively). In

Assiut, scores across all domains were nearly identical, while girls scored slightly higher than boys in Sohag

and Qena. In Assiut, performance according to gender was similar, and in all three districts the overall

performance of girls and boys was comparable.

Table 2-16 - Student performance in life skills, according to skill type and gender (percent)



Physical skills

Hygiene 90.5 89.4 90.1 90.5 88.4 89.7 73.7 58.5 67.9 87.4 83.6 85.9

Environment/resources 92.9 94.0 93.4 90.2 82.7 87.3 59.6 45.8 54.3 85.8 81.3 84.0

Health 83.7 84.8 84.1 86.1 83.6 85.1 49.5 56.8 52.3 78.3 79.4 78.8

Nutrition 83.3 80.1 82.0 68.7 60.8 65.6 52.6 54.2 53.2 72.0 68.4 70.5

Sub-total 88.8 88.8 88.8 86.6 81.6 84.7 59.7 62.8 57.1 82.6 79.8 81.5

Personal skills

Perseverance 97.7 97.4 97.6 95.5 83.2 90.8 55.8 59.3 57.1 89.2 85.4 87.7

67

Honesty 97.1 96.4 96.8 88.1 91.2 89.3 58.9 48.3 54.9 86.6 86.0 86.3

Conflict

management/negotiation 93.7 88.7 91.7 65.7 69.6 67.2 32.6 25.4 29.9 71.6 70.4 71.1

Self-assertion/

expression of opinion 95.1 77.2 75.9 66.7 54.8 62.1 36.3 40.7 38.0 64.7 62.4 63.8

Sub-total 89.3 88.9 89.1 78.4 74.1 76.8 46.5 43.8 45.5 77.2 75.4 76.5

Social skills

Social values/participation 95.2 97.0 96.0 92.0 90.0 91.0 56.0 49.0 54.0 87.0 86.0 87.0

Tolerance/empathy/

dealing with difference 87.3 80.8 84.7 81.3 75.2 79.0 48.4 42.4 46.1 77.9 71.9 75.5

Awareness of rights 81.7 84.1 82.7 70.6 64.4 68.3 25.8 29.7 27.3 67.1 67.2 67.1

Sub-total 88.1 87.3 87.8 81.4 76.4 79.5 43.5 40.4 42.3 77.3 75.0 76.4

Total 88.7 88.4 88.6 82.6 77.8 80.8 50.9 46.4 49.2 79.4 77.0 78.5


The two sub-skills with the lowest scores are: self assertion/expression of opinion and awareness of child

rights. While the right to education versus child work is more accepted (71% of children declined the

invitation from a neighbour to work on his farm during the school year, while 14% accepted a similar

offer), education versus marriage rights are less clear (64% of students thought that if the family of a girl

at preparatory level would like her to get married and leave school, she should be able to pursue her

education if she wants to continue. This is in contrast to 20% who felt she should accept whatever her

family tells her to do).

Although these findings cast a shadow on the real impact of the project on the incidences of child work

and marriage (as discussed in Section 2.4), it should be acknowledged that assertion and rights are issue

areas that contest tradition the most. One aspect of the CSP often admired by observers is the balance of

tradition and respect to rights (something not easy to negotiate, as less successful cases elsewhere in the

world show).

Results in the life skills test were confirmed by observations in community schools, as displayed in Figure

2-6, which indicates the ratings of children on different categories of general appearance and hygiene. The

greatest proportion of ratings, amounting to almost half, fell under the ‘good’ category in Assiut. Though

Qena had the greatest percentage who rated ‘poor’, it also had the closest number of ‘average’ and ‘good’

ratings, which points to overall inequality.

68

Figure 2-6 - Percent of students broken down by category of general appearance and hygiene

Note: Number of CS with data available: Sohag – 12.

It is difficult to determine the causes for the unfavourable life skills performance of school children in

Qena. While a disadvantage in physical skills may be related to the poor physical condition of schools (as

presented in section 2.2), low performance in personal and social skills is harder to account for. Facilitator

and inspector approaches – notably, weaker feelings of being listened to and respected on the part of

their charges - may be part of the explanation (see Section 4.1 and Box 2-2). In addition, taking into

consideration the presence of less traditional subjects such as arts and sports in community schools

indicates that these fields are least available in Qena. Arts and sports are featured in 60% of CS in Qena,

versus 98% in Assiut and 94% in Sohag. If the position of life skills is not entirely comparable to arts and

sports, as a part of the national curriculum, they may have been taught differently given the lesser

involvement of CSP staff in community schools in Qena (Box 2-2 discusses this in more detail).

0 20 40 60

Good

Average

Poor

Assiut - Percent of students by category of general appearance and hygiene

Assiut

0 50 100

Good

Average

Poor

Sohag - Percent of students by category of general appearance and hygiene

Sohag

0 50

Good

Average

Poor

Qena - Percent of student by category of general appearance

and hygiene

Qena

0 20 40 60

Good

Average

Poor

Total - Percent of students by category of

general appearance and hygiene

Total

69

Broader outcomes

In addition to ‘outputs’ measurable by surveys and quantifiable in numbers, a foremost aim of the CSP has

been to generate a better quality of life for graduates, communities and society in the broader sense.

Discussions with CS alumni indicated – time and again – that they were content -with their current

situation and their achievements. Children often stated that their parents were proud of them and parents

also confirmed this. Contrary to popular belief, no splits in perception were detected.50 Close family and

community ties, coupled with traditional hierarchies where people with an education are respected may

contribute to these findings.51 Nevertheless, the characteristics of alumni in the sample interviewed – with

a maximum education being secondary level – should not be neglected. It is possible that the kind of

incidents described elsewhere (e.g. children of the community throwing stones at girl students) may

happen more in locations where the idea of education, especially for girls, are less prevalent and accepted

than in case of CS.52

Additionally, certain issues may only surface at later stages, such as when youth from CS would like to

marry or find employment. Since obtaining an education up to secondary level has become increasingly

widespread, the disconnect youngsters experience is expected to remain relatively low until this stage.

The case of the girl in Qena who would like to complete secondary technical education because “these

days everyone wants an educated wife” is illustrative of this point.53 However, children who complete

university and come from communities where only a few or no other youth have achieved this, are

sometimes less accepted in the eyes of those traditionally more privileged. This may also lead to social

hindrances that make it harder for CS alumni to find spouses. Moreover, conversations with numerous

youngsters confirm that a lack of opportunities for advancement – especially close to the homes of

alumni, lead to a sense of displacement not only in bigger centres but also in the communities they had

left – thereby leading to anguish and disillusionment.54

This is all the more prevalent in children who have been taught to have dreams and to work towards

them. According to survey responses (Figure 2-7), more than 80% of CS students in Grade 4 would like to

continue with their education until post-secondary level and obtain professional jobs such as doctors and

teachers/facilitators (22% and 14% respectively); however, other than Qena - where a little over half of all

children wish to continue to post-secondary school – this does not match the reality.55

50 See, e.g., Sultana, 2008 51 See, e.g., Critchfield, 1978 52 Sultana, 2008 53 Ministry of Education, 2007 54 Youth unemployment is highest in Egypt amongst Middle East and North African countries (World Bank, 2005). 55 Returns on education are lowest in Upper Egypt, where, even with post-secondary qualifications, the chances of poverty are high (Ibid.).

70

Figure 2-7 - Highest level of education students would like to achieve (percent)

Note: There are practically no differences according to gender.

2.3.2 Facilitators

Facilitators’ characteristics

One intention of the CSP has been to provide employment to those with high chances of unemployment:

such as young women with secondary technical education. Criteria for becoming a facilitator include

residency in the locality of the CS, along with aptitude for dealing with children.56 Before considering

whether these aims have been achieved, two caveats should be noted:

1. The recent regulation requiring facilitators to have tertiary qualifications; and,

2. Reserve facilitators hired by the CSP with tertiary education, providing capacity enhancement.

Comparing educational levels with the number of years served in CS indicates that in the large majority of

cases, facilitators with tertiary education joined the project more than two years ago, when the degree

requirement came into force. As reserve facilitators constitute a minority of the sample (less than ten

percent), this does not interfere considerably with the target group.

Table 2-17 displays the characteristics of facilitators, showing that:

More than half of all facilitators are between 20 and 30 years old – the remainder are between the ages of 31 and 40.

Over 60% are married and 35% are single. Sixty percent have children, with the lowest percentages residing in Sohag (38%, versus 71% in Assiut and 77% in Qena).57

Nearly three fourth live in hamlets or villages, while the rest reside in district towns. The proportion of those in district towns is lowest in Sohag and highest in Qena (14% and 37%

56 Ministry of Education and UNICEF, 1992 57

Item non-response is 5.1 percent in total.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


Primary

Preparatory

Secondary

Post-secondary

Do not know

71

respectively). Facilitators may be requested – largely due to high turnover rates as a result of marriage or pregnancy - to substitute in schools other than their usual location. When this happens, an effort is made to select substitutes living nearby. The majority travel by some form of mechanized transport for less than 30 minutes to get to school (7% travel for longer than 30 minutes and 43% reach school by foot).

Approximately two thirds of facilitators have a secondary education, and nearly 40% have post-secondary qualifications, with Assiut having twice as many highly qualified facilitators as Sohag and Qena. The large majority of secondary degrees are technical, with the greatest percentage being in Sohag, followed by Qena and Assiut (92%, 86% and 82% respectively). The situation is reversed at post-secondary levels where Assiut has the greatest proportion of technical graduates (53%). Two thirds of facilitators in Sohag and 80% in Qena completed university. Of those with post-secondary degrees, one fifth has pedagogical qualifications: 14% in Assiut, 33% in Sohag and 40% in Qena.58 Prominent areas of specialization are social sciences (11%), commerce (4%) and Islamic studies (3%).

The average number of years facilitators have worked in their current position is 8.9 (the full range being 0.25 to 17). Less than one tenth had paid work before the CSP, and just over a tenth were engaged in unpaid or volunteer assignments. The percentage of those with outside experience is greatest in Sohag, followed by Assiut and Qena. In almost all cases, their work was in social care (community development, nursery care, health), with the majority engaged in some kind of coaching capacity, such as: teaching, private tutoring, or literacy instruction.

Table 2-17 - Facilitator characteristics (percent)


Age

20 to 30 years 49.3 63.5 57.9 55.8

31 to 40 years 50.7 36.5 42.1 44.2

Marital status

Single 23.9 50.0 31.6 34.8

Married 70.1 50.0 68.4 62,3

Divorced/separated 6.0 0.0 0.0 2.9

Place of residence

Hamlet 4.5 40.8 31.6 21.5

Village 62.7 44.9 31.6 51.8

District town 32.8 14.3 36.8 26.7

58


72

Level of education

Some secondary 7.5 0.0 0.0 3.6

Complete secondary 41.8 76.9 73.7 59.4

Post-secondary 50.7 23.1 26.3 37.0

Professional experience (outside CSP)

Paid work 7.9 10.2 5.9 8.5

Unpaid work 11.1 18.2 6.2 13.0

Average n= 138

Facilitators’ achievements

Pedagogy

Overall, the facilitators’ average score in Cadre was 73% (Table 2-18). They had lowest marks in knowledge

(perhaps this is not surprising as training focuses on applied skills), while critical thinking scored the

second lowest scores. The portions of the test on understanding saw the best performance.59

Facilitators in Assiut and Qena scored higher than those in Sohag (79%, 75% and 64% respectively).

Variance in performance across cognitive domains was lowest in Assiut.

Table 2-18 - Facilitator performance on Cadre, by cognitive domain (percent)


Knowledge 70.5 48.0 60.5 60.7

Understanding 86.1 82.1 85.0 84.5

Critical thinking 73.1 49.0 71.1 63.8

Total 78.5 64.2 74.7 72.6


Core subjects

Considering subject-matter performance, facilitators scored ann average of 90% of questions correct

across all subjects in CAPS. They scored highest in mathematics, followed closely by science and then

Arabic (94%, 92% and 87% respectively).

Unlike students, facilitators received high scores in critical thinking in mathematics; while knowledge and

understanding factors were comparable in all other subjects (Table 2-19).

59 Comparison scores for teachers and inspectors in mainstream schools are not available.

73

Similar to Cadre and student performance in CAPS, facilitators in Assiut performed better than their

colleagues in Qena and Sohag in all subjects. In Arabic, facilitators had the highest scores in grammar, but

the lowest in listening and writing. In mathematics, the highest scores were in algebra and the lowest was

in numbers. In science, the best scores were in earth science and the weakest in physics (Figure 2-5

above).

Table 2-19 - Facilitator performance on CAPS, by cognitive domain (percent)


Arabic

Knowledge 99.2 95.8 100.0 98.1

Understanding 97.6 93.8 96.9 96.1


Total 88.0 85.8 86.2 86.9

Mathematics

Knowledge 94.8 91.7 98.3 94.3

Understanding 94.1 87.5 90.9 91.2


Total 95.1 91.1 95.0 93.7

Science

Knowledge 96.8 90.0 93.3 93.7

Understanding 94.5 95.2 91.1 94.1


Total 93.2 90.3 91.7 91.9


Broader outcomes

Providing employment to facilitators within the framework of a ‘pilot’ project may be helpful, and it

should serve to open doors to further opportunities for career advancement, thereby benefiting both

individuals and communities. As for students, the CSP aimed to enhance holistic development of

facilitators in all aspects of life.60 The question remains: to what extent has this been achieved?

60 Zaalouk, 2004

74

Figure 2-8 presents the responses of facilitators to the question: where would you like to be in the next

five years? Practically all wish to be working and over 90% would like to remain in the CSP. Roughly 10%

prefer to work outside the project in Sohag and Qena, while 3% wish to do the same in Assiut. Three

percent remain undecided about working with or outside the project. Of those who would like to continue

in the CSP, no more than 4% wish to be in a position other than facilitator, and for those who would like to

work outside the CSP, most would like to engage in the development or non-profit sector in Qena. This

differs from results in Sohag where all facilitators would like to be employed in the public sector, and the

split is 50/50 (public and private sector) for facilitators in Assiut.

Figure 2-8 - Where facilitators would like to be in the next five years (percent)

At first impression, the overwhelming preference to stay with the project may indicate dedication to the

CSP. However, probing into the satisfaction of facilitators with different facets to their position reveals a

more nuanced picture (Table 2-20). In respect of gaining new and innovative information and knowledge,

90% are ‘very’ satisfied; with the greatest percentage of very satisfied facilitators working in Qena.

Emotionally (in terms of overall meaningfulness and sense of purpose), three quarters are fulfilled and the

greatest percentage of satisfied facilitators is, again, in Qena, with the lowest numbers in Sohag.

Professionally speaking, and taking into consideration a sense of achievement, work development, and/or

career opportunities, two thirds are very satisfied with their work; with the most satisfied in Qena and the

least, in Sohag. Financially, in terms of income and benefits, significant differences between governorates

exist. The greatest percentage of those who are “very” or “fairly” satisfied are in Qena (82% overall) and

the lowest in Sohag (90% are ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ satisfied).

Since they tend to be least satisfied on all fronts, it is hardly surprising that facilitators in Sohag would like

to work outside the project; however, differences in preference between governorates is not high, and

they do not necessarily match the extent of one’s dissatisfaction. It is possible that intellectual, emotional

and professional satisfaction counterbalance financial shortcomings as seen in Assiut. Because of this,

another interpretation is also possible: compromised satisfaction combined with a predominant desire to

continue in the CSP may point to the absence of more appealing alternatives. This is probably less the case

in Qena, in light of facilitators working in this district expressing the greatest satisfaction on all fronts

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


Work in CSP

Work outside CSP

Work but not know

in or outside CSP

Not w ork

75

combined. This apparent contradiction indicates a heightened perception of new opportunities after

project transfer.61

While conditions have improved for CS facilitators through increased job security and the availability of

supplements (in the form of examination fees and transport costs), low salary levels remain a point of

contention expressed by facilitators at every possible occasion during the research. They are especially

resentful due to a number of inequities that accompanied the recent changes within the system. These

include: 1) higher salaries for other CBE facilitators, even with the knowledge that it was the CSP that had

inspired and served as a model for other CBE initiatives; and 2) the difference in staff payments became

visible with the transfer of community schools in Qena where facilitators received higher pay. As focus

group discussions with facilitators drew out, if they were given more financially viable opportunities, they

would leave the CSP.

Table 2-20 - Facilitator satisfaction with work (percent)


Intellectual

Advanced 88.1 90.4 94.7 89.9

Satisfactory 11.9 9.6 5.3 10.1

Growing 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Falling 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0


Emotional

Advanced 77.6 63.5 89.5 74.0

Satisfactory 22.4 30.8 10.5 23.9

Growing 0.0 1.9 0.0 0.7

Falling 0.0 3.8 0.0 1.4

Professional

Advanced 73.1 56.8 78.9 67.9

Satisfactory 26.9 31.4 21.1 27.7

Growing 0.0 5.9 0.0 2.2

61 Opportunities for advancement motivated one facilitator to engage in an open-university degree course: “Now I have rights”, she claimed.

76

Falling 0.0 5.9 0.0 2.2

Financial

Advanced 13.4 1.9 42.1 13.2

Satisfactory 59.7 9.8 42.1 38.6

Growing 19.4 27.6 15.8 21.9

Falling 7.5 60.7 0.0 26.3


2.3.3 Supervisors

Supervisors’ characteristics

The attributes and competencies of technical and field supervisors, which are considered the cornerstone

of the CSP, had never been examined. One intention of this research has been to fill in this gap, and Table

2-21 summarizes their personal characteristics, distinguishing between the regular and higher ranked

employees (the latter being district supervisors and specialists). It shows that:

Over 40% of technical supervisors are between 41 and 50 years old and nearly 40% are between 31 to 40 years old (the rest are between 20 and 30 years old). The proportion of older supervisors is more than twice as high in Assiut than Sohag, and they tend to be at a higher than regular rank. Field supervisors are relatively evenly distributed across the three age-categories.

Four-fifths of technical supervisors have completed university and a fifth have post-graduate qualifications. The percentage in the latter category is ten percent higher in Sohag than in Assiut, and is more common amongst those who hold regular positions. Nearly half have pedagogical qualifications, with almost two thirds in Sohag and more than one third in Assiut. Specializations of supervisors were mainly in commerce and English, and smaller numbers were specialized in Arabic, geography and agriculture. Almost 90% of field supervisors completed university, and equal numbers of the remaining 10% have incomplete post-secondary and post-graduate qualifications (7%).

Most technical supervisors have worked for an average of 12.6 years with the project (range 3 to 17) and field supervisors for 10.1 years (range 0.5 to 17). According to survey responses, the majority (91% of technical and 64% of field) worked in a position other than their current one in the CSP. While a small percentage had gone from lower to higher positions, others merely changed their title (‘Assistant Supervisor’ to ‘Supervisor’). Eighty six percent of technical and 71% of field supervisors, especially in Sohag, had secured paid work outside the project, and around a third had unpaid or volunteer work, particularly in Sohag. Nearly all technical supervisors had been teachers at one point, or worked in the education field as volunteers. The majority of field supervisors had been employed by NGOs or political organizations, and were engaged in community interaction and outreach.

77

Table 2-21 - Supervisor characteristics, by type and rank (percent)

Assiut Sohag Total

Regular Rank Total Regular Rank Total Regular Rank Total

TECHNICAL

Age

20 to 30 years 20.0 0.0 15.4 50.0 0.0 25.0 28.6 0.0 19.0

31 to 40 years 40.0 0.0 30.8 50.0 50.0 50.0 42.9 28.6 38.1

41 to 50 years 40.0 100.0 53.8 0.0 50.0 25.0 28.6 71.4 42.9

Level and type of education

Complete post-secondary* 90.0 66.7 84.6 50.0 100.0 75.0 78.6 85.7 81.0

Post-graduate 10.0 33.3 15.4 50.0 0.0 25.0 21.4 14.3 19.0

Pedagogical qualifications 40.0 33.3 38.5 50.0 75.0 62.5 42.9 57.1 47.6

Professional experience

Other position in CSP 100.0 100.0 100.0 50.0 100.0 75.0 85.7 100.0 90.5

Paid work outside CSP 80.0 100.0 84.6 75.5 100.0 88.0 78.6 100.0 85.7

Unpaid work** 12.5 33.3 18.2 75.0 0.0 42.9 33.3 16.7 27.8

FIELD

Age***

20 to 30 years 57.1 0.0 44.4 50.0 0.0 16.7 55.6 0.0 33.3

31 to 40 years 42.9 0.0 33.0 50.0 0.0 16.7 44.4 0.0 26.7

41 to 50 years 0.0 50.0 11.1 0.0 100.0 66.6 0.0 83.3 33.3

Level and type of education

Some post-secondary 14.3 0.0 11.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.1 0.0 6.7

Complete post-secondary 85.7 100.0 88.9 100.0 75.0 83.3 88.9 83.3 86.6

Post-graduate 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 25.0 16.7 0.0 16.7 6.7

Professional experience

Other position in CSP**** 33.3 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 83.3 37.5 100.0 64.3

78

Paid work outside CSP**** 71.4 50.0 66.7 50.0 100.0 80.0 66.7 80.0 71.4

Unpaid work****** 0.0 100.0 22.2 100.0 50.0 75.0 22.2 75.0 38.5


**: Item non-response is 14.3 percent in total.

***: Rest of data is missing.

****: Item non-response is 6.7 percent in total.

******: Item non-response is 13.3 percent in total.

Average n= 21

Supervisor achievements

Pedagogy

On average, technical supervisors scored 90% in Cadre (Table 2-22), and regular supervisors performed

slightly better than those with a higher rank. Supervisors achieved the highest scores in critical thinking,

followed by understanding and knowledge categories (95%, 92% and 79% respectively).

Similar to facilitators, supervisors in Assiut scored 12 percent higher than their colleagues in Sohag. While

performance in the understanding category was comparable, scores in critical thinking were highest in

Assiut (versus 88% in Sohag).

The performance of regular and higher ranked employees is comparable in Assiut, with the exception of

the knowledge portion, where the scores for higher ranked supervisors and staff was 10% lower. In Sohag,

while critical thinking results for the two groups was identical, regular supervisors scored approximately

10% higher in knowledge and understanding domains than their colleagues in a higher position.

Table 2-22 - Technical supervisor performance on Cadre, by cognitive domain and rank (percent)

Assiut Sohag Total

Regular Rank Total Regular Rank Total Regular Rank Total

Knowledge 92.5 83.3 90.4 62.5 56.3 59.4 83.9 67.9 78.6

Understanding 92.5 90.5 92.5 96.4 85.7 91.1 93.9 87.8 91.8

Critical thinking 100.0 100.0 100.0 87.5 87.5 87.5 96.4 92.9 95.2

Total 94.7 91.1 93.8 85.0 78.3 81.7 91.9 83.8 89.2


79

Training and support

Achievement depends on a number of intertwined factors, amongst them teaching and learning

conditions, affiliations and attitudes, as well as experience and qualifications. As noted earlier, it has not

been possible in this study to examine the causes for achievement. However, the fact that Assiut retains

the top performing students and staff and, at the same time, the lowest number of supervisors with post-

graduate qualifications and pedagogical certificates (although the greater share of facilitators completed

post-secondary school) indicates that qualifications are not related to performance.

Table 2-23 displays facilitators’ assessments of different aspects of capacity-building, which is reputed to

be one of the pillars of CSP success. When interpreting syllabus results one should keep in mind that

supervision is predominantly provided by mainstream inspectors as opposed to project supervisors in

Qena (more on this in Box 2-2).

The quality of training in pedagogy was given an 85 percent rating in terms of being ‘very good’ by facilitators, while 15 percent deemed it to be ‘fairly good’. Almost all facilitators in Assiut gave good ratings on the training, while less than two thirds did in Qena. The rating trend is similar for subject-matter training, although figures are lower – nearly three quarters gave ‘very good’ rate (85% in Assiut and 53% in Qena) while a quarter gave feedback that the training was ‘fairly good’. Just over 70% rated the pedagogical content as being ‘very relevant’, while the rest deemed it to be ‘fairly relevant’. Three quarters rated it very relevant in Assiut and over half did so in Qena..

Fourteen percent rated the frequency of training in pedagogy ‘more than sufficient’ and while almost 20% in Sohag and 6% in Qena felt this way, almost a tenth of respondents felt it was ‘insufficient’. Twelve percent rated the frequency of subject-matter training more than sufficient, with a similar distribution across governorates.

Nearly 70% rated the quality and content of supervisors’ help with the syllabus to be very good and 30% felt it was fairly good. The ratings were most complementary in Assiut and least so in Qena.

In terms of frequency related to need, nearly one fifth rated supervisor assistance as more than sufficient.

When facilitators were asked what they required more of in terms of training and support, they focused

on contemporary issues such as dealing with special education needs, at-risk children and information

technology. While the former is an aspect noted by project management as currently being enhanced, it

does not sufficiently meet the given need, as confirmed in Sections 2.4.

In addition to capacity-building, quality is assured through supervision and oversight. Investigation of the

reasons behind Assiut’s advantage in learning outcomes points to effective management. Analysis of

supervisor evaluations (of facilitators and education committees) suggests that ratings in Assiut are more

demanding than elsewhere. Furthermore, incentives to motivate staff performance (largely through

offering acknowledgement) also favour outcomes, as confirmed by project direction.

80

Table 2-23 - Availability and quality of capacity-building and support (percent)


PEDAGOGY

Quality

Very good 93.9 82.7 63.2 85.4

Fairly good 6.1 17.3 36.8 14.6

Not very good 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Not good at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Content

Very relevant 76.1 71.2 57.9 71.1

Fairly relevant 23.9 26.9 42.1 27.5

Not very relevant 0.0 1.9 0.0 0.7

Not relevant at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Frequency


Sufficient 80.6 65.4 72.2 73.7




SUBJECT MATTER

Quality

Very good 85.1 64.7 52.6 73.0

Fairly good 14.9 35.3 47.4 27.0

Not very good 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Not good at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Content

Very relevant 71.6 55.8 31.6 60.1

81




Frequency


Sufficient 79.1 69.2 68.4 73.9



ASSISTANCE WITH SYLLABUS

Quality

Very good 92.5 57.7 15.8 68.8

Fairly good 7.5 40.4 78.9 29.7

Not very good 0.0 1.9 5.3 1.4

Not good at all 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Content

Very relevant 86.6 61.5 15.8 67.4




Frequency


Sufficient 67.2 69.2 78.9 69.6




82


Similar to access, effectiveness, relevance and efficiency of learning outcomes and their causes are more

or less dependent on how closely and extensively results are examined. Compared with peers in

mainstream schools, students in community schools perform better in all types of examinations. This is in

line with previous evaluation conclusions.62 While this represents a considerable achievement, one caveat

should be noted: although it is not possible to compare student and staff profiles in CS and MS, children

and facilitators in CS tend to be less disadvantaged than expected.

Performance is comparable between the first and second tier of children in terms of disadvantage

(including gender), and performance in the third tier diminishes for those most at risk. The effectiveness

and relevance of achievements are most favourable in Assiut, which secures the highest all-round scores

despite having a greater proportion of disadvantaged students.

Children in CS were not the best performers on higher order skills, and student performance is aligned

with predominantly low scores from facilitators in critical thinking (versus other cognitive domains). With

respect to subjects, as well as content fields, similar correlations between the weakest performance of

facilitators and that of students can be seen.

Supervisors, for their part, especially those with regular positions, performed highest on critical thinking

tests. While differentiation of cognitive skills are less defined in Cadre than in CAPS, if the Cadre scores can

be any indication, supervisors do not fully transmit their knowledge to facilitators, who continue losing

skills further down the chain of transfer, especially in their weakest areas of capacity.63

This questions both the relevance and efficiency of capacity-building activities. In addition to pre-service

training, instruction is provided through bi-annual refresher and weekly in-service sessions. In addition to

daily consultation between co-facilitators, frequent supervisor visits and the establishment of a corps of

reserve facilitators who not only substitute, but also provide capacity enhancement, are activities meant

to build long-term capacity. If the level of support received is balanced against the challenges facing both

CS and MS, how is it possible to judge that children and facilitators in CS fare better than those in MS? Do

outcomes have to match the extent of investment? At the start of a project, intensive efforts to create a

qualified Cadre is more than justified; however, after 17 years of operations, when facilitators have

cumulated nearly a decade of experience, support provided at the same initial level is considered

excessive by the facilitators themselves. One argument in favour of bolstering the project would be to

satisfy the need for continuous adaptation in order to maintain relevance. Yet, as the present study has

shown, this is not the case.

In light of this, the following recommendations show:

Training of staff needs to focus not only on impartation of subject-matter and skills, but also on effectively transmitting what is learned. Any pre- or post-intervention research measuring classroom processes needs to make sure that limitations of approaches that have been used so far are avoided (Appendix 5). Researchers, with the ability to identify and judge pedagogical techniques of interest, conducting classroom observations for a sustained period of time would provide the most reliable results. Given the close correlation between facilitator and supervisor

62

See e.g., NCEEE, 2001 and Zaalouk, 2004. 63

The observation concerning the teachers’ Cadre and CAPS tests is that of the consultant.

83

performance, as well as training and support, capacity-building would benefit from external expertise.64

In addition to quality, training and support need to be rationalized in terms of quantity. Where support is necessary, facilitator peer networks can be organized. In the case of distance, a web-based forum may facilitate knowledge sharing and self-learning (once material preconditions are in place, as the next chapter underlines).

Given the weak relationship between facilitator qualifications and performance, a tertiary degree is not indispensable, under the right conditions. Since the number of facilitators with tertiary qualifications are lacking in remote and disadvantaged locations, awareness of this caveat in the Strategic Plan should be raised and the notion that those with different degrees can be hired according to demand should be encouraged (this possibility and its special application procedures are not in all cases). In the meantime, additional research is required to identify the exact determinants of performance and ensure that they are in place, whenever relevant.

Since achievement differs relatively little between students inside schools, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) at this level is largely effective. Given significant variations between schools and governorates; however, larger-scale M&E, together with follow-up actions, need to be strengthened.65 In light of considerable differences in performance across cognitive domains, M&E would benefit from refinement of focus. Good/bad practice examples, over time, should be regularly harnessed and exchanged.

64

If available data can be any indication (item non-response ranges from 47.6 per cent to 52.4 per cent in total), no more than 60% of supervisors

call in mainstream inspectors, teachers or university professors. 65

Throughout the duration of the CSP, nine evaluations have been conducted, with the majority undertaken in the 1990s. Even though all could

not be located, former UNICEF education section management indicated that they are concerned with: Ash Hartwell, CIDA, NCEEE, UNICEF’s

Regional Office, USAID and some revolved around the topic of sustainability.

84

2.4 Community interactions

2.4.1 Education committees

Education committees, in addition to the Ministry, NGOs and UNICEF, are the local partners in the CSP.

This section presents their characteristics, which were not previously examined before. On average, there

are 6.3 members per committee (range 3 to 14). In Sohag the average is 7.1, 6.1 in Assiut and 5.2 in Qena.

The percentage of persons engaging in committees rose at a relatively consistent rate between 1993 and

2004 (Figure 2-9). Involvement dropped in 2005 and, though it rose again, seems to have now reached a

plateau. While slight fluctuations prior to 2005 correspond to waves of project expansion, the number of

members per committee, according to supervisors, has increased over time.

Figure 2-9 - Education committee membership, 1993 - 2008 (cumulative percentage)

Table 2-24 summarizes the attributes of the EC members, and shows that:

Contrary to project expectations, female membership is barely over ten percent and almost all members are male (Sohag and Qena).66

Approximately two thirds of members are between 30 and 50 years old..

Two thirds have secondary or post-secondary qualifications; though one fifth are illiterate. In Sohag and Qena, four fifths have at least a secondary education. More than a tenth have no formal schooling in Qena, and in Assiut, half have primary education while another third are illiterate.

Thirty percent of committee members are engaged in agriculture, with slightly more in the public sector. More than a tenth are unemployed. In Assiut, the greatest percentage work in agriculture,

66 Zaalouk, 1995

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

85

and over a fifth are out of work while about half are engaged in the public sector in both Sohag and Qena. Field and rank of occupations vary. Ten percent of the public sector and services members are engaged in education as teachers and headmasters. Many are in health, youth development, community leadership and religion, and their rank ranges from average staff worker to manager.

Only a minority of committee members do not reside in the settlement where the CS is located. In Qena, all live in the same location.

Thirteen percent of EC members are donors to the CS. Their percentage in Sohag is half of that in Assiut and Qena (8 and 16 percent respectively).

Thus, on the whole, education committees are diverse, although less so when considering the aspect of

gender.

Table 2-24 - Education committee member characteristics (percent)


Gender

Women 22.6 3.3 3.8 12.4

Men 77.4 96.7 96.2 87.6

Age

Less than 30 years 22.2 6.0 15.4 14.6

30 to 40 years 34.5 31.7 26.9 32.4

41 to 50 years 28.6 35.0 40.4 32.6

51 to 60 years 9.9 22.4 7.7 14.8

More than 60 years 4.9 4.9 9.6 5.5

Level of education* and literacy

Primary 50.4 10.8 5.8 28.4

Preparatory 3.9 1.9 1.9 2.8

Secondary 30.4 43.0 34.6 36.0

Post-secondary 15.5 41.1 44.2 29.7

No formal education 0.0 3.2 13.5 3.1

86


Literate 69.8 90.5 87.2 80.4

Illiterate 30.0 9.5 12.8 19.6

Occupation

Public sector 13.8 52.8 48.0 34.0


Agriculture 36.0 23.1 26.0 29.4

Services 24.5 17.6 22.0 21.4

Industry 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.5

Other 3.0 4.9 2.0 3.7

No work 21.7 1.6 2.0 11.0

Place of residence

Same as CS 99.0 96.7 100.0 98.2

Different from CS 1.0 3.3 0.0 1.8


Average n= 1150

The purpose of having a diverse membership within the EC is for all members of the community to have

their interests meaningfully represented; therefore, everyone feels equally empowered. Fostering, if not

pioneering effective civic participation in school management is one of the key characteristics attributed

to the CSP.67 We need to ask at this stage though: to what extent has this been achieved?

No conclusions can be drawn from meetings that took place with two education committees as the

findings cannot be regarded as representative. What these meetings do reveal; however, is that

committees can be diverse. In one EC, two girls – former CS students – contributed significantly to the

discussion, while in the other the committee head monopolized the floor. When younger members were

probed for inputs, the response (from the head of the group) was: “They agree; their turn will come to say

more” (to which the others nodded in agreement). According to UNICEF, it was often the same people –

probably the management or executive members of committees – who attended training sessions each

year. Participation restrictions were also noted between committees and communities. In one committee,

anyone wishing to help the school was welcome to join, but in the other, membership was limited to the

family who made up the committee. The fact that schools are maintained by committee members or

facilitators may be the daughters of the Head of the EC confirm that opportunities for participation and

sharing are not available to everyone.

67

See, e.g. UNESCO, 2008.

87

How are the members of education committees selected? Do they represent the will of most people? Are

they better qualified? Field supervisors asserted that they, together with facilitators and the local

community, identified EC members based on a social mapping of the settlement. Selection criteria were

based on a set of characteristics, namely: having a prominent personality that is appreciated and trusted

by others, being endowed with principals and values, and showing leadership skills and the ability to solve

problems. Education committees confirmed this, adding that the head was elected by the members. While

this indicates a degree of participation, one should be careful not to equate, especially in societies with no

substantial tradition of civic engagement, awareness and approval with having the power to veto

committee decisions.

Given that the head of the committee is often the donor of the structure, and regardless of the selection

process, it may be understandable that other members are likely to be involved in obligations and returns.

The type and extent of the interaction of the CS with the community and the impact of their contribution

on the development of the community requires further investigation.

2.4.2 Schools, students and facilitators

Table 2-25 displays different modes of interaction between communities and CS. It shows that:

Nearly all schools provide instruction on local issues, thereby making education relevant to local needs and through the use of local materials. However, less than half invite members of the community or the broader society to provide inputs. The first set of characteristics is practiced in the lowest percentage of schools in Qena and the second in Assiut. Most CS in Sohag endorse locally relevant education.

Practically all schools conduct awareness-raising campaigns (on health, environment, etc.) and three quarters provide book lending services,, while just under half give courses to the community. Parents of CS children are targeted in less than 50% of cases.

Parents are invited to events in 84% of schools, the least so in Qena. Nevertheless, practically all CS have regular follow-up strategies in place related to student absence and performance, and one fifth interact with their parents on a personal level (through the provision of emotional or other support).

Table 2-25 - Interactions between school and community (percent)


Involving community

Using local materials 97.1 100.0 100.0 98.6

Making education relevant to local needs 100.0 96.2 80.0 95.7

Teaching about local issues 94.1 96.2 90.0 94.3

Inviting community for inputs 47.1 65.4 60.0 55.7

88

Inviting society for inputs 35.3 61.5 50.0 47.1

Outreach to community

Education campaigns/awareness-raising 100.0 92.3 80.0 94.3


Books/other materials 82.4 69.2 80.0 77.1

Courses/activities 58.8 42.3 20.0 47.1

Parties/gatherings 6.2 4.8 0.0 4.3

Interaction with parents


Follow-up related to

absence/performance 94.1 100.0 100.0 97.1

Regular updates on students’ progress 94.1 96.2 100.0 95.7

Invitation to school events 85.3 92.3 60.0 84.3

Personal support 25.8 16.7 11.1 20.0

Average n= 70

For their part, children also reported engagement with the community. The large majority (highest in

Assiut and lowest in Sohag) help others, be it in terms of work or education. Facilitators stated very similar

rates of engagement; however, while involvement is again lowest in Sohag, Qena has the highest

percentage of participation. In the case of both students and facilitators, only slightly more academic

assistance is provided to those in school than those out of school (Table 2-26).

Table 2-26 - Engagement of students and facilitators with the broader community (percent)


Students (average n= 1124)

Helping others in school with studies 96.0 89.7 89.4 92.7

Helping work/activities of others 91.7 71.4 90.5 85.0

Teaching/encouraging others not in school* 91.2 68.4 86.3 83.2

Facilitators (average n= 138)

Helping others in school with studies 90.8 92.3 94.7 91.9

89

Helping work/activities of others 92.5 88.5 100.0 92.0

Teaching/encouraging others not in school 92.5 78.4 94.7 87.6

Persuading others to come to school 83.6 80.8 100.0 84.8


As the above suggests, the large majority of students and facilitators engage in community interaction, yet

the presence of these activities should not be assumed to reflect the intensity or dedication of action.

Community activities (e.g. education campaigns) are most of the time in the summer – when not all

children attend and activities are meant to be “fun.” For their part, a fifth of children – mainly in Assiut

and Sohag – said they take part in these activities because their facilitators ask them to.68 Interviews with

children also showed that while they may help others, with reading letters for example, it mostly occurs

when they are specifically requested to do so (e.g. by family members or neighbours).

When education committees were asked about the contribution of CS to the community, their response

focused exclusively on the education of children. While this may sometimes have profound implications,

“it enlightened the village; before it was full of illiteracy,” in other instances in more advantaged settings,

it would have less added-value.

On the whole, most community members, seem to have been inspired by community schools. One

secondary school graduate, for example, wished to open a literacy class and two other girls, CS graduates,

dreamt of becoming facilitators. When they were asked why they did not act on these wishes, the

responses included: family members would have liked to learn to read and write and there were tutoring

opportunities in the school. The bottom line was always the same: material support is needed. Moreover,

while many wished to be facilitators, the recent requirement for tertiary degrees made young women

aware that such employment was unlikely without having the appropriate qualifications.


While education committees exist in all schools, their effectiveness, relevance and efficiency leave room

for improvement. In terms of material contributions (judging from school conditions), community

partnerships are most effective in Assiut. This may be related to the district having the greatest

percentage of non-poor students, disadvantaged EC members (those with no work and education) and

donors. While Qena also has a high proportion of disadvantaged EC members and donors, its greatest

vulnerability indicators suggest that broader opportunities for resource generation are not taken

advantage of. Least disadvantaged committee members together with a low number of donors point to

significant internal inefficiencies in Sohag.

Despite reasonably diverse EC membership, constructive participation by less hegemonic groups, such as

younger members and women appears to be restricted, which limits empowerment. Activities and

benefits, ranging from income-generating opportunities to contributing to school affairs, tend to remain in

the hands of a few: the committee elite (who are usually the most privileged) and the EC.

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The majority of students and facilitators engage with the local community in various ways; however, the

thoroughness of these actions and their relevance are questionable. In terms of coverage, those closest to

CS are most included, and those unable to access educational opportunities (youth who are illiterate) are

left out.

On the whole the relevance and impact of CS, in terms of community interaction and needed

contributions, particularly beyond education, are limited according to community members. Although the

ethos of CS provides people with the opportunity to work for the community inside the community – is

popular, the idea of helping the community for its own sake (beyond income generation) has not

sufficiently taken root. Both these factors stand in the way of sustainability of community schools, and

dampen community assistance.

Given the lack of participation of children and youth in education, assistance with literacy can be provided

through CS, capitalizing on existing connections with in the school.69 Two possibilities are present that

depend on available opportunities: develop effective referral systems to allow individuals to enrol in

literacy programmes and teach youth essential skills, if not through facilitators, then through child-to-child

methods.

Child-to-child methods are gaining popularity in developed and developing countries, and are used to deal with a variety of issues, relying on organized mutual learning between children and/or others. Functions other than literacy may involve the promotion of school readiness and life skills (at least until arrival of more institutionalized alternatives).

2.5 Sustainability

2.5.1 The CSP history of sustainability

An agreement between CIDA and UNICEF allowed for funding to be provided for this phase, beginning in

200370 (see Appendix 10.4). Why, despite numerous recommendations including a workshop dedicated

to the subject in 2004, has this phase been extended beyond the anticipated duration (until 2007)? How

many aims have been achieved, especially in preparing for transition? The comments from past evaluators

on the issue of sustainability were reviewed under Section 1.4.

With respect to the replication of the CS model, objectives have been achieved through its application in

the GFS, which took place in 2002. Further to this, the Strategic Plan calls for the introduction of CBE, and

modelling it on CS and OCS. As for mainstreaming, active learning has been incorporated into the national

curriculum, and it is these contributions that the community schools project is widely acknowledged for

today. Yet, in spite of this, a number of questions still arise:

The one classroom schools, existing nationwide since 1993, are (especially for out-of-school girls) in remote areas. Girl-friendly schools, implemented by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) under the aegis of the UN Girls’ Education Initiative, are also primarily for

69

UNDP, 2008b. 70 CIDA, 2003.

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out-of-school girls in deprived urban and rural locations in seven governorates. Has scaling up, in order to reach the un-reachable (as originally intended by the CSP), been successful?

What are the implications of inspiring quality in mainstream schools in terms of local relevance, sustainability and quality?

Following a review of project documents and interviews with CIDA and UNICEF management, it is revealed

that the change in scope of the CSP shifted to mainstreaming good practices. By that time, the objective of

the project was to enhance Egypt’s national capacity to deliver quality basic education for all, focusing on

girls, by consolidating and expanding a community schools model for diffusion to Egypt’s mainstream

educational institutions. This deviation from the original objectives that centred around the target of

reaching the unreached with quality education services was based on the argument that the Ministry of

Education and partner NGOs were unprepared for the gradual handing over of the CSP as originally

intended and that further influence on the system would be exerted through direct inputs into the MS.71

With this step, the fundamental characteristics of the CSP were protected.

Given the un-readiness of the structures at the receiving end of the handover, the situation may change

with time as demonstrated by the independent CS initiatives highlighted further in this section. Familiarity

with the challenging early phases of the project’s creation helps one to understand the argument for

keeping the project in ‘safe hands’. This resulted in a delayed, but inevitable handover. Furthermore, the

Project Cadre, who had been maintained on the UNICEF payroll through the duration of the CSP, cannot

be maintained in the existing structure.

It would be too easy to judge that CSP related capacities should have been developed throughout the

project’s existence. Successive evaluations have repeatedly emphasized the need for capacity building,

from as early as the mid-1990s.72 As directly and indirectly observed in the CSP, and as is the case in other

projects, the success of capacity building cannot always be guaranteed.

Events in Qena, followed by the transfer of community schools over to the Ministry of Education have

provoked considerable debate about the possible consequences of a handover. The case of Qena, with

increased MOE involvement since 2007 in training and supervision of CS and the independent creation of

37 new CS (with an additional six this year in new districts) has been examined in this study as an example

of a possible scenario for the future. Qena possesses unique attributes that have an impact on project

outputs; yet , even though these developments are short lived, they are all that is available for the time

being and may serve as useful lessons to guide the handover in Assiut and Sohag.

2.5.2 Existing capacity

The Ministry of Education

The Ministry has two sections directly related to community schools: the CBE department, transformed

from the former department of OCS, and the NGO department, established in 1999. The task of the

former is to facilitate the creation of schools by NGOs and ensure they are in line with established

71

UNICEF, 2004. 72

Allemano, 1995.

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regulations and procedures, while the role of the latter is to forge links through awareness-raising,

community participation and schooling. Activities are grounded in the Ministerial decree from the year

2000 that authorizes NGOs to establish community schools in partnership with the MOE.

Although many schools have been created through the work of these departments, discussions with

administrators both at central and local levels reveal a number of constraints.

Community-based education or other levels of education (with the exception of teacher incentives) has received little to no increase in funding despite the intention to create 13,333 new schools as defined in the Strategic Plan. However, though CBE is one of the areas receiving attention in the Strategic Plan, it is not listed as one of the priorities for action. The main focus of the Strategic Plan is quality, along with secondary and tertiary system reform.

The roles and responsibilities of the NGO department and the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MOSS) as the organ responsible for NGOs, are not in full alignment with potential interferences with opportunities for funding. The latter is responsible for channelling funds to NGOs while the former also links them to donors.

The relationship between the CBE and NGO departments of the MOE is not as active as it could be, and much can be gained from enhanced cooperation and exchange of experience between the two departments. The current relationship with the general education department is largely inactive, and interaction between the Ministry and civil society is limited on the whole. Most notable is the administration’s lack of awareness regarding NGO and local community expenditures on CBE. This gap in financial data and level of spending on locally implanted schools systems (CS, MS and OCS) can undermine effective planning and budgeting for education services in any given district.

There is often a lack of trust between administrations in different locations. Transfer of knowledge is rare, even though some community members would welcome it.

Meeting quality requirements outlined by the CBE is the responsibility of the MOE, and effective monitoring can guarantee successful outcomes in an increasingly decentralized system. While the majority of staff in the Ministry had not previously received training in education management, this is one area currently being addressed by UNICEF.

Although outreach is part of the repertoire of the NGO department, they do not maintain a

comprehensive database on civil society organizations engaged in education work. Any listing used for the purpose of CBE needs to pay special attention to the NGOs/Cads that are operating amongst isolated and disadvantaged groups of the population.

Box 2-1 - Quality assurance: risks and opportunities (1)

Quality assurance is a principal responsibility of any education provider, and training and

supervision have been the most controversial aspects of the handover. According to

administrators in Assiut, given the shortage of inspectors and transportation resources,

supervision of CS will only be possible every one or two months, compared to the several

times per week inspections that occur today. Though this may appear dramatic at first glance,

a number of caveats should be noted.

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The sustainability plan proposed by an implementing NGO in Sohag is aimed at containing

costs through diminishing the number of supervisors and shortening the length of training for

staff. This requires a balance between current and upcoming arrangements. According to the

NGO, no alteration in quality is expected as a result of these changes, and this is supported by

the results of Table 2-23 above, where an average 15% of facilitators rated the frequency of

in-service and refresher trainings and supervisor assistance as being more than sufficient.

When facilitators in Qena were asked if they felt the absence of supervisors following the

handover, many answered: “But we have been doing this (teaching) for many years,”

underscoring the notion that nothing had changed in the classroom in the wake of the

transfer.

Qena may be different from Assiut and Sohag for several reasons:

1) For two years the Ministry was already heavily involved with quality assurance, making

withdrawal of project staff less felt;

2) After the transfer, facilitators felt more secure with salaries that were twice as high as before,

which caused them to be more favourable of Ministry involvement; and,

3) Believing in the usefulness of facilitator skills to project operations, the local administration

found a way to visit CS at least once a week (in addition to providing in-service training once a

month along with refresher training each year).

Their supervisory activity, for the most part, is based on personal investment (often using

private transport and petrol, along with donations for training). While this level of dedication

cannot be expected to be generalized to all cases, good practice examples include assigning

subject matter inspectors in upper primary-cycle to visit schools 2 to 3 times a month.

In addition to the frequency, the quality of supervision is jeopardized if inspection is no longer in

the hands of supervisors who are not familiar with the CSP. Once again, a number of

qualifications should be noted. With respect to subject-matter, mainstream inspectors have

been acknowledged by facilitators to be better than project staff (although some were said to be

less patient). In Qena, positive ratings of project supervisors’ assistance were a fraction of those

in Assiut and Sohag; however, it is unclear what these ratings are based on. Data is not available

on supervisor performance in Qena – so it is possible they were weaker than their colleagues in

Assiut and Sohag to begin with, or they were less motivated to perform. Considering in-service

and refresher trainings (irrespective of the provider), ratings by facilitators were also less

favourable in Qena than in the other two governorates and more so in pedagogy than in other

subjects.

With respect to pedagogy, it is likely that not having been exposed to the same extent as CSP

staff to the project’s properties, mainstream inspectors are less familiar with (and may care less

about) these special practices. Inspectors have been present in community schools through

monthly visits for many years, and supervision, according to project requirements, is to be

provided jointly with the Ministry. When supervisors were asked what inspectors do on these

visits, the response was “they write reports,” and would sometimes skip attending these days.

However, when probed further, not more than a tenth of inspectors were judged to be less

amenable to the ways of the CSP. According to administrators in Qena, it was the perception of

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“being marginalized” by the project that prompted the Ministry to increase involvement,

illustrating that ownership may engender commitment under the right conditions.

As for lack of familiarity with project procedures, two types of actions need to be distinguished:

those that are essential for the quality of CS and those that are concerned with form. For

example, supervisors in Qena noted facilitators being at a loss with inspectors using a different

attendance sheet than the one they previously used. While interviews with facilitators dispelled

that the form had changed, even if it had, if the two forms measure the same thing and the

change is hardly significant. With respect to attendance, facilitators asserted that – contrary to

their supervisors who, with a valid excuse allowed them not to come to school – inspectors are

much stricter (supervisors, for their part, acknowledged that with less inspector visits, facilitator

attendance would go down).

If the findings of this assessment are any indication, active learning and engendering critical

thinking amongst students is not necessarily compromised by Ministry involvement. Although

students in Qena are not the most disadvantaged, unconditional generalization of findings is

inadvisable.73 It is possible that with UNICEF pulling away following the handover that different

developments will occur. For example, certain aspects of classroom configuration have been

questioned by administrators in Qena. Based on the example of Qena, what requires the most

attention is the inclusion of broader traits seen in child-friendly schools: equity, flexibility,

positive attitudes, extra-curricular activities and community engagement.

The implementing NGOs

The Assiut Business Women’s Association joined the project in 2000. Financed by a number of

international funds and banks, its activities focus on micro-credit loans and development (women’s

empowerment, and veterinary services).

The Sohag Community Development Association for Women’s Affairs and Training (SCDAWAT) was

established in 1993, and in addition to the CSP, it has two activities: one concerning the empowerment of

rural women (1993 to 1995) and the other being women’s rights (1998). The first activity was withdrawn

by the MOSS (proposed by them to begin with) and the second was unsuccessful. All funding came from

UNICEF, with the addition of minimal amounts through membership fees. In the words of a SCDAWAT

representative, implementing NGOs are the “financial administrator” of the project. Discussions reveal a

number of shortcomings in their roles and activities, with the result that although they would like to keep

the project, they cannot sustain it. Difficulties include:

Funds from UNICEF are strictly earmarked, and NGO responsibilities are largely administrative.

NGOs received project staff from UNICEF to begin with and UNICEF pays their salaries. NGOs say they accepted this as “they (staff of CSP) know better how to do the job.” In addition to not hiring them, the NGOs barely supervised the CSP and staff activities. There was no explicit monitoring or evaluation of project staff, either from the side of the NGO or the supervisors and Project Director.

73

Observations from programme visits by CIDA confirm the presence of active learning in CS in Qena (Dewidar, 2009).

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Recently, and in line with the previous evaluation report and directives of the final phase agreement, UNICEF started to disengage from day-to-day project management, enabling the NGOs to take over managerial and training responsibilities. In 2007/08, UNICEF started encouraging project NGOs – on a trial basis - to initiate new partnerships and progressively hand over a small number of community schools to the MOE to operate under the guidance of the project implementing NGOs (as an umbrella NGO). Qena and Sohag succeeded in identifying new partners and MOE took the lead in establishing new partnerships. Assiut is still in the process of identifying new partnerships.

Mapping managerial hierarchies confirms the division of roles. While practically all supervisors consult

colleagues and project directors for advice, only a few turn to NGO chairpersons.74 Approximately 20%

sought advice from UNICEF,75 while a lower percentage of supervisors turned to agents outside the core

project. This was encountered more in Assiut than in Sohag, and was commonly found amongst higher

ranking staff.

While implementing NGOs met each other during on-the-job functions, study tours to project sites in the three governorates, and training sessions, they are never the instigator of meetings which are planned and funded by UNICEF. There is rarely information sharing between them.

The NGOs may have some connections to other organizations, as well as to external agents. For example, SCDAWAT has a board of trustees and its head is a member of an association for NGOs. Some arrangements though, are largely personalized and render them impermanent in nature.

NGO resources are insufficient to maintain the CSP on their own. In the past, a number of attempts have been made to improve their financial capacity. NGOs participated in training for cooperative development (with the agreement that a proportion of their revenues must be dedicated to the CSP). They also attended workshops on writing proposals for funding and had submitted some proposals for projects that would generate resources to sustain the CSP. No feedback about their applications has been received as of yet.

According to UNICEF, resistance was met from project staff and NGOs regarding changes in their status and respective roles. NGOs and project staff maintain that they are unaware of the need to plan for sustainability, even if it had been in the original plan and was repeatedly recommended in the succession of earlier evaluation reports. Though UNICEF has previously brought up the issue of sustainability and handover of schools to MOE, it did not materialize and there was no change in their status, they did not believe the handover would finally come. Realizing the inevitability of the forthcoming handover following signature of the transfer agreement with the MOE, the NGOs and CSP staff started to prepare sustainability proposals. This is interpreted as an expression of motivation and increased efforts to find a role for them after the handover.

Education committees

Table 2-27 presents field supervisors’ evaluation of the quantity and quality of community contributions

related to school needs. Sufficient support is provided in terms of access (following-up with absent

students, etc.) and ratings of ‘very’ and ‘fairly’ sufficient are measured at 50% for each. The next best

74 Item non-response for NGO chairpersons is 9.5 percent for technical and 6.7 percent for field supervisors; it is 6.7 percent for project directors in the case of field supervisors. 75 Item non-response is 9.5 percent for technical and 13.3 percent for field supervisors.

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ratings are for maintenance, with one third of field supervisors judging it to be ‘very’ sufficient and two

thirds as ‘fairly’ adequate. In third place comes material assistance (donations), with one quarter of ratings

being ‘very’ sufficient and the other three quarters as ‘fairly sufficient’. The last is professional support

(related to teaching), with 40% feeling that support is ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ sufficient. In terms of

management (administration, organization) and service (related to health, nutrition, etc.), roughly 34% of

respondents deemed both of these areas as insufficient.

Table 2-27 - Availability of community contributions (percent)

Assiut Sohag Total

Access

Very sufficient 33.3 66.7 46.7

Fairly sufficient 66.7 33.3 53.3

Not very sufficient 0.0 0.0 0.0

Not sufficient at all 0.0 0.0 0.0

Maintenance





Material





Service





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Managerial


Assiut Sohag Total




Professional





Education committees are responsible for mobilizing community support. A number of constraints and

limitations are responsible for the above outcomes, and are presented below.

Material contributions are slow in being received and are unstable. In the mid-2000s, committees participated in cooperative’s development training and were coached by experts and CS project staff with part of the income dedicated to the school (more recently, they receive training on resource mobilization and management). While a minority maintain small cooperatives (biogas, poultry, organic farming), the large majority did not take off. Impediments, according to supervisors, had to do with inappropriate planning (cooperatives existed already in the same field) or promises of related provisions (e.g. land from the government) that had not materialized. Today, resources are very scarce in deprived communities, while the question arises in others: why is engagement in education less here than elsewhere? Discussions with facilitators point to the need for ‘tangible’ trade-offs since education is not sufficient as a return on its own. Facilitators in Qena stated that with no training envisaged for education committees in the wake of the handover, their contributions have lessened: “they are interested but not motivated” was the conclusion. In Qena, the handover of all schools to the MOE went smoothly. A number of meetings between NGOs, MOE and UNICEF were conducted to explain reasons for the handover and to coordinate the division of roles and responsibilities amongst partners. School owners and parents continued to support the schools and none of the parents withdrew their children.

By virtue of being in the vicinity of schools, education committees can attend to school needs. As a result of being located close to each other, committee members can meet all the time. However, beyond the gatherings instigated by supervisors once a month, it was difficult – in the absence of records – to pin down how often committee members met; twice a month was a common answer after several attempts at probing. Aside from signing a book used to monitor the visits made to a particular CS, committee activities are not monitored except by project staff overseeing changes in the schools.

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According to field supervisors, EC “need to be pushed and guided.” The angle of committees

though is slightly different as they accept the advice of supervisors since “supervisors talk and (EC) acts,” And they cannot say ‘no’ because “(supervisors’) know best so it is fine.” This suggests that rather than an inability or lack of will, it is mainly limited empowerment that undermines activities. Indeed, when committee members were asked if they could do some of the tasks that field supervisors engage in, they answered in the affirmative. The range of activities they thought they could carry out relates to the community and they include: collection and presentation of certificates for registration and convincing parents to have their children attend school.

Box 2-2 - Supply and demand: risks and opportunities (2)

In Qena, reduction in material provisions has been the foremost concern to facilitators after the project’s

transfer. A number of consequences are being already felt and despite attempts to economize and sustain

activities, supplies are diminishing. This is especially threatening in the case of CS that have been handed over

to those who are left to provide the entire set of academic materials required at the start of the primary

school year.

Parents are used to CS being free of charge, and they warn that unless old conditions return, they intend to

take their children out of the CS to enrol them in mainstream schools since the community schools hold no

further advantages. The extent to which this threat is real is not known. In addition to resentment at the loss

of a prior favourable position, parents are unlikely to contribute to CS given the different maintainer (“why

should they pay for change in quality”). It is not possible to predict at this point in time what the fallout will

be; however, any planning for future transfers should keep in mind the likely shift in students from

community schools to mainstream ones.

In the case of independent community schools, the changes happening in Qena are an indication of what

might happen. When families saw that new community schools are not as capable as those affiliated with

UNICEF, they accused facilitators of embezzling provisions. In order to combat this image and to attract

children to school, facilitators secured supplies from their own resources. Nevertheless, a number of children

left, with some going to mainstream schools and others to Al Azhar schools (less expensive than MS and OCS).

According to facilitators, a very small number did not go to any school. In the process, independent

community schools have acquired the ability to sustain themselves (along with the reputation of ‘poor

schools’), whereby the local NGOs provide the locale and furniture, parents are responsible for learning

materials, and facilitators have a “kitty” (collected from their own resources) to spend from in case of

emergency.

Comparing the activities of supervisors and education committees, it was found that the two often

overlap. In addition to awareness-raising, education, and inputs into the provision of teaching materials,

the education committees follow up with students (related to absence and school health insurance) and

they also assist with field surveys and help compile applications for preparatory schools. The tasks of the

field supervisors include communicating with local administrations and service providers, monitoring the

attendance of EC, assisting (weak) committees, following up with CS graduates and raising awareness of

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the value of education and the importance of donations. They evaluate facilitators’ follow-up on absent

students and they themselves follow up on absent facilitators. Their role also includes monitoring

students’ social and health status.

Additionally, field supervisors perform tasks that may not be strictly related to their roles in the CSP,

namely, distributing donations received from various NGOs and conducting advocacy campaigns related to

the community environment. Overlap (if not redundancy) of roles was underscored by facilitators in Qena

and they commented that the absence of field supervisors “did not make a difference,” as they currently

resolve their problems in cooperation with education committees, inspectors and participating NGOs.

While a number of education committees may have influential ‘friends’ outside the village who support

the school, others are left to their own devices, and deprived communities remain particularly isolated in

this respect. Approaching others under these conditions is difficult and when field supervisors and

committees were asked who they cooperated with in the interest of the community schools, all

mentioned: parents, local community, local service providers and local businesses. However, for the most

part, cooperation with outside businesses tends to be on the low side, though public-private cooperation

is much higher in Sohag (67%) than in Assiut (38%).76

Irrespective of constraints, both of the committees that were interviewed appreciated the high quality of

education and wanted to maintain the community school saying: “it is very good for children,” and

“before they were not educated even if they finished 6 grades.” One committee was more proactive than

the other, as the first, for example, did not know what the effects of UNICEF leaving the CS project would

be, so they entrusted their faith in God: “God is there if UNICEF is not, and the committee will do the best

it can.” The second committee was hands-on and had already started to think about projects that could

sustain the school along the lines of cooperatives that produce “turkey, rabbits, chicken, or dairy

products.” They also consulted with existing cooperatives to see what they could learn from them. Neither

of the committees wished to change anything about the school: “Everything is good about it, (they do) not

see anything that could be better.”

2.5.3 Preparations for handover

What strategies are in place to manage the handover and what actions have been taken in preparation of

the school transfer? It is possible that plans have evolved since the fieldwork for this research was

initiated., nevertheless, initial proposals provide a starting point to build upon.

As previous chapters show, Assiut is in line with project requirements demands. The CS children and

communities are usually the most disadvantaged, yet they have the highest and most equitable learning

outcomes, along with the most favourable material and teaching conditions. In this manner, the project

has been self-sufficient, with competent project staff relying mainly on themselves. While Assiut, in this

respect, fulfils the best example of running an effective CSP, it is precisely for this reason that prospects

for handover are most bleak. The Ministry has a number of plans that propose sustaining community

schools that are systematic and concrete. They focus on a more important role for the education

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Item non-response is 6.7 percent both for local community and outside businesses in total.

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committees – promoting their legal status and advocating for the “privileges of donating.” They would like

to continue with the training for capacity building of NGOs but have no means to do so.

In Sohag, the establishment of three preparatory community schools, by the NGO Misr El Kheir, is

regarded by the Ministry as a model for the strategy of sustaining primary-level CS. Although methods

may seem unclear, the Ministry has determined that community schools meet 5 out of 7 quality

standards. While community participation, teaching quality, etc., are present the two missing attributes

are vision/mission and material quality. Ministry officials argue that the preparatory school ‘experiment’

will teach others what it takes to develop these domains. Nevertheless, without explicit and

institutionalized linkages to primary-level CS, community schools risk being neglected.

According to the UNICEF-CIDA transfer framework, NGOs and/or CDAs will be responsible for sustaining

community schools through the provision of decentralized local management, supervision and supplies.

The challenge is that organizations that qualify to undertake this role have not yet been identified. With

the support of the MOE, UNICEF is trying to identify potential civil society partners, as well as determine

the capacity-building needs in preparation for assuming the tasks related to their new roles.

Box 2-3 Partnerships and roles: risks and opportunities (3)

The management role of a CDA responsible for a formerly UNICEF-affiliated community school

As a legal entity responsible for the schools (together with the MOE), the role of the CDA/NGO is to follow up

with absent students, mobilize community contributions, and solve day-to-day problems related to the school

and its operations. While supervisory staff may visit the school every day to ask if they need anything, the

facilitators contact education committees only in serious cases. In fact, the CS staff did not see “why they

need the CDA at all,” and in their opinion, the organization was only there because it expected financial

contributions from UNICEF. The changes to be introduced will affect the management of project resources

and the financial management of the CSP, and it is unclear how these changes will differ from what was

previously given to project NGOs.

According to administrators, locally implanted NGOs (CDAs) had a number of advantages over out-of-area

NGOs. They had a better understanding of the community and was therefore more successful in meeting its

needs. Distribution of materials, such as books, was noted to have improved with CDAs. Some of the roles

could be assumed by the education committees members who are already on the Governing Board of the

CDA

The person responsible for education at the CDA produces weekly reports for the district administration. They

synthesize all NGOs reports and pass the summary on to the CBE department at governorate level. The latter

holds monthly meetings with school-maintaining NGOs in the area. At the suggestion of UNICEF, a

confederation of such NGOs has recently been established to facilitate exchange with the Ministry.

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2.5.4 Cost and effectiveness

This section investigates what it takes to maintain the CS in terms of finances. The aim of the present

investigation has not only been to examine the magnitude and effectiveness of spending on the CSP, but

to also move towards sustainability. Given this last imperative, an attempt was made to consider total

expenditure along with a detailed breakdown by item. UNICEF made available information on the

clarification of budget items and information matching them was obtained from national and local

sources. Care was taken to define items as clearly and consistently as possible to facilitate a comparison

that is as accurate as possible. Total spending figures were calculated on the basis of information collected

from sources on public, donor and partner costs, as well as community contributions.

Various reasons exist for the distortion of budget figures, and double-checking several sources aimed to

reduce such effects. Nevertheless, a set of limitations persist: the composition of budget items is not fully

comparable; expenditures have slightly changed since the figures were made available; and not all

components of total spending could be gathered.77 Additional investigations are required to obtain more

details on the CSP expenditure details, and this will allow for a better comparison with other models for

community based education initiatives. The argument in favour of paying for quality education and the

positive returns that such a policy may have on incomes and economic growth, have been made and

calculated by the World Bank (WB Working Paper 4122, February 2007).

Figure 2-10 presents bottom-line project outputs up to the time of research. In total, 14,528 children have

enrolled in CS, and 724 facilitators and 90 supervisors have been employed. All in all, 2,510 students have

completed secondary education and 41 finished university or technical post-secondary school: 11 in

Assiut, 12 in Sohag and 18 in Qena.

Figure 2-10 - Total number of community school graduates who completed secondary school

Note: Number of schools with data unavailable in Assiut: completing secondary and beginning post-secondary – 10,

completing post-secondary – 5.

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The findings in this section regarding relative costs of CS and MS differ from those from more recent reports (see, e.g., DeStefano, 2006,

indicating unit costs of CS lower than MS). Given the absence of calculations in past reports, along with the lack of sufficient detail in budgetary changes, it is not possible to comment on the causes of divergence.

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137

811520

813

366

1699

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000


Girls

Boys

102

Throughout the duration of the project, the contribution of CIDA has amounted to approximately 10

million USD.78

Table 2-28 presents CSP expenditures according to the magnitude and percentage of items in 2007/08.79

Of the total, 5,982,986, LE (62.4%) came from CIDA/UNICEF, 28.3% from national sources and 9.3% from

WFP.80

Table 2-28 - Amount and percent of CSP expenditure, breakdown by item and source, 2007/08


LE LE LE LE %

1 Salaries of technical staff (supervisors, reserve

facilitators, project staff) 415,211

359,559 104,508 879,278 14.7

2 Training for education committees 290,250 192,842 115,764 598,856 10

3 Transportation (of supervisors to CS) 200,600 105,750 78,400 384,750 6.43

4 Refresher training (for facilitators ( with transport,

accommodation, living costs)) 120,705

892,69 46,405 256,379 4.3

5 Project costs (salary of administrative staff,

operations) 157,102

63,030 42,558 262,690 4.4

6 Transportation (of facilitators to CS) 130,140 94,500 38,340 262,980 4.4

7

In-service weekly training (for facilitators) 162,665

65,592 23,328 251,585 4.6

4.2

8

Furniture and equipment and maintenance 159,799

26,260

16,360

202,419

3.4

9 Educational materials 270,254 63,808 24,597 358,659 6

10 Study tours (for supervisors) 59 594 49 312 27 464 136 370 2.3

11 Training for management 27 705 22 805 21 505 72 015 1.2

78

USD: United States Dollars. With figures missing prior to 1996 and for one budget item over three years, total costs amount to 8,113,163 USD.

Given unspecific definition of budget items, along with inconsistencies in listings over time, no observations could be made regarding evolving priorities in expenditure. 79

Project spending is not identical for each year – for example, supplies were reduced in 2008. 80

LE: Egyptian Pounds.

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12 Travel (e.g. to meetings) 5,190 14,250 17,380 36,820 0.61

13 Field surveys 12,500 10,000 4,000 26,500 0.44

Sub-total 2,011,715

1,156,977 560,609 3,729,301

62.4

MOE*

14

Salaries of facilitators 437,760

122,880 314,880 875,520 14.6

3

15 School feeding 273,600 76,800 196,800 547,200 9.14

16 Textbooks 136,800 98,400 37,200 272,400 4.55

Sub-total 848,160 298,080 548,880 1,695,120 28.3


LE LE LE LE %

WFP

17 Rice/date bars/milk (in-kind) – – – 479,794 8.7

18 Dates (in-kind) –

– – 78,771

1.4

Sub-total 558,565 9.3

Total

–

– – 5,982,986 100.

0

Missing data:

Expenditure on student health, along with costs related to training and supervision for CS from national resources, is not available.

Note: In the case of WFP, expenditures are provided in USD and the conversion rate of 1 USD = 5.546 LE was used.81

Comparing the available data on recurring costs of the project to that of mainstream primary education, a

number of conclusions can be drawn (Table 2-29)82:

The largest difference in the percentage of expenditure by line item is in the cost of wages CS (34%) and MS (80%). Salaries of staff in CS include salaries of NGO supervisors, reserve facilitators

81

Source: www.xe.com (on 13 August 2009). 82

Data is from 2005/06 for MS and 2007/08 for CS. Conclusive information is not available due to changes in the budget since these dates. N.B.:

The source does not specify type of school beyond ‘primary’ education. Given the topic of public expenditure and differentiation of OCS, the subject was taken to be MS.

http://www.xe.com/

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and administrative staff).83 The difference can be attributed to several factors including a different salary scale. In MS schools, the budget line of wages pays salaries to other categories of employees and administrative staff in addition to the educators and their supervisors. MOE expenditure on wages for inspectors and administrative CS staff is not included. Operation costs and student related costs are higher in CS by 27% and 19.3% respectively (table 2-29). Given the intensity of staff training and educational material inputs in the community schools, it is expected to cost more there than in MS.84 Due to the fact that mainstream schools contain rooms for activities, such as laboratories, the cost of utilities and maintenance is higher in MS than CS.

Given the available data, recurrent cost per child is found to be comparable in CS and MS: 989 LE for both.85 However, it should be noted that 72% of CS recurring costs are covered by external sources: UNICEF, CIDA and WFP (including cost of NGO services 30%, facilitator training 8.5%, transportation to schools 5%, EC training 10%, educational material and furniture 9.5% and school feeding 9%). While community schools contribute to broader social outcomes, they have significantly higher completion rates (89.2%) than MS (85.7%) and OCS (81.4%).

Table 2-29 - Amount and percentage of recurring expenditure, by item and school type

Million (in LE) %

Community schools

Salaries of personnel (facilitators, NGO technical and

administrative staff)

2,017,488 33.7

Student related (textbooks, school feeding, teaching materials)

1,736,824

29

Project Operation (transportation, facilitator/NGO staff/EC

trainings, furniture and maintenance, Field surveys)

2,228,674

37.3

Total

5,982,986 100

Mainstream primary schools*

Salaries (of personnel) 6,368 79.9

83

The amount of administrative staff wages are not a large item in the budget of CS so regardless of whether it is listed under operation costs or

salaries it has a minor influence on the overall results. 84

By way of comparison, the cost of training for OCS in Sohag per annum equals 27 LE per facilitator, versus 944 LE in CS, which is 35 times the

cost for OCS. Calculations are based on 2,000 LE per training of 37 OCS, each with 2 facilitators per annum (source: Sohag administration, 2009 (personal communication), and the combined cost of refresher and in-service trainings for 82 community schools, each with 2 facilitators, in Sohag (Table 2.28). 85

Calculations are based on Table 2-28: for CS, total recurrent expenditure/total number of children in CS (6048); for MS, figure is provided in

Ministry of Education, 2007.

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Student related (textbooks, school feeding, teaching materials) 775 9.7

School operation (utilities, maintenance, teacher training) 826 10.4

Total 7,969 100.0

* Source: Ministry of Education, 2007.

The above calculations are based on recurrent expenditure records, representing core expenditure items

present in both the CS and the mainstream school system. Due to data limitations and differences in

budget line items, the precise comparison of remaining costs has not been possible. Considering the

frequency of supervisor visits to schools (see Box 2-1 above) it is likely that due to these items, the CS

costs considerably more than mainstream education.

Table 2-30 shows that the cost of the CS is less than that of mainstream education in capital expenditure.

In community schools, the structure and maintenance is taken care of by the broader communities. The

same table shows the amount this would cost if charged for by providers. Since the estimates vary

according to the source, an average has been calculated at 4,250 LE per CS per annum. Given that MS are

usually in better physical condition than CS, it is expected that capital expenditure is higher in MS than CS

(although there may be economies of scale with more students in MS). With respect to equipment, they

are better equipped than community schools.86

Table 2-30 - Capital expenditure estimates, by item (LE per CS per annum)

Education committee Field supervisors UNICEF Average

Space 350/month 200/month Less than 200/month 250/month = 3,000/year

Maintenance 2,000/year 500-600/year 1,200/year 1,250/year

Total - - - 4,250

Note: Field supervisors indicated an occasional extra cost of 2,000-3,000 LE per year for bigger maintenance tasks.

In addition to savings from national resources, community schools are free of charge with no private

expenses and children are exempted from paying school health insurance fees. While supplies are covered

by donors in community schools, additional costs such as registration fees, trips and uniforms (not to

mention private tutors) do not have to be paid for.


86

By way of comparison: the cost of maintenance for OCS in Sohag per annum equals 5,000 to 10,000 LE (source: Sohag administration, 2009

(personal communication).

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The focus of the final phase of the CSP has been sustainability. This is planned to be achieved through

strengthening stakeholders, community organizations, NGOs and the MOE at sub-national levels, as well

as bolstering management, partnerships and finances. Compared to previous project phases, significant

efforts have been made to increase stakeholder capacity. New areas of capacity-building and innovative

stakeholders have been brought in with the aim of not only optimizing resources, but also encouraging

meaningful participation, ownership and empowerment. This is accompanied by a sustained attempt to

enhance communication and trust amongst partners in the course of consolidating the CSP structure that

was initiated in preparation for the handover.

In addition to technical and managerial capacity, CSP costs represent a challenge for sustainability.

Following the handover, certain components of expenditure – number (and travel) of professional staff

and supplies – are likely to go down. Capacity building and supervision, even after rationalization, are

likely to remain higher in CS than in mainstream schools.

Challenges to sustainability of the CSP are not limited to factors related to financial resources and they

cannot be overcome by a simple increase in budgetary allowances. The CSP project is rated as a successful

and ground breaking initiative, having successfully adapted the active model of pedagogy to the Egyptian

context and it has proved its worth. Present research provided insight into operational and managerial

details that have been masked by the volume and intensity of direct and high quality support received by

the CSP from its inception. Initiation of the handover process and the programme of capacity and

institutional building that accompanies it revealed what it takes to promote the sustainability of a CBE

initiative.

Research revealed when the quality and quantity of educational supervision and capacity-building are not

ensured, managerial operations, especially higher order tasks such as effective and relevant M&E,

strategic planning and fundraising were significantly limited on the part of all stakeholders. In addition,

networking, cooperation, transparent communications with knowledge dissemination from higher to

lower levels and even sideways, sharing a clear vision and rationalized division of roles is also restricted.

The human and material resources of all partners were seen as constrained.

At the same time, genuine signs of creativity, initiative, participation and ownership are beginning to

emerge. Much of the necessary infrastructure (organization, legislative framework, good practice and will)

is in place to provide sufficient foundations for sustainability after the handover.

The following are recommendations to optimize opportunities for sustainability, along with lessons for

enhanced project management:

Connections need to be promoted with the participants and focus broadened. Stakeholders – different line ministries, MOE departments, administration levels and locations, international organizations, donors, civil society and service providers – need to streamline their efforts. In addition to coordination and exchange of experience, this entails refinement of roles. Attention needs to be paid that those chosen for capacity-building efforts are credible and competent.

Empowerment of education committees and NGOs/CDA, together with their inclusiveness, should be promoted. Substantive cooperation, including sharing of resources between these two bodies needs to be encouraged based on the effective division of roles. Granting legal status to committees would facilitate organization and donations, especially when no CD A is present.

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Decision-making responsibility on behalf of UNICEF and its partners needs to be strengthened. Critical decisions have to be double-checked and approved by all partners and organizational hierarchies and records of these decisions should be kept. For example, no documentation could be found regarding the MOE agreement to have a gradual takeover of CS in 2003. Moreover, a number of recommendations similar to the ones in this report (e.g. improving transfer and material quality of schools) were already raised in 2001, but whether they were followed and to what extent, is not known. Given the difficulty of this and other attempts to locate consistent documentation on CSP evolution, it is advisable that a clear, centrally maintained registry of stages, objectives and reasons for change be maintained, thereby facilitating continuity in management.

Rigorous sustainability and handover strategies need to be part of the project design and implementation from beginning to end. They need to be unambiguously and promptly communicated to staff and stakeholders. Without this, a false sense of security and complacency in cooperating with surrounding structures risks taking root.

While protection and promotion may be justified in certain project stages, this should be carefully administered, especially in environments where alternative information is not readily available and acculturations and attitudes hindering sustainability may develop.

Care needs to be taken that UNICEF expenditures are not perceived as ostentatious. Given the contrast of some poorer regions, it may be difficult to negotiate costs and generous spending may be part of building cooperation and prestige. CSP staff in project cars versus inspectors on private motorcycles offends many school administrators. The question of one boy from a CS locality, whether UNICEF provides anything more than education because he saw on television that they give material support, brings a number of concerns to the forefront. Not only can allocations degrade other initiatives and sow mistrust in communities, but they create misplaced expectations towards UNICEF – not only from the perspective of its mandate, but in other ways. Material allocations also run the risk of leading to dependency. Matching contributions and ensuring a phased takeover of costs (once interest in the project has been secured) can be used to circumvent dependency.

2.6 Resource strategy

Too many elements are unpredictable to venture into a calculation of the costs of sustaining community

schools.87 This chapter sets out to do the next best thing: indicate changes required in expenditures (both

human and material) based on the findings of this report, and signalling where resources can be liberated

and where extras will be disbursed. Wherever possible, resources within the existing CSP framework will

be called upon; however, sometimes new sources will be summoned and in both cases, item shares in

mainstream educational expenditure will be used as comparison. The argument is based on two

assumptions, founded upon the right and responsibility of every child to obtain an education:

1. CBE has existed for a long time – therefore, it is time to give it the respect it is due; and,

2. With the gain in acceptance of education, children should not have to be enticed to attend

community schools; instead they should embrace the opportunity they have been given.

Since these points represent a paradigm shift, recommendations are presented as options, and differ from

the status quo.

87 The cost of CS in Qena, as one sustainable example, is not available.

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2.6.1 Changing partners and roles

Presently, the predominant configuration of partners and roles is as follows:

UNICEF/CIDA: Oversight (project management, research, planning, facilitation of connections/donations, policy dialogue), quality assurance (capacity-building for stakeholders and teaching staff, supervision, facilitator incentives), teaching and learning materials, equipment, furniture.

MOE: Facilitator salaries, textbooks, participation in quality assurance, policy dialogue, school feeding, health provisions.

Implementing NGOs: Project administration and organization.

EC/local communities: Space for school, maintenance, in-kind/material contributions, input into

education (access, professional, managerial support).

Private sector: Material donations.

WFP: Food and nutrition.

Anticipated partners and roles are as follows:

(‘↓’ and ‘↑’ refer to resources being freed and raised compared to current sums and sources, and italics

signify newer roles and actors compared to current configurations):

MOE: Facilitator salaries, incentives (↑, shared with NGOs/local communities, if needed); textbooks (↑); school feeding, health (↑, shared with WFP); quality assurance (↑, transport shared with private/public/cooperative sectors, if needed); (facilitation of) connections/donations, policy dialogue (↑, shared with UNICEF, if needed); capacity-building for stakeholders (↑, shared with UNICEF, if needed); research and planning (↑, shared with UNICEF, if needed). NGOs/CDA and EC/local communities: Administration, organization; managerial support of CS; teaching materials (↑, shared with MOE, if needed), equipment (↑, shared with CS households/other schools, if needed), furniture; space for CS (shared with MOE, if needed); maintenance, in-kind/material contributions (↑, shared with private/public/cooperative sectors, if needed); infrastructure (↑, shared with MOE/CS households, if needed); input into education (access, professional support (↑)); networking/fund-raising; research and planning; policy dialogue (↑). CS children/households: Learning materials (↑); tutoring for at-risk/illiterate (↑, shared with alumni, if needed). Alumni: Transition-related support (↑). Private/public/cooperative sectors: material/in-kind support. WFP: school feeding and food supplements. UNICEF: Capacity-building, generation of knowledge (innovation); facilitation of connections, policy dialogue.

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These arrangements are starting points and in time, they should organically evolve. For example, division

of roles between NGOs/CDA and education committees can develop in a number of ways. Nevertheless,

two objectives need to be kept in mind: local relevance and legal presence. In case a localized CDA is not

available (they may exist more in Qena than elsewhere), committees should be helpful in attending to

local needs. If there is no available NGO, legal status for committees may facilitate organized school

inputs.

2.6.2 Implementation proposals

Throughout the world, several approaches are used to provide and/or supplement the income of (community) educators. In Sub-Saharan Africa, local communities cover teacher’s salaries. In a pioneering experiment by the Aga Khan Development Network, remittances from migrant workers in Tajikistan and Moscow are harnessed and used towards maintaining local schools. While such experiences may serve as an intermediary solution, systematic improvement of the situation of CS facilitators – providing job security and raising their salary at least to the level of other CBE facilitators with comparable experience and qualifications – should be the ultimate objective. Without this step, facilitator discontent (identified in Section 3.2.3) may eventually threaten the sustainability of community schools.

Quality assurance is another area where shorter-term solutions should be used towards achieving long-term objectives, including increasing resources in the interest of all CBE, which is underlined in the Strategic Plan. For the time being, connections available to CS facilitators may be consulted for support. Their contribution may be reciprocated by explicit ‘infiltration’ of the CSP experience into mainstream practices (e.g. passing on child-friendly approaches through spontaneous encounters to MS). Given the priority on critical thinking in the national school system, and given technical supervisors’ good performance on Cadre, they could be hired as inspectors provided their qualifications meet the requirements (some of them are graduates of education programmes and are already affiliated with the MOE). The role of field supervisors in bridging community relations through monitoring, field surveys, and project management, could be gainfully drawn upon by the NGO department, other NGOs or the NCCM.

Education system requirements such as those that guarantee material quality should be used as ‘bait’ to improve the condition of community schools. Setting a date by which all schools (including already implemented CS) are required to meet quality demands could provide some sort of incentive. Revenues can be economized for higher education levels, given that a share of CS students are no longer exempted from fees, and could be invested into equipment and supplies shared by both CS and MS. Provisions are guaranteed by law to every child - textbooks, meals and health services – and need to be made available to everyone.

In mainstream schools, OCS and GFS, the school structure and maintenance are financed from non-community sources. Ways could be explored to centrally cover at least a portion of these costs in CS while at the same time stabilizing community contributions and making sure structures are only present as long as there is a need for them. If required, matching contributions could be used from communities for maintenance. Purchase of local resources that would boost local activities, can be used for maintenance and furniture. Exemption from utility fees for schools – versus private dwellings or other types of structures that are functioning as CS – need to be confirmed and respected.

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Community participation depends on motivation frameworks, and can range from spontaneity to formal obligation. CSP experience indicates that recognition, even in non-material terms, is sufficient to foster engagement and the spirit of volunteerism, already promoted by UNICEF, should also be encouraged. In terms of more ‘rational’ approaches, one method that is gaining popularity in Latin America, the United States and Western Europe is the use of time credits (or any system of bartering) where ‘A’ does a service for ‘B’, who pays for it with a coupon equivalent to the time invested in the task. ‘A’ can use this to pay for a service he needs later from anyone who is in the community of participants. This activity not only helps to bind the community together, but it serves to augment the diverse resources available to everyone. Further on the scale of ‘rationalization’, contributions such as mentoring could be tied to the receipt of free education (in the form of scholarships, for example). By similar argument, free education could be seen as a type of loan. Community school graduates, when they find employment, would be obliged to return some of the benefits they enjoyed (types and levels of return need to be carefully established and based on the type of employment, as well as other expenditure commitments). Further to this, donors could be rewarded through tax deductions or other gains. These proposals necessitate planning that can ensure they are regularly followed up on. Responsible NGOs, with the local community and help of the Ministry, would be responsible for these functions.

In addition to communities, motivational frameworks also apply to partners in the private, public and cooperative sectors. Cooperatives – for construction and transport for instance – have community interaction as part of their requirements. Ways to harness this for inspector and/or facilitator travel could be explored, along with maintenance of community schools. Local drivers of development (for example, the emerging sugar cane industry in Qena) can be recruited to contribute to education through school or student ‘adoption’. Graduates of community schools can work later for these firms, gain additional experience, and enhancing their chances of employment close(r) to home.

Children from families who can pay for education could be charged for a range of items, from learning materials to registration fees. In the case of kindergartens becoming increasingly popular with NGOs due to their registration fees, such incomes could cover the cost of poorer children for whom community schools would remain free of charge. Compensatory funding schemes require careful implementation and should not to serve as a tactic to admit only paying students or misuse incoming funds. Moreover, care needs to be taken that disadvantaged children are not stigmatized and contributors are not resentful. Looking at MS for example, where a part of school revenues are retained by the schools, incomes could be kept by community schools and/or responsible NGOs/CDA. In both cases, they could cover at least a part of the expenditure (incentives) related to CS.

3. Conclusions and recommendations

3.1 Conclusions

As part of the progress made over the last two decades, numerous forms of education, complete with

community-based initiatives, exist today and have been inspired, to a considerable extent, by the CSP.

Despite these developments, community schools continue to stay true to their original conception by

offering relevant attributes to the overall system. Through their accomplishments, they have helped pave

the way not only for a next generation of CS graduates, but also in regards to the CBE and general

111

education in the broader sense. This is promising in addressing the needs aligned with national and

international priorities and which follow the UNICEF mandate. The main conclusions cover with several

facets of the project model and development, and are outlined below.

A strong and consolidated CS model

In line with requirements laid out in the final project phase document, a strong and consolidated CS model

has been put into place. In terms of access and learning outcomes, community schools - in tandem with

national developments - have been overwhelmingly effective. Age and gender disparities in enrolment,

attendance and retention have been largely eradicated, and children in a number of are eligible for

education. School completion and the popularity of education, also for girls in CS, have been successfully

measured. Early marriage and incidences of child labour have, to a large extent, diminished and

community school students perform better than their counterparts in MS and OCS in core subjects.

Furthermore the gap between genders and other socio-economic risk factors has been equalized.

The limitations (as well as lessons learned)

New details revealed by the desegregation of project outcomes has shed light on a number of points and

include relevance, reach and efficiency both in CS communities and beyond. The main limitations and

lessons are highlighted below.

Weak linkages between CS and mainstream schools With physical access no longer an issue in many CS locations, concerns involving increasingly acute forms of exclusion and progression in education and home life gain ground in importance. While the Strategic Plan shifts attention as a result of improved access to quality considerations, the possibility of educational evolution in terms of access, as seen in this report, needs to be integrated into planning, not only of the CBE, but also general education programmes given the growing significance of linkages between the two systems. With regards to progression, community schools, their students and staff need to be better connected to mainstream opportunities. The characteristics of communities and individuals that are falling behind need to be accurately determined and new ways should be devised to effectively meet their needs. UNICEF interventions for children at risk may provide useful lessons on this front, and communities can benefit from the organization’s international experiences that have seen a similar educational evolution. Active outreach, along with flexible schedules (often with separate provisions outside of school-hours), are effective in securing attendance and progress in all but the most difficult cases. More active and targeted outreach; however, is required for promoting the establishment of CBE in remote locations and the enrolment of the hardest to reach children.

Low results on critical thinking provided by students and facilitators Unlike technical supervisors, CS students and facilitators perform weakest on critical thinking tests, pointing to a need to improve training and retention of these skills. The Strategic Plan’s emphasis on staffing and quality assurance of CBE, along with CS facilitator salaries in comparison to other school systems, provides a unique opportunity for policy dialogue towards securing capacity-building, oversight and staffing . In light of the weak relationship between qualifications and performance, the possibility for facilitators to have a secondary education should be promoted (while ensuring that required conditions for

112

performance are in place). For the time being, extensive training and supervision by NGOs – although representing a much higher share of expenses in CS than in MS and OCS – are of questionable relevance and efficiency, given the considerable experience and qualifications of facilitators, along with skill gaps that compromise their ability to deal with the present-day demands of teaching. Maintaining the “child friendly” aspects of community schools If the example of Qena is of any indication, child-friendly aspects – unconventional subjects such as life skills, arts and sports, positive affiliation of students and staff with community schools, equalization of access and learning outcomes, and community interactions – are required to ensure sustainability following the handover. At the same time, Qena’s experience suggests that strong Ministry involvement can effectively safeguard access and learning achievement. The success of Qena should be promoted to provide inspiration and encouragement prior to any future handover. Cooperation between CS, other schools, service providers and communities Opportunities provided by the Strategic Plan’s emphasis on structure and equipment - buttressed by lower capital expenditures versus other budget lines – should be taken advantage of through policy dialogue in order to improve material conditions in community schools. Capitalizing on development and promoting cooperation between community and other schools, service providers and communities should be enhanced in order to raise resources for CS, as well as other systems. Supply and demand need to be aligned based on complete school mapping. Emphasis on girls’ access, retention and achievements The emphasis on [girls’] access, retention and achievement in education is currently insufficient and needs to be balanced with the promotion of equality and women’s empowerment.

Adapting the CS model to different school systems

In line with Phase III requirements, best practices from community schools (mainly in terms of curriculum and teaching methods) have spread to MS, OCS and GFS, along with various donor projects. Most recently, the community schools model has been recognized as a basis for all CBE initiatives in the Strategic Plan; however, beyond extending project reach, the effectiveness of mainstreaming is limited. Weaker access and learning achievement in MS and OCS point to an urgent need to improve the current systems using innovative approaches. The promotion of CS best practices would benefit from targeted attention and the inclusion of broader child-friendly techniques. Future research needs to determine how the lessons of CS can be adapted to the conditions of different school systems. Child protection agendas should also be accelerated in light of the preference many children have for CS in comparison to MS.

Revitalising local relevance of CS

While productive in terms of providing good practice, a key point raised in this report has been that with

the change in scope of the CSP to prioritizing mainstreaming, the original objective of creating quality

education opportunities for remote and disadvantaged communities has been neglected. Coverage of

target populations – notably the hard-to-reach, especially girls – is less than expected. There is a need to

revitalize the local relevance of the CS (teaching inputs, community education, and income generation)

given the limits of effectiveness, relevance and impact of school and community relations. Moreover,

handing over CS to the MOE and NGOs/CDA offers a unique opportunity to put the project back on track

by optimizing political and social relevance, along with providing opportunities for scaling-up. The

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handover process should be closely monitored and lessons clearly extracted in order to maximize the

application of best practices.

Tackling the issue of sustainability

A protective and top-heavy management structure has been suitable in setting up a pioneering initiative

and making it a cornerstone of educational planning and practice; however, under this structure

sustainability could not be established. More recently, in line with Phase III requirements, capacity-

building, focusing on management and financial skills, have been provided to project staff, NGOs and

education committees, and attention has been directed to the needs of the MOE. As a result, reliance on

UNICEF for day-to-day project management support has lessened, and the full ability for other

stakeholders to maintain and enhance community schools is not guaranteed. A shift in strategy to focus

on sustainability has brought to the surface limitations in capacity and has compromised the efficiency of

past trainings (especially in cases where new actors had to be brought in). Rationalization of project costs

and resources still requires the implementation of rigorous targeting and cost sharing mechanisms.

Creating genuine networks of cooperation

Beyond existing connections, genuine networks of cooperation need to be formed between all

stakeholders. The breadth and depth of collaboration, along with types of participants, need to be

extended. Furthermore, there has to be a relevant and clear vision adhered to by all, with everyone

fulfilling the defined roles that empower them to effectively act within their given framework. In addition

to facilitating networks of cooperation and trust, UNICEF’s global experience with local administrations

(for instance, in South East Europe) may provide useful lessons for Egypt. The enthusiasm of stakeholders,

, along with the support of organizational and legislative foundations, provide substantive grounds to build

upon. Recommendations from CS staff, as well as partners that have already experience a school transfer

can emphasize the need for adequate personal and professional preparation prior to handover.

Progress starts by recognising and overcoming the shortcomings of CSP

Planning and M&E, especially at higher levels, needs further attention. While community schools have

successfully met their founding objectives and even adapted to changing circumstances this was due,

above all, to competent surveying and action at the school level.

In line with the demands of Phase III, relatively systematic information on students and facilitators has

been gathered. Monitoring and evaluation; however, should not be confused with systemic assessment. In

terms of the latter, insufficient attention to all relevant aspects (desegregation of cognitive domains,

competence of staff by rank, properties by school and governorate) along with the inability to detect

evolving conditions in and around the CSP, has served to compromise equity, quality, costing and

efficiency, all the way from project development down into the classroom. Any system based on

partnerships needs to have the managerial capacity, in terms of planning and implementation, to

effectively gather, digest, communicate and react to information. This requires continuous and refined

research that is flexible enough to detect and adapt to different circumstances.

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More than one option exists for evolution of the CS model

Appropriate solutions for future community schools include CS becoming a localized part of mainstream

schools; the mutual exchange of material and pedagogical resources, with each student paying full fees;

more privileged community members increasing their contributions; community schools being supported

by a regional cooperative, and reaching out to long-term absent children and illiterate youth through the

help of alumni and high performing students. Regardless of the solution chosen, the most effective

management requires unified oversight, distributing resources between locations of access and need,

coordinated transfer of knowledge, and being open to continuous innovation and improvement in light of

national and international good practice.

3.2 Recommendations

The key strategic recommendations deal with several issues that cut across the CS project and its

components. The importance of the recommendations lies in the fact that they represent actions that are

expected to contribute to the acceleration of progress towards achievement of CSP goals and will increase

the quality of its outcomes, as well as broader impacts. They are as follows:

Defining the characteristics of children attending CS and effective school mapping

CSP documents do not mention the economic disadvantage of target groups as a precondition for

admission to community schools. The focus is on remote and deprived geographic zones, and the issue

here is not to debate whether a child who wishes to attend a community school should be allowed to do

so. Because a considerable proportion of CS children are not amongst the most disadvantaged, it calls for

a studied review, and subsequent rationalization and improved targeting of subsidised goods and services.

This does not only have implications for UNICEF, but also for the World Food Programme, and the impacts

may result in advantages that benefit CS graduates after they join the mainstream school system in the

preparatory and secondary levels (e.g. waved subscription and textbook fees). When determining who

should receive how much of what, care needs to be taken that criteria is relevant, accurately defined and

measured. For this, precise knowledge of the number and characteristics of children in CS is critical since

determining need and support has implications on school mapping. When considering school mapping

exercises, a number of parameters need to be taken into consideration such as equity in terms of access

and the promotion and maintenance of the interface between the CS, as well as nearby mainstream

schools. One of the main conclusions of this report is that that school planning, in terms of location, needs

to be strengthened.88

Other factors that may require consideration include the slow population growth rates and

implementation of policies that aims at relocating communities from the Nile Valley to less densely

populated zones. Demand figures, and prospective demographic projections need to be accurate, relevant

and up-to-date. Given the possibility of evolution in the profile of CS beneficiaries, periodic monitoring,

using a selection of appropriate parameters that allow for a timely adjustment of measurement needs to

be established. Required measurements may be necessary for the implementation of targeted

replacement schools that fit the existing student body. With respect to other primary school systems such

88 Ministry of Education, 2007.

115

as MS and GFS, the enforcement of construction specifications that allow for coordination between the

schools should be respected.89

Promoting an active interface between CS and MS

As part of the exchange between different types of schools, cooperation should be enhanced between CS

and MS (or with the new preparatory level CS and the corresponding MS) in the interest of easing the

transition for CS graduates. Acculturation at the student level through joint activities and visits to MS

schools, especially during the final school year, should be encouraged. Other means that contribute to

facilitating transition include creating a roster of graduates at preparatory schools who can act as mentors

and promote habituation on several fronts. Graduates who return to community schools (they often come

back to see facilitators) can speak of their experiences to younger students. The recently founded Assiut

network of CS graduates, who are now attending university (they help each other by sharing textbooks

and assisting with housing), is worthy of replication in other governorates.

Matching primary level curriculums

MOE, with support from UNICEF, have decided to revise the multi-grade curriculums on the basis of the

mainstream curriculum. The revision will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1 will include grades 1-3 and

the second phase will cover grades 4-6. The mismatch between curricula, types of schooling and education

levels renders the transfer more difficult for children. The revision (involving both skills and content) is

expected to contribute towards a rapprochement between the two curricula and in easing any transfer

difficulties that are encountered by CSP graduates. The revision (involving both skills and content)

suggests that transfers for children will for the time being be difficult due to the mismatch in curricula

between education levels and types of schools. The curricular revision may present UNICEF with an

opportunity to ensure that the multi-grade programme is aligned with the national system, and UNICEF

may wish to consider contributing to the new preparatory level curriculum, drawing on its past experience

in curricular development for the CSP.

Overcoming disparities and exclusion

It is not unusual for initiatives aimed at tackling disparities to leave behind some of the most

disadvantaged.90 Such efforts require constant attention so as to not leave out vulnerable segments of the

population. Addressing the phenomena of exclusion requires new forms of knowledge: identification of the

attributes of those who are excluded, as well as different and effective methods of including them in the

community. While preliminary data from this study point to grave special needs and risk aggravating

disparities, further research needs to confirm the precise characteristics of children left out of schooling

and active outreach campaigns should be used to recruit the ‘hardest to reach.’

89 For a discussion of needs related to CBE, including accurate and relevant data available to the Ministry, see Ministry of Education, 2008. 90 See William Julius Wilson’s argument about the emergence of the American underclass following the civil rights movement (1987).

116

Given the limited coverage of remote communities by social and civil society networks, innovative

solutions should be developed to motivate and inform isolated localities of the benefits of creating schools.

If 90% of CS children indicate that they have access to televisions in their homes, a targeted emission

adapted to the needs of communities can be effective in reaching them. It could also be done as a social

marketing programme for recruiting private sector support.

Raising the quality and outcomes of staff training

Training of staff needs to focus not only on the sharing of subject-matter and skills, but also on

pedagogical techniques to effectively transmit what has been learned. Any pre- or post-intervention

research measuring classroom processes needs to make sure that limitations of approaches used so far

are avoided. Researchers have the ability to identify and judge pedagogical techniques through classroom

observations conducted over a sustained period of time and could provide reliable results. Given the

correlation that was found between facilitator and supervisor performance, as well as between training

and support, capacity-building would benefit from the involvement of external expertise.91 Training and

support needs to be rationalized in terms of quantity, as well as quality, and facilitator to peer networks

could be organized to provide mutual support. A web-based forum may also facilitate information

exchange and self-learning amongst widely dispersed facilitators once material preconditions are in place

(as the next chapter underlines).

Establishing an effective Monitoring and Evaluation system

Since achievement differs relatively little between students inside schools, M&E at this level is largely

effective in revealing differences. The significant variations between schools and governorates though,

require the strengthening of larger-scale M&E, together with follow-up actions. In light of considerable

differences in performance across cognitive domains, M&E activities would benefit from refinement of

focus and good/bad practice examples, emerging over time, should be regularly identified and exchanged.

Efficient supply inputs and distribution

Redundancies in school materials need to be eliminated. In respect of meals and food supplements, There

may be a need to consider revising plans for targeting provisions. This has to be done without

compromising the main objective, namely enhancing school attendance, which is most important in

Assiut. The simultaneous occurrence of excess and insufficient materials points to distribution challenges.

Efficient transfer at all points between outside agents and schools needs to be ensured.

Innovative solutions for pooling of resources

Nearly all (97%) students claimed to have electricity in their homes and 6% of children (more in Sohag and

Qena) said they have computers. The potential for connecting schools via these provisions should be

pursued. Furthermore, encouraging projects where computers are shared with community schools could

be negotiated through the EC provided that the school locale is supplied with electricity.

91 If data is any indicator (item non-response ranges from 47.6% to 52.4% in total), no more than 60% of supervisors call in mainstream inspectors, teachers or university professors.

117

Benefiting from the presence of school clusters and suppliers can be an effective way to relieve shortages

and align supply and demand.92 As noted in the earlier section, clusters of CS already exist and they share

facilitators, textbooks and transportation facilities. One area not benefiting from the pooling of resources

is the sharing of more costly equipment.

Schools could collectively invest in acquiring equipment and agree on a schedule for rotation. As for

cooperation with MS, so far the only agreement that has been put into place is curriculum related and the

demand has come from the side of the CS. Such agreements could go beyond the sharing of standard

electronic equipment to include MS facilities, such as sport fields, libraries or laboratory utilities, all of

which could be shared.93 This not only lowers costs, but it ensures resources in the community are better

utilized. Furthermore, the transfer of CS to the MOE will likely facilitate relations between different school

systems. In order to achieve this; however, the issue of recognizing the CS needs to be raised. This must be

done in order to rectify the way community schools are seen by facilitators who sometimes attempt to

undermine efforts to reach out to MS.

CS support to adult literacy programmes

Given the lack of participation by some children and youth in education programmes, literacy assistance

can be provided through CS, which capitalizes on existing relationships within the school.94 In this regard:

two possibilities present themselves: a) to develop effective referral systems that allow students to enrol

in literacy classes or classes that teach youth essential skills, and b) use facilitators to tutor children or

encourage child-to-child methods. Such child-to-child methods can be used to deal with a variety of issues,

yet they rely on organized mutual learning between children. Programmes other than literacy may focus

on the promotion of school readiness and life skills (at least until arrival of more institutionalized

alternatives).

Expanding and strengthening partnerships

There is a need to broaden the partnership base and promote enhanced networking with all stakeholders.

This includes various MOE departments, different line ministries, international organizations, civil society

organizations and other service providers. Strengthening partnerships can lead to better coordination and

streamlining of efforts, as well as enhanced information exchange. It can also entail refining stakeholder

roles towards the advancement of the CSP.

In developing internal partnerships, those selected for the capacity-building of stakeholders should be

credible and competent, and it is important to create an environment that can improve their

performance. Coordination and substantive cooperation, along with the pooling of resources between

these two entities, should also be encouraged. Granting legal status to the education committees would

facilitate their organizational role and allow them to receive donations, especially when the CDA is not

present. This may require the consideration of options such as the registration of the EC as an NGO, or the

full integration of the CS into the education system thus allowing MOE schools to receive donations from

the community as is the case for MS.

92 For an overview of the use of school mapping, see Giordano, 2008. 93 According to student surveys, at least 56% of children do not have any books at home (44% in Assiut and 77% in Qena; 10% overall ‘do not know’) and 71% never get magazines or newspapers (64% in Assiut and 88% in Qena; 5% overall ‘do not know’). 94 UNDP, 2008b.

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Ensure sustainability strategies are part of the project design and implementation

Rigorous sustainability and handover strategies need to be part of project design and implementation

strategy from the beginning, and throughout, the project. These strategies need to be clear, concise and

communicated to staff and stakeholders in a timely fashion. Without this, a false sense of security and

complacency can take root. While protection and promotion may have been justified in earlier stages of

the project, this should be carefully administered in cases where alternative opinions may not be readily

available since attitudes hindering sustainability may develop.

Applying the principles of “Aid Effectiveness”

The prolonged and generous financial support that the CSP received for the has created a counter-

productive environment. This is contrary to the principles of “Aid Effectiveness” where donors assume the

role of development “partners” and not that of funding agencies. While the contrast with deprived CS

settings may be difficult to negotiate and generous spending may be part of building cooperation and

prestige, generous allocations can degrade other initiatives and sow the seeds of mistrust in communities

(Box 2-2). They may also create misplaced expectations towards UNICEF that run contrary to its mandate.

In addition, material allocations risk leading to dependency, which is what happened in the community

schools project where difficulties resulted during the final phase of the handover to the MOE. Matching

contributions and phased takeover of costs can be used to circumvent the development of dependency

once the project has been established and its fate secured.

3.3 Immediate steps

In addition to attending to the above recommendations, there are other steps that need to be

guaranteed. All stakeholders are accurately aware of CS (CBE) properties and they have a precise plan of

action that is grounded in a needs assessment with monitored objectives.

Roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders are clearly defined and arrangements are made for them to be effectively carried out (leaving time for those no longer involved in the project to find alternatives).

Project personnel are officially informed of the handover and prepare for it accordingly (the more they are motivated, the better). Key information is passed on to partners and charges (e.g. harmonizing with inspectors logistics) and questions that provide good practice examples (e.g.: Achieveing relevant coverage and high learning outcomes in Assuit) are answered. Additional good practices that include Qena’s sustainable education budget and ways to ensure continued access to education and learning, should be shared.

119

Appendices

Appendix 1: Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Community School Model: Sustainability Component.

Allemano, Eric. (1995) “Rapid assessment of the community school project in Egypt: Perspectives for long-

term sustainability and applicability for strategies in girls’ education in other countries.” Unpublished

report

CIDA (2003) “CIDA-Egypt agreement A031944 STEPS.” Unpublished report

Cochran, William. (1977). Sampling techniques. South Orleans: John Wiley and Sons.

Cook, Bradley. (1998). “Doing educational research in a developing country: Reflections on Egypt,” in

Compare, Vol. 28, No. 1.

Critchfield, Richard (1978). Shahhat, an Egyptian. New York: Avon Books.

DeStefano, Joseph. (2006). “Meeting EFA: Egypt community schools.” EQUIP2 case study.

Dewidar, Ahmed. (2009). “Report on education projects field visits.” Unpublished report.

Fahmy, C. (2001) “The Case of Egypt: Improving the Community Sٍchools Program”.

Giordano, Elisabeth. (2008). School clusters and teacher resource centres. Paris: UNESCO, IIEP.

Holt, Sally. (2008). “Review of Aga Khan Development Network and Ismaili community social inclusion

experience.” Unpublished document.

Kromrey, Jeffrey and Tina Bacon. (1992). “Item analysis of achievement tests based on small numbers of

examinees,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San

Francisco, 20-24 April, 1992.

Ministry of Education. (2007). National strategic plan for pre-university education reform in Egypt. Cairo:

MOE.

Ministry of Education. (2008). “The development of education in Egypt, 2004-2008: A national report.”

Prepared for the 48th session of the International Conference on Education. Geneva, 25-28 November,

2008.

Ministry of Education and UNICEF. (1992). “Memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of

Education and UNICEF: Community schools project.” Unpublished document.

Ministry of Education (2000). Ministerial Decree 30/2000: Giving NGOs the right to establish community

schools. (Arabic)

120

Ministry of Education (2005), Model of Agreement between MOE and NGOs for implementation of

community based education facilities.

Ministry of Education and UNICEF. (2009). “Mid Term Review: Quality education and gender equity

program 2007 – 2011.” Unpublished document.

National Research Center for Educational Research, Cairo Egypt (1981). The One Classroom School in Egypt

– An Evaluation Study. Reproduced by the IDRC Educational Resources Information Center, Ottawa

(Ontario).

NCEEE. (2001). “Community schools evaluation project.” Unpublished document.

NCEEE. (2007). “Critical thinking, achievement and problem solving (CAPS) assessment: Background

report, 2006-2007.” Unpublished document.

NCEEE (2008). “2007 Critical thinking, achievement and problem solving (CAPS) assessment.” Unpublished

document.

Peterson, Samiha S., and Al Fustat Center for Studies and Consultations (2004). Mainstreaming and

sustaining the community school model in Egypt: A formative evaluation. Mid-Term evaluation.

Program Support Unit (2001). “Community education project: End of phase II evaluation.” Unpublished

document.

Rowe, Martin and Helen Rizzo. (2008). “Egypt,” in The Greenwood encyclopaedia of children’s issues

worldwide, ed. Epstein, Irving. Westport: Greenwood Press.

Seguin-Kardish, Carol. (2004). “Egypt mission report: Community schools project.” Unpublished document.

Sultana, Ronald. (2008). The girls’ education initiative in Egypt. UNICEF MENA-RO, Learning Series: Vol. 1.

UNDP. (2008a). Egypt’s social contract: The role of civil society. Egypt human development report 2008.

Cairo: UNDP.

UNDP. (2008b). Egypt: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Mid-point assessment. Cairo: UNDP.

UNESCO (2008). Sharpening our tools: Education for All mid-term review for Arab States. Beirut: UNESCO.

UNICEF (1999). Girls' Education: A Key to the Future. Accessed online at: http://www.unicef.org/girlsed/.

UNICEF. (2004). “Request for change of funding scope in the Steps 1 project.” Unpublished document.

UNICEF. (2007a). “UNICEF education strategy.” Unpublished document.

UNICEF. (2007b). Education for some more than others? A regional study on education in Central and

Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS). Geneva: UNICEF.

UNICEF (2008) Education Section team's written reply to questions on the CS Project.

UNICEF (2008). Copy of communication with MOE on the issue of accreditation of facilitators and time

bound payment of a salary subsidy.

http://www.unicef.org/girlsed/

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UNICEF (2008a). “UNICEF evaluation policy, Executive Board: First regular session 2008.” Unpublished

document.

UNICEF. (2008b). “Support to Egyptian Primary Schooling – STEPS I: Progress report, January 2007 –

December 2007.” Unpublished document.

UNICEF. (2009). “UNICEF in Middle Income Countries: Summary of the issues and implications for Egypt.”

Unpublished document.

Wilson, William Julius. (1987). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass and public policy.

Chicago: The Chicago University Press.

World Bank. (2004). Vietnam: Reading and mathematics study. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

World Bank. (2005). “Making Egyptian education spending more effective: Egypt public expenditure

review.” Policy note 2.

Zaalouk, Malak. (1995). “Children of the Nile: The community schools project in Upper Egypt.” Education

for All: Making it work, Innovation series.

Zaalouk, Malak. (2004). The pedagogy of empowerment: Community schools as a social movement in

Egypt. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

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Appendix 2: Phasing out p

The following table95 shows the recommended phasing out of direct support by UNICEF, which is

envisaged over a four year period by the end of 2006. The table indicates a lesser role for UNICEF in the

direct management of the model, and in service delivery. It will; however, maintain its role in technical

capacity building and influencing policy dialogue.

Year One Year Two Year Three Year Four

LINE ITEM UNICEF NGOs/

MOE

UNICEF NGO/

MOE

UNICEF NGO/

MOE

UNICEF NGO

/MOE

Management + + + + +

Supervision + + + +

Training + + + + + +

Supplies + + + +

Transportation + + + + +

Administrative

Expenses

+ + + + +

Facilitator

Salaries

+ + + +

Books + + + +

Furniture + + + + + + +

Meal + + + + + + + +

School

Building

+ + + +

Curricula + + + + + + +

95 Al Fustat Center for Studies and consultations (2004): Evaluation of mainstreaming and Sustaining the Community School Model: Sustainability

Component.

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Appendix 3: Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference

Forward Looking Assessment of

UNICEF Community Schools Project

Background:

The Pre-University Education Strategic Plan of Egypt 2007-11, developed by the Ministry of Education, has

now fully integrated community based education as part of the national education reform, which aims at

the establishment of schools in cooperation with local communities, provision of sufficient staff,

instructional materials, and school feeding program, as well as the development of effective management

systems. Most of these objectives are based on lessons learned from various types of community

education initiatives.

In 1975, the Ministry of Education (MOE) started the One Classroom School initiative aiming at

generalizing primary education and blocking the source of illiteracy. The initiative provided compulsory

primary education for children between the ages of 6-8 in deprived remote areas, and a second chance for

children who dropped out or were never enrolled. This was done through more than 2,521 multi grade

schools serving an average of 70,000 children nationwide. The schools were established and managed by

the communities, while the Ministry of Education provided teachers, curriculum, a school meal and

supervision through the nearest government primary school. In the early 1990s, in response to low

enrolment rates (mostly girls) in primary education, the One Classroom Schools program was revitalized

under the auspices of the First Lady. The Ministry allocated funds to construct and manage one classroom

multi grade schools in remote and deprived areas to improve girls' enrolment in primary education. To-

date, the Ministry has succeeded in establishing 3,146 school serving more than 65,000 girls nationwide.

In 1992, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education started a girl friendly, community based initiative titled

"Community Schools" that had a specific emphasis on girls in six districts of Upper Egypt, thereby

addressing the core issues of disparity – both geographic and gender. The community schools initiative

aims at increasing primary enrolment rates, with an emphasis on girls, through providing access to quality

education services in hard to reach areas of Upper Egypt. The project targets the following groups:

1. Children between the ages of 6-12 who have not been enrolled in school. Special emphasis is

placed on girls, and the ratio of girls to boys stands at 70:30.

2. Female facilitators/teachers who are diploma holders in the selected communities or nearest

sites.

3. Local communities who are encouraged to form education committees that assist in school

management.

4. Supervisors who hold a university degree in education or who have a minimum of 3 years

experience in the field. Their role is to provide technical and field support to the project.

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Other indirect beneficiaries are the parents of community school children whose awareness is raised

about all aspects of early childhood development, school personnel in mainstream primary schools and

MOE staff in terms of the provision of training on multi-grade and child centered concepts.

The community schools initiative is based on partnerships between the MOE, UNICEF, CIDA, NGOs and the

communities. The MOE provides facilitators’ salaries and textbooks following the national curriculum,

along with technical supervision. UNICEF, with funding from CIDA, provides school furniture, supplies, and

intensive capacity building activities to facilitators and communities to assure quality (the cost of the

project (1992-2009) amounts to 13,000,000 Canadian dollars). The communities provide classroom

locations within villages and hamlets so girls do not have to travel far from their homes in order to attend

classes, and participation is encouraged through local education committees whose responsibilities

include nominating young women as classroom facilitators and ensuring that the facilitators are sensitive

to the local context, supervise the daily functioning of the school, and mobilize wider community support.

The project, in accordance with MOE‘s policies, was designed to emphasize the following:

Ensure that each child has access to school (especially girls).

Reach marginalized children, with a special focus on girls.

Empower local communities (especially girls and women) by providing access to schools, participation in public decision making forums and allocation of communal resources (including schools, facilitators, buildings, and materials).

Provide innovative pedagogies for quality education that focus on: o Active learning ; o Acquisition of life skills with a particular emphasis on learning to live with others,

critical thinking, problem solving and creative thinking, as well as other hygiene, health and environmental skills.

o Values based learning with special emphasis on dealing with differences, practicing rights, understanding social justice and managing conflicts.

o learning Methods that awaken a child's intelligence.

The community schools project has been implemented through five phases, which are:

a) Pilot phase, from 1992 – 1994 with the objective of designing and implementing the project in an

experimental pilot mode in 17 schools;

b) Development phase, from 1994 – 1996 with the aim of further developing the model to include 53

schools and consolidating stakeholder partnerships;

c) Expansion phase, from 1997 – 1999 with the objective of actively diffusing the model into mainstream

education reaching 98 schools;

d) Consolidation phase, full community ownership, from 2000 to 2003, where the key components of the

model are fully adopted by the MOE and NGOs and the transfer of the seed bed model to MOE; and,

e) Sustainability phase, from 2003 – 2009 with the objective of strengthening the seed bed model and

gradually transferring 25 schools each year to the MOE and broader communities.

Some of the outputs of the project over the years have included:

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a) The establishment of 227 Community Schools serving 6,000 children in six districts in Assiut, Sohag

and Qena governorates;

b) Provision of training to 600 facilitators and supervisors on using active learning methodology in the

classroom of the community schools;

c) Building the administrative capacity of 6,000 village education committee members;

d) Provision of ECD training to 4,200 parents/caregivers.

Therefore in order to assess the impact of the achievements on communities under UNICEF’s country

program (2007-2011), , it was recommended to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the project that

would include putting into place a phasing out strategy, since funding from CIDA ends in 2009.

Results expected from the current phase include:

1. The existing model is strengthened and completed for diffusion.

2. Pedagogical innovation is strengthened and the curriculum is enriched in the broader

sense.

3. The community participation model is completed by strengthening the education

committees, which are regarded as the true cornerstone of sustainability.

4. A model for quality education is completely adopted by MOE and NGOs in a way that

will ensure the sustainability of its core components including both pedagogical and

management components.

5. The number of pupils enrolled in community schools during Phase III will be 3,500.

6. 3,500 students will graduate to preparatory schools.

Purpose of the evaluation:

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide a forward looking study based on the lessons learned from

Phase V – the sustainability phase – of the community schools project. The main focus of the evaluation

will be to develop a project sustainability strategy. It is expected that the evaluation will yield evidence on

the impact of community schools on increasing access, improving quality, and achieving learning

outcomes (within the framework of the criteria of child rights in education as indicated in the CRC), as well

as the impact on gender issues. Further to this, it will contribute to the Ministry of Education and other

education stakeholders' strategy with regards to Community Based Education.

Scope of Evaluation

The main objective of the evaluation is to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the community

schools project. Specifically this is to be achieved through answering the following questions and those

listed in Annex 1 (please note that the following questions are proposed to guide the evaluation process;

126

however, it is expected that the evaluation team will recommend additions and modifications to the main

research questions):

Program relevance

1. Are the objectives (set in Phase V) of the project in line with local needs, priorities and government

policies?

2. Can project interventions be replicated and under what conditions?

Effectiveness

1. To what extent have project objectives and outcomes have been met? What are the reasons for

achievement or failure of achieving objectives and outcomes?

2. What are the strategies that the project has used to achieve stated objectives and outcomes?

Were they successful in achieving the project’s objectives? If yes, list all the conditions, and if not,

why were the objectives not achieved? Suggest alternative strategies with precise actions.

3. To what extent has the Ministry of Education at the central and governorate level, partner NGOs

and the community benefited from this project? If they benefited, explain how, and if not, what

needs to done at all three levels?

4. How effective is active learning?

5. How effective are the education committees?

6. What is the cost effectiveness, particularly as compared to that of the government schools?

Efficiency

1. How efficiently were the project’s management structure and processes adopted by partners who

implemented different components? If the structure and processes were not efficient, provide

alternatives. Was there support provided by UNICEF to its partners (for example: technical, media,

national/sub-national linkages, etc.)?

2. How efficient was the support UNICEF provided to its partners (for example: technical, media,

national/sub-national linkages, etc.)?

Impact (qualitative and quantitative)

1. What are the intended and unintended benefits of the project, and what segments of the

community have benefited the most, or the least, from the project?

127

2. Did project activities improve the overall situation of the community/district in terms of increasing

access to underprivileged children, specifically girls?

3. Did the project contribute to the capacity development of involved stakeholders (NGOs, MOE,

communities, etc.)?

Sustainability

1. Are the stakeholders capable of sustaining the 227 community schools in the three governorates

of Assiut, Qena and Sohag without external financial and technical support? If yes, elaborate on

the steps, plan and timeline for achieving suitability in each governorate. If not, develop a

community school sustainability strategy and capacity building recommendations with precise

steps for each governorate.

2. Did the stakeholders participate in the planning and implementation of the intervention to ensure

local engagement from the start?

Costing

1. To what extent was the project cost effective (cost analysis of inputs relative to results achieved)?

2. Recommend a financial strategy for existing community schools with precise actions to reduce

financial dependency on external funding.

3. Compare costs with other models of community education.

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Annex to the TOR

Questions to guide the research

1. What are the results/outputs for children in community schools? Measure the results of children

at the academic and social levels, and investigate how much the results vary between

governorates? (Quantitative analysis using standard tests developed to measure social

communication, negotiation, confidence and academic knowledge and skills.)

2. How effective has the capacity building of primary stakeholders (teachers, project NGO staff, and

Education Committee members) been? Measure the capacity building initiatives of all the

stakeholders against individual knowledge, skill and practice delivered by UNICEF (quantitative

and qualitative analysis by reviewing project monitoring forms and reports).

3. How effective have the refresher trainings and coaching workshops (for teachers) provided by the

NGO partners been?

4. What is required to sustain the capacity building of primary stakeholders (e.g. facilitators, NGO

and MOE technical and field supervisors, and others responsible for monitoring the project)

without the financial support of UNICEF?

5. Prepare a capacity building plan for each stakeholder mentioned above with clear guidelines and

include the assessment techniques/tools of the capacity building exercise.

6. What are the strategies the project has used for enrolment and activity based learning in schools?

Were they successful in achieving the project’s objectives and why?

7. Examine the existing monitoring and evaluation processes that are in place for the community

schools project and suggest ways of improving them.

8. To what extent have the linkages/coordination between the decision-makers/community leaders

and the project at its various management levels been successful?

9. To what extent have quality education components, such as active learning and teacher training,

been implemented or integrated into the national education system?

10. How does project staff from partner organizations (at the governorate and local level) perceive

the project’s sustainability? Do they view it as important? What are their recommendations?

11. What factors, both internal and external, have affected schools sustainability?

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Appendix 4: Results Framework

130

131

Appendix 5: Guidelines for qualitative assessment and tools used for the assessment

Tools with indicators and sample type

Tool Indicator Sample type*

Surveys and data sheets

Student survey

Access, learning outcomes/conditions,

community interaction, sustainability Stratified cluster

Student portfolio Access, sustainability Stratified cluster

Facilitator survey

Learning outcomes/conditions, community

interaction, sustainability Stratified cluster

Facilitator interview


community interaction, sustainability Stratified random

Observation sheet Learning outcomes/conditions Stratified random

Technical supervisor survey Learning outcomes/conditions, sustainability Full coverage

Field supervisor survey

Learning outcomes/conditions, community

interaction, sustainability Full coverage

Attendance sheet Access, learning outcomes/conditions Stratified random

Secondary data sheet


community interaction, sustainability Stratified random

Comparative sheet Access, learning outcomes/conditions Exploratory/indicative

Achievement tests (for) Learning outcomes/conditions

Students (CAPS, Life skills) Full coverage

Facilitators ( CAPS) Full coverage

Facilitators (Cadre) Stratified cluster

Technical supervisors (Cadre) Full coverage

*: For details, see Section 1.4.1.

Note: Scaling-up and mainstreaming were investigated through document analysis and interviews with project staff,

administrators and UNICEF.

132

Guidelines used for qualitative assessment tools (contd.)

Focus groups

Nine facilitators were randomly selected, keeping in mind variance by location, grade and level

taught (due to organizational complications, facilitators were only from Sohag.)

Ten technical supervisors were randomly selected by location and rank.

Nine field supervisors were randomly selected by location and rank.

Discussions, consultations and observations

Discussions, meetings and consultations were undertaken with:

Members of communities and families of children in CS.

Community schools project direction.

MOE staff at district level.

Academics and education consultants.

UNICEF staff in education and WASH sections.

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Appendix 6: Evaluation time frame

Stages of the Assessment

Introduction and mapping of context 1 to 30 November, 2008

Development of tools and methods 1 December, 2008 to 31 January, 2009

Pre-test administration 1 to 3 February, 2009

Finalization of tools and methods 4 February to 4 April, 2009

Quantitative data collection 5 to 30 April, 2009

Qualitative data collection 27 April to 4 May; 4 to 15 June, 2009

Data processing 15 April to 20 May, 2009

Data analysis 21 May to 12 August, 2009

Writing of report 1 July to October, 2009

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Appendix 7: Evaluation team (members of the research team)

NCEEE

Senior Researchers

Dr. Naguib Khouzam Dr. Naima Hassan Dr. Walid Ahmed Massoud

Research Team: (sampling , administration, data entry and analysis, reporting, printing and packaging, scoring open-ended items)

Dr. Moataz Belah Zen Al Abedeen Waffa Mohammed Abdou Dr. Eman Abdullah Mohammed El Sayed Ahmed Al Hamed Abdul Allah Dr. Mohammed Fateh Allah Khalid Ayed Mohammed Abou El Fadel Abdul Aziz Fawzia Abdul Aziz Dr. Ahlam El Baz Dr. Hossam El Demerdash Dr. Al Farahaty Mahmoud Al Farahaty Dr. Mohammed Abdul Gawad

Al Sayed Saleh Mohammed Ghanem Sawsan Naser El Deen Hassan Nagwa Mahmoud Hassan Wessam Nada Hassan Raffat Sayed Hassan Hussien Ismail Hussien Mohammed Abdul Lateef Hussien Fareed Ahmed Ahmed Ismail Mostafa Ahmed Kassem Mamdouh Mostafa Lamaay Dr. Saad Moahmmed Lamloum Dr. Gad Allah Abou El Makarem Ahmed Abdul Moaty Salah Abdul Aleem Mohammed

Fatma El Zahraa Mohasen Heba Taher Mokhtar Dr. Farouk Abou Ouff Ibrahim Atta Rageb Mostafa Abdul Razik Zenab Mohammed Saffwat Maha Abdul Salam Mohammed Abdul Satar Dr. Fekry Al Sayed Ekram Hamza El Sayed Reham Ali Sayed El Shekheby Walaa Ibrahim Talat Abdullah Gomah Tawfek Gomah Mohammed Yossef Rania Moahmmed Yossef Mohammed Isamil Abdul Zaher Abdullah Mohammed Zekry

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NCERD

Senior Researchers

Dr. Moustafa Abdel Samei Dr. Habiba Hassan Wassef

Research Team: (Preparing Tools, Data Collection, Supervision on application and follow up, Supervision and training on data entry, Data entry, Desk revision and data clearning, Statestical treatments, Support Services, revision of final report)

Dr. Gamil El-Sayed Ahmed Emad Abdel Shafi Ahmed Hanaa Tawfiq Ali Mohamed Mabrouk Awad Dr. Mohsen Abdel Sattar Azab Dr. Manar Mohamed Ismail Boghdady Ashour Ibrahim El-Desouky Dr. Samah Mohamed El- Desouky Tayseer Ebeid Dr. Iman Elian Fatma Fakhry Dr. Mohamed Ra’fat Abdel Fattah Dr. Mohamed Ghazi Dr. Salah El-Din Abdel Aziz Ghoneim Hussein Ouda Hassan

Mohamed El-Sayed Hassan Manal Ibrahim Dr. Tamer Abdel Latif Dr. Eid Abou Al-Ma’aty Dr. Aiman Mahgoub Dr. Yosria Ali Mahmoud Dalia Fathi Mahmoud Dr. Tamer Abdel Latif Al-Masry Dr. Mohamed Ashraf El-Mekawy Dr. Magdi Maher Meseiha Dr. Adnan Ahmed Mohamed Mosad Ahmed Mohamed Tayseer Ebeid Mohamed Dr. Mohamed Abdel Ghafar Mohamed Inas Mo’nes Ahmed Abdel Motelleb Dr. Abir Hassan Moustafa Dr. Nagui Shnouda Nakhla

Dr. Mohamed Yehia Nasef Wala Hassan Nashat Hanan Nassar Hanaa Polos Paskals Samia Qenawy Bothaina Ibrahim Abd Rabboh Hanaa Abdel Raouf Dr. Fathi Moustafa Rezq Dr. Abdel Khalek Youssef Saad Dr. Abdel Hamid Sabry Dr. Mohamed Tawfiq Salam Gilan Mohamed Saleh Osama El-Sayed Samia Ahmed Seliman Dr. Amal El-Shahat Dr. Iman El-Shahry Dr. Nefisa Omran Al-Shazly Sana’ Mahmoud Shehata Dr. Raouf Azmy Tawfiq Wafa Yassin

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Appendix 8: List of interviewees

1. In-depth interviews took place with:

Five CS graduates in continuing education programmes and six who had stopped their studies (one turned out to be a long-term absentee and another transferred to one of the MS). Diversity by location, socio-economic status (SES), gender and type/level of school attended (or having dropped out from) was sought.

Management of implementing NGOs (in one case staff were also present).

Management of a CDA responsible for former UNICEF-affiliated community schools (in Qena).96

Management of Misr El Kheir Association.

Management of community-based education (CBE), NGO and general education departments of the Ministry of Education at central and governorate levels.

Management of CIDA responsible for the CSP.

Management of the World Food Programme responsible for the CSP (via e-mail).

Management of UNICEF Egypt Country Office and education section staff.

Education Advisor, Regional Office.

2. Group interviews with:

Facilitators from two formerly UNICEF-affiliated community schools.

Facilitators from two independent community schools (in Qena).

Two education committees: divergent by location, type and level of engagement with community schools was sought.

96

Organizational difficulties prevented discussion with more than one CDA.

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Appendix 9: List of sites visited

The Community Education Project schools in the CSP villages of Assiut, Qena and Sohag were visited, as well as a number of MS schools in the vicinity.

The Education Directorates in Assiut, Qena and Sohag.

The local NGOs implementing the CSP in the above three Governorates.

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Appendix 10.1 Critical Thinking, Achievements, and Problem Solving tests (CAPS)

1. What is CAPS?

The CAPS (Critical Thinking, Achievement, and Problem Solving) assessments were standardized tests

developed to assess learner outcomes in mathematics, science, and Arabic in Primary 4 (G4),

Preparatory 2 (G8), and Secondary 1 (G10), with a focus on critical thinking and problem-solving

skills. The CAPS assessments are based on the Egyptian Educational National Standards and national

goals and curricula, and include multiple-choice and constructed response questions.

The CAPS assessments were developed by a team of assessment and content specialists from NCEEE

working with technical consultants from American Institutes for Research (AIR), USA.

2. Test Development

2.1 Test Specifications

To develop the test specifications NCEEE content specialists conducted a comprehensive review of

the mathematics, science, and Arabic national education standards and other instructional

objectives. The steps involved included the following:

Reviewing and analyzing the objectives of each subject in each of the targeted grades;

Reviewing and analyzing the content standards against national standards; and,

Identifying how far the content of each subject for the grade under study is represented in the content standards.

Based on this review, preliminary specifications were developed that identified the objectives to be

assessed and the weight to be given to each, as well as the approximate weight to be accorded to

the three cognitive skill levels—factual knowledge, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking

and problem solving— as well as the number of multiple-choice and constructed-response items by

content domain and cognitive level. The weight assigned to each content domain and cognitive level

was based on representation in the standards and objectives and taking into consideration that the

assessment would give more weight to critical thinking and problem solving skills than other

cognitive levels.

The content areas measured by the CAPS assessments reflect the national content standards and

curriculum and are shown in Table 2.1. Within each, specific instructional objectives were identified

prior to being assessment.

Table 2.1 Content Domains Assessed in CAPS

Mathematics Science Arabic

Primary 4 - numbers and operations

- algebra

- measurement

- life science

- physics

- earth and environmental

- listening

- reading

- writing

- grammar

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Mathematics Science Arabic

- geometry

science

2.2 Cognitive Levels

Three cognitive levels were defined:

Factual knowledge;

Conceptual understanding; and

Critical thinking and problem solving.

Generalized definitions of each category (Table 2.2) based on Bloom’s taxonomy97 and the IEA’s

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)98 were developed in order to

provide an overall framework when assessing children’s cognitive levels. Subject-specific definitions

that are in line with generalized definitions were also developed to provide more guidance and

examples to item writers.

Table 2.2 - Generalized definitions of cognitive skill levels

Cognitive Skill Description and Skills

Factual Knowledge

Knowledge base that enables easy recall of language, basic

facts, and conventions of subject matter.

Conceptual

Understanding

Understanding and using facts, concepts, principles, and

relationships

Understand and use information

Interpret facts, compare, contrast

Use methods, concepts, theories in new situations

Classify objects or ideas

Represent information using models, graphics, or symbols

Problem Solving

and Critical

Thinking

Using and applying facts, principles, and ideas to make

decisions and solve problems in new situations

Solve problems that may or may not be set in a real-life context

Generalize from information given

Evaluate information provided

Analyze information or situation presented

97 Bloom, B. et al. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York, Toronto: Longmans, Green. 98 Mullis, I.V.S., et al. (2001). TIMSS Assessment Frameworks and Specifications 2003. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College.

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Make predictions or hypothesize

Draw connections between two or more pieces of information

Make logical deductions based on specific assumptions and rules

2.3 Development of Items

A team of content experts from NCEEE and several mathematics, science and Arabic specialists who

hold a Ph.D. or M.A. in education compiled the CAPS questions each year. Item writing workshops

were held to produce the items needed to enrich the CAPS item bank. During the workshops

participants focused on arriving at a common understanding of the different cognitive levels and

items that conformed to standard guidelines for good test items. Item writers consulted the publicly

available PIRLS (reading) and TIMSS (mathematics and science) assessment instruments to identify

potential models, particularly for items that could be used to assess critical thinking and problem

solving. Another focus of the workshops is on developing consistent scoring rubrics for the

constructed-response items.

2.4 Content Validity of Items

To confirm the content validity of the items, they are reviewed by MOE specialized inspectors for the

following: clarity of the question for the targeted group, potential religious or racial bias, match to

intended content, and the accuracy of the item, including diagrams and graphs.

2.5 Piloting Items

Piloting items is critical in the development of an assessment. Piloting provides information about

the difficulty of each item, how well an item discriminates between low and high performers and

how well item options are functioning. CAPS uses impeded field test designs where field test items

are entered into the operational forms that are administered in April of each year through a sample

of FOS schools across the seven governorates.

2.6 Scoring of Constructed-Response Items

2.6.1 Scorers

A group of inspectors covering different subjects from the Ministry of Education, along with NCEEE

content experts, comprise the scoring teams. Scoring teams are formed so that there will be a team

for each subject in each grade. Each scoring team includes a scoring leader from NCEEE and scoring

members from NCEEE and MOE subject inspectors.

2.6.2 Training Materials

To ensure the standardization of the scoring, rubrics are developed for constructed-response

questions and scorers are trained in the standardized application of the guides. The training

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materials consist of, for each constructed-response item, a series of example or “anchor” papers for

each score level. For example, for a two-point item, several anchor papers are selected that illustrate

the types of responses that should be awarded two points, those that should be awarded one point,

and a few examples for responses that should be awarded zero points. These are used together with

scoring guides to help scorers understand how to apply them. Scorers then tally a series of “practice

papers” which, like the anchor papers, illustrate different levels, but scorers are not told the pre-

determined total. Scoring teams grade the practice papers and then discuss the scores they gave to

each response.

2.6.3 Scoring Reliability

Consistent application of the scoring rubrics is critical to the validity and reliability of the results. In

addition to the provision of training in the application of the guides, the leader of each team

periodically reviews each individual’s work to ensure there is a consensus on the scoring rules. If the

leader notices an incorrect score he/she discusses the response and guide with the scorer. If there

are consistent problems with a particular scoring guide, it is reevaluated by the team to determine if

a revision needs to be made.

To empirically determine the internal consistency amongst scorers, a random (10%) sample of

responses each year is scored independently. The following procedures are used to accomplish this:

Test booklets are sorted and divided into batches of 50 each, and each group is numbered from 1 to 50.

The scoring leader distributes batches of booklets to scorers.

The secondary scorer provides a tally for every tenth booklet in a batch and records his/her score on a separate sheet. He/she then passes the batch onto the primary scorer.

The primary scorer grades all test booklets in a batch and marks his/her score in the booklet.

The team members exchange test booklets in different ways so that each scorer serves as both a primary and secondary scorer.

2.7 Data Entry

MS Access is used for data entry, and the advantage of this program is the reduction of entry error

size. To ensure the accurate entry of data, a 10% sample from the pilot was drawn to be entered

again. The consistency between the first and second entries was 0.96, which confirmed the accuracy

of the data entry process.

3. Setting and Maintaining Standards

Setting Standards

Setting performance standards involves two steps: (1) Identifying levels of performance, in terms of content knowledge and skills, for a particular subject matter area and grade level—Performance Level Descriptors—and, (2) Establishing the “cut scores” (points on the score scale of a test) that distinguish the different performance levels.

142

Setting standards for the CAPS assessments enables the ERP to report student performance across the ERP family of schools (as well as those in comparison schools) in terms of percentages that highlight different levels of performance. Moreover, it provides information in terms of what students know that helps in the development of broader practice and policy. There are a number of well-established standard-setting methods available. The various methods differ with respect to the types of items for which they are appropriate, the level of complexity involved, and the specific judgments that need to be made to identify the cut scores. A modified Angoff Method was used to determine cut scores for the CAPS assessments.99 The standard setting activity was conducted in two stages.100 In the first stage, AIR psychometricians trained NCEEE content and technical staff in standard-setting methods and led the group through a mock standard-setting activity, including the development of performance level descriptors and setting cut-scores using actual CAPS items and performance data. During the training the specific method used to set standards for CAPS was determined through discussion of the pros and cons of various methods available. The training also included instruction on how to manage a standard-setting activity, including preparation of materials, development of data analysis tools, and logistics. In the second stage, NCEEE, with technical support from AIR and logistical support from ERP staff, conducted the standard-setting for all nine CAPS tests with panels of Egyptian supervisors and teachers. Each subject panel was composed of approximately 15 supervisors and teachers and was led by a team leader from NCEEE. Together they developed performance level descriptors and set cut scores for each test. The following general performance level descriptors were used as the basis for the subject-specific performance level descriptors.

Figure ‎0.1 CAPS Performance Levels – General

Level Descriptors

Advanced

متقدم

Provides evidence that supports various scientific views and deals with unfamiliar scientific situations.

Shows a comprehensive, in-depth and critical understanding of content and gives various solutions for untypical problems.

Solves familiar problems in unfamiliar ways.

Shows effective communication skills and an in-depth understanding that enables him/her create non-traditional ideas and solutions for a wide range of subjects.

Solves as many problems as possible in a short time with the least possible errors, giving his/her opinion on each solution.

Satisfactory

مرض Shows a good understanding of content represented tin solving

complex problems.

Growing نام Shows a partial understanding of content that enables him/her to solve simple typical problems.

Fallingمتعثر Can recall some preliminary information and fails to solve simple problems.

99 Angoff, W.H. (1984). Scales norms and equivalent scores. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. (Reprint of chapter in R.L. Thorndike

(Ed.), Educational Measurement (2nd Ed). Washington, DC: American Council on Education, 1971

100 More information about the standard setting is provided in “Report of the Training Workshop on Performance Standard Setting” available from the Education Reform Program, Monitoring & Evaluation, Cairo.

143

In light of the general descriptors, work groups identified the descriptors of performance in each

subject in Grades 4, 8 and 10 through individual work and group discussion. Each group identified

the key competencies students must have to reach a particular level. These were then articulated in

subject-specific performance descriptors, shown below in Figures 3.2 through 3.10.

Each group member worked individually and with other members of the group. To determine cut scores, the participants in each subject assessed the minimum expected performance for each item and at each proficiency level over three rounds: Round 1:

Assess the items individually, in light of performance standards for each tested subject matter.

Obtain and discuss feedback.

Round 2:

Set item scores for the second round, in light of the results from Round 1.

Obtain and discuss feedback.

Compare the results from Round 2 with those from Round 1.

Round 3:

Compare intra-and-inter-grade results.

Compare results among the various subject matters.

Adjust cut scores accordingly.

The panels were supported by technical staff from NCEEE who entered the data and produced output that was used to guide subsequent rounds.

Figure ‎0.2 Performance Level Descriptors – Arabic Grade 4

Level Descriptors

Advanced Shows an in-depth understanding of a reading and listening to text and can make justified judgments and solve complex problems using new creative evidence-supported ways.

Produce new coherent and closely relevant ideas in correct and accurate language with a few mistakes that do not affect meaning.

Satisfactory Shows appropriate understanding of a reading or listening text, makes unjustified judgments and can make some conclusions.

Produces some appropriately relevant, unrepeated and new ideas

Growing Shows superficial and simple understanding of text, recalls preliminary information, concludes main ideas about the text and can solve simple problems.

Produces ideas, some of which are relevant and sometimes repeated, and does not employ them in a correct way in incorrect language full of spelling and linguistic mistakes.

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Figure ‎0.3 Performance Level Descriptors – Mathematics Grade 4

Level Descriptors

Advanced Checks the products of arithmetic operations such as division by a two-digit number.

Converts from certain measuring units into others through real-life problems that include more than one operation.

Predicts some future data through given data.

Assemble some parts to form geometrical figures that have been previously solved.

Solves complex untypical problems.

Satisfactory Checks the products of arithmetic operations such as division by a 1-digit number.

Converts between units of measurement in an indirect way.

Represents and expresses numbers using points on the number line.

Analyzes some parts of geometrical figures.

Represents some given data graphically.

Compares different mixed numbers.

Draws an angle of a given measure.

Can perform addition and subtraction with renaming.

Compares heterogeneous fractions.

Performs different operations on ordinary homogeneous fractions.

Growing Understands the meaning of addition and subtraction.

Performs simple arithmetic operations without renaming.

Compares homogeneous fractions.

Compare different objects such as length and weight.

Identifies some properties of geometrical figures.

Recognizes how angles are measured.

Can find the measure of an angle of a triangle given the measures of two angles.

Reads data from a given graph.

Draws the X- and Y-axes.

Interprets data represented in tables and graphs.

Draws two axes.

Performs different operations on ordinary homogeneous fractions.

Compare two mixed numbers.

Performs division by a 1-digit number without remainder.

Converts between units of measurement in a direct way.

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Figure ‎0.4 Performance Level Descriptors – Science Grade 4

Level Descriptors

Advanced Gives evidence that supports his/her scientific view on the explanation of scientific phenomena.

Uses higher thinking skills in problem solving.

Predicts what may happen if one of the phenomena that have been studied changes.

Shows full understanding of content represented in using knowledge to serve real-life situations, and applying the scientific concepts s/he has studied.

Can classify using his/her understanding of similarities and differences.

Orders organisms, planets and objects correctly, explaining the relationship among them.

Satisfactory Gives some simple evidence that supports his/her view on dealing with some familiar scientific problems.

Describes and explains information in his/her own words without giving specific reasons.

Uses some thinking skills to explain familiar phenomena.

Orders organisms, planets and objects correctly.

Growing Shows partial understanding of content, especially that which is related to his/her environment.

Mentions scientific information as outlined in the textbook without providing any additional information.

Mentions some pieces of scientific information and ignores others.

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Appendix 10.2: Pre-test lessons

Ways of teaching are trademarks of the CSP. In order to assess the pedagogical processes, the

Standards-Based Classroom Observation Protocol for Egypt (SCOPE) was pre-tested by two

researchers in each CS.101 Originally designed by the United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) to evaluate the Education Reform Program, SCOPE is not only relevant to the

CSP but it presents a sophisticated instrument to measure teaching practices.102 It had to be

discarded; however, as it proved to be too complex and required specialized training. Moreover,

facilitators, even if requested to perform the day’s planned lessons, taught the programme intended

for visitors, making realistic observations of their skills difficult.

Several attempts were made to circumvent these issues. Items for observation were simplified and

transferred to NCEEE, in light of their curriculum expertise; yet, with the high prevalence of missing

responses, data could not be utilized. Facilitators were also requested to indicate the presence or

absence of different techniques in classroom activities. It had been assumed that they would

recognize what was expected of them on this front. Therefore, items focused on less common

aspects, which facilitators could correctly identify in their teaching practices (e.g. locally relevant

activities, arts and sports). Given the above constraints, the assessment relied heavily on

achievement tests to determine teaching skills. Defined by an expert consortium, Cadre features

fundamental competences in classroom management, learning structures and styles of teaching, as

well as use of different techniques and resources, in line with CSP objectives.

To allow for the determination of the most suitable test items, two copies of examinations in CAPS

and Cadre were pre-tested. Questions retained in the main test were selected based on item

analysis (procedures are described in NCEEE technical documents).103 As for the life skills test, items

with a low ‘p’ value (i.e. small minority of children got them right) were reformulated to ensure

better comprehension or, if this was not possible, they were deleted. Notes taken by researchers of

the respondent reactions to tests helped in the revision of the tools.

Since the Math and Science curriculum in the 4th grade have about 50% changes in the content in the

main stream schools on 2008/2009 school year, NCEEE content specialists worked on developing a

number of new items for the new parts added into the content following the same standardized

procedures took place on the development of the first version of CAPS. However, Community

schools were still studying the old Math and Science curriculum. Using IRT scaling and equating

procedures ensured the comparability of the scores between the old and new versions.

To double-check the validity, the children’s answers from the student survey were examined for

consistency with other sources. Items that did not generate intelligible responses were discarded

(e.g. age of parents) and others were collected from secondary records (i.e. student portfolios,

compiled by CS staff) that were deemed more accurate.104

101

UNICEF, 2007b 102

In addition to precise definition of activities, SCOPE includes implementation scales, rather than simple presence or absence of

techniques. 103

See, e.g. NCEEE, 2007 104

While data is subjective at times (ratings along different scales and economic status from portfolios) it serves to draw attention to

tendencies, which may or may not be rigorously followed up based on the findings from this study.

147

The format of the tools was changed to facilitate data processing. In the pre-test (as is often in

international studies), respondent numbers in skipped questions did not add up and some entries

were difficult to enter. Forms were modified to feature an answer to each item (checks for ‘not

applicable’ [also aiding respondents], ‘yes’/’no’ answers, etc.).

Since the pre-test respondent codes were not complete, the format of coding was revised to

facilitate registry. The space for codes was highlighted, and digits were changed in such a way that

individual components would allow for identification of one or more other elements (governorate,

district, school and respondent).

Confidentiality, in the sense of preserving the integrity of the tools, was an important consideration

in the case of all respondents. In order to address this, several steps were adopted. In addition to

watching respondents to see if they copy from, or distract each other, seating arrangements were

made in such a way that they could see each other less. Facilitators and, if present, supervisors, were

requested to leave the room (following the introduction session). Distracters were administered

after examinations, intended to reduce spread of questions.105 Project NGOs were notified only close

to the day of fielding about which schools would be visited, and the NCERD component was

completed before NCEEE administered subject tests in order to avoid revealing which facilitators

would be examined.

Feedback from facilitators and project staff indicated concern about the ease of children taking

tools. Friendliness with respondents was emphasized to research teams (including a couple of

women). Interaction - be it in the form of surveys and/or a respectful introduction – was requested

prior to examinations.106 Ways of responding, harmonized across instruments, were explained to

respondents, with examples on the board, as well as inside tools. In student tests, to counter-

balance the ‘fatigue factor’, the order of examinations varied: subjects were rotated in equal shares

between schools. In facilitator examinations this was not possible as those from different districts

were invited on separate occasions to take the tests (all together a few sessions) and varying the

subject matter may have interfered with the impact of location on performance. To determine the

order of examinations, results from earlier tests (only available for MS) were used as reference.107

Tests were grouped from most to least difficult, with breaks between examinations.

As confirmed by research teams, the time available for secondary data collection in schools was less

than sufficient. Moreover, one administrator explained that reading out the student survey, with

explanations incorporated, and simultaneously making sure that children are correctly responding to

questions was difficult.108 In order to address these constraints – at the same time ensuring that all

steps in the administration guide were respected - a third person (selected by seniority) was

assigned to every school-based team.109

While project NGOs were requested to update records, they were at times inaccurate. Based on the

Cadre pre-test, where many of the facilitators who administered the test were different from the

105

Distractors were lessons taught to children and composed on a sensitive subject for facilitators. 106

NCEEE handed out a stationary set to every child, which was greatly appreciated by the students. 107

NCEEE, 2008 108

There have been concerns that this method would confuse students by mixing listening and reading comprehension segments;

however, an analysis of answers indicates intelligent responses. 109 Task descriptions were provided to each researcher involved in the assignment.

148

ones who had initially signed up, coding schemes were adjusted, allowing for the addition of new

respondents, as well as deletion of cases that were no longer deemed applicable. Given the

possibility of unexpected respondents, synchronisation of all codes, especially on the part of two

research institutes was not always straight-forward. As NCERD administered their tools first,

registration sheets, with the correct list of respondents, were reviewed by the consultant and the

component of NCEEE was accordingly updated to make sure the same respondent codes were

employed in all cases.

Comparative information on access and achievement was not readily available. Secondary data that

exists was, for the purposes of this assessment, not sufficiently detailed. After a review of MOE

statistics and an unsuccessful attempt to collect background information from the central Ministry,

the choice was made to gather data directly. Administrators, with an official letter from the head of

NCERD, went to local administrations and, with their assistance, collected the required information

from MS and OCS. An official stamp was requested on every sheet, certifying authenticity. The

format of the data collection sheet was revised a number of times to facilitate comprehension by

everyone involved in the exercise. As the pre-test revealed the possibility of resistance to making

information available, field preparations emphasized the need for creative perseverance, along with

systematic follow-up. Since secondary information did not exist, either as a baseline or was present

in terms of employment and broader social outcomes for CS communities and graduates, the study

relied on indirect ways to measure the impact of the project.

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Appendix 10.3 Memorandum of Understanding between the MOE and UNICEF (1992)

150

151

Appendix 10.4 Grant Arrangement between CIDA and UNICEF (2003)

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