International consultancy: Mid-Term Review of the GPE System Transformation and System Capacity Grants (STG and SCG), Freetown, Sierra Leone

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Background

The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), in collaboration with UNICEF, is implementing the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) System Transformation and System Capacity Grants (STG and SCG 2023-2027), which are focused on “Delivering Foundations of Learning for All.” The STG and SCG are aligned with the country’s Education Sector Plan (ESP) and the Partnership Compact, which identifies foundational learning as the priority reform within the education sector. The STG and SCG reflect Sierra Leone’s commitment to transformative education reforms to ensure all children achieve foundational learning outcomes by the end of primary school. These grants focus on building systemic capacity to improve literacy and numeracy for early-grade learners, targeting the most marginalised children, including girls and those identified in the Radical Inclusion policy.

“Delivering the Foundations of Learning for All” aims to address the root causes of poor foundational learning outcomes, including lack of readiness-to-learn among children entering primary school, lack of teaching-learning materials, misaligned curricula and teacher training, limited support for teachers, and inadequate learning assessments. The grants are based on four components:

• Component 1: Raise children’s readiness to learn through targeted pre-primary education.
• Component 2: Strengthen instructional core, teachers’ cadre, and capacity to deliver foundational learning
• Component 3: Increase the use of data and technology to support foundational learning and education service delivery
• Component 4: Strengthen governance, management, and accountability for performance on foundational learning

The mid-term review (MTR) of the STG and SCG is critical in assessing activity implementation progress, identifying achievements and challenges, recommending strategic adjustments to meet its objectives and providing a sustainability plan that will enable Sierra Leone to prepare for the end of the grant period and for future funding that may become available.

The MTR of the grant will also align with country monitoring processes wherever possible, particularly the Mid-term Review of the Partnership Compact and the Education Sector Analysis. This should include but not be limited to:

• Findings from the MTR snapshot report and monitoring questionnaire
• Findings from the MTR inclusive policy dialogue
• Review of the final MTR memo
• Consultations on the ESA

Scope of Work:

The consultant will adopt a participatory and systems-strengthening approach, working closely with Government counterparts and partners to ensure that all technical assistance and implementation activities are aligned with existing national systems, institutional structures and coordination mechanisms. This will include close collaboration with Government institutions (MBSSE/TSC, MTHE and Local Education Group (LEG)).

The consultant will ensure that all interventions are consistent with UNICEF Education approaches, including safeguarding and ethical standards.

Implementation modalities will include:

• Desk review
• Key informant interviews and participatory stakeholder consultations
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis

Specific Tasks:

• Prepare a comprehensive Inception Report
• Conduct stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews (KIIs) and workshops with Government, partners and beneficiaries of grant activities.
• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of quantitative and qualitative data (from available progress reports, monitoring information, KIIs and consultative workshops on program implementation), to identify progress (and gaps) against the grants’ program document and results framework.
• Prepare a draft report that synthesizes findings from the data analysis and includes findings from implementation-achievements and challenges- delivery modalities, gender and equity indicators, as well as recommendations to address challenges, enhance implementation of the grants, formal restructuring (if required). The sustainability plan should be a component within the report.
• Incorporate feedback from the Government, UNICEF and partners.
• Present the findings of the Mid-Term Review Report to MBSSE and MTHE Senior management and the Local Education Group (LEG).
• Submit final Mid-Term Review report, final PPT presentation, updated results framework, and fact sheet.