Job Description

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Background

USAID/India has contracted Panagora Group to provide monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) services to generate learning inputs for the implementation of the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). Panagora will conduct an ex-post performance evaluation of a USAID India funded education program.

Despite free access to education and good student enrollment rates in India, the quality of education remains low and reading gains in the early grades are not yet at acceptable levels. Less than 50 percent of grade five students are able to read a grade two level text, and too many Indian primary school students are not acquiring reading skills at the appropriate rate. As a result, they drop out of school early or enter adulthood either illiterate or with extremely poor reading abilities. Teacher education is not rigorous enough to effectively prepare teachers for the classroom and includes little or no training in early grade reading pedagogy. Similarly, principals and other school administrators receive inadequate training, and school administration and the quality of education suffer as a direct result. The project goal was to build strong foundation of emergent and early literacy competencies in students, outreaching more than 100,000 unique students, in selected blocks of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. The project aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• Equip teachers with knowledge and skills to improve literacy instruction in classrooms by moving away from rote learning to meaningful engagement with print.

• Ensure access to age-appropriate, quality children's literature in the classroom/community libraries.

• Demonstrate available models to improve foundational literacy skills in elementary school children and emergent literacy skills in 5+ preschoolers.

The overall purpose of this ex-post evaluation will be to assess sustainability and to know how the outcomes and impacts evolved after completing the education activity. Additionally, the evaluation findings will be used to guide future programs in the education sector.

Approach

The evaluation will use both qualitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. Prior to conducting field visits for primary data collection, the assessment team will conduct an extensive review of documents, including, annual work plans, project reports (annual reports and quarterly progress reports), activity monitoring and evaluation plan, and other related documents. In conducting this evaluation, the team will gather a wide range of background information from USAID and the Implementing Partner (IP) to ensure that the findings and recommendations are based on an accurate understanding of the program, Key Informants', and beneficiaries' feedback.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the evaluation team, to include technical oversight, in activity planning, team coordination, design, and review of data collection instruments.

• Lead the design of the evaluation work plan with methodology, data collection instruments, list of any additional documents for desk review, stakeholder list for interviews, and schedule of activities

• Oversee desk review, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs) and group interviews with USAID/India staff, GOI counterparts, private sector firms, NGOs, and experts

• Working with the Panagora technical lead, lead the analysis of collected data through the desk review, KIIs, FGDs and quantitative data, to lead the drafting of findings, conclusions, and preliminary recommendations for sustainability of USAID supported initiatives

• Lead the preparation and present the draft report with preliminary recommendations for discussion with USAID/India and other stakeholders

• Lead the drafting for a final report incorporating USAID feedback, summarizing data collection, main findings, and conclusions.

Requirements

• Master's degree in evaluation or a related field with experience in performance evaluations of EGR or early education interventions

• At least 15 years of professional experience working in evaluation

• Experience in leading performance evaluations of USAID-funded activities strongly preferred

• Exceptional skills in conducting key informant interviews, focus group discussions and similar qualitative data collection approaches in addition to the technical oversight of these data collection methods.

• Understanding of USAID education programming, preferably through prior experience working with a USAID Mission

• Fluency in English

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Strong conceptual and writing skills in English, including demonstrated experience leading the drafting of reports and presentations of evaluation design, progress, and results

• Experience using online platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet for all aspects of remote research.