| Overview : Background:
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is one of the most diverse regions of the country in terms of geography, ethnicity, culture and tradition of the peoples. The estimated population in the CHT is approximately 1.5 million, which is about 1% of the population of Bangladesh. There are eleven ethnic groups indigenous to the CHT (defined as 'tribes' as per CHT Accord) in the CHT speaking distinct languages. These are Bawm, Chak, Chakma, Khyang, Khumi, Lushai, Marma, Mro, Pangkhua, Tangchangya and Tripura. The three largest of these (Chakma, Marma and Tripura) represent about 90% of the total 'indigenous'/'tribal' population, which altogether make up only about 50% of the overall population of the CHT at present, with the rest consisting of Bengalis, the majority of whom were relocated into the CHT a little over three decades ago. The majority of the CHT population lives in rural areas.
Basic education was one of the heavily affected sub-sectors during the conflict in th CHT. Villages in the CHT have lower access to education as compared to the rest of the country. For children, especially the younger ones, it is difficult to walk through the hilly terrain and reach the schools. Due to grossly inadequate basic education infrastructure and facilities, closures, relocation of schools and displacement of elements of the population combined with personal and livelihood insecurity the progress in terms of enrolment, literacy and completion of children of the indigenous minority population is much lower than the national averages. Substantial number of households still remain excluded from the educational process. In addition, the distance to education facilities seems to be a significant deterrent to enrolment of 6 yr olds with parents often delaying enrolment till their child is older (thus the disparity between GER and NER). An appropriate distance (2 km as defined by the government) in the plains areas is different from an appropriate distance in very hilly or marshy areas. Difficult terrain makes the journey much longer and potentially unsafe.
UNDP through the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility (CHTDF) implemented the Phase I of education project from January 2008 to 2009 with an aim to support and work to complement the government’s plans as described in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) (2005 and 2008). From December 2009, the CHTDF has been implementing education project "Strengthening Basic Education in the Chittagong Hill Tracts-Phase II” to support the government to realize its commitments to basic education in the CHT and the project is scheduled to end on 30 September 2013. The EU has been the main donor for both phases, with CIDA and UNDP sharing some of the costs.
Within the scope of the overall objective "Improved socio-economic development of the CHT in line with the principles of CHT Accord", the project purpose is: "Establish and promote access to a quality primary education system in the CHT." The project purpose is set around targeted results related to advocacy, strengthening systems, increasing access to basic education, improving quality of education, and multilingual education.
The project operates in 12 upazilas (4 upazilas in each district) out of total 25 upazilas in the three hill districts (Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban) and supports 300 community established schools (100 schools in each district). In addition, the project provided training to School Management Committees (SMCs) of a total of 180 selected government primary schools in three districts (60 per district). The project targets CHT remote communities that are most vulnerable and have limited access to primary education services. Direct beneficiaries of Phase II include around 20,000 children with access to school, and to an improved classroom or school environment.
The project is implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA), with support from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), and National Curriculum & Textbook Board, and in partnership with the three Hill District Councils (HDCs), and national and CHT based NGOs.
The project was consciously designed to complement PEDP-II, and in particular the Action Plan for Mainstreaming Tribal Children in Education. The contribution of the project is visible in achieving the Tribal Action Plan. It has addressed of the main learning barriers including language barriers by establishing schools in remote areas, recruiting community based teachers who speaks local languages, organizing training courses to promote child-friendly learning, introducing mother-tongue based Multilingual Education (MLE) for children belonging to 7 CHT ethnic groups and developing culturally sensitive relevant materials as well as strengthening of SMCs 300 remote schools in un-served or underserved communities in the CHT.
CHTDF, UNDP took part in a pre-appraisal mission for Prog3 (as PEDP3 was known earlier), and in liaison with MOCHTA, in subsequent processes of developing and implementing PEDP-3 as well. At present PEDP-3 focuses on marginalized communities including 'tribal groups' in hard to reach areas under the heading of 'inclusive education', in the context of which the CHTDF education component has the potential for harmonization and alignment. From the very beginning of the 2nd phase, the project has been implemented by having the Hill District Councils (HDCs) as the main implementing partners. This has been done as education is one of the subjects transferred to HDCs as per the provisions of the CHT Accord and related legal provisions for the CHT. At the same time, however, CHTDF has tried to facilitate closer working relations between HDCs and relevant line departments at various levels. Thus, at the start of phase II, the DG of DPE issued a letter urging all DPE officials at District and Upazila levels to extend necessary support to SBECHT. At the national level, the Technical Advisory Committee for Education (which functions as an advisory committee to the CHTDF National Steering Committee), comprising of members from MOPME, MOE, DPE, UNICEF etc., has identified potential areas of collaboration between h SBECHT and PEDP-3. However, in this context, it was also noted that relevant provisions under PEDP-3 are rather limited at the moment.
In order to take stock of the situation with regard to roles and responsiblities of the different institutions mandated for education services in CHT and assess the feasibility of integration of the SBECHT within the framework of the sector wide programme on primary education, provisions for a mid-term review mission was included in the project design.
Objectives of the Mid Term Review (MTR):
The general objective of the MTR will be to assess the relevance of the design of SBECHT-II, and the efficiency and effectiveness of its implementation to date, with particular focus on issues of sustainability and alignment with relevant government policies and programmes. In the context of the specific focus, the MTR will assess the extent to which the project is consistent with relevant national policies and programmes—e.g. National Education Policy 2010, and in particular the new SWAp, the 3rd Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-3) —and examine the feasibility of integration of the project to the national program and provide recommendations for the way forward. The MTR will also assess the roles of different duty bearers such as DPE and HDCs, with respect to effective planning and implementation of relevant provisions under the national education policy and PEDP-3, such as action plan for mainstreaming ethnic children in primary education.
Scope of Work:
The MTR team will undertake the following;
· Assess whether the project design is clear, logical and commensurate with the national program and policy on education on the one hand, and with CHT-specific legal framework (including the provisions of the CHT accord) on the other;
· Analyze the project's alignment/synergy with PEDP-3, identifying any improved clarity needed in the roles of different duty bearers, and recommend scope for better alignment/integration for sustainability;
· Identify major achievements of the project in line with the expected results, assess their sustainability prospects, with appropriate recommendations for enhancing these as relevant;
· Assess the role of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) feeding in the project learning to the PEDP-3 and provide recommendations for effective engagement and better coordination with the line departments for effective inclusion of ethnic minority children in mainstream education;
· Assess the requirement of any special provisions/arrangements for ethnic minority children and/or for the CHT region under PEDP-3 and identify rooms for working together for effective implementation of Inclusive Education;
· Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of project coordination, management, including specific reference to:
a) Organizational/institutional arrangements for collaboration among the various partner institutions involved in project execution;
b) The effectiveness of the monitoring mechanisms currently employed by the project management in monitoring progress on a regular basis;
c) Administrative, operational and/or technical problems and constraints that have influenced the effective implementation of the project (including recommendations for necessary operational changes and alignments);
d) Recommend any necessary corrections and adjustments to the overall project work plan and timetable for the purposes of enhancing the achievement of project objectives and outcomes.
Deliverables:
a. An inception report in consultation with, and incorporating written inputs from the National Expert and CHT Expert to be shared and agreed with CHTDF Education Cluster within one week of commencement of contract. The report will consist of detailed methodology of the review, timetable and main stakeholders to be met. This report will also clearly specify the distribution of tasks among the team of consultants, and different parts of the final report that different team members will be responsible for.
b. Presentation of draft/provisional findings of the review team at a debriefing to CHTDF, EU and GoB (Government of Bangladesh) representatives and 1st draft report in hard and soft copy.
c. A final report combining written inputs from the National Education and CHT Experts and in consultation with them delivered both in soft and hard copy. The report will incorporate feedback from all concerned (CHTDF, UNDP/EU/MOCHTA) and contains an:
i. Executive Summary (Brief description of the project, context and purpose of the review and main conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned)
ii. Introduction (Project background, Purpose of the review, Key issues addressed, the outputs of the review and how will they be used, Methodology and Structure of the review)
iii. The development challenges and project response (how the challenges are addressed by government, and how they are reflected in national policies and strategies; and information on the activities of other development partners in response)
iv. The main findings: project relevance, integration potentials, clarity of roles, efficiency, effectiveness, impact of project activities, sustainability with recommendations for improvement.
v. Conclusions
vi. Recommendations and lessons
vii. Annexes: TOR, Itinerary, List of people met, List of documents reviewed, questionnaire used and summary of results
Timeline:
The Mid Term Review is scheduled to take place over the months of May-July 2012. The expected start date is by mid-May 2012. The whole assignment may span over a total period of maximum nine weeks, with fieldwork/interviews within the country/CHT expected to take up to five weeks. Tentative timeline for different steps of the assignment is shown below:
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Activity
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Timeline
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1. Meeting with EU and CHTDF
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Mid-May
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2. Review of documents and discussion with key selected staff/officials
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Week 1
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3. Submit inception report along with a detailed plan and methodology
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Week 1
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4. Finalize the plan sharing/ discussion with CHTDF
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Week 2
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5. Conduct survey including desk reviews; key informant interviews; FGDs; and other primary surveys as needed
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Week 6
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6. Share presentation of debriefing, improve and present in a debriefing session
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Week 7
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7. Draft Report submitted to CHTDF, UNDP
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Week 7
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8. Feedback on draft report
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Week 8
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9. Final Report preparation and submission
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Week 9
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Tentative Payment Schedule:
Payment will be linked with the deliverables as per the following tentative schedule:
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Deliverables
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Tentative timeline
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Payment
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Submission and acceptance of the inception report
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Within 1 week of the contract commencement
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15% of the total contract value
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Presentation and acceptance of draft/provisional findings of the review team at a debriefing session to CHTDF, EU and GoB (Government of Bangladesh) representatives and 1st draft report in hard and soft copy
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Within 7 weeks of the contract commencement
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50% of the total contract value
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Submission and acceptance of the final report as per the prescribed format
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Within 9 weeks of the contract commencement
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35% of the total contract value
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Inputs:
CHTDF
- CHTDF will provide a letter of introduction and facilitate access to relevant offices, including security clearance for travel within the CHT (if/as applicable), for the consultant hired to carry out the MTR
- CHTDF will provide temporary desk spaces, if required, for the consultant.
- Vehicle support for work related travel within the CHT (including pickup/drop from/to Chittagong airport if applicable)
- Support in organizing workshops/meetings/FGDs as per work plan
Consultants:
- There will be a total of three consultants who will work as a team, and bring in following expertise:
a) Team Leader: Overall leadership in conducting the MTR; coordinate with other team members, and ensure inputs from them; responsible for submission of deliverables/reports on the whole.
b) Education Expert: Knowledge of the primary education sub-sector of Bangladesh, particularly of PEDP-3; assessment of the current status PEDP3 and its relevance for CHT context
c) CHT expert: Knowledge of the CHT context, including its linguistic diversity and institutional arrangement, especially in relation to education
- All deliverables mentioned in the TOR should be developed and submitted to CHTDF, UNDP on time;
- The consultant should have her/ his own laptop;
- Costs for conducting FGD/meetings/workshop in relation to this contract as well as interpreters’ assistance, if any, will be borne by the consultant.
- Ensure progress tracking of target-achievements specified as per the work plan submitted.
The team leader will be responsible for ensuring timely preparation and submission of all reports in line with this TOR, and ensure inputs from and coordination with other members of the team.
Please refer to the attached IC Notice for detail evaluation criteria and proposal submission procedure. Incomplete proposals will not be considered for evaluation. |
