International development - inclusive education programme: call for proposals

B. Background

Scottish Government’s International Development Fund

1. The SG places great importance on Scotland being a good global citizen. This means playing its part in tackling global challenges including poverty, injustice, climate change and inequality, though both investment and policy decisions.

2. In terms of wider SG commitments on climate, as per Scottish Ministerial commitments to build a fairer and more sustainable environment, proposals should take account of the need for sustainable use of resources^[3]. To support and promote fair work practices, another important requirement for the grant-holders is alignment with the Fair Work First criteria as well as equivalent arrangements and legal requirements in partner countries.

3. At the forefront of our efforts is the IDF, which was established in 2005 to support our international development work through financial investment.

SG International Development Strategy

4. Four SG PCs were identified for ongoing development cooperation following a public consultation in 2016, based both on need (HDI rankings) and their links (historic and/or contemporary) to Scotland. The PCs were affirmed in Global Citizenship: Scotland's International Development Strategy^[4] (the 2016 Strategy), published in December 2016, which sets out our contribution to the international community. Our new International Strategy (published January 2024) affirms that contribution, our commitment to Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia as our African partner countries, and our intention to advance access to education for the most marginalised, especially girls and learners with additional support needs.

SG International Development Review 2020/21 (March 2021)

5. In 2020/21, we undertook a review of our approach to International Development in the light of COVID-19 and to respond to issues for international development highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement^[5]. The outcomes of the Review were announced through a statement made by the then Minister for International Development, Jenny Gilruth, to the Scottish Parliament by means of a Government-Initiated Parliamentary Question (GIPQ) on 3 March 2021^[6].

6. The outcomes from our Review, and further evolution of our programme, may be seen to be centred on changes to:

• our underpinning approach; and
• the key thematic areas for our investment in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia; note that our investment in Pakistan, through our existing Women and Girls’ Scholarships Programme, was confirmed to remain.

7. A key outcome of the Review in terms of our future approach, and commitments announced through the GIPQ, relevant to this programme include that SG would commit to partner country-led development; amplifying global south voices; inclusion and diversity; and equality; and contribute to sustainable development and the fight against poverty, injustice and inequality internationally. These commitments were made through our new International Development Principles which had been co-developed with civil society in our partner countries and in Scotland during the Review.

8. Our big shift in terms of our approach has therefore been to our new Principles. Where we listened to the voices of the Global South, looked at the great work we had already achieved and looked to learn lessons from our partners. We want to put the Global South in the driving seat of our policy-making, programming, defining our strategies, shaping project delivery and wherever possible implementing with us. This is a major pivot in our traditional approach to devising funding calls and designing programmes for our development investment, and is a journey on which we will continue.

9. Sectoral Focus: following discussion with our partner countries during the review period, the key thematic priorities for our investment in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia are evolving to fit with their immediate priorities. In particular to mitigate the impact on women and girls of the COVID pandemic, and reduce attainment gaps. A key consideration for us has been where we can provide financial investment, but also added value through existing expertise in Scotland in relevant subject areas selected for our ongoing development partnerships.

10. Through this process, the Review identified inclusive education as one of the thematic areas prioritised by all three of the SG’s African PCs and confirmed through extensive bilateral discussion with each country, and therefore remains a key area of co-operation, for enhanced financial investment through the IDF from 2024 onwards.

B.1 The strategic case for supporting inclusive education

11. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) states that education is a basic right. A range of declarations and conventions highlight the importance of education for disabled people: the Salamanca Statement on education and special needs in 1994, as well as article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) adopted in 2006. The importance of education for all is also included in the Convention against Discrimination in Education 1960. In 2015, the Incheon Declaration recalled the importance of inclusive education for all, and SDG Targets relating to Goal 4 call for access to inclusive education.

12. According to UNESCO^[7], ‘Children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and excluded groups of children; routinely, they are denied their right to quality education. Policies vary considerably worldwide, with some countries prioritising education for these children in different settings: special schools and centres; special classes in integrated schools; or inclusive schools which work to identify and remove barriers, and to enable every learner to participate and achieve in mainstream settings^[8]. Establishing inclusive mainstream schools is widely regarded as desirable for equality and human rights, and it has educational, social and economic benefits’.

13. More specifically, ‘children with disabilities face barriers to learning even when they are in school: Too often, schools lack teachers with the adequate training and materials to provide disability-inclusive education, and classroom facilities and learning resources often don’t accommodate specific needs’^[9].

14. According to UNESCO^[10], a global online survey of parents and caregivers found that only 12% of students with visual impairments had access to Braille materials and only 10% of deaf learners had access to transcripts of audio services. UNESCO further note that in at least half of the countries surveyed by the International Disability Alliance in 2021, governments had not adopted measures for these learners. The survey showed that only 19% of teachers who had learners with a disability reported that their students continued learning during school closures, and only 16% said they had the support needed to continue helping these students.

15. UNESCO’s most recent assessment^[11] of progress in education against SDG targets has concluded that progress since 2015 has been ‘far too slow’. Their report noted that ‘the number of young women completing secondary school for every 100 young men increased from 102 to 105 globally, and from 84 to 88 in sub-Saharan Africa, which remains the region where young women face the largest disadvantage.’

16. Concerning tertiary education, SDG4 prioritises ‘equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university’. While there are not large differences in the transition between secondary and primary school in our PCs, adolescent girls in the poorest quintile of urban areas are generally more likely to be out of school than boys, with COVID recently magnifying that disparity: for example, in all our PCs school closures have led to a higher prevalence of early sexual debut and marriages, and increased teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence.

17. Separately to this Call for Proposals, the SG will seek to complement Strands 1 and 2 with a third strand to remove additional barriers to inclusive education, to be operational before the end of 2024. This includes support for Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia’s participation in the World Bank’s Inclusive Education Policy Academy between 2024 and March 2026. It may also address WASH and hygiene, transport, nutrition and other barriers from 2024/2025 at the request of the Governments of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia (through a planned Fund open to Civil Society Organisations), with the input of the Ministries of Education.

18. Finally, education is framed in our partner country development plans as, in addition to being a human right, a building block for economic growth and development, and as a pathway to widening participation in economic and social life (for example, Malawi’s Vision 2063^[12] and equivalent national development plans in Rwanda and Zambia).

B.2 Continuing a tradition of Scottish support for inclusive education

19. This programme aims to build on a track record of inclusive education projects through SG IDF-funded^[13] individual projects in our three African partner counties and in Pakistan ^[14], including:

• The Malawi Deaf/Deafblind Awareness and Communication Training Project (2013-16), which supported Education for All, with support to mainstream primary schools to effectively include deaf learners in the classroom^[15]
• The Equitable Access to Education for Children with Disabilities in Malawi project (2013-16) which supported/increased access to education for disabled children and the quality of education they receive;
• The Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project (2017-23), to improve the quality of primary school teaching and learning through a School Based Teacher Development Programme which supports teachers in developing active teaching approaches and finding solutions to the very practical issues they face in the classroom (including pupils with special educational needs), accessed through locally appropriate technologies including teachers' own mobile devices^[16];
• The Online MBA Scholarship for Women in Zambia initiative, which in 2024 renews a previous partnership between the Scottish Government and Heriot Watt University for fully funded distance learning opportunities which open doors to business education for Zambian women from all backgrounds;
• The “Fostering a social practice approach to adult literacies for improving people's quality of life in Western Rwanda” project (2017-23), has innovatively included sensitisation of families and wider communities for best effect in embedding the approach^[17];
• The Scotland Pakistan Scholarships for Young Women and Girls program^[18] commenced in 2013, initially offering scholarships solely for Masters degrees, and subsequently expanding to encompass Schools and Undergraduate studies over time. As of 2022, a total of 19,000 students across Pakistan have benefited from the Scotland Pakistan Scholarship Scheme. This includes 1,900 university students, comprising both undergraduates and postgraduates, 1,218 master's students, 624 bachelor's students, and 16,474 school students.

20. However, stakeholder consultations with partner country government Ministers and officials, donor representatives and civil society organisations have confirmed that future inclusive education work funded through the SG’s IDF needs to be less fragmented and more streamlined and strategic. This call for proposals aims to respond to that request.

B.2.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Inclusive Education.

21. According to the OECD,^[19] the COVID-19 pandemic is by far the largest disruption witnessed by education systems in the 21st century. At the peak of the first wave, school closures affected over 90% of all learners worldwide. This placed educators in a challenging teaching environment, and put millions of households under economic stress. The learning loss and the heightened risk of student disengagement, particularly for the most vulnerable, can have long-lasting effects on their life outcomes and future economic growth and well-being.

22. According to the World Bank^[20], the Covid-19 pandemic and associated closures of schools have been correlated with substantial loss in learning in Africa, including in Malawi, where the Government closed all public schools for a total of 7 months.

23. Beyond the recovery phase, the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the argument for exploring new approaches in inclusive education delivery from pre-primary to higher education.

B.2.2 Statement of Requirement

24. The SG is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced organisation to undertake the design, implementation and management of the new Inclusive Education Programme, comprising Strand 1 (Support for Disabled Learners and those with additional support needs) in and Strand 2 (Scholarships supporting women and girls to complete secondary education and transition to tertiary education or TVET). Both strands will operate in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia (Central Province only).

25. Please note that organisations can apply for Strand 1, Strand 2, or apply for both Strands 1 and 2. Applicants should ensure that in all cases, their application is for the design, implementation and management of programme Strand(s) in all three countries.

B3. Criteria for Grant Holders

26. A list of assessment and eligibility criteria for the grant holder for the programme is outlined in the Technical criteria section summary, Annex A (full list), and reflected in Annex B (Application form). Most criteria apply regardless of the programme Strand being applied for.

27. Should your application be successful, you will be bound by Scottish Government Terms and Conditions for International Development grants for any award. An example of the Terms and Conditions are attached at Annex C and should be read in full before applying.

28. The Scottish Government is clear that it gives no IDF funding direct to other Governments; Scottish Government IDF grant funding is only available to non-governmental and civil society organisations operating in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. And whereas a Department of the Government of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, such as their Education department, may be a partner in an application for funding, applicants should note that under no circumstances should any funding received from the IDF be transferred to a Government. This must be taken into account by applicants in establishing their partnerships, for applying to the Scottish Government.