International Development Fund - inclusive education programme: report
This report supports the development of the Scottish Government’s (SG) International Development Inclusive Education Programme, which will operate in Scotland’s International Development partner countries: Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia.
Programme Design
Programme Design
The programme design seeks to improve the inclusivity of partner country ‘regular’ education systems for people with disabilities and girls and young women. The programme is divided in to two distinct workstreams: targeted support for girls and young women and holistic support for learners with disabilities. These will be outlined in greater depth below. However, it is important to note that, whilst distinct, neither workstream operates in isolation, but rather are complimentary to each other and both work towards an overall aim of improving the inclusivity of the education systems in partner countries, advancing gender equality, and ultimately contributing to the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four. Furthermore, both workstreams broadly seek to target learners at the secondary level in order focus SG investment and in turn increase impact.
The programme design is high level and intended to be responsive to the context of each partner country. For example, the extent to which functioning disability screening and referral mechanisms exist in partner countries is variable and will necessitate different levels of input from SG and its partners. Nevertheless, the design is intended to provide a degree of consistency across partner countries, which will allow SG to develop its own skills and knowledge, and in turn its reputation for excellence within disability, gender, inclusive education, and international development. The programme draws upon lessons from a wide variety of existing policies and programmes, such as government and international organisation sector reviews, and local CSO and governmental representatives were consulted in the design process.
The overarching impacts the programme is aiming to achieve are:
Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women.
Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women.
An overview of the two workstreams can be seen below.
Workstream 1: Targeted support for girls and young women
Input |
Level |
Education Focus |
|---|---|---|
Input 4: Design and invest in marginalised girls scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET students, including a quota for learners with disabilities |
National |
Basic Education/ Tertiary |
The focus of this workstream is at the secondary level and the transition in to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The workstream seeks to support girls and young women’s retention in education, by implementing a targeted scholarship scheme to remove barriers faced by marginalised girls and young women (input four). This input responds directly to support requests from partner country governments and is an important element in SG feminist approach and contribution to SDG five. Nevertheless, whilst the main focus of this workstream is girls and young women, it also constitutes an important element of the systems approach adopted in workstream two, by necessitating a quota for girls with disabilities. As can be seen in table 1, this workstream will have a national level impact.
Workstream 2: Holistic support for learners with disabilities
The focus of this workstream is at the secondary level. However, there are discrete elements where the evidence and stakeholder input indicate a broader scope would deliver higher impact. This workstream aims to improve inclusivity by taking a holistic systems approach, which targets: evidence generation and informed policy development; hard and soft infrastructure, in the form of the built education environment, teacher skills, access to and knowledge of assistive technologies, and robust early years disability screening and referral mechanisms; and crucially advocacy and policy campaigns, to ensure awareness of disabled persons needs and the existing support opportunities. Gender equality will be considered at every stage of the workstreams design and implementation. The inputs should be viewed together as part of a package which supports system level change and creates a much-needed evidence base for policy makers in Scotland, partner countries, and beyond, to make positive change.
Input |
Level |
Education Focus |
|---|---|---|
Input 1: Strengthen Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for people with disabilities’ inclusion in the education system, including capturing data on those not in the system. |
National |
Basic Education |
Input 2: Review and/ or design system to screen and refer early years aged children for disabilities. |
National |
Basic Education |
Input 3: Asynchronous in-service teacher training module on supporting learners with disabilities. |
National |
Secondary Education |
Input 5: Invest in assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
Input 6: Invest in training on the use of assistive technologies. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
Input 7: Supporting investment in inclusive education infrastructure. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
Input 8: Advocacy campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities education needs and opportunities. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
As shown in table 2, the inputs operate on two levels: the national and the local. National level inputs will allow SG to have an impact on the entirety of partner country systems. For example, input 1 would improve data collection, management, and insights at the national level. Local level inputs recognise the budgetary and capacity restrictions of both SG and partner countries and seeks to turn them into a strength. They would work in conjunction with the national level inputs to both provide impact and demonstrate how low-cost community interventions in different areas of the system can together produce a more inclusive system for learners with disabilities. Furthermore, the costs associated with education for learners with disabilities is often seen as barrier not only for the learners, but also for government and civil society. Therefore, the local level inputs will have an important demonstration effect for low-cost solutions, which will be important in policy dialogue and influence. As such , if SG wish to increase their credibility as an inclusive education development partner and achieve their strategic goal of policy influence, these local level initiatives are essential, and the evidence created will allow them the authority to champion the issue in local education groups and in partner country policy dialogue. It is recommended that these smaller scale interventions are concentrated in particular region or district to maximise impact.
Strength of Evidence
There is an extensive evidence base for investing in learners with disabilities and girls and young women at the global level to improve both their life chances and the broader inclusivity of education systems. Table 1 outlines the main assumptions applied within this business case and explores the source and quality of the evidence found, which supports these areas. Nevertheless, there are limitations and gaps in terms of context specific evidence. Please note, the section does not provide a detailed overview of the evidence, as this has been outlined in the body of the business case. The definition of quality evidence can be seen in the table below.
Confidence Level |
Descriptor |
|---|---|
Very Low |
The true effect is probably markedly different from the estimated effect |
Low |
The true effect might be markedly different from the estimated effect |
Moderate |
The authors believe that the true effect is probably close to the estimated effect |
High |
The authors have a lot of confidence that the true effect is similar to the estimated effect |
Statement |
Strength |
Sources |
Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
Education for people with disabilities should be invested in at a global level |
High |
World Bank: The price of exclusion (PASEC data) Special Olympics Global Centre for Inclusion: Global State of Inclusion |
Asides from disabled persons right to basic education, the evidence suggests the returns to investing in children with disabilities are high. Furthermore, the evidence suggests being gender intersects with disability to compound disadvantage. |
There are evidence-based interventions to improve educational access, retention, and outcomes for people with disabilities |
High |
World Bank: The price of exclusion (PASEC data) |
There are a number of international evaluations of different projects and intervention types to support learners with disabilities. |
There are evidence-based interventions to improve educational access, retention, and outcomes for girls and young women. |
High |
CGD, Girls education and women’s equality. CGD, Girls Education and Women’s Equality Sperling and Winthrop (Eds), What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence for the World's Best Investment |
There are a number of international evaluations of different projects and intervention types to support girls and young women’s education. |
There is evidence that taking a gender mainstreaming approach will improve educational, access, retention and outcomes for girls, young women and people with disabilities |
Low |
OECD-DAC-Gender-Equality-Policy-Marker.pdf">OECD-DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker |
The evidence suggests that gender mainstreaming has few examples of successful implementation and in turn impact on access, retention, and learning outcomes, and that buy in from all parties is essential for meaningful application. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that female gender can compound disabled persons disadvantage. As such, ensuring girls are considered at every stage of policy development should help to control for this. Furthermore, gender mainstreaming is a central feature of the OECD DAC Gender Equality Marker. |
Supporting learners with disabilities will support the most marginalised in society |
High |
There is a strong evidence base to suggest that people with disabilities are some of the most marginalised in society. |
|
People with disabilities’ education should be invested in in Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia |
High |
National Education Statistics National Sector Plans and Reviews GPE: Household survey data on disability and education in GPE partner countries GPE: Disability and Inclusive Education UNICEF, Inclusive Education Mapping in Eastern and Southern Africa |
There is a clear need to invest in people with disabilities’ education in Malawi, Zambia, and Rwanda. There is national data which identifies gaps in infrastructure and teacher training. Wider studies also highlight the need for disabled persons support in other areas, such as assistive technologies. However, support is needed to update and expand on this data to ensure it is robust and comprehensive. |
Girls and young women’s education should be invested in in Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia |
Medium |
National Education Statistics National Sector Plans and Reviews |
In all context there has been significant positive developments in education for girls and young women in partner countries. However, those girls and young women from marginalised communities still face multifaceted discrimination. As such, there is evidence of a need for targeted support for disadvantaged groups of girls and young women. Furthermore, the effects of the covid-19 closures are still poorly understood. However, emerging evidence suggests girls are particularly in need of support to ensure equality in recovery. |
Investment in infrastructure will improve education access and retention for people with disabilities. |
Medium |
World Bank: The price of exclusion (PASEC data) |
There is a wide range evidence to suggest that improving infrastructure increases access and retention of learners. Generally, a broad logic is employed that if the school’s infrastructure is not accessible to learners with disabilities, they cannot attend. Furthermore, interventions that improve learners day-to-day experience of schooling are associated with increased student performance. Beyond this, the evidence available tends to focus on discrete aspects of infrastructure, such as larger windows for the visually impaired or ramps for wheelchair uses, rather than infrastructure more broadly. As such, specific infrastructure investments will need careful consideration. |
Investment in assistive technologies will improve retention and outcomes for learners with disabilities. |
Medium |
World Health Organisation and UNICEF: Global report on assistive technologies |
There are a range of studies, which demonstrate assistive technologies positive impact on learning outcomes, particularly when used within an accessible school environment. However, further evidence is needed to understand the role assistive technologies play in student retention. Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence on how EdTech can most effectively be introduced into mainstream settings and aligned to the curriculum. |
Investment in teacher training will improve the quality of provision for learners with disabilities and those with additional needs. |
Medium |
World Bank: The price of exclusion (PASEC data) OECD: Equity and Inclusion in Education GPE: Disability and Inclusive Education Small scale studies e.g. Crispel O and Kasperski R (2019). The impact of teacher training in special education on the implementation of inclusion in mainstream classrooms. |
There is an extensive evidence base for the impact teachers have on a child’s learning and the positive value added of training that provides them with the skills needed to support their students. There is a small but growing evidence base specifically on the impact of in-service teacher training on supporting ASN learners. |
Policy and advocacy campaigns will raise the profile of people with disabilities’ educational needs and issues |
Medium |
There is evidence to suggest that policy and advocacy campaigns can successfully raise the profile of disabled persons educational issues, and contribute to positive change by strengthening planning, implementation, and impact, and lobbying for increased budgets. |
|
Investing in robust monitoring and evaluation practices will improve educational access, retention, and outcomes of learners with disabilities |
Medium |
World Bank: The price of exclusion (PASEC data) OECD: Equity and Inclusion in Education UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities GPE: Household survey data on disability and education in GPE partner countries GPE: Disability and Inclusive Education |
There is an extensive evidence base for the role of monitoring and evaluation within education. It is essential in order to understand the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the different, interventions, programmes, and initiatives, which collectively constitute the education sector in a given context. Nevertheless, the design of any monitoring and evaluation framework dictates its value, as it must be relevant. The field of monitoring and evaluation in disability and inclusive education is a relatively new field. However, there are global frameworks in place that can support the design of effective strategies and frameworks. |
Investing in robust early disability identification and referral systems will improve access, retention, and outcomes of learners with disabilities |
Medium |
Malawian Developmental Assessment Tool World Bank Toolkit on measuring Early Child Development in Low and Middle Income Countries World Health Organisation: Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities |
There is a strong evidence base for the positive benefits early screening can bring to a child’s education and wider life. There are also a number of established frameworks and models that can be deployed. However, further evidence is needed to ensure the right model is used in a given context for the specific disability being identified. |
Investing in a scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET female students will improve access, retention, and outcomes. |
Medium |
Glewwe and Muralidharan (2016). Improving Education Outcomes in Developing Countries: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Policy Implications. |
The evidence base for the effectiveness of scholarship schemes in improving access, retention and outcomes is mixed and depends on the mechanism used to deliver the scholarships. However, demand side interventions that reduce household costs of schooling or increase the returns to student effort, tend to increase time students spend in school and educational outcomes. However, cost effectiveness is variable. Conditional cash transfers appear to be the most effective modality in improving educational access, retention, and outcomes for the most marginalised. However, within these there is little consistency on the size of effect between different initiatives and different types of incentives produce different results. For example, there is evidence to suggest that cash transfers to families based on school attendance, in conjunction with supply side grants to schools, teachers, and parent-teacher associations have an impact on attendance. Whereas performance-based scholarships have a positive correlation with improved learning achievements. As such, considerable care would need to be taken when designing a scholarship programme to ensure maximum impact for the desired outcome. |
Programme Costs
How does the proposed SG programme compare to global ‘best buy’ standards?
The Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel produced an analysis of ‘best buys’ in education in low- and middle-income countries drawing on the best available evaluation and research on the most cost-effective interventions to improve learning (World Bank, 2023b). The Panel acknowledges that there are limitations to this approach and stress the importance of taking account of local contexts (not all interventions will work in all contexts), political will and feasibility. To control for this, they recommend any recommendations be supported by a country specific needs analysis, which was conducted as part of the programme design process. The Panel also stresses the importance of taking a systems approach to the design and delivery of any intervention.
The proposed interventions for the SG Inclusive Education Programme have taken account of the global findings whilst noting the limitations of the evidence of impact of system wide interventions to improve the learning of children and young people with disabilities.
Table 6 on the next page presents a comparison between the global ‘best buy’ standards as identified by the Global Education Advisory Panel and the interventions proposed in the SG Inclusive Education Programme, which seeks to improve the life chances of learners with disabilities and help to create a more inclusive education, in particular for girls and young women.
GREAT BUY |
|
GOOD BUY |
|
PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE |
|
EFFECTIVE BUT RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE |
|
BAD BUY |
Global Standards |
SG Inclusive Education Programme Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women. Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women. |
Programme Link Description |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| GREAT BUY | Giving information on education benefits, costs and quality |
Input 1: Strengthen Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for people with disabilities’ inclusion in the education system. Input 8: Review of the support available for learners with disabilities and development of policy and advocacy campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities education needs and opportunities. |
Input 1: The best buys report outlines the need for locally relevant data from a trusted source. As such, improved national data plays an important role in supporting quality education and represents a ‘great’ return on investment. Input 8: The best buy report outlines the need for sharing information on education benefits, costs and quality with parents and educators. This input builds on this and broadens the scope to include information on the type of support available to learners with disabilities. As such it represents a ‘great’ return on investment. |
| GREAT BUY | Supporting teachers with structured pedagogy, with linked materials and ongoing teacher monitoring & training |
Input 3: Asynchronous in-service teacher training module on supporting learners with disabilities. |
Input 3: The best buy report highlights that upskilling teachers, by providing pedagogical training and/ or teaching resources represents a ‘great’ buy. As this input provides just this, it represents a ‘great’ return on investment. |
| GREAT BUY | Interventions to target teaching instruction by learning level not grade (in and out of school) |
||
| GOOD BUY | Targeted interventions to reduce travel time to schools |
Input 7: Supporting investment in inclusive education infrastructure. (e.g. Community projects to make local schools more accessible.) |
Input 7: The best buy report highlights that travel times to school are a key barrier to educational access. In the case of learners with disabilities, this may be because the school in the local community does not have accessible infrastructure, which becomes a barrier to access. As such, projects that improve this represent a ‘good’ return on investment. |
| GOOD BUY | Giving merit-based scholarships to disadvantaged children and youth |
Input 4: Design and invest in a marginalised girls scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET students, including a quota for learners with disabilities. |
Input 4: The best buys report outlines the case for ‘need-based aid’ as a tool for keeping children in school, particularly at the secondary level. This input is a direct link to this finding and, as such, represents a ‘good’ return on investment. |
| GOOD BUY | Pre-primary education |
Input 2: Review and/ or design system to screen and refer early years aged children for disabilities. |
Input 2: The best buys report highlights the substantial returns for learning outcomes and long-term economic benefits, which accrue from early years intervention. As such, correctly identifying learner needs and providing them with the support they need at as early an age as possible, represent a ‘good’ return on investment. |
| GOOD BUY | Providing parent-directed early childhood stimulation programs |
||
| GOOD BUY | Administering school-based mass deworming where worm-load is high |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Using software that allows for personalised learning and adapts to the learning level of the child (where hardware is already in schools) |
Input 5: Invest in assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. Input 6: Invest in training on the use of assistive technologies. |
Input 5 & 6: The best buys report highlights that the use of adaptive software, which targets the learning needs of an individual child is a promising investment. As such, investing in technologies that augment the classroom experience for those with disabilities and support them to engage represents a strong link to this evidence base. Furthermore, the report stresses the need for any EdTech solution to be supported by training to ensure it is integrated effectively into the classroom. As such, the combination of these two inputs represents a ‘promising’ return on investment. |
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Targeting interventions towards girls |
Input 1: Strengthen Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for people with disabilities’ inclusion in the education system. Input 2: Review and/ or design system to screen and refer early years aged children for disabilities. Input 3: Asynchronous in-service teacher training module on supporting learners with disabilities. Input 4: Design and invest in a girls scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET students, including a quota for learners with disabilities. Input 5: Invest in assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. Input 6: Invest in training on the use of assistive technologies. Input 7: Supporting investment in inclusive education infrastructure. (e.g. Community projects to make local schools more accessible.) Input 8: Review of the support available for learners with disabilities and development of policy and advocacy campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities education needs and opportunities. |
The programme mainstreams a gender equality approach, as such all components consider girls needs in their design, with input 4 directly targeting girls. As such, in this regard, the programme represents a ‘promising’ return on investment. |
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Augmenting teaching teams with community-hired staff |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Providing mass school-based treatment of specific health conditions |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Leveraging mobile phones to support learning |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Safeguarding students from violence |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Teaching socio-emotional and life skills |
||
| PROMISING BUT LOW EVIDENCE | Community involvement in school management |
||
| EFFECTIVE BUT RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE | Feeding in Primary Schools |
||
| EFFECTIVE BUT RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE | Cash transfers (as a tool to improve learning) |
||
| BAD BUY | Additional inputs alone (textbooks, class size, laptops/tablets, grants, libraries, etc) |
||
| BAD BUY | Investing in hardware like laptops, tablets and computers alone |
||
Source: World Bank, 2023 |
What are the costs and benefits of the proposed interventions in the SG inclusive education programme?
Assessing the costs and benefits of interventions in the education sector is much more challenging than in other sectors, such as health. In particular, the benefits accruing from improving access to a good quality education are spread over a lifetime and are affected by a wide range of complex variables. The benefits of improving education particularly for girls and young women have been demonstrated to be substantial both to the individual and to their communities (see for example FCDO, 2021).
The Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel presented a high-level cost -benefit analysis of a selection of interventions which have been shown to improve learning in LMICs as measured by learning adjusted years (LAYS) with significant caveats on the importance of taking account of local context.
Figure 24: Learning-Adjusted Years of School (LAYS) Gained Per $100, by Category Chart
Source: World Bank, 2023b
The data available on the costs and benefits of specific interventions targeted on learners with disabilities is not extensive. However, there is a broader evidence base, which demonstrates the value for money in investing in children with disabilities education. The available evidence suggests that the returns are greater for investment in this group’s education, and in turn life chances, than investments in learners without disabilities. This is due to a variety of reasons, not least because economically inactive people with disabilities are expensive for the state to support (Watters, 2022; IDDC and Light for the World, 2016; World Bank, 2018). It is recommended that the SG Inclusive Education Programme in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia should include a research and evaluation stream to collect data on the costs, benefits and sustainable impact of the interventions supported by the programme, as this will make a substantial contribution to the global debate on improving education and life chances for children and young people with disabilities.
Programme Procurement Strategy
Workstream |
Contract Strand |
Input |
Level |
Education Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Workstream 1 |
Strand 1 |
Input 4: Design and invest in a girl’s scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET students, including a quota for learners with disabilities. |
National |
Secondary Education / TVET |
Workstream 2 |
Strand 2 |
Input 1: Strengthen Monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for people with disabilities’ inclusion in the education system. |
National |
Basic Education |
Input 2: Review and/ or design system to screen and refer early years aged children for disabilities. |
National |
Basic Education |
||
Input 3: Asynchronous in-service teacher training module on supporting learners with disabilities. |
National |
Secondary Education |
||
Input 5: Invest in assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
||
Input 6: Invest in training on the use of assistive technologies. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
||
Input 7: Supporting investment in inclusive education infrastructure. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
||
Input 8: Review of the support available for learners with disabilities and development of policy and advocacy campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities education needs and opportunities. |
Local |
Secondary Education |
It is recommended that SG take a two-strand approach to procuring the appropriate skills and capabilities to deliver the inclusive education programme to a high quality whilst ensuring value for money. This is outlined in the table 7 above.
The first strand relates to Input 4, which proposes a targeted scholarship scheme for girls and young women in secondary schools, to allow them to complete their education at this level and transition to vocational or university education. Given the importance of ensuring strong local networks of support for scholarship schemes, it is recommended that this input is delivered in partnership with one or more organisations who have a strong track record of delivering scholarship programmes in the partner countries. The MasterCard Foundation and FAWE are both potentially strong partners in this area.
The second strand relates to the delivery of all of the other inputs to increase access to quality education for girls and young women, and learners with disabilities. It is recommended that this is procured through a competitive tender which invites proposals from civil society organisations and contractors, possibly in a consortium which allows for lesson sharing across all three countries. Credit could be given in the tender criteria for strong in-country presence and a demonstrated track record in reaching girls and young women, and learners with disabilities from the most disadvantaged communities. There were a number of organisations who participated in the consultations who would be well placed to deliver a high-quality programme and offer innovative approaches which are applicable in the local context in the partner countries.
Programme Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Strategy
This section outlines a long list of the key indicators SG should consider with their delivery partner(s) both in the monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework of the programme as a whole and in the separate inputs. To align with the OECD DAC Gender Equality Marker and their own feminist approach, SG should ensure the inclusion of a gender disaggregated indicator in all inputs.
Indicator |
Component |
Methodology |
|---|---|---|
% increase in learners with disabilities, girls and young women completing secondary education and transferring into tertiary education |
Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women. Inputs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Secondary data analysis of official partner country statistics |
Improved data on learners with disabilities at all levels of the education sector plans |
Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women. Inputs: 1, 2, 8 |
Review national education sector plans using both a disability and a gender lens. |
% increase in communities and policy makers with positive attitudes towards people with disability |
Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women. Inputs: 8 |
Qualitative study that tracks attitudinal change, conducted by delivery partner. This will consist of focus group discussions and key informant interviews. |
Impact of programme on life chances of girls and young women. This includes labour market outcomes, retention in school, reduced early pregnancies and marriage, transition into tertiary education. |
Impact 1: Improved life chances for learners with disabilities, girls, and young women Impact 2: A more inclusive education system, in particular for people with disabilities, girls and young women. Inputs: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
A tracer study, following a small sample from the cohort of SG beneficiaries. It will track their activities and outcomes during [and after] the SG IE programme. This should be included in the design of the scholarship and the study should include some control subjects, to enhance the validity of the findings. |
Risks
There are a number of risks to the success of the programme, which will be addressed and managed during final stages of programme design and monitored during programme implementation. The table below provides a summary of the high-level strategic risks with an assessment of the likelihood and impact along with mitigating actions.
Risk |
Risk Likelihood |
Risk Impact |
Mitigating Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
SG does not have capacity to engage with partner country governments on strategic issues in the education sector. |
Medium |
High |
Build capacity in SG team Establish strong partnerships with Local Education Group. Contract technical expertise to support in-country dialogue. |
Local civil society organisations lack capacity to engage at the strategic level to achieve the programme objectives |
Medium / High |
High |
Select local and regional CSOs with demonstrated experience in strategic influencing. Ensure lead organisation has experience and capacity to support other CSOs |
Partner country governments lack political will to improve education for girls and young women, and for learners with disabilities and additional support needs. |
Low |
High |
Confirm support for programme from partner country governments. Participate in joint education sector reviews to monitor policy implementation. |
Partner country governments lack capacity to improve education for girls and young women, and for learners with disabilities and additional support needs. |
Medium |
High |
Minimise additional transaction costs for partner country governments by aligning with national education sector plans and participating in joint reviews. Ensure that delivery partners support and build capacity for government partners. |
Teachers and head teachers lack capacity to improve education for girls and young women, and for learners with disabilities and additional support needs. |
Medium |
High |
Ensure teacher training programmes are well targeted and delivered flexibly to allow teachers to participate. |
Families and communities resist efforts to improve education for girls and young women, and for learners with disabilities and additional support needs. |
Low |
High |
Ensure that delivery partners build community support and take account of cultural norms and expectations. |
Small scale infrastructure projects and assistive technologies fail to demonstrate affordable solutions to overcome barriers to education. |
Medium |
Medium |
Ensure that delivery partners have clear plans for designing, delivering and evaluating cost effective solutions. |
Scholarship schemes fail to reach most marginalised girls and young women, and learners with disabilities and additional support needs |
Medium |
High |
Ensure that specifications include targets for reaching most marginalised students. Monitor progress against key indicators relating to marginalised communities. |
Summary Value for Money Statement
The design for the Scottish Government International Inclusive Education Programme seeks to achieve value for money in line with best practice in aid effectiveness, following the principles of feminist and anti-racist programme design and delivery as set out in the International Development Policy and in line with Scottish government guidance on achieving best value (2023).
The three-strand approach for the options recommended in this business case seek to maximise the likelihood of Scottish Government achieving its goal of helping to secure a lasting and sustainable positive impact on the educational achievements and life chances of girls and young women, and learners with disabilities in the partner countries, particularly those from marginalised communities.
In particular, the Scottish Government Inclusive Education Programme will achieve best value through:
Vision and Leadership by acting as a leader and champion for change to advocate for increased support for education for girls and young women, and learners with disabilities in national education sector plans and through local community projects in the three partner countries. SG, through its local delivery partners and a close partnership with partner governments, will help to develop and promote a vision for better education opportunities for the target groups.
Governance and Accountability by working in collaboration with partner country governments and local CSOs to support good governance and better accountability in the education sector, including through initiatives to improve the collection and use of data and evidence on the educational achievements and improved life changes of girls and young women, and learners with disabilities and additional support needs. The Scottish government international development department will take overall responsibility for the governance of the programme as a whole. They will provide a robust governance framework is place for all partners in the programme, which ensure the programme operates and effectively and efficiently, and in turn provides value for money. They will do this by ensuring clearly defined roles, communication and escalations routes, and risk management procedures are in place. These should be in line with SG programme management standards and the requirements and priorities of partner countries.
Use of resources by allocating the majority of the resources of the inclusive education programme through a competitive tender process which gives credit to organisations with a strong track record of achieving results through cost effective, community led interventions. In addition, it is proposed that SG allocate a small proportion of the programme budget to international organisations that are well placed to achieve the high-level strategic objectives in particular influencing government policy and improving data and evidence.
Partnership and collaborative working. The business case aligns to the SG International Development principles of equality, transparency, and accountability, and recommends working collaboratively with partner country governments, development partners and international organisations, CSOs and, through the delivery partners, local communities. SG will establish a shared vision and co-creating shared solutions, which will build the capacity of partner country organisations and communities to affect positive change. This will increase the likelihood of SG’s investment through its inclusive education programme achieves an impact across the education sector as a whole and over time.
Working with Communities The programme will build on the SG established participation ethos by ensuring that delivery partners have close links with local communities and that the voices of girls and young women from marginalised communities, and learners with disabilities are heard during the development, implementation and evaluation of the programme.
Sustainability by working closely with partner country governments to strengthen the delivery of national and local district education sector plans that prioritise the needs of the target groups and by committing to a long-term engagement in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the programme.
Fairness and equality by ensuring that delivery partners use targeted interventions to reach girls and young women, and learners with disabilities from the most marginalised communities, and by ensuring that outcome indicators include measures to track the extent to which project interventions reach these groups.
Indicators of VFM
It is difficult to provide reliable indicators of VFM in the education sector in LMICs due to insufficient data available on the key variables that can have a significant impact on effectiveness, efficiency and economic value of the programme. The table below proposes a number of potential indicators against each input that could be tracked to assess value for money. It is recommended that SG invites its delivery partners to propose a small number of VFM indicators based on their knowledge and experience of the local context.
The indicative VFM indicators are categorised as follows:
Effectiveness: How well do the outputs of the intervention achieve the desired outcomes?
Efficiency: How well are inputs are turned into outputs?
Economy: Are the inputs purchased the appropriate quality and price?
Input |
Indicative VFM Indicators |
|---|---|
Input 1: Strengthen monitoring, evaluation and learning framework for people with disabilities’ inclusion in the education system. |
Effectiveness – partner countries incorporate components of MEL framework into education sector plans. Efficiency – joint education sector reviews use MEL framework to track progress for learners with disabilities. Economy – cost of technical expertise. |
Input 2: Review and/ or design system to screen and refer early years aged children for disabilities. |
Effectiveness – partner countries adopt screening tools for use at national level. Efficiency – increased % of learners with disabilities in the education system. Economy – cost of screening tools. |
Input 3: Asynchronous in-service teacher training module on supporting learners with disabilities. |
Effectiveness – improved understanding of needs of learners with disabilities (self-reported). Efficiency - % of teachers complete training courses. Economy – cost of developing and delivering training courses. |
Input 4: Design and invest in marginalised girls’ scholarship scheme for secondary and TVET students, including a quota for learners with disabilities |
Effectiveness – girls and young women from marginalised communities take up scholarships and complete secondary or TVET courses. Efficiency – number of girls and young women enrolled on the scheme Economy – cost of scholarship schemes (including management costs) |
Input 5: Invest in assistive technologies for learners with disabilities. |
Effectiveness – learners with disabilities report improved access to and engagement in courses. Efficiency – increased access to and use of assistive technology in schools and colleges. Economy – cost of assistive technologies. |
Input 6: Invest in training on the use of assistive technologies. |
|
Input 7: Supporting investment in inclusive education infrastructure. |
Effectiveness – more learners with disabilities accessing schools and colleges. Efficiency – appropriate adaptations completed by local communities on time and within budget Economy – cost of adaptations |
Input 8: Advocacy campaign to raise awareness of people with disabilities education needs and opportunities. |
Effectiveness – measurable change in awareness at the community level Efficiency – campaigns reach large number of community members Economy cost of advocacy campaigns vs number of people reached. |
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