Evaluating the Gender-responsive Education and Transformation Project
Through funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Right To Play (RTP) is implementing the Gender-Responsive Education and Transformation (GREAT) Project in Ghana, Mozambique and Rwanda. At the ultimate outcome level, the GREAT project aims to improve learning outcomes for 17,323 girls and 17,323 boys from KG1 – Grade 6 in Ghana, Primary 1 to Primary 6 in Rwanda, and Grade 1 to Grade 3 in Mozambique.
A team of evaluators from One South, in partnership with in-country research managers, coordinated the multi-country evaluation to assess project relevance, effectiveness, and impact.
The evaluation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, with appropriate precautions put in place, in line with One South's COVID-19 prevention data collection protocols. These protocol was developed in close consultation with relevant ethical principles in order to protect participants and researchers.
The study sampled 2,107 children, their parents and caregivers in project areas and 1,032 children, their parents, and caregivers, in comparable non-project areas.
In Rwanda and Ghana, to assess project impact on quality education outcomes for children, the study adopted a quasi-experimental difference-in-difference design, tracking a representative sample of boys and girls in Grade 1-3 from Baseline to Midterm in project (treatment) and non-project areas (control).
In Mozambique, to assess project impact on key outcomes, the study adopted a quasi-experimental difference-in-difference design relying on cross sectional model and utilizing an aggregate representative sample of girls and boys in Grades 1-3 at both periods. This approach was selected for Mozambique as the project only supports children in grades 1-3 in project schools and therefore a cohort tracking design was not appropriate.
The evaluation was able to identify several key project successes and recommendations for future activities. Amongst other key findings, the study highlighted
The role of girls' clubs and teaching quality improvements in supporting girls' in Ghana to improve their English literacy outcomes, school belonging and leadership outcomes.
The role of teaching improvements in supporting girls to improve their pre-reading skills in Rwanda.
The effective contribution of the project to the integration of pre- and in-service teacher training in Rwanda
The role of the project in supporting schools in Ghana, Rwanda and Mozambique to adopt girl-friendly improvements
The evaluation was also able to identify several barriers which had become more pervasive for children's outcomes in specific areas, including:
barriers associated with teachers administering corporal punishment on students,
barriers faced by children who live in households where the household head has no formal education (particularly during school closures)
barriers associated with chore burdens and child work
One South was engaged in continuous consultation with Right To Play to identify lessons learned and develop of recommendations to guide future activities and project design.
