Twaweza is seeking the services of a Monitoring Consultant, for a period of 5-7 months, to strengthen Uwezo monitoring, particularly of its communication and public action components. The specific objectives of the assignment are:
- To understand Uwezo’s theory of change and current evaluation program and identify its monitoring needs;
- To review existing information management and monitoring processes elements undertaken at present;
- To design a clear and robust monitoring system and plan for Uwezo across the three countries and regional office, including workflows of who does what when, practical tools and management reports;
- To train and support relevant Twaweza/Uwezo staff on why monitoring makes sense and how to do it;
- To oversee the early implementation/roll-out of the plan.
Uwezo at Twaweza is a long-term year initiative to improve basic literacy and numeracy in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania through an innovative, civic-driven and public accountability approach to social change. Uwezo focuses on enabling policy makers as well as ordinary citizens – i.e. parents, students, local communities and public at large – to become aware of actual levels of children’s literacy and numeracy, and use this awareness to stimulate practical and policy changes to improve learning across East Africa. The work is organized through three country teams, with coordination from the regional management team based in Nairobi. Uwezo is part of Twaweza, a citizen driven initiative to promote citizen agency and improved service delivery in East Africa.
For full details of the posting, please access the Twaweza website here
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Two out of three pupils in Standard 3 across East Africa are not able to pass basic tests in English, Kiswahili or numeracy at the Standard 2 level. This is the headline finding of a new report by Uwezo at Twaweza. By the time they reach Standard 7, two in 10 pupils still do not have Standard 2 level competencies. Results from the 2011 national assessments done in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda show that little has changed from previous assessments.
According to Dr Sara Ruto, Regional Manager of Uwezo East Africa, ‘Despite significant gains in expanding access to primary schooling, actual literacy and numeracy outcomes remain significantly deficient across the region.’
While all countries do poorly, Kenyan children do relatively better than their counterparts in Tanzania and Uganda on all tests. Ugandan children performed the worst, but overtake Tanzanian students by the time they reach Standard 7. Children from low-income households perform the worst in all three countries and students in private schools do better than those in public schools, particularly in Tanzania.
Despite the discouraging results, there is also cause to be hopeful. Since the first Uwezo results were released, public debate has shifted to focus on quality and learning outcomes rather than educational inputs. Additionally, experiments on innovations in learning are taking place around the globe and can inform reforms in East Africa.
The assessment tested nearly 350,000 children in 150,000 households across the three countries, representing the largest annual data collection effort in education on the continent.
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Uwezo will launch its 2012 East Africa report on August 14th at the Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi. The Minister of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, Hon. Mohammed Ibrahim Elmi, will launch the report.
Uwezo is the largest annual data collection effort in education on the continent, and the only annual source of information regarding numeracy and literacy levels of elementary school-aged children. Household based assessments are done in all 158, 133, and 80 (census) districts in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda respectively. Since inception in 2009, Uwezo has reached a total of 150,000 households, testing more than 350,000 children in basic literacy and numeracy skills. Uwezo has just completed its third year of annual assessments, covering 30 villages per district, 20 households per village and 1 school per village in every district of each of the three countries.
The 2011 assessment found that the majority of students in Standard 3 were unable to complete the Uwezo tests at the Standard 2 level. In Kenya and Uganda, pupils who reached Standard 7 were nearly universally competent at the Standard 2 level; in Tanzania only 50-80 percent were. The 2012 assessment results will reveal if there has been a change in students’ capabilities.
Beyond releasing the 2012 results, the launch will highlight interventions and solutions individuals and organizations are pursuing to improve learning, particularly in the early grades. A Ministry of Education Officer will talk about the inspiring work he is engaged in, expanding access to school and ensuring that children are learning in Northern Kenya. The Aga Khan Foundation will share stories from their ‘Reading to Learn’ program that is being implemented in Kenya and Uganda and soon to be rolled out in Tanzania. The program attempts to improve teachers’ pedagogy skills by offering continuous on-the-job training. Ugandan NGO Mango Tree will also share their insights on using indigenous language and resources to improve children’s learning
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