Assignment name:

Data Collection for Zambia Catch Up (CU) and Catch Up Continuing Professional Development (CU CPD) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT): Round 1 process monitoring

Approx. value of the contract (in current US$):

 

USD 76,711

 

 

Country:  Zambia

Location within country: 72 schools in Central, Southern and Western Provinces

Duration of assignment (months): 2

 

 

Name of Client: TaRL Africa

 

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 25.3

Contact Person, Title/Designation, Tel. No./Address:

Dennis Kyalo, Senior Research and Learning Coordinator, TaRL Africa, Nairobi, KENYA

Email: [email protected], Phone: +254 720636111

Start date (month/year): August 2023

Completion date (month/year): September 2023

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 25.3

Name of associated Consultants, if any: N/A

 

 

 

Name of senior professional staff of your consulting firm/organization  involved and designation and/or functions performed (e.g. Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader):

Prof. Gelson Tembo – Team Leader; Doreen Goma-Tembo – Survey Coordinator; Aliness Tembo – Field Manager; Anna Mwape – Field Manager;

Chiluba Goma – Field Manager; Vivian Lwenje – Field Manager; Liseteli Ndiyoi – Data Manager; Anthony Njovu – IT Specialist; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

Description of Project:

The Zambia Catch Up and Catch Up Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Process Monitoring project, conducted by Palm Associates Limited, aimed to assess the implementation fidelity, program uptake, and intermediate outcomes of the Catch Up and CPD programs across 72 schools in Zambia. The study, which covered 36 zones in Western, Central, and Itezhi-Tezhi District, involved classroom observations, teacher and headteacher interviews, and student assessments. Palm Associates was responsible for recruiting and training enumerators, managing field data collection, ensuring adherence to quality protocols, and providing daily data updates. The firm ensured that enumerators conducted interviews in the schools’ local languages and applied rigorous quality checks, including spot-checks and daily high-frequency data assessments. The project was completed between August and November 2023, with final deliverables submitted by November 20, 2023​.

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

In the Zambia Catch Up and Catch Up Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Process Monitoring project, Palm Associates Limited provided a range of services. The firm conducted process monitoring in 72 schools, which included classroom observations, headteacher interviews, teacher interviews, and student assessments. They recruited, trained, and managed enumerators, ensuring they were proficient in the local languages (Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, or Tonga) and well-versed in the study protocols. Palm Associates secured ethical clearance and obtained government-issued permission to enter the schools for data collection. During the unannounced school visits, the firm administered surveys and assessments, following strict quality control measures such as spot-checks and high-frequency data checks. The firm also handled the daily submission of raw and cleaned data to the TaRL Africa Research Team, ensuring data security by separating personally identifiable information (PII) from the de-identified data. They tracked and minimized attrition, ensuring it remained below 5%, and revisited schools or conducted home visits to ensure comprehensive data collection​