Catch Up – Zambia Verification Exercise in Eastern, Southern and Luapula Provinces

Assignment name:

Catch Up – Zambia Verification Exercise in Eastern, Southern and Luapula Provinces

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

US$ 106,158

Country:  Zambia

Location within country: Eastern, Southern and Luapula Provinces

Duration of assignment (months): 2

Name of Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 27.4

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

Jacqueline Mathenge, Research Manager,  TaRL Africa Team, Lusaka, ZAMBIA

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +254 736 040 417

Start date (month/year): May 2022

Completion date (month/year): July 2022

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 27.4

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 – Survey Manager; Nathan Tembo – Field Manager; Liseteli Ndiyoi – Data Manager; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

Description of Project:

The Catch Up Student Assessment and Verification Project in Zambia, conducted by Palm Associates Limited in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and J-PAL Africa, aimed to assess and verify student progress under the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) initiative. The project focused on students in Southern, Eastern, and Luapula Provinces, with data collected during midline and endline assessments. Palm Associates was responsible for delivering clean and verified data on student outcomes, conducting field surveys, and ensuring high data quality standards. The services included managing enumerators, conducting classroom observations, and implementing data quality checks. The final deliverables, including clean datasets and final reports, were submitted for client review and approval within the contractual period​​ ​

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

In the Catch Up Student Assessment and Verification Project, Palm Associates Limited provided a comprehensive range of services. The firm conducted midline and endline assessments across Southern, Eastern, and Luapula Provinces, assessing student progress under the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) initiative. They managed field operations, including recruiting, training, and supervising enumerators who conducted classroom observations and student interviews. Palm Associates ensured data quality by implementing rigorous data verification protocols, conducting spot-checks, and applying high-frequency checks (HFCs) during data collection. The firm was also responsible for delivering clean and verified datasets, separating personally identifiable information (PII) from de-identified data, and submitting final data reports to the client. All tasks were completed in accordance with the agreed timelines, with data submitted for review and approval upon project completion​.