Assignment name:

Endline Survey of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Initiative

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

 

USD 297,398

Country:  Zambia

Location within country: Central, Southern and Western Provinces

Duration of assignment (months): 2

 

Name of Client: Empower Learning Africa (ELA)

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 137

 

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

Client Contact Person:

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

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

Start date (month/year): September 2024

Completion date (month/year): October 2024

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 137

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; Rodgers Chansa Musonda – Survey Coordinator; Aliness Tembo – Field Manager; Memory Mposhi – Field Manager;

Martin Mwiinga – Field Manager; Agness Tiwepo Mwanza – Field Manager; Liseteli Ndiyoi – Data Manager; Anthony Njovu – IT Specialist; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

Description of Project:

The TaRL Africa endline survey aimed to conduct endline data collection to assess the impact of the Catch Up and Catch Up Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs on student learning outcomes. The research, implemented in 273 schools across Zambia’s Central, Southern and Western Provinces, gathered data from approximately 8,025 students who participated in the baseline survey. The endline study is part of a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) that evaluates both the regular Catch Up model and the enhanced CPD component, focusing on literacy and numeracy development. The study’s outcomes will inform the scalability and effectiveness of these education interventions, which group children based on learning levels rather than age. The assignment required rigorous data collection, tracking, and adherence to quality assurance protocols, with final deliverables expected by January 2025​.

 

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

The survey firm was responsible for coordinating with 273 schools to ensure student participation and minimize attrition to below 5%, tracking approximately 8,025 students from the baseline survey. The firm conducted student assessments and collected administrative data in the schools’ official languages. To do this, the firm recruited, trained, and managed a team of enumerators familiar with primary education and local languages. Data collection involved administering surveys, gathering student records, and ensuring the quality of data through daily high-frequency checks (HFCs) and spot-checks for at least 15% of the data. The firm provided real-time progress reports and submited both raw and cleaned datasets to the TaRL Africa/VVOB Research Team daily. The firm used SurveyCTO for data collection and Stata for cleaning and analysis, ensuring data security and compliance with ethical standards throughout the process. All final deliverables, including the datasets and supporting documentation, will be submitted by January 2025.