Study on the impact and sustainability of Learning Centres in Kosovo* Terms of Reference 1. Background and Rationale The number of Learning Centres (LCs) in Kosovo has steeply increased in the past years. Created initially as out-of-school resource centres situated within Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian settlements, the learning centres are evolving to have closer contacts with the formal education system. Moreover, the role of the learning centers has been to foster community empowerment and support Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian integration in Kosovar society in general. They have provided an alternative model of development and education of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children, youth and families. Lately the newly opened LCs have being located within the school premises. Over a decade after the creation of the first LCs, Kosovo now counts more than 40 LCs in 15 municipalities1. Most offer after school classes and some also provide leisure activities for children and youth while also provide parenting programmes thereby constituting themselves as fully fledged community centres. The majority of the LCs are funded by international donors, except for a small number that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with municipalities which support them from in-kind contribution up to 7,000 EUR to finance activities and staff. Starting from January 2014, twelve NGOs running the 40 LCs are having monthly coordination meetings to exchange information, best practices and common challenges as well as to plan together to ensure sustainability. However, due to the fact that LCs have been established in different ways by several NGOs, there is neither a homogenous approach to provision of their services nor a commonly agreed way to assess their results. In this framework Council of Europe and UNICEF in cooperation with OSCE make a call for a research team to evaluate the impact of the learning centers and their contribution to offer quality education for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children. 2. Audience and use of findings 1 Ferizaj/Uroševac, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, Gjakovë/Ðakovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane , Graçanicë/Gračanica, Istog/Istok, Kamenicë/Kamenica, Lipjan/Lipljan, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Obiliq/Obilić, Pejë/Peć, Podujevë/Podujevo, Prizren/Prizren, Rahovec/Orahovac, Shtime/Štimlje, Vushtrri/Vučitrn. * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. This study will help first of all the governmental institutions (in particular the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology – MEST) and other stakeholders working in the field of education as well as the broader public to be more informed about the contribution of the LCs and the overall importance of their role to increase school achievement and reduce school drop-outs especially of children from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. The report will also propose recommendations on how to increase quality of the services provided by the LCs and their future sustainability. 3. Study objectives The overall objective of the study is to provide easily understandable and accessible information and analysis of the actual work of LCs, their impact, best practices, challenges and their impact on children and their community. The study should also provide recommendations on how to make the LCs more sustainable and integrated with the current education system. Finally the study outcomes will create baseline data that will be used in the future to measure progress achieved by Learning Centers in a systemic manner. 4. Study Questions This section provides a general overview of the nature of questions that the company must take into consideration. The study company shall develop a questionnaire analyzing challenges and best practices based on DAC Evaluation criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact of LCs. These questions should be regarded as general guidelines. Relevance Are the existing LCs aligned with Kosovo-wide priorities for the education sector? Are the LCs still relevant and mainstreamed into education sectoral policies? Effectiveness To what extent have LCs achieved the intended outcomes? What is the level of progress towards achievement of LCs planned outcomes? Sustainability How many of the LCs have actual cooperation with Municipalities? What kind? How many have received financial support from the municipality or central government institutions? What kind? Are there budgetary resources available from the municipality or central government institutions to take on the financial support of the existing LCs? Impact To what extent LCs have contributed to changes in the conditions of out of school children?  Other research questions include: What are the activities carried out by LCs and who are their main beneficiaries?     What are the quality standards of the learning centres both in terms of staff and programmes? What educational programmes and methodology are LCs using for children? What is the impact of learning centers on children and their family and communities? What is the cooperation between LC, institutions/schools and parents/communities? Who are the main donors and how can Learning Centers become sustainable in the future? 5. Suggested research methods     Desk review, available literature analysis , secondary data collection on Learning Centers Primary data collection based on quantitative and qualitative research methodologies (one to one interviews, group discussions, case studies/life stories, testimonies, field research, questionnaires) in selected target areas with LC staff and beneficiaries; Conduct structured interviews with stakeholders who are directly involved with the LCs; Undertake consultations/interviews with local government institutions, non-governmental organizations, school staff, parents and community representatives to gather their views on the role of Learning Centres. Area of coverage  The consultations should be undertaken in five municipalities, namely Gjakovë/Ðakovica, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, Obiliq/Obilić, Graçanicë/Gračanica and Ferizaj/Uroševac. 6. Ethics and Risk Conflict of interest should be disclosed. Interviews should be conducted with respect to cultural sensitivity of the interviewees and based on a clear consent. Interviewees should be informed about the nature of the research, who is conducting it and for whom. No beneficiary data, names or any other way making individuals identifiable, may be used without the written consent of Council of Europe, UNICEF and OSCE. All the information provided should be treated with utmost confidentiality and none of the names of children, their families and all personal data are permitted to be used in any form in the report or any other publications. Researcher/Consultation team must respect all laws applied in Kosovo 7. - Key Sources and people to be consulted OSCE UNICEF Council of Europe Relevant international donor organizations funding LCs Municipal Directorate of Education Municipal Office for Communities and Returns - Ministry of Education Science and Technology Municipal Education Departments of the seven Municipalities School directors School teachers Local Prevention and Response Teams towards Abandonment and Non-Registration Members Twelve NGOs running Learning Centers Learning Centers staff Parents 8. Deliverables/final report The overall objective of the research team will be to deliver a high quality and publishable report in English. This final study should not exceed 50 pages; appendices can be added in an annex. The report should include an executive summary which length should not exceed 3 to 4 pages. a) A summary report of max 10 pages with the main findings b) The research team will elaborate a clear and attractive PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) to present the main findings, conclusions and recommendations of the research report that can be used in different public arenas c) The main researcher (project lead) will be asked to make a comprehensive Public Presentation of the final report based on the PPT presentation to development and humanitarian stakeholders. The Council of Europe and UNICEF will jointly organise this event. 9. Style of the report Indicatively the report should include an introduction, a review of the available literature, a description of the study purpose, objectives and questions, the methodology applied including the research matrix, guiding questions and questionnaire (in annex), limitations of the study, and the research team profile. The research findings should be presented and analysed according to the research plan. Conclusions should highlight and correlate the results with the research hypotheses and validate or reject them. The report should include clear and workable recommendations to increase the quality and sustainability of the Learning Centers. 10. Timetable Starting from the time of awarding the contract to the best bidder, the suggested timeframe breakdown includes Task Description Consultation meetings and interviews at the central level Date 3 days Focus group with representative of NGO running LC Interviews with relevant stakeholders Researcher will provide the first draft Providing comments by all key related people in research Total days of consultancy The report should be finalized by end of March 2015. 2 days 3 days per 5 municipality (15 days) 12 days 1 days 33 days 11. Study Management UNICEF and Council of Europe will be the main interlocutor for the research team. Focal point from the organizations will monitor and facilitate the study, in the following tasks list:        Review and discuss the inception report with the research team and approve it Provide written reports and relevant information to the research team Facilitate the research process and liaise among research team, LCs and NGOs in the target areas Review the first report draft and provide comments and inputs Approve the final version of the report Participate and/or support the research findings communication activities Monitor the overall quality for the process The research team could be asked to interact with this Research committee or with some of its members for the sake of the research process 12. Qualifications and experience required The research institution will have a demonstrated experience in education and social sciences research, in relation with non-formal education, better if in the Kosovo context. The research team should include a lead, and the team group should be of at least 2 members (of which at least one Albanian speaking). Required research team lead qualifications:  Proven experiences in designing and leading participatory research focused on non-formal education or have produced relevant publications in this specific field of research  Proven experience in designing and leading researches on education related to development interventions or have produced relevant publications in this field  Proven experience as a research team leader, strong team leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team with other experts; strong mentoring capacity in methodologies for nonformal education research  Extensive knowledge of education issues, inclusive education, after school education programme with focus on community activities for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children, etc.  Ability to produce well-written reports, in a plain and approachable text, demonstrating excellent analytical and communication skills.    Ability to coordinate the research team and to establish constructive relations with the organizational structures that will support the research (Management committee, regional and local staff) Ability to deliver a high quality product in a timely manner Excellent command of English (written/spoken) and Albanian language. Knowledge of Serbian Language will be an asset. The Research Lead will be responsible for coordinating the research as a whole, will be in charge of communication with the Management Committee and will be responsible for the deliverables agreed upon. Please note this is a local work and preference will be given to qualified researchers based in Kosovo. 13. Submission of technical proposal Submission of tenders should be made by email to [email protected] by specifying on the Cover page the Study title Study on the impact and sustainability of Learning Centres in Kosovo. The tender proposals should include at least the following: a) Preliminary study framework based on the ToR b) A timeframe for the research with clear details concerning the work to be executed, and specifying interim deliverables c) A detailed budget d) Research team description: composition, leadership and curricula of all members e) An example of study report produced by the research team or research lead (or valid hyperlinks to online published papers, reports, etc.) Place and deadline for submission of tenders: Candidates are invited to submit the documents listed above via e-mail to the following address [email protected]. The deadline for applications is 16 November 2014 (midnight). Please do not send any other documents and in particular any heavy attachments at this stage. An information session will be organised on 31 October 2014 at 10am for all interested organization to learn more about the nature of the call as well as the CoE/UNICEF procedures. The session will take place at the Council of Europe premises (5 Bedri Pejani, Pristina).