Baseline Assessment (Consultant)

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Consultant - Baseline Assessment - Education For Crisis - Affected Girls (ECG) in Borno and Yobe States Consultancy
Ref No: 200002SM
Location:Maiduguri, Borno
Employee Status: Fixed Term
Child Safeguarding
Level 3: The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

Background
Despite nearly two decades of investment in the Universal Basic Education Programme, Nigeria still has 10.5 million out-of-school children - the world’s highest number. About 60% of out-of-school children are girls. Many of those who do enroll, drop out early. 60% of out of school children in Nigeria are in northern States.
According to Education Under Attack 2018 report, Nigeria remains one of the countries where students and educators are most frequently targeted. Northern Nigeria displays the lowest school attendance rate in the country, especially for girls, having a female primary attendance ratio of 44% (Cluster, 2017). Deeply rooted gender inequalities exclude women and girls from decision making and underpin strong social expectations towards girls, including taking on marital roles, and therefore they are less likely to be provided with opportunities to go to school.

Purpose of the Baseline:
The purpose of the baseline and gender assessment will be to provide baseline situational information at project locations which will inform program intervention and strategies. Information from the baseline assessment will be used as standards to track progress and performance towards achieving the projects outputs and outcomes throughout project implementation.

Specific Objectives:
To identify the benchmarks for the project’s intended immediate, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes, against a set of approved indicators in Performance Measurement Framework (PMF);
To provide information for setting realistic and achievable targets for the project;
To provide evidence on key contextual factors, and verify Save The Children’s understanding of the social norm (power dynamics at HH and community level) situation in Yobe and Borno states;
To assess social and gender based attitudes of responsibility-holders at household and community levels toward access to quality education for crisis affected girls aged 6 to 14.
To determine the knowledge and skills of adolescents (10-14) (boys and girls) to engage with responsibility holders and peers for the advancement of girls' right to quality education.
To assess socio-economic capacities of responsibility-holders at household level to sustain access to quality education for crisis affected girls (and boys) aged 6 to 14.
Develop specific recommendations on strategies that will ensure gender equality mainstreaming in the project intervention and ensure that the most vulnerable especially girls are not left out in project implementation.
Provide information on decision making powers, participation levels and control of assets of girls, boys, women and men at household and community level
Generate findings on the restrictive gender stereotypes in school as well as safety and protection issues in the school and community environment and other external factors that can affect girls’ access to education.
Identify the discriminatory gender and social norms barriers to girl education in the project target local government areas.
To determine the capacity of education authorities in implementing gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive teacher professional development (TPD) and certification to improve availability of qualified teachers, particularly females, in conflict-affected areas.
To determine technical and operational capacity of education and social protection government authorities to provide gender-responsive and crisis-responsive education and social protection for most deprived girls and boys;
To improve access of all girls and other vulnerable groups (children with disabilities Street child, child workers, children with conflict, orphans, child-headed households) to quality education.
To provide baseline data where relevant in response to the updated indicators to measure the project results and impact and quality education for the beneficiaries in the program site/location at the end of the project.
Conduct a social norm diagnostic covering the following areas:
Power dynamics at the household and community levels;
Distribution of resources at the household level (access to and control over);
Roles and responsibilities of women, girls, men and boys;
Cultural and religious taboos, myths and beliefs;
Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding education and ASRH rights, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
To determine the realization of the right to education of girls and boys in conflict-affected areas

Scope of the Evaluation:
The Baseline assessment will take place in 6 LGAs across Borno and Yobe State, namely Potiskum, Gujba, Damaturu, Mafa, Konduga, and Jere LGAs.

Design and Methodology:
A mix method approach will be used for data collection (quantitative and qualitative), beginning with the quantitative survey.

Data Collection Tools:
A quantitative household survey that will be administered with:
Adolescent girls and boys stratified by age (10-14) and current status of education (out of school);
Caregivers (male and female) i.e. head of households and parents,
Focused group discussions with:
Very young adolescents (6-9 years girls and boys)
Community members, religious leaders, and key
Key informant interviews with:
Education and social protection government officials;

Sampling:
Sample sites will be selected through a stratified multi-stage cluster sample design. Strata will be selected at the country level, and will include key characteristics and factors expected to impact progress towards outcome (i.e. geographic location, socio-economic features, etc.)

Sampling for Household Survey:
The proposed sample sizes will have 95% confidence interval, enabling results to be generalized to the project intervention areas.
An additional 10 percent sample of households will be included to address non-respondents or incomplete questionnaires.

Key populations have been identified for data collection for the project:
Adolescent girls and boys, stratified by age (6-9: 10-14);
Male and female head of households, parents, and community members;

The selected research consultant will be required to prepare detailed research methodology in partnership with Save the Children Nigeria Baseline survey will be proposed to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The baseline assessment should include, but not necessarily limited to the following methods and approaches:
Desk reviews of relevant documents to assess current situations (national/state reports, local laws, policies and strategies related education, resilience and child protection).
A review of the existing SCI and partner policies such as the SCI Child Safeguarding policy, SC Enabling Teachers Common Approach brief, briefs on gender-responsive pedagogy, Teaching in crisis Context toolkit, SCI humanitarian strategies etc.
Interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews, risk mapping exercises, etc. with Government officials; Community Development/Social Welfare, Education; Community leaders and members; religious leaders; School-Based Management Committees (SBMC); LEAs and a diversity of gender groups (e.g. CAAFAG, Foster parents, Child headed households, Female-headed households, Adolescent Boys and Girls, Persons with disabilities etc.) within the project locations.
Observations and any additional data collection techniques and analysis to be determined by the researcher/consultant (should be elaborated in the consultant proposal).

Scope of Work for the Consultancy:
Reviewing the protocol and survey instruments, providing inputs based on previous similar experience including finalizing the design and sampling methodology;
Translating the protocol and data collection tools into local language (Hausa/Kanuri)
Finalizing the selection of the sample clusters
Uploading the quantitative survey instruments into a cloud-based platform and onto smart phones or tablets for the enumerators;
Conduct training and supervision of enumerators and supervisors required to complete the assignment efficiently, including a piloting of the instruments and last- minute adjustments as needed for improved comprehension of the target population; verifying the enumerators ability to use the smart phones/ tablets and data recording devices for those who are conducting focus group interviews. Enumerators must speak the local language (Kanuri/Hausa)
Leading the implementation of high quality gender sensitive data collection
Verifying data quality as it is being uploaded into the cloud-based platform
Transcribing focus group discussions
Preparing clean data analysis tables of the household survey
Providing translated transcripts from qualitative interviews;
Share a draft report for SC and SCC’s feedback;
Finalize the report based on feedback.