April 2015 - Education for Change

Education for Change
Supporting educational and social change that informs and empowers
Issue 13, April 2015
EfC matters
Latest EfC News
New project: Evaluation of the International Institute for the Study of
Nomadic Civilisations (IISNC) in Mongolia
Following her completion of a review of the Institute for African Culture and
International Understanding (IACIU), Julie Carpenter is to conduct a similar
exercise with regard to the IISNC. The IISNC is another UNESCO Category
2 institute, established in 1998 by UNESCO and the Governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and, in particular, Mongolia because of the central role played by nomadic culture in that country. The evaluation will assess the Institute’s performance against the objectives and functions in its founding Agreement, and its contribution to
UNESCO’s strategic programme objectives, priorities and themes. The decision on whether to renew the Institute’s Agreement will be
based on the findings of the evaluation due in June this year. Photo credit Laetitia Antonowicz
Global evaluation of early learning and development standards (ELDS) and their effect on school readiness
Mongolia will also feature in EfC’s evaluation of UNICEF’s ELDS and their role in improving early childhood education and
school readiness. It is one of four countries, including Jordan and South Africa, that will provide in-depth studies on the key themes
of the evaluation. Visits are scheduled for June and July. The first stage of the evaluation, including a global literature review and
some interviews with UNICEF Regional and Country Office staff, concluded with a visit to UNICEF HQ in New York in early
April by John Wood and Julie Carpenter to present the Inception Report and hold discussions with key early childhood experts. A
survey of all countries that reported some form of early learning and development standards in their CO Annual Report, some 108
countries, got underway in late March.
Advancing early childhood education in the CEE/CIS Region
EfC’s project for the UNICEF CEE/CIS Regional Office is drawing to a close following advocacy round table discussions in Bosnia,
Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan on the findings of our Multi-Country Evaluation on Early Learning and School Readiness in the region. EfC is
currently preparing policy briefs to assist UNICEF in taking the work forward.
Going for a laugh
After four years with EfC, Jake Grout-Smith has taken up a new post with Comic Relief as International Grants Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, a slightly bigger job than he had here but that won’t faze him. He has made an invaluable contribution to EfC both professionally and personally, helping us to win business and ensuring projects were soundly run and successfully completed. We are very
sorry to lose him but delighted to have had the benefit of his expertise, great good sense and excellent company. Best of luck, Jake.
Events and Opportunities
The 2015 EFA Global Monitoring Report national and international launch events, April-June 2015
World Education Forum (WEF), 19-22 May 2015, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Oslo Summit on Education for Development—Addressing the unfinished agenda. NORAD, 6-7 July, 2015, Oslo, Norway
EvalPartners 2nd Global Forum Celebrating International Year of Evaluation 2015, and launching 2016-2020 Global Evaluation
Agenda. 23th to 25th November, Kathmandu, Nepal
Education and Development Research Resources
Education for All 2000-2015: achievements and challenges. Final report in the current series. UNESCO, April 2015
Are schools safe and equal places for girls and boys in Asia? Plan Asia, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). Research
study in Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam. February 2015
Improving Quality: Current Evidence on What Affects the Quality of Commissioned Evaluations. Lloyd, R. and Schatz, F. , Institute
of Development Studies (IDS), March 2015
We’re looking for…..
….skilled and experienced individuals to join our team of experts for individual projects. If you know any education experts who
might be interested in working with us, please contact m.goodman@efc.co.uk