LAC Education Support Contract Quarterly Report 3

The contract is funded by USAID/LAC and began implementation in October 2018, with the objective of providing rapid access to cost-effective expert technical assistance and logistical services to strengthen the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of regional and bilateral education programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The contract is divided into three main tasks: Sector Assessment, Design, and Implementation Support; Monitoring and Evaluation of Education Programs; and Preparation for Education Skills-Building Workshops. DevTech Systems, Inc. is the contractor responsible for implementing the contract. The contract ends on September 2023. During the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2020, DevTech finalized and received approval on the Spanish translation of the Rapid Assessment Education and Risk Analysis (RERA) report conducted in the Dominican Republic under Task 1. Additionally, DevTech conducted remote data collection and drafted the RERA report for Colombia, which started last quarter. A new activity, the Venezuela Education Diagnostic, commenced in mid-June. Under Task 1, Sector Assessment, Design, and Implementation Support, DevTech received approval from USAID on the Spanish version of the RERA report conducted in the Dominican Republic. The report is now available on the Development Clearinghouse website. In Colombia, DevTech contracted the RERA Team, conducted training for a locally hired data collection firm, and conducted remote data collection. The RERA team also conducted online training for local individuals, using PowerPoint pre-recorded presentations and the application Ring Central, for group discussions. The RERA team in Colombia selected 24 schools in 11 cities and peri-urban municipalities and collaborated intensively with local education secretariats and school principals by telephone to identify over 600 respondents and obtain their contact information. The team conducted a separate case study for the Medellin secretariat with a reduced number of participants and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). DevTech carried out the survey between May 8th and May 15th, resulting in 457 successful responses. The phone surveys were conducted by the Centro National de Consultoria staff, using their call center, and recorded responses using KoboToolBox. Under Task 2, Monitoring and Evaluation of Education Programs, there were no activities conducted during this period. Under Task 3, Preparation for Education Skills-Building Workshops, there were also no activities conducted during this period. By the end of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2020, one sector assessment was completed, another one was being implemented in Colombia, and a third one commenced in Venezuela. The production and distribution of dissemination and communication documents for an activity were supported, and one performance evaluation of education programs was carried out. The LAC Education Support Contract is a critical initiative that aims to strengthen the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of regional and bilateral education programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. DevTech Systems, Inc. is working closely with USAID/LAC and bilateral Missions in the region to provide rapid access to cost-effective expert technical assistance and logistical services to support the implementation of the contract.