Mid-term performance evaluation of the Kosovo basic education program (BEP) : final report

BEP aims to strengthen the capacity of Kosovo's teachers and schools to provide relevant skills for its students. Its overarching goal is to strengthen the Government of Kosovo's (GOK) institutional capacity in the education sector and improve the quality of primary education. The BEP program objectives consist of three interlocking components: (1) enhance school management capacities in the decentralized environment; (2) strengthen the assessment of learning outcomes; and (3) improve in-service teacher training. The eight evaluation questions are: (1) how has the Kosovo Education System in Kosovo been strengthened and benefited from the implementation of BEP's three (3) program assistance components [and] to what extent has the program met its three stated objectives and how effective have the program's interventions been in achieving the program's stated objectives; (2) how have the Ministry of Education and Municipal Education Departments (MEDs) in municipalities where BEP is active strengthened their gender diversity as a result of the implementation of BEP's activities [and] to what extent has the program strengthened gender diversity through its three stated objectives; (3) how successful is BEP in integrating non-Albanian ethnic minorities in its programming [and] to what extent has the program reached out to them [and] to what extent has the program reached out to Serb minority; (4) what is the current capacity and timeline for municipalities to become effective in assuming prescribed responsibilities under the Pre-University Education Law [and] how much has BEP utilized on the job training and coaching with partner municipalities (in comparison to classical training) and what are the concrete results on the ground; (5) how effectively does BEP coordinate activities with other USAID and other donors' programs; (6) based on the review of BEP's implementation and results, what recommendations are there for possible future USAID programming and/or other donors or governments in improving Kosovo education system [and] what recommendations are there for supporting the implementation of the reform process; (7) apart from current coordination, in what other ways can BEP collaborate with other ongoing USAID programs; and (8) which of the identified deficiencies in the overall implementation of the program's current objectives can be remedied in the remaining life of the program [and] what are recommendations and lessons learned? The evaluation team found that much has been accomplished in the BEP, particularly with respect to program outputs (e.g., the quantity of teachers and school directors trained). The evaluators consider Family Health International 360's (FHI 360's) leadership and personnel to be high-quality, dynamic, and energetic; they have interacted routinely and effectively with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), Municipal Education Department (MEDs), teachers, school directors, and other international donor organizations. The quality of BEP training courses, training materials, and especially BEP trainers has universally received high ratings and levels of appreciation. Supported by the responses in the anonymous questionnaires, the interviews and focus group discussions also provided evidence that the BEP is valued for the quality of its training and its trainers; its contribution toward professional development of teachers and a more participatory, relaxed classroom environment; its creation of training and organizational structures for improving school management capacity; and its introduction of technology into schools. With respect to deficiencies, a frequent complaint heard from teachers and school directors was the failure to provide certificates to teachers participating in cascade trainings at the schools. The teacher focus groups and site visits revealed that technology -- despite being greatly appreciated -- is probably not being used, and should probably be discontinued in favor of other low-cost, low-tech learning tools. Specific evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are provided with detailed analysis for each evaluation question. (Excerpt, modified)