Projet USAID/Mali SIRA Evaluation à mi-parcours sur le genre

The project aimed to improve reading and writing skills in Bamanankan among first and second-grade students in public and community schools in the regions of Koulikoro, Ségou, and Sikasso, as well as in the Bamako district. The project was implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) and its partners, including School to School International (STS), Save the Children, Œuvre Malienne d'Aide à l'Enfance au Sahel (OMAES), and Cowater Sogema. The project was funded by USAID and overseen by the Ministry of National Education (MEN). The project had three components: pedagogy, institutional, and community participation. It targeted 10 Académies d'Enseignement (AE) and 56 Centres d'Animation Pédagogique (CAP) and aimed to achieve three outcomes: improving reading and writing skills in Bamanankan in first-grade classes, improving the supervision and follow-up systems of the MEN in support of reading instruction in first-grade classes, and increasing support from parents, the community, and the private sector for reading and writing in first-grade classes. The evaluation of the project's mid-term progress on gender issues was conducted in 2018. The study aimed to better understand the gender dynamics related to basic education, particularly in the three target regions of the project SIRA. The study specifically sought to identify inequalities between the sexes in education methods and home support for schooling, as well as the risks associated with gender in terms of learning outcomes and literacy. The results of the study were intended to inform the project's team and stakeholders about the specific contextual challenges related to gender that would impact the project's success and to develop a strategy and global plan to combat gender inequalities throughout the project's life. The methodology for the mid-term evaluation of the project's progress on gender issues involved collecting data from teachers using the "Questionnaire Enseignants" instrument, which included a chapter on gender. The same questions on gender were used in the mid-term evaluation as in the baseline study conducted in 2016, with the exception of some additional questions in the 2018 study. The sample of teachers was drawn from the mid-term evaluation sample of the project USAID/Mali SIRA. The sample consisted of teachers from second-grade classes in SIRA schools in the regions of Koulikoro, Ségou, and Sikasso, and the Bamako district. The sample was stratified by region and academic year, as well as by school type (public and community). The data collection took place from May 7 to 18, 2018, using tablets and the Survey-To-Go application. The data collected was directly synchronized on a server. Each team interviewed one school per day, under the supervision of the project's staff and agents of the DNP. The mid-term evaluation of the project's progress on gender issues had some limitations. The study only concerned teachers from second-grade classes, as it was associated with the mid-term evaluation of the project SIRA. Therefore, communities (including parents of students) and students were not able to be interviewed on gender issues. Additionally, the questionnaire for teachers had other chapters (such as classroom practices, teachers' beliefs, materials, etc.) in addition to the one on gender, which made it impossible to ask more questions on gender within the time frame. The results of the mid-term evaluation on gender issues showed a trend towards equitable access to education. The project aimed to achieve the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, which promotes access to quality education for all on an equal footing and the promotion of learning opportunities throughout life. The project aimed to ensure that all girls and boys follow a complete cycle of primary and secondary education on an equal footing, which leads to genuine learning. The project also aimed to ensure that all girls and boys have access to early childhood development and education activities and to pre-primary education of quality that prepares them to follow primary education and beyond. In Mali, the operationalization of this fourth Sustainable Development Goal is materialized through the Ministry of Education, supported by its decentralized services and development partners. The definition and implementation of the USAID/SIRA project is one of the ways the Mali government has chosen to address this goal.