Quarterly Progress Report FY2018, Quarter 2 (January 1 to March 31, 2018)

Activity 1, a quarterly progress report for the period of January 1 to March 31, 2018, was submitted to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on May 1, 2018. The report was prepared by Chemonics International Inc. under contract AID-660-C-15-00001. The report provides a summary of results to date, highlighting key achievements and challenges in the second quarter of fiscal year 2018. The ACCELERE! Activity 1 aims to increase equitable enrollments to a quality education environment, improve education quality, and enhance governance and accountability by stakeholders. In terms of equitable enrollments, the report notes that barriers to access for primary education were reduced, and access to alternative/accelerated learning programs increased. Quality of education environments improved, particularly in terms of gender equality. The grants program, which focuses on increasing access and retention, experienced key achievements and challenges in the second quarter. Regarding education quality, the report highlights improvements in the quality of instruction at the primary level, effective use of teaching and learning materials, and increased community participation to support school-based and extracurricular learning. The development and implementation of policies for improved access and learning were strengthened, and school leadership and management were improved. The report also discusses the integration of cross-cutting issues and USAID forward priorities, including gender equality and female empowerment, sustainability mechanisms, environmental compliance, and policy and governance support. Local capacity development, training for grantees and local implementing partners, and organizational assessments were also emphasized. In terms of stakeholder participation and involvement, the report notes that key achievements and challenges were experienced in the second quarter. The operations, management, and administration section highlights improvements in finance office reorganization, payment of outstanding invoices, and logistics for recyclage. Lessons learned from the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 are also discussed in the report, including the importance of effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders, the need for continued capacity building, and the importance of monitoring and evaluation to inform program decisions.