USAID Education Data Activity Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

in partnership with the Government of Zambia to provide assessment, data management, and research and evaluation services to USAID/Zambia in support of the forthcoming Let's Read Zambia activity. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) and the Ministry of General Education (MOGE) to track and collect data to improve learning outcomes in Zambia. The project's purpose is to provide assessment, data management, and research and evaluation services to USAID/Zambia, with a focus on improving learning outcomes in Zambia. DevTech has prepared a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) to guide the process of complying with all deliverables requirements. The QASP describes methods that the contract team will employ to self-monitor, document, and report its performance under the contract. The project team is responsible for implementing the QASP, including leading the development of all deliverables required under the contract. The Program Manager/Team Leader (PM/TL) will ensure that all procedures are followed by the local office staff and short-term technical assistants (STTAs) to assure quality in the development of all deliverables. The PM/TL will also be responsible for quality control of all outputs produced by the local office staff and local contractors. The Home Office (HO) Senior Technical Advisor (STA) will oversee how internal quality assurance and surveillance is conducted by the PM/TL. The HO STA will provide feedback on deliverables before they are submitted to USAID, and check adherence to the technical requirements for contractual deliverables stated in the contract, and the technical quality standards set in the QASP. The HO STA will also review intermediate outputs produced during implementation of specific tasks to ensure that they are produced in accordance with approved methodology and according to the best technical rigor possible. The project team will closely work with USAID Education Data Activity local stakeholders (MOGE and ECZ) to solicit their feedback on the project outputs and deliverables. This will ensure that project outputs and deliverables are compliant with local regulations, support MOGE and ECZ plans and activities, and properly reflect local context. The project will employ various methods to ensure quality assurance and surveillance, including periodic management activities, quality assurance during training of assessors, quality assurance during EGRA data collection, and data management system. The project team will also identify risks and course correct as necessary to ensure that the project is on track to meet its objectives. The project has a number of roles and responsibilities, including the Program Manager/Team Leader (PM/TL), Senior Monitoring and Evaluation/EGRA Specialist, Senior EGRA Specialist, Mid-level EGR Specialist, Home Office (HO) Senior Technical Advisor (STA), and Project Manager. Each of these roles has specific responsibilities, including drafting and updating the QASP, reviewing deliverables, providing trainings, and submitting deliverables according to contractual schedule. The project will be implemented from April 9, 2018 to October 8, 2021, with a total award amount of $5,839,206. The project will be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives and making progress towards its goals.