Terms of Reference  for An Evaluation of the Early Childhood Care and Development Programme in Bhutan

1.     BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Investment in high quality and equitable Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programmes is one of the surest ways of promoting holistic development in children and ensuring improved life outcomes. Research shows that multi-sectoral ECCD interventions bring highest returns by addressing inequities in health, ability, achievement, opportunities, and long-term success. Therefore, ECCD interventions that support a nurturing, healthy, safe, and stimulating environment for growth is every child's right.

ECCD is a national priority in Bhutan. Through its endorsement of the national Bhutan Education Blueprint 2014-2024 and the global Sustainable Development Goals, Bhutan has committed to 50 percent ECCD coverage by 2024 and 100 percent ECCD coverage by 2030, respectively. The draft National ECCD Policy specifies the target age group of ECCD services from conception to eight years. However, the concept of ECCD is mainly associated with centre-based programmes for children of 3 to 5 years. This is identified as a major challenge in Bhutan’s recent efforts to move towards multi-sectoral ECCD coordination. Despite this limited outlook regarding ECCD programmes, in practice, ECCD services are provided for children based on three age group categories: 0 to 3 years (health services), 3 to 5 years (centre-based programmes), and 6 to 8 years (primary schools).

A brief overview of ECCD services for each age group is provided below:

• ECCD for 0- to 3-Year-Olds

While health services for mothers and newborns already exist, access to ECCD-focused services for 0- to 3-year-olds is an emerging programme. Current ECCD interventions for this age group are primarily focused on antenatal and postnatal services provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH). Since 2014, the MoH has developed a Care for Child Development (C4CD) programme to integrate early stimulation programmes through existing health facilities. In addition, a one-year ‘C4CD Plus’ pilot programme was launched in 2017 to equip parents with knowledge and skills to stimulate holistic development in 0-3 aged children. Some government and non-governmental organizations have also established crèches for working parents with children of 0 to 3 years. In 2018, the process to develop Early Learning and Development Standards as well as a Curriculum Implementation Guide for children of 0 to 3 years was also initiated. 

In 2015, the under-five mortality rate decreased to 33 from 37.3 in 2012, the infant mortality rate decreased to 27 from 30 in 2012, and the neonatal mortality rate reduced to 18 from 21 in 2012.[1] Despite these achievements, data sources indicate that there are several challenges for children in this specific age group. According to the National Nutrition Survey, close to one in every five children below five years are stunted, and one-third of these children are severely stunted, calling for urgent action on reducing stunting in children.

Stronger efforts are, therefore, necessary to expand the coverage of holistic ECCD services (early stimulation, care, responsiveness, and safety in addition to health services) for the earliest years.

• ECCD for 3- to 5-Year-Olds

As a result, access to ECCD centres have increased steadily over the years (figure 2) with close to no differences in gender enrolment. The total number of centres have increased from 94 centers in 2011 to 340 centers in 2018. Out of the 340 centres, 58 centres (17 percent) are private, 3 NGO-based, and 4 are corporate-based centers.

However, the centre-based programme is not without constraints. According to the Bhutan ECCD Investment Case Study (2017), access, quality, equity, and sustainability are primary concerns related to ECCD centres. Even though coverage is expanding rapidly, due to Bhutan’s mountainous terrain and scattered population, not all children are reached through the centre-based models. In this context, the need to explore feasible alternative ECCD models is critical to ensure 100 percent access. The potential of ECCD centres as early detection and intervention programmes for children with disabilities is not utilized fully due to lack of inclusive early intervention services in existing centres. Also, the quality of learning experiences, the professional development of ECCD facilitators as well as the sustainability of the programmes are other major concerns. 

• ECCD for 6- to 8-Year-Olds

Bhutan, through pre-primary education for children from 6 years onwards, has provided education programmes for children in this age group since the 1960s, but the effort to emphasize ECCD programmes for children in their early years of formal schooling is a recent initiative. Since 2011, pre-primary (PP) teachers have been trained on a ‘Step by Step’ approach to facilitate smooth transition of children from ECCD centres to formal schools. The approach is designed to promote child-focused and activity-based teaching methodologies to promote holistic development in children.

Among all three age groups for ECCD services, children of 6 to 8 years have the highest access since primary schools have strong outreach in Bhutan. Consequently, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the primary level stands at 105.6 percent and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) at 92.9 percent with minimal gender differences in enrolment.[1] Nevertheless, the achievements in access are not matching the achievements in quality. The condition of learning experiences and classroom environments remain a key concern for this age group. Additionally, the involvement of parents in the stimulation and development of children for this age group is also identified as an important area of intervention.

2.PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

Evidently, Bhutan provides ECCD services for children from 0 to 8 years of age, but the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of these services require deeper analysis to ensure universal access and quality ECCD programmes. Currently, one in every five children are stunted, and approximately 76 percent of children in Bhutan still do not have access to ECCD centres. Bhutan’s mountainous terrain and scattered population calls

for innovative interventions through alternative ECCD models to increase outreach and include children from remote, nomadic, and hard-to-reach areas. Since children with disabilities are among those without access to ECCD services, early intervention programmes and inclusive ECCD services need to be developed to ensure universal access to ECCD from the earliest age.

With the acknowledgement that ECCD services cover children of 0 to 8 years, there is on-going work to develop a National ECCD Multi-Sectoral Strategic Plan to improve multi-sectoral coordination. This evaluation, therefore, comes at an opportune moment to help identify key strategic and systemic shifts to strengthen multi-sectoral ECCD coordination among major stakeholders.

Consequently, the purpose of this evaluation is multi-fold. The evaluation will:

• Focus on relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the programme in achieving its desired objectives specified as national priorities in Bhutan’s 10th, 11th, and 12th Five-Year-Plan (FYP), the Bhutan Education Blueprint, the draft National Education Policy, and global priorities as specified in the SDGs;
• Provide a set of actionable recommendations based on credible findings to enhance multi-sectoral coordination and inform the development of the National Multi-Sectoral ECCD Strategic Plan;
• Suggest innovative alternative and sustainable ECCD models for Bhutan; and
• Formulate systemic and strategic recommendations for strengthening ECCD programmes in the upcoming Country Programme and Bhutan 12 FYP.
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  • 3. OBJECTIVES

    Broadly, the evaluation will assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the existing ECCD programmes, design, implementation, and achievements. The evaluation approach should consider gender and equity dimensions of the programme.

    Specific objectives of the evaluation are to:

    • Construct a theory of change for ECCD programme taking into consideration Bhutan 12th Five Year Plan and subsequent future FYPs;
    • Provide recommendations for the National Multi-Sectoral ECCD Strategic Action Plan;
    • Identify key factors that have contributed to the achievement or non-achievement of the intended results;
    • Understand how ECCD programmes were affected by cross-sectoral partnerships affected by cross-sectoral partnerships or lack of partnerships among key stakeholders including government, donors, UN agencies and beneficiary communities;
    • Assess how efficiently resources were utilized to meet national and sub-national needs;
    • Generate equity-focused recommendations for future quality improvement and increased access based on evaluation findings;
    • Identify scaling up options and ECCD financing models that will contribute to the long-term sustainability of the programme; and
    • Draw from lessons learned and best practices to recommend alternative ECCD models with specific attention to the most disadvantaged.

    4. EVALUATION SCOPE AND QUESTIONS

    Scope

    In 2008, the Royal Government of Bhutan embraced the concept of ECCD for the first time and established two pilot centre-based community ECCD centres in the country. Therefore, to cover the entire period of ECCD programmes in Bhutan from inception to current status, this evaluation will focus on the period from 2008 to 2019.[1] The focus of the evaluation will not be limited to centre-based ECCD programmes (for children from 3 to 5 years), but as far as possible also evaluate other existing ECCD programmes for children from 0 to 6 years.  Even though Bhutan’s ECCD programme includes services for children from 0 to 8 years, the scope of this evaluation will be limited to 0 to 6 years, which includes programmes and services from conception to transition to primary school. This is critical for informing the development of the National Multi-sectoral ECCD Strategic Plan, which is based on a multi-sectoral approach. Additionally, it will map out all forms of ECCD services provided in Bhutan across the different stakeholders and assess the functioning and effectiveness of the existing coordination mechanism.

    The evaluation will highlight best practices, gaps in planning, implementation, budgeting, and in coordination. It will assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the programme in achieving its desired objectives specified as national priorities in the current 12FYP, the Bhutan Education Blueprint, the draft National Education Policy, and global priorities as specified in the SDGs. It will further identify the expected and unexpected results (positive or negative impacts of the programme that were not expected) of the ECCD Programme. The evaluation should propose practical and contextualized recommendations for the National Multi-Sectoral ECCD Strategic Plan.

    Geographically, the evaluation will cover all three regions (Western, Eastern, Central) and include at least three districts from each of the regions. The sample for ECCD centres should cover at least 15 percent of the total centres and include centres from rural, remote, and urban locations. The sample for primary schools and 0 to 3 interventions should include at least two health centres and two schools from each of the geographic zones and districts specified above.

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    5. METHODOLOGY

    The evaluation is expected to adopt a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches including document review, stakeholder interviews, field visits, system analyses, and cost/benefit analyses. It will use both primary and secondary data sources and should focus on vulnerable groups as well as disaggregated (age, sex, district, location) data.

    Methods will include the following:

    • Primary data: Data collection and analysis will be conducted through quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys (e.g. perception, satisfaction surveys), key informant interviews, focus group discussions, with children, parents/caregivers, ECCD facilitators, health workers, Centre Management Committees, District Education Officers, and other relevant stakeholders. These will be collected during field visits and stakeholder consultations.
    • Secondary data: A desk review and analysis of key documents pertinent to ECCD sector in Bhutan will be undertaken.
    • Sampling strategy: The sample size should include at least 15 percent (finalization of sample size can be discussed with the Evaluation Reference Group) of ECCD centres, 0-3 interventions, and primary schools (focusing on grades PP to II). The sampling strategy should consider regional (West, Central, East) and location (urban, remote, semi urban, etc.) representation.
    • Database: The evaluation will use disaggregated data (age, sex, district, location) from national monitoring systems such as EMIS and HMIS and other relevant national databases. The evaluation must consider data regarding vulnerable groups. The data on ECCD might be insufficient but the evaluators must consider all data available to whatever extent possible during the evaluation.

    The evaluators will have access to all relevant documents and staff who have worked on ECCD Programme and will develop a rigorous methodology for the final evaluation and the sampling strategy as part of this assignment, with guidance provided by the programme team. The final proposed methodology, including sampling methodology, data collection and analysis tools, will be agreed upon and approved by the Evaluation Reference Group.

    6.  DURATION

    The evaluation will be conducted for a period of 70 working days from 15th June to  30th November 2019.

    7. QUALIFICATION AND  REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

    The bidding firm or individual international consultant must have demonstrated experience in conducting national/large-scale evaluations, studies, and flagship reports related to early childhood programmes, education, and education-related economic analyses. Links to published evaluation reports needs to be submitted and can either be that of the institutions or the evaluation team members.

    The firm/individual international consultant should have a team of experts who have proven knowledge and relevant work experience in the ECCD Programme evaluation. Therefore, the team should comprise of a team of technical experts with the following specific qualifications:

    • A team leader with a Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in Education, Psychology, or a Social Science discipline, with expertise in early childhood development programming/evaluation. S/he should have at least 10 years of documented experience in research and evaluation or a minimum of 5 years of experience in developing or least developed countries;
    • A data analyst with at least 5 years of experience in evaluations;
    • An Economist with expertise in Education Economics and at least 5 years of experience in education-related research and evaluations;
    • An ECCD expert with expertise in multi-sectoral ECCD programming and at least 7 years of experience in ECCD research and evaluations;
    • The selected firm will need to hire a local Bhutanese consultant/firm with at least 5 years of experience in education-related research and studies. The selected firm/individual consultant can recruit the local consultant/firm once selected for the assignment with support from the Reference Group

    The team of technical experts does not necessarily have to be separate individuals with each of the specified qualifications. For example, an economist with a data analyst background could fulfill two of the team member qualifications. Similarly, an ECCD expert could also be the team leader. What is important is that the team as a whole has each of the qualifications provided above.

    The team members should have the following skills and knowledge:

    • An excellent understanding of evaluation principles and methodologies, including capacity in a range of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and analysis;
    • Awareness and knowledge of gender equality, equity, and human-rights approaches;
    • Expertise in communications and facilitation skills, including the capacity to handle sensitive information and engaging in evidence-based policy dialogue with Governments and other key stakeholders;
    • Demonstrated ability in developing and maintaining effective work relationships with counterparts;
    • Knowledge of UNICEF's standard operation procedures.

    8. APPLICATION AND EVALUATION PROCESS

    The proposal will be assessed based on its technical and financial proposal. The evaluation weighing criteria will be split as 70% technical and 30% financial.

    A high-quality technical proposal is required, including a good understanding of these terms of reference; an evaluation methodology which meets international best practice; and a realistic and adequate workplan to deliver outputs.

    The technical proposal should include, but not be limited to the following:

    • Detailed work plan;
    • Methods and approach design, sample size, collection and sampling strategies, validity;
    • Detailed team composition, including individual CVs of the evaluation team members;
    • Company/institutional profile, if the bidder is firm.