Overall Budget:	680050 EUR
Project Donors:	The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through Caritas Germany
Project Partner:	“Armenian Caritas” BNGO

1.       Background information and Context

a.       Background

The project “ Promotion of Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All In Armenia ”  was developed to contribute to the inclusive education reforms in Armenia by strengthening the capacities of educational institutions at both the micro and meso levels. By improving the skills of teachers and staff, equipping learning spaces, and fostering inclusive policies and practices, the project aims to create a more inclusive educational environment. Furthermore, the project seeks to empower parent councils and community networks to advocate for inclusive education, ensuring sustainability and community engagement. At the macro level, the project aims to influence policy-making by strengthening cooperation with state structures. The goal is to integrate inclusive education models into national strategies, creating a sustainable and scalable impact across Armenia.  

 

The project's multi-tiered approach—working at the micro, meso, and macro levels—ensures that inclusion is promoted not only in schools and local communities but also at the national policy level, leading to long-term, systemic change. The project is aligned with Armenia's broader educational reform efforts, contributing to the establishment of a truly inclusive education system across the country.

 

This comprehensive intervention is seen as a vital step in ensuring that all children, regardless of their abilities, have access to quality education and the opportunity to participate fully in society.

 

Donors:

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ): Provides the primary financial support for the project.

Caritas Germany: Plays a major role as a donor and a coordinating body, overseeing the implementation of the project.

Implementing Agents and Partners:

Armenian Caritas BNGO: The primary implementing partner responsible for executing the project activities on the ground. Armenian Caritas works closely with local stakeholders to strengthen educational institutions and promote inclusive education.

Ministry of Education of Armenia: Collaborates with the project to integrate inclusive education models into national policies and strategies.

Shirak State University: Engages in academic research and training on inclusive education, contributing to the capacity-building efforts of educators.

Key Stakeholders:

Teachers and Educators: Over 200 teachers and educators are trained in inclusive education methodologies as part of the project.

Students with Disabilities (CWDs): Beneficiaries of inclusive education programs and interventions.

Parents and Parent Councils: Actively participate in training sessions and advocacy for inclusive education to create a more supportive learning environment.

Local NGOs and Networks: Collaborate in strengthening social inclusion networks, advocating for legal reforms, and participating in policy discussions on inclusive education​.

b.      Context:

The project makes a qualitative contribution to the education reform in Armenia and helps to sustainably anchor inclusive and qualitative education for all in the education system.

 

Specific Objective 1: The capacities of educational institutions in Armenia in the field of inclusion are strengthened (Micro and Meso level):

          Results:

1.1      Employees acquire new knowledge and competencies in the field of inclusive education and successfully implement them.

1.4 Parent councils and student councils (PCs) are strengthened to support inclusive education in schools.

 

Specific Objective 2: Organizational structures and networks to promote social inclusion are strengthened and active. (Micro and Meso level)

Results:

2.2 A network of student multipliers to promote inclusion and participation is established and active.

2.4 Support for support groups for parents of CWD at educational institutions.

 

Specific Objective 3:  Cooperation with state structures and representatives in the field of inclusive education is strengthened and recommendations and models find their way into policy-making. (Macro level)

Results:

3.1 Cooperation with other NGOs in the field of inclusion will be strengthened.

3.2 In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Social Affairs will be strengthened.

 

Target group:

-7 schools, 3559 pupils and 437 staff members

-7 kindergartens, 710 children and 157 staff members

-200 pupils form pupils’ councils

-225 children with disabilities

- 90 parents of children with disabilities

-50 parents from Parents’ councils

-1 vocational training school with 250 students and 25 lecturers

- 46 staff members from Day Care Centres of Gyumri, Vanadzor, Tashir and Artashat

- 309 children from Day Care Centres of Gyumri, Vanadzor, Tashir and Artashat

-150 multiplier students

The implementation dates of the project are as follows: January 01, 2023-December 31, 2025.

Total budget of the budget: 680050 EUR

2.       Objective of the Evaluation

The Overall objective of the Mid-term evaluation is to measure the impact of the project intervention on macro and meso levels, to improve intervention design and management until the end of the 2^nd phase of the project as well as use the findings for developing the 3^rd phase of the project.

The evaluation aims to achieve several key goals:

Assess Project Effectiveness:

The evaluation will determine how well the project has met its objectives, specifically in terms of improving the capacities of educational institutions, strengthening social inclusion networks, and influencing policy in inclusive education. It will assess whether the training provided to teachers and the creation of inclusive learning spaces have had a measurable impact on educational practices and outcomes for children with.

Measure Impact and Outcomes:

The evaluation seeks to measure the broader impact of the project on educational inclusion in Armenia, including the effectiveness of cooperation with state structures and the advocacy efforts led by parent and student councils. It will analyze whether the strengthened organizational structures have contributed to sustainable changes in the inclusion of CWDs at both the micro and macro levels.

Identify Best Practices and Lessons Learned:

The evaluation will identify successful strategies and methodologies implemented during the project that can be scaled or replicated in other regions or programs. It will also highlight any lessons learned from challenges encountered during implementation, such as logistical issues or sustainability concerns, to improve future project design and management.

Ensure Accountability and Transparency:

One of the key objectives of the evaluation is to ensure accountability to donors, including BMZ and Caritas Germany, by providing a clear, evidence-based analysis of how funds have been utilized and the results achieved. This will provide transparency on the project's progress and effectiveness.

Provide Recommendations for Future Interventions:

Based on the findings, the evaluation will offer concrete recommendations to improve the ongoing project and inform the design of future projects. This may include adjustments to training programs, resource allocation, or policy advocacy strategies to enhance the overall impact and sustainability of the initiative.

The evaluation will provide significant benefits to a wide range of stakeholders involved in the project:

Donors (BMZ and Caritas Germany):

The evaluation will offer an in-depth analysis of how effectively resources have been used, ensuring accountability and transparency. It will provide concrete evidence of the project’s success, impact, and value for money, which can inform future funding decisions and strategies.

Implementing Partner (Armenian Caritas):

For Armenian Caritas, the evaluation will offer critical insights into the effectiveness of their activities, including teacher training, community engagement, and policy advocacy. By identifying both strengths and areas for improvement, the evaluation will help Armenian Caritas refine its implementation strategies and improve the design of future projects.

Educational Institutions and Staff:

Schools and teachers will benefit from feedback on their integration of inclusive education practices. The evaluation will highlight the impact of training programs and resource provision, offering recommendations on how these can be sustained and further developed to benefit students with disabilities.

Government and Policy Makers:

For government bodies, particularly the Ministry of Education, the evaluation will provide valuable data on the impact of inclusive education policies and the project’s efforts to influence policy-making.

The evaluation results will be used by Armenian Caritas for the accountability, learning and improvement of the current project as well as for designing the third phase of the project.

3.       Scope of the Evaluation 

Thematic coverage:

1.       Project Impact and Alignment with Education Reform:

-          Assess how well the project contributes to inclusive and qualitative education in Armenia, examining alignment with national education reforms.

2.       Capacity Building in Educational Institutions:

-          Evaluate the effectiveness of trainings for educators and institutional action plans aimed at enhancing inclusive practices.

-          Analyze the success of inclusive education programs, especially the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) model.

-          Assess the availability and impact of teaching materials and infrastructure improvements (learning spaces, resource centers).

-          Review the progress in expanding the program to vocational training schools, focusing on the development of inclusive methodologies.

3.       Empowerment of Parent and Student Councils:

-          Examine the effectiveness of trainings for parent and student councils in supporting inclusive education.

-          Evaluate initiatives organized by parent councils and the impact of regional/national conferences on inclusion.

4.       Strengthening of Organizational Networks and Structures:

-          Assess the development of networks for promoting social inclusion, including the student multipliers' network and parent support groups.

-          Evaluate the extension of the inclusive daycare model and community engagement.

5.       Collaboration with State Structures and NGOs:  

-          Evaluate the progress of cooperation with NGOs and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports on inclusive education policies, including advocacy efforts for SNA models.

-          Review contributions to policy development through joint resolutions and the development of monitoring tools for inclusion.

Evaluation period: first two years of the project (2023-2024)

Target group: Administrative staff of the target schools, teachers, pupils, Pupils’ Councils representatives, parents of self-support groups and Parent’s council representatives; Administrative staff of the target kindergartens and educators; Administrative and teaching staff of the target VET, teachers Students of Shirak State University, relevant stakeholders upon the suggestion of the evaluator. 

4.       Evaluation Criteria and Key Evaluation Questions

A.      Evaluation the project achievement based on the standard OECD-DAC Criteria for Development Assistance: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Impact and Sustainability:

1. Relevance: Is the relevant object concept and design the appropriate solution to these needs and problems: Is the project strategy, well balanced to achieve the project overall and specific objectives set?

2. Effectiveness: To what extant have the project’s objectives been reached? And if not, has some progress been made towards their achievement? What steps need to be taken to increase the effectiveness of the project? What were the problems and constraints encountered during the implementation?

Does the partner organization have direct access to the target group and communities? Are systematic approaches applied when identifying beneficiaries of project activities (e.g. participants, training)?

3. Efficiency: Were activities cost-efficient?

4. Impact:  What is the assessment of the project’s contribution to human and institutional capacity building in terms of knowledge and competencies? What are the most important changes in target groups’ lives, attitudes or behavior that have been achieved by the project?

5. Sustainability: To what extent has the project established processes and systems that are likely to support the sustainability of the project impact? What steps need to be taken to ensure project sustainability? 

2. Identification of key lessons learnt 

1. What were the main successes and problem areas throughout the realisation of the project? What were the reasons for achieving or not achieving the planned results, and were steps appropriately and systematically taken to readjust the project considering the change of context?

2. Identify and document key lessons learned and best practices from the project that could be used by the project management, on the continuation of this project or others.

3. Recommendation for future projects

1. Identify gaps and make recommendations to improve project design (project strategy, SMART indicators, achievable objectives and targets), project coordination, and project management.

5.       Approach and Methodology

Example: The Evaluator is expected to perform the evaluation in a strictly methodical manner in order to produce verifiable information and make recommendations that are sufficiently valid and reliably based on dependable data and analysis, which are accessible to the client. 

The evaluation will adopt a participatory, transparent and solution-oriented approach using internal and external stakeholders. The evaluation process, as well as the final results should be gender-sensitive and human-rights-based.  The evaluator will use mix-methods that are able to appropriately address the primary evaluation questions, as well as properly support its derivative conclusion and recommendation.

The evaluation methods to be used may include, but are not limited to:

·         Review of project documentation (Desk Research): An array of major documents that should be studied (e.g.  project documents, monitoring reports, final reports, as well as statistical data, documents pertaining to similar projects led by other donor organizations, etc.)  Existing project documents and reports are to be shared with the evaluator in order to facilitate the realization of the tasks. The evaluator is invited to request additional documents that may be needed for the completion of the evaluation.

·         Interviews with all the key informants and key players: (semi-)structured Interviews with beneficiaries are a must and should be supported by interview protocols and the list of respondents (e.g. direct project beneficiaries, local staff, etc.)

The selection criteria should be based on gender, age, beneficiaries/non-beneficiaries and geographical spread in the project region.

The exact sample size should be proposed by the evaluator and discussed together with Caritas Armenia and Caritas Germany before the start of the evaluation.

·         Direct observation during field visits: Caritas Armenia will organize field visits at different project sites.

·         Focus group discussion with beneficiaries, local leaders or local partner staff (if feasible within the timeframe)

·         Standardized Survey and questionnaires: to quantify the result and deliver a statistical analysis.

6.       Deliverables and Timeframe

Optional deliverables for the evaluation are:

           i.          Inception Report:

An inception report will be submitted by the evaluating consultant in order to demonstrate his understanding and planning of the evaluation, which will be reviewed and discussed in cooperation with Caritas Armenia and Caritas Germany.

The inception report should include an evaluation matrix[1] (including the final evaluation questions and indicators); the overall evaluation design and methodology with a detailed description of the data collection methods and data analysis techniques, as well as a proposed timeframe for the activities and deliverables. The evaluator is free to suggest additional methodological framework for the evaluation.

The inception report of the evaluation should not exceed 5 pages and follow a predefined structure as described in Annex 1.

          ii.          Workshops/ Meeting: 

The evaluator is free to select the type of workshops (e.g. kick-off/mid-term/validation workshop) during the conduction of the evaluation. 

The Kick-off workshop provides an opportunity to discuss organizational processes, methodology, data collection instruments, timetable, milestones, reporting dates, task and responsibilities. Moreover, the mid-term workshop is useful to discuss problems that may arise in the course of an evaluation and allow a joint development of strategies for solutions. 

During a validation workshop, the evaluator will present the findings collected in the field to Caritas   Armenia and Caritas Germany. The workshop will be organized in order to discuss and validate findings, lessons learned and recommendations proposed by the evaluator. Stakeholders are invited to make recommendations for amending the review.

        iii.          Draft Report:

The consultant is expected to submit the primary findings resulting from his evaluation, as well as his initial recommendations to the desk officer of Caritas Germany. The Draft Report should be presented after the field work has been concluded, and should incorporate comments supplied by Caritas Germany and its partner organizations.

        iv.          Final Report:

The final report serves to illustrate the relevant evidence corresponding with the evaluation issues, questions and criteria listed in the Terms of Reference.The final report should provide an executive summary in English. The Final report should take all aspects reviewed during   workshops and meetings into consideration, and is subject to approval by Caritas Armenia and Caritas Germany.

The proposed report structure is outlined in Annex 2; its length should not exceed 40 pages (excluding appendices).  All documents and tools are to be written in English language.

7.       Timeframe for Deliverables

The actual evaluation work is to be carried out from 15.11.2024 to 17.12.2024, resulting in a total of 25 days.

The timeline for the activities consists of the following phases:

 Preparation Phase: 5

§  Analysis of relevant project documents, as well as further research

§  Preparation of inception report and exchange with Caritas  Armenia and Caritas Germany

§  Kick-off Workshop involving Caritas Armenia and Caritas Germany

Field Phase: 10

§  Briefing with Caritas Armenia, Caritas Germany and other relevant actors in Shirak region

§  Field visits

§  Validation workshop involving Caritas Armenia  and Caritas Germany

Synthesis Phase: 10

§  Reporting including management response workshop

§  Draft evaluation report

§  Produce final report including revision as per feedback

 The key products expected for the evaluation are the following:

 

 

The evaluator should present a detailed work plan and timeframe of all activities including the relevant resource allocation (see Annex 3).

8.       Roles and Responsibilities

Caritas Armenia is responsible for organizing and facilitating the logistics to and in Armenia. Caritas Armenia and Caritas Germany will provide access to all relevant project documents.

The consultant will be working under and reporting to the Caritas Germany desk officer and the Caritas Armenia partner organization during the evaluation phase.

9.       Guiding Principles & Donor concepts

The consultant is to conduct the evaluation in accordance with the principles outlined in the “Caritas Internationalis management standards” document[2], the “Caritas Code of conduct”,[3] as well as the “Guidelines on Combating Fraud and Corruption in the Project Work of Caritas Germany”[4]. (See Annex 5)

The evaluator must take all required steps to ensure that the evaluation is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and the communities of which they are members, as well as to ensure that the evaluation is technically accurate, reliable, and legitimate, and conducted in a transparent and impartial manner. Moreover, the evaluation should ideally contribute to organizational learning and accountability.  

The project is financed by Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through Caritas Germany.

10.   Professional Qualification and Experience

The evaluation consultant should meet with the following, required skills and competence profile:

§  Evaluator should be a reliable and effective project manager with extensive experience in conducting evaluations and a proven record in delivering professional results. (Consultant is required to send samples of relevant evaluation) Required

§  In-depth knowledge and experience in Inclusion and Inclusive education; Required

§  Strong analytical skills and ability to clearly synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations, and prepare well-written reports in a timely manner Required

§  Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection and data analysis techniques Required

§  Strong expertise in using participatory tools Required

§  Familiarity with transparency and downward accountability processes and their values Optional

§  Fluency in written and spoken Armenian and English, ideally in conjunction with good skills in spoken Armenian Required

§  Country and regional experience in Armenia Required

§  Good understanding and appropriate sensitivity regarding different cultures and traditions Optional

§  Minimum qualification of a master´s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience Required

11.   Terms of Payment

 The evaluator is to receive payment from Caritas Armenia in 3 instalments:

·        1st Payment: 30 % upon signing of the contract;

·        2nd Payment: 30 % upon the submission of the first draft of the evaluation report;

·        Final Payment: 40 % upon the submission of the final evaluation report, subject to its acceptance by Caritas

Caritas Germany will not settle any payment unless the consultancy institution accomplishes all the tasks in a timely fashion.  The basis for payment scheduling is to be determined during contract negotiations.

12.   Application Procedure

Interested candidates should submit their application material by 10.11.2024

The application itself should include the following components:

§  Curriculum Vitae (CV) including 3 professional references, and indication of daily rates

§  Cover letter transparently summarizing relevant experience in Inclusion and Inclusive education as well as practical experience in planning and conducting project evaluations

§  Track record of conducted studies, research, publication and references

§  A technical proposal for the evaluation, including the proposed evaluation methodology and work plan

§  Financial proposal[5] underlying the evaluation, including proposed fee for a maximum of 15 working days

§  A sample of recent writing (report or similar) relevant to the terms of reference stated above

The proposal should be addressed to:

1. Martin Thalhammer

Desk Officer

Caritas Germany

Karlstraße 40, 79104 Freiburg

Phone: + 49 (0) 761-200-610

Email: Martin.Thalhammer@caritas.de

Homepage: http://www.caritas-international.de

2. Siranush Minasayan (in cc)

Project Manager

Armenian Caritas

Gyumri, 8 H. Sargsyan, Sidestreet 3, RA

Phone: +37493001778

Email: siranushminasyan@caritas.am 

Homepage:  https://caritas.am/

13.   Annexes

·         Annex 1: Table of content for the Inception Report # 693677 [in Terms of Reference]

·         Annex 2: Table of content for Evaluation Report # 693679 [in Terms of Reference]

·         Annex 3: Template for Work plan – Timeframe # 693684 [in Terms of Reference]

·         Annex 4: Evaluation Matrix Template #693681  [in Terms of Reference]

       ·        Annex 5:  Financial Proposal # 693701 [in Terms of Reference]

 

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