Education and Gender Equality

Examples of experience in education projects and evaluations include the following:

PRIMARY EDUCATION

  • 2020 Somalia – Evaluation of UNICEF’s Alternative Basic Education for pastoralist and other out-of-school children, and temporary learning centre along migration paths
  • 2019 Syria – Evaluation of UNICEF’s No Lost Generation and international donor response to the Syrian crisis
  • 2015-2017 Global – IDIQ Advancing Basic Education Access (ABE Access) Proposal Development and Contract Management Advisor (USAID)
  • 2016 Somalia – Girls’ Education Challenge
  • 2015 Somalia – Performance Evaluation of Leadership/Learners (SYLI) Project (USAID)
  • 2012-2013 Iraq/Kurdistan – Situational Analysis of Basic Education (USAID)
  • 2011 Afghanistan – Fact-Finding (Evaluability) Mission for the Education Support Program (Danida)
  • 2010-2011 Georgia – Georgia Monitoring Project (US Department of State)
  • 2009-2010 Uganda – Performance Evaluation of the Livelihoods, Education, and Protection (LEAP) Project (USDOL)
  • 2007, 2008, 2009 Bangladesh – Joint Annual Review of the Primary Education Development Program II (EU)
  • 2004-2005 Liberia – Accelerated Learning of Over-aged War Affected Youth (USAID Office of Transition Initiatives)
  • 2003-2004 Iraq/Kurdistan – Accelerated Learning for Out-of-School Youth as part of the Rehabilitation and Stabilization of Education Project (USAID)
  • 2003 Nepal – Teacher Education Project (ADB)
  • 2001-2003 Kashmir – Northern Education Project (World Bank)
  • 2001-2003 Pakistan – Girls Primary Education Development Project (ADB)

SECONDARY EDUCATION

  • 2014 Somalia – Performance Evaluation of the Youth Leaders Initiative (USAID)
  • 2008 South Sudan – Gender Equity in Education Scholarship Project (USAID)
  • 2003 Bangladesh – Female Secondary School Project – Gender Access and Equity (ADB)

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (TVET)

  • 2019 Syria – Labor market assessment and skills development (USDOS)
  • 2019 Cambodia – TVET in the fishing industry (EU)
  • 2015 Morocco – Evaluability Assessment of Artisan Fez Medina Project (MCC)
  • 2014 Afghanistan – Livelihoods for Women in Bamyan Province – Vocational Education (DAWO)
  • 2010 Mongolia – Technical Vocational Education and Training Competitive Grants Program (MCC)

HIGHER/TERTIARY EDUCATION (UNIVERSITIES)

  • 2012 Papua New Guinea – Impact Evaluation of the University of Papua New Guinea and G8 Australian Universities Volunteer Exchange and Partnership Program (AusAID)
  • 2009 Afghanistan – Evaluation of FY2008 Congressional Earmarked Funding for Women – Higher Education Project (USAID)
  • 2002 Afghanistan – Capacity Building of the Ministry of Higher Education (ADB)
  • 1999 China – Establishment of Partnering Projects (Monash University)
  • 1986 Papua New Guinea – Teacher Training in Mathematics and English (Wewak Teachers’ College)

ALL SECTORS OF EDUCATION

  • 2019 Global – UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals in Education – pilot capacity development program for 11 countries
  • 2016 Somalia – Peace in Education
  • 2014-2015 Indonesia – Education Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ADB)
  • 2014 Mauritius – Research Study on Academic Achievement Difference – Girls and Boys (EU) – focus on primary and secondary education
  • 2009 Indonesia – Gap Analysis of Pre-Service and In-Service Teacher Training (USAID)
  • 2006 South Sudan – EQUIP2 Sudan Technical Advisors Project (USAID)
  • 2005 Botswana – Identification of Outcome Indicators for Education Sector Policy (EU)

GENDER EQUALITY

Examples of experience as a gender specialist include the following specific assignments:

  • 2014 Afghanistan – Livelihoods for Women in Bamyan Province – Vocational Education (DAWO)
  • 2014 Mauritius – Academic Achievement Differences Study – Girls and Boys (EU)
  • 2013 Georgia – Health Rights Monitoring Strategy for the Public Defender’s Office (SIDA)
  • 2013 Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam – Performance Evaluation of Project Childhood for Child Sexual Exploitation in the Travel and Tourism Sector (CSETT) (AusAID/DFAT)
  • 2009 Afghanistan – Evaluation of FY2008 Congressional Earmarked Funding for Women (USAID)
  • 2009 India – Preventing and Eliminating Child Labor in India (USDOL/ILO)
  • 2003 Bangladesh – Female Secondary School Project: Gender Access & Equity (ADB)
  • 2001-2003 Pakistan – Girls Primary Education Development Project (ADB)

Master of Sciences Communication research dissertation on educational statistics for the rural vocational education sector analyzed the Australian national vocational EMIS database, processes, and reporting. The National Rural Training Council of Australia, the National Farmers’ Federation and training authorities indicated that technical vocational education and training (TVET) data were misleading and did not adequately determine training needs for the basis of funding allocations and grants to training providers. Thus the dissertation informed decision makers and led to improved national educational statistics and improved allocation of funding for training youth and adults, thus enhancing their employability.

Subsequently wrote two refereed journal articles (research papers) in educational statistics for the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management and the Journal of Institutional Research in Australia. These articles reviewed Australia’s annual vocational educational statistical information used to project future training. The annual projections had implications for decisions on resources and funding allocations. Data limitations were identified to improve the representation of statistics used to determine the training needs of Australian industries. The research papers posited the need for cross-sectoral data for the documentation of a comprehensive and strategic profile of education and training in Australia.

Examples:

2019 Global Evaluation of SDG4 Pilot Capacity Development for Education (CapED) Program: Qualitative & quantitative improvement-oriented evaluation of pilot in 11 countries of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in education sector planning and policies, including legal frameworks; online survey; missions in 4 countries; participatory approach including self-assessment tool & consensus-building, FGDs & KIIs; review of TVET strategy, and MOE national strategic plans, roadmaps, resource mobilization, & Right-to-Education human rights & legal requirements monitoring. Included visits to Cambodia, Madagascar, Myanmar, and Senegal.

2012 Papua New Guinea – Impact Evaluation of the University of Papua New Guinea and G8 Australian Universities Volunteer Exchange and Partnership Program (AusAID)

Evaluation of the Group of Eight (Australian Universities) and the University of Papua New Guinea (Go8-UPNG) Volunteer Project which was a one-year AusAID funded pilot initiative. The aim of the project was to place volunteer academics from Go8 and other Australian universities for short (6-12 weeks) to medium (1-2 semesters) assignments within UPNG to provide technical support. The independent evaluation was conducted in accordance with AusAID guidelines and the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) criteria for evaluating development assistance to determine its effectiveness against the four project aims: (1) enhanced teaching and learning at UPNG; (2) improved research quality; (3) academic mentoring for researchers and postgraduate students; and (4) reinvigorated research areas in UPNG.

EMIS (Educational Management Information Systems) support to teams for primary, secondary, and higher education in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kashmir and Australia (through the National Centre for Vocational Education Research).

2006 South Sudan – EQUIP2 Sudan Technical Advisors Project (USAID)

During the 2006 South Sudan USAID Equip2 Technical Advisors Project, as Chief of Party and direct adviser to the Minister of Education, the consultancy supported the rebuilding of the ministry in conjunction with the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan. The first step resulted in the “Annual Education Census and EMIS Situational Analysis” for the Ministry of Education. This involved a school and household census. The outcome was a restructure the ministry and redefined human resource and departmental capabilities, as well as decentralization of departments.

The consultancy also involved building the capacity of directors of the following departments: Quality Promotion and Innovation; Gender and Social Change; Budget and Planning. This support, and the development of an M&E system for all departments and a Strategic Plan for the ministry as a whole, provided learnings from which to recruit teachers, plan for decentralization, open schools in appropriate regions, devise relevant formal, non-formal, accelerated, literacy and numeracy, and adult education programs, as well as funding models and donor coordination schemes.

See also: Communication and training philosophy statement