Call for Expression for Learning, Documentation and Reporting Partner At Aga Khan Foundation

Terms of Reference

Learning and Reporting Partner

Aga Khan Foundation

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), founded by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1967, is a member of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s leading poverty solutions networks. AKDN’s integrated approach makes long-term investments, builds permanent institutions and cultivates an active civil society, impacting tens of millions of people annually in 30 countries. Alongside its sister AKDN agencies, AKF implements innovative, community-driven solutions that are based in decades of experience, learning and evaluation. In Uganda, AKF is managing a robust and expanding portfolio of multi-sectorial initiatives that includes investments in education, early childhood development, sustainable economic development, and civil society strengthening.

Schools2030

Schools2030 is a ten-year participatory learning improvement programme based in 1,000 government schools across ten countries. Using the principles of human-centred design and focusing on the key transition years of ages 5, 10 and 15 years old, Schools2030 supports teachers and students to design and implement education micro-innovations. These low-cost innovations will inform and transform education systems to improve holistic learning outcomes for the most marginalised learners worldwide. In Uganda, AKF will partner with 100 school sites in Arua and Kampala. to drive classroom level innovation to enable teacher generated solutions to identify and inform ‘what works in education’. The sites include 30 pre-primary schools, 30 primary schools, 30 secondary schools and 10 youth development partners/civil society organisations.

The goal of the intervention is that by 2030, Schools2030 will have contributed to 10 country governments to accelerate their progress in achieving SDG4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Ultimately, the project will ensure that 5,000,000 (500,000 in Uganda) marginalised children and youth in ten countries over ten years are equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to help them interact effectively with the world and become contributing members of a pluralistic society.

AKF, as the Global Secretariat of Schools2030, will be leading the delivery of Schools2030 in Uganda and be representing all the Founding Partners through the Schools2030 Coordinator. Therefore, the Learning and Reporting Partner will be accountable to AKF in Uganda through signing a fixed term Service Agreement Contract with possibility of renewal.

Scope of work

The programme has currently shifted to a demand-driven approach in engaging 100 teachers and youth partners in design thinking (making up 20 to 30 design teams). The partner is expected to engage directly with at least 50% of the sites and design teams in a year (covering the three age cohorts) but is encouraged to maintain remote contact with the other 50% of the sites. The sample sites are subject to change annually to ensure coverage of all sites by the end of the partnership.

The partner is expected to build from the tools and resources, and learnings documented last year and assess what is working and what is not based on the changes made to the process this year.

Role of the learning and reporting partner

The learning partner will be engaged in the following key activities:

• Process documentation: Conduct a broad assessment of the user design process from awareness of the opportunity to testing their innovations (demand driven design process) to deliver on the expected objectives of the Schools2030 design thinking process. This should incorporate data collection from all sites as well as more detailed follow-up with sites that are seemingly performing well and those that are struggling.
• Innovations documentation: Document the innovations designed by the teams clearly outlining the assumptions design teams seek to test in their respective classrooms and youth spaces. The partner is expected to support the design teams to develop assumptions on their innovations to enable them to explicitly test the same.
• · Learning from implementation: Sample high potential innovations from the 2022 process and advise and support on collecting evidence on learning. inform the innovations’ potential to be a Minimum Awesome Product

Reports: Deliver the following reports:

o Process documentation: HCD process and impact – Learning for the future.

o Innovations report – a snapshot of the innovations designed, and assumptions tested.

o Learning from implementation – evidence and Highlights on possible innovation moving to Minimum Awesome Products.

Collaboration: Engage in learning discussions with learning partners across the Schools2030 geography. This will entail virtual calls with other learning platforms for cross-learning purposes.

To achieve the above it is expected for the learning partner to:

· Participate in design thinking workshops and any others as determined necessary.

· Participate in Schools2030 events including the Innovation in Education Showcase Events.

· Commit a senior staff representative to participate in the Schools2030 National Advisory Committee.

· Work collaboratively with AKF and other Schools2030 partners to capture and make meaning of data from sites and for communication to stakeholders.

· Coordinate bi-monthly catch-up meetings with the Schools2030 coordinator and other AKF and non-AKF representatives as deemed necessary.

Duration

The partnership will be valid from April – December 2023, with a possibility of extension based on mutual agreement. Funds will be disbursed in instalments and the said budget is reflected on an indicated duration.

Budget

The budget will be based on need to complete the deliverables but will not exceed the pre-approved budget under AKF’s Schools2030 budget. The budget breakdown should indicate the anticipated expenses on travel separately.

Expected deliverables.

1. Schools2030 report including:

a.Design Thinking for Teacher Innovations Report: Assessing the user Process – Learning for the future (Process and evidence or impact).

b.Innovations report – a snapshot of the innovations designed, and assumptions tested. Highlights on possible innovation moving to Minimum Awesome Products.

c.Learning from implementation – evidence and learning from the first round of innovations (2022). Highlights on possible innovation moving to Minimum Awesome Products: Incubation strategy with at least 30 innovations.

2.Active participation in the design thinking workshops. (Learning partner attend ats least 10 HCD processes lasting a minimum of 20 days, providing feedback reflection report)

3.Active participation in the National Advisory Committee as per NAC Terms of Reference. (Learning partner attends and presents finding in 3 NAC Committee meetings)

Please be advised the consultant is expected to proactively engage with the Schools2030 visibility and branding designs.

Key Qualifications and Experience

AKF is seeking an experienced and committed partner with extensive knowledge of doing different studies and assessments to inform learning. The partner should be an institution or organisation registered in Uganda that works with community and learning sites on various research portfolio including assessment. The partner should have human resources (the team with capacity and related expertise) to carry out this assignment.