The performance evaluation of the Improving the Quality of General Education and Improving Access to and Manageemnt of Textbooks Activities under the Namibia Compact's Education Project was primarily a qualitative evaluation with an emphasis on the use of participatory methods to collect primary data. Quantitative methods were used for simple comparisons of planned numeric data (including, where data are available, those outlined in the Namibia M&E Plan) with reported outputs and for description of or studying of the relationships between project investments and changes in learner outcomes. Quantitative methods complemented the qualitative analysis providing the evaluation team a framework for interpreting the qualitative results; addressing the “learning” objective of the evaluation of providing MCC and Namibia Stakeholders lessons learned regarding project strategies and operational decision making and their effect on outcomes. Key evaluation findings follow.
School Infrastructure Improvement
- While school personnel appreciated the improved facilities, they often did not meet educational needs. For example, junior and senior secondary schools received the same equipment and materials despite differences in curricula.
- The proportion of qualified teachers at compact-supported schools increased dramatically between 2009 and 2016, but the most significant increase took place before many of the compact activities were implemented.
- Although total enrollment increased at compact-supported schools, actual enrollment did not meet the projections in the corresponding cost-benefit analysis.
Improved Access to Learning Resources
-It is likely the compact led to an improved textbook-to-pupil ratio; however, the ratio seemed to be unsustainable post-compact due to external policy considerations, such as the delayed approval of textbook titles and austerity measures.
- The model where master trainers were trained and then replicated trainings for other trainers and teachers, was only implemented for one of three trainings funded under these activities.
- The Supply Chain Management Unit, established with compact support within the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, is restricted in the amount of time they can spend monitoring the textbook ordering processes.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Compact-supported schools exceeded year five targets for the Grade 5 standardized learning tests but did not meet or exceed targets in any of the subjects in the Grade 10 and 12 leaving exams.
- Exam scores analyzed by sex showed a few notable trends. Girls consistently outperformed boys in English in all exams and age groups. At younger ages, girls outperform boys in math achievement, but this evens out with boys by seventh grade. By 10th and 12th grade, girls underperformed boys in both math and science.