Analysis Standard 3: Monitoring

Monitoring measures whether programmes are meeting the changing educational needs of the population and how they are responding to the evolving context. It:

• ensures that interventions are relevant and responsive;
• identifies possibilities for improvement;
• contributes to conflict mitigation and disaster risk reduction;
• promotes accountability.

The planned and unplanned impacts of education programmes should be monitored to ensure that they do not unintentionally increase marginalisation, discrimination, conflict or natural hazards. Unannounced monitoring visits can improve the validity of monitoring data. The design of monitoring will determine how often different types of data are collected, according to need, and the resources required for data collection and processing. Many types of information can be collected from schools and other education programmes on a sample basis, giving quick indications of needs and problems. Such information may include:

• disaggregated data on enrollment and drop-out;
• whether students eat before attending school;
• availability of textbooks and teaching and learning materials.

Monitoring of out-of-school children and youth and their reasons for not enrolling or attending can be done through visits to a small random sample of households. During monitoring, it is important to listen directly to the voices of women and vulnerable groups. If data on ethnicity or other social groupings are too sensitive or difficult to gather on a comprehensive basis, sample surveys and qualitative feedback, such as informal conversations, may indicate problems specific to particular groups.

Monitoring and reporting systems are needed for violations of the safety and well-being of learners, teachers and other education personnel, and for the state of education infrastructure. This is particularly important where there is risk of armed attack, abduction, child recruitment to armed forces and armed groups, gender-based violence or natural disasters. For this aspect of monitoring, education stakeholders may need to liaise with local and national authorities or UN and non-government agencies for security, justice, protection and human rights. It is important to take into account the sensitivity of the reported information. Ongoing education response activities should be modified if necessary, according to the results of monitoring.

People involved in monitoring need to be able to collect information from all groups in the affected population in a culturally sensitive manner. It is important that the team is gender-balanced, fluent in local language(s) and trained in data collection. Local practices may require that women or minority groups be consulted separately by individuals who are trusted. Representatives of the affected community, including young people, should be involved as early as possible in monitoring the effectiveness of education programmes that directly affect their lives. This is particularly important in non-formal education programmes for specific groups, such as adolescent girls or learners with disabilities.

An education management information system, normally managed by national authorities, compiles and analyses education data. If an education management information system exists for the context, it may have been disrupted by the emergency or may need to be upgraded. The development or rehabilitation of a national education management information system or equivalent may require capacity building at national, regional and local levels. Capacity building supports relevant people to collect, manage, interpret, use and share available information. It should start as early as possible, with the aim of having a functioning system, ideally housed with a government body, by the recovery phase.

Compatible software and hardware for an education management information system are essential. National and local education o ces and other education sub-sectors, such as national training institutes, should have compatible equipment to facilitate the exchange of information. Mobile phones equipped with special software can improve data collection, but lack of technology should not prevent data collection from under-resourced areas.

Monitoring of learners should take place whenever possible during their learning and after they complete or leave a course. Monitoring through quantitative and qualitative assessments can cover, for example:

• gross and fine motor development, cognitive and socio-emotional development in very young children;
• the retention of literacy and numeracy skills;
• awareness and application of key life skills;
• access to post-literacy reading materials.

For vocational education, monitoring should keep track of employment opportunities for learners. Post-programme monitoring of learners provides valuable feedback for programme design.