1. Egypt Education Community Score Card Pilot in Ismailia Governorate
Context and Design Features
Mariana T. Felicio, TTL
Social Development Specialist, MNA
March 16, 2011

2. Diagnostics
Education Sector Policy Note, 2007: Egypt, Improving Quality, Equality, and Efficiency in the Education Sector: Fostering a Competent Generation of Youth.
Widening inequality gap is observed between the rich and the poor with regards to access to quality education due to:
Inefficiencies in expenditures
High private education costs
Two-track system separating performers from non-performers at preparatory stage

3. Context – Government Vision
Decentralization Reforms
Reforms in the Ministry of Education
Legislation – Ministerial Decree 334, Board of Trustees, Parents and Teacher (Sept 2006)
School Improvement Plans (SIPs) are mandated at every school.
On pilot basis, Ismailia, Luxor and Fayoum for a variety of Bab 2 Expenditure (late 2007); All country for routine maintenance.
Formula fund transfers to the Markaz level and all the way to the school, based on enrollment rates and poverty levels (2008)

4. Results People very happy with transparency Appreciate flexibility
Makes school planning more than a theory
People realize advantage of predictable formula
People not afraid to spend
More contributions from community

5. School Management Parents
Hypothesis: Improving the accountability of teachers positively impacts student performance
Teachers
Effectively engage students in learning including class work, homework, class tests, etc.
Know the weaknesses and strengths of students and employing legitimate measures to address weaknesses
Improve quality of teaching methods to meet the needs of students
School
Management
Engage with teachers and ensure stronger accountability relationships between management and teachers
Provide incentives to retain and improve performance of teachers
Promote a healthy school environment to motivate effective learning
Parents
Engage with teachers to ensure free flow of information between the teachers and parents about student performance
Participate in school and class activities, as may be required, to contribute to the needs of the schools and students
Support teachers efforts by helping students with homework

6. The Framework for Community Scorecard in Ismailia
Information sharing/feedback
Joint review and action plans
Increased trust and reciprocity
leading to willingness to co-operate
in implementing measures for
improved quality performance of
schools
School
Board/Management
Interactions
Partnerships
Parents
Teachers

7. Approach
The Education Community Scorecard Pilot is in line with existing MOE efforts to decentralize functions to the school level.
The pilot will serve as an experiment to answer the research questions:
How can the pilot help improve the way MOE implements decentralization?
How can it increase the effectiveness, policies and accountability in line with the MOE's current policy objectives?
Does the intervention change the quality of school performance and the way decentralization efforts are implemented?

8. Pilot Objectives and Expected Outcomes
Community Score Card to Enhance Quality of Performance of Schools
Objectives
Improve the accountability of teachers
Improve the accountability of school management and processes
Promote accountability and effectiveness in student academic learning
Expected Outcomes
Improvement in performance of target students in the impact evaluation test
Improved responsibility, transparency and accountability of school management and teachers
Expanded capacity and knowledge of in-country stakeholders on Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation tools for improving service performance

9. Components
Baseline survey
Community score card – FGDs and Action Plans
Impact evaluation (planned)

10. Design Features – Baseline Survey
Governorate: Ismailia - all 7 districts
Survey Firm: El-Zanaty Associates
Sample: 100 randomly selected primary schools
50 treatment schools
50 control schools
5 structured questionnaires were rolled out targeting :
School Checklist
Head Teacher
Teacher
Parent
Pupil
One Roster for Year 3 tests – Arabic and Math

11. Baseline survey’s initial findings
Increased participation of school community members in monitoring progress, positively affect achievement of targets.
Student performance increases if parents are provided with their children’s learning outcomes.
Schools are better managed when Board of Trustees are more hands on, (ie. active in human resources monitoring vs budget sign off)
Addressing school management issues are the most direct way to positively affect academic learning.
Over 20% of schools identified (i) academic performance and (ii) relationship between the school and community as key indicators to assess action plan success.

12. Policy and Strategic Planning Unit
Ministry of Education
Policy and Strategic Planning Unit
Ismailia Governorate
Quality Assurance Unit
(including 8 facilitators to social workers at school level)
Support Agency (CARE) Including staff for Quality Assurance and Supervision
District
Technical Support Unit
Board of Trustees
(Head Master, Social worker, NGO)
School
Head Master
Social Worker
Quality Assurance Team
Parents and Students

13. Main Features of the Proposed Activity
Orientation Workshop on Social Accountability and Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
Training of trainers – targeting facilitators
Training of Facilitators – Step-down training
Piloting the CSC in selected schools communities
Monitoring of action plan implementation
Impact evaluation of the methodology

14. Impact Evaluation CSC activities
An impact assessment the CSC activities will be conducted after one school year.
Aims of Impact Evaluation
Assess improvements in the responsibility and accountability of the teacher
Evaluate accountability of school management.
Assess changes in students learning outcomes
Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy
Collection of baseline data
Structured questionnaire
Math and Reading (Arabic) tests to target students
Implementation of action plans designed by teachers, parents and school Board
Continuous monitoring of action plans implementation
Repeat of all major activities of the CSC after 7 months to track progress and evaluate impact and effectiveness of the intervention

15. Role of Country Partners
CARE Egypt – Community Score Card
Element
Activities
Awareness creation and capacity development
Organize and lead
Orientation Workshop on Social Accountability
Training of Trainers Workshop (QAU staff, CARE staff, 8 facilitators)
Field Test of CSC Methodology
Training of Trainers (training of social workers)
Piloting of the CSC
Help coordinate community score card exercise at community level, with support from social workers at each school
Focused group discussion and performance score card
Interface meeting, problems harmonization, development of
corrective action plans
Report writing
Prepare implementation process report and findings
Prepare quarterly report on implementation of corrective
actions plans
Quality Control/Technical Assistance
Assist with follow up visits to communities to monitor the implementation of action plans, periodic spot checks
Impact evaluation
Repeat the community score card process to track progress in action

16. Key Activities and Time Line
Activity
Dates
1. Baseline data collection
October 2010
2. Orientation Workshop
November 4, 2010
3. Training of Trainers
October 28 and November 3, 2010
4. Training of facilitators
Mid November
5. Piloting Community Score Card
Input tracking
Focus group discussions
Interface meetings and action plans development
December, 2010
4. Implementation of Action Plan
December June 2011
5. Impact Assessment and Evaluation
Repeat pilot activities
Evaluate results and analyze the findings
September – October 2011