The programme will be systematically and rigorously monitored to ensure that planned activities are implemented, inputs are provided as scheduled, and expected results are achieved. The EBEP-II monitoring and evaluation plan will be developed to feed into the Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (IMEP) of the whole country programme. A comprehensive EBEP logical framework presented as Annex 4 has been developed identifying results to be achieved, indicators, baselines, targets, means of verification, geographical focus, and risks and assumptions.

4.1 Programme Monitoring » Up

A number of data collection activities will be initiated during the first year of the five-year programme to establish baseline benchmarks, especially those that are related to capacity building, learning assessment, and awareness of sector-wide education reforms. The EBEP will develop simple and easy to use monitoring tools and system to track project inputs, implementation activities and expected results. The programme will use EMIS data and existing national survey data (e.g. Socio-Economic Survey, Demographic and Health Survey) whenever these are available. The programme will also support small-scale sample-based surveys and evaluation studies to fill in baseline data gaps—especially those related to changes in knowledge, awareness, attitude, and teaching-learning practices in child-friendly schools. Annual EMIS data will be used to track the following key indicators at national level and in six provinces:

• ECCD coverage among 3-5 year-old children
• Net intake rate (percentage of six-year-olds who enter Grade 1)
• Repetition and drop-out rates in Grade1
• Net enrolment ratio (NER) in primary and lower secondary levels ( boys/girls)
• Gender gaps in NER
• Percentage of over-aged children in primary schools (boys/girls)
• Primary education student flow rates (completion, dropout and repetition) for boys/girls
• Survival rate from Grade 1-6 (boys/girls)

• learning achievement in Khmer language and Mathematics at Grades 3 and 6
• public awareness and support of education reform before and after advocacy campaigns and social mobilization
• participation and support for education by the community and parents
• pupils’ school readiness in Grade 1

Annual work planning of EBEP II will utilize existing Ministry planning system and will avoid creating a parallel planning process for EBEP alone. Comprehensive annual work plans of the partner Departments will include activities to be supported by UNICEF/Sida, other donors and government budget. This will make it easier to comprehend the overall annual plan of each partner department and to view the strategic contribution of the EBEP support to the achievement of the planned yearly results. Advocacy will be pursued for the MoEYS to consistently adopt the Logical Framework Approach in its regular planning process beginning in 2006 for the 2007 annual plans.

Routine monitoring of project activities and results identified in the annual work plan will be undertaken by the implementing partner and UNICEF staff as activities are taking place. At national level and in six provinces, activities are monitored through actual participation of UNICEF staff in activities supported by EBEP funds. To continue the same practice under EBEP 1, submission of written activity report for every activity completed will be required to support liquidation of cash advances made to partners.

The partner departments responsible for coordinating EBEP implementation at the central Ministry (e.g., Department of Primary Education, Teacher Training Department, Department Early Childhood Education and Department of Planning, etc) will conduct joint quarterly monitoring visits to the six provinces to assess on-the-ground implementation. Findings and results will be discussed immediately with Provincial Working Group of POE for immediate feedback and action. At the same time, the consolidated monitoring results from the joint monitoring visits will be reported during the twice-a-year meetings of EBEP Coordinating Committee for appropriate policy decision and action. The joint monitoring is foreseen to encourage better flow of information and strengthen coordination across the various EBEP projects. It could also potentially decrease transactional cost by minimizing POE work load and disruption of routine office and classroom activities during field visits. A guideline to conduct joint monitoring visit under EBEP II will be developed to put the system in operation by 2006.

4.2 Programme Evaluation and Studies » Up

External evaluation will be conducted at mid-term of the implementation period to assess the effectiveness of innovations introduced and the feasibility of scaling-up different component projects/sub-projects such as bilingual education, accelerated learning, community-based preschools, and home-based programmes. Moreover, the external evaluation of the child-friendly schools programme that started in 2005 will be continued at mid-term and at the end of the project to track and document qualitative changes in community, school and classroom practices and processes engendered by the CFS . The CFS evaluation will also include a cost effectiveness analysis.

Special studies and action research will also be undertaken in 2005 and 2006 to support future EBEP implementation, namely, PAP implementation impact survey, costing models for achieving EFA under the fast track initiative, child rearing attitudes and practices in Cambodia, compatibility of the various management information systems within the MoEYS, and accuracy and reliability of EMIS data, effectiveness of the mass-media-based campaign approach among others.

4.3 Links with the Sector-wide Monitoring and Review » Up

The ESP/ESSP affirms the MoEYS’s leadership in conducting a transparent joint sector performance monitoring and reporting though the annual ESSP review process. The main objective of the ESSP review process is to collect and synthesize lessons learnt from program implementation in the current year and to make necessary policy and strategic adjustments for future programming through collaborative appraisal and work planning by the Government, donors, NGOs and other stakeholders. UNICEF has been one of the major supporters of the ESSP review process, providing both technical and logistical assistance to the ESSP Review Secretariat for the preparation of the review as well as to the ESSP Appraisal and Review Team for the actual appraisal and finalization of the rolling program of reform.

The goals, objectives and strategies of the EBEP-II are fully coherent and consistent with the ESP/ESSP targets and strategies. Hence, the ESSP review process along with its supporting documents such as the annual MoEYS Sector Performance Report and the annual donor report will partly satisfy monitoring and evaluation needs of the EBEP II. A fully harmonized appraisal and review process between ESP/ESSP and EBEP-II resulting to a single reporting document is a long-term goal. If achieved, this harmonized process will significantly reduce the workload of the MoEYS as well as transaction costs both on Government and UNICEF sides. However it will take a few more years to achieve this goal given current limitations and constraints of the annual ESSP review process. Therefore, it has been agreed that UNICEF will continue to prepare an annual progress report to be submitted to Sida by end of March each year. The progress report will be analytical and will highlight results achieved against plans as outlined in the Logical Framework Matrix attached to this proposal as Annex 4.

For more in-depth and specific monitoring and evaluation necessities particularly on the progress and outcomes of project activities in the six target provinces, an EBEP-II monitoring database will be developed and utilized, which will enable easy storage and retrieval of information on supported activities and key indicators in target provinces, districts, school clusters, and schools. The development and maintenance of the database will be carried out in close collaboration with provincial and district offices in the six provinces as well as with the EMIS centre at the central level. Annex 5 presents the baseline basic education data for each of the six provinces.