UNICEF Mozambique and Save the Children (STC), in partnership with the Mozambican MINEHD, implemented an accelerated school readiness (ASR) pilot programme from 2016 to 2019 (Preparando-se para a entrada na escola!) in two provinces of Mozambique beginning in Zambézia province for children aged 5 to 6. The programme aims to improve readiness in three ways; it seeks to (1) improve children’s readiness for school by developing skills and competencies necessary to succeed in Grade 1, (2) improve school’s readiness for children by building the capacity of school management and educators in school readiness methodology, and (3) improve families’ readiness for school by building knowledge of and awareness about the importance of a positive home learning environment on children’s school readiness, as well as the importance of parental engagement with the education system for schools’ readiness and accountability. To achieve this, the programme has the following three primary activities: (a) Providing a 120-hour summer school readiness programme; (b) Strengthening school councils and locally-based education professionals; and (c) Providing 12 weeks of parent-to-parent education sessions.
AIR conducted a mixed-methods impact evaluation of the ASR programme with three primary objectives:
(a) determine the extent to which provision of the ASR pilot programme improved children’s school readiness, on-time enrolment, and academic achievement in Grade 1 relative to comparable children in communities with no pre-primary education;
(b) calculate the community- and child-level costs of providing the ASR pilot programme; and
(c) identify which aspects of community context and implementation seemed to facilitate or inhibit the success of the ASR pilot programme.
Year Published | |
Type | |
Joint | No |
Partner/s | N/A |
Consultant name | |
Agency Focal Point | Tomoko Shibuya |
Focal Point Email | tshibuya@unicef.org |
Managed by Independent Evaluation Office | No |
Geographic Scope | Country |
Country/ies |