01. Introduction

Kalike, an associate organization of Tata Trusts, has been implementing an education programme titled, “Phase 2 of the Education Initiative in Yadgir and Koppal Districts in Karnataka” since September 2022. This programme is currently in its last year of implementation. As part of its programme plan and commitment to accountability and learning, Kalike in consultation with Tata Trusts, has decided to commission a Third-Party Grant End Review . This review aims to assess the outcomes, effectiveness, and overall impact of the programme. In this context, Kalike invites Requests for Proposal (RFP) from qualified and experienced agencies, organizations, or research institutions to conduct the Grant End Review. Interested entities must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in this document.

The primary aim of this assignment of assessment of the Phase 2 Education Initiative, currently being implemented in Yadgir and Koppal districts of Karnataka, is to generate credible, third-party evidence on the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of the program. The initiative seeks to evaluate multiple components of the intervention with the following specific objectives.

1. To evaluate the impact of teacher training on:
   - teachers’ conceptual knowledge and understanding about the FLN,
   - Classroom management skills,
   - teaching-learning approaches used in early grade teaching.
2. To assess the learning attainment levels of children in early grades.
3. To determine the impact of the Learning Improvement Program (LIP) on participating children, particularly in terms of their continued education and school retention.
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of the school library intervention in enhancing children’s reading habits and enriching the school environment with quality children's literature.
5. To assess the status and functionality of the Master Resource Person (MRP) pool in the areas of language and mathematics.
6. To examine the effectiveness of School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) and the extent of community involvement in school development activities.

Baseline and midline assessments were carried out as per the programme plan. The upcoming grant end review will build upon the findings from these earlier assessments to evaluate.

The geographical scope of the study spans three blocks across the Yadgir and Koppal districts in Karnataka. The study will cover 657 government schools, 1,700 teachers and head teachers (HTs), 210 school libraries, 210 SDMCs, approximately 92,000 children and their parents and the Department of Education, as a key institutional stakeholder. The study aims to assess the outcomes, impact, key learnings, and gaps in the interventions implemented under the programme. The assessment will focus on the teaching-learning process and FLN outcomes - changes in teaching-learning practices adopted by teachers, particularly in early grades, improvements in teachers’ conceptual/ knowledge level understanding, development of teachers’ pedagogical and classroom management skills and impact of these changes on students’ learning levels and attainments in FLN. Status and effectiveness of MRPs as cluster- and block-level resource personnel trained in FLN and their role in sustaining and scaling FLN initiatives. The assessment scope also include to examine the status on availability and usage of quality children’s literature in schools, influence of library interventions on reading habits and interest in books among students, changes in the status and number of out-of-school children, programme efforts and progress in re-enrolment and retention of these children, level of community participation in school development activities and extent of parental involvement in supporting children’s education and contributing to school functioning. This comprehensive assessment will help in understanding the impact and sustainability of the interventions and guide future strategic directions.

Over more than a decade of sustained engagement, Kalike collaborated closely with the Department of School Education and gained critical insights through its Mission 2020 initiative which focused on improving school education outcomes in Yadgir, field level experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed deep-rooted educational challenges and accelerated the need for remedial learning, ongoing grassroots engagement with schools, teachers, communities, and local governance structures and data-driven monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that helped identify gaps in foundational learning. These learnings informed the design of a holistic education programme titled, “Phase 2 Education Initiative in Yadgir and Koppal Districts in Karnataka” originally planned for the period September 2022 to May 2025, the programme has since been extended until March 2026. The initiative has been under implementation since September 2022 in selected blocks of Yadgir and Koppal districts, located in the Kalyana Karnataka – KK Region (North-East Karnataka). The Phase 2 education initiative is aimed to ensure children attain foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills and continue their schooling through enhanced quality teaching-learning process and supplementary child friendly engagement activities. The specific objectives of the programme include (i) strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy, (ii) developing an enabling environment to promote reading through school library programme (Grade 4 - 8) (iii) developing a cadre of 100 teachers as MRPs in language and mathematics (iv) improving literacy skills among school children needing strong remediation (Grade 3-5), (v) strengthening School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) and (vi) demonstrating a model for enhancing quality of elementary education at district level.

The Phase 2 education initiative aims to strengthen the earlier efforts and absorb them into the current system and expand the learnings in other blocks of North Karnataka in collaboration with state and regional government institutions. the initiative seeks to support the system in addressing learning loss and other challenges faced by children—challenges that have been highlighted in various national and regional studies and contribute to achieving goals stated in the NEP 2020.

Aligned with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the programme focuses on enhancing teacher capacity, improving the school environment, and fostering community involvement to improve educational outcomes. At its core, the initiative aims to design and demonstrate a comprehensive set of early-grade quality teaching-learning interventions rooted in insights from Phase 1 and the pandemic experience.

The Phase 2 of the Education Initiative by Kalike was designed for implementation across three blocks in Yadgir and Koppal districts. The project covered Yadgir block (includes Gurmitkal as well) in Yadgir district, and Koppal and Kushtagi blocks in Koppal district. It aimed to reach a total of 657 government schools (Grades 1–8) using intensive and extensive approach of interventions, impacting approximately 92,000 children and 1,700 teachers through a range of targeted interventions.

1. Professional Development of Teachers/Head Teachers :Capacity building of 1,700 teachers and head teachers with a focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in language and mathematics. Support for strengthening the Nali-Kali programme (Grades 1–3) through targeted training session, on-site academic support, provision of Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs).

2. Support for Teacher Educators and Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs): Development of 110 Master Resource Persons (MRPs) comprising active teachers, head teachers, and CRPs. MRPs to lead academic support at cluster and block levels. Support includes residential training, facilitation of teacher training at the cluster level and exposure visits for enhanced learning and practice sharing.

3. Learning Improvement Programme (LIP) Centres: Establishment of 150 LIP Centres for Grades 3–5, functioning after school hours. Each centre serves 25 children identified by schoolteachers/Head teachers based on assessed learning levels. Key support components include animators to run the centres, 9-day training for animators, provision of TLMs, regular baseline, midline, and endline assessments to track children’s progress in literacy and language skills.

4. School Library Programme: Establishment of 300 school libraries (150 intensive and 150 extensive) to foster reading habits in Grades 4–8. School library development activities include animator support in intensive libraries to facilitate library-based engagement, animators’ training on library operations and activities, one-time provision of library furniture. Supply of quality children’s books, material support, and training of point teachers to promote sustainable reading culture

5. School Re-enrollment: Targeted re-enrollment of 70% of identified school dropouts through collaborative efforts with schools, communities, and local governance bodies.

6. Strengthening of School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs): Formation and capacity building of 300 SDMCs to enhance community participation and improve school governance mechanisms.

Deliverables outlined for the above study includes submission of following documents in an agreed upon formats:

1. Inception report
2. Data collection tools
3. Data collected (raw)
4. Draft Grant End Impact Assessment Report
5. Final Grant End Impact Assessment Report
6. A presentation on findings
7. Consent forms of respondents/research participants– the interviewees, FGD participants, individuals & few studies related photographs.

1. At least 5 years prior experience in conducting similar assessments for Corporates/Foundations/Donors/ NGOs with state/national level presence.
2. Relevant certifications (Applicable as per the law)
3. The field team responsible for data collection must be proficient in the Kannada language and possess demonstrated sensitivity to the local culture, context, and communities.

1. Member(s) with a Master’s degree in relevant disciplines such as Education, Social Work/ other Social Science streams.
2. A minimum of five years of relevant experience in research, monitoring and evaluation, or assessments, with substantial exposure to the school education sector.
3. Excellent analytical skills, demonstrating the ability to interpret data and draw meaningful insights.
4. Effective communication and drafting skills to ensure clear, concise, and effective reporting.
5. Team members with specific expertise in school education, including pre-school education, are essential.
6. The study team should be supported by a robust technology-based system for efficient data collection and analysis facilities.