ThaiNGO

Country:    Thailand – Southeast Asia
Project:    533010 Mother Tongue Based Multilingual and Intercultural Education project in Koh Lanta (MTBMLE-ICE)
Commissioned by:    Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation 

Table of Content
1    Background information and context    
2    Purpose of the evaluation    
3    Scope and focus of the evaluation    
3.1    Evaluation questions    
3.2    Evaluation methods    
4    Schedule and Deliverables    
4.1    Structure and length of the final report    
5    Role and responsibilities    
6    Competency profile of the evaluator(s)    
7    Budget    
8    Guiding principles and values    
9    Annexe    

List of Abbreviations
ICE    Intercultural Education
MTBMLE    Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education
OECD-DAC    Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Development Assistance Committee
 PCF    Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation
    
ToR    Terms of Reference
 
1    Background information and context
The main problem the project strives to address is the lack of access to quality, linguistically and culturally relevant education that promotes intercultural understanding, tolerance and respect for cultural diversity.  This has negatively impacted the indigenous Urak Lawoi who are native to the island, one of the most vulnerable groups. They are vulnerable because they belong to indigenous Sea Gipsies who traditionally have extremely different language, cultures and livelihoods to the mainland people. They have been granted citizenship only recently with the support from the King Ramma 9. They have no land rights. They have been discriminated due to their ethnic origin, social and economic background. Despite of multicultural classrooms in Koh Lanta island, multicultural, intercultural education has not been taught, making children and youth lack intercultural understanding of each other and Urak Lawoi children rarely interact or participate in group activities with other children. They are more prone to be discriminated The situation is exacerbated by the lack of mother-tongue based bilingual education for Urak Lawoi. This MTBMLE-ICE project aimed at creating innovation to promote multilingual and intercultural understanding among the different cultural groups in schools

The children and youth in Koh Lanta lack access to quality education that is relevant to their language and cultures. Koh Lanta is a district island of Krabi Province in Southern Thailand. Its population consists of multi ethnic groups including native Urak-Lawoi, Melayu Thai, Southern Thai, Central Thai, Thai Chinese, Burmese migrants, Laotian migrants, and Western Foreigners.  Religious practices are Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Approximately 70% of the populations are Muslims. Thai government has made great efforts to expand education opportunity to all children in Thailand, including ethnic children, but does not yet have a formal multilingual and intercultural education curriculum that promotes intercultural understanding, peace, tolerance, and the respect for cultural diversity. Therefore children and youth from various cultural groups in Koh Lanta do not learn about their own or others' cultures, local knowledge, and values at schools. Especially Urak Lawoi children and youth who are the most vulnerable, lack access to culturally and linguistically relevant education that promotes their identity as a pathway for their social and cultural security. The Urak Lawoi are an endangered language group of 4200 people living in various islands in three Thai provinces: Krabi, Phuket, and Satun. They are often called Sea Gipsies although that name includes several other sea people language groups. They are also known for their semi-nomadic seafaring lifestyle. Urak Lawoi children and youth are at risk of losing their mother tongue language skills and cannot express themselves with confidence.

Thailand has 936 islands sprawling in 19 provinces along the coasts, thereof 562 islands are on the side of Andaman Sea. There are 121 schools on these islands, including Koh Lanta.  Apart from general inequality in accessing quality education on the islands, the multicultural population, with divergent socio-economic, cultural and religious background, is an important issue and deserves attention to be tackled in education to promote respect for all and embrace cultural diversity. 

2    Purpose of the evaluation
This is a project end phase evaluation of the Mother Tongue Based Multilingual and Intercultural Education project in Koh Lanta (MTBMLE-ICE) project. The project duration is from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2022. The purpose of the project evaluation is to evaluate the project results and draw lessons learned from the 1st phase of the project including the planned and implemented interventions; and use the lessons for the potential planning of a 2nd phase. 

3    Scope and focus of the evaluation
The evaluation aims to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and management of the first phase of the project according to the OECD-DAC definitions .
The project results chain is as follows:
Impact: Children and youth of all cultural groups in Koh Lanta are proud and appreciative of their own and other cultures and live together in multicultural society with mutual respect, thus contribute to a peaceful world
Outcome: All children and youth in 14 target schools in Koh Lantha, including Urak Lawoi have access to quality education, relevant to their language and cultures.
Outputs:
1)    Urak Lawoi - Thai mother tongue- based multilingual education curriculum is developed and taught in Sangka-U school.  
2)    Intercultural education curriculum is developed and taught as a subject in all target schools.
3)    Mechanisms for cooperation from stakeholders on mother tongue based multilingual and Intercultural education in Koh Lanta are established and functioning.

The project aimed at reaching the following participants to reach the aforementioned outcome within the first phase: Project participants includes 3,697 children and youth from different cultures including Urak Lawoi (140 Urak Lawoi children and youth), 14 school directors, 190 teachers, 2 MTBMLE teacher assistants, 61 local wisdom teachers, 3396 parents, 29 local authorities, 2 OBEC officers, 5 representatives from business sectors, 2 lecturers from Prince of Songkla University-Pattani Campus, and 2 representatives from INGOs.  Total participants are 7,468.
3.1    Evaluation questions
Key questions for the project end phase I Evaluation:
1  To what extent is the project relevant to the needs of Urak Lawoi and other children of different ethnic groups, communities, schools in Koh Lanta at present and in the future (for the next 3-5 years). 
2  Provide recommendations for potential next phase of the project in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability and possibility of replication and expansion elsewhere.
3  Provide the lessons learned for good practices and improvement in the potential next phase.
4.    As a result of the teachers training, do teachers have better skills relevant to MTB-MLE, than they otherwise would have?
5.    As a result of the teachers training, do teachers have better skills relevant to ICE than they otherwise would have?
6.    As a result of the project, do students have improved multilingual skills and intercultural competency?
7.    As a result of the project, do students have improved intercultural competency? (for Urak- self-perception and perception towards the others, confidence – other- self-perception and towards the others..)
8.    To what extent has the MTB-MLE and ICE advocacy mechanism through the Committee been functioning at different levels (efficient and effective)?
9.    Are gender issues emerging within the project?
3.2    Evaluation methods

A specific and detailed assessment design should be presented to PCF by the evaluation team based on the following mixed methods of information gathering (the list below is for reference only):
a.    Interviews with key informants
b.    Focus group discussions with project’s participants (e.g. teachers, parents, children (boys and girls of different ages) 
c.    Desk review of project/programme documentation (project planning documents (e.g. log frame), monitoring system, monitoring report, project/programme report) including financial records 
d.    Participant observation
e.    Survey 
4    Schedule and Deliverables
  -  Submission of proposal          06 June 2022
  -  Selection of the candidates    10 June 2022
  -  Signing the contract and finalising the ToR    25 June 2022
  -  Organising the data collection (schedule and development of tools)    01 July 2022
  -   Data collection 18-31 July    
  -   Draft evaluation report    31 August 2022
  -  Final evaluation report    15 September 2022
  -  Presentation of the final evaluation report to PCF and Operational Partner  30 September 2022  

4.1    Structure and length of the final report
The final evaluation report should be submitted in English including an executive summary in Thai. It should not be longer than 20 pages (excluding annexes and executive summary). The final evaluation should contain an executive summary of no more than 3 pages that includes a brief description of the project/programme, its context and current situation, the purpose of the evaluation, its methodology and its main findings, conclusions and recommendations. The structure of the report should follow the structure of the executive summary. Three signed copies of the final version of the report along with a digital version have to be submitted to PCF.

5    Role and responsibilities
The human resource of this project evaluation consists of the external review consultant/team (including translator, if needed/assistant) and the support team.  The project evaluation support team are from the current project staff and PCF THA staff . The partner organization (M-RILCA-CDRELC) is responsible to support the external evaluation consultant/team in organizing, scheduling meetings with key informants, participants for the review activities. PCF will be responsible for organizing translation and interpretation into Thai language as needed and MU-RILCA-CDRELC will be responsible for translation and interpretation into Urak Lawoi language as needed. 

6    Competency profile of the evaluator(s)
The lead evaluator or the evaluation team is expected to have the following of competencies:
•    Experiences in Result-Based Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (RBM M&E)
•    Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education 
•    Human Rights Based Approach in development Cooperation 
•    Understanding of Child Centre Approach 
•    Be sensitive to gender and indigenous cultures, multilingual, multicultural and multi-religious communities 
•    Be familiar with the Thai education system. Experience in Intercultural Education practices is a plus
•    Be familiar or have experience in ethnology or ethnographic anthropology and sensitivity and  participatory development of vulnerable populations.

7    Budget
A detailed budget should be included in the proposal and specify how many person-days are given for studying the documentation, execution (field visits), reporting etc. Other expenses to be calculated include (if relevant): translation, session with partners, transportation etc. 

8    Guiding principles and values
The evaluation team should adhere to the United Nations evaluation norms and standards and ethical guidelines for evaluation .
The individual consultants/team or institution that will work on this project must demonstrate personal and professional integrity during the whole process of the evaluation. He/she/the team must respect the right of institutions and individuals to provide information in confidence and ensure that sensitive data cannot be traced to its source. Further, the team must respect ethics of research while working with children including using age appropriate consent forms, age appropriate data collection, and principle of do no harm. Furthermore, the team and its members must take care that those involved in the evaluation have an opportunity to examine the statements attributed to them. The evaluation process and consultants must be sensitive to beliefs, manners, and customs of the social and cultural environment in which they will work. Especially, the consultants must be sensitive to and address issues of protection, discrimination and gender inequality. Furthermore, the consultants are not expected to assess the personal performance of individuals, and must balance an assessment of management functions with due consideration of this principle. Finally, if the consultants or team uncover evidence of wrong doing, such cases must be reported discreetly to the appropriate investigative body.

9    Annexe
1.    Project description, 2. Logframe, 3. Project monitoring system, 4. Project Annual Reports

To request annexes or more information,  please contact r.ananyavong@pestalozzi.ch (Rattanaporn Ananyavong) or Tel 0818150307