Consultant for BEST V/PREPS VIII Final Evaluation
1. PROJECT SUMMARY
Over the past several decades, more than 200,000 Myanmar nationals sought refuge in Thailand, fleeing conflict and ongoing violence in Southeast Myanmar. Presently, 91,777 (46,347f, 45,430m) verified Myanmar refugees reside in 9 camps alongside the Thai/Myanmar border (UNHCR, September 2020). Approximately 40% of them are children (17,805g; 18,539b). For these children, access to quality basic education and the recognition of their academic achievements is a fundamental right, an essential component of their wellbeing and development as well as a stepping stone to live a peaceful and prosperous life.
Save the Children has been working in Thailand for over 35 years, supporting the most vulnerable children with Education, Child Protection, Child Safety and Health & Nutrition programs. Whenever a disaster strikes in Thailand, they are ready to deploy an emergency response. Since 2013, Save the Children has led the BEST V program; an EU funded consortium-ensuring access to basic education services to school age children residing in the nine temporary shelters located in Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi Provinces.
Type of evaluation: External Evaluator
Name of the project: BEST V and PREPS VIII 2020 - 2022
Project Start and End dates: BEST V: 1st March 2021 to 28th February 2023
PREPS 2020 – 2022: June 2020 to December 2022
Project duration: BEST: 24 months
PREPS: 30 months
Project locations: 9 refugee camps in Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, Thailand.
Thematic areas: Basic Education; Refugee return and integration
Sub themes: Protection
Donor: BEST V: European Union (EC DEVCO)
PREPS 2020 – 2022: DFAT
Estimated beneficiaries: 19,878 students (9,574 males, 10,304 females) enrolled in 68 schools
Overall objective of the project:
BEST V: To ensure children’s right to learn and be protected is maintained through 1) the provision of basic education services in the nine refugee camps and 2) strengthened information sharing and coordination support of education continuity beyond the camps
PREPS VIII 2020 – 2022: To ensure children’s right to learn and be protected is upheld through the provision of basic education services in the seven camps while also empowering ethnic education stakeholders to promote durable solutions for refugee education beyond the life in the camps.
2. INTRODUCTION
This document provides Terms of Reference for the Refugee Aspirations Evaluation of the Basic Education Support towards Transition Project (BEST IV) and Preparing for Reintegration through Education and Participative Solution Project: 2020 – 2022 (PREPS).
The Basic Education Support towards Transition (BEST) Phase V is funded by the European Union to the amount of 2,462,000 EUR, for implementation from 1st March 2021 to 28th February 2023. The project is being implemented in nine Refugee Camps in Mae Hong Son, Tak, Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi Provinces along the Thailand-Myanmar border with an overall objective to support the achievement of durable education solutions for the refugee population in camps in Thailand and as they return to Myanmar. The specific objective of BEST, phase V is to ensure children’s right to learn and be protected is maintained through 1) the provision of basic education services in the nine refugee camps and 2) strengthened information sharing and coordination support of education continuity beyond the camps. The target group of BEST V includes more than 36,344 children age 0 to 17 are living in the nine refugee camps located in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi Provinces of Thailand. 91,777 (46,347f, 45,430m) verified Myanmar refuges residing in the nine camps.
Preparing for Reintegration through Education and Participative Solutions Project VIII (PREPSVIII) is being implemented in the same geographical area as BEST project, in seven refugee camps administered by KRCEE. PREPS 2020-2022, is funded by Australian Aid from June 2020 to December 2022. PREPS 2020-2022 seeks to improve continuity and quality of the education system in 7 camps, and explore sustainable and flexible pathways for refugee students and teachers. The overall objective of PREPS 2020 – 2022 initiative is to ensure children’s right to learn and be protected is upheld through the provision of basic education services in the seven camps while also empowering ethnic education stakeholders to promote durable solutions for refugee education beyond the life in the camps.
3. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Save the Children has been working on Thailand for over 35 years, supporting the most vulnerable children with Education, Child Protection, Child Safety and Health & Nutrition programs. Whenever a disaster strikes in Thailand we are ready to deploy an emergency response. In 2020 we have deployed a multi-site, multi-sectoral response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the Southernmost Provinces (Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat) and the border with Myanmar where more than 91,000 refugees still reside in 9 refugee camps and a large migrant population resides.
Since 2013, Save the Children is the lead of the EU consortium ensuring access to basic education services to school-age children residing in the 9 temporary shelters located in Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi Provinces. SC is also the co-lead – alongside the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) – of the Committee for Coordination of Services to Displaced Persons in Thailand (CCSDPT)’ education sub-committee. SC’s efforts align with its’ 2019-2021 CSP goal ‘The most deprived children receive a high quality multi-dimensional education from infancy to adulthood’.
The DFAT and EU continuously support to nine refugee camps in Thailand and some activities are also continued to its next phase. This BEST/PREPS final evaluation will serve as a baseline for BEST6 and EiE (PREPS9).
Refugee Education Program
Over the past decades, more than 200,000 Myanmar nationals sought refuge in Thailand, fleeing conflict and ongoing violence in South East Myanmar. Presently, 91,777 (46,347f, 45,430m) verified Myanmar refugees reside in 9 camps alongside the Thai/Myanmar border (UNHCR, September 2020). 40% of them are children (17,805g; 18,539b). For these children, access to a quality basic education and the recognition of their academic achievements is a fundamental right, an essential component of their wellbeing and development as well as a steppingstone to live a peaceful and prosperous life.Brief program outline
The BEST V and PREPSVIII 2020 – 2022 projects contribute to the achievement of durable education solutions for the refugee camp population in Thailand by supporting the provision of quality basic education for students in nine refugee camps along the Thailand-Burma/Myanmar border, supporting teachers to build education capacity, and facilitating progress towards sustainable education solutions. Specifically, BEST V aims to achieve the following outcomes:
1. Basic education services are maintained in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border
2. School governance and capacity of parents, teachers and other education personnel is strengthened to protect the rights of all children to learn in environments that are COVID -19 resilient, safe and protected
3. Children, teachers and parents in 9 camps are better prepared to support their successful transition and access to flexible education pathways
4. Linkages, synergies, and coordination between relevant education stakeholders and refugee communities in both Thailand and Myanmar, are strengthened to monitor and advocate for improved policy and practice that supports education continuity solutions in response to the needs and aspirations of refugee children and youth
On the other hand, the specific objectives of PREPSVIII 2020 – 2022 include:
1. Improve access to safe, protective and quality Basic Education in seven refugee camps
2. Children, teachers, and parents have better knowledge and skills to support the successful transition and education continuity
3. Strengthened linkages, synergies, and cooperation between relevant local key actors on both sides of the border, leading to positive experiences of return, particularly related to education transition
Period of submission: Until 7 December 2022
Request full TOR or more information through : Kwang.tangmanakit@savethechildren.org
Submission through: THA_Procurement_BKK@savethechildren.org
