Evaluation of the Child Friendly School (CFS) Initiative

Quality education in schools in Syria

Description

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and The General Administration for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR) implemented over the last couple of years a Child Friendly School (CFS) Initiative with the support from The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The CFS initiative is a part of a comprehensive approach to improve quality of education in schools in Syria.

The child friendly schools are primarily a place of learning where the physical, social and psychological environment ensures that all children are safe, happy and healthy, and where respect for equity, equality and human dignity are enduring value that are cherished and upheld by children and staff. CFS are also environments where learning is an enjoyable experience that enables opportunity for all children to develop their full diverse potentials.

The programme has been adopted in 118 schools affiliated with UNRWA and 3 institutes affiliated with the GAPAR. The programme aims at improving the school administratively in order to: provide an atmosphere that protects the child and facilitates the learning process, with a focus on gender issues and developing children’s cognitive ability and motivating them to get involved.

More concretely the programme objectives are:

  • Improving administration of the school so that it can provide an environment that can protect the child, in cooperation and interaction with the school and parents;
  • Improving the physical and educational environment of the school in order to provide an atmosphere conducive to the learning process;
  • Creating a positive learning atmosphere free of physical punishment;
  • Creating a gender-sensitive environment within the school ;
  • Developing children’s cognitive abilities and encouraging them to be involved by improving pedagogic approaches and using active learning techniques;
  • Promoting community involvement with the aim of providing a support network for the expansion of the educational process.

The external evaluation seeks to determine the outcome of achievements which have been made by the training programs conducted by UNRWA and the activities carried out in the schools and institutes determining the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the ten criteria of “child-friendly schools”.

These ten criteria are:

The student is the core of the learning/education process

  • The teachers are qualified and equipped with the skills and expertise.
  • Providing the students with a space to play.
  • Using play during classes.
  • Maintaining the cleanliness of school facilities.
  • Encouraging cooperative activities
  • Using educational and learning aids.
  • Placing importance on physical education, musical education, arts and crafts activity
    classes.
  • The impact of education is reflected on the students’ daily live.
  • All students of both genders are treated equally without any discrimination for any
    reason.

The research employed several qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and regulated observations. The study also included a quantitative questionnaire distributed among school staff (with 739 participants representing 27.1% of the teaching staff) and data and statistical analysis.

The sample was taken from different educational districts (Eastern Damascus – Western Damascus – Central District- Southern District). The schools were located both within the refugee camps (both official and nonofficial) and those situated outside the camps.

Services

Inception

  • Kick off meeting
  • Secondary data review
  • Refining the methodology
  • Selecting sites and participants

Qualitative Fieldwork

  • In-depth interviews (GAPAR representatives, school principals and a teacher).
  • Focus Group Discussions (UNRWA staff, teachers, parents and students)
  • In-class performance observation: performance observations of the classroom in terms of the organization and preparation of the room; the suitability of the classroom to education development; classroom management and class progress; the atmosphere prevailing in the classroom during the class; educational activities conducted by the teacher and students during the class while taking note of any new aspects in the teacher’s performance which were based on the various training courses related to the Child-friendly School initiative.

Quantitative Survey

  • A questionnaire on the Child-friendly School program
  • School Statistics
  • Training courses

Analysis and final reporting

  • Data entry of the questionnaires
  • Analyzed the data using SPSS software
  • Analysis and key findings
  • Briefing of UNRWA, GAPAR, UNICEF and partners
  • Comment review
  • Report finalization

Implementation

  • Collect and review all project relevant documents
  • Design evaluation questions, tools and report outline

Field work

  • Design training programme for NRs
  • Implement training
  • Conduct pilot visits to selected schools
  • Arrange for field research
  • Data collection and analysis

Final reporting