Project Background of the project

The Government of Rwanda has made significant strides in improving early childhood care and education (ECCE) outcomes. These efforts include the expansion of pre-primary education, the establishment of national early childhood development (ECD) standards, and the implementation of policies emphasizing holistic development. Between 2017 and 2022, these initiatives led to a 33% increase in enrolments in formal pre-primary education, facilitated by the construction of 622 pre-primary centers. The goal is to increase the pre-primary net enrolment rate from 25.9% in 2020/21 to 45% by 2024 and 95% by 2050. Furthermore, the quality of learning has improved through the establishment of standards for pre-primary education and the implementation of a comprehensive ECD curriculum.

Disparities in Access to Quality Early Learning

There is a significant disparity in access to quality early learning. Only 26% of children attending early learning centers are in formal pre-primary settings, which are predominantly located in urban and high-income areas. The remaining children attend informal ECD settings, mostly in rural areas with lower education quality. The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) scorecard (2022) identified key challenges in this area, including low compliance with minimum standards and limited utilization of the ECCE curriculum within community-based ECDs.

Programme Objectives

To address these disparities, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), in collaboration with the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), are co-designing an outcomes fund focused on improving the quality of community-based ECD centers in underserved rural areas. The programme aims to enhance both structural and process quality through play-based approaches. Structural quality improvements will focus on the physical setup and resources of the learning environment, while process quality will enhance caregiver interactions and educational practices.

Potential applicant shall meet the following minimum criteria:

• Completed university education (bachelors or masters)
• Experience with computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI), and observational interviews, ideally, experienced with SurveyCTO software
• Experience in conducting interviews with children – particularly those under the age of six – is considered a significant asset
• Available for the entire period of the data collection and follow-up batches
• Willingness to work irregular hours and under time pressure
• Willingness to work on weekends during the period of data collection
• Proven reliability
• Good command of English
• Fluency in relevant local language

Responsibility of field team

• Participate fully in the training and pre-testing of the study tools. The training will be considered as a continuous recruitment process,

• Conduct face-to-face interviews with respondents using android tablets; Accurately capture and record responses from respondents; and check responses for completeness, correctness, and consistency

• Ensure participant privacy and confidentiality is maintained during study interactions and at all times.

• Report progress, problems, and needs regularly to the field supervisor and study coordinator

• Receive enumeration materials and equipment for the project; ensure that the electronic equipment is fully charged and maintain them in good working condition in readiness for subsequent data collection activities

• Be available full time for 60 days.