Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Why monitor and evaluate? School and community level information collection will encourage ownership, transparency, and accountability in the investment phase. It will also promote a longer term commitment to sustained O&M, as well as continuous support for efficient life skills-based hygiene education.

At the local and, depending on the country size, subnational or national government level, since these projects are not intended to provide long term support, the M&E system needs to ensure that implementation is carried out as planned, achieves the project's overall and project-specific objectives, and is of acceptable quality. The system also needs to assure that sustainability and management issues are addressed and that support networks, such as school hygiene committees and supporting units within the structure of the Ministry of Education, are in place and functioning.

Drawing by Jaap Zomerplaag

At the project level, information is needed to assess the project's contribution to overall objectives for Education for All, girls' education, provision of safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation, and other related Millennium Development Goals. Results must be reported to the donor or financing agency as well as to the Ministry of Education to demonstrate the overall impact of the budget allocation made.

What will be monitored and evaluated? A baseline study, which should be undertaken before the project is implemented, forms the basis for the M&E system. The study size is determined by the available budget, staff, and time, but will, as a minimum, make an inventory of existing problems concerning hygiene, sanitation, and water in schools, while taking into consideration the different age groups, sexes, ethnic groups, and social classes represented. The M&E system then collects information and compares it with the baseline. The Project Implementation Manual contains a description of approaches, procedures, and responsibilities for the monitoring of the performance of individual schools, the roles of the government and possible other partners, and the overall impact of the project.

A M&E system follows changes over time on indicators related to key topics affecting hygiene, sanitation, and water in schools. Since activities on hygiene, sanitation and water in schools should be continuous, M&E will be an ongoing exercise.

Who is responsible for M&E? The school director, teachers, children, parents, community, school hygiene committee, Ministry of Education (local or national), representatives of the water and sanitation authority, and the Ministry of Health should all be involved in M&E. Technical assistance should be contracted as necessary to implement an effective M&E system.

Checklist of Key Components:

Inputs to Logical Framework
Project implementation and completion reporting
Specific reviews and focus impact studies
Guidelines and formats for school-lead monitoring and evaluation
Guidelines and formats for government monitoring of implementation, as well as ex-post and follow up evaluation
Guidelines and format for assessment of project impact indicators related to "Education for All", Girl's education, provision of safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation as well as other related Millennium Development Goals.

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