Background
Nepal's government launched a decade-long School Education Sector Plan (SESP 2022-2032) to enhance education quality. The Ministry of Education, with UNICEF and UNICEF Innocenti, runs the Data Must Speak (DMS) initiative since 2015. DMS utilizes data for evidence-based decisions, aiding in EMIS transition, Equity Index creation, and Positive Deviance Research. UNICEF and MoEST collaborate to collect data from 120 schools (60 positive deviant, 60 comparison) in diverse regions. Whereas, a comprehensive qualitative data collection will be carried out in the 24 selected schools based on the quantitative survey results. Moreover, classroom observation coding, interviewing and facilitating focus group discussions with various stakeholders and school children, transcriptions/translations are other expected results of this study. The study identifies practices behind successful schools through quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, observations, interviews, and discussions.
Objective
The overall objective of this study is to conduct quantitative and qualitative data collection at a sample of schools selected in collaboration with MoEST and the DMS team.
Methodology
This study employs both quantitative and qualitative data collection method. The study will be conducted in all 7 Provinces of Nepal. The study aims at identifying the school-level practices and behaviors that are enabling the positive deviant schools to perform better than their peer schools. In doing so, it will carry out quantitative data collection activities at pre-identified 120 schools (60 positive deviant schools and 60 comparison schools) spread across three ecological zones: mountain regions, hill regions and terai regions. A comprehensive qualitative data collection will be carried out in the 24 selected schools (a subset of the 120 schools).
Study team
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam
Dr. Manjeshwori Singh
Mr. Rajendra Khatri
Ms. Shreya Bajimaya
Mr. Ram Prasad Devkota
Mr. Santosh Kumar Mahato
Ms. Sophiya Shrestha
Ms. Ashma Aryal
