Request for Proposal: The Impacts of Hazards on Education in Philippines 2009-2016 (Revised)

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential. We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars in 2011 to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.

Save the Children International Asia Regional Office is inviting submissions for proposal of delivering the following research: “The Impacts of Hazards on Education in Philippines 2009-2016”

1. BACKGROUND 

The Asia region is the most disaster prone in the world, and children bear the brunt of the impact. The Philippines, which is exposed to typhoons, earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes as well as to a range of man-made hazards including urban inundation in informal settlements, hazardous materials releases, as well as conflict.

Children’s right to education, and policies and priorities for access to a free quality basic education rest on an assumption about children’s ability to attend a target percentage of normative school days in order to progress and benefit from their education. When schools are closed, used for other purposes or inaccessible, and when the school calendar or school attendance are significantly (and repeatedly) disrupted, when exam schedules are inflexible, children fall behind, to fail to achieve their goals, to drop out before finishing school. The consequences of educational inequities are severe for individuals, families, and national welfare. Children who drop out of school face higher rates of poverty, exploitation, and violence. Whilst there is some evidence that coping with adversity is a learning and growth experience, we have a reasonable expectation that equitable access to participate in a high percentage of the normative school hours is fundamental to the right to education.

This research is to quantify and differentiate the impacts of hazards of all sizes on the education sector in the Philippines. The focus is on both educational impact on children, as well as economic impact, on school facilities and teaching and learning materials and on the use and analysis of DepEd data, and the correlation of this data with particular policy and programmatic interventions wherever possible. 

2. RATIONALE 

This study aims to complement other recent studies on the barriers to achieving children’s right to a free basic quality education, and to identify significant sources of inequities in educational participation, as the result of hazards, disasters, and climate-change impacts.

The study will generate evidence-based documentation which can be used to support DepEd in the Philippines as well as providing salutary example for many other hazard prone countries in their efforts to understand the impacts of hazards on education, and to address educational inequities with thoughtful, evidence-based planning and decision-making. The results are expected to guide education sector partners, development partners, donors, and other stakeholders in reducing hazard and disaster impacts on the education sector.

The purpose of this research is to complete a comprehensive study of the impacts of intensive and extensive hazards on both children’s education, and on education sector investments for children in primary and secondary education in the Philippines. The data will also provide the evidence-base for a subsequent analysis of the economic consequences of these impacts on the education sector as well as on individuals and families. 

3. AIM & OBJECTIVES 

Aim:

To understand the impacts of hazards on both educational outcomes for children, and on education sector investments in the Philippines.

Objectives:

• To understand the differential and longitudinal impacts of hazards on children’s education outcomes in the Philippines (including larger intensive disaster impacts and extensive and recurrent impacts of hazards);
• To understand the economic impacts of hazards on education sector investments in the Philippines;
• To identify any policy and capacity factors that have particular positive or negative impacts on these inequities;
• To demonstrate and implement a methodology for sampling and measuring pre and post-disaster changes in school enrolment nationally (in order to account for internal displacement); in school attendance (in order to account for impacts of school closure, displacement, inaccessibility, and use of schools as shelters); in number of student-teacher contact hours in hazard impacted schools vs. normative number and for measuring range of inequities in school access, per event, and in selected areas over the school attendance span of students; 
• To provide quantitative data for analysis of economic consequences of hazard impacts in the Philippines.  

4. SCOPE of WORK and DELIVERABLES

Applicants please note: The full Scope of Work will be agreed upon following submission of successful Research Proposal.

Scope of Work: 

Note that any results that are to be published in a peer-reviewed academic journal will require approval by academic institutional human subjects or ethics board.

5. DELIVERABLES:

Note that any results that are to be published in a peer-reviewed academic journal will require approval by academic institutional human subjects or ethics board.

(1). Inception Report  This report will refine the research questions, outline the work plan for conducting the study, a time frame for completion of each step, agreements from major stakeholders on the scope, and detail the methodologies and resources to be used. This will be based on in-depth understanding of available DepEd data. It will include how policy and adaptation measures will be factored in as variables. It may also propose some limited purposive survey, Key Informant Interviews, or Focus Group Discussions to capture qualitative information for additional insights into long-term educational impacts on students. 

(2). Research-into-Practice Brief  This 2,000-word brief will provide a concise literature review geared towards practitioners. The review template will be provided, and will cover: 

• Abstract (100 words)
• Short Glossary of important terms
• Introduction (100 words)
• Literature Review (approx 850 words)
• Case Study (approx 250 words)
• Practical applications (approx 250 words)
• Conclusions (approx 250 words)
• Important Lessons (approx 250 words)
• Follow-up Questions (5) 
• References (<10)

Bibliographic References (as many as needed – submitted into Mendeley shared bibliography)

(3). Data Sharing Concurrent with the final stages of this research project a second project will utilize the data collected for economic analysis of long-term consequences for both the education sector, the individual students impacted, and the national economy. The researchers are expected to communicate with one another in order to benefit both projects.

(4). Final Report The final report will concisely present the main findings and recommendations with regards to the overall objective and research questions outlined in this terms of reference, incorporating feedback from Save the Children and other relevant stakeholders. 

•        Acknowledgements
•        Table of Contents
•        Executive Summary
•        Introduction and Background
•        Purpose and Research Questions

Research Design and Methodology (sample, data collection, data analysis, limitations) 

Research Findings

Discussion (including link to other research, the guiding research narrative and translation/utilization goals).

Recommendations (must include: research dissemination and utilization goals and actionable utilization plans)

•        References
•        Appendices:
•        Review of Literature 

Research Instruments (survey, focus group discussion questions, etc.)

                   Detailed findings, tables etc.

(5). PowerPoint presentation of findings for general practitioner and stakeholder workshop

(6). Full data set (where applicable)

5. QUALIFICATIONS 

Applicants should demonstrate that the primary investigator(s) should have:

• Masters or Doctoral degree 
• Subject-matter expertise in education sector research
• Understanding of disaster impacts on education
• Strong research design and quantitative data analysis skills
• Excellent writing, conceptual and analytic skills, including being able to write for practitioners and policy-makers
• Proven track record in designing and implementing social science research
• Firm grasp of ethical/human subjects review considerations
• Commitment to research dissemination and interest in implementation science highly desirable
• Appropriate cultural and language skills to carry out research in this particular context

 Researcher may be an individual or a team. 

6. RESEARCH TIMEFRAME

Research Duration: 1 July – 15 November, 2017