Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) was launched by the UK in 2012 as a 12 year commitment to reach the most marginalised girls in the world and is the largest global fund dedicated to girls’ education. The UK is committed to ensuring over a million girls in some of the poorest countries, including girls who have disabilities or are at risk of being left behind, receive a quality education.The Camfed Tanzania and Zimbabwe Girls' Educational Challenge Step Change Window Secondary School Student Longitudinal Survey, 2013-2015 project targeted marginalised girls in rural communities of Tanzania and Zimbabwe with a focus on increasing girls’ retention through a full cycle of early secondary education and improving their opportunities to learn. The data collection aimed at testing for an increase in girls’ progression rates from one school year to the next, and a reduction in school dropout. Camfed also expected to see an improvement in educational outcomes for girls and boys –both in academic subjects and in the broader life skills and competencies that better prepare them for the critical transition from school to a secure and productive young adulthood. The interventions comprised:(a) Getting at-risk girls into school and maximising their opportunity to learn, (b) Equipping girls (and boys) with knowledge and skills to cope and flourish, (c) Creating and training a network of Learner Guides, (d) Strengthening the network of local partners that will underpin interventions for girls’ education and (e) Leveraging new technologies to enhance data collection and networking in rural areas. The evaluation methodology for this project was designed to contribute to the evidence base across participating programmes in the GEC portfolio. It sought to answer questions related to the design and implementation, impact and value for money, efficacy, sustainability and potential scalability of strategies. This data collection provided the basis of the project’s independent evaluation at the midline. The survey was carried out in two countries - Tanzania and Zimbabwe - between February 2013 and September 2015. In Tanzania it involved nearly 8,000 secondary school students. In Zimbabwe more than 7,000 students participated. Household socio-economic information, perspectives on education and performance data combine to provide a rich evidence base about the cohort of students (including marginalised girls), their schools and family circumstances, from which to implement the project and measure its outcomes with statistical rigour by including both Camfed partner and non-partner comparison schools.
Main Topics:
The study looks at rural secondary school students’ longitudinal academic achievement, attendance levels and attitudes across different support and marginality conditions.
Multi-stage stratified random sample
Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Educational measurements and tests
