Project Proposal

Rapid Access to Basic Services (Education)

Ulang County, Upper Nile State and and Nyirol County, Jonglei State

SOUTHERN SUDAN

Submitted to:

BMB Mott MacDonald

c/o Basic Service Fund Secretariat , Plot 31-3K,

South, 1st Class Residential Area,

Juba town South, South Sudan

Date of Submission:

Thursday, 6th May 2010

Food for the Hungry Contact:

George Gathenya
Program Director
Food for the Hungry Sudan
Wozar El Shabab - Haiya Jelaba
Malakal, Sudan
Email:
Mobile: +249 927 732241

Overall BSF Objective

The overall objective of the Basic Services Fund of the Government of Southern Sudan (BSF) is to increase the coverage of, access to and use by the population of Southern Sudan – in particular vulnerable groups of female members of the households, IDPs and refugees – of basic services in Primary Education, Primary Health, and Water & Sanitation, in a sustainable way. It therefore aims to strengthen the capacity of communities and the GoSS (central, state and county level) to plan, monitor and co-ordinate this service delivery through non-state actors.
This purpose is consistent with BSF’s overall goal, namely GoSS’s poverty reduction agenda within the six year interim period of the CPA (January 2005 – July 2011).
BSF’s main expected results are the establishment of operational primary schools, primary health clinics, drinking water points and latrines in parallel to capacity building, including training of teachers and health professionals and management training of local beneficiary groups, county authorities and the Steering Committee.
  1. Project Name:

Rapid Access to Basic Services

  1. Project Location:

State (s) / County (ies) / Payam (s)
2.1 / Upper Nile / Ulang / Kurmount, Doma and Yomding
2.2 / Jonglei / Nyirol / Pultruck and Tut
  1. BSF Grant amount requested in GBP Maximum 5 pts

Total Project Budget / Amount Requested / Amount requested as percentage of Total Budget (%)
GBP735,324 / GBP735,324 / 100%
Justification
Ulang and Nyirol Counties are among the least developed counties in education in Upper Nile State and Jonglei State respectively. In Ulang Payam of Ulang County and Chuil Payam of Nyirol County, Food for the Hungry Sudan (FHS) is currently implementing a rapid education initiatives project funded by United States Government Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration that ends August 2010. The proposed project targets Kurmount, Doma and Yomding of Ulang County, and Pultruck and Tut of Nyirol County. FHS and Sobat Development Agency (SDA) donot have existing donor support for education in these locations. Similarly, FHS and SDA do not anticipate alternative funding for the locations during year 2010.
  1. Project Summary:

This project aims to advance toward universal access to primary education in Southern Sudan by increasing the net primary school enrolment ratio in Upper Nile State and Jonglei States of Southern Sudan. The purpose of the project is therefore to improve access to and utilization of education opportunities in Ulang County of Upper Nile State and Nyirol County of Jonglei State. Food for the Hungry Sudan (FHS) and Sobat Development Agency (SDA) will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Education through County Education Offices in Ulang County and Nyirol County to promote increased access and utilization of primary school education.The project will contribute to expanded provision and utilisation of basic education servicesthrough the construction of two new child friendly schools. Similarly, the project will support the rehabilitation of four existing primary schools in Ulang and Nyirol County throughthe construction of four new classrooms, erection of walls to six existing classrooms and construction of fourlatrine blocks. The new and rehabilitated facilities are expected to benefit more than 20,000 pupils.
In addition, fifty teachers will undergo a three monthintensive training in English, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics and Business Studies. The training will improve these teachers’ knowledge, skills and practices in teaching. Forty teachers will participate in a twoweek course specific training as per the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) Curriculum. FHS and SDA, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and other partners, will also distribute learning materials comprising of teacher and pupil text books, teaching aids and stationery to 160 teachers and more than 25,000 pupils. FHS and SDA will also provide materials for extra-curricular activities in the targeted schools to enable the students to develop their psycho-social skills and also make the schools more learner-friendly.
The project will also contribute to the improvement of State Government and County level planning, monitoring and coordination of basic education services. This will be achieved through the establishment of two county resource centres (CRC) . The county resource centre will serve as a coordination hubfor education and as a learning centre for teachers. Ninety members of six Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) and SMC will also be trained on school management.
  1. Project Objective:

GOAL: To advance toward universal access to primary education in Southern Sudan.
PURPOSE: To improve access to and utilisation of education opportunities in Ulang County of Upper Nile State and Nyirol County of Jonglei State in Southern Sudan.
OBJECTIVES
1. To Expand education opportunities for 27,090 pupils in Ulang County of Upper Nile State and Nyirol County of Jonglei State through the construction of two new primary schools, rehabilitation of four existing primary schools, training of fifty teachers and distribution of teaching and learning materials.
2. To build the capacity of State Government and County level in planning, monitoring and coordination of basic education services through the establishment of county education centres, formation of six Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), and training of 90 PTA/SMC members.
  1. Justification:

6.1 Relevance of project to BSF overall objective
Similar to the overall objective of BSF project, this project aims to advance towards universal access to primary education in Southern Sudan. The project is expected to improve access to and utilisation of education opportunities in Ulang County of Upper Nile State and Nyirol County of Jonglei State among 27,090 children of school age. the project will also support improvement in capacity of State Government and County level in planning, monitoring and coordination of basic education services through the establishment of two county resource centres, formation of six Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), and training of 90 PTA/SMC members.
6.2. GoSS Sector Priorities
This Project focuses on expanding basic education services in Ulang and Nyirol County. FH Sudan has program operations in Khoflus, Nyirol, Ulang and Nasir Counties with major focus on basic education. Other FH Sudan programs in these counties include Water Hygiene and Sanitation, adult education, and livelihoods and food security. Through funding from ICCO (Danish Government) and the Bureau of Population and Migration (USAID), FH Sudan has constructed schools, school toilets (Mobilets) and water filters. Through the current USAID PRM grant, FH Sudan will be constructing two schools, four toilet blocks and hand washing facilities as well as installation of two Bonachar water filters. This proposed project will build on these previous initiatives.
6.3. Priority Counties and target beneficiaries
This Project targets to provide basic education services to Ulang and Nyirol County. According to 5th Sudan Population Census of 2008, Ulang County has a population of 85,044 people with 48,202 male and 36,842 female. A total of 43,894 people comprising of 26,326 male and 17,568 female are below 17 years of age and within the primay school age bracket. Similalry Nyirol County has a population of 108,674 people with 60,567 male and 48,107 female. A total of 54,336 people comprising of 32,070 male 22,266 female are below 17 years.
Available statistics for Southern Sudan reveal that Upper Nile and Jonglei States are lagging behind standards in basic services. in health and hygiene. Malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and parasites are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. In addition, the Sobat Corridor has among the highest rate of returnees but has the fewest functional water points. According to a 2007 report by GOAL[1], 92.6% of households in communities along the SobatRiver rely on the river for their drinking water during the dry season, and 89.5% rely on it during the rainy season. Six and a half percent of households obtain their water from swamps during the dry season and 9.4 percent during the rainy season. These water sources are prone to contamination and pre-disposes communities to water borne illnesses such as diarrhea, guinea worm and typhoid. Out of the 54 deaths recorded in the survey, 36 were due to diarrheal incidences.
Human waste disposal is also a major concern. Latrines are available to only a handful of households while the majority of the population has no access to latrines. As a result, human waste is often disposed by unhygienic means such as undesignated areas. According to a Nutritional Survey conducted by Action Against Hunger[2], waste for children aged 0-3 years was disposed of in the bush (66.7%), thrown in the yard (51.1%) or left on the open ground (11.1%). With the prevailing rains in the area, the waste is often carried into surface water sources, thus increasing the risk of disease for entire communities. Construction of pit latrines has been largely inhibited by lack of resources and the soil formation in the area.
In terms of education, Upper Nile State and Jonglei State have a total population of 236,063 and 406,753 respectively of primary school age children. Among these children, only 24.2% in Upper Nile State and 10.8% in Jonglei State are attending school[3] The following details some of the intervening factors for the low school enrollment in the two states:
Intervening factors / Proportion
Upper Nile / Jonglei
Child labour/Work at home / 70% / 70%
Early Marriage / 62 / 59
Distance to School / 56 / 66
Lack of materials / 75 / 62
Never attended / 84 / 55
Source: Rapid Assessment of Learning Spaces in Southern Sudan, 2006
Ulang and Nyirol Counties are among the least developed counties in education in Upper Nile State and Jonglei State respectively. A recent study by UNICEF and the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS)[4] revealed that Ulang County has 30 schools with a total enrollment of 5,404 pupils and Nyirol County has 21 schools with a total enrolment of 8,998 pupils. Among these, less than five schools in each County have permanent structures. These indicators remain low though School enrolment in Southern Sudan has increased dramatically since 2005, from 340,000 to 1.3 million[5]; nevertheless there are still large gaps.
With regard to infrastructure, less than five schools in each county have permanet structures. This situation is similar to southern Sudan at large where in 2006 it was estimated that only 16% of schools had permanent buildings.[6] More than 900 schools in Southern Sudan are classified as ‘open air’ learning spaces.[7] Most primary schools in Southern Sudan lack even the most basic hygiene facilities, such as latrines and drinking water. More than half (52%) have no clean water supply, while 68% do not have latrines for their students. Without public facilities and basic services for the returning groups and the host populations, the conditions will be ripe for widespread dissatisfaction, unrest and lawlessness. In addition, if children and youth do not have education options, the opportunity to reverse decades of economic decline will be missed.
There is also an urgent need to improve access for girls (34% in 2008 according to UNICEF), and to develop strategies and methods to increase their enrollment and retention in school. Female education is strongly linked with child education and health. Infant mortality is 2-3 times higher among children of uneducated women compared with women with at least some secondary education.
In terms of educators, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) estimates that 48% of teachers in Southern Sudan have only completed primary education, with no further training, and an additional 7,750 teachers are required to meet the education MDGs.[8] Also, there are currently two school calendars and four curricula, taught in both English and Arabic, which causes confusion and inconsistency in teaching methods. Although the MoEST has introduced a new curriculum, many schools still work according the the old system due to lack of materials.
6.4 Participation of women and Girls
In the proposed project, FHS, in partnership with Sobat Development Agency (SDA) will support the Government of Southern Sudan’s efforts in expanding provision of basic education in Ulang County of Upper Nile State and Nyirol County of Jonglei State. FHS and SDA will ensure equal opportunity for both boys and girls to receive an education in the two project locations to help reverse the history of low female school enrollment rates. Female teachers are rare in Upper Nile and Jonglei States. Despite some resistance to the employment of female teachers and the difficulty of finding females with sufficient educational qualifications, the program will continue to seek to recruit them. Parents will also be encouraged through the proposed program to release their daughters for schooling, and girls should account for at least 40% of the entire student population within the six schools targeted by the project (in 2008 the % was estimated by UNICEF to be 34%).
  1. Description of activities per result and sector

Output 1: Expanded provision and utilisation of basic education services in Ulang County in Upper Nile State and Nyirol County in Jonglei State
1.1.Three New primary schools constructed
The project will support the construction of two new child friendly primary schools, onein Ulang County and the other in Nyirol County. In Ulang County, the project will support FHS and SDA will construct the schools in consultation with the respective County Education Department to determine and prioritise the most underservedBomas in the targeted Payams and the schools to be targeted. FHS will provide technical support and construction supplies required for construction of the schools. SDA will be responsible for community mobilization and identification of locally available resources such as labour, bricks, among other things, through the PTA/SMC. SDA will also be responsible for day to day monitoring of construction activities of the schools and coordination with SMC/PTA.
1.2 Existing primary schools rehabilitated
The project will support the rehabilitation of four existing primary schools in Ulang County and Nyirol County. In Ulang County, FHS and SDA in consultation with the County Education Department has prioritised Yomding Payam and Doma Payams for school rehabilitation. The identified school in Yomding Payamhas three classrooms with 420 boys and 300 girls in attendance. The three classrooms only have roofs and no walls, doors or windows. There are also no latrines or other facilities. In Yomding, this project will support the construction of two new classrooms, erection of wall to the existing classrooms and construction of four latrines. The School in Doma Payam is in a similar condition as Yomding, and the project will therefore also support construction of two new classrooms, erection of wall to the existing classrooms and construction of four latrines. In Nyirol County, FHS and SDA in consultation with the County Education Office is still in the process of prioritising the underserved Payams and the schools to be rehabilitated.
School rehabilitation will be well coordinated among key stakeholders. The County Education Office will advise on suitable suites and assess the quality of work to be done. FHS will provide technical support and provision of construction supplies required for the rehabilitation of the schools. The technical support will entail facility assessment, design and preparation of bill of quantities and supervision of construction activities. SDA will be responsible for community mobilization and identification of locally available resources such as labour, construction bricks among others through the PTA/SMC. SDA will also be responsible for monitoring the day to day rehabilitation of the schools and coordination with SMC/PTA.
1.3 In-service training for teachers
Fifty teachers will receive a three month in service course as per MoEST Curriculum. The teacher trainees will undergo 480 hours of intensive training in English, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics and Business Studies to improve the teachersknowledge, skills and practices in teaching of the subjects. Twenty-five teachers will be trained in each county. For the success of the teacher training programme, the respective state Ministries of Education will identify and assign three teacher trainers for the three month programme. At the county level, SDA will work through the County Education office to identify trainees for training. The county education office will also assist in acquiring a suitable venue to be used as a training centre. FHS will work jointly with the respective State Ministry to provide the required technical and materials support for implementation and monitoring of the training.