Scope of Work (SoW) for Hiring Agencies to Conduct Third-Party Study for Libraries in Uttar Pradesh
Room to Read seeks agencies for a study on school libraries in Uttar Pradesh under the SERI project. Apply by August 11, 2024.
Organization: Room to Read
Apply By: 11 Aug 2024
Project Title:
SERI (Scaling up Early Reading Intervention) Third-party Study of Functioning of Libraries and Availability of Age-appropriate Children’s Literature in the Primary Schools of Uttar Pradesh
Organisational Overview
Room to Read (RtR) was founded in 2000 with the mission to create a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality through education. RtR helps children in historically low-income communities develop literacy skills and supports girls in building life skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions. RtR collaborates with governments and partner organizations to deliver positive outcomes for children at a large scale, having benefited more than 39 million children across 23 countries and over 182,000 communities. Room to Read India, established in 2003, operates in twelve states, aiming to provide educational opportunities and resources to disadvantaged children.
Project Overview
Since 2015, Room to Read (RtR) and USAID have been implementing the SERI project across Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. The project aims to demonstrate foundational literacy gains among children through a comprehensive literacy intervention, focusing on oral language development, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and independent reading time (IRT). In Uttar Pradesh, the SERI program has engaged with 500 schools and 18 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), providing storybooks and additional materials for these libraries.
Need of the Study
The state has allocated significant budgets to school libraries to enhance accessibility and availability of high-quality children's materials through the SERI program. This study will:
- Provide insights into the functionality of libraries and availability of children's literature in sample schools.
- Assess the influence of past and upcoming SERI interventions.
- Empower the state to establish indicators for monitoring libraries, integrating them into the monitoring app for regular study.
Objectives of the Study
- Understand the status of library availability, functionality, and operational practices.
- Conduct on-site observations of library facilities/resources and validate the functionality of existing libraries, including availability of age-appropriate children’s literature.
- Identify implementation gaps and good practices to strengthen the libraries in Uttar Pradesh.
Project Details
1. Project Duration:
3 Months (September to November 2024)
2. Scope of Work:
The hired agency will play a pivotal role in the following components:
a. Field Study and Data Collection:
Selection of Districts:
- 5 districts will be selected based on DIETs where RtR has established a reading corner/library. Any 5 districts from Agra, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur Dehat, Gonda, Basti, Meerut, Azamgarh, Lucknow, Varanasi, Sonbhadra, Ayodhya, Fatehpur, and Gorakhpur can be considered.
Selection of Schools:
- From 5 districts, identify 4 blocks per district and 5 schools per block, totaling 20 schools per district (100 schools overall).
Data Collection:
- School-Observation Questionnaire (40 mins): Probes various aspects such as materials received, types of books, stock registers, physical setup, and utilization of the library.
- Semi-Structured Interviews with Teachers (20 mins): Conduct 100 semi-structured interviews to gather qualitative reflections on the school library and storybooks.
b. Data Analysis and Report Finalization:
- Analyze data collected from sample schools.
- Create a comprehensive report on the study's findings to be shared with Room to Read India.
Deliverables
| S. No | Activity | To be Delivered By |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inception report with the work plan and approach methodology for conducting the study | September (Second week) |
| 2 | Tool for conducting the study | September (Last week) |
| 3 | Data Collection and Analysis | October |
| 4 | Draft Report Submission and Review | November (Second week) |
| 5 | Final approved report | November (Last week) |
Project Implementation Terms
- The project will unfold over 3 months with a detailed schedule established upon agency selection.
- Immediate commencement of work upon contract signing.
- Detailed work plan with a timeline should be submitted promptly, including site visits before data collection.
- Study to be conducted in selected districts of Uttar Pradesh upon government approval.
Payment Milestones as per RtR
| S. No | Activity | Percentage of Payment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Payment upon signing the contract and submission of the inception report | 15% |
| 2 | Finalization of tool | 25% |
| 3 | Collection of all the data and analysis | 25% |
| 4 | Submission and quality check of the final report | 35% |
Proposed Technical Evaluation Criteria
| Sr. No | Specific Requirement | Evidential Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | At least 5 years of experience working independently to conduct studies in various domains (e.g., health, education, livelihood, social issues) | - Company/Organization incorporation certificate - Experience certificates/projects - HR certificate - Sample of developed tools - Sample of the report submitted to client |
| 2 | Proficiency in conducting interviews in Hindi, English, and Bhojpuri | - Proposed structure and composition of the team - CVs of team members |
| 3 | Prior experience in delivering similar tasks | - Project work orders and completion certificates for top 3 projects in last 2 years - Details in the provided project citation format for top 3 projects |
| 4 | Submission of approach and methodology to the project | - Write-up detailing understanding of scope of work, approach and methodology for data collection and analysis, work plan with deliverables and timelines, and involvement of field researchers and data analysts |
How to Apply
Interested agencies are invited to submit their technical proposals by 11th August 2024 to [email protected] with the subject line "Library Assessment, Uttar Pradesh".
Note: Only shortlisted agencies will be contacted for the financial round.
Submission Terms
- Thoroughly review this ToR before applying.
- Incomplete applications or deviations from the prescribed process will result in automatic rejection.
- Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.
- Only shortlisted agencies will be contacted and may be requested for a face-to-face interaction.
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