Accessing, staying and succeeding in basic education – UK aid’s support to marginalised girls

Globally nearly 62 million girls miss out on an education. The UK has made a strong commitment to tackling this huge problem, but is falling short of its ambitions to educate the poorest and most vulnerable girls.

Score: Amber/Red
  1. Status: Completed
  2. Published: 16 December 2016
  3. Type: Performance review
  4. Subject: Education, Women and girls
  5. Assessment: Amber/Red
  6. Location: Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Pakistan, South Sudan, Tanzania
  7. Lead commissioner: Tina Fahm
  8. SDGs covered:Gender equality

Read the approach paper

Our approach

The purpose of this review is to assess the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) education programming in supporting girls who are marginalised in education.

The review covers all DFID bilateral education programming relevant to girls’ basic education, including both centrally managed and country-led programmes. It considers different types of interventions, including those focused on access and retention in primary and lower secondary schooling. The quality of that education and the programmes aiming to bring marginalised girls back into the school system are also assessed. In addition, the review examines education interventions for girls affected by conflict, where this is delivered through basic education programming.

The review does not assess the performance of multilateral funding, because DFID’s influence over programme delivery is indirect, raising a different set of performance issues. However, it does take account of relevant multilateral programmes in country assessments where the review team visits the country, particularly the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), as part of assessing the overall coherence of DFID’s support for basic education. The review is limited to programmes operational between 2011 and 2015, in the period of the previous DFID Results Framework.

Review questions

  1. Relevance: how relevant are DFID’s basic education programmes given what is known about the causes of marginalisation and barriers to access, retention and learning for marginalised girls?
  2. Effectiveness: how well are DFID’s education programmes performing in delivering results for marginalised girls?
  3. Efficiency of delivery mechanisms: are delivery mechanisms cost-effective in getting marginalised girls’ in school and supporting their retention and learning?

Timeline

Approach

Published 12 May 2016

Evidence gathering

Complete

Review publication

Published 16 December 2016

Government response

Published 2 February 2017

Parliamentary scrutiny

IDC hearing 30 January 2017

ICAI follow-up

Published 29 June 2018