An entry point to system transformation: the role of a systems perspective in scaling a youth-led life skills and mentorship program

• In Event: Scaling and systems change in international education development: perspectives of funders and implementers (Part 2)

Proposal

As part of a wider program to partner with governments in transforming education systems to better serve the needs of marginalised children, CAMFED undertook research in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe to understand government perspectives on how they can adopt and sustainably scale elements of a youth-led life skills and mentorship program proven to support improved rates of school progression and uplifts in literacy and numeracy.

Governments in all three countries have made significant progress in improving access and equity in primary school enrolment, however, it is not translating into successful completion of secondary school or learning outcomes. In Zambia for example, only 3% of girls complete secondary school. Yet limited education budgets and ongoing challenges associated with extreme weather events create a difficult context for governments to invest in the scaling of innovations.

CAMFED’s system-integrated approach to program and research design seeks to bridge the gap between ‘scaling’ and ‘system transformation’ approaches, through a deliberate process of co-creation and co-delivery with government officials and key actors in the space of girls’ education.

Programme design and implementation is underpinned by an inclusive local partnership infrastructure bringing together those constituencies that influence whether a girl’s right to education is fulfilled. Dovetailing with existing structures in this way has ensured that CAMFED’s life skills and mentorship programme – the Learner Guide programme - is aligned with and informed by government priorities and initiatives, while also positioned to capitalise on opportunities such as the recent reversal of the ban on re-entry in Tanzania.

This system-integrated approach was mirrored in exploring pathways to scale for the Program, where government-led Scaling Advisory Committees were engaged in active, participatory research processes, working in collaboration with national researchers to conduct evidence-gathering visits. Learning and knowledge mobilisation became a continuous, generative process, with the research moving the scaling journey forward by driving understanding of potential adaptation of the program in a contextually relevant way, enhancing the relevance and sustainability of both the research and the program itself.

Through the research, government officials in all three countries confirmed they see the integration of the life skills component of the programme in national curriculums as a key priority. Strategies identified by government officials in support of programme scaling included the leveraging of relevant ministries beyond the ministry of education, building on community funding models and making use of existing volunteer support mechanisms. This analysis now forms the basis of scaling road maps being developed by government officials in each country, with governments committing time and resources in support of program integration and scaling.

By adopting a system integrated approach in both program and research design, the two strands became mutually reinforcing and have highlighted the potential for complementarities between scaling and system change. This approach has enabled an innovation – the Learner Guide program - to act as an entry point for wider system transformation that centres the needs of vulnerable girls and harnesses the resources and authority needed to enhance the agency and leadership of girls and women in education systems.

Author

• Jeffrey Nyandoro, Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED)