Evaluation of the Pacific Education Support and Innovation Funds: Final Interim Report Publications
Publication Details
This interim report details experiences, perspectives and outcomes for the Pacific Education Funds providers, Pacific learners and families - from case studies completed to date.
Author(s): Malatest International. Commissioned by the Ministry of Education.
Date Published: November 2022
Executive summary
In April 2021, the Ministry of Education (MOE) commissioned Malatest International to evaluate the Pacific Education Funds, provide insights and evidence around the development and delivery of the funds, and inform ongoing improvements on how the Pacific Education Funds operate.
In December 2021, a process evaluation report was submitted to MOE, providing a detailed description of what worked well and not so well during the development and implementation of the Round 1 and 2 Pacific Education Funds. It also focused on identifying key learnings to inform the roll-out of Round 3 funds from national and regional MOE perspectives. This interim report details experiences, perspectives and outcomes for the Pacific Education Funds providers, Pacific learners and families - from case studies completed to date
Information for this report was sourced from a document review (provider close-out reports), case study interviews and an online provider survey.1
Setting up and implementing the Pacific Education Funds
How well did the partially devolved decision-making process work?
The devolved decision-making process consisted of MOE regional offices leading the development and delivery of the Pacific Education Funds with support from the national office. Some providers noted that this process strengthened MOE’s engagement and responsiveness to the needs of their communities, learners and families. Having a regional lead who was also a member of the community helped enhance communications. The regional leads enabled contact that was timely, flexible, and delivered in ways that were meaningful for providers.
What worked well and not so well, and for whom?
Key enablers for positive experiences and relationships between MOE and communities, as noted by all providers, included:
- Support from MOE and key contacts within schools for provider engagement and partnerships
- Community leadership support was critical in implementing and embedding projects within communities and provider organisations
- Projects that prioritised Pacific ways of being and doing – led by Pacific, for Pacific
- Projects that were learner and family centred
- Projects that created a sense of belonging for learners.
Challenges to the implementation of projects as identified by most providers included:
- COVID lockdowns and restrictions meant disruptions to the programme delivery, challenges faced by educators and learners with the shift to online delivery and engagement, and heightened wellbeing and social support needs amongst Pacific communities
- Increased community demand to take part in provider projects
- Delivering projects for communities with multiple competing demands to accommodate busy lifestyles, large families and family responsibilities.
What could be improved?
Key learnings to inform the implementation of Round 3 based on provider experiences during Round 1 included:
- Strengthening aspects of partially devolved decision-making, provider project planning and implementation:
- Prioritise due diligence and ensure provider contracts support the delivery and sustainability of projects by providing resources such as budget/invoice templates, supporting multi-year contracts, and supporting/increasing providers’ awareness of opportunities for professional development and networking
- Ensure timely allocation and notification of funds to meet provider, learner and family needs by aligning the Pacific Education Funds contracting dates with the school calendar year, ensuring timely notification of funding outcomes and release of funds to the providers
- Ensure consistent and frequent MOE engagement with providers throughout project development and delivery
- Facilitate opportunities for providers to network and share learnings through local providers and school fono
- Strengthen organisational critical consciousness to prioritise and embed Pacific knowledge and safety. This is reflected in Pacific representation and ensuring cultural safety at all lStrengthen organisational critical consciousness to prioritise and embed Pacific knowledge and safety. This is reflected in Pacific representation and ensuring cultural safety at all levels and MOE regions, consulting with Pacific communities and leaders to inform policy developmentevels and MOE regions, consulting with Pacific communities and leaders to inform policy development.
Key opportunities for MOE to strengthen and support Round 3 providers as identified by most providers include:
- Increase Pacific communities’ awareness of the Pacific Education Funds by:
- Allowing adequate time for the promotion of the funds
- Extending national and regional promotions into Pacific communities
- Ensuring shared and clear understanding of the Funds and criteria
Additionally, a small number of providers noted it was important to ensure that past/current recipients of the Pacific Education Funds (Rounds 1 and 2) were aware of future funding as well as opening Round 3 funds as early as possible to accommodate the procurement processes and allow projects to begin at the start of the financial year.
- Increase accessibility to the funds through a user-friendly application form/process and supporting resources in Pacific languages, which include:
- A clear and concise checklist of the necessary requirements
- Simple and easy to understand language
- Supplementary tools and templates that support providers to provide detailed budgets reflecting all FTE and outputs.
It is important to note that as the Pacific Education Funds have progressed, continuous improvement has also progressed based on MOE and provider experiences during Rounds 1 and 2, the Pacific Education Fundings interim process evaluation findings. As a result, MOE have and/or are identifying ways to address the suggested changes noted above in response to the voices of Pacific providers, learners and communities
What difference have the Pacific Education Funds made for Pacific learners and communities?
Outcomes for Pacific learners
- Increased motivation to access and pursue leadership opportunities in school and community: Providers, learners and families highlighted that the funded projects increased learners’ attitudes to learning and life aspirations, the realisation of opportunities and their full potential, career pathways and aspirations.
- Increased confidence, pride, and strength in cultural identity within learning environments
- Increased sense of belonging, inclusion, and acceptance in places of learning: Participants were more confident to express their voices and opinions, participate in provider projects, and take on leadership roles within the project.
- Enhanced engagement and relationships with places of learning: Learners commonly described developing meaningful relationships and quality engagements with their provider, being confident to talk and engage with their peers and mentors in a safe space, enhanced self-worth (feeling listened to, cared for and valued), increased enjoyment in learning, and ownership and sense of self-responsibility for their learning.
- Life learnings/qualifications and independence: This was demonstrated through the knowledge and connections, useful life skills (financial capability), and qualifications (drivers licence) learners attained
- Inspiration to be role models for other Pacific learners.
Outcomes for families
- Increased engagement in learning and with child’s learning and a sense of belonging in their child’s place of learning: Providers and families noted improved and effective relationships with places of learning, multi-generational involvement in the learner’s journey and increased knowledge about the education system
- Reduced financial barriers: Provision of social and wellbeing support (e.g., food parcels, school uniforms) reduced barriers for families and learners to access learning
- Strengthened and supportive child-parent relationships: Providers and families highlighted changes in parenting approaches and relationships with their children.
Outcomes for providers
- Increased project delivery and management experience, networking opportunities and reputation
- Improved collaboration and relationships with teachers, schools and other local providers and stronger communities of practice
- Increased engagement from/within wider-school settings
- Improved educator skills, capacities and capabilities
- Increased opportunities for workforce development and career pathway progression
- Increased confidence, sense of empowerment, and validation both professionally and personally.
Were there any features that enabled sustained change with Pacific families and learners after project funding ended?
Some providers generally noted challenges to the sustainability of projects such as:
- Limited workforce capacity and resources
- Dependence on contestable funding (not for profit organisations) which limited recruitment opportunities because the sustainability of roles could not be guaranteed.
Extended and/or multi-year contracts were noted as supporting sustainability – MOE have taken this into consideration in determining the roll-out of Round 3 funds.
Footnote
- Findings in this report highlight important insights but cannot be generalised for all Pacific Education Funds providers and projects.
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