Nepal, Evaluations of USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition 2024-2028

The evaluation serves both accountability and learning purposes. It focused on establishing a baseline in line with the approved Performance Monitoring Plan and aims to provide a situational analysis before the commencement of the project. This analysis is necessary for the midterm and endline evaluations to assess the project’s coherence, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact. Key baseline study findings included:

• Grade-level Reading Proficiency: Most students were at pre-basic (43.6%) or basic (33.6%) reading levels, with similar performance in reading comprehension for both boys and girls.
• Attendance Rate in the assisted schools: The average attendance rate was 80.9% in February 2024 with an irregular pattern throughout the year due to seasonal migration and other factors. School meals had been contributing to improving school attendance to some extent over the years, but additional measures to improve the retention of students is still needed, including better livelihood opportunities for parents and increased monitoring of student’s attendance.
• Teaching Techniques: While 71% of teachers claimed to have used interactive materials, 47.6% were observed doing so during the data collection and may need additional studies. Challenges include lack of refresher training and difficulty shifting from traditional methods.
• New techniques by school Administrators: 55.5% of head teachers reported using 70% or more of available instructional resources. There is a need for ongoing training and support for both teachers and school administrators.
• Student Enrollment in the assisted schools: Enrollment in 2024 was 27,529, down from 32,894 the previous year, but expected to rise, since 2024 data was collected at the beginning of the academic year. The school meals program has led to increased enrollment as one of the key motivations for families to send their children to schools.
• New Child Health and Nutrition Practices: 16.6% demonstrated proper health and nutrition practices, with awareness mainly around handwashing and toilet usage.
• New Safe Food Preparation and Storage: 45.6% of cooks followed safe food preparation practices, despite resource and equipment shortages. A significant proportion of cooks prioritized cleanliness after food preparation.
• The project effectively targeted students and communities. The FY23 cycle's focus on strengthening systems including Training local government officials in nutrition, food safety, and warehouse management and creating a sustainable financing mechanism and an effective public financial management system for the SMP are particularly relevant.

Key lessons learnt from the baseline study included:  the need for system strengthening, addressing infrastructure deficiencies and maintenance, and ensuring agricultural sustainability. The project should focus on capacity-building for local officials, improving monitoring and evaluation practices, and enhancing teacher professional development. Additionally, tailored training modules for School Health and Nutrition teachers and cooking staff should be continued, with regular refresher courses to maintain and update knowledge.