Deadline: 25th April to 24th

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) invite concept notes for applied research projects to generate and mobilise evidence to contextualise and scale the impact of promising or proven approaches to improving children's access to and retention in education in emergencies and fragile contexts affected by conflict and violence in GPE partner countries.

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The Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is a joint effort between GPE and IDRC. KIX supports countries to have and use the evidence and innovation they need to accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. KIX facilitates direct knowledge sharing between GPE partner countries through four regional centres and funds applied research on their priorities. KIX is part of GPE's strategy to support transformative change in education in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives 

• The objectives of this call are:
  • generate evidence on how to scale the impact of promising or proven innovative approaches to address the challenges of access to and retention in education in emergency, fragile and conflict-affected contexts
  • strengthen the capacities of relevant stakeholders to use this knowledge and innovation
  • mobilise the evidence developed to improve policies and practices in education systems, supporting gender equality, equity and inclusion (GEI)

Educational challenges in emergency, fragile, conflict and violence-affected contexts

The challenge

• This call for concept notes is intended for applied research that addresses these complex challenges in affected GPE partner countries. Projects will generate and mobilise evidence to adapt, contextualise and scale the impact of promising or proven approaches to support children's access to and retention in quality education in emergency and FCV contexts, while promoting GEI.
• Two interrelated sub-themes emerged from analysing the literature and input from stakeholders in GPE partner countries:
  • Subtheme 1 Access or re-entry of children not attending school and retention of students at risk
    • Under this sub-theme, the call aims to fund applied research that supports access to education or the re-entry of out-of-school children and the retention of those at risk of dropping out. Representatives from GPE partner countries reported that emergencies and contexts of CVRD result in population displacement, disrupt access to educational facilities and increase cultural pressures and constraints economic These are the barriers that prevent students from attending or returning to school and push others to the brink of exclusion. These barriers can intersect with pre-existing challenges, such as limited infrastructure, poor quality education, a shortage of qualified teachers, high drop-out rates, the growing digital divide and disparities related to geography, gender, education, education, etc. disability or other factors of educational exclusion. In addition, emergency and CPS settings can have negative emotional and psychological effects on children and young people, decreasing their general wellbeing and disrupting social connections with peers, families and communities.
    • The areas of research interest for this sub-theme focus on the re-entry of children who are out of school and at risk of dropping out, including how to adapt, contextualise and scale the impact of innovation that addresses the following
      • Research into how policies and programmes that support the re-enrolment and retention of out-of-school and at-risk students can be scaled and institutionalised, contextualised, accredited, budgeted and appropriated for the reasons why children are out of school. This includes research focussing on alternative and flexible learning pathways and how these can support EYG.
      • DRR strategies, policies and plans: More research is needed to understand "what works" for DRR planning and how the needs of marginalised groups at regional or national level can be integrated to ensure their learning continuity when emergencies occur.
      • Social-emotional learning (SEL): Research into the integration of SEL into policy and practice, curriculum and assessment to equip learners and make educational environments safe and supportive. Research can focus on effective career counselling practices and other psychosocial support. Contextualised research is also needed to understand how to change community attitudes to increase openness so that children and adults can discuss their struggles and find support.
  • Sub-theme 2 : Teacher training and support for working with out-of-school and at-risk children
    • Teacher professional development (TPD) is particularly relevant in emergency situations and in FCV contexts, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Teachers need diverse skills to support children returning to school after sometimes long absences and to ensure that at-risk children remain enrolled. Innovative approaches to teacher training and development are needed, including inclusive methods, remedial support, differentiated teaching and responding appropriately to students' needs. It is essential to provide continuous professional development opportunities that encourage teacher participation and the use of collaborative learning environments centred on teaching and learning in crisis education or with children at risk of dropping out. This should be linked to broader systems of pre- and in-service teacher training and support, and directly target school and district leaders in addition to teachers. Advances in digital technology, especially in remote and distance learning environments, can help. Supporting gender equality and teacher well-being is also a key objective, given the challenging conditions they face when working in education in emergency and CVE contexts - teachers themselves may be refugees or displaced and dealing with trauma.
    • The areas of research interest for this sub-theme focus on teacher development and support for working with at-risk and out-of-school children in emergency situations and CFV contexts, including how to adapt, contextualise and scale innovation that addresses the following:
      • Scaling up and sustaining effective TPD: More research is needed to understand how TPD can be implemented on a large scale to support teachers working in emergency and crisis contexts, including teacher training content, education in emergencies, content integration, teaching approaches, mentoring, curriculum materials and delivery methods. In addition, research is needed to understand how TPD can be utilised to support SEL on a large scale. This could include teacher training for SEL and MHPSS, and the integration of SEL into curricula and assessment, including the use of in-school SEL responses for those at risk of dropping out of school.
      • Making TPD policy more inclusive: Research into policies focused on funding, including the remuneration of educators in emergency and CVF contexts, expanding and institutionalising credential recognition practices and retraining the teaching workforce, method and cost-effectiveness of TPD programmes in these contexts.
      • Supporting teacher well-being: More research is needed on how to effectively support EBM, as well as the well-being of teachers and other education professionals working in emergency and crisis contexts. This could include policies, training, school-wide support and enabling conditions built across various levels of education systems.

Information on financing

• GPE KIX will award grants to institutions on a competitive basis. There will be two types of funding available through this call:
  • Subsidies for a single country
    • aimed at impact in a single country; adapted to specific national needs, in direct association with national policy-making institutions: CAD 300,000-500,000
  • Multi-country subsidies
    • aiming for impact in three or more countries with direct relevance to specific priorities in those countries: CAD 800,000-1,000,000
• Projects must be scheduled for completion within 24 months, including all research activities and final reports.

Election criteria

• General eligibility criteria
  • Concept notes should be submitted by nationally/internationally registered or incorporated organisations based in low- or middle-income countries. These could include, among others, research institutions, universities, think tanks, network secretariats, associations, organisations civil society non-profit organisations or the private sector.
  • Applicants must have independent legal status (or "legal personality"), be able to contract in their own name and right, receive and administer funds and have the authority to direct the activities of the proposed project. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their legal status through written documentation. Legal status will only be reviewed if and when applicants are selected after technical selection.
  • Concept notes can be submitted by individual organisations or by consortia of up to three organisations.
  • The consortia's concept notes must name a lead organisation, which can subsidise the others.
  • Concept notes from or including private sector partners should demonstrate how private sector resources - financial or technical expertise - will contribute to the project. Organisations/consortia should have a strong presence and track record of working in the education sector of GPE partner countries.
• Specific eligibility criteria
  • Grant concept notes for a single country must be submitted by eligible national organisations based in the country of focus. They can apply as individual organisations or lead a consortium that includes other organisations from inside or outside the country.
  • Multi-country grant concept notes must be submitted by organisations based in low- or middle-income countries. They can apply as individual organisations or lead a consortium that includes other organisations from inside or outside the country or region.

Ineligibility criteria

• individuals
• government ministries and agencies (not eligible for funding, but may be involved in projects)
• for-profit providers of basic educational services

For more information, visit IDRC .