Education Development

Education is the cornerstone of human development and a fundamental right enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4: Quality Education). Research Methods International (RMI) provides the full spectrum of research, monitoring, evaluation, and consulting services required to design, implement, monitor, and assess education sector programmes for governments, UN agencies (UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP), bilateral donors, and international and national NGOs across Southern and East Africa.

The education sector in Southern and East Africa faces a complex set of challenges: the global ‘learning crisis’ in which millions of enrolled children do not acquire foundational literacy and numeracy; persistent disparities in access and quality by gender, geography, wealth quintile, and disability status; chronic underfunding of public education systems; fragile teacher supply chains; and the compounding effects of climate shocks, conflict, and health crises on education continuity. Addressing these challenges requires evidence-based programming grounded in rigorous data and responsive to the specific national and community contexts in which schools, teachers, and learners operate.

RMI provides a comprehensive suite of consulting services to the full range of development actors operating in this sector:

• National and sub-national education surveys (household-based and school-based)
• Education sector support and strategy development
• EGRA/EGMA learning assessments
• School mapping and out-of-school children studies
• Annual School Census data quality assessments
• Teacher knowledge and practice surveys
• School WASH facility assessments
• ECD programme evaluations
• TVET tracer studies (graduate employment tracking)
• Education in Emergencies (EiE) rapid assessments
• Education policy analysis and sector reviews
• School feeding programme impact evaluations
• Gender-responsive education programme evaluations
• Inclusive education capacity assessments