Learning Materials

The indicator measures the number (or proportion) of children who received distributed learning materials in the target school/learning space / community / geographical area. This output indicator is used in education in emergency contexts or in contexts where financial barriers exist to educational access and basic learning materials are provided to motivate and enable children to (re-)enrol in schools or learning spaces.

If calculating the number value of this indicator, use distribution lists to calculate the number of children who have received learning materials in the targeted school or learning space or in the target community/area more broadly.

If calculating the percentage value of this indicator, determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) Depending on the purpose of measurement, determine either (a) the total number of school-aged children targeted by the action (if measuring the number or proportion of targeted children who have received learning materials through the action); or (b) the total number of children living in the target community or area (if measuring the proportion of school aged children in the target area who have been provided with learning materials). This data can be gathered from project level documentation (i.e. registration or enrolment records) or requested from school or learning space management or the relevant education authorities.

2) Use distribution lists to calculate the number of children who have received learning materials in the targeted school or learning space or in the target community/area more broadly.

3) To calculate the percentage of children provided with learning materials divide the number of children who have received learning materials by the total number of children either (a) targeted by the action or (b) in the target school/learning space/community/area and multiplying it by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

4) If accuracy of distribution lists needs to be verified, cross check results with data from post-distribution monitoring (PDM) in schools or learning spaces. Recommended survey questions for measuring this indicator can be found here. Refer to Important comments below for additional guidance on PDM.

5) If possible, check that the distributed materials are available and in use in schools or learning spaces (questions to consider are included in PIN’s School and Learning Space Observation Checklist.

Disaggregation of the data can be done by age group, gender, level of education, ethnicity, mother tongue, wealth quintile, disability, displacement status and/or other specific vulnerable or marginalised groups, as relevant.

Disaggregation of data by disability type should use the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (or for actions with specialised responses to disabilities use the complete WG/UNICEF Child Functioning Module) or equivalent.

1) This is an ECHO KRI Indicator

2) To ensure accuracy, crosscheck the results with data from post-distribution monitoring (PDM) in schools or learning spaces. During the PDM, a representative sample of children/parents/caregivers should be asked if they/their children received the given types of materials that were distributed. To calculate the percentage of parents/caregiver/children reporting to have received the materials, divide the number of respondents who answered yes to the PDM question by the total number of respondents in the PDM survey. The percentage value should match the percentage of the number of children in a school/learning space who received the materials according to the distribution lists.

3) Provision of learning materials should be based on a comprehensive needs assessment to determine (a) whether learning materials are needed and when, (b) what type of learning materials are needed and how many, and (c) who needs them (i.e. whether some individuals, groups or communities are in higher need than others).

4) The provision of learning materials should be aligned with any existing contextual standards, which may include information on targeting and/or standardised list of kit contents). If standards are not available at the national or local level, align with Education Cluster/Working Group standards, if they exist.

5) Distribution of learning materials as a part of a Back-to-School campaign should be completed right before the beginning of the school year or NFE cycle.

6) The number of distributed kits/materials should not be significantly higher than the number of enrolled children. Additional kits may be procured to allow for flexibility if enrolment rates increase during the school year or learning cycle.

7) The quality and quantity of kits/materials should be verified after a period of time (for example, at the end of the first semester, or in the middle of the school year or learning cycle) through post-distribution monitoring to verify whether additional materials are required and to gather feedback on the quality of materials provided so that future procurement can be adapted accordingly. This information can be used to calculate the degree to which learning materials meet minimum quality standards (see relevant INEE indicator 3.2). To collect this data, first develop criteria that need to be met for materials to be considered as meeting minimum quality standards. The criteria can include ensuring that “Curricula, textbooks, and other learning materials should be inclusive, conflict-sensitive, gender-transformative, promote [social emotional learning] SEL and [psychosocial support] PSS, etc" (INEE Minimum Standards Framework). Once the criteria are set, gather information from schools or learning spaces or feedback from key stakeholders (children, teachers and caregivers) to ascertain whether materials meet the criteria. For more information on gathering feedback on stakeholder satisfaction, see Beneficiary Satisfaction indicator.

8) It is also possible to use data gathered from this indicator to support measurement against a related INEE indicator 3.1 to determine whether there are an adequate number of textbooks for the number of children. To measure this, count the number of children who have a textbook in randomly selected classrooms, or if stored centrally, the number of textbooks available in the school or learning space or classroom. Divide this number by the overall number of children in the school or learning space or classroom. This will provide the textbook-pupil ratio (the INEE Minimum Standards suggested target ratio is 1 child:1 textbook, although it should be noted that in many contexts this is highly ambitious and contextualized standards may differ and should be used as the priority reference point).

9) Related indicators:

     INEE

        - 3.1 Pupil-Textbook Ratio

        - 3.2 % of targeted learning spaces whose learning materials meet minimum quality standards

     UNRWA

        - number of students provided with at least one item of material support to enable them to access education at a UNRWA school/learning space

        - number of UNRWA students who have received printed Self-Learning Materials to use when they are unable to attend school due to conflict or other emergency