Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

15k views

Page selection:
  • abanil
  • Posts: 1
  • Likes received: 0

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Dear Dr. Chary,

The following are my thoughts on your questions:

Q.1 Do you think indicators and monitoring system under SBSV is harmonized with SDG for WinS?

I believe that the SBSV should be harmonized with the SDGs so that the country can maximize the benefits of the award system in motivating schools to reach the SDGs.


Q.2 Do you think the UDISE should be modified to include the indicators in SBVP?

I don't think it is necessary for the UDISE to incorporate all the indicators from the SBVP. The SBVP is essentially a monitoring and recognition system that is used to manage the WinS program. Most program management systems will have needs that go beyond those of a national EMIS. If WinS and other programs would incorporate their requirements into the UDISE, it may become too big and complex to manage. This actually happened in the Philippines in 2016 when there was a huge volume of requests for additional data to be covered in the EMIS. The software developers were not able to meet this demand so the revised EMIS was never released and we missed the opportunity to fully integrate the WinS SDG indicators in 2016. I am in favor of having an EMIS that collects quick summaries of key education data on a timely basis and having a separate system that goes into more detail to manage WinS and other programs. It does not make sense to have one system that can collect everything but cannot get the data when it is needed by decision makers.


Q.3 Do you think adding qualitative indicators in UDISE would bring in challenging capacity building requirements for credible data collection and analysis?

This really depends on how well the questions are constructed and on the validation procedures of the UDISE. However, qualitative indicators are usually more difficult to measure reliably because it is more open to interpretation from the respondent.


Q.4 How do we build advocacy for better monitoring (and harmonized with SDG) of WinS in India?

The award system of the SBSV is a very good step towards motivating schools to reach the SDG goals. Perhaps India can go further by providing incentives that will motivate the sub-national level to provide better assistance to the schools with monitoring as one of the criteria.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • nityajacob
  • nityajacob's Avatar
  • Moderator
  • Water Policy Analyst and Author; Moderator of the SuSanA India Chapter; WASH Lead at Swasti
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 6
  • Likes received: 133

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Your suggestion is well taken. Once the discussion is completed, we can meet with the NITI Ayog people concerned. Also, with officials of MHRD.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • Vijaya
  • Vijaya's Avatar
  • Posts: 2
  • Likes received: 3

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

I am a consultant in the development / WASH sector. I have been following this exchange and here is my contribution to the discussion points

Q.1 Do you think indicators and monitoring system under SBSV is harmonized with SDG for WinS?

This would depend upon the national definition of what constitutes 'Advanced' in the top rung of the service ladder. Certainly the DISE data could be fortified with the indicators from SBSV depending on how the Govt chooses to expand the indicators based on defined targets and the scoring system.

The SBSV could in turn (i) borrow some of the expanded questions from washdata.org/file/547/download such as whether water is intermittent, available round the year, availability of warm water (esp in winters), type of toilets (even e-toilets), when students are allowed to use the toilet, again depending on how the Govt‘s targets and indicator definitions Or (ii) add more like where the toilet is located which is also important. (Recently one of the Delhi MCDs issued a circular stating that students should visit the toilet only in pairs following the tragic murder of a student) While SBSV currently looks at O&M and administration of WASH etc, it does not address budgetary allocations and priorities which have a bearing on student:toilet ratio and upkeep of related infrastructure.


Q.2 Do you think the UDISE should be modified to include the indicators in SBVP?

This would depend upon the national definition of Advanced. In its current form it lends itself to reporting and monitoring for the remaining attributes. Given that DISE is the official EMIS, and an expanded definition emerges then certainly it can borrow from the SBSV indicators. DISE also maintains receipts and expenditure data which is important to monitor investments and improvements in WASH infrastructure and hygiene education in schools.


Q.3 Do you think adding qualitative indicators in UDISE would bring in challenging capacity building requirements for credible data collection and analysis?

On qualitative indicators currently we have only the ASER reports by Pratham and it can be used to validate the official data. The HRD Ministry too could invite reporting of good practices and noteworthy programmes such as the Harita Vidyalaya reality show / competition for schools

That monitoring for the SDGs is a challenge is well recognized unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/global-consult...GAP_HLG-20161021.pdf .

The Global Data Action Plan calls for a National Strategy for Development of Statistics which does require coordination, investment, development of capacities of participating institutions with systems and processes to support this.

Q.4 How do we build advocacy for better monitoring (and harmonized with SDG) of WinS in India?

The MoSPI has put out a framework (perhaps this is a draft yet)
www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/ann...mar17.pdf?download=1
Discussion on this draft with the relevant ministries including MoSPI , NITI Aayog , could be a starting point to establish official definitions and formalize a protocol for reporting and monitoring as well as using the data for further investment allocation.



Thank you
Vijaya Venkataraman

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • cchatterley
  • Posts: 1
  • Likes received: 0

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this interesting discussion.

The DISE questions seem to be nearly aligned with the SDGs already. A response option to report mixed use toilets would help clarify if toilets for "boys" and for "girls" are actually single-sex, and the presence of water and soap at the handwashing facilities would enable reporting on basic hygiene.

One challenge lies in actually finding the resulting data: I have struggled to find DISE results for water point functionality and handwashing facilities as those data seem to be left out of reporting for some years.

An estimate for basic water would be possible if information on water availability (or functionality as a proxy in the absence of data on availability) is included in DISE reports; an estimate for basic sanitation would be possible if the proportion of schools with single-sex toilets is clarified; and an estimate for basic hygiene would be possible if handwashing facilities data are included in reporting with additional information on water and soap at the handwashing facilities. There might also be an opportunity to clearly report these data by school level as data for secondary schools seem more challenging to find.

Aligning with the SBSV would provide a nice opportunity to validate DISE data, but I wonder if including all the SBSV questions (e.g. water quality) would overload DISE which collects data on many other aspects of education. One idea might be to align the core questions between SBSV and DISE (and maybe 1-2 critical expanded questions, such as disability accessible toilets) to maintain the simplicity of DISE, but still provide an opportunity to validate results through the SBSV.

All in all, from my perspective, both the DISE and SBSV systems are already impressive for the purposes they serve! The DISE could be aligned with the SDGs with only minor changes to the questions and reporting, with lessons from the SBSV serving as a guide while keeping the WASH in schools questions in DISE simple and smaller in number.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • vedala
  • Topic Author
  • Posts: 5
  • Karma: 1
  • Likes received: 2

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Dear Dr Bella,

The core questions and indicators for monitoring wash in schools in SDG (see attachment) are covered in SVP initiative. MHRD has instituted this initiative as an annual exercise and tools and methodology for data capture are well tested. The data is also validated through a third party agency.

NITI Ayog, the nodal agency to monitor and report India's progress towards SDGs, should take advantage of SVP initiative and fine tune the process for global comparison and reporting. SusanA is requested to initiate a dialogue with NITI Ayog.

Regards

Chary


This attachment is hidden for guests.
Please log in or register to see it.

This message has an attachment file.
Please log in or register to see it.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • vedala
  • Topic Author
  • Posts: 5
  • Karma: 1
  • Likes received: 2

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Dear all,

I feel the monitoring system developed under SBSV including the core WASH questions lends itself to SDG monitoring at the unit level in 4.a, 6.1 and 6.2. In fact, the SBSV monitoring system captures much more than SDG monitoring requirements. A mobile based monitoring system introduced under SBSV enables District, State and National government to periodically monitor WinS performance as against annual monitoring under U-DISE system. However, the monitoring system under SBSV is optional. Monitoring system including indicators under UDISE is not totally compatible with the SDG indicators and definitions of WinS. Hence, there is a need for harmonizing UDISE with the SDG for WinS. The SVP framework and indicators attempt to address the gaps in UDISE and completely harmonizes with SDG for Wins. Further, the framework and indicators are designed to act as a self- assessment guide to be used periodically and use as a benchmarking tool.

Regards
Chary

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • vedala
  • Topic Author
  • Posts: 5
  • Karma: 1
  • Likes received: 2

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Dear all

I think UDISE and SBSB have different purposes that can be harmonised to work towards the SDGs. The first is an on-going annual exercise that is well-established, while the other appears to be a recent one to recognise good work. Both can be complementary, as awards can accelerate progress that is in turn monitored by UDISE. UDISE's data collection can be enlarged to reflect functionality and usability so it reflects the situation on the ground better.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • seshadri
  • seshadri's Avatar
  • Posts: 12
  • Likes received: 5

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Q 1 Do you think indicators and monitoring system under SBSV is harmonized with SDG for WinS?

To my knowledge SBSV also carries points equal to SDG for WinS.

Q.2 Do you think the UDISE should be modified to include the indicators in SBVP?
It is good if UDISE is modified giving provision for SBSV so that the school system takes this also seriously for implementation

Q.3 Do you think adding qualitative indicators in UDISE would bring in challenging capacity building requirements for credible data collection and analysis?
Yes
Q.4 How do we build advocacy for better monitoring (and harmonized with SDG) of WinS in India?
Its good we have UDISE - Unified District Information System for Education. But the implementation of WinS also depends on very many external factors including state / district / Taluk / panchayat administration. Hence I suggest a parallel programme should be implemented in the lines of UDISE called Unified District Information System for Administration and Governance (UDISAG). Like UDISE UDISAG also can have all administration related information and the UDISE with WinS could be made part of that to link the activities to the external factors beyond education.

Added to this, a Third party level monitoring viz. Villages level, District level, independent of Government will help to monitor the activities.

Also the usage of the WinS facilities are to be monitored using a CCTV camera based monitoring system and functioning of the CCTV should be monitored by an agency continuously (linking the data to satellite and solar systems).
The following user(s) like this post: muhoza221

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • Bellamonse
  • Posts: 7
  • Karma: 1
  • Likes received: 12

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

dear Dr Chary, thank you for your excellent post and statement. The achievements of India are very impressive and encouraging for other countries.

As I understand the UDISE and SBSV have different purpose and cannot be exchanged.

The UDISE is the equivalent to the Education Management Information System and contains all areas to be managed and monitored within the education system. Wash in Schools (WinS) is a very small one, but it should be included as it is one of the responsibilities of a school head to manage WinS. By inclusion of WinS in the UDISE the responsibility for WinS is clearly a task of the education sector. The monitoring should apply the globally agreed few core questions so that countries can be compared and the government can monitor the progress of the SDGs (taget areas) . The analysis of the EMIS takes oftentimes more than a year.

Your SBSV system sets benchmarks and recognises achievements of schools. It provides incentives and recognition and provides immediate Feed back to the school. By doing so, it is guiding the implementation and is triggering action and engagement. Schools are competitive and reaching benchmarks is important for them. (this is different from monitoring in the EMIS) The SBSV is a great advocacy tool and the fact that more than 250 000 schools have participated show the success of this great tool.

Best regards
Bella
The following user(s) like this post: annetempel, muhoza221

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • nityajacob
  • nityajacob's Avatar
  • Moderator
  • Water Policy Analyst and Author; Moderator of the SuSanA India Chapter; WASH Lead at Swasti
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 6
  • Likes received: 133

Re: Topic 4 - Is the current monitoring system under DISE adequate and how can it be improved and tied to the SDGs

Dear all,

Two concerns over monitoring and its uses:

While the data collected by SBSV exceeds what is needed to conform to the SDGs, I would question the method of collection. Self-reporting has undermined the data quality in other fields, notable water and sanitation, and I have little reason to believe it is different in the case of education. What can be done to rectify this? There are mandated village/panchayat institutions that can be operationalised to monitor WinS using the same mobile applications. There are other government staff in villages who could be authorised to do so. There are village institutions as well which could be tasked with monitoring. These would act as a useful check on schools and prevent false or over-reporting. Over the course of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, many have been exposed to sanitation concepts. It would be relatively easy to engage these individuals or organizations in monitoring with some amount of additional training.

The other aspect is what to do with this data. It is to be used for better planning and implementation, but an analysis of how it is actually used would be good to have. At what level are these decisions taken, is the data accessible and understandable to people at that level, do they have the ability to implement or take these decisions, etc., would be some more questions.

Regards
Nitya Jacob
The following user(s) like this post: muhoza221

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • vedala
  • Topic Author
  • Posts: 5
  • Karma: 1
  • Likes received: 2

Re: [WG7] WASH in Schools - Join our discussion about Monitoring!

My response to colleague from APROSAN:

What are your sanitation offerings ? Please share and we can find piloting opportunities. CSR money can also be tapped.

Regards

Chary, ASCI

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
  • nityajacob
  • nityajacob's Avatar
  • Moderator
  • Water Policy Analyst and Author; Moderator of the SuSanA India Chapter; WASH Lead at Swasti
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 6
  • Likes received: 133

Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic discussion on WASH in Schools

POSTED ON BEHALF OF Dr. SRIKHANT LIMAYE.

Dear Nitya:


Thanks for the message.

The questionnaire given below is very appropriate. My special thanks to the person who prepared it.
  • Number of toilet seats constructed/available for boys and girls
  • Number of toilet seats functional, defined as minimal odour, unbroken seats, regular cleaning and dry, working drainage system, accessible to users, closable door
  • How many of the toilets have water for flushing and cleaning
  • Number of urinals for boys and girls
  • Availability of a toilet for Children with Special Needs (CWSN)
  • Availability of hand-washing facility near toilets/urinals
  • Source of drinking water
  • Whether drinking water facility is functional.

I have visited several rural schools in Maharashtra and their conditions are pathetic. The girl students usually drop out after they reach puberty. And no politician is interested in improving the conditions. When the Villages don't have adequate drinking water supply for houses, who is worried about drinking water provision at schools?

It is up to the elected Village council and Sarpanch to look into this. The infrastructural improvements in rural schools (apart from the poor quality of education) is an arduous task. It needs funding and devoted workers to see that the funds are not misused.

Politicians in Maharashtra have re-named University of Pune at Shrimati Savitribai Phule University of Pune. Savitribai was Mahatma Phule' s wife.

She had nothing to do with University Education. Her work was in primary school education for girls. But instead of improving the conditions at rural schools especially for girls, our politicians preferred to change the name of the University, obviously because the former task is much more difficult.

Changing the name is much easier. Moreover, it gets publicity and votes.!! This is the scenario of rural schools in Maharashtra. Conditions in northern India could be better.

Kind regards

Shrikant Limaye

Please Log in to join the conversation.

You need to login to reply
Page selection:
Share this thread:
Recently active users. Who else has been active?
Time to create page: 0.109 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum