Support to Primary Education Reform in Uganda
In Uganda, activity in the country’s education sector had accelerated, especially in primary education for which the Ugandan government provides free tuition for up to four children per family. Enrollments had more than doubled, yet the Ministry of Education and Sports was still working with a fractured and outmoded profile of the current status of education. For planning purposes, Ugandan officials needed information on local community attitudes toward schools, the role of the community in supporting them, actual pupil enrollments, the reasons for pupil absences, and the destinies of primary-school dropouts and graduates.

To obtain the required information, Macro selected 4,000 families from the sample used in the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, which Macro also supported. We worked with researchers in Uganda to design the EdData Household Survey instrument. The questionnaire, which required 30 to 45 minutes to administer, was translated into local languages and pretested. Macro trained local personnel and oversaw the field work.

Macro provided recording and tabulation of the data, as well as the necessary programming, and analyzed the data. Information from the same households in the Uganda DHS was linked to the EdData results. Conclusions were drawn along urban/rural, gender, and regional lines. We prepared preliminary and final reports, and disseminated the survey results to governmental and educational institutions. Beyond this survey, our efforts increased in-country capacity to collect and analyze data.

Ghana Education Decentralization Study
Macro studied how several Ghanaian school districts have used USAID grants to improve school performance, how grants are requested and received, and how teacher and pupil performance is evaluated and reported to USAID. We explored how the district leadership understood the Ghana Education System’s policies and regulations. We also studied the district leadership’s management approach. The study team focused on collaboration between principals and teachers to establish management tools such as performance standards, performance evaluation, accountability structure, and work plans. We illustrated successful strategies in a few districts, and showed how a district director of education approached and solved various problems. The study adds to an understanding of the successful use of grant funds.