Excellence in Higher Education for Liberian Development (EHELD) Final Performance Evaluation
A USAID/Liberia Activity Establishing Centers of Excellence in Two Liberian Universities
The purpose of this evaluation is to provide an independent and in-depth examination of the efficacy of the Excellence in Higher Education for Liberian Development (EHELD) activity. The evaluation identifies the project’s major accomplishments, discusses performance limitations and identifies potential solutions, and examines constraints that affected activity implementation and effectiveness. Based on data gathered from qualitative research, complemented by quantitative measures gathered from key stakeholders, this performance evaluation identifies results and lessons learned from implementation, and provides recommendations for implementing partners and USAID going forward.
The evaluation questions for this performance evaluation include:
Project Performance:
- To what extent did the EHELD project meet its overall objectives and intermediate results? How effective were both the EHELD project’s design and its implementation in identifying and responding to challenges in the Liberian higher education context?
- What, if any, were the unexpected obstacles in the universities’, private sector or GoL response to the program?
- To what extent is the contract faculty building local faculty capacity to assume responsibility when the EHELD project ends successful?
Project Management and Implementation:
- How collaboratively, transparently, and effectively has EHELD engaged with University of Liberia and Cuttington University leadership and faculty?
- What approaches led to the most effective relationships with the private sector, both in general and through the Liberian Employers Action Group (LEAG)?
- How effectively has EHELD engaged the National Council on Higher Education (NCHE), Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Public Works?
- What has been achieved through the consortium to date? What are the challenges and how should these be addressed?
- What was most successful about the revised curricula from the following perspectives? • University leadership and faculty • Private sector partners • Students
- What strategies were most effective at attracting high school students to pursue careers in engineering and agriculture?
- How effectively is EHELD addressing underlying institutional, policy and systemic weaknesses that impact capacity to deliver CoE?
Sustainability and Local Ownership: To what degree is there university ownership, leadership and accountability for providing quality education at the CoEs in Liberia?
- Will the (expected) results of EHELD be sustained?
- What (expected) results appear to be less sustainable and why?
- Is the program being implemented and managed in a cost-effective manner? • What are the estimated implementation costs of the major activities implemented under EHELD? Are the universities prepared to continue these activities?
Gender: To what extent has the project integrated gender strategies and considerations into its activities? What interventions were most successful to increasing women’s access to and participation at UL and CU?