Supplementing Measures of Social Accountability and Enhancing Understanding of Accountability and Students' Achievement During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Student, Parent, SMC, and Head Teacher Surveys, 2024

The Student Survey measures students’ backgrounds, knowledge, aspirations, satisfaction, and perception of their classroom environment. It also measures teaching quality and the impact of lockdowns and remote learning on education during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the support provided by schools through online services or other means, and the time allocated for learning. The 60-minute student interviews were conducted in a private setting, either at the student's home or a location where the student was comfortable answering the survey questions. The survey consisted of two parts: survey questions and a Life History Calendar (LHC). The interview was conducted in Nepali using a computer-assisted personal interviewing program. The LHC, including the COVID calendar, was designed in paper and pencil format. Out of 2858 eligible students, 2053 students completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 72%.

The Parent Survey includes household-level measures of household size, composition, socio-economic background (ethnicity, social status), education, occupation, wealth, assets, and income; challenges faced by parents of school children during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on education; and responses and actions the school undertook for the students and their education. The survey also includes individual-level measures such as parents’ perceptions of teaching quality, parental action related to gathering information about alternative schools, barriers/facilitators to exercising school choice, and awareness and participation in civil society organizations seeking to influence governance of education. The 60-minute parent interviews were conducted in a private setting, either at the respondent's home or a location where the respondent was comfortable answering the survey questions. This survey consisted of two parts: the survey questions and the Life History Calendar (LHC). The interview was conducted in Nepali using a computer-assisted personal interviewing program. The LHC, including the COVID calendar, was designed in paper and pencil format. Out of 2418 eligible parents, 2079 parents completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 86%.

The School Management Committee (SMC) survey includes assessments of the SMC's (for public schools) or the school board’s (for private schools) duties and responsibilities, particularly focusing on their actions and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. It measures various aspects of their accountability, including delegation of tasks, management, performance evaluation, information dissemination, pandemic response strategies, and enforcement of policies to ensure the effective functioning of the school amidst the challenges posed by COVID-19. Out of 91 eligible chairpersons, 89 chairpersons completed this survey resulting in a response rate of 98%.

The Head Teacher data consists of two parts: the survey data and the COVID-19 school calendar data. The data includes measures of the principal's performance, information, and enforcement; actions taken by the school amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic; the management of classes; interactions with students; and the overall operational decisions made to ensure the smooth functioning of the educational institution during COVID-19. Out of 95 eligible head teachers, 89 head teachers completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 94%.