Reference Number: 72038819RFI00003
Response Due Date: April 30, 2019
Closing time: 16:30 Hours Local Bangladesh Time
Notice Type: Request for Information

Request for Information (RFI)
USAID/Bangladesh, Population, Health, Nutrition and Education Office
Basic Education in Bandarban

Background

The Government of Bangladesh identifies education as a critical component on their road to becoming a middle-income country by 2021. Bangladesh has had success in expanding access to education, particularly with regard to gender parity, as 50.9% of all enrolled students were girls in 2016 and at least 60% of all government primary school teachers were women. The country has also achieved near universal net primary enrollment with over 97.9% of primary school age children enrolled in school. However, the quality of education across Bangladesh remains low.

USAID/Bangladesh commissioned a Rapid Education Risk Analysis in 2018 to gauge the impact of the Rohingya influx on six upazilas in Cox’s Bazar. However, there is not enough current information on how other districts near Cox’s Bazar, such as Bandarban, have been impacted by the influx, especially in the education sector. According to the 2017 Annual Sector Performance Report, student learning outcomes in Bandarban’s 219 government primary schools are in the top half of all districts nationwide. At the same time, the district has a per capita income of $290 and is one of the poorest districts of Bangladesh. About 84% of households rely on firewood for cooking fuel. 

Request for Information

Through this RFI, USAID/Bangladesh seeks to better understand the challenges and opportunities to primary education in Bandarban District, and the landscape of partners who have institutional capability in the district’s education sector. USAID welcomes information on education in Bandarban and any general feedback and comments that partners may have on programming in that region.

USAID is also interested in a response to the following questions:

ACCESS:

1. What major barriers impede access to primary education for children in Bandarban? What existing mechanisms could be enhanced or developed to overcome those barriers?
2. What major challenges or issues prevent primary-age children from graduating or completing their education? What can be done to overcome those challenges?
3. What are the languages of instruction in Bandarban, and do students use and understand those languages?

QUALITY:

1. What aspects should be prioritized to improve quality in Bandarban schools?
2. Are there any opportunities to engage the private sector in improving quality and access to education in Bandarban?

PROGRAMMING:

1. Considering the current economic, social and political situation, how can USAID programming in Bandarban lead to better primary education outcomes?
2. What is your organization’s experience, best practices, and lessons learned from working in Bandarban or the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)?
3. What gender, language, and conflict-sensitivity issues should be taken into consideration for programming in Bandarban?
4. In addition to the above questions, please describe any program recommendations, pertinent context, existing capacities, or other applicable information, to the design of any potential USAID education programming in Bandarban that you would like to share.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

1. The daunting political and physical challenges to access the CHT have historically limited the participation of international donor-funded development projects. The United States Agency for International Development is one of the few donors with presence in the CHT. What capabilities does your organization possess that would enable you to work effectively in the CHT?

RFI Submission:

All types of organizations and parties are strongly encouraged to provide information or comments by the closing date and time noted on page 1. Submission via email is required; phone calls or hard copy delivery will not be accepted. E-mail submissions shall be sent to Abdullah Akbar, Contracting Officer, for USAID/Bangladesh Office of Acquisition and Assistance at: abakbar@usaid.gov, with cc to Jannatul Farjana at jfarjana@usaid.gov. with the subject line, “Response to the Request for Information No. 72038819RFI00003.”

Respondents shall use only size 12 Times New Roman font or similar size typeset, 8.5 by 11 inch paper, and single-spaced pages for all narrative documents, with each page numbered consecutively. If the respondent cares to include relevant reports, those reports may be included, preferably as embedded links. The submission must be in English. Please do not submit applications, proposals, or resumes as they will be discarded. All information provided will become the property of USAID, will not be returned, and will not be released publicly. Submissions will not be acknowledged, nor will a response to information or comments be made. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for USAID’s own purposes. Proprietary information must not be sent.

USAID/Bangladesh is not requesting applications at this time. USAID/Bangladesh reserves the right to incorporate, or not to incorporate, any and all comments into the RFP, or to issue an RFP.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/Bangladesh activities, and we look forward to your comments.