Blog: EduCOVID TIG 2020

Benita Williams

Posted 10 months ago

On 13 May 2020, SAMEA launched the EduCOVID Topical Interest Group via zoom. The TIG was initiated by SAMEA volunteers, so that M&E practitioners could talk to others and consider how they can support the education sector response to the COVID-19. The initiative was supported by the SAMEA secretariat and members of the SAMEA board. The EduCOVID TIG was open to SAMEA members and non-members and some cross-linkages with the BRIDGE M&E Community of practice were established.

The main mode of interaction was monthly zoom meetings, but the TIG also encouraged sharing of resources under a twitter hashtag #EduCOVIDtig. SAMEA hosted an EduCOVID TIG blog https://www.samea.org.za/blogs, and maintained an email listserv. The EduCOVID TIG was open to SAMEA members and non-members and some cross-linkages with the BRIDGE M&E Community of practice were established.

The TIG hosted 4 meetings in the period during which schools were closed, and just after reopening of schools.

• 13 May TIG Launch & Visioning https://youtu.be/WiyaXzokv1o
• 2 July 2020 Learning briefs as a M&E tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J24vETzmLPY
• 23 July 2020 Inequality & Innovation in the Time of COVID-19 https://youtu.be/HIS_bixiThM
• 27 Aug 2020 Invitation for collaboration on M&E tools for hackathon

A total of 73 people participated in the launch meeting during which the participants were invited to do a visioning exercise – To determine what the TIG could do. The planning for the TIG was taken forward by a team of volunteers. Each of the TIG meetings were co-facilitated by a young and emerging evaluator. While the TIG did not run for long, it did create a conversation space for evaluators and evaluation users interested in education at time when the sector was in flux.

Thank you to the following individuals who participated in the EduCOVID TIG convening committee.

• Benita Williams Benita Williams Evaluation
• Benter Okelo BRIDGE Innovation in Education Organization
• Cara Hartley PDG and SAMEA Board Member
• Jennifer Bisgard Khulisa Management Services
• Kate Mwaura/Marla Naidoo SAMEA Secretariat
• Margie Roper Khulisa Management Services
• Matodzi Amisi CLEAR-AA
• Melissa King BRIDGE Innovation in Education Organization
• Takalani Muloiwa University of Witwatersrand
• Tikwiza Silubonde CREST at the University of Stellenbosch
• Victor Naidu DPME and SAMEA Board Member
• Eleanor Hazel JET Education Services
• Diliah Mutambara Private
• Mayibongwe Manyoba Khulisa Management Services
• Vuyiswa Ncontsa BRIDGE Innovation in Education Organization
• Jerusha Govender Data Innovator