Endline Evaluation of Operation Come to School Phase II Programme in Kenya

Operation-Come-To-School Programme
In Kenya, the Operation-Come-To-School programme was initiated in 2015 by UNICEF in collaboration with Education Above All (EAA) to address the issue of OOSC. The programme's phase one, spanning from 2015 to 2019, aimed to enroll 300,000 OOSC in nine counties. The programme achieved 116% of its target by enrolling 349,460 children, including 48% girls. Notable achievements included securing support from local and national education stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, and successfully utilizing a digital attendance platform for monitoring. The lessons learned from this phase highlighted the importance of community participation, leveraging existing structures, and engaging with stakeholders at various levels.

Expansion of Operation-Come-To-School Programme
The expansion phase of the Operation-Come-To-School programme, which took place from December 2020 to December 2023, built upon the successes of phase one. This phase saw a scale-up from nine to sixteen counties. The goal was to enrol an additional 250,000 OOSC, with a specific focus on 125,000 girls and 12,500 children with disabilities. The targeted OOSC included those without access to schools, those enrolled but not attending, and those who had dropped out. The expansion adopted a multi-sectoral approach, involving government agencies, NGOs, and local communities. The strategies implemented included ongoing community engagement, improving school infrastructure to create child-friendly environments, enhancing the quality of teaching through child-friendly and inclusive education practices, expanding mentorship programs and life skills development, and advocating for policy development and review. These efforts were designed to increase school enrollment and retention and improve the overall quality of education.