Evaluating ICT for Education in Africa - Royal Holloway, University of ...

with and listening to participants, regardless of perceived time constraints(Cameron 2005). The luxury of detached critique would have been a moresimple position to operate from in this regard but would have resulted inmissing opportunities to shape the initiatives through engagement andpromote credible alternative approaches (Taylor and Soal 2004).6.4.7 LogisticsThe commitment to partnership also subjected the research process tosignificant logistical constraints. This was particularly evident within theEthiopian case study where the multi-stakeholder nature of both theimplementation and monitoring and evaluation teams caused significanttests to the programme durability. As noted in interview by one senior officialfrom ECBP mid-way through the implementation (09/12/08):„The timetable for implementation is getting screwed virtuallyevery day because of all the stakeholders.‟The monitoring and evaluation schedule in Ethiopia was dependent uponmultiple organisations and individuals each maintaining their projectedimplementation plans. Inability to do this resulted in significant alterationsto the schedule, due to the interdependence of all partners. As demonstratedin the chronology, the time frame for project rollout was scheduled for Aprilthen May, June and finally occurred in September 2008. This substantialdelay required that the monitoring and evaluation approach be adjustedrepeatedly, with flexibility built into the process. It also caused interestinglogistical issues actually in the preparation of this thesis.There was a close relationship between the number of partners and theincreasing complexity experienced. In reflecting upon the evaluation processwith the partners, several of them noted how communication was a recurringpoint of tension, as demonstrated by an anonymous respondent in Ethiopia(12/12/08):244