Impacts of IMAGINE and NECS projects do not appear to be additive: The results suggest that both the IMAGINE project and NECS project had positive impacts on most educational outcomes. The impacts of the two projects are largely similar to one another and similar to the impacts of the IMAGINE project observed in the three-year evaluation. However, it is uncertain whether the combination of the two projects had additional benefits on enrollment, attendance, or mother tongue early grade reading skills on children of primary school age beyond the benefits of each program alone. It is possible that the two projects did not have additive benefits when implemented together. For example, the extensive social mobilization campaign that occurred as part of the NECS project may have improved child outcomes in NECS-only villages but may not have had an additional benefit in villages that had already experienced similar benefits from the IMAGINE project. It is also possible that the benefits of IMAGINE declined over time (for example, if enrollment and attendance in non-IMAGINE villages “caught up” over time), and the NECS project had similar impacts on both sets of communities.
Lesson Learned