Effect of Monitoring and Evaluation Practices on the Performance of Education-Funded Projects in Rwanda: A Case of the Building Learning Foundation (BLF) Project in Gasabo District

Abstract

A large number of Rwandan corporate groups have failed to meet their goals because of ineffective monitoring and assessment. Companies with a strong competitive edge use monitoring and evaluation since it is expensive and demands technological competencies. Some of the issues that have arisen inside the BLF project include a lack of expertise, inadequate managerial abilities, and sloppy monitoring and assessment practices. The general objective of the study was to assess the role of monitoring and evaluation practices on performance of education funded project in Rwanda. A case study of Building learning foundation (BLF) in Rwanda. To identify the effect of monitoring and evaluation budgetary allocation on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District , to determine the effect of monitoring and evaluation risks analysis on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District , to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation trainings on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District and to identify the effect of M&E accountability on performance of education funded project of building learning foundation in Gasabo District. Both the Theory of Change (ToC) and the Realistic Evaluation Theory (RET) were used in this research. There was a total of 184 people considered, and 126 were chosen at random. The researcher utilized a simple random sampling approach to choose a sample from the BLF community. Data were gathered using questionnaires, interviews, and documentation, taking into account the character and organization of the BLF population. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to modify, code, and enter the obtained data. This allowed the researcher to get frequency tables, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The model summary for the regression showed the R value of .861 indicates a strong positive correlation between the predictors and the dependent variable. The R Square value of .742 represents the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that is predictable from the predictors. In this case, approximately 74.2% of the variability in the performance of the BLF project can be explained by the predictors included in the model. the coefficients provide the findings, M&E budgetary allocation has a coefficient of 0.551, indicating that a one-unit increase in budget allocation corresponds to a 0.551 increase in BLF project performance. Similarly, M&E risks analysis, M&E trainings, and M&E accountability show coefficients of 0.285, 0.291, and 0.186 respectively, indicating their respective impacts on BLF project performance. All predictor variables exhibit significant p-values, with M&E budgetary allocation, M&E risks analysis, and M&E trainings demonstrating statistical significance (p = 0.000< 0.05). This emphasizes their crucial roles in influencing positive outcomes in the BLF project. It is evident that when these components are effectively managed, they significantly enhance project performance, validating their importance in the p BLF project performance. The study recommended that Building Learning Foundation in Gasabo District should conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine the optimal budget allocation for monitoring and evaluation activities.