RFP - Engagement of an External Research Consultant/Agency for a Three-Year Study of the Kadam Bridge Education Programme for Out-of-School Children (OoSC)

RFP - Engagement of an External Research Consultant/Agency for a Three-Year Study of the Kadam Bridge Education Programme for Out-of-School Children (OoSC)

Organization: Humana People to People India (HPPI)

Apply By: 28 Oct 2026

Project: Kadam Project for Mainstreaming Out-of-School Children Project

Component: Project Research and Learning Study

Organisation: Humana People to People India (HPPI)

Deadline for Proposal Submission: 28 October 2026

Duration of Study: Three years [with yearly reporting and yearly renewal of the contract]

Geographical coverage: Sitapur, Balrampur and Shravasti districts, Uttar Pradesh; and Thane district, Maharashtra

This three-year research study will examine the functioning and effectiveness of the Kadam Programme across 100 Special Training Centres (STCs) in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, assessing children’s learning outcomes, mainstreaming, retention and sustainability of learning gains. It will analyse the Kadam model, its core elements, programme content and implementation processes, including multilingual approaches, mainstreaming pathways and government linkages. The study will identify what works, what does not, and factors influencing outcomes, while generating programme-level case studies, process documentation, evidence-based Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and recommendations for programme improvement and wider sector learning. HPPI will organise a final dissemination event to share the findings with key stakeholders.

Background Summary

Humana People to People India (HPPI) is a development organisation registered as a not-for-profit company under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956, since May 1998. HPPI currently works in multi-domains of school and teacher education, community development, including women empowerment, health and environment, with an overall reach of 1.52 million people through 130 projects in 98 districts of 16 states with the support of 70 partners. The educational component of HPPI encompasses interventions, including: - Kadam bridge education programme for mainstreaming of out-of-school children (OoSC) in Primary schools. - Kadam+ learning enhancement programme for primary in-school children. - Samarth targeted education intervention for secondary school children. - Sambhavana extended programme for upper primary grade children. - NeTT programme for enhancement of pre-service teacher training capacity of State institutions (DIETs/CTE). - NeTT+ programme for enhancement of the role played by DIETs in the government school system. HPPI has extensive experience in designing and implementing bridge education programmes that have reached 251,000 out-of-school children and successfully mainstreamed 212,000 children in schools in 10 states through its Kadam Programme. Kadam addresses the educational needs of out-of-school children by bridging their learning gaps before integration into formal schools at age-appropriate grades. The bridge course covers subject competencies, including foundational literacy and numeracy and life skills, in addition to selfassessment and formative assessment processes, TRIO peer learning, MIS tracking, and parental and community engagement. Kadam bridges learning gaps through 10 learning steps encompassing grades 1-5 and 11 theme headlines, combining subject competencies and life skills with self-paced, peer learning and activity-based approaches Scope of the Consultancy HPPI proposes a three-year mixed-methods study across 100 Special Training Centres (STCs) in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The study will assess implementation and learning outcomes, analyse the processes of the Kadam model and its core elements, and examine children’s transition to formal schooling and the sustainability of learning gains - Analyse available baseline and endline assessment data and verify findings through a sample survey; assess implementation and track children’s educational trajectories after mainstreaming. - Examine learning sustainability, enrolment, attendance and retention, and identify the child-, family-, school- and system-level factors that support or constrain continued education. - Analyse the Kadam model, including its core elements, programme content, implementation processes and the interaction between components; identify practices that work, those that do not, and the conditions shaping their effectiveness. - Examine multilingual dimensions of bridge education, including how children’s home languages and the language of instruction influence participation, learning and transition to government schools. - Analyse pathways and barriers to mainstreaming, including documentation, age-appropriate grade placement, school readiness, school acceptance, continuity, attendance and retention. - Examine how linkages with government institutions at school, block, district and state levels enable or constrain identification, bridge education, mainstreaming and retention, and how the Kadam model engages with this ecosystem. - Generate actionable evidence for HPPI, Tata Trusts and relevant government stakeholders to improve programme delivery and strengthen the transition from bridge education to formal schooling. The study should also produce programme-level case studies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), supported by the findings.

Time period of the study: November 2026- April 2029

The geographical scope of the evaluation is 2 states. The sampling frame would be 3000 children annually, from which the respective sample has to be decided. The sample for the longitudinal study component will be carried forward from the respective year of selection in years 1 and 2 to subsequent years. The number includes:

1. Uttar Pradesh – Sitapur (1500), Balrampur (300) and Shravasti (450)

2. Maharashtra – Thane (750)

The sample size for the study would be decided based on the selected research design. To download the full RFP, click here: Engagement of an External Research Consultant/Agency for a Three-Year Study of the Kadam Bridge Education Programme for Out-of-School Children (OoSC)