ENTREPRENEURSHIP-FOCUSED

SOCIOEMOTIONAL SKILLS
FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH
IN RURAL MONGOLIA PROJECT
(2019-2023)

Baseline survey report

 ENTREPRENEURSHIP-FOCUSED
SOCIOEMOTIONAL SKILLS
FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH
IN RURAL MONGOLIA PROJECT
(2019-2023)

Baseline survey report

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
2021
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Report Preparation and Analysis Team:

Uuriintsolmon. N, MEAL Officer, Save the Children Japan, Mongolia

Uttam Sharma, Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant, the World Bank
Akiko Sawamoto, Team leader, the World Bank

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Disclaimer:

This document was produced within the scope of the “Entrepreneurship-focused socioemotional skills for
the most vulnerable youth in rural Mongolia” project (2019-2023) implemented under the World Bank’s
management. The project is funded by the Government of Japan under the Japan Social Development
Fund. The views expressed in this report are those exclusively of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect or represent the views and opinions of the World Bank or the donor.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ACRONYMS 7

LIST OF FIGURES 8

LIST OF TABLES 9

I. INTRODUCTION 10

1.1. Background and Rationale 11

1.2. Objectives of the Baseline Survey 13
1.3. Report Structure 14

II. METHODOLOGY 15

2.1. Development of the Baseline Survey Questionnaires 16

2.2. Sampling Strategy and Estimation 17
2.3. Training and Supervision of Survey takers and Enumerators 22
2.4. Methodology of Data Entry, Processing, and Analysis 23

III. BASELINE SURVEY FINDINGS 24

3.1. Findings on Survey from Children and Youth 25

3.2. ESEL knowledge and academic scores from secondary schools 33
3.3. ESEL Skills and Mindset 38
3.4. Life Aspiration 40
3.5. Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic 49
3.6. Findings on Surveys of Teachers, Parents and Caregivers 53

IV. CONCLUSIONS 56

4.1. Summary of the Key Findings of Baseline Survey 57

4.2. Recommendations/Lessons Learnt 59

V. ANNEXES 61

Annex 1. Baseline questionnaire for children and youth 61

Annex 2. Baseline questionnaire for parents and caregivers 80
Annex 3. Baseline questionnaire for teachers 87
Annex 4. Terms of Reference for the Baseline Survey 93
Annex 5. Results Framework 102
Annex 6. Workplan of the Baseline Survey 104
Annex 7. Tables 105

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

ALC Aimag-Level Council

ESEL Entrepreneurship-based Socioemotional Skills
GFO Gobisumber Field Office
KFO Khovd Field Office
FO Field Office
LLEC Lifelong Learning Centre
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning
MES Ministry of Education and Science
MLSP Ministry of Labour and Social Protection
PDO Project Development Objectives
Q&A Questions and Answers
RF Results Framework
SCI Save the Children International
SCJM Save the Children Japan Mongolia
SFO Sukhbaatar Field Office
SLC Soum-Level Council
UB PMT Ulaanbaatar-based Project Management Team
UFO Uvurkhangai Field Office
WB World Bank
ZFO Zavkhan Field Office

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. The numbers of applications received, and selected applicants

Figure 2. Aimag youths in the study by treatment status
Figure 3.Youths in the study by gender and treatment status
Figure 4.Youths in the study by school type and treatment status
Figure 5. Disability of youths by treatment status
Figure 6. Whether the youth has taken a business course by treatment status
Figure 7. ESEL knowledge by Aimag (province)
Figure 8. Mongolian language and Math scores by treatment status
Figure 9. Mongolian language and Math scores by gender
Figure 10. Most important goal in life by all participants
Figure 11. Most important goal in life by treatment status
Figure 12. Most important goal in life by gender
Figure 13. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by all participants
Figure 14. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by all participants by treatment
status
Figure 15. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by all participants
Figure 16. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by treatment status
Figure 17. Access to ICT tools by treatment status

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Selection criteria for ESEL training participants

Table 2. Planned responses
Table 3. Soum youths in the study by treatment status
Table 4. Age of youths in the study by treatment status
Table 5.Youths in different grades by treatment status
Table 6. Father’s education level by treatment status
Table 7. Mother’s education level by treatment status
Table 8. ESEL knowledge by treatment status
Table 9. ESEL knowledge by gender
Table 10. Mongolian language and Math scores by Aimag
Table 11. ESEL scores by treatment status
Table 12. ESEL scores by gender
Table 13. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by gender
Table 14. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by gender
Table 15. Extent youths agree on new or small businesses likely to succeed in their soum
Table 16. Extent youths agree on new or small businesses likely to succeed in their soum by gender
Table 17. Extent youths agree on working hard being important in life
Table 18. Extent youths agree on overall socioeconomic situation improving
Table 19. Extent youths agree on will feel happier compared to parents
Table 20. Extent youths feel happier than before COVID-19
Table 21. Extent youths feel more motivated than before COVID-19
Table 22. Extent youths feel more worried than before COVID-19
Table 23. Extent youths feel sadder than before COVID-19
Table 24. Extent youths feel safer than before COVID-19
Table 25. Access to educational materials
Table 26. Parent’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset
Table 27. Parent’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset by gender
Table 28. Teacher’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset
Table 29. Teacher’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset by gender

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1.
INTRODUCTION

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1.1. Background and Rationale

Save the Children Japan Mongolia Office (SCJM) implements the Project on Entrepreneur-
ship-focused Socioemotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Mongolia (2019-2023),
under the World Bank’s management.The project is funded by the Government of Japan under
the Japan Social Development Fund.

The development objective of the project is to train vulnerable, disadvantaged youth in 25

of Mongolia’s poorest rural districts (soums) across 5 provinces with socioemotional skills
for improved performance in school and preparation for entry into self-employment. This
objective will be achieved through a school-based, community-driven program targeting 6,000
school-enrolled and out-of-school youth to support acquisition of entrepreneurship-based so-
cioemotional skills that are not only linked to success in school but are also highly valued in
the labour market.The project will address the largely unmet need for socioemotional and en-
trepreneurship skills stemming from extremely limited labour market opportunities that lead
to high inactivity among youth in these locations, and a job profile dominated by traditional
herding, unpaid work, and self-employment in the informal sector.

The project’s direct beneficiaries are vulnerable and disadvantaged school boys and girls and
out-of-school youth in the country’s poorest soums.These include children1 and youth2 (ages
14-25) (i) whose parents engage in subsistence herding; (ii) who come from poor households;
or (iii) who are poor performers in school examinations.
These children are at high risk of dropping out from school. The fourth target group consists
of youth under the age of 25 years who have already dropped out of school. Together, youth
in these four groups are at high risk of becoming unemployed after leaving school, or entering
unpaid work or self-employment in the informal sector, and as such constitute the most vul-
nerable and disadvantaged youth in the country.
The project soums are located in aimags with the highest poverty and unemployment rates
in Mongolia. The target youth reside in 25 of Mongolia’s poorest soums in Gobisumber aimag
(Central region); Zavkhan and Khovd aimags (Western region); Uvurkhangai aimag (Khangai
region); and Sukhbaatar aimag (Eastern region). In each aimag selected, over one in three
persons is living in poverty. For example,“Mongolia Poverty Update,” a joint report by Nation-
al Statistics of Mongolia and the World Bank (2018) states that Gobisumber aimag had the
highest incidence of poverty in 2018, with over half of its population (51.9%) living in poverty.
Across the selected target aimags, the incidence of poverty is lowest in Zavkhan (25.7%), and

1
The Child Rights Law (2016) of Mongolia legally defines a child as a person under the age of 18.
2
The Law on Promotion of Youth Development (2017) of Mongolia defines youth as young persons aged
between 15-34 years.

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percentages fall between in the remaining aimags, including Sukhbaatar (30.2%), Uvurkhangai
(34.1%) and Khovd (40.9%).

In 2020, the unemployment rate in Mongolia was approximately 5.95 percent3. According to
the Provincial Competitiveness Study by the Economic Policy and Competitiveness Research
Centre (2020), the unemployment rate ranges from 5% in Zavkhan, 6.3% in Uvurkhangai, 7.6%
in Sukhbaatar, 10% in Gobisumber, to 11.3% in Khovd. As described earlier, labour market
opportunities are extremely limited in these rural areas, leading to high inactivity among the
youth. Since unpaid work and self-employment in the informal sector dominate the job pro-
file among rural youth who are employed, there is a large unmet need in this target group
for entrepreneurship-centred skill-building to facilitate entry into the labour market and the
competitive business sector, promote economic empowerment, and alleviate the high rates of
poverty.

The project consists of three components:

Component I is to support the development and introduction of a community-driven, local-

ly-tailored, innovative socioemotional skills program for vulnerable rural youth.
Component II aims to establish mechanisms for the target youth to gain experience in prac-
tically applying entrepreneurship knowledge to meet local market needs and business oppor-
tunities.
Component III will enhance the policy environment in support of entrepreneurship education
through evidence-based advocacy and public outreach campaigns and provide support for
participatory M&E and project management.

Project target locations are Gobisumber aimag (Sumber and Shiveegobi soums), Khovd
(Mankhan, Uyench, Bulgan, Altai, Must and Zereg soums), Sukhbaatar (Ongon, Bayandelg-
er, Munkhkhaan and Erdenetsagaan soums), Uvurkhangai (Sant, Kharkhorin, Khujirt, Uyanga,
Bogd, Bat-Ulzii and Guchin-Us soums), and Zavkhan aimag (Telmen, Tudevtei, Tes, Ikh-Uul, To-
sontsengel and Bayantes soums).

3
https://www.statista.com/statistics/727563/unemployment-rate-in-mongolia/

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1.2. Objectives of the Baseline Survey

The main objectives of the baseline survey are twofold: (i) to determine the pre-project condi-
tions of the project development objectives and intermediate results, (ii) to prepare and build
evidence that can be used as a basis for further project evaluations.

Generally, the baseline survey, annual, mid-term and impact evaluations are planned for the
entire cycle of the project implementation. The baseline, therefore, has been conducted not
only for its own purpose of assessing the current situation of the project objectives prior to
implementation, but also to provide data that will form the basis of the project evaluation at
its end. Hence, the methodology of the baseline aligns with that of the impact evaluation, and
consequently the control groups of the baseline survey were surveyed on all the measure-
ments of the specified indicators.

As well, the project will conduct annual evaluations from the second year of project imple-
mentation until the end, and similar survey methodologies and instruments will be applied for
these surveys.

In addition to the target rural children’s and youth’s current level of school performance and
capacity for doing business (in terms of skills and mindset targeted under the entrepreneur-
ship-focused socio-emotional learning [ESEL] course), the team also collected data to assess
and explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on target rural children and youth, such
as their psychosocial and socio-emotional state, access to learning and remedial educational
opportunities, and barriers to learning at home. The data will be utilized to identify existing
and potential risks faced by youth and to better address their needs as the project rolls out
its first cohort of the ESEL course.

The baseline survey was conducted with these specific objectives:

To the extent possible, measure the indicators set as the Project Development
Objectives and Intermediate Results;

To assess socio-emotional skills and mindset of the surveyed children and youth;

To assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surveyed children and youth.

The baseline survey was administered to three different groups of survey participants in 25
soums of 5 aimags:
1. Secondary school children, Lifelong Education Centre (LLEC) learners and out-of-school
youth aged between 14-25;

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2. Parents and caregivers of school children (the baseline survey team decided to do a com-
parative analysis of findings from school children, their parents/caregivers and teachers
due to an absence of appointed class teachers for LLEC learners, and youth who are out
of school); and
3. Secondary school teachers.

Survey participants of Group I above were divided into treatment and control groups pur-
posely selected as initially planned and described in the Project paper. Participants for the
baseline were both children and youth who were selected to take part in the ESEL training
in the first round (treatment group) as well as the participants who were not included in the
first round of the training (control group). Thus, the ‘treated’ children and youth (those in the
treatment group) and ‘untreated’ (those in the control group) will be compared in order to
help estimate the impact of the ESEL training on the outcomes of interest after the follow-up
surveys are conducted.

1.3. Report Structure

This report is divided into four main sections: Introduction, Methodology, Baseline Survey Find-
ings, and Conclusions. The introductory section provides background and contextual informa-
tion on the project, its activities and the objectives of the baseline survey. The next section on
methodology describes the indicators, survey instruments and data collection tools. Infor-
mation on sampling strategy, determination and estimation of sample size, training sessions
conducted for the enumerators and the overall survey process is also explained in this section
of the report. In section 3, the results and findings of the survey are presented by treatment
and control groups with focuses on five categories of results including ESEL knowledge, ESEL
skills and mindset, Life aspiration, Family and School Support on Youth ESEL skills and mindset
and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the survey participants. The last section of the re-
port summarizes the key findings from the baseline survey and analysis by gender, and delivers
lessons learnt and general recommendations for further project activities.

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2.
METHODOLOGY

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2.1. Development of the Baseline Survey

Questionnaires

The content of the baseline survey questionnaires reflects a set of indicators included under
the Project Development Objectives (PDO) to help measure the established indicators. In
order to develop and refine the survey instruments, the project team collaborated and con-
sulted with the project’s national and international experts hired to develop the ESEL training
program which consists of the ESEL framework, curriculum and training materials for trainers,
children and youth.
Throughout the process of developing and refining the survey questionnaires, the project team
consulted with Ms. Barbara Freeman, International Socioemotional Learning Consultant, and
in order to incorporate and measure the indicators to the fullest extent, the Education Spe-
cialists’ Team consisting of Ms. Oyunaa Purevdorj, Team leader and Education Specialist, Ms.
Sanjaabadam Sed, Psychologist and Ms. Enkhtogtokh Amgalan, Training Content Specialist, as
well as the World Bank’s task team.

Taking into account the following objectives of the Results Framework (RF), three types of
baseline questionnaires were developed to target the groups of i) School children, LLEC learn-
ers, and out-of-school youth, ii) Parents/Caregivers of school children, and iii) Teachers of
school children with the purpose of applying a triangulated approach so as to collect respons-
es from multiple sources and analyze them to enhance the credibility of the baseline survey.

Objective 1: Improved school performance of vulnerable and disadvantaged youth trained in

socioemotional skills in 25 of Mongolia’s poorest rural districts across five provinces.

Objective 2: Improved preparation for entry into self-employment of vulnerable and disad-
vantaged youth trained with socioemotional skills in 25 of Mongolia’s poorest rural districts
across five provinces.

The questions within the baseline survey questionnaires reflected the set of inquiries below
so as to ultimately assess the target children’s and youth’s ESEL knowledge, skills, mindset, life
aspiration and capacity for doing business:

P Were ESEL program participants’ (project beneficiary children and youth) attitudes
changed towards school academic performance?
P Beneficiaries’ enhanced capacity for doing business

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P What new information on ESEL knowledge did the program participants gain?
P Did the participants develop new skills and mindset to change their attitude towards them-
selves and others?
P What is the level of capacity for doing business amongst the children and youth?
P What are the levels of their ESEL skills and mindset as defined in the ESEL framework?
P What are the levels of their ESEL knowledge as defined in the ESEL framework?
P How enhanced were the life aspirations of children and youth?
P What are the life aspirations of the selected children and youth?
P How supportive are the family and school of the children and youth deveoping their ESEL
skills and mindset?

The questions related to community and school support for the children and youth, particu-
larly their involvement in extracurricular and local community activities and their perceptions
of their connectedness with their family and school environments, were included to measure
the level of support surrounding the children and youth.

Moreover, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on schools and overall
education of the children and youth, the baseline questionnaires included specific questions
focused on their current well-being and emotional state as well as on the availability and
accessibility of learning options and tools.

In addition to collecting questionnaire responses, secondary school students’ academic re-

cords, particularly their grades in Mathematics and Mongolian language, were collected to
measure their current academic performance prior to the project intervention.

2.2. Sampling Strategy and Estimation

Project target group and locations were selected on the basis of:

1.1 Highest poverty and unemployment rates in Mongolia:The poorest soums in Gobisumber
(Central region); Zavkhan and Khovd (Western region); Uvurkhangai (Khangai region);
and Sukhbaatar (Eastern region). In each province selected, more than one in three per-
sons is living in poverty, and the unemployment rate ranges from 9 percent in Uvurkhan-
gai to 18 percent in Gobisumber. The latter province is particularly disadvantaged, with
more than half its population living below the poverty line.

2. Labour market opportunities are extremely limited in these rural areas, leading to high
inactivity among youth. Since unpaid work and self-employment in the informal sector
dominate the job profile among rural youth who are employed, there is a large unmet
need in this target group for entrepreneurship-centred skill-building to facilitate entry
into the labour market and the competitive business sector, promote economic empow-
erment, and alleviate the high rates of poverty.

The project’s target group and locations were determined after consultations with the Minis-
try of Education and Science (MES), Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP), commu-

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nity members, youth, and education and labour officers in rural soums (including through joint
WB/SCJ missions to Uvurkhangai aimag in 2017).

The stakeholder discussions confirmed the unmet need and demand for entrepreneurship-fo-
cused skills development in the target group: (i) despite emphasis on a “whole-child approach”
in education, national curricula and classroom practices remain focused on academic learning,
with no provisions for preparing youth for the school-to-work transition in the context of the
local labour market; (ii) the LLEC programs supervised by MES to target school dropouts,
focus on catch-up “equivalency” programs also of an academic nature, and teachers lack the
technical capacity to foster skills relevant for self-employment; and (iii) local stakeholders,
especially youth aged 14-18 years, expressed their concern about the lack of employment at
local aimag/soum level.

As for the number of baseline survey respondents, approximately 50% of all children and
youth who were selected to attend the ESEL training in the first round of the project interven-
tion participated in the baseline survey (see Figure 1).

In addition to the main target group of children and youth, responses to the survey by par-
ents/caregivers and teachers of secondary school students contributed to the assessment of
students’ ESEL skills and mindset.

Figure 1. The numbers of applications received, and selected applicants

The number of children and youth School children who LLEC & out-of-school
who expressed their interest in par- expressed interest youth
ticipating in the ESEL training

2.510 1.767 743

1
70.4% 29.6%

The number of children and youth School children who LLEC & out-of-school
who were selected in line with the were selected youth
Selection Guidelines for the spring
2021 ESEL training session

2 1.276 936 340

73.4% 26.6%

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According to the initial planning of the Project Operational Manual and the Terms of Ref-
erence of the Baseline Survey (see the Annex 4), it was proposed that 1,000 children and
youth would participate in the first round of ESEL training that commenced in March 2021.
Therefore, taking into account the total number of the ESEL training participants as well as
the indicators specified in the RF, 50% of these participants were selected as a sample to par-
ticipate in the baseline survey. In order to select the survey participants, the project followed
a step-by-step process:

1. Announced the ESEL training amongst target soums, and collected applications (expres-
sion of interest) from the children and youth who were interested in taking part in the
training;

2.1 A Master list was created to register all interested participants;

3. The project team developed a guideline on selection criteria (see Table 1 below) to
choose the participants for the ESEL training in the spring 2021 session;

4. Guided by the selection criteria, a Committee consisting of school administration repre-

sentatives, teachers, and LLEC educators jointly selected the participants to enroll in the
ESEL training and created lists of selected and non-selected participants;

5. Within the scope of the baseline survey, the project team identified the treatment group
from the selected ESEL training participants through randomization;

6. The control group was chosen from the non-selected ESEL training participants through
randomization.

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Table 1. Selection criteria for ESEL training participants

Selection criteria to select school children, LLEC students and

out-of-school youth for ESEL training

School children LLEC learners and out of school youth

P Expressed and registered interest in

enrolling in ESEL training;

P 8th grade or higher in secondary school; P Expressed and registered interest in

enrolling in ESEL training;
P Lags behind in school, and shows
less interest in studies and in need of P From 14 to 25 years old;
support for improvement in academic
performance; P (i) Youth who are studying at LLECs after
dropping out from school or who did
P Has a relatively lower probability of not advance to higher education after
advancing to higher education;
graduating from secondary schools; or (ii)
out-of-school youth who are attending
P Relatively low family income; neither secondary schools nor LLECs;
P Has been observed or indicated limited Motivated to learn;
socioemotional skills (in light of skills, P
knowledge, and mindset to be imparted in
Owns business and/or has an interest in
the ESEL training); P running their own business;
P Available to keep participating in Has not been employed due to scarcity of
alternative version of class during P employment opportunities;
COVID-19 restrictions when classroom
attendance limited or not possible;
Available to participate in the training for
P five working days during the period of five
P Ensure gender balance: weeks at LLEC
Male (50%) and Female (50%);

P Equally selected from different grades and

classes

Note that survey participants in both groups were randomly selected from among the re-
spective treatment and control groups. However, the survey participants were not randomly
assigned to either treatment or control group. Therefore, while one could claim that survey
participants from treatment (control) group represent the overall treatment (control) par-
ticipants, it is possible that treatment and control groups are different as participants in the
treatment group were chosen on the basis of the selection criteria noted above. The baseline
data will allow us to explore similarities of observable characteristics between treatment and
control groups.

Taking into consideration the assumption that attrition might occur due to failures in respons-
es by survey participants, additional participants were selected and included in the sampling
size to mitigate the risks associated with non-participation and/or non-responses.

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Furthermore, the baseline survey was conducted for two designated treatment and control
groups.The children and youth selected to enroll in the ESEL training are included in the treat-
ment group as they will receive “treatment” through the training. Those who were not select-
ed in the ESEL training are included in the control group as they will not receive “treatment”
and will not be a part of the first round of training in the spring of 2021.
The children and youth who were selected met a larger number of selection criteria than
those in control group. Even though those in the control group also met many of the selection
criteria, they met fewer than those finally selected. The following factors also affected the
selection process:

1. The project team prioritized selecting the most vulnerable youth and also keeping a
gender balance.

2. The quota for training participants took into consideration the physical and technical
capacity of resources available at the soum level such as the number of trained teachers
and availability of classrooms. The number of admissions for each class was set at 24
for secondary school students, and 20 for a combined group of LLEC and out-of-school
youth.

The number of survey participants in the control group was estimated to be 237, nearly half
the size of the treatment group.
Table 2 below provides the expected numbers of survey participants targeted in 5 aimags by
groups of participants. The actual respondent numbers are provided in Section 3.

Table 2. Planned responses

Planned responses

Treatment group Control group

Secondary
Secondary school
Grand total
LLEC & Out of

LLEC & Out of

school
school youth

school youth

Aimags
Total

Total
caregivers

caregivers
Teachers

Teachers
Parents/

Parents/
Youth

Youth

Zavkhan 120 120 120 30 390 78 78 78 21 255 645

Khovd 120 120 120 30 390 53 53 53 27 186 576

Uvurkhangai 164 164 164 70 562 75 75 75 22 247 809

Govisumber 48 48 48 20 164 8 8 8 16 40 204

Sukhbaatar 48 48 48 20 164 23 23 23 12 81 245

Total 500 500 500 170 1670 237 237 237 98 809 2479

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2.3. Training and Supervision of Survey takers and

Enumerators

As planned in the Project Operational Manual (POM), MEAL Plan and Terms of Reference of
the Baseline Survey, training for field staff and MEAL focal points of Soum-level Committees
(SLC) was organized twice on 25 February and 1 March, 2021 respectively, attended by 25
MEAL focal points of SLCs from 5 aimags as well as project team members and the SCJM
MEAL Coordinator.
The first training held on 25 February, 2021 provided MEAL focal points with information on
the Baseline Survey Work Plan and introduced the survey questionnaires and methods. The
specific objectives were to:
• Introduce the baseline survey conduction Work Plan;
• Introduce the content of the baseline questionnaires;
• Provide survey methods necessary for conducting the survey in the soums;
• Q&A session: to clarify questions raised by the MEAL focal points and field staff members
in relation to the survey.
Apart from the MEAL focal points in target soums, all members of the project team, including
field officers, attended the training to acquire information on leading and coordinating the
survey in their respective soums. Training was facilitated by Ms. Uuriintsolmon Narantsetseg,
project MEAL officer and Ms. Burentugs Banzrai SCJM MEAL coordinator who also provided
participants with her expert technical guidance on carrying out the baseline survey.
During the training, participants were provided with information on the planned activities of
the baseline survey and learned the fundamentals of conducting surveys. The final versions of
the baseline questionnaires for children/youth, parents/caregivers and teachers were shared.
Each section of the questionnaires was explained in detail to increase shared understanding
amongst the participants of the intention of each question.
Training ended with a Q&A session for the field staff and MEAL focal points to ask the project
team and MEAL officer and coordinator to clarify such items as how to code the survey, how
to properly introduce surveyors, and how to prepare the survey venue.
Following the training, the Guidelines for conducting the baseline survey were shared with
each field staff and MEAL focal point for further reference.
Follow-up training was delivered by Uttam Sharma, the World Bank consultant, in collabo-
ration with the project team on 1 March, 2021. At this training, MEAL focal points received
specific technical guidance on how to conduct the survey whilst upholding the principles and
approaches required for quality data collection. From this training participants gained more
technical and detailed guidance on how to interact with survey participants as well as the
importance of the privacy and confidentiality of those who agree to take part in the survey.
Challenges encountered during the data collection
MEAL focal points (hereinafter referred to as “enumerators”) based in their respective 25 tar-
get soums, conducted the baseline survey under the supervision of field officers and assistants.

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The process encountered several challenges in relation to technical issues, timing, and logis-
tics. Some participants, particularly out-of-school youth found the questionnaire too complex
which prevented them from responding correctly. This also applied to parents and caregivers.
Enumerators said that the necessity to explain the questionnaires differed according to the
education level of the respondent. For instance, although the same explanations were provided
on the same questionnaires, some participants spent around 40 minutes answering the ques-
tions while others took 80 minutes.
Sometimes enumerators were not able to reach children and youth directly because their
phones were either switched off or disconnected due to a loss of network signal. In addition,
some of the participants’ phone numbers had changed since the initial list, and in such cases, it
took time to obtain their new numbers. When enumerators could not reach a participant by
phone, they moved on to the next one on the list.
It was also challenging to find a suitable time for parents and caregivers to take the survey as
they were inclined to ask to reschedule for personal reasons.
In terms of logistics, preparation for implementing the survey was done in a short time which
in turn presented challenges for printing survey questionnaires, as did packing and delivering
them to each soum on time.The survey questionnaires were printed at contracted photocopy-
ing shops, some of which did not have the capacity to print a large number at a time.
Unexpected circumstances, such as power cuts and adverse weather conditions in some soums
also caused delays in delivering the printed surveys.
Last but not least, there was COVID-19 related issues in conducting the survey in soum ar-
eas. New COVID-19 cases restricted the operation of schools in Shiluustei soum of Zavkhan,
which resulted in a three-day suspension of the survey in target soums. Nonetheless, the field
office in Zavkhan quickly resumed the survey once restrictions were eased.

2.4. Methodology of Data Entry, Processing, and Analysis

The project team hired a team of six for data entry. Data collected from the target soums
was entered into SPSS software for analysis. Increasing cases of COVID-19 affected the team’s
performance and delayed the data entry process which was eventually completed on 23 April,
2021.

Crosschecking found some errors which were verified and corrected by the data entry and
project teams.

The lessons learned during the data processing and analysis led by Uttam Sharma, a World
Bank consultant, provided valuable insights for future rounds of data collection. The biggest
lesson learned was that many variables had missing data which is problematic for data anal-
ysis, and thus should be seriously discussed with enumerators. Furthermore, analysis of the
baseline survey showed that the baseline characteristics of youths in treatment and control
groups were different on some key indicators. The implications of this disparity are discussed
in Section 4.1. of the report.

23
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.
BASELINE SURVEY
FINDINGS

24
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.1. Findings on Survey from Children and Youth

In total, 996 youths were surveyed in five aimags (provinces), of whom 656 (66%) were in the
treatment group and 340 (34%) in the control group. The Aimag and Soum (district) samples
are provided in Figure 2 and Table 3 below.

Figure 2. Aimag youths in the study by treatment status

Percent 100%

23.09

22.41

24.41

22.41

29.71

32.23

34.15

28.53

10.67

10.34

10.37

10.29
24.9

9.44

7.06
Freq. 230 147 83 248 147 101 321 224 97 94 70 24 103 68 35
Khovd Zavkhan Uvurkhangai Gobisumber Sukhbaatar

Total Treatment Control

Total 996 Total 656 Total 340

25
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 3. Soum youths in the study by treatment status

  Total Treatment Control

Soums Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

Altai 33 3.31 24 3.66 9 2.65

Bulgan 50 5.02 24 3.66 26 7.65
Zereg 48 4.82 31 4.73 17 5
Mankhan 25 2.51 12 1.83 13 3.82
Must 32 3.21 22 3.35 10 2.94
Uyench 42 4.22 34 5.18 8 2.35
Tes 28 2.81 24 3.66 4 1.18
Bayantes 71 7.13 34 5.18 37 10.88
Tudevtei 22 2.21 12 1.83 10 2.94
Telmen 45 4.52 24 3.66 21 6.18
Tosontsengel 52 5.22 31 4.73 21 6.18
Ikh-Uul 30 3.01 22 3.35 8 2.35
Kharkhorin 81 8.13 58 8.84 23 6.76
Khujirt 44 4.42 32 4.88 12 3.53
Bat-ulzii 54 5.42 34 5.18 20 5.88
Uyanga 49 4.92 34 5.18 15 4.41
Guchin-us 26 2.61 22 3.35 4 1.18
Sant 37 3.71 22 3.35 15 4.41
Bogd 30 3.01 22 3.35 8 2.35
Bayandelger 24 2.41 12 1.83 12 3.53
Munkhkhaan 28 2.81 22 3.35 6 1.76
Ongon 24 2.41 12 1.83 12 3.53
Erdenetsagaan 27 2.71 22 3.35 5 1.47
Sumber 41 4.12 34 5.18 7 2.06
Shiveegobi
53 5.32 36 5.49 17 5

Total 996 100 656 100 340 100

26
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

More females (62%) than males (38%) were in the study sample (Figure 3). The control group
has a higher percentage (71%) of females than the treatment group (57%). This is presumably
because the project is, to the extent possible, striving for gender balance in the treatment
group. Since more females than males expressed interest in the training, this resulted in a
higher proportion of females to be selected for the training.

(Figure 3). Youths in the study by gender and treatment status

Gender Total Treatment Control

375 38.19% 278 42.9% 97 29.04%

607 61.81% 370 57.1% 237 70.96%

982 648 334

4
Total 100% 100% 100%

4
Discrepancy in Table 6 occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

27
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

In our sample, 75% of the youths are currently in school while the remaining 25% are enrolled
in LLEC (Figure 4). The percentage of youths in schools is largely similar across treatment sta-
tus. For example, 76% of youths in the treatment group are in school while the corresponding
figure for those in the control group is 73%.

Figure 4. Youths in the study by school type and treatment status

School or LLEC Total Treatment Control

747 75% 499 76.07% 248 72.94%

School

249 25% 157 23.93% 92 27.06%

LLEC

Total 996 100% 656 100% 340 100%

Though youths between 13 and 26 years are in the study sample, about two-thirds of them
are between the ages of 14 and 17 (Table 4). The control group youths are slightly older than
the treatment group: the average age for the treatment group is 16.7 years and 17.4 years
for the control group, and the difference is statistically significant at the 10% level.

4
Discrepancy in Table 6 occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

28
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 4. Age of youths in the study by treatment status

  Total Treatment Control

Age in years Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

13 16 1.66 6 0.96 10 2.99
14 158 16.42 108 17.22 50 14.93
15 228 23.7 175 27.91 53 15.82
16 163 16.94 113 18.02 50 14.93
17 140 14.55 78 12.44 62 18.51
18 65 6.76 37 5.9 28 8.36
19 23 2.39 12 1.91 11 3.28
20 18 1.87 10 1.59 8 2.39
21 28 2.91 20 3.19 8 2.39
22 27 2.81 19 3.03 8 2.39
23 29 3.01 14 2.23 15 4.48
24 30 3.12 14 2.23 16 4.78
25 33 3.43 21 3.35 12 3.58
26 4 0.42     4 1.19
Total 9625 100 627 100 335 100

The General information section of the survey asked questions about disabilities to determine
the number of participants with disability among the surveyed youth. Types of disabilities in-
clude difficulties with hearing, seeing, speaking and mobility, as well as intellectual disabilities.
The survey also included an optional open-ended question for other types of disabilities to
ensure that all types of disabilities will be captured.

5
Variance occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

29
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Slightly less than 3.5% of the sample has some form of disability (Figure 5). There is a slightly
higher percentage of youths with some form of disability in the treatment group than in the
control group.

Figure 5. Disability of youths by treatment status

Disability Total Treatment Control

932 96.58% 617 95.96% 315 97.83%

NO

33 3.42% 26 4.04% 7 2.17%

YES

965 643 322

6
Total 100% 100% 100%

6
Same as above.

30
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

About 95% of the youths in the sample have studied in Grade 8 or higher (Table 5).
This proportion does not change much with treatment status.

Table 5. Youths in different grades by treatment status

  Total Treatment Control

Grade Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
0 15 1.56 12 1.86 3 0.94
1 1 0.1 1 0.16
2 3 0.31 2 0.31 1 0.31
3 1 0.1 1 0.16
4 2 0.21 1 0.16 1 0.31
5 11 1.14 7 1.09 4 1.25
6 6 0.62 2 0.31 4 1.25
7 11 1.14 7 1.09 4 1.25
8 147 15.25 101 15.68 46 14.38
9 246 25.52 179 27.8 67 20.94
10 164 17.01 126 19.57 38 11.88
11 176 18.26 111 17.24 65 20.31
12 181 18.78 94 14.6 87 27.19
Total 9647 100 644 100 320 100

Questions on their education level8 were also asked of the parents. The details are provided
in Tables 6 and 7. Unfortunately, many responses are missing. Of those who answered, the
highest percentage is fathers with High School9 education, followed by those with Secondary
School10.

The fathers of those in the treatment group are slightly more educated (15.5%) than those in
the control group (10.4%). In general, mothers are more educated than fathers. For instance,
25.5% of mothers have a university degree while the corresponding figure for fathers is 13.8%.

7
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
8
Prior to 2004, the education system consisted of four years of compulsory primary education and another four years of com-
pulsory lower-secondary education. Back then, there were also two years of upper-secondary, non-compulsory education
focusing on vocational, technical, or general education. The expansion of the education system began in 2004 wherein the
official school entry age dropped from age 8 to 7. A further expansion took place in 2008 with the entry grade-level dropping
to age 6. The goal was to establish a 12-year 6-4-2 system for primary and secondary education. (Source: Wikipedia)
9
High School in the questionnaire for parents/caregivers denotes Grades 9 and 10.
10
Secondary School in the questionnaire for parents/caregivers denotes Grades 5 to 8.

31
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 6. Father’s education level by treatment status

  All Treatment Control

Father’s education Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Percent Cum.
Primary school 56 13.08 37 13.03 19 13.19
Secondary school 91 21.26 56 19.72 35 24.31
High school 168 39.25 116 40.85 52 36.11
Vocational 26 6.07 18 6.34 8 5.56
College 23 5.37 11 3.87 12 8.33
University 59 13.79 44 15.49 15 10.42
Other 2 0.47 1 0.35 1 0.69
No education 3 0.7 1 0.35 2 1.39

Total 428 100 284 100 144 100

Table 7. Mother’s education level by treatment status

  All Treatment Control

Mother’s education Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

Primary school 53 9.46 37 10.19 16 8.12
Secondary school 99 17.68 57 15.7 42 21.32
High school 202 36.07 135 37.19 67 34.01
Vocational 32 5.71 20 5.51 12 6.09
College 26 4.64 15 4.13 11 5.58
University 143 25.54 96 26.45 47 23.86
No education 5 0.89 3 0.83 2 1.02

Total 560 100 363 100 197 100

We consider next the different facets of educational outcomes.

32
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.2. ESEL knowledge and academic scores from second-

ary schools

First, a question was asked about whether the surveyed youth had taken a business course11
and a total of 11.3% had taken one in the past (Figure 6). The proportion did not vary much
by treatment status – 10.8% in the treatment group and 12.35% in control group say that they
have taken a business course.

Figure 6. Whether the youth had taken a business course by treatment status

Business
course Total Treatment Control

861 88.67% 570 89.2% 291 87.65%

NO

110 11.33% 69 10.8% 41 12.35%

YES

Total 971 12
100% 639 100% 332 100%

11
Currently, at secondary school level, the Social Science subject includes one chapter on the topic of Business and Business
Entities. As it is an elective chapter, the majority of the students at secondary schools do not select it, mainly because of a
lack of trained and qualified teachers. In LLECs, some projects have been implemented in aimags and soums that include
trainings to introduce the basics of doing business. However, implementation of such projects varies in different aimags and
soums. In fact, some of the target soums had never had projects offering business basics in the past. It is an assumption that
survey participants who answered that they took the business course may have “perceived” the survey question differently
as their understanding of the business course may vary. Some students, for example, in Kharkhorin soum of Uvurkhangai
might answer that they took a business course because they make and sell hand-made souvenirs that they produced under
the Technology subject.
12
Variance in Table 13 occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

33
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

A total of 16 questions were asked to test ESEL knowledge: seven questions on entrepre-
neurship fundamentals, five on business planning and financial literacy, and four on mobilizing
resources and implementation plan for digital literacy.

Each correct question was given a score 1.Their total scores are provided in Table 8. On aver-
age, the survey participants answered slightly fewer than 7 questions correctly. Most students
received a score of five to nine. Their scores did not differ greatly by treatment status.
When ESEL knowledge scores were analyzed by gender, female youths scored slightly more
than male youths (Table 9). The average score for females was 7.07 and for males 6.6. The
difference is statistically significant at the 1% level.

Table 8. ESEL knowledge by treatment status

  All Treatment Control

Questions answered
Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
correctly
0 3 0.3 2 0.3 1 0.29
1 10 1 5 0.76 5 1.47
2 17 1.71 12 1.83 5 1.47
3 54 5.42 31 4.73 23 6.76
4 68 6.83 40 6.1 28 8.24
5 145 14.56 101 15.4 44 12.94
6 136 13.65 96 14.63 40 11.76
7 170 17.07 114 17.38 56 16.47
8 132 13.25 76 11.59 56 16.47
9 131 13.15 93 14.18 38 11.18
10 75 7.53 50 7.62 25 7.35
11 37 3.71 21 3.2 16 4.71
12 11 1.1 9 1.37 2 0.59
13 7 0.7 6 0.91 1 0.29
Total 996 100 656 100 340 100

Average score 6.85   6.89   6.77  

34
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 913 . ESEL knowledge by gender

 
Female Male
Knowledge score Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
0 1 0.16 2 0.53
1 4 0.66 6 1.6
2 11 1.81 5 1.33
3 28 4.61 26 6.93
4 35 5.77 30 8
5 86 14.17 56 14.93
6 76 12.52 58 15.47
7 102 16.8 66 17.6
8 84 13.84 46 12.27
9 89 14.66 41 10.93
10 56 9.23 19 5.07
11 22 3.62 15 4
12 7 1.15 4 1.07
13 6 0.99 1 0.27
Total 607 100 375 100
Average score   7.06   6.6

The ESEL scores by Aimag were also analyzed (Figure 7). The highest average score is in
Gobisumber (7.91) and the lowest average score in Khovd (6.51).

13
Total number is 982 (out of 996) which occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

35
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Figure 7. ESEL knowledge by Aimag (province)

103
6.51

2.20

6.75

2.27

6.96

2.40

7.91

2.37

6.55

2.55
230

248

321

94
Freq Mean Std.Dec Freq Mean Std.Dec Freq Mean Std.Dec Freq Mean Std.Dec Freq Mean Std.Dec

Khovd Zavkhan Uvurkhangai Gobisumber Sukhbaatar

Freq Mean Std. Dev.

Total 996 Total 6.85 Total 2.36

Scores of youths currently enrolled in secondary school on Mongolian language and Math-
ematics in the last school term of 2019-2020 were obtained from the secondary schools14.
Average scores are very high for both treatment and control groups and the difference is not
statistically significant (Figure 8), partly because during the pandemic the teachers scored the
students without them having to sit examinations.

Figure 815. Mongolian language and Mathematics scores by treatment status

All Treatment Control

Variable
Obs Mean Obs Mean Obs Mean

Mongolian
language 741 86.66% 494 86.37% 247 86.93%

Mathematics 741 84.23% 494 84.53% 247 83.65%

14
Since 2018, secondary schools follow “Guidelines for Assessing Students’ Academic Performance and Quality of Learning”
of Decree A/45 of 29 June, 2018 issued by the then Minister of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Sports to
assess the students. Hence, across the country, each secondary school follows the same curriculum and examination stan-
dards and develops the examination materials within the scope of the curriculum delivered. The high scores in Mongolian
language and Mathematics collected from schools across the aimags could be a consequence of remote testing adopted by
schools during the pandemic when final exams could not be conducted physically in schools.
15
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data for gender for some respondents.

36
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

The scores for both Mongolian language and Mathematics vary by gender and the differences
are statistically significant. On average, female students did better than male students in both
subjects (Figure 9).

Figure 916. Mongolian language and Mathematics scores by gender

Mongolian language Mongolian language

Mathematics
Gender Freq. Mean Std. Dev Freq. Mean Std. Dev

238 82.47% 13.27% 238 81.88% 13.92%

494 88.64% 11.83% 494 85.44% 13.26%

Total 732 86.63% 12.64% 732 84.28% 13.57%

The scores also vary greatly by Aimags. On average, students in Uvurkhangai performed
better than others in both subjects, while students from Khovd performed less well compared
to students in other provinces.

Table 1017. Mongolian language and Mathematics scores by Aimag

  Mongolian language Mathematics

Aimags Freq. Mean Std. Dev. Freq. Mean Std. Dev.
Khovd 177 83.71 14.42 177 78.11 16.98
Zavkhan 196 86.98 12.54 196 86.72 11.07
Uvurkhangai 239 88.71 11.23 239 86.82 11.48
Govisumber 58 85.36 13.69 58 83.67 13.07
Sukhbaatar 71 86.24 11.01 71 84.34 12.77
Total 741 86.56 12.69 741 84.23 13.59

16
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data for gender for some respondents.
17
Same as above.

37
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.3. ESEL Skills and Mindset

Youths were given different statements related to entrepreneurship and socio-emotional

learning (ESEL) and asked to choose one of four options: ‘not at all or rarely’, ‘somewhat
or sometimes’, ‘very or often’, and ‘extremely or almost always’. While entering data, ‘not at
all or rarely’ was coded 1, while ‘somewhat or sometimes’, ‘very or often’, and ‘extremely or
almost always’ were coded 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Five to six statements related to eight dif-
ferent aspects of ESEL including self-awareness, social and cultural awareness, creativity and
innovation, communications, teamwork, critical thinking, growth mindset, and entrepreneurial
mindset.
The specific statements presented to respondents are listed in Annex 1 (Section 2.2). Here we
discuss the average score in each of the aspects based on youths’ responses. Their average
scores on each commpondent for all and by treatment status are provided in Table 11. On
average, the scores for all components are either slightly lower or slightly higher than 3, which
means that the average response was ‘very or often’. In all components, those in the control
group score higher than those in the treatment group, which is statistically significant in five
of the eight components (Table 11).

Table 11. ESEL scores by treatment status

  All Treatment Control  

ESEL Obs Mean Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference

Self-awareness 975 2.86 641 2.84 334 2.91 -0.07
Social and cultural
985 3.04 649 3.01 336 3.12 -0.11**
awareness
Creativity and
967 2.87 640 2.82 327 2.97 -0.15***
innovation
Communications 970 2.88 635 2.85 335 2.93 -0.08
Teamwork 978 3.01 648 2.95 330 3.13 -0.18***
Critical Thinking 979 2.93 643 2.91 336 2.99 -0.08
Growth mindset 944 3.19 622 3.14 322 3.28 -0.13**
Entrepreneurial
972 3.22 643 3.17 329 3.31 -0.14**
mindset

*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1

38
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Similarly, female youths have a higher self-reported score in seven of the eight ESEL compo-
nents and the difference is statistically significant in six of the cases. Details are provided in
Table 12.

Table 12. ESEL scores by gender

   
Female Male
Variable Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference
Self-awareness 596 2.86 365 2.88 -0.02
Social and cultural
604 3.08 367 2.99 0.09**
awareness
Creativity and innovation 592 2.89 362 2.84 0.05
Communications 592 2.92 364 2.81 0.11*
Teamwork 594 3.07 370 2.92 0.15***
Critical Thinking 598 2.97 368 2.88 0.09**
Growth mindset 580 3.23 351 3.13 0.10**
Entrepreneurial mindset 592 3.26 366 3.16 0.10**

*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1

ESEL scores by Aimag are provided next. Scores vary somewhat by Aimag in all eight ESEL
components. Full details are provided in the tables in Annex 7.

39
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.4. Life Aspiration

Youths answered questions relating to various life aspirations. Their responses to being asked
about their most important goal in life aare provided in Figure 10 and Figure 11 respectively
by all participants and treatment status.
Multiple responses were allowed. The majority of youths answered ‘Being successful in work’.
Slightly over a quarter of the respondents say ‘Running their own business or company’.Treat-
ment group youths are more likely than control group respondents (28.5% to 21.8%) to say
that their most important goal in life is running their own business/company.

Figure 10. Most important goal in life by all participants

Being successful in work 507 51.1%

Making a contribution to the society 411 41.4%

Participating in local community affairs 101 10.2%

Having lots of money 81 8.2%

Owning a house and car 135 13.6%

Running my own business/company 260 26.2%

Having a good family life 359 36.2%

Having a lots of different experiences 325 32.8%

Finding purpose and meaning in life 235 23.7%

Building self-esteem and confidence, 362 36.5%

and finding personal fulfillment
Not yet defined 30 3.0%

Other 11 1.1%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

All

40
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Figure 11. Most important goal in life by treatment status

345 52.9%
Being successful in work 162 47.6%

276 42.3%
Making a contribution to the society 135 39.7%

63 9.7%
Participating in local community affairs 38 11.2%

Having lots of money 61 9.4%

20 5.9%

Owning a house and car 88 13.5%

47 13.8%

Running my own business/company 186 28.5%

74 21.8%

Having a good family life 234 35.9%

125 36.8%

Having a lots of different experiences 203 31.1%

122 35.9%

Finding purpose and meaning in life 158 24.2%

77 22.6%

Building self-esteem and confidence,

236 36.2%
and finding personal fulfillment 126 37.1%

21 3.2%
Not yet defined
9 2.6%

4 0.6%
Other 7 2.1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Treatment Control

41
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Figure 12 shows respondents’ most important life goal by gender. Half of both male and
female participants share the same most important goal of being successful in work. Male
participants consider a good family life to be their next important goal in life, whilst females’
responses were almost equally divided between making a contribution to society, building
self-esteem and confidence and finding personal fulfillment.

Figure 12. Most important goal in life by treatment status

50.9%
Being successful in work 51.2%
-0.3%

39.4%
Making a contribution to the society 43.0%
-3.6%

12.3%
Participating in local community affairs 3.6% *
8.8%

Having lots of money 10.2%

6.6%
3.6% *

Owning a house and car 16.4%

12.1% 4.3%
*
Running my own business/company 30.3%
24.0% 6.3% *

Having a good family life 47.7%

28.9% 18.8% ***
Having a lots of different experiences 25.2%
37.5% -12.3%
***
Finding purpose and meaning in life 21.4%
-3.7%
25.1%

Building self-esteem and confidence,

26.5%
-15.9%
and finding personal fulfillment 42.5% ***

3.2%
Not yet defined 3.0% 0.2%

0.5%
Other 1.5% -1.0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Observations
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1 Male Female Difference
(Male- Female)
373 605
* Statistical significance

42
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Youth were also asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the statement ‘You
need a university education to be successful’. Their responses by treatment status are given in
Figure 13. Overall, about 62% say that they either agree or strongly agree with the statement.
However, the extent varies by treatment status. While 54% of those in the treatment group
agree or strongly agree with the statement, the corresponding figure is 77% for those in the
control group.

Figure 13. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by all participants

University degree

Strongly disagree 100 10.05%

Disagree 155 15.58%

Undecided 120 12.06%

Agree 317 31.86%

Strongly agree 301 30.25%

Missing 2 0.2%

Total 99518 100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 100%

All

Figure 1419. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by all participants

94 14.35%
Strongly disagree 6 1.76%

126 19.24%
Disagree 29 8.53%

79 12.06%
Undecided 41 12.06%

182 27.79%
Agree 135 39.71%

173 26.41%
Strongly agree 128 37.65%

Missing 1 0.15%
1 0.29%
655 100%
Total 340 100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 100%

Treatment Control
18
Variance occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
19
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

43
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 13 provides the differences between the genders on the need for a university education
for success. It is observed that majority of both male and female participants consider a uni-
versity degree is needed to be successful in life.

Table 1320. Extent youths agree on the need for a university education to be successful by gender

  Male Female

University degree (y3.2.4) Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

Strongly disagree 37 9.87 61 10.07
Disagree 54 14.4 100 16.5
Undecided 61 16.27 56 9.24
Agree 102 27.2 212 34.98
Strongly agree 120 32 176 29.04
Missing 1 0.27 1 0.17
Total 375 100 606 100

Students were also asked what they intended to pursue after completing school. The majority
of the students (54%) say that they will continue with higher education, and the proportion
did not change much by treatment status (Figure 15). About 18% say that they will pursue
vocational education. Almost 9% say that they will start their own business. However, this per-
centage varies by treatment status—10% to those in treatment group to 6% in control group.

20
Total number is 981 (out of 996) which is due to missing data in collected responses.

44
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Figure 15. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by all participants

Higher education 540 54.33%

Vocational education 179 18.01%

Gap year 15 1.51%

Get a job 114 11.47%

Start my own business 86 8.65%

Become a herder 30 3.02%

Start my own family 7 0.7%

Other 6 0.6%

Missing 17 1.17%

Total 99420 100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 100%

All
Figure 16. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by treatment status

356 54.35%
Higher education 54.28%
184

Vocational education 118 18.02%

61 17.99%

12 1.83%
Gap year
3 0.88%

72 10.99%
Get a job 42 12.39%

65 9.92%
Start my own business 21 6.19%

17 2.6%
Become a herder
13 3.83%

4 0.61%
Start my own family 3 0.88%

2 0.31%
Other 4 1.18%

9 1.37%
Missing
8 2.36%

655 100%
Total 339 100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 100%

Treatment Control

45
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Gender differences on possible routes after finishing school are provided in Table 14.
The majority of both male and female participants intend to choose higher education. For
both genders, taking a gap year and starting their own family are the least preferred routes
of other possibilities provided in the questionnaire.

Table 1421. Possible routes youth want to follow after finishing school by Gender

  Male Female

3.2.5 Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

Higher education 174 46.4 362 59.83
Vocational education 69 18.4 104 17.19
Gap year 7 1.87 8 1.32
Get a job 53 14.13 60 9.92
Start my own business 35 9.33 50 8.26
Become a herder 22 5.87 6 0.99
Start my own family 6 1.6 1 0.17
Other 2 0.53 4 0.66
Missing 7 1.87 10 1.65
Total 375 100 605 100

The youths were also asked to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with the
statement “I think that new or small businesses are likely to succeed in your soum.” Roughly
half agree or strongly agree with this statement (Table 15). However, the extent to which
treatment and control group youths agree varies greatly – only 41% of those in the treatment
group agree or strongly agree with the statement, while the corresponding figure is almost
68% of those in the control group. This discrepancy may be the result of two factors: first, that
youths in the treatment group are slightly younger, and secondly, more disadvantaged youths
are selected for the program so their responses could reflect a more pessimistic outlook.

Table 15. Extent youths agree on new or small businesses likely to succeed in their Soum

  All Treatment Control

Success of small
Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
businesses
Strongly disagree 64 6.84 60 9.69 4 1.27
Disagree 124 13.26 104 16.8 20 6.33
Undecided 280 29.95 202 32.63 78 24.68
Agree 268 28.66 149 24.07 119 37.66
Strongly agree 199 21.28 104 16.8 95 30.06
Total 93522 100 619 100 316 100
21
Total number is 980 (out of 996) which is due to missing data in collected responses.
22
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
46
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 16 illustrates the gender differences in their views on the likelihood of new or small busi-
nesses succeeding. Around 29% of both sexes agree that new or small businesses are likely to
succeed in their soums, whereas about 30% said that they are neutral. About 7% of both sexes
strongly disagree that new or small businesses would be likely to succeed.

Table 1623. Extent youths agree on new or small businesses likely to succeed in their Soum by gender

  Male Female

  Freq. Percent Freq. Percent

Strongly disagree 27 7.56 37 6.54
Disagree 47 13.17 76 13.43
Undecided 109 30.53 164 28.98
Agree 102 28.57 163 28.8
Strongly agree 72 20.17 126 22.26
Total 357 100 566 100

Similarly, when the youths were asked to rate the statement ‘Working hard is important in
life’, 72% say they agree or strongly agree with the statement. However, only 60% of those in
the treatment group agree with the statement, while almost 95% of those in the control group
agree with it (Table 17). This huge difference by treatment group needs to be explored further
during the follow-up survey.

Table 17. Extent youths agree on working hard being important in life

  All Treatment Control

Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Strongly disagree 127 12.82 127 19.48
Disagree 107 10.8 104 15.95 3 0.88
Undecided 47 4.74 32 4.91 15 4.42
Agree 275 27.75 153 23.47 122 35.99
Strongly agree 435 43.9 236 36.2 199 58.7
Total 99124 100 652 100 339 100

Similarly, when youth were asked whether they expect the overall socioeconomic situation in
their country to improve, taking everything into account, 59% either agree or strongly agree
(Table 18). However, there is a substantial disparity between the treatment and control groups.
While only 48% of those in the treatment group agree with this statement, 78% of those in the
control group expect it to improve greatly.

23
Total number is 923 (out of 996) which is due to missing data in collected responses.
24
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

47
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 18. Extent youths agree on overall socioeconomic situation improving

  All Treatment Control

Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Strongly disagree 66 6.7 65 10.02 1 0.3
Disagree 137 13.91 126 19.41 11 3.27
Undecided 203 20.61 141 21.73 62 18.45
Agree 361 36.65 201 30.97 160 47.62
Strongly agree 218 22.13 116 17.87 102 30.36
Total 985 25
100 649 100 336 100

The control group youths are more likely than those in the treatment group to say that they
think they will be happier than their parents in the future (Table 19).When read the statement
“Compared to your parents, I think I will be happier in the future”, 81% of those in the control
group agree or strongly agree with the statement, while only 53% of the treatment group
youths agree or strongly agree with it.

Table 19. Extent youths agree on will feel happier compared to parents

  All Treatment Control

Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Strongly disagree 78 8.06 77 12.13 1 0.3
Disagree 152 15.7 139 21.89 13 3.9
Undecided 125 12.91 82 12.91 43 12.91
Agree 299 30.89 166 26.14 133 39.94
Strongly agree 314 32.44 171 26.93 143 42.94
Total 96826 100 635 100 333 100

25
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
26
Same as above.

48
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.5. Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted both the academic and other aspects of life.
Youth were asked about their perceptions of the pandemic to explore how it may have affect-
ed them. For example, when asked the extent to which they are happier now compared to
before the pandemic, 46% say they were less happy than before, while 26% say they are about
the same (Table 20). It appears that the control group participants are more likely to say they
were less happy than before (58%) while the corresponding figure for treatment group youths
was 43%.

Table 20. Extent youths feel happier than before COVID-19

  All Treatment Control

Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Much less than before 158 16.53 102 16.22 56 17.13
Less than before 282 29.5 150 23.85 132 40.37
Same 250 26.15 169 26.87 81 24.77
More than before 162 16.95 131 20.83 31 9.48
Much more than before 104 10.88 77 12.24 27 8.26

Total 95627 100 629 100 327 100

Similarly, when asked how motivated they are, 38% say they are less motivated than before
COVID-19 and 33% say they are about the same (Table 21). While 32% of youth in the treat-
ment group say they are now less motivated, 49% of those in the control group say they are
now less motivated than before.

Table 21. Extent youths feel more motivated than before COVID-19

  All Treatment Control

Motivated Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Much less than before 88 9.24 51 8.13 37 11.38
Less than before 272 28.57 150 23.92 122 37.54
Same 316 33.19 217 34.61 99 30.46
More than before 191 20.06 137 21.85 54 16.62
Much more than before 85 8.93 72 11.48 13 4

Total Total 95228 627 100 325 100

27
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
28
Same as above.

49
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Similarly, a substantial proportion of youths say that they are more worried than before (33%)
or sadder (29%) than before (Tables 22 and 23). 36% of those in the treatment group say that
they are more worried, while 28% of those in the control group say the same.

Table 22. Extent youths feel more worried than before COVID-19

  All Treatment Control

Worried Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Much less than before 166 17.49 111 17.76 55 16.98
Less than before 288 30.35 173 27.68 115 35.49
Same 177 18.65 115 18.4 62 19.14
More than before 211 22.23 149 23.84 62 19.14
Much more than before 106 11.17 77 12.32 29 8.95
Total 949 29
100 625 100 324 100

Table 23. Extent youths feel sadder than before COVID-19

  All Treatment Control

Sad Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Much less than before 117 12.47 86 13.98 31 9.6
Less than before 257 27.4 149 24.23 108 33.44
Same 294 31.35 203 33.01 90 27.86
More than before 166 17.7 110 17.89 56 17.34
Much more than before 104 11.09 67 10.89 37 11.46
Total 93830 100 615 100 323 100

29
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
30
Same as above.

50
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

As shown in Table 24, 28% of the youths feel as safe as before. While 34% of control group
youths feel the same level of safety as before, the corresponding figure is 25% for the treat-
ment group.

Table 24. Extent youths feel safer than before COVID-19

  All Treatment Control

Freq. Percent Freq. Percent Freq. Percent
Much less than before 156 17.22 111 18.56 45 14.61
Less than before 159 17.55 103 17.22 56 18.18
Same 253 27.92 149 24.92 104 33.77
More than before 203 22.41 149 24.92 54 17.53
Much more than before 135 14.9 86 14.38 49 15.91
Total 906 31
100 598 100 308 100

Given the disruption in education as a result of the pandemic, we explored whether these
youths had ICT tools that could potentially be used for online and distance learning. Very
few households (14%) had a radio at home and this varies greatly by treatment status – 20%
for those in the treatment group to 4% in the control group (Figure 17). Three out of four
households had a television at home and this difference does not change by treatment status.

Figure 17. Access to ICT tools by treatment status

Radio TV Smartphone Computer Internet

0.20 0.75 0.73 0.27 0.35

0.04 0.75 0.88 0.21 0.45

0.14 0.16*** 0.75 0.00 0.78 -0.15** 0.25 0.06* 0.38 -0.10*

Observations
All Treatment Control Difference
981 32
652 329

31
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.
32
Same as above.

51
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Those currently in secondary school were asked what kind of educational materials/tools/
devices they are using for their study as their classes do not take place at school (Table 25).
TV lessons are used by the majority of students (52%), while students’ books as well as smart-
phones/tablets are used by 47% of the youth. Radio lessons are used by 3% of the youth and
computers by 7%.
The difference in the use of educational materials varies by treatment status for workbooks,
smartphones/tablets and computers. In the case of workbooks, treatment group youths are
more likely to have one, while control group youths are more likely to have smartphones/
tablets and computers.

Table 25. Access to educational materials

  All Treatment Control  

Education materials Mean Mean Mean Difference
Workbook 0.29 0.32 0.21 0.11**
Student’s book 0.47 0.45 0.51 -0.06
Books 0.32 0.31 0.36 -0.05
Radio lessons 0.03 0.04 0.03 0.01
TV lessons 0.52 0.52 0.53 -0.01
Smart phone, tablet 0.47 0.43 0.54 -0.11*
Computer 0.07 0.05 0.10 -0.05*
Internet 0.33 0.30 0.38 -0.08
Observations 89233 609 283  

33
Discrepancy occurs due to missing data in collected responses.

52
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.6. Findings on Surveys of Teachers, Parents

and Caregivers

Both teachers and parents were also asked to rate the ESEL skills and mindset of the youths.
The views of the parents and caregivers on the eight different aspects related to ESEL, as well
as those of teachers are provided in Tables 26 and 28 respectively. Two observations are evi-
dent: unlike the youths’ self-assessment of their ESEL skills and mindset, teachers’ and parents’
perceptions are largely similar, regardless of the treatment status. However, both teachers and
parents believe that female youths, on average, have better ESEL skills and mindset than males,
and the differences are statistically significant.

Table 26. Parents’ perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset

  All Treatment Control  

Variable Obs Mean Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference
Self-awareness 720 2.99 480 2.95 240 3.051 -0.10
Social and cultural
730 3.11 489 3.08 241 3.167 -0.08
awareness
Creativity and
736 3.17 491 3.18 245 3.171 0.00
innovation
Communications 724 2.99 482 2.95 242 3.063 -0.12*
Teamwork 730 3.16 488 3.13 242 3.223 -0.09
Critical Thinking 725 3.12 485 3.10 240 3.166 -0.07
Growth mindset 701 3.19 465 3.16 236 3.230 -0.07
Entrepreneurial
719 3.22 477 3.20 242 3.257 -0.06
mindset

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BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 27. Parents’ perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset by gender

Female Male
   
youth youth

Variable Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference

Self-awareness 475 3.06 236 2.84 0.22***
Social and cultural
482 3.15 239 3.04 0.10*
awareness
Creativity and innovation 488 3.22 239 3.08 0.15***
Communications 480 3.04 235 2.87 0.17***
Teamwork 482 3.21 239 3.08 0.13***
Critical Thinking 477 3.17 239 3.05 0.12***
Growth mindset 467 3.23 225 3.09 0.15***
Entrepreneurial mindset 478 3.27 233 3.12 0.15***

Table 28. Teacher’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset

  All Treatment Control  

Variable Obs Mean Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference
Self-awareness 725 3.00 488 3.01 237 2.99 0.02
Social and cultural
728 3.15 487 3.14 241 3.18 -0.04
awareness
Creativity and innovation 728 3.15 489 3.18 239 3.11 0.07
Communications 705 3.04 466 3.03 239 3.06 -0.03
Teamwork 710 3.16 472 3.18 238 3.12 0.07
Critical Thinking 704 3.06 468 3.06 236 3.05 0.01
Growth mindset 721 3.77 486 3.78 235 3.74 0.05
Entrepreneurial mindset 729 3.19 490 3.21 239 3.14 0.07

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 29. Teacher’s perception of youth’s ESEL Skills and Mindset by gender

  Female Male  
youth youth

Variable Obs Mean Obs Mean Difference

Self-awareness 483 3.06 233 2.89 0.18**
Social and cultural
486 3.20 233 3.07 0.13*
awareness
Creativity and innovation 486 3.22 234 3.03 0.19**
Communications 467 3.10 229 2.94 0.16**
Teamwork 469 3.22 232 3.05 0.17**
Critical Thinking 464 3.12 231 2.95 0.17**
Growth mindset 482 3.86 231 3.60 0.26***
Entrepreneurial mindset 485 3.25 235 3.08 0.17**

55
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

4.
CONCLUSIONS

56
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

4.1. Summary of the Key Findings of the Baseline Survey

In summary, one of the key findings from the baseline survey was that there was no significant
difference between the control and treatment groups in terms of their ESEL knowledge. The
results of the ESEL knowledge assessment showed that the surveyed youth provided nearly
60 percent of correct answers on average, which indicates that their current ESEL knowledge
is average. It also suggests that there is still room for improvement for the surveyed youth to
increase their ESEL knowledge through training.

In addition to the scores of the ESEL knowledge assessment, Mongolian Language and Math-
ematics scores collected from the secondary schools as part of the baseline survey is also
expected to be employed in evaluating the impact of the ESEL training by looking at changes
in academic performance in the endline study. However, during the baseline analysis, it was
discussed that the scores of these two subjects alone would not be adequate to assess the
impact of the training at a deeper level.

The possibility of producing and administering brief, standardized tests on basic Mongolian
Language and Mathematics to all the surveyed youth in future survey rounds was also dis-
cussed. Given the difference between secondary schools and LLECs in terms of their focus of
learning, one option would be to have two sets of assessments—one for secondary school
students and the other for LLEC learners—which would have a set of the same test items but
with varying levels of difficulty. In principle, it is expected that students who attended the ESEL
training will demonstrate a certain degree of improvement in their academic performance
with the help of their learning from the training.

The results of the responses on life aspirations revealed the belief held by the majority of the
survey participants that being successful in work is the most important goal in one’s life whilst
only a minority of the respondents indicated that they had no clear goals. It can be concluded
that the target youth aspire to work and succeed in pursuit of their life goals. This conclusion
was further re-confirmed by the fact that 72 percent of the survey participants agreed with
the statement that working hard is important in life.
With regards to the importance of education in achieving success, the majority of the survey
participants believe that higher education/university education is necessary to be successful
in life. They also expressed their preference to pursue higher education after finishing school.
More than half of the survey participants also consider that the socioeconomic situation in
Mongolia will improve in the future.

Overall, the baseline survey results suggested that any statistically significant difference is
slight between the youth in treatment and control groups in many outcomes. However, the
difference observed between the two groups in various ESEL skills and mindset is something
that needs to be explored very carefully in future rounds.

The perceptions of parents and caregivers of secondary school participants, as well as those
of teachers, analyzed within the scope of the survey will be utilized to evaluate the impact of
the ESEL training and other follow-up interventions of the project. Furthermore, the findings

57
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state of psychological health and well-being
of the youth provided important insights that need to be considered in the project implemen-
tation.The results of the youth’s level of happiness before and after the pandemic showed that
nearly half of them were less happy, and more worried and sadder, which illustrates that the
ongoing pandemic has adversely affected the well-being of the youth.

The findings on the learning tools and materials currently used and available for the youth
provided critical information that can help adjust the modalities of ESEL training delivery. The
information will also be used to help increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall
project intervention for the target youth.

In conclusion, the survey provided the baseline context of the project.The follow-up surveys of
the training participants—which will be periodically conducted during the implementation—
will not only provide insights on how the project has performed but also help identify areas
for improvement.

Key findings on gender

There were some observable differences, as well as similarities, between male and female
survey participants.
The baseline survey results show that, on average, female participants performed better than
male participants in the ESEL skills and mindset, particularly in the skills of growth mindset,
critical thinking, teamwork, social and cultural awareness as well as in the entrepreneurial
mindset.

Furthermore, girls generally scored higher than their male counterparts on both Mongolian
Language and Mathematics. On average, girls scored 88 out of 100 on Mongolian Language
while boys scored 82. On Mathematics, girls and boys scored 85 and 81, respectively.

In terms of life aspirations, there was no significant difference by gender. Both male and female
participants considered being successful as the most important goal in their lives. Similarly,
the surveyed youth of both genders (27% of male participants and 34% of females) generally
agreed with a statement that one needs a university education to be successful. Higher edu-
cation is also selected as the most preferable route for all participants, regardless of gender.
Moreover, nearly the same percentage of boys and girls (29%) agreed that new or small busi-
nesses would succeed in their soums whilst 30% of them did not have any strong opinion in
this respect.

To sum up, key gender differences were observed in the youth’s academic scores (Mongolian
Language and Mathematics) and their ESEL knowledge and mindset. In both areas, female
participants performed higher than males.

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

4.2. Lessons Learnt and Recommendations

The project team encountered challenges at different stages of the baseline survey. The team
led the survey implementation, mobilizing its own human and other available resources. In
doing so, some technical issues arose, ranging from developing the survey questionnaires to
data entry and cleaning to data analysis. Since this was the first baseline survey designed to
measure ESEL knowledge, skills, and mindset of Mongolian children and youth, it took much
longer than initially planned to design and finalize the survey instruments. In developing the
instruments, the team received advisory support from a team of international and national
consultants who had developed the ESEL training program, as well as technical inputs and
support from the World Bank’s task team. Nonetheless, preparing questionnaires for three
groups of respondents (i.e., youth, parents and caregivers, and teachers) required a high level
of expertise in the field of ESEL. In the future, it is highly recommended to hire a designated
expert or consultant who can provide full support for the design and development of survey
instruments.

It was found that more female children and youth expressed their interests in participating in
the ESEL training. This propensity applies to most extracurricular activities at the school level;
girls also tend to exhibit more motivation than boys in general, particularly in soum areas.
In order to increase boys’ participation in the training program, more activities that meet
their interests should be planned. Based on the project’s field officers’ suggestions, the team
is currently considering various new activities, such as producing video content that would
help motivate boys’ interests in the program (e.g., interviews or success stories featuring male
participants) and organizing sporting events to sensitize and disseminate the program more
broadly.

Some issues were also identified in data collection. First, the enumerators and the project
members in the field who were present at the survey venue reported that many survey par-
ticipants had found the questionnaires to be lengthy and exhausting. Therefore, the ques-
tionnaires should be shortened without compromising their quality to lessen the burden on
respondents. Second, the fact that the treatment group knew their anticipated enrollment in
the ESEL training may have influenced their responses. Hence, the baseline survey should have
been conducted before the selected surveyed youths knew whether they were in the treat-
ment or control group.

Mongolian language and Mathematics test scores were collected from secondary schools
only because equivalent data was not available for LLEC and out-of-school youth. Further-
more, the scores of secondary school students on the last examination of Mongolian language
and Mathematics were neither comparable across schools nor across grades within the same
school. To assess the impact of the ESEL training program on the surveyed youth’s learning
levels, a few standardized items should be included in the future survey rounds to assess the
foundational language and mathematics skills of all youth, including secondary school, LLEC,
and out-of-school youth respondents.

Moreover, there were some important lessons learnt from the survey implementation pro-
cess. As part of the survey team, the members of SLCs who serve as MEAL focal points were

59
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

trained in how to conduct the baseline survey in field soum as enumerators. Despite the M&E
training offered by the project team, the varying levels of education among the MEAL focal
points, as well as their lack of skills and experience in administering surveys, affected the qual-
ity of data collection. While e-training offered to the focal points amid the pandemic helped
them build capacity in M&E, if the circumstances allow, face-to-face training would be recom-
mended in the future to enhance the training experience for participants. Also, regardless of
face-to-face/online training, training materials should be provided in advance to give enough
time for enumerators to prepare for data collection.

Another lesson learnt was that the local context of soums and the lifestyles of survey partic-
ipants living in rural/remote areas should be taken into account more carefully in conducting
surveys. The enumerators had difficulty reaching the baseline survey participants because
their mobile phones were often disconnected. This was mainly because most of the youth had
headed for the countryside to help their families who herd livestock for a living during the
spring, which is a breeding season. Therefore, future surveys should not be scheduled in the
spring (from March to May) as it is a hectic period of time for rural residents, especially for
herders.

Finally, extra time should be factored into the preparation and implementation of surveys.
One of the practical challenges in the baseline survey was the tight timeframe for its prepa-
ration and administration. The survey questionnaires were printed in aimag centres and dis-
tributed to soums by mail. Due to the limited capacity of print shops in aimag centres, printing
hundreds of questionnaires required more time than expected. As a result, some of the field
offices needed to have the questionnaires printed by more than one print shop. The baseline
survey also experienced some setbacks (e.g., weather conditions) in delivering the printed
questionnaires from aimag centres to soums on time. Hence, to avoid such obstacles, at least
two weeks should be factored in to allow for smooth and timely preparation and implemen-
tation of the survey in the next round.

60
ANNEXES BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Annex 1. Baseline questionnaire for children and youth

Questionnaire for children and youth

Statement of Consent
The Save the Children Japan in Mongolia (Save the Children), in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science
(MES) of Mongolia has started to implement the project named “Entrepreneurship-focused Socioemotional Skills
for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” from November 2019 to December 2023 under the World
Bank’s management. Project targeted locations are Sumber and Shiveegobi soums of Gobisumber aimag, Mankhan, Uy-
ench, Bulgan, Altai, Must and Zereg soums of Khovd aimag, Ongon, Bayandelger, Munkhkhaan and Erdenetsagaan soums
of Sukhbaatar aimag, Sant, Kharkhorin, Khujirt, Uyanga, Bogd, Bat-Ulzii and Guchin-Us soums of Uvurkhangai
aimag, and Telmen, Tudevtei, Tes, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel and Bayantes soums of Zavkhan aimag.
This Baseline survey is aimed at examining and assessing the pre-project conditions of project objectives in 25 soums
of 5 target aimags, and survey findings will be used to prepare and build the evidence for project evaluations. Survey
will be conducted on voluntary basis and participant is entitled to not take part in the survey if he/she does not want
to participate in it.

Confidentiality Statement
We follow the Mongolian Statistics Law and Law on Personal Privacy that govern the confidentiality of survey respon-
dents.The responses to this questionnaire will be kept confidential and be used for research purposes only. None of your
personal information including your name, gender, age, grade, school, study, and employment will be mentioned in the
research. We will code each survey and findings will only be used for the purpose of survey objectives. Please complete
this questionnaire by yourself, accurately and completely.
(I have read carefully the information for this study.The purpose of the study has been clarified and I have received comprehensive
answers to questions I have asked. So, I am participating voluntarily in this survey and confirm that I have answered all questions
to my best.)

Signature of the respondent: Date: / /

For enumerator
A. Researcher name:
B. Phone number:
C. Date of survey taken: (Year/Month/Day)
D. Survey start time:
E Survey end time:
F. Aimag name:
G. Soum name:
H. Bag name:

I. Number and/or Name of the school or LLEC:

J. Questionnaire number:
a. In-class b. By phone
K. Survey method:
b. c. Individual meeting
 
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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

One. General Information

1. General information

1. First name
2. Surname
3. Ethnicity
4. Gender 1. Male 2. Female
5. Age
6. Date of birth (Year/Month/Day)
7. Do you have any disability? 1. Yes 2. No

1. Hearing 2. Eyesight 3. Speaking

8. If yes, what type?
4. Moving 5. Intellectual 6. Other…………

If a secondary student: Your current grade

9. If an LLEC trainee or out-of-school youth/adults: The
last grade you attended

If a secondary student or LLEC trainee: Your current

10. school/LLEC
If an out-of-school youth/adults, your last studied school

1. With my family in soum centre

If a secondary student: Where and whom do you live with
2. In dormitory
when you are studying at school?
11. 3. With my relatives in soum centre
If an LLEC trainee or out-of-school youth/adults :
4. With my family in the countryside
Where do you live now?
5. Other…………………………..

1. Public sector 2. Private sector

For LLEC trainees and out-of-school youth/adults only: 3. Self-employed
12.
Employment status 4. Herder 5. Unemployed
6. Other……………………….

For LLEC trainees and out-of-school youth/adults only:

13.
If employed, what do you do?

Have you taken any business course as an elective subject in

1. Yes
14. secondary school or studied any business-related subjects in
2. No
LLEC in the past?

Business course in secondary school

Year:
If yes, when/what subject did you study? Business-related subject in LLEC
Year:
15.
Subject:
Other:
Year:
Subject:

16. Your or your parents/caregiver’s phone number:

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Two. ESEL knowledge, skills and

mindset
2.1 ESEL knowledge

Instruction: Aim of the survey is to help our organization to implement the project
for children and youth in the most effective ways. This survey will also provide an op-
portunity for you to share your thoughts about yourself, your family and school as it
includes many interesting questions about you and your life. Please remember that this
questionnaire is not an exam and there is no right or wrong answer. Therefore,
when you answer the questions, please respond them reflecting on your knowledge
and experience as accurate as possible. We will not disclose your answers, and your
teachers, parents and/or other will not know how you answered the questionnaire.
In the first part, we will ask about entrepreneurship. So please read each question
carefully and choose only ONE answer that you think as correct.You may ask for help
if you do not understand the question. Please circle your answer.

I. Entrepreneurship fundamentals

1. Who is an entrepreneur?
a) A person who is in charge of a specific location.
b) A person who works for someone else in order to learn skills.
c) A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses.
d) B&C
e) None of these
f) I do not know.

2. Which is NOT a primary goal of creating value?

a) Reduced price with same function of a product or service.
b) Increased equality
c) Increased quality of life
d) To make more friends
e) Increased ease of use of a product or a service
f) I do not know.

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3. Which is NOT a characteristic of a successful entrepreneur?

a) Motivated
b) Takes very little risk
c) Passionate
d) Hard-working
e) I do not know.

4. Which is NOT a responsibility of an entrepreneur?

a) Raise funding
b) Organize and implement production
c) Create new job opportunities
d) Develop a new market
e) Accept to make an unethical decision to reach goals
f) I do not know.

5. A target market is…

a) A group of investors willing to put capital into a business
b) A generational group of individuals
c) A group of consumers at which a product/service is aimed
d) An industry willing to sell and market your product
e) Everyone
f) I do not know.

6. Which type of business does this image represent?

a) Manufacturing
b) Retail
c) Service
d) Wholesale
e) Farming
f) I do not know

7. Who is NOT the stakeholder of local food shop?

a) Local residents
b) Milk supplier
c) Tailor supplier
d) Local tax office
e) Social insurance office

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II. Business planning and financial literacy

1. What is a business plan?

a) Written document that only outlines the business practices of the new
business.
b) An imagination to achieve a business goal
c) Written document that only describes the ownership of the business.
d) Written document that describes all the steps necessary for opening and
operating a successful business.
e) Written document that describes the financial aspects of the business.
f) I do not know.

2. Why do you need a business plan?

a) To explain your idea
b) the ability to get financing.
c) it’s a road map that sets objectives and goals for the business.
d) To help reduce the risk of business failure.
e) All of the above.
f) I do not know.

3. Suppose you are running a bakery. What is NOT a risk for your business?
a) Shortage of raw materials
b) Change of weather
c) Broken equipment
d) No safety
e) No skilled employee
f) I do not know.

4. Explain one problem which may be caused by not keeping accurate

financial records of an enterprise’s activities.
a) Not able to calculate profit/loss correctly
b) Not able to identify employee pay
c) Not able to purchase equipment
d) Not able to sell products
e) All above
f) I do not know.

5. What is money paid to the government?

a) Budget
b) Fees
c) Taxes
d) Food stamps
e) Deductions
f) I do not know.

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III. Mobilizing resources, implementing plans and digital literacy

1. Which is NOT a type of resources?

a) Time
b) Human
c) Business plan
d) Financial resources
e) Raw material resources
f) I do not know.

2. Which is NOT an effective way to explore unmet needs of the community?

a) Explore common complaints in the community
b) Collect vote from team members on the list of unmet needs identified
c) Spread out questionnaire through emails and on social media platform
d) Ask people in the community
e) Posting on local news boards
f) I do not know.

3. What is the most appropriate app for the cost estimation?

a) Word
b) Power Point
c) Excel
d) Facebook
e) All above
f) I do not know.

4. Which is the most resourceful search engine to find the information

on the internet?
a) YouTube
b) Google
c) Facebook
d) Instagram
e) Tik Tok
f) I do not know.

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2.2 ESEL skills and mindset

Instruction: This part focuses on the questions on skills. Please read each question care-
fully. Each question has 4 choices. So please pick only ONE answer that best describes
you. You may ask for help if you do not understand something or are not sure how to
respond. Each question is followed by 4 choices. Choose one answer for each line and put
a tick P on the answer of your choice.
Again, as a kind reminder, it is not an exam and please do not forget to answer as accu-
rately as possible. We will not disclose your answers, and your teachers, parents and/or
other will not know how you answered the questionnaire.

Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
1. Self-awareness
I know ways to make myself feel better
1. o o o o
when I am sad.
2. I know ways to calm myself down. o o o o
I think carefully about what I want to say,
3. o o o o
before I speak.
I keep trying even after I get negative
4. o o o o
comments from people.
I do work right away, instead of waiting
5. o o o o
until the last minute.
Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
2. Social and cultural awareness
I learn from people with different opinions
1. o o o o
than me.
I feel bad for someone else when their
2. o o o o
feelings are hurt.
3. I compliment others’ accomplishments. o o o o
When others disagree with me, I am
4. o o o o
respectful of their views.
I am able to stand up for myself without
5. o o o o
putting others down.

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Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
3. Creativity and innovation
I have the ability to have fresh perspectives
1. o o o o
on old problems.
I have the ability to deal with sudden changes
2. o o o o
and surprises.
I work hard to try to understand something
3. o o o o
new.
I stay focused on the same goal for several
4. o o o o
months at a time.
When working with other people, I come up
5. o o o o
with new ideas and different solutions.
Extremely Very Somewhat Not at
or almost or or all or
Questions about you
always often sometimes rarely
4. Communication
I carefully listen to other people who have
1. o o o o
different opinions than me.
I talk to my friends about how I feel when I
2. o o o o
am upset with them.
3. I am good at persuading people. o o o o
I have the ability to communicate with
4. o o o o
others clearly and effectively.
I am good at preventing quarrels with
5. o o o o
other people.
Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
5. Teamwork
If needed, I am able to give and ask for
1. o o o o
support and help.
I like to participate in a discussion where
2. o o o o
new ideas are exchanged.
In order to achieve a goal, I break it down
3. o o o o
into smaller objectives.
When working with other people, I am open
4. o o o o
to receiving and giving feedback.

5. I work out disagreements with other people. o o o o

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Extremely Very Not at

Somewhat or
or almost or all or
Questions about you sometimes
always often rarely

6. Critical thinking

I think about what might happen before

1. o o o o
making a decision.

2. I think of different ways to solve a problem. o o o o

I say “No” to a friend who wants to break

3. o o o o
the rules.
I reflect and analyze my and other people’s
4. o o o o
actions and situations.
I have the ability to identify, select, and
5. process information from a variety of o o o o
resources.
Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
1. Growth mindset
I do not give up easily when confronted
1. o o o o
with obstacles and distractions.
2. I finish the work I started. o o o o
For me, mistakes are opportunities to
3. o o o o
learn.
4. I think life is a constant learning process. o o o o
I’m certain that I can master the skills
5. o o o o
being taught.
When I get stuck while learning something
6. o o o o
new, I try different ways.
Very Not at
Extremely or Somewhat or
or all or
Questions about you almost always sometimes
often rarely
2. Entrepreneurial mindset
1. I like to learn new things. o o o o
When I do things, I ask “how can I do it
2. o o o o
differently?”
3. I try to do things better than before. o o o o
Before beginning a task, I plan and set
4. o o o o
clear goals to achieve it.
I have to make risky decisions and take
5. risks at times in order to be successful in o o o o
life.

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Three. Life Aspiration

Instruction: This part focuses on the questions about life aspiration of children and youth.
Please read each question carefully and circle the answers in line with the instruction given
per question.You may ask for help if you do not understand something or are not sure how to
respond.
Again, as a kind reminder, it is not an exam and please do not forget to answer as accurately
as possible. We will not disclose your answers, and your teachers, parents and/or other will
not know how you answered the questionnaire. We really appreciate for you staying with us
throughout this questionnaire.

3.1 Aspired goals

1. Could you please tell the most important goal in your life? (Please select the most
important 3 goals for you)
a) Being successful in work
b) Making a contribution to society
c) Participating in local community affairs
d) Having lots of money
e) Owning a house and car
f) Running my own business/company
g) Having a good family life
h) Having a lots of different experiences
i) Finding purpose and meaning in life
j) Building self-esteem and confidence, and finding personal fulfilment
k) Not yet defined
l) Other (please specify)………………………………………………………

2. Who influences the most your goal in life? (You may choose as many answers as you
want)

a) Parents/caregivers
b) Brothers/sisters
c) Wider/Extended family/Relatives
d) Friends
d) Teachers
e) Famous people
f) Other (please specify) ………………………………………………………

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3.2 Opportunities
3. Select all the following options that put obstacle to achieve your goal? (You may
choose as many answers as you want)
a) Finance
b) Family issues
c) Education
d) Lack of self-esteem
e) People around me
f) Other (please specify) ……………………………….

4. You need a university education to be successful, how do you agree? (Please

choose only ONE answer)
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

5. Which of the following options have you thought of as possible routes after you
finish school? (Please choose only ONE answer)
(If you have chosen A-Higher education, please go to answer #7, if others, please go to
answer #6)
a) Higher education
b) Vocational education
c) Gap year
d) Get a job
e) Start my own business
f) Become a herder
g) Start my own family
h) Other (please specify) ……………………………………….

6. If you are not planning/did not go to the university, what are/were the reasons?
(Please select 3 choices that you think as the most relevant for you)
a) I prefer to do something practical rather than learn from books
b) I want to start earning money as soon as possible
c) I do not enjoy learning
d) I feel I am not clever enough
e) My parents do not want me to
f) I am worried about getting into debt
g) My friends are not going to university
h) I don’t know enough about it
i) None
j) Other (please specify) ……………………………………….

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7. Do you think that new or small businesses are likely to succeed in your soum?
(Please choose only ONE answer)
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) I have never thought about it
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

3.3 Self efficacy and agency

8. Do you think that working hard is important in life? (Please choose only ONE an-
swer)
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

9. Taking everything into account do you expect the overall socioeconomic situa-
tion in your country will improve? (Please choose only ONE answer)
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

10. How do you feel about the future? Compared to your parents do you think you
will be happier? (Please choose only ONE answer)
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

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Four. Family and school support on youth

ESEL skills and mindset development
NOTE: The question below is only for secondary school students. If you are not studying at
secondary school, please go to Part V (page 15) of this questionnaire to answer them.

Instruction: Thank you for actively taking part in this questionnaire. In this part, we will ask
you about your family and school.Your family means someone who looks after you and takes
care of you. School means the place you study, not a class. Please read each question carefully
and pick only ONE answer that you agree the most. Please circle your choice.
As for the questions within the table, please read each question carefully and choose ONE
answer and put a tick  on the answer of your choice. You may ask for help if you do not
understand something or are not sure how to respond.
Again, as a kind reminder, it is not an exam and please do not forget to answer as accurately
as possible.We will not disclose your answers, and your teachers, parents and/or other will not
know how you answered the questionnaire.Thank you again for your participation.

4.1 Students’ perception about how their par-

ents/families provide academic and social support
for them outside of school
1. How often do your parents have conversations with you about what your class
is learning at school?
a) Almost never
b) Once a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost all the time

2. How often do your parents help you to engage in extracurricular activities?

a) Almost never
b) Once a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost all the time

3. To what extent do your parents know how you are doing socially at school?
a) Not at all
b) A little bit
c) Somewhat
d) Quite a bit
e) A tremendous amount

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4. How often do your parents help you to understand the things that you are
learning in school?
a) Almost never
b) Once a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost all the time

5. How well do your parents know your close friends?

a) Not well at all
b) Slightly well
c) Somewhat well
d) Frequently
e) Almost all the time

6. How often do your parents and you talk when you are having a problem with
others?
a) Almost never
b) Once a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost all the time

4.2 Perception of students on how their parents/

families are with regard to key parenting skills
Response options
Questions Not well Slightly Somewhat Quite Extremely
at all  well  well  well  well  
How well do your parents
1. motivate you to try hard at o o o o o
school? 
How well your parents connect
2. o o o o o
with other parents? 
How well your parents support
3. o o o o o
your learning at home? 
How well your parents help you
4. to develop good relationships o o o o o
with others? 
How well do your parents help
5. you to deal with your emotions o o o o o
appropriately?  

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4.3 School climate- Perceptions of the overall

social and learning climate of the school/LLEC
1. How often do your teachers seem excited to be teaching your classes?
a) Almost never
b) Once in a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost always

2. How fair or unfair are the rules for the students/trainees at this school/LLEC?
a) Very unfair
b) Somewhat unfair
c) Slightly unfair
d) Neither unfair nor fair
e) Slightly fair
f) Somewhat fair
g) Very fair

3. How pleasant or unpleasant is the physical space at your school/LLEC?

a) Very pleasant
b) Somewhat pleasant
c) Slightly pleasant
d) Neither pleasant nor unpleasant
e) Slightly pleasant
f) Somewhat pleasant
g) Very pleasant

4. How positive or negative is the energy of the school/LLEC?

a) Very negative
b) Somewhat negative
c) Slightly negative
d) Neither negative nor positive
e) Slightly positive
f) Somewhat positive
g) Very positive

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5. At your school, how much does the behavior of other students/trainees hurt or
help learning?
a) Hurts my learning a tremendous amount
b) Hurts my learning some
c) Hurts my learning a little bit
d) Neither helps nor hurts my learning
e) Helps my learning a little bit
f) Helps my learning some
g) Helps my learning a tremendous amount

4.4 School teacher-student relationships

Response options

Questions None A few About

Most of my All of my
of my of my half of my
teachers  teachers 
teachers  teachers  teachers 

How many of your

1. teachers are respectful o o o o o
toward you? 
If you walked into class
upset, how many of
2. o o o o o
your teachers would be
concerned?  
If you came back to
visit class three years
3. from now, how many of o o o o o
your teachers would be
excited to see you? 
When your teachers
ask how you are doing,
4. how many of them are o o o o o
really interested in your
answer? 

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4.5 School safety

Response options

Questions Almost Once in Almost

Sometimes  Frequently  
never  a while  always 

How often are people

1. disrespectful to others at o o o o o
your school/LLEC?  

How often do your worry

2. about violence at your o o o o o
school/LLEC? 

How often do students get

3. into physical fights at your o o o o o
school/LLEC?  

1. Have you ever been bullied by someone from your school online?
a) Not at all unfairly
b) Slightly unfairly
c) Somewhat unfairly
d) Quite unfairly
e) Extremely unfairly
2. At your school/LLEC, how unfairly do the adults treat students/trainees?
a) Almost never
b) Once in a while
c) Sometimes
d) Frequently
e) Almost always
3. If a student/trainee is bullied in school/LLEC, how difficult is it for him/her to get
help from an adult?
a) Not difficult
b) Slightly difficult
c) Somewhat difficult
d) Quite difficult
e) Extremely difficult

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Five. Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

NOTE: All participants will answer the below questions.

Instruction: Now we are in the last part of the questionnaire where we will focus on
the impacts of COVID-19 on children and youth. Please read each question carefully and
pick only ONE answer that you agree the most. Please circle your choice.
As for the questions within the table, please read each question carefully and choose
ONE answer and put a tick  on the answer of your choice. You may ask for help if
you do not understand something or are not sure how to respond.

1. In comparison with the pre-pandemic situation, how often do you feel

the followings?

More Less Much

Much more Same
# than than less than
than before
before before before
1. Happy o o o o o
2. Motivated o o o o o
3. Worried   o o o o o
4. Sad o o o o o
5. Safe o o o o o
Feeling my personal
6. o o o o o
time and space
Bored (nothing seems
7. o o o o o
interesting) 
8. Fearful o o o o o

2. Since COVID-19, have you lost any source of income? (You may choose as
many answers as possible)
a) No
b) I lost my job.
c) Someone in my family lost his/her job.
d) The money sent by the relatives has been stopped.
e) Government allowance has stopped.
f) Others (please specify) ………………………………..

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3. Do you have any of those? (You may choose as many answers as possible)
a) Radio
b) TV
c) Smart phone, tablet
d) Computer
e) Internet
f) None of above

NOTE: Only secondary school students will fill out the below questions.
4. Considering that the class is not taking place at school what kind of education-
al materials/tools/devices are you using for your studying? (You may choose as
many answers as possible)
a) Workbook
b) Student’s book
c) Books
d) Radio lessons
e) TV lessons
f) Smart phone, tablet
g) Computer
h) Internet
i) None of above

5. Considering that the class is not taking place at school, how much are you
learning in comparison with before? (Please choose only ONE answer)
a) Learning more
b) Learning less
c) Learning nothing
d) I do not know

6. What are the barriers in learning at home? (You may choose as many answers
as possible)
a) I have no desire to study at home.
b) I do not understand the homework and how to do it.
c) Even though I need help, there is no one who could help me at home.
d) I do not have a TV at home.
e) I do not have a computer at home.
f) I do not have a smart phone.
g) I do not have internet at home.
h) I do not have sufficient data on my phone.
i) Someone at home is always using the computer, TV, radio and smart phone.
j) I have a lots of house chores to do.
k) I am not allowed to study at home.
l) I have no barriers in studying at home.
m) Other (please specify)…………………………………

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, EFFORT AND THOUGHT

IN COMPLETING THIS QUESTIONNAIRE!

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Annex 2. Baseline questionnaire for parents and caregivers

Statement of Consent
The Save the Children Japan in Mongolia (Save the Children), in partnership with the Ministry of Education and
Science (MES) of Mongolia has started to implement the project named “Entrepreneurship-focused Socioemotional
Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” from November 2019 to December 2023 under the World
Bank’s management. Project targeted locations are Sumber and Shiveegobi soums of Gobisumber aimag, Mankhan,
Uyench, Bulgan,Altai, Must and Zereg soums of Khovd aimag, Ongon, Bayandelger, Munkhkhaan and Erdenetsagaan
soums of Sukhbaatar aimag, Sant, Kharkhorin, Khujirt, Uyanga, Bogd, Bat-Ulzii and Guchin-Us soums of Uvurkhan-
gai aimag, and Telmen, Tudevtei, Tes, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel and Bayantes soums of Zavkhan aimag.

This Baseline survey is aimed at studying the pre-project conditions of youth situation in 25 soums of 5 target
aimags, and survey findings will be used only for project interventions. Your child is selected to participate in this
survey, so we are kindly asking your participation in this survey about your child, too. The survey participation is
voluntary, so if you do not want to participate, you do not have to.

Confidentiality Statement
We follow the Mongolian Statistics Law and Law on Personal Privacy that govern the confidentiality of survey
respondents. The responses to this questionnaire will be kept confidential and none of your personal information
including your name, gender, age, education, and employment as well as the information that you provide for your
child will be mentioned in the study.The responses will be coded specifically, and will be used only for survey purpos-
es. Please complete this questionnaire by yourself, accurately and completely.
(I have read carefully the information for this study. The purpose of the study has been clarified and I have received compre-
hensive answers to questions I have asked. So, I am participating voluntarily in this survey and confirm that I have answered
all questions to my best.)

Signature of the respondent: Date: / /

A. Researcher name:
B. Phone number:
C. Date of survey taken: (Year/Month/Day)
D. Survey start time:
E Survey end time:
F. Aimag name:
G. Soum name:
H. Bag name:
I. Questionnaire number:
a. In-class b. By phone c. Individual
J. Survey method:
meeting

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One. General Information

1. First name:
2. Surname:
3. Ethnicity:
4. Age:
5. Gender: 1. Male 2. Female
6. Aimag name:
7. Soum name:
8. Bag name:
9. The number of family members:
1. Father
10. Relationship to a child: 2. Mother
3. Caregiver (please specify): ………………….

1. Yes, all the time (11-12 months)

2. Yes, most of the time of the year (8-10 months)
11. Whether reside with the child: 3. Yes, some of the time of the year (fewer than 8 months)
4. Almost no (1 month)
5. No

Father/Male caregiver
1. Primary school (1st-5th grade)
2. Secondary school (6th-9th grade)
3. High school (10th-12th grade)
4.Vocational
5. College
6. University
7. Other (e.g., LLEC)
Education of parents (the highest
8. No education
12. level of education successfully
Mother/Female caregiver
completed):
1. Primary school (1st-5th grade)
2. Secondary school (6th-9th grade)
3. High school (10th-12th grade)
4.Vocational
5. College
6. University
7. Other (e.g., LLEC)
8. No education

The number of adults employed in

13.
the family:
14. The main source of income:

The average amount of monthly

15. total income of all members
(approximately):

16. Name of the survey participant child:

17. Your phone number:

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Two. ESEL skills and mindset

Instruction: This survey is to help our organization to effectively implement the project
for children and youth. Your child is selected in this study, so we are also inviting your
participation to provide information about your child. The survey is not an assessment
about your child, so there are no wrong answers. Thus, we are asking you to answer
questions about your child honestly. We will keep confidentiality of response, and your
child, teachers and others will not know it.
The below questionnaire is about person’s socio-emotional skills. Read each question care-
fully and choose only one answer that express your child best from the four types of
answers. Please draw (  ) in a  cell for your answer. You may ask for help if you
do not understand the question. Please be reminded that survey is not an assessment of
your child.

1. Self-awareness skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely

My child knows ways to make himself/

1. o o o o
herself feel better when he/she is sad.

My child knows ways to calm himself/

2. o o o o
herself down.
My child thinks carefully about what
3. he/she wants to say, before he/she o o o o
speaks.

My child keeps trying even after getting

4. o o o o
negative comments from people.

My child does work right away, instead

5. o o o o
of waiting until the last minute.

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2. Social and cultural awareness skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely

My child learns from people

1. with different opinions than him/ o o o o
her.

My child feels bad for someone

2. o o o o
else when their feelings are hurt.

My child compliments others’

3. o o o o
accomplishments.
When others disagree with him/
4. her, my child is respectful of o o o o
their views.
My child is able to stand up for
5. himself/herself without putting o o o o
others down.

3. Creativity and innovation skill

Not
Extremely Very Somewhat
at all
Questions about your child or almost or or
or
always often sometimes
rarely
My child has the ability to
1. have fresh perspectives on old o o o o
problems.
My child has the ability to
2. deal with sudden changes and o o o o
surprises.

My child works hard to try to

3. o o o o
understand something new.

My child stays focused on the

4. same goal for several months at o o o o
a time.
When working with other people,
5. my child comes up with new ideas o o o o
and different solutions.

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4. Communication skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely
My child carefully listens
1. to other people who have o o o o
different opinions than his/her.

My child talks to his/her friends

2. about how he/she feels when o o o o
he/she is upset with them.

My child is good at persuading

3. o o o o
people.
My child has the ability to
4. communicate with others o o o o
clearly and effectively.
My child is good at preventing
5. o o o o
quarrels with other people.

5.Teamwork skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely

If needed, my child is able to give

1. o o o o
and ask for support and help.

My child likes to participate in a

2. discussion where new ideas are o o o o
exchanged.
In order to achieve a goal, my
3. child breaks it down into smaller o o o o
objectives.
When working with other people,
4. my child is open to receiving and o o o o
giving feedback.

My child works out

5. o o o o
disagreements with other people.

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6. Critical thinking skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely

My child thinks about what might

1. o o o o
happen before making a decision.

My child thinks of different ways

2. o o o o
to solve a problem.

My child says “No” to a friend

3. o o o o
who wants to break the rules.
My child reflects and analyzes
4. his/her and other people’s actions o o o o
and situations.
My child has the ability to
identify, select, and process
5. o o o o
information from a variety of
resources.

7. Growth mindset

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely

My child does not give up easily

1. when confronted with obstacles o o o o
and distractions.
My child finishes the work he/
2. o o o o
she started.
For my child, mistakes are
3. o o o o
opportunities to learn.
My child thinks life is a constant
4. o o o o
learning process.
My child is certain that he/
5. she can master the skills being o o o o
taught.
When getting stuck while
6. learning something new, my o o o o
child tries different ways.

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8. Entrepreneurial mindset

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your child or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely
My child likes to learn new
1. o o o o
things.

When doing things, my child asks

2. o o o o
“how can I do it differently?”

My child tries to do things better

3. o o o o
than before.
Before beginning a task, my child
4. plans and sets clear goals to o o o o
achieve it.
My child thinks he/she has to
make risky decisions and take
5. o o o o
risks at times in order to be
successful in life.

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Annex 3. Baseline questionnaire for teachers

Questionnaire for teachers

Statement of Consent
The Save the Children Japan in Mongolia (Save the Children), in partnership with the Ministry of Edu-
cation and Science (MES) of Mongolia has started to implement the project named “Entrepreneur-
ship-focused Socioemotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” from
November 2019 to December 2023 under the World Bank’s management. Project targeted locations are Sumber and
Shiveegobi soums of Gobisumber aimag, Mankhan, Uyench, Bulgan, Altai, Must and Zereg soums of Khovd aimag,
Ongon, Bayandelger, Munkhkhaan and Erdenetsagaan soums of Sukhbaatar aimag, Sant, Kharkhorin, Khujirt, Uy-
anga, Bogd, Bat-Ulzii and Guchin-Us soums of Uvurkhangai aimag, and Telmen, Tudevtei, Tes, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel
and Bayantes soums of Zavkhan aimag.
This Baseline survey is aimed at studying the pre-project conditions of youth situation in 25 soums of 5 target
aimags, and survey findings will be used only for project interventions. Your student is selected to participate in this
survey, so we are kindly asking your participation in this survey about your student, too. The survey participation is
voluntary, so if you do not want to participate, you do not have to.

Confidentiality Statement
We follow the Mongolian Statistics Law and Law on Personal Privacy that govern the confidentiality of survey
respondents. The responses to this questionnaire will be kept confidential and none of your personal information
including your name, gender, age, and work as well as the information that you provide for your student will be
mentioned in the study. The responses will be coded specifically, and will be used only for survey purposes. Please
complete this questionnaire by yourself, accurately and completely.
(I have read carefully the information for this study. The purpose of the study has been clarified and I have received compre-
hensive answers to questions I have asked. So, I am participating voluntarily in this survey and confirm that I have answered all
questions to my best.)

Signature of the respondent: Date: / /

For enumerator
A. Researcher name:
B. Phone number:
C. Date of survey taken: (Year/Month/Day)
D. Survey start time:
E Survey end time:
F. Aimag name:
G. Soum name:
H. Name of the survey participant’s student:
I. Questionnaire number:
a. In-class b. By phone
J. Survey method:
b. c. Individual meeting

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BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

One. General Information

1. First name:
2. Surname:
3. Age:
4. Gender: 1. Male 2. Female
5. The School number:
6. The Class number
The total number of years teaching in
7.
any school:
The number of years worked in this
8.
school:
Name of the survey participant’s
9.
student:
10. Your phone number:

Two. ESEL skills and mindset

Instruction: This survey is to help our organization to effectively implement the proj-
ect for children and youth.Your student is selected in this study, so we are also inviting
you to provide information about your student.The survey is not an assessment about
your student, so there is no wrong answers. Thus, we are asking you to answer
questions about your student honestly. We will keep confidentiality of response, and
yourstudent, her/his parents and others will not know it.
The below questionnaire is about person’s socio-emotional skills. Read each question
carefully and choose only ONE answer that express your student best from the four
types of answers.
Please draw (  ) in a  cell for your answer. You may ask for help if you do not
understand the question. Please be reminded that survey is not an assessment of your
student.

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

2. Self-awareness skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

or almost or or all or
Questions about your student
always often sometimes rarely
My student knows ways to make
1. himself/herself feel better when o o o o
he/she is sad.
My student knows ways to calm
2. o o o o
himself/herself down.
My student thinks carefully about
3. what he/she wants to say, before o o o o
he/she speaks.
My student keeps trying even
4. after getting negative comments o o o o
from people.
My student does work right away,
5. instead of waiting until the last o o o v
minute.

3. Social and cultural awareness skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your student or almost or or all or
always often sometimes rarely
My student learns from people
1. with different opinions than him/ o o o o
her.

My student feels bad for someone

2. o o o o
else when their feelings are hurt.

My student compliments others’

3. o o o o
accomplishments.
When others disagree with him/
4. her, my student is respectful of o o o o
their views.
My student is able to stand up
5. for himself/herself without putting o o o o
others down.

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BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

4. Creativity and innovation skill

Not
Extremely Very Somewhat
at all
Questions about your student or almost or or
or
always often sometimes
rarely

My student has the ability to have

1. o o o o
fresh perspectives on old problems.

My student has the ability to deal

2. o o o o
with sudden changes and surprises.

My student works hard to try to

3. o o o o
understand something new.
My student stays focused on the
4. same goal for several months at a o o o o
time.
When working with other people,
5. my student comes up with new o o o o
ideas and different solutions.

5. Communication skill

Not
Extremely Very Somewhat
at all
Questions about your student or almost or or
or
always often sometimes
rarely
My student carefully listens to
1. other people who have different o o o o
opinions than his/her.
My student talks to his/her friends
2. about how he/she feels when he/ o o o o
she is upset with them.
My student is good at persuading
3. o o o o
people.
My student has the ability to
4. communicate with others clearly o o o o
and effectively.
My student is good at preventing
5. o o o o
quarrels with other people.

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

6.Teamwork skill

Not
Extremely Very Somewhat
at all
Questions about your student or almost or or
or
always often sometimes
rarely
If needed, my student is able to
1. o o o o
give and ask for support and help.

My student likes to participate in

2. a discussion where new ideas are o o o o
exchanged.
In order to achieve a goal, my
3. student breaks it down into o o o o
smaller objectives.
When working with other people,
4. my student is open to receiving o o o o
and giving feedback.
My student works out
5. o o o o
disagreements with other people.

7.Critical thinking skill

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

Questions about your or almost or or all or
student always often sometimes rarely

My student thinks about what

1. might happen before making a o o o o
decision.
My student thinks of different
2. o o o o
ways to solve a problem.

My student says “No” to a friend

3. o o o o
who wants to break the rules.

My student reflects and analyzes

4. his/her and other people’s o o o o
actions and situations.

My student has the ability to

identify, select, and process
5. o o o o
information from a variety of
resources.

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BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

8. Growth mindset
Not
Extremely Very Somewhat
at all
or almost or or
Questions about your student or
always often sometimes
rarely
My student does not give up easily
1. when confronted with obstacles o o o o
and distractions.
My student finishes the work he/
2. o o o o
she started.
For my student, mistakes are
3. o o o o
opportunities to learn.
My student thinks life is a constant
4. o o o o
learning process.

My student is certain that he/she

5. o o o o
can master the skills being taught.

When getting stuck while learning

6. something new, my student tries o o o o
different ways.

9. Entrepreneurial mindset

Extremely Very Somewhat Not at

or almost or or all or
Questions about your student
always often sometimes rarely
My student likes to learn new
1. o o o o
things.
When doing things, my student
2. o o o o
asks “how can I do it differently?”
My student tries to do things
3. o o o o
better than before.
Before beginning a task, my
4. student plans and sets clear goals o o o o
to achieve it.
My student thinks he/she has to
make risky decisions and take
5. o o o o
risks at times in order to be
successful in life.

Thank you so much for your participation in a survey.

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Annex 4.Terms of Reference for the Baseline Survey

1. Background

Save the Children Japan in Mongolia (SCJM) launched to implement the project named “En-
trepreneurship-focused Socioemotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Mongolia” from
Nov 2019 to December 2023 for four years under the World Bank’s management with finding
support from the Japan Social Development Fund.

Terms of Reference for Baseline Survey

ENTREPRENEURSHIP-FOCUSED SOCIOEMOTIONAL SKILLS FOR THE MOST VULNERA-

BLE YOUTH IN RURAL MONGOLIA PROJECT (2019-2023)

The development objective of the project is to train vulnerable, disadvantaged youth in 25

Mongolia’s poorest rural districts (soum) across 5 provinces with socioemotional skills for
improved performance in school and preparation for entry into self-employment. This ob-
jective will be achieved through a school-based, community-driven program targeting 6,000
school-enrolled and out-of-school youth to support acquisition of socioemotional skills that
are linked not just to success in school, but are also highly valued in the labour market. The
project will address the largely unmet need for socioemotional and entrepreneurship skills
stemming from extremely limited labour market opportunities that lead to high inactivity
among youth in these locations and a job profile dominated by traditional herding, unpaid
work, and self-employment in the informal sector.
The project will consist of three components: Component i) will support development and
introduction of a community-driven, locally-tailored, innovative socioemotional skills program
for vulnerable rural youth. Component ii) will establish mechanisms for the target youth to
gain experience in practically applying entrepreneurship knowledge to meet the local market
needs and business opportunities, and Component iii) will enhance the policy environment in
support of entrepreneurship education through evidence-based advocacy and public outreach
campaigns and provide support for participatory M&E and project management.

Project targeted locations are Gobisumber aimag (Sumber and Shiveegobi soums), Khovd
(Mankhan, Uyench, Bulgan, Altai, Must and Zereg soums), Sukhbaatar (Ongon, Bayandelg-
er, Munkhkhaan and Erdenetsagaan soums), Uvurkhangai (Sant, Kharkhorin, Khujirt, Uyanga,
Bogd, Bat-Ulzii and Guchin-Us soums), and Zavkhan aimag (Telmen, Tudevtei, Tes, Ikh-Uul, To-
sontsengel and Bayantes soums).

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2. Purpose of the Baseline survey

The main purpose of the baseline survey is twofold: (i) to determine the pre-project condition
of the project development objectives and intermediate result, (ii) to prepare and build the
evidence that would be used as a basis for the further project evaluations.

Generally, the baseline survey, annual evaluations, mid-term, and impact evaluations are
planned in the project throughout the entire implementation. This baseline, therefore, not only
for its own purpose for assessing the situations of the project objectives prior to the imple-
mentation, but also aimed to have a data which will be the basis for the project impact evalu-
ations at the end. So the main methodology of the baseline tried to align to that of the impact
evaluation, too. That means, from the baseline survey the control groups will be surveyed for
all the measurements. Moreover, project will have annual evaluations from second implemen-
tation year until the end, and same survey methodologies and instruments will be applied for
these surveys.There will be a project survey or performance dashboard which contains all the
results of the baseline, annual and mid-term evaluation measurements, so that the progress
of the project performance against its objectives will be tracked, easily shown, and shared
through this dashboard. So, in other word, all of these surveys and their result shown in a
dashboard will be used as a main information of the project achievement at the time of the
impact evaluation.

As part of the survey, in addition to the targeted rural youth’s current level of school per-
formance and capacity for doing business (in terms of skills and mindsets targeted under the
entrepreneurship-focused socio-emotional learning [ESEL] course), the team will also collect
data to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the targeted rural youth, such as the following: the
availability of access to learning and remedial education; psychosocial and socio-emotional
state of the youth; and employment challenges.The data will be utilized to identify existing and
potential risks faced by the youth, and to better address their needs as the project rolls out its
first cohort of the ESEL course, commencing physically in March, 2021.

3. Objectives and key baseline survey questions

The objectives of the baseline survey are as below:

iv) To measure all possible indicators that are set at the Project Development Objective
(PDO) and Intermediate Results
v) To assess the socio-emotional skills and mindset of the youth

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Designed Baseline Key areas of

Ref Main method
outcomes/impact Indicators baseline questions

Were the ESEL

program participants/
project beneficiary
PDO 1.1: children and youth
Student academic
Improved school attitudes toward school
records in school
performance Share of academic performance
(Academic records/
of the vulnerable, beneficiaries with changed?
grades of main subjects:
disadvantaged improved academic
PDO Indicator 2 Mathematics and
youth trained with performance - What is
Mongolian language will
socioemotional skills (gender the level of
be collected separately)
in 25 of Mongolia’s disaggregated) academic
poorest rural districts performance
across five provinces of youth on
Mathematics
and Mongolian
language class?

What new information

on ESEL knowledge
did the program
participants gain?
1. Youth
Did the participants
Questionnaire
develop new skills
(Self-reported)
and minds to change
2. Parents
the way towards
Questionnaire
themselves and others?
3. Teachers
PDO 1.2: Improved
questionnaire
preparation for - How is the
(Triangulation
entry into self- capacity for
Number of approach and/or same
employment doing business
beneficiaries questionnaire will be
of the vulnerable, among the
with enhanced used for youth, parents
disadvantaged PDO Indicator 3 youth?
capacity of doing and teachers to assess
youth trained with
business (gender the socio-emotional skill
socioemotional skills - What are
disaggregated) and mindset.)
in 25 of Mongolia’s their levels
poorest rural districts of ESEL skills
Test scores on ESEL
across five provinces and mindset
knowledge; student
as defined
records/grades of
in the ESEL
business course (if the
framework?
surveyed students have
taken a business course
- What are their
as an elective subject)
levels of ESEL
knowledge
as defined
in the ESEL
framework?

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Designed Baseline Key areas of

Ref Main method
outcomes/impact Indicators baseline questions

How much were

Share of
the life aspiration
beneficiaries
of children and
with Youth Questionnaire
Intermediate Results youth enhanced?
strengthened (Self-reported)
Indicator 4
life aspirations
How is the life
(gender
aspiration of the
disaggregated)
selected youth?

Youth Questionnaire
(Self-reported)

Survey questions
related to community
and school support for
youth include such as
the following:

- Students’ involvement
How are the family and in participatory
school supportive for structures at schools
the youth to develop (e.g., extracurricular
their ESEL skills and activities) and in local
mindset? communities (e.g.,
youth clubs/councils,
student councils, health
committees, social
committees, youth-led
organizations); and

- Students’ perceptions
of connectedness
with their schools/
communities

1.Youth Questionnaire

Survey questions
related to the impact
How has the outbreak
of COVID-19 on rural
of COVID-19 affected
youth, such as the
the targeted rural
following: the availability
youth?
and access to learning
and remedial education,
and usage of devices for
learning.

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4. Scope of the Baseline survey

Generally, the baseline survey will be conducted as covering all target 25 soums in the 5
aimags in which the project planned to carry out the program in the first year. As for the
number of the survey participants or respondents, approximately 50% out of all youth who
are selected to attend in the program in the first year will participate in the baseline survey.
Which means if the project selects 1,000 youth as planned in the Result framework for the first
year, 525 of the 1,000 should participate in the baseline survey purely as a treatment group.
Additionally, as mentioned in objective part, baseline survey will conduct for the control group,
and estimated number of control group is a half of the treatment group. Which means the
estimated control groups will be 263 if the above-mentioned treatment group will be studied.
The number of actual baseline survey participant, by baseline key questions.

Treatment
Key baseline questions Method Control group
group

What is the level of Student record in

academic performance school 237 School
500 School youth
of youth on math and youth
Mongolian language class?

How is the capacity of

doing business among the
youth? -Youth
-670 youth
Questionnaire -335 youth
- What are their (Self-reported)
-500 School
levels of ESEL skills -Parents -237 School
youth’s parents
and mindset as Questionnaire youth’s parents
-500 School
defined in the ESEL -Teachers -237 School
youth’s class
framework? questionnaire youth’s class
teachers
teachers
- What are their -Youth
670 youth
levels of ESEL Questionnaire 335 youth
knowledge as (Test)
defined in the ESEL
framework?
-Youth
How is the life aspiration
Questionnaire 670 youth 335 youth
of the selected youth?
(Self-reported)
How are the family and
-Youth
school supportive for the 237 School
Questionnaire 500 School youth
youth to develop their youth
(Self-reported)
socio-emotional skills?

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BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

5. Baseline survey methodology

The baseline survey will employ quantitative method. This quantitative method will be used to
explore the capacity of doing business, life aspiration, and socio-emotional skills of the youth
as described above. For them, main data collection instrument will be a questionnaire.

The desk review will be utilized mainly for the academic performance of the youth on Math-
ematics and Mongolian language subjects respectively. In addition, student records/grades of
business course will also be collected if the surveyed students have taken a business course as
an elective subject in the past. All the records of the students on these classes will be collected
from the respective schools, and then reviewed, and analyzed.

The project proposed to utilize some criteria or indicators that is consulted with project part-
ners in the selection of treatment and control group youth.Therefore, the baseline assessment
will be conducted by the type of quisi-experimental approach.

After getting the master lists of youth who are selected to participate in the ESEL program
and who are also in control group, define the total number of respondent for each group and
disaggregate it by gender; define the sampling interval in the list for both groups, and choose
a random number; finally begin with the random number for selecting the first respondent,
then use the sampling interval to select the following respondents. If the youth who are se-
lected in the baseline survey get not able to participate in a survey, then the youth who are
after those youth in the list will be invited to a survey. Collected data will be entered and
analyzed in the SPSS program.

6. Organization, roles and responsibilities

Overall, SCJM will organize the baseline survey of the project based on and using its own
internal human and technical resources.

Project manager, MEAL officer and SCJM’s MEAL coordinator will lead and be accountable for
the overall process of the baseline study. So, they will develop and finalize TOR, data collection
tools, analysis and report writing of the baseline survey as well as monitor the data collection
process.

Prior to the field data collection, all the instruments will be tested. A total of 30 questionnaires
involving youth, parents, and teachers will be tested in 3 aimags, which means one aimag from
each geographical region or 3 aimags from 3 regions named west, central, and east. In the
testing, the age and gender of the survey respondents will be will be considered in order for
making sure their understanding on the questionnaire.

As for the field data collection, the project field officers will be responsible for the overall or-
ganization, process and data quality.While the MEAL focal points of the soum level committee
(who are in charge of the overall project monitoring and evaluation at the soum level) will
serve as enumerators, the respective school and class teachers will manage organization of
the data collection in their schools such as the venue and calling of the youth for the survey
etc. The data collected by the MEAL focal points of the soum level committee will be handed

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over to the project field officers, who will provide oversight for the data collection in the field
to ensure the data quality and avoid any missing/invalid data before sending it off to the UB
office. Subsequently, the UB project team will cross-check and compile all the data.

All the project field officers and member of the soum level committee will be trained via online
on the guidance and instruments before starting the data collection.
Also, as part of the baseline survey preparation, information on project monitoring and eval-
uation, baseline survey purpose, plan, methodology and organization will be shared with the
aimag and soum level commitees during the inception phase for their earlier preparation and
better role.

Temporary staff members will be hired for the data entry, cleaning, and analysis (using SPSS),
and all the data entry process will be monitored by the project team in UB. Based on the sta-
tistical and descriptive analysis of the compiled data, which will be performed by a technical
expert on data analysis, the project team in UB will prepare a baseline report. In addition to
the findings in response to the evaluation questions, the report will also include the results of
gender analysis and proposed actions to address any identified gender gaps.

# Main tasks Role and Responsibility

Project MEAL officer, Project manager,

1. Baseline ToR development
MEAL coordinator
Data collection tools development and Project MEAL officer, Project manager,
2.
finalization MEAL coordinator
Training/Induction on baseline and data Project MEAL officer, Project manager,
3.
collection tools MEAL coordinator

Project MEAL officer, Project field officers,

4. Data collection in the field MEAL focal points of the Soum level
committee, School and class teachers

Data cross check, cleaning and review Project field officers, Project MEAL officer,
5.
during the data collection MEAL coordinator
Data entry and cross check in the data Data entry person, Project MEAL officer
6.
entry and MEAL coordinator
A techcnial expert on data anslysis, Project
7. Data analysis and interpretation
MEAL officer, MEAL coordinator
Project MEAL officer, MEAL coordinator,
8. Report writing
Project manager

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7. Deliverables and timeframe

Deliverables:
- Baseline report will be written in both Mongolian and English.
- A summary of the baseline report will be released in both Mongolian and English after the
full narrative report.
Overall, baseline survey will take place from January, 2021 to June, 2021.

Timetable of baseline survey (Tentative)

Jan, Feb, March, April, May, June,

# Task
2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021
Inception phase

Baseline ToR:
Revise the baseline ToR in line with 4th week
1. 1st week
chosen survey method (paper-based
or phone-based)

Baseline survey questionnaire review 4th week 1st & 2nd

2.
by World Bank weeks
Review of revised questionnaire by
3. 4th week
project team & World Bank
Piloting of paper-based survey
4. questionnaire for 30 respondents in 3 4th week 1st week
aimags (10 for each)
Review of pilot survey reports and
revising of questionnaire based on 1st & 2nd
5.
findings from the pilot survey and week
comments from the field offices
Review of the revised paper-based
6. 3rd week
youth survey questionnaire by WB

Developing and finalizing the

7. questionnaire for teachers and 4th week
parents
Review of the questionnaires for
4th week
teachers and parents
Technical preparation for the 2nd & 4th
8.
baseline survey week
Preparation of Master list and
3rd & 4th
9. Respondent selection & Field data
week
collection
Data collection and analysis

Training on the conduction of

baseline survey tools for data
10. 4th week
collectors: FOs & MEAL focal points
of each SLC in target soums

Provide the target aimags and soums

with brief on baseline survey and its
11. 4th week
method, organization as for the field
preparation

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 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Jan, Feb, March, April, May, June,

# Task
2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

Data collection in the field, and data

1st & 2nd
12. validity checks, cleaning, review of
week
the collected data

Data entry and cross check in the 3rd & 4th 1st
13.
entry week week

2nd
14. Data analysis & 4th
week

Report writing and

dissemination
1st
15. Start writing the baseline report &2nd
week

3rd
16. Finalization of the baseline report & 4th
week
1st &
Finalization of baseline survey
17. 2nd
summary report
week
Designing and publishing of baseline 3rd
18.
summary for dissemination week

4th
19. Dissemination of baseline summary
week

I. Permission
The baseline survey will carefully consider the approval of the respondents to participate
in the survey. Therefore, survey will take the permission of the youth and their parents and
caregivers as well as teachers for the participation in the survey. In other words, survey will
be conducted once the respondents gives the permission to participate in the survey before
starting the questionnaire. The informed consent form which contains the information on
purpose of the survey, data usage, and confidentiality etc will be introduced and get signed by
each participant before starting the questionnaire or interviews.

II. Ethics and Child safeguarding

Throughout the baseline survey, all the relevant policies and protocols of the SC will be intro-
duced and followed by. In particular, ethical protocol, behavior protocol and child safeguarding
policies will be introduced to and get singed by all the data collectors or enumerators prior
to the field data collection, and data entry persons, and should be then followed onwards. In
addition, project Complain and Feedback Mechanism will be in place throughout the survey.

III. Budget/Resources
Costs required for conducting the baseline survey are estimated in the table attached.

101
 Annex 5. Results Framework RESULTS FRAMEWORK

102
YR1 YR2 Data collection YR3 Data collection YR4 Data collection End
Indicator Name Baseline
Target Target method Target method Target method Target

Number of direct
0.00 0.00 1000.00 2000.00 6000.00 6000.00
beneficiaries reached Document review
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Random
Random
Sampling-300-500
Sampling-300-500 of Random
of total 1000
total 1000 beneficiaries. Sampling-355 of
Share of beneficiaries beneficiaries.
Control group 20.00 35.00 4000 beneficiaries.
with improved academic 0.00 0.00 15.00 Control group 35.00
300-500 Review of student
performance 300-500
Review of student perfomance record
Review of student
perfomance record
perfomance record

Number of beneficiaries Random

with enhanced capacity Sampling-300-500 of 1000 beneficiaries, Random
2500.00
of doing business (i.e. total 1000 beneficiaries. 1000.00 Control group sampling-1000
0.00 0.00 200.00 2500.00
improvements in skills/ Control group 1000
mindsets targeted under the 300-500 Standard test Standard test
ESEL training) Standard test

Number of female
0.00 0.00 500.00 1500.00 3000.00 3000.00
beneficiaries Document review
Random
Sampling-100-250 of 500
Share of female beneficiaries female beneficiaries.
with improved academic 0.00 0.00 15.00 Control group 100-250 20.00 35.00 35.00
performance Review of student
perfomance record
Random
Number of female Sampling-300-500
Random
beneficiaries with enhanced of 1000 female Random
Sampling-100-250 of 500 1250.00
capacity of doing business 100.00 500.00 beneficiaries. sampling-500
0.00 0.00 female beneficiaries. 1250.00
(i.e. improvements in skills/ Control group
Control group 100-250
mindsets targeted under the 300-500 Standard test
Standard test
ESEL training) Standard test
 Intermediate Results Indicators FY

Data collection Data collection Data collection

Indicator Name Baseline YR1 YR2 YR3 YR4 End Target
method method method
ESEL course has been developed and piloted N N Y Y Y Document Y
Document review Document review
review
Number of Soum-Level Committees (SLCs)
0.00 0.00 10.00 20.00 25.00 Document 25.00
established Document review Document review
review
Number of teachers trained 0.00 0.00 20.00 Document reveiw 40.00 Document reveiw 100.00 Document 100.00
reveiw
Random
Sampling-300-500 Random
Random Sampling Sampling-355
of 1000
300-500 of 1000 of 4000
Share of beneficiaries with strengthened life beneficiaries. 20.00 35.00
0.00 0.00 15.00 beneficiaries. beneficiaries. 35.00
aspirations Control group 300-
Standard
500 Standard
questionnaire
Standard questionnaire
questionnaire
Document
Share of grant applicants who are female 0.00 0.00 30.00 Document review 35.00 Document review 45.00 45.00
review

Number of grant recipients with better market

0.00 0.00 0.00 500.00 1000.00 1000.00
linkages

Share of grant recipients who have achieved at

least one grant objective within 6 months after 0.00 0.00 10.00 20.00 40.00 40.00
receiving the funds

Number of national dissemination workshops

Document
conducted with participation of the ministries of 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 4.00
Document review review
education, labour, and finance
Random Random
Sampling-100-250 Sampling-100-250 Random
of 500 female of 500 female Sampling-355
Share of female beneficiaries with strengthened beneficiaries. 20.00 beneficiaries. 35.00 of 4000
0.00 0.00 15.00 beneficiaries. 35.00
life aspirations Control group 100- Control group
250 100-250 Standard
Standard Standard questionnaire
questionnaire questionnaire
Share of grant recipients with better market
0.00 0.00 0.00 20.00 40.00 40.00

103
linkages who are female
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Share of female grant recipients who have

achieved at least one grant objective within 6 0.00 0.00 10.00 20.00 40.00 40.00
months after receiving the funds
 Annex 6. Workplan of the Baseline Survey Workplan of the Baseline Survey
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

WORKPLAN OF THE BASELINE SURVEY

Jan, Feb, March, April, May, Jun-Aug Sept- Oct Nov-Dec,

Activities 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021
I. Inception phase
Baseline ToR:
Revise the baseline ToR in line with 4th week
1. 1st week
chosen survey method (paper-based
or phone-based)

Baseline survey questionnaire review 4th week 1st-2nd

2.
by World Bank weeks

Review of revised questionnaire by

3. 4th week
project team & World Bank

Piloting of paper-based survey

4. questionnaire for 30 respondents in 3 4th week 1st week
aimags (10 for each)
Review of pilot survey reports and
revising of questionnaire based on 1st-2nd
5.
findings from the pilot survey and week
comments from the field offices
Review of the revised paper-based
6. 3rd week
youth survey questionnaire by WB
Developing and finalizing the
7. questionnaire for teachers and 4th week
parents
Review of the questionnaires for 4th
teachers and parents week?
Technical preparation for the baseline 2nd-4th
8.
survey week
Preparation of Master list and
3rd-4th
9. Respondent selection & Field data
week
collection
II. Data collection and analysis
Training on the conduction of baseline
survey tools for data collectors: FOs
10. 4th week
& MEAL focal points of each SLC in
target soums
Provide the target aimags and soums
with brief on baseline survey and its
11. 4th week
method, organization as for the field
preparation
Data collection in the field, and data
1st-2nd
12. validity checks, cleaning, review of the
week
collected data
Data entry and cross check in the 3rd-4th 1st
13.
entry week week
2nd-4th
14. Data analysis
week
III. Report writing and dissemination
Start writing the baseline survey 1st-2nd
15.
report week
1st-2nd
16. Review of draft baseline survey report
week
1st-2nd
17. Finalization of baseline survey report
week

18. Proofreading of baseline survey report 1st week

Designing and publishing of baseline 2nd-3rd

19.
summary for dissemination week

20. Proofreading of baseline survey report 4th week

104
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Annex 7.Tables

Table 7.1. Self-awareness scores by Aimags Table 7.2. Social and cultural awareness
scores by Aimags

Std. Std.
Aimags Freq. Mean Aimags Freq. Mean
Dev. Dev.
Khovd 222 2.94 0.53 Khovd 227 3.07 0.50
Zavkhan 245 2.86 0.57 Zavkhan 243 3.03 0.55
Uvurkhangai 314 2.78 0.59 Uvurkhangai 318 2.99 0.60
Gobisumber 93 3.02 0.61 Gobisumber 94 3.21 0.54
Sukhbaatar 101 2.82 0.58 Sukhbaatar 103 3.03 0.52
Total 975 2.86 0.58 Total 985 3.04 0.55

Table 7.3. Creativity and innovation scores Table 7.4. Communications scores by
by Aimags Aimags

Std.
Aimags Freq. Mean Aimags Freq. Mean Std. Dev.
Dev.
Khovd 219 2.94 0.57 Khovd 223 2.90 0.52
Zavkhan 242 2.82 0.64 Zavkhan 245 2.78 0.55
Uvurkhangai 313 2.83 0.65 Uvurkhangai 311 2.87 0.60
Gobisumber 91 2.98 0.62 Gobisumber 90 3.11 0.55
Sukhbaatar 102 2.82 0.64 Sukhbaatar 101 2.86 0.61
Total 967 2.87 0.63 Total 970 2.88 0.57

105
 BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

Table 7.5. Teamwork scores by Aimags Table 7.6. Critical Thinking scores by Aimags

Std.
Aimags Freq. Mean Aimags Freq. Mean Std. Dev.
Dev.
Khovd 225 3.07 0.58 Khovd 228 3.00 0.58
Zavkhan 243 2.93 0.66 Zavkhan 244 2.85 0.64
Uvurkhangai 315 3.00 0.68 Uvurkhangai 314 2.92 0.66
Gobisumber 94 3.17 0.59 Gobisumber 92 3.09 0.60
Sukhbaatar 101 2.97 0.60 Sukhbaatar 101 2.90 0.60
Total 978 3.01 0.64 Total 979 2.93 0.63

Table 7.7. Growth mindset scores by Aimags Table 7.8. Entrepreneurial mindset
scores by Aimags

Aimags Freq. Mean Std. Dev. Aimags Freq. Mean Std. Dev.

Khovd 213 3.23 0.53 Khovd 224 3.29 0.53

Zavkhan 234 3.18 0.73 Zavkhan 244 3.16 0.58
Uvurkhangai 304 3.15 0.69 Uvurkhangai 311 3.19 0.69
Gobisumber 92 3.23 0.58 Gobisumber 90 3.35 0.54
Sukhbaatar 101 3.18 0.59 Sukhbaatar 103 3.20 0.61
Total 944 3.19 0.65 Total 972 3.22 0.61

106
BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

107
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