Monitoring and Evaluation in Development (DEVT90035)

The indispensability of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the management of projects and program has been widely recognised within the development sector. Effective M&E acts as an anchor to keep the project moving in the right direction towards the goals and targets set at the planning stage. Historically, M&E was seen exclusively as a tool to make NGOs/development organisations accountable to donors and conducted by foreign consultants who were largely unfamiliar with project sites where development interventions took place. This has hampered development agencies’ efforts to obtain the right kind of information for effective M&E and project management. Within the new M&E paradigms that have emerged since the 1990s, M&E is intended to serve the purposes of not only accountability but also learning, empowerment and capacity building of local communities. This subject aims to offer comparative insights into different approaches to M&E in development as well as to impart practical skills to students so that they may develop the technical proficiency in project/program M&E. The emphasis will be on development projects and programs rather than policies or public sector management. Practical exercises will be an essential part of the subject.