Review Meeting Held on EARN Project Inception Reports

A review meeting on the inception reports prepared by the Service Providers (SPs) engaged under the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NIT (EARN) Project, implemented by the Department of Youth Development (DYD), was held on Saturday, 5 September. The day-long meeting took place at the temporary office of the Director General of the Department of Youth Development at Jibon Bima Bhaban, Motijheel, Dhaka.

The meeting was attended as the Chief Guest by Md. Mahbub Ul Alam, Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports, while Md. Motahar Hossain, Director General, Department of Youth Development, chaired the session.

During the meeting, officials from the four Service Providers appointed for the EARN Project- BRAC, Save the Children, CARE, and Dhaka Ahsania Mission- presented the inception reports for the 10 packages. Plan International Bangladesh, appointed as the Social Norms Specialized Agency (SNSA), also presented its inception report.

Following each presentation, an open question-and-answer session was held, involving officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, officials from different levels of the Department of Youth Development, as well as EARN Project officials and consultants. The review identified a number of administrative, technical, and data-related inconsistencies.

Although the work plans presented under most packages were broadly similar in nature, several discrepancies were identified regarding target numbers, Vocational Learning and Training Centre (VLTC) information, implementation schedules, and shortages of required technical experts and specialized personnel.

A review of the inception reports further revealed that no specific and realistic disaster-responsive communication infrastructure or operational protocol had been incorporated for disaster-prone areas such as the Chattogram Hill Tracts and Sylhet Division. The meeting also noted shortcomings in the proper use of specified colours, fonts, and logos on cover pages and project documents in accordance with the project’s branding and communication guidelines.

In line with the project’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy, Kanika Chakraborty, Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist of the EARN Project, stressed that all complaints related to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) must be reported to the Project Management Unit (PMU) within 24 hours through the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).

She stated that, as the project has been classified as having a “Substantial Risk”, the implementing Service Providers should design and implement their activities and strategies accordingly and take appropriate measures to address the identified safeguarding risks.

The review meeting emphasized the need to address these inconsistencies and implement an integrated ‘Master Implementation Plan’ to ensure the successful delivery of the project.

The meeting further emphasized that establishing a centrally managed Master Database, a unified Management Information System (MIS) framework, and robust quality-control mechanisms would help ensure greater transparency, consistency, and accountability in field-level data and project activities.

(EARN Desk)