HSRC Integrated Annual Report 2018/2019

enhanced use of social and community media were priority elements of parliament’s theory of change that needed to be better measured and assessed. Performance Evaluation of an ICT Intervention In 2018/19 RIA successfully completed the Performance Evaluation of the TARMII 3.0 program. The TARMII 3.0 program is an ICT program that provides pre-tested, validated and quality assured English assessment questions (referred to as items) for grade three teachers. These questions are used for formative, and to a lesser extent summative, assessment for learners. Twenty schools in the North West and Gauteng provinces participated in the programme with varying degrees of participation. Although the aimwas to target mostly quantile 1 to 3 schools, lack of ICT infrastructure in these schools meant that only better resourced schools could take part. Teachers acknowledged the benefits of having an item assessment data bank; it meant they had pre-tested and validated items at their finger-tips, they could quickly put assessment tests together, and in instances where connectivity was possible, the automatic marking of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and generation of summary statistics saved them time. The challenges highlighted included insufficient ICT infrastructure in schools, including the cost of data; lack of computers and tablets; the need to streamline current assessment processes to align with ICT systems to avoid duplication of activities; and the need for training on ICT skills for teachers. Knowledge-Brokering to Improve Programme Design As part of a seven-year collaboration with the DST, in 2018/19 RIA hosted a series of six seminars to explore the role of Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) in the economy and society, especially in small and informal business, health systems, regarding universal basic income. Much of the discussion focused on the development of indicators to measure social and technological innovation. Participants included researchers from South America and Europe, the HSRC, the universities of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, policy-makers, entrepreneurs and academics. Methods such as digital story-telling, small area censuses, 4D mapping, and participatory Monitoring and Evaluation were profiled. Improving Data Collection and Data Quality The ‘Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) project’, which is funded by World Health Organization (WHO), is a longitudinal study collecting data on adults aged 50 years and older, plus a smaller comparison sample of adults aged 18–49 years, from nationally representative samples in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation and South Africa. In South Africa, data is collected from more than 2 500 respondents. In conducting wave lll of this study, RIA’s focus was on putting into place measures to improving data collection and data quality. Accordingly, for the first time a tablet-based survey was conducted using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) files. Detailed, regular monitoring and validation of data collection was done and, despite significant cost escalations in some areas, the project was successfully completed on time and under-budget. Questions andmeasures in the survey were intended to determine the prevalence and treatment of diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and depression; key anthropometrics (blood pressure, weight, height, grip strength, walking pace); and samples of saliva and urine were collected to be tested inter alia for salt content. Meta-data fromSAGE are being archived and made available as part of a multi-survey digital library. Research Impact Drought Adaptation and Behaviour Modifications in Cape Town As part of an on-going collaboration with the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), and in response to its Seasonal Hazard report for Spring 2018, RIA initiated a drought adaptation and behaviour modification pilot study in Cape Town. Residents of several Cape Town neighbourhoods and the rural hinterland were surveyed about their experiences of the 2017/18 drought. Respondents reported an impressive range of behaviour modifications in respect of water usage. The findings indicate that short duration or less frequent showers, and the use of grey water for toilet flushing have become the new norms. Valuable suggestions about how to manage such drought disasters more effectively included the need for earlier and more transparent communication by the authorities, and for the imposition of even tighter water restrictions. Discussions about expanding the project to the Northern Cape have been initiated with the NDMC. Capacity Building of Military Veterans to Contribute to Inter-Generational Dialogues In 2018 RIA initiated a new dimension to its humanities-centred history, memory and narrative PART B: PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW 42 / HSRC INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2018/19