Child Rights Education Consultant, Athens, Greece, 6 months (Part-time, Home-based)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, education.

Greece, as one of the first signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and a firm supporter of children’s rights to equitable access to education, provides a strong legal framework and political commitment that accommodates about 1.2 million children in state schools. However, the system is marked by an absence of long-term vision and strategy for ensuring every child in Greece has equal opportunities for quality learning, fostering “here-and-now” well-being as well as competencies and skills for future employment outcomes, and the engagement with others in increasingly diverse and complex societies. Such a strategy should also be accompanied by elaborated national targets, a strong monitoring system and a sustainable budget.

Moreover, according to the latest report issued by the Committee of the Rights of the Child 2 , while noting the measures taken to improve access to education for children in vulnerable situations, recalls SDG targets 4.1, 4.2 and 4.5, and recommends that the State party strengthen the inclusiveness of its education system, remove barriers to school enrolment and ensure among other that children with disabilities, Roma children, asylum-seeking and refugee children, unaccompanied migrant children, children from low Socio economic Strata? are promptly integrated into, retained and finish the mainstream pre-primary, primary and secondary education, regardless of their place of residence. In the same document it is noted that there is need to strengthen the quality of learning and transferable skills in schools, ensure that schools are fully and safely accessible and equipped with adequate infrastructure and educational technologies.

Quantitative data conforms concerns of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In the beginning of the current school year (2022-23) it was estimated3 that 8,700 children with refugee background (of whom 3,700 are children from Ukraine) were out of school, yet enrolments are still ongoing; previous references by UNICEF (42% of children were enrolled to formal education in 2020) and Greek Ombudsperson (2021)4 indicate this as a persistent challenge in the Greek education system, although significant improvement has been recorded for the 2021-2022 school year, with 16,417 R/M students being enrolled5.

Same challenges appear for Roma children as only 69% of Roma children were attending compulsory education in 2016 while discrimination and segregation issues remain; 20% of Roma felt being discriminated because of being Roma when in contact with school as parent or student in the past 5 years while half (48%) of Roma children of age between 6 and 15 attend classes in schools in which either all pupils or most of them are Roma.6

A high number of children with disabilities is believed to be out of education, however there is still no official data to indicate the extend of the problem in compulsory education.

According to the latest PISA report (2018)7 , student performance in all reading, mathematics and science was below average compared to other OECD countries, while the difference regarding the socio economic status explains 11% of the variance in reading performance. More qualitative indicators associated with school climate and teachers practises imply lack of engagement.

Finally, data collection and monitoring of the realization of children’s rights remains an area that could be improved. Specifically, the lack of a consistent system of collecting and analyzing disaggregated data on children rights continues to impact the ability of the state to plan and respond effectively.

UNICEF aims to ensure that all children benefit of inclusive, equitable, quality education, through the implementation of a Child Right School model that responds to identified rights-based needs, based on evidence, with consideration given to reaching the most marginalized children in the country context (children experiencing multiple violations of their rights). UNICEF will develop a strategic plan of rolling out a models of Child Rights School initiative in active cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Educational Policy, and other stakeholders, working through policy, curriculum reform and teacher training and by embedding child rights into monitoring and inspection frameworks, as well as by transforming the whole school environment to become rights-respecting via the "Child Rights Schools" model.

How can you make a difference?

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

• Design a roll out plan for the implementation of a CRS model in schools in Greece.
• In collaboration with the IEP and MoERA carry out a mixed method needs assessment of a sample of (30) schools of different level, area and type of challenges faced, to identify a group of schools that will commit to engage in a roll out process of implementing a CRS programme.

Inception report with suggested Methodology to explore the needs of a representative sample of schools through a child rights lens.

15 March 2023

• In selective sample of schools, and in collaboration with UNICEF partners, support the development and implementation of CRS initiative using processes and tools to assess how rights respecting school is, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and using rights-based child participation.

Interim report I: Based on findings from the selected sample, identify 5 schools that wish to take part in the program. Needs analysis assessment of these schools in collaboration with teachers and Heads. Work with each school to develop a roll out plan for implementing a Child Rights School model in selected pilot school samples.

15 April 2023

• In selective sample of schools, (chosen for piloting phase) work collaboratively to suggest specific action plans based on identified needs.
• Consolidate best practices and tools for the inclusion of marginalised groups of children such as refugee and migrant children in schools in cooperation with UNICEF partners, the MoE and the IEP.

Interim Report II: Capacity Building sessions with leaders of schools and local school staff of the selected pilot schools on CRS initiative and models of implementation. Suggested action plans.

31 May 2023

• Design and organize a series of awareness raising and capacity building activities in schools at leadership level through regional educational authorities on adopting and implementing a whole school approach with reference to Child Rights Education.

Interim Report III. On completed capacity building and awareness raising activities with local schools, regional authorities. Strategic and activity-specific risk assessments for the Child Rights Schools initiative.

30 June 2023

• Provide technical support to the Ministry of Education, Institute of Educational Policy on the development of tools and materials to strengthen Child Rights education.
• Adapt Toolkits, Guides and Educational Material developed by UNICEF worldwide to be used in the Greek context.

Final Report on a roll out plan for the coming year for the pilot phase of Child Rights School Model in 5 schools inclusive of M&E processes and impact assessment.

31 July 2023

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Advanced university degree (Masters as a minimum) in Education, social sciences, and/or international development with focus on education;
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in education and specifically in fields such as: a developing, designing and delivering training on education, b. research and/or providing practical, technical advice to teachers, government, and/or international development organizations in the area of education quality and/or inclusive education;
• Practical experience in working with vulnerable children is highly desirable;
• Excellent analytical, communication and negotiating skills;
• Excellent team working skills and respect for diversity;
• Computer skills, including internet navigation, and various office applications;
• Fluency in Greek and in English.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Candidates are asked to indicate their required all-inclusive fees for the services to be provided. The final rate will be negotiated with the candidate upon recommendation by the selection panel.

Payment will be made on a monthly basis, based on agreed deliverables and a submission of progress reports to UNICEF by the consultant, upon approval by the direct supervisor. Monthly progress reports will be brief, produced in English and summarize key activities, achievements and challenges faced during the reporting period, priorities for the next reporting period, highlighting any support needs from or recommendations for UNICEF.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract is valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are invited to:

a. complete their UNICEF profile

b. attach latest CV and Motivation Letter

c. Indicate a monthly fee for the aforementioned deliverables