Consultancy for Community Service Learning Curriculum Development Technical Advisor

Contract

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title

Type of Engagement

Duty Station

CONSULTANCY FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE-LEARNING CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ADVISOR

Consultant

Nairobi, Kenya

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: The role of the “Community Service Learning Curriculum Development technical advisor” will be supporting the Ministry of Education through Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in charge of development of the Community Service Learning (CSL) programmes. The support will include technical advice on curriculum development, implementation and assessment processes to support conceptualization, design and implementation of formal and non-formal programmes that will facilitate achievement of the aspirations of the Guiding Principle on CSL as espoused in the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (2017). This will entail desk reviews of existing documentation on CSL, development/review of curriculum designs, development of resource materials (teachers, learners and other education stakeholders etc.) and assessment tools to be used. Piloting of the CSL programmes in specific grades and sample schools is expected.

Scope of Work Background Generation Unlimited (GenU) in Kenya has been progressing under the leadership of H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and has provided a much-needed platform to better coordinate youth programs and support their scale up for greater impact. A GenU Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Office of the President, with support from the Cabinet Secretary Hon Joseph Mucheru (Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs); who is also a member of the GenU Board and Executive Committee and the UN Resident Coordinator. Under the guidance of the GenU Steering Committee, a country investment agenda has been finalized, which outlines a number of ‘accelerators’ or proven and promising initiatives on learning, skilling and employment that have potential to be scaled up to enable young people to obtain quality education and skills and transition to the world of work, thereby helping to change the trajectory of their lives. The nexus between the education system and curriculum is considered important for transforming people’s education, training and work. The new Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) provides an avenue to equip citizens with the 21st century skills and competencies. The goal of the Ministry of Education in Kenya is to ensure provision of inclusive, equitable and quality education to all its citizen. At the heart of education is the school curriculum. Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development developed the Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF 2017) which outlines the vision and mission of Kenya’s curriculum reforms. The vision of the curriculum reforms is to develop an engaged, empowered and ethical citizen. The mission is to nature the potential of every learner. The framework adopts a Competency-Based Curriculum approach and has identified seven core competencies, namely; communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, creative and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, learning to learn and self-efficacy. It provides a variety of opportunities for identification and nurturing of a learner’s potentials and talents in preparation for life and the world of work. Further the BECF identifies Guiding Principles that are critical for effective implementation of the curriculum. One of the Guiding Principles is Community Service Learning (CSL). CSL is mainstreamed across all the learning areas in Early Years Education and Middle School. In Senior Secondary School, CSL is a stand-alone subject and core for all learners.

Justification

Education should promote social equity and responsibility. Community Service Learning entails a balanced emphasis on both students’ learning and addressing real needs in the community. Learning outcomes are linked to meaningful human, safety, educational, and environmental needs. Learners work on real problems that make academic learning relevant while simultaneously enhancing their social skills, analytical ability, civic and ethical responsibility, self-efficacy, and career development. The learning areas are supported with curriculum designs that cover the educational content and guide the development of teachers’ guides and various formats of curriculum support materials. The competency-based curriculum in Kenya targets to develop globally competitive citizens, who embrace 21st Century Skills. CSL also promotes acquisition of values.

Scope of Work Under the overall supervision of the office of the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, and direct supervision by the delegated Director responsible for Curriculum development at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the consultant will work alongside the team assigned to the curriculum development, implementation and assessment of Community Service Learning.

UNDAF output covered UNDAF: SRA Human Capital Development, Outcome 2.1 Outcome 2: An increased proportion of children aged 0 to 18, especially girls from most disadvantaged counties, informal settlements and those affected by humanitarian crisis, access quality, gender- sensitive ECD and education services, with increased transition to secondary education.

Output 2.3: Moe has improved capacity to develop, review and implement gender-equitable education policy, including curriculum reform and strengthened information management, to improve learning outcomes and develop life skill for employment for girls and boys

Activities and Specific Tasks The Consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks: 1. Development of Community Service Learning programmes, resource materials and assessment tools:  Conduct a comprehensive review of CSL external and internally produced content and resources, design of courses and programmes and other relevant existing documents on the curriculum and make recommendations on revisions in order to improve the Curriculum designs.  Work collaboratively with the KICD under the guidance of the Director Curriculum Development and subject specialists to design and develop programmes, resource materials, evaluation/assessment tools to enhance implementation of CSL;  Support the design and development of teaching guidelines for CSL following outlines provided by the subject specialists and in close collaboration with experts from the private sector to be pre-tested in order to ensure innovative and effective national curricula.  Develop evaluation/assessment tools in close collaboration with Kenya National Examinations Council. Advising on and coordinating the integration of technology in the curriculum ensuring that the learners are equipped with the 21st Century skills.

 Work with the Curriculum Officers to Identify and consult with relevant stakeholders (teachers, learners, other education officials) to facilitate the development of resource materials for community service learning.  Ensure the designed CSL programmes have linkages to existing job market analyses, TVET and apprenticeship programs that will support all children and young people in developing skills and competencies including the development of entrepreneurial and employability skills.  Ensure that the designed programmes place necessary emphasis on the holistic development of the learners that encompasses both their cognitive and socio-emotional development.

2. Development of an implementation plan and conduct a pilot phase of the community service learning:  Advise and support on the field-testing/piloting, and evaluation of CSL programmes  Guide the development of the monitoring and evaluation framework and tools with clear indicators for data collection to assess the progress of the programmes on CSL  Ensuring that the pilot phase is planned in a well-defined manner and a detailed work plan is prepared and implemented by the concerned teams.  Support training of teachers on all the developed materials (syllabi, content and evaluation tools) and teaching methodologies (active learning methodology) appropriate to the proposed target group in the pilot phase.  Advise on the design of the needed professional development (pre and In-Service Training) of teachers and any other relevant officials. A capacity building plan is needed for the transfer of knowledge and skills.

3. Coordination and reporting:  Facilitating reflection sessions, key meetings and workshops within the work plan with various stakeholders from the private and public sector as well as actors from the civil society.  Convening, preparing, reporting on all working sessions and meetings related to this programme.  Drafting required documents and other materials as needed with input from targeted stakeholders and experts (e.g. power point presentations, group exercises, case studies, etc.).  Preparing monthly reports to showcase progress on the agreed deliverables and flag any pending matters.

Work relationships The consultant is expected to be available during the entire duration of the five months assignment. Within KCO, the consultant will work closely with the Education Specialist (Policy) and support upstream engagements on CSL. Since the tasks of the consultant are targeting development of CSL programmes under CBC, resource materials and evaluation/assessment tools, he/she will be expected to have a working arrangement with the CSL curriculum development technical team at KICD, assessment specialists at KNEC, CBC Technical Working Group led by KICD. The CBC TWG includes members from KICD, TSC, KNEC, Directorate of Quality Assurance and other relevant organizations.

The consultant will have access to the required documents to complete the assignment. The consultant will develop tools for all the tasks and guide the subject specialists in their respective tasks and the piloting of the tools in selected schools.

The consultant will have the opportunity to conduct field visits at County and Sub county levels, that have been arranged with the respective Technical team at KICD. The plan of the travel arrangements will be incorporated in the work plan and travel costs as agreed in the contract. The Ministry of Education will facilitate the required support to implement the consultancy with required approvals and access to education SAGAs and Agencies.

Output/Expected Deliverables and Timeframe

Tasks/Milestones

Deliverable/Output

Timeframe

Review of existing Programmes and resources on community service-learning and development of a workplan based on the scope of work.

Desk review report and a work plan

3 weeks

Development of CSL programme

Designed programme framework

End of month 2

Development of CSL teaching and learning materials

Teachers guidebook/resource materials etc.

End of month 2

Development of CSL subject assessment/evaluation tools

Assessment tool/exam

End of month 3

Training of teachers and other education officials on the CSL Pilot

ToT training modules

End of month 4

Piloting of the programmes in schools

Pilot phase report

End of month 5

Submission of a final report including key findings, challenges & lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations. The consultant will also prepare a power point presentation of the final report covering key findings, conclusions and recommendations for further use by MoE and UNICEF. She/he will also submit an executive summary in form of a brief 4-pager outlining key findings, challenges, and way forward of CSL programmes in Kenya.

Final Report, power point presentation and 4-pager executive summary.

End of month 5

*Note: payment is on satisfactory completion of deliverables duly authorized by the Supervisor of contract

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics The Consultant will be responsible for their own logistics of telecommunications, printing of documentation, etc. Travel by the consultant will be based on the approved work plan and reimbursed through a Fund Commitment, based on actual travel costs with prior approval by UNICEF. This is a full-time consultancy therefore the consultant is expected to be available during working hours. A suitable office space will be provided for the consultant when s/he is working from KICD premises. The Ministry will provide access to all relevant documentation and contact details of all relevant stakeholders and distribution lists. It will also facilitate access to all the SAGAs, agencies, County and Sub County offices for the effective delivery of the assignment.

Minimum Qualifications Required • Advanced degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Education, Public Policy (or a related field). • PhD degree in a field related to curriculum design and development is an added advantage.

Knowledge/ Expertise/ Skills Required Core competencies: • Extensive knowledge in curriculum development process. • Profound knowledge of theories, techniques, and methodologies of curriculum and instructional design and proven experience in the competence-based approach. • Proven experience in development of community service learning programmes is preferred. Technical Competencies: • Excellent report writing, communication and presentation skills both orally and in writing. • Strong interpersonal, leadership, and motivational skills • Skills in evaluation processes that determine program effectiveness • Possess excellent planning and coordination skills. • Excellent time management and organizational skills. • Ability to provide timely and accurate advice on curriculum issues. • Be proficient in the use of Microsoft Word and Excel.

Experience: • At least ten (10) years’ experience in leading a curriculum development process at a national level. • Minimum of 10 years of experience in developing institutional capacities and providing technical assistance in the field of curricula design, development, preparation and implementation. • Experience in practicing and implementing developing curriculum specific methodology. • Proven experince in the competency-based approach. • Experience working internationally including within the Commonwealth. • Experience working within Development agencies preferably in government systems • Experience working within Education sector and Ministries of Education

Languages: Proficiency in English is a requirement.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply online using the button below. As part of their application, candidates should provide:

1. A cover letter that specifies how you meet the desired competencies, technical background and experience (no more than 2 pages)
2. A short CV (no more than 4 pages)
3. A financial proposal that should include the total fees for the assignment
4. Evidence of experience working internationally and nationally

Candidates with questions about the opportunity should contact Janeanne Kiviu at jkiviu@unicef.org