Consultancy – Technical Support on Foundational Learning, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), Bangkok, Thailand

Contract

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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 fulfilling 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, a better future

UNICEF works to ensure the rights of all children in the East Asia and Pacific Region. This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

• survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
• development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
• protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
• participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

The Education Section at UNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office is seeking an individual consultant to support the Education team of UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) and Country Offices to shape, strengthen and advance its work on improving children’s foundational learning.

The purpose of this consultancy is to support EAPRO and Country Offices in the region to help advance UNICEF’s progress in advancing foundational learning these priority actions by taking stock of current progress, encouraging technical exchange and capacity building around effective practices and generating policy level discussion. Specifically, the purpose of this consultancy is to:

1) Compile, review, generate and/or share global and regional technical evidence and guidance on effective practices in advancing foundational learning programming and policies, including multi-lingual education, with a focus on priority gaps identified by COs;

2) Facilitate cross-country policy dialogue discussion on priority thematic issues, including multi-lingual education, around improving foundational learning;

3) Contribute to applying evidence from SEA-PLM to advancing policy discussions on foundational learning in the region

Work assignment (remote/ home-based modality, with travel expected in the region), Expected deliverable and Delivery schedule:

Deliverable 1a. Analytic report highlighting critical areas of progress, gaps and key priorities for foundational learning programming in the region, including a desk review and survey of country office foundational learning programming, building on the global survey. (10-15 pages)

Delivery schedule: May 2024

Deliverable 1b. Regional webinar #1 and thematic brief to share global evidence and experience on strengthening teacher capacity to nurture foundational literacy and numeracy skills (theme to be confirmed based on finding in 1a.)

Delivery schedule: April 2024

Deliverable 1c. Regional webinar #2 and thematic brief to share global evidence and experience on strengthening teacher capacity on formative assessment (theme to be confirmed based on finding in 1a.)

Delivery schedule: September 2024

Deliverable 1d. Coordination of technical guidance note on adapting large-scale assessment to multi-lingual contexts, to be produced by experts with coordination from consultant

Delivery schedule: February 2025

Deliverable 2a. Coordination of regional events technical and policy roundtable discussions on foundational learning for Ministries of Education, including a side event at APMED, high-level regional meeting on foundational learning policy on the side of HOM or other regional events and regional discussion of PISA results (TBC)

Delivery schedule: December 2024

Deliverable 2b. PPT presentation of UNICEF approach on MLE; Contribution to drafting a regional UNICEF approach paper on multi-lingual education as a strategy for improving foundational learning

Delivery schedule: June 2024

Deliverable 3a. SEA-PLM Knowledge product: Overview of SEA-PLM results 2022-2024 for policymakers

Delivery schedule: March 2024

Deliverable 3b. SEA-PLM Knowledge product: Three blogs/snapshots showcasing SEA-PLM data collection of Batch 1 countries

Delivery schedule: March-June 2024

Deliverable 3c.

- SEA-PLM Knowledge product: Four blogs/snapshots showcasing SEA-PLM data collection of Batch 2 countries

Delivery schedule: September-December 2024

- Helpdesk support for countries and EAPRO on other tasks related to foundational learning, including funding proposals

Delivery schedule: March 2024 - February 2025

Deliverable 3d. Helpdesk report #1

Delivery schedule: May 2024

Deliverable 3e. Helpdesk report #2

Delivery schedule: August 2024

Deliverable 3f. Helpdesk report #3

Delivery schedule: November 2024

Deliverable 3g. Helpdesk report #4

Delivery schedule: February 2025

Duration of Contract: March 2024 – February 2025

Duty Travel: Travels within the region may be required.

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

• Advanced degree in Education, and/or Social Sciences with relevant work experience.

• Minimum 5 years relevant professional experience, working on issues relating to education, learning, assessment, pedagogy and/or related fields in developing country contexts.

• Strong experience in providing technical assistance to government and partners organizations internationally required.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and previous experience communicating with partners at different levels. Excellent communication skills in English.

• Experience working in the East Asia Pacific region highly desirable.

• Experience working with UNICEF an asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, and proposed daily professional fee in USD by 10 January 2024.

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.

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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.

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 the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are 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.