Expert for monitoring the quality of the capacity building programme (Pre-school Education)

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 10 Sep 2021 at 21:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF’s office is accessible to a certain extent, and employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations that are needed for ensuring equitable working conditions.

Early childhood education and care is a right of all children. The Government of Serbia has recognized that Quality ECEC programs play a critical role in laying the necessary foundation for skills development early on, and for narrowing the equity gap in education access and performance. As a result, the Government committed to improving the access to quality ECEC, with a focus on children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds for all children ages 0 to 6.5 years.

In order to strengthen the capacities of pre-school teachers for the implementation of the new pre-school curriculum framework (PCF), the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MoESTD) is adding about 17,000 preschool spaces for children and has, in cooperation with UNICEF, rolled out a comprehensive capacity building programme for 12,000 pre-school teachers. The main components of the capacity building program are combining the following approaches: 1) blended training (classical training and E-learning online) using active learning methods, 2) mentoring; 3) peer learning and horizontal exchange within the kindergarten/pre-school institutions and between pre-school institutions. The capacity building program has been implemented in phases since 2019 until 2022, following the phased introduction of the new PCF as envisaged by the Rulebook on PCF.

The mechanism envisaged to reach so many teachers is the “cascade training model”. A pool of 90 trainers/mentors, consisting of university professors and preschool practitioners is established and trained to carry out the capacity building program for pre-school professionals, while the continuous supervision support is provided to ensure quality and timely professional support. So far, 5,000 preschool professionals (teachers, expert associates and directors) have participated in five days trainings and mentoring support have been provided to 33 preschools, while the two models of horizontal exchange have been developed.

It is envisaged that throughout the implementation process, the quality of the capacity building programme will be improved, based on the continuing monitoring. The focus of the monitoring is the quality of the capacity building programme in terms of its relevance, delivery (engagement of the participants), outcomes and further needs, etc. In the previous period, the monitoring framework, methodology and most of the instruments have been developed in consultation with the MoESTD and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy, and three monitoring reports were developed (on provision of trainings and mentoring support, that also includes readiness of teachers and preschool institutions for change, as well as the monitoring report on piloting of one of the models of horizontal learning- Professional Learning Community).

Work Assignment Overview:

The consultant will work in close cooperation with the National Monitoring Expert who developed the Monitoring Framework and instruments for the implementation of the monitoring framework. S/he will take part in monitoring the trainings, mentoring support and horizontal exchange, as well as in data processing and development of reports, in accordance with the agreed monitoring framework. The work will require visits to preschools which are part of the monitoring sample across Serbia during weekends.

Duration of the assignment: September 2021 – Dec 2022 (part-time, up to 30 workdays)

Detailed task description:

Task 1.

Monitor trainings for preschools that are part of the monitoring and evaluation sample.

Timeline: Sep 2021 – June 2022 (10 days)

Task 2.

Monitoring mentoring support provided to preschools that are part of the monitoring and evaluation sample.

Timeline: Sep 2021 – June 2022 (10 days)

Task 3.

Monitoring horizontal learning between preschools.

Timeline: Dec 2021 – June 2022 (5 days)

Task 4.

Participating in data processing and development of reports.

Timeline: Dec 2021 – June 2022 (5 days)

Deliverables: Quarterly reports on monitoring

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

  • University degree in Education, Pre-school Education, Early Childhood Development, Pedagogy, Psychology, Sociology, Special Pedagogy or other fields of Social Studies and Humanities.
  • At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in education policy and practice in Serbia.
  • At least 5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation.
  • Excellent knowledge of all regulations in the field of preschool education in the Republic of Serbia.
  • Basic computer skills (MS Office - Word, Power Point, Excel, Internet).
  • Capacity to maintain focus on priorities and deliverables, in the face of pressure, or when things do not go according to the plan.
  • Ability to demonstrate flexibility, developing alternate plans in rapidly changing situations, uncertainty and adversity.
  • Fluency in both Serbian and English.

How to apply:

The application must include a financial proposal in RSD as a separate document, providing the following information:

  1. Daily rate (all costs included e.g. health insurance, pension, usage of mobile phone),
  2. Daily travel allowance for an overnight stay in Serbia (including accommodation),
  3. Transportation cost per km (for travel within Serbia).

Important notes:

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

For every child, you must demonstrate UNICEF's core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org