Individual Consultant for Impact of languages and language policies on children's learning outcomes - Kathmandu, Nepal Country Office ( Open for both International and National Consultant)

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

The progress in learning in schools continue to remain a serious concern. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the reading proficiency of Grade 3 children was only 14.6 per cent in 2018. It has also been estimated that an additional 0.8-1.5 million children are at risk of not completing their school education as they have fallen behind their age-grade appropriate learning level and (NEC 2020). These figures are broadly corroborated by the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) which found that only 39 per cent of 7-14-year-old children had acquired foundational reading skills.

To address this learning crisis, strong language skills must play an important role as language serves as a primary medium for communication, thinking and understanding. However, in a diverse country like Nepal with over 130 languages, choosing the right language for classroom teaching and learning can be a challenge. A mismatch between the language spoken at home and the language in school can have several negative consequences, including increased chances of repetition and dropping out (MILE, 2015). There is inequality of opportunity in such learning situations because those who speak the language of the school can start learning from the first day, while the others must first learn the foreign code.

Quality education makes sense if delivered in a language that children are most comfortable with. However, most education systems in South Asia, including Nepal, are not necessarily equipped to ensure millions of children learn in their own language, hence limiting their ability to develop foundations for learning. According to UNESCO’s estimates, as much as 40% of the global population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand (Global Education Monitoring Report-Policy Paper 24, Feb 2016).

National and global evidence suggest that language, ethnicity and poverty can interact to produce an extremely high risk of being left behind. Evidence also suggests that students from poor households who speak a minority language at home are among the lowest performers, while using the home language as language of instruction has far positive impact on learning across the board.

How can you make a difference?

The main objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive and analytical review of various policies and practice related to the use of different languages for instruction in classroom teaching, identify factors within it that could enable (or hinder) the all-round development of a child with a special focus on their cognitive skills and foundational literacy skills and identify its impact on their learning. Based on this review, the consultant will present recommendations that could inform appropriate policies on language of instruction and strategies for appropriate interventions in Nepal.

The consultancy seeks to generate evidence and add to the body of existing knowledge around early grades literacy and multilingual education, and their association with learning in Nepal. In particular, the assignment will reflect and make analysis of the following questions: 1. What is the rationale for using children’s first languages, or the language they are most familiar with, in the early years beginning with early childhood education, and how does this impact foundational learning outcomes for children in Nepal? 2. How has Nepal’s language policies responded to children’s need for cognitive development and learning? 3. What are the barriers to obtain learning outcomes for children who speak a different language at home than what is used for teaching? 4. What enabling conditions are put in place to support the provision for implementing mother tongue medium of instruction or multilingual education in early childhood education and development? 5. How has the federal, provincial and local governments responded to meeting children’s need for learning in a language they are most familiar with especially in early grades? 6. What are the critical areas of interventions for implementing multilingual education or mother tongue medium education in Nepal? 7. How have relevant stakeholders been engaged in the implementation of multilingual education or mother tongue medium education in schools of Nepal? 8. How can the government and other stakeholders in Nepal advance their work for using children’s first languages in the primary years, while putting in place appropriate policies and strategies for different language contexts?

The activities under this consultancy will include, but not limited to, the following -

• Undertake a comprehensive and analytical review of the available literature and data related to early learning and multilingual education in Nepal, and other developing countries, that is relevant to the study
• Map out existing initiatives done by the government and other development partners on multilingual education
• Review existing policies, reports, and relevant documents on medium of instruction and multilingual education
• Revisit recommendations from the Medium of Instruction and Languages in Education (MILE) report and map progress
• Develop relevant tools (quantitative and qualitative) that can assess students’ learning and learning processes in different language contexts and use these tools to collect and analyse relevant data related to children’s learning outcomes and the impact of the language used in classroom teaching
• Analyse available and relevant secondary data related to students’ learning outcomes in different language contexts
• Interact with relevant stakeholders (policy makers, policy implementers, teachers, parents and students) to collect information to support the study
• Final reporting Note: Regular engagement with the study committee including CEHRD, Language Commission and UNICEF will be required to discuss and seek feedback on the accomplishments of key milestones and the progress made.

Duration of Contract: The total duration of the contract is for 4 months tentatively starting from 1 October 2022.

Duty station: TBoth national and international consultant will be working remotely. The national consultant may need to travel to field as and when required under this assignment.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks****Deliverables****Timeline****Proposed Fee (Nepalese Currency)Discussion and review of deliverables and submission of an activity plan with timelines

Meetings with committee members to discuss evaluation tools to be used during the study

Submission of timeline and milestones

Submission of draft tools

By 15th October 2022 Finalize toolsSubmission of final toolsBy 25th October 2022 Data collection using approved tools, interaction with different stakeholders, possible field visitsSubmission of progress reportThroughout Nov 2022 Analysis of data collected

Discussions on data collected with committee members

Draft report submission for feedback

Submission of draft report By 30th Dec 2022 Finalize report

Submission of final reportBy 31st Jan 2023 To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Qualification and experience requirement for International Consultant is as below:

Education:

Advanced University degree in management, public health, nutrition, health economics, Agriculture, social science, or a related field with more than five years of work experience particularly in nutrition and multisector program designing of Government at national and international levels engaging policymakers and Development partners (DPs) at national and sub-national levels.

Experience:

• Minimum Masters’ degree, PhD preferred, in education and experience in a related area.
• A minimum of ten years of demonstrated capacity and experience in developing and evaluating education programmes, preferably those funded by UN agencies
• Good knowledge of multilingual education and the impact of languages in children’s learning outcomes
• Good written and oral communication skills and openness and willingness to interact with different stakeholders
• Extensive knowledge of the national education and training system is an added advantage
• Understanding of the education system and local context in Nepal will be an added advantage
• Experience working with government ministries including the Ministry of Education in developing countries

Qualification and experience requirement for National Consultant is as below:

Education

Minimum Masters’ degree, PhD preferred, in education and experience in a related area.

Experience

A minimum of ten years of demonstrated capacity and experience in developing and evaluating education programmes, preferably those funded by UN agencies

Good knowledge of the principles of multilingual education

Good knowledge of the education system in Nepal

Experience of working with local governments and community schools

Good written and oral communication skills and openness and willingness to interact with different stakeholders

Extensive knowledge of the national education and training system is an added advantage

Willing to travel to UNICEF’s working areas if needed

Experience working with government ministries including the Ministry of Education in developing countries

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Request to submit financial proposal as per deliverable in Nepalese currency.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates from under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.

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.