Individual National Consultancy: Support to Ministry of Education and Sports in COVID-19 Recovery and Education in Emergencies (EiE)

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 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,

UNICEF in Vientiane, Lao PDR is looking for an Individual National Consultancy: Support the Ministry of Education and Sports in COVID-19 Recovery and Education in Emergencies (EiE). The duration of this assignment is 11.5 months, starting from 30 July 2022 to 15 July 2023. The consultant will be based in the Ministry of Education and Sports and partly at the UNICEF Office. Agreement to work a remotely/at home for certain days has to be agreed upon with UNICEF and MoES, based on government guidelines on mitigation efforts for COVID-19.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Support Education COVID-19 response implementation, coordination and monitoring towards learning recovery

This will include support to:

• Plan and collaborate with MoES and development partners to develop and implement COVID-19 education response and mitigation activities supported by UNICEF.
• Coordinate with MoES, provincial and district education offices and other development partners in the design and implementation of COVID-19 response activities to ensure effective implementation and maximize synergies with activities supported by development partners.
• Arrange and participate in meetings and events, and support facilitation, preparation of presentations, translation and note taking.
• Support activities to ensure schools can operate safely and follow public health and safety measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in schools, including risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) efforts. This also requires support to coordination with the Ministry of Health and WHO.
• Implement and monitor activities designed to provide continuity of learning options for students amidst the pandemic including printing of learning resources as take-home materials, educational programmes for TV and online, and digital learning options. This includes catch-up remedial support for students lagging behind due to prolonged school closures and capacity development support for teachers and education staff to deliver remote and hybrid learning.
• Support day-to-day operationalization of the MoES COVID-19 / Emergency Response Secretariat

Output: Effective and efficient support provided to MoES to implement and monitor COVID-19 response and recovery interventions. Meetings and events organized and relevant information/data collected. MoES COVID-19 /Emergency Response Secretariat supported to function effectively.

2. Support to strengthen emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction for the Education sector, including integration of climate action activities

This will include support to:

• Plan and collaborate with MoES and development partners to develop and implement EiE and DRR activities under the leadership of MoES. This includes strengthening emergency preparedness at the school and community level, and capacity development for teachers, village education development committee (VEDC) members, and provincial and district education staff on DRR. Partnerships with INGOs may be mobilized to support implementation.
• Support in the coordination functions as co-lead of the Education Cluster with MoES and Save the Children, and in the inter-agency coordination mechanism.
• Support integration of climate action to the UNICEF Education programme and delivery of interventions
• Support education response to other emergencies, as needed

Output: Effective and efficient support provided to strengthen emergency preparedness and DRR in in the Education sector, including integration of climate action activities. Meetings organized and relevant information/data collected related to implementation of EiE and DRR activities.

3. Participate in meetings, workshops, field visits, and advocacy and other related events

   The consultant will participate in meetings, workshops, field visits, events including internal MoES meetings, inter-sectoral meetings, Education Cluster meetings, Education Sector Working Group (ESWG) meetings, etc. The consultant will join field visits as well as advocacy and other related events. As needed, the consultant will prepare brief updates/key points from the meetings and field visits and share with relevant UNICEF Education staff and MoES.

   Output: Participation in relevant meetings, workshops, events and field visits, and brief updates from the meetings and monitoring visits.

4. Support MoES and UNICEF in preparation and finalization of donor reports

   The consultant will provide timely inputs to donor reports and other reports as part of UNICEF reporting requirements. This includes follow-up with relevant MoES departments and Development Partners/Education Cluster members to get the most updated information for the preparation of reports. This includes inputs to the final Lao PDR GPE COVID-19 Accelerated Fund managed by UNICEF as Grant Agent. The consultant will also liaise closely with MoES ESSC/EMIS Unit, the Department of General Education, Cabinet Office and other relevant MoES departments to get the most updated information and data.

Output: Timely inputs and data/information provided for the preparation of reports as part of UNICEF reporting requirements.

5. Support MoES prepare and process funding and supply requests to UNICEF in line with the UN Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT)

   The consultant will support MoES concerned departments and provincial and district offices prepare funding and supply request to UNICEF in line with the HACT. The support will also include support to MoES prepare liquidation reports as well as undertake financial quality assurance checks, e.g. spot checks, programmatic monitoring visits.

Outputs: Timely processing of funding and supply requests and financial liquidation reports

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

The consultant is expected to hold a degree in education/international development or any related field. S/he must have at least five years of experience working in the education sector, including in supporting emergency responses. S/he must be familiar with the education development context in Lao PDR, including MoES structure and functions, and education development partners. S/he must be fluent in both English and Lao language with excellent verbal and writing skills in both languages. S/he must have an excellent knowledge of Lao culture and language. S/he should be adaptable and flexible in their working approach.

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit applications electronically and include the following documents:

• Letter of Interest (cover letter)
• CV or Resume
• Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available)
• Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost as per the work assignment.

Assessment Criteria:

As part of the evaluation and selection, a Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment. This involves assessment of

a) Technical Qualification (max. 100 points) weight 70%

• Relevant education/degree (20 points)
• Experience working in the education sector in Lao PDR, including supporting emergency responses (50 points)
• Fluency in both English and Lao languages (30 points)

b) Financial Proposal (max. 100 points) weight 30 %

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened /evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 70 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The applicants should provide medical insurance covering medical evacuation for the whole duration of the assignment -as part of the financial proposal submission.

The Contract shall be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview, if required.

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 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).