International Consultancy to provide support to the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan in Capacity Development for In-service Training in Climate Change Adaptation in the country

Contract

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Background

Climate change and environmental degradation undermine the rights of every child. Climate change is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive. Children are the most vulnerable to diseases that will become more widespread as a result of climate change, such as malaria and dengue fever. For children who are already disadvantaged, the stakes are even higher. Poorer families have a harder time coping with threats. The most vulnerable are already losing their homes, health and education. And as climate change makes crises more common, it becomes harder to recover from them.

The United Nations recognizes the Climate Change as one of the most important global issue today. Addressing the challenges of environmental sustainability is imperative for UNICEF to fulfil its mandate and protect the world’s most vulnerable children. Unless we act forcefully to stem the climate crisis now, the danger will only escalate. It is a prospect so painful to imagine that many people would rather not think about it. But action must begin with knowledge and understanding. It means educating children to adapt to the immediate challenges of climate change – and to understand the role that they will be called on to play.

Therefore, education is considered as an essential component and a catalyst for responding to global climate change. Article 6 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) encourages Parties to promote, develop and implement educational, training and public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects. Article 12 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change also stimulates Parties to cooperate in enhancing climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information.

Towards this and to further support the efforts of the Government of Turkmenistan on Climate Change and Environment (CCEE), UNICEF CO developed and introduced the Climate Change, Environment and Energy Curriculum with an active engagement of the Ministry of Education. In 2019, the CCEE Curriculum was incorporated into the environment related subjects, such as Nature study, Basics of life skills, Ecology, Geography, Agriculture. As the follow up, the Teacher Training Manuals to introduce the interactive methods of teaching and to strengthen the teaching/learning practices of the CCEE Curriculum were developed and submitted to the Ministry of education for its further consideration and incorporation into the education system of Turkmenistan.

To ensure consistency, the last intervention has to be made to develop the Climate Change Adaptation in-service training course to upgrade the knowledge and strengthen the capacities of the schoolteachers on advanced interactive teaching methodology of the CCEE Curriculum. A significant part of the training course will be the application of the innovative teaching methods and tools. It is envisaged that the developed CCA in-service training course will be further incorporated into the training courses exercised by the National Institute of Education and the Methodological-training Centers across the country. It will ensure further promotion of the CCEE topics country-wide and afford to use more active teaching methods by teachers, when demonstrated/supported by the methodologists/inspectors of the Ministry of Education. It is envisaged that the CCA in-service training course will be developed on the basis of the CCEE Curriculum and the Teacher Training Manuals.

Due to the above context, UNICEF is seeking an International Consultant to develop training materials to promote “Capacity Development for In-service Training in Climate Change Adaptation in the country to further support the Climate Change, Environment and Energy curriculum implementation”. It is expected the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education of Turkmenistan and the Methodological-training Center in Ashgabat will be engaged into the development of training materials.

Purpose of the assignment

To design and introduce the in-service training materials on Climate Change Adaptation for Children. The training materials should be linked to the Climate Change, Environment and Energy curriculum and the Teacher Training Manuals developed and introduced to the Government of Turkmenistan in 2018 and 2019.

Specific tasks:

1. Undertake a desk review of the relevant Turkmenistan’s curriculum, if available;
2. Provide a comprehensive analysis of the existing curriculum and identify the gaps in terms of methodology and practices of interactive teaching/learning Climate Change, Environment and Energy topics in in-service training in the country;
3. Develop training materials on Climate Change Adaptation for children for in-service training of the schoolteachers, methodologists, inspectors and velayat/etrap level education specialists;
4. Conduct skype calls/online meetings with the local partners to discuss the drafted training materials and collect the opinions of the stakeholders. The skype calls/online meetings will be organized with selected representatives of the Ministry of Education, National Institute of Education, Methodological Center for in-service capacity development of the schoolteachers in the country;
5. Develop and submit the Final Report and the developed training materials.

Workplan and deliverables

The consultancy duration is 20 working days, covering the period of 19 October – 20 November 2020. The distribution of days by tasks is suggested below. The consultant is expected to work home-based with skype/online meetings with the key partners.

Tasks

Days

Locations

Deliverables and target delivery dates

specific delivery dates and details as to how the work must be delivered (e.g. electronic submission, hard copy), subdivided into “milestones” where appropriate

1.

• Undertake online meeting with the representatives of the MoE, the National Institute of Education & the Methodological-training Center in Ashgabat to familiarize with the current state of affairs;
• Undertake desk review of the relevant curriculum, if available;
• Provide a comprehensive analysis of the existing curriculum and identify the gaps in terms of methodology and practices of interactive teaching/learning Climate Change, Environment and Energy topics in in-service training in the country;

5 working days (home-based)

19 – 23 October 2020

(with the online meetings if needed)

26 October 2020

To provide Interim Report with the outcomes of the analysis;

2.

• Develop the training materials on Climate Change Adaptation for children for in-service training of the schoolteachers, methodologists, inspectors and education specialists;

10 working days (home-based)

26 October – 06 November 2020

09 November 2020

To provide drafted training materials;

3.

• Conduct skype call/online meeting with the local partners to present and discuss the drafted training materials and collect the opinions of the stakeholders.

1 working day

09 – 13 November 2020; (to be agreed with the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education, the Training-Methodological Center of Ashgabat city)

4.

• To revise the drafted materials in line with the comments/observations made by the key partners during the skype/online meeting;
• To develop and submit the Final Report and training materials;

4 working days (home-based)

16 – 19 November 2020;

20 November 2020;

Submission of the Final Report and training materials;

Please find below the ToR for details: 2020-09-14_TOR_CCA_In-service training course_final.docx