International Consultancy: Training on education in emergencies

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,

Guinea-Bissau has a small but young and rapidly growing population, estimated at 1.9 million in 2019, of which about 54% is under 20 years old (World Bank). The country is among the poorest countries in the world, ranking 175 out of 189 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index (UNDP, 2022). Guinea-Bissau is also classified as a fragile state and is ranked 27th on the list of most fragile states on the 2021 Fragile State Index (FFP, 2021) due to persistent political instability. This high fragility has been worsened by COVID-19 and weakened the ability of government institutions to provide basic services for the most vulnerable boys, girls, and their families. Guinea Bissau is ranked 4th on the 2021 global report on the impact of climate crisis on children for the Children’s Climate Risk Index (UNICEF, 2021).

Women and children in Guinea-Bissau have limited access to quality basic education. In 2019 (MICS6), the net attendance rate for primary education was 69% (70% for girls), and only 9% for lower secondary (8.7 for girls). The rate of out-of-school children of primary education school age was 27.7% (26.4% for girls) and 23% (26% for girls) for lower secondary education. The completion rates are also particularly low for both primary and lower secondary education, respectively 27% and 17%. The skill levels of children in Guinea Bissau is quite low. Only 12 per cent of children aged 7-14 years old have basic skills in reading and only 7 per cent in numeracy. Moreover, 1 out of 2 young people are illiterate. The literacy rate among 15–25-year-old was 48% in 2019 (46% for young women). There are strong inequalities by area of residence and by economic quintile, with those who are wealthier or live in an urban area having higher rates.

The COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent closure of schools in 2020 had a further negative impact on access and learning. Although data remains scarce, evidence strongly suggests that there have been significant losses in terms of access to education and levels of learning outcomes. Nearly 500,000 children were affected by school closure, including 319,176 at a pre-school level.

UNICEF Guinea-Bissau aims at continuing providing technical and financial assistance to the MoE to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other crisis, building on the awareness and experience brought by the response to covid to prepare and anticipate the system in the face of other unexpected circumstances.

In 2021, with financial support from the Global Partnership for Education, UNICEF supported the Ministry of Education (MoE) to implement the National Contingency Plan for the education sector to enable the sector to effectively address the impact of the public health crisis in education. A key component of the COVID-19 grant aims to increase knowledge sharing and capacity building for both the current response and future pandemics. As such, capacity building activities have been planned to increase the capacity of Ministry of Education staff at the national and regional levels in the areas of education in emergencies, disaster risk reduction, and disaster preparedness.

How can you make a difference?

The main objective of the consultancy is to design and implement a 5-day in person workshop for 80 staff from the Ministry of Education (MEN) on education in emergencies (EiE), including risk informed programming as part of comprehensive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and preparedness strategies development for the education sector. The goal is to increase individual and institutional capacity on how to plan for, and respond to, education in emergencies. This includes strengthening theoretical and practical knowledge to reduce risks, to reduce the impact of emergencies on the education sector, and to ensure continued access to safe, quality education and learning during emergency situations.

Expected Results

The expected short-term results are:

1. Strengthened theoretical knowledge and understanding of EiE and comprehensive disaster risk reduction and education sector preparedness strategies for education sector technical staff:
   1. Disaster risk reduction commitments under the 2030 Agenda, including concepts of systemic risk, resilient schools, and disaster risk reduction education;
   2. Comprehensive school safety framework (CSSF);
   3. Principles of educational action in humanitarian contexts, including the development-humanitarian nexus and global coordinating bodies and policy frameworks (e.g. Global Education Cluster, Inter-Agency Standing Committee [IASC])
   4. International Network of Education in Emergencies (INEE) Minimum Standards of Education in Emergency Situations (Domain 1: Foundational Standards; Domain 2: Access and Learning Environment; Domain 3: Teaching and Learning; Domain 4: Teachers and Other Education Personnel; Domain 5: Education Policy)
   5. Key emergency education planning cycles and tools (e.g. risk informed programming, IASC’s humanitarian programme cycle, various types of needs assessments, etc.)
   6. Typology of disasters and their impact on the education system.

2. Improved applied use of basic comprehensive risk reduction and preparedness strategies and concepts including:

3. how to integrate DRR into the development of national, regional, and local disaster risk management plans for the education sector;

4. how to support schools and communities to reduce risks and prepare for emergencies;
5. how to implement the fundamentals of risk-informed programming;
6. how to conduct needs assessments;
7. how to best plan and allocate financial, human, and logistical resources during educational responses in disaster contexts;
8. Develop and implement a budget to support learning continuity in an emergency situation;
9. How to implement effective cross-sectorial activities during crisis situations (e.g .school health and safety protocols, child protection, WASH, nutrition, cash transfers)
10. How to ensure strong monitoring and evaluation of EiE and DRR activities.

The expected medium-term results are:

1. The institutional capacity of MEN in comprehensive risk reduction and preparedness strategies is strengthened.
2. to strengthen the preparedness, mitigation, recovery and response capacities of the education sector and communities to disaster risks through disaster risk reduction education, school disaster management and safe learning facilities.
3. MEN have a strengthened ability to plan, monitor, implement and evaluate education in emergency (EiE) activities.

Methodology

The proposed training will take place over five days in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. The training will have a maximum of 80 technical staff from the Ministry of Education. This will include central-level staff, as well as technical staff from the 11 education regions.

The main teaching method to facilitate learning will be interactive lectures with slide presentations. However, the training should link theory and course content with the application of EiE principles in practice, with relevant case studies for the target group. Due to the large number of students, other training strategies should be considered, such has breakout rooms should be used give participants a more interactive way to engage with the content.

Activities and Tasks

1. Development of the validated training programme, which will include:
   1. A training agenda with clearly defined training activities and times for all five days of the training;
   2. PowerPoints for each of the themes of the themes outlined in the training programme;
   3. Pre-training orientation for participants regarding the information that participants should prepare in advance;
   4. Prepare and conduct (including preparation of agenda, program and facilitation tools)
   5. A training guide for participants;
   6. A model of emergency a model of emergency preparedness plan, including its implementation roadmap;
   7. Pre- and post-tests for all participants to assess the extent of their learning thanks to the course;
   8. At least one round of technical feedback and inputs from both UNICEF and counterparts at the Ministry of Education.
2. Implementation of the in-person training activities over five days with up to 80 staff from MEN.
3. Submission of a final report on the training, including summaries of key discussions, findings from the pre- and post-tests, and recommendations for future areas of capacity building based on course discussions and the evaluation.

Geographic Scope

The consultancy will be mostly based in Bissau, with some preparatory work that can take place at home. The five-day training will take place at an event space in Bissau.

Work Plan

Key deliverables

Tasks

Timeframe

1. Development of the validated training programme

2. A training agenda with clearly defined training activities and times for all five days of the training;

3. PowerPoints for each of the themes of the themes outlined in the training programme;
4. Pre-training orientation for participants regarding the information that participants should prepare in advance;
5. Prepare and conduct (including preparation of agenda, program and facilitation tools);
6. A training guide for participants;
7. A model of emergency a model of emergency preparedness plan, including its implementation roadmap;
8. Pre- and post-tests for all participants to assess the extent of their learning thanks to the course;
9. At least one round of technical feedback and inputs from both UNICEF and counterparts at the Ministry of Education

10 days online, and by the 2nd week of June

2. Completed training for 80 technical staff (MOV: signed attendance lists)

Implementation of the in-person training activities over five days with up to 80 staff from MEN.

5 days in Bissau, during the 3rd week of June

3. Submission of a final report on the training.

Final report including:

1. Summaries of key discussions;
2. Findings from the pre- and post-tests; and
3. Recommendations for future areas of capacity building based on course discussions and the evaluation

3 days online

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

• Bachelor’s degree (required) or Master’s degree (preferred) in one of the following area: Education, Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Adult Education, Statistics, Health, or another related field in the Social Sciences or Sciences.
• A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in the areas of education in emergencies, disaster risk reduction, and emergency preparedness planning;
• Experience facilitating and leading trainings and workshops on education in emergencies, disaster risk reduction, and emergency preparedness;
• Experience and technical knowledge of relevant technical areas, such as the INEE Minimum Standards, the Global Education Cluster, and other coordination mechanisms;
• Experience of the education sector of Guinea-Bissau or countries with similar contexts is desirable;
• Proficient in using MS Word and PowerPoint and other training tools ;
• Highly developed communication skills and proven ability to work with stakeholders with different technical backgrounds;
• Professional proficiency in Portuguese required and proficiency in English or French is desirable.
• Experience working with the UN (United Nations) or similar development agencies is desirable.

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).