International consultant on Competency-Based National Curriculum and Learning Assessment Frameworks with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

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, care.

Scope of Work:

UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of preschool and school education of the Republic of Uzbekistan in a curriculum reform since 2019 including through the drafting of Natinonal Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the development of a new curriculum for primary school with a shift in focus toward a competency-based approach, from what is taught and rote memorisation to what pupils learn, and the formation of competencies and 21st century skills. Implementation of the new curriculum remains ongoing with challenges related to planning, excution, and overal harmonisation of approaches between different initiatives at national level.

The shift from a content-driven current curriculum to a more competency-based learning approach would require reforming the associated approach to examinations and assessments of learning outcomes. A lack of an established tradition of pedagogy by which learning and teaching is informed by formative assessment has led to a significant capacity gap, impeding wider pedagogical reforms, and impacting on all levels of learning and teaching throughout Uzbekistan. This is compounded by the lack of vision and absence of comprehensive student assessment policy as well as legislative mechanisms to ensure consistent implementation of assesment practices.

Within the framework of the Global Partnership for Education, UNICEF supported the Goverment of Uzbekistan in the devleopment of a Partnership Compact for Education Reform 2023-2026, The Partnership Compact enabled not only the joint prioritization of education reform areas, but also the consolidation and coordination of the partnership between the Ministry of Pre-school and School Education and Development Partners agenda including in relation to curriculum support and assessment.

Supporting the operationalisation of the Partnership Compact, UNICEF’s Education section requires an international consultant to prove technical support in development of the Competency-Based National Curriculum Framework and in initiating the process of developing comprehensive Learning Assessment Framework , that will present holistic approach and integrate different types of student assessments with clear vision, principles, structure and mechnizms. Under the overall guidance of Chief of Education and the direct supervision of Education specialist and Education Officer, the International Consultant will:

• Technical leadership and coordination in planning of NCF finalization and initiating the process of developing Learning assessment framework through guiding the team of national experts.

• Consultations and sensitisation with key stakeholders including Local Education group (LEG) and the Compact Thematic Groups on Curriculum/TLM, Teacher Professional Development, and Assessment. This includes preparing and delivering presentations, drafting matrices setting out historic interventions, and current/future activities, and reports on consultations, detailing inputs from stakeholders.

• Support in the development of project proposals to be prepared by the Education Section ensuring an alignment with regard to the Compact document, National Curriculum Framework and Learning Assessment Policy.

Duration of assignment: June – December 2023

Work Assignments Overview:

• Introduction with a commissioning team (UNICEF, Ministry of Preschool and School Education) on the assignment
• Prepare detailed planning of tasks to implement the ToR
• Desk review of existing legislative and normative frameworks, current programmes, national statistics, conceptual frameworks, studies and evaluations.
• Inception visit and meetings with key counterparts to clarify expectations, scope, and methodology as well as existing challenges from perspective of different stakeholders.
• Conduct Functional Review of the Education System in relation to Curriculum and TLM development through the desk review and meetings with stakeholders
• Support in the development of project proposal to operationalize Partnership Compact including alignment to the Theory of Change developed with Partnership Compact for Strategic Reform in relation to use of digital portable solutions and inclusive schools as linked to reviewed NCF.
• Draft an explanatory note including criteria of quality of NCF, structure and outlines of NCF based on the Inception report
• Prepare presentation and handouts and conduct a validation workshop on aproach to Curriculum/TLM development
• Development of a Roadmap, setting out next steps, action points, and responsible parties, for the finalization and implementation of NCF, and associated Monitoring and Evaluation

• Prepare presentation and conduct a series of workshops to build national capacity and inform development of comprehensive learning assesment framework in relation to: - theoretical foundations regarding the assessment as an integral part of the educational system;

  • methodological foundations for designing and organizing the process for different types of assessment for primary, secondary and high school education;

  • description of the roles, principals, instruments, formats and methods for different types of assessments;

  • approaches to ensure that student assessment is inclusive and responsive to different learner needs;

  -how to use assessment data to inform and improve learning;

  • criteria of quality of Learning Assessment Framework.
• Prepare a Roadmap for development of Learning Assessment Framework and associated legislations; development of TORs for required international consultants and national working groups involved in the process.
• Preparation of final report on assignment

Deliverables and Timeline:

• Inception Report, including the following - 6 days

• Summary overview of background information of the current situation in Uzbekistan with regards to curriculum and assessment reform;

• Summary review of the best international practices in development of NCF and Assessment Policies with exemplars of - respective documents and analysis of their structure and key principles;

• supported by selecred Case Studies; and Detailed overview of tasks and methodology and associated Activity Plan;

• Matrices setting out historic interventions, and current/future activities, relating to Assessment, Teacher Professional Development, and Curriculum/Teaching and Learning Material Development - 2 days

• Presentations to inform consultations and sensitisation, drawing on content from Inception Report; and Report on consultations, detailing inputs from stakeholders - 2 days
• Functional Review of the Uzbekistan’s Education System in relation to Curriculum and TLM development - 6 days
• Project proposal with Theory of Change ensuring alignment to Curriculum and Assessment Reforms - 10 days
• Explanatory note, setting out criteria of quality of NCF, structure, and proposed outlines of NCF based on the Inception Report - 12 days
• Report on the validation workshop - 2 days
• Draft Roadmap for NCF finalization - 10 days
• Report on workshops conducted including case studies. All workshop materials, PPP, handouts, etc. Draft structure of future LAF, agreed with national experts - 10 days
• Roadmap for development of Learning Assessment Framework, Draft ToR for International Consultants and National Working Groups, and notes relating to potential approaches for ensuring legal mandate, and basis, for future reforms - 7 days
• Final report on assignment - 3 days

Total: 70 days

Travel:

The consultant will be required to travel to Tashkent.

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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

• Post-graduate degree in social sciences preferably in one of the specialized fields of education.
• Understanding of, and experience in curriculum development and competency-based education, including at international level, as well as in-depth knowledge and expertise in the field of assessment practices, and of drafting case-studies on exemplars of good practice.
• Experience in organizing and conducting trainings and workshops.
• Good knowledge of international students assessment programmes, such as PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, as well as international benchmarking approaches, and comparative international approaches to assessment.
• Good analytical and report writing skills

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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:

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. 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. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.