International consultant to provide technical support for strengthening the learning monitoring/evaluation system in the Sahrawi camps

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

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Terms of reference for the recruitment of an international consultant to provide technical support for strengthening the learning monitoring/evaluation system in the Sahrawi camps

Context

Sahrawi refugees have lived in five camps around Tindouf in Algeria for more than 45 years. They have a community-based education system that provides preschool, primary, and middle school education to approximately 40,000 children. Sahrawi schools adopt Algerian curricula in most disciplines and levels of education and children have the opportunity to pursue secondary education in Algerian schools once they complete primary education in the camps.

Since 2020, UNICEF has been supporting the Sahrawi education authorities with a view to strengthening the education planning and management system to better realize the right of Sahrawi children to quality education in line with the minimum standards of education in situations of humanitarian emergency and international commitments within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This support has enabled the development, adoption, and implementation of a five-year education strategy (2021-25) following a participatory process between stakeholders, informed by a set of analytical work including a situation analysis, a study on out-of-school children, and an assessment of the information system. This work led to the identification of the opportunities and challenges of the Sahrawi education system and the ways and means to be implemented to make it evolve towards more effectiveness and efficiency to better realize the right to education. for Sahrawi children.

One of the three pillars of this strategy is learning improvement. In this context, it is crucial to ensure that learning is adequately assessed to better inform the progress made and the actions to be taken to improve teaching and learning. Hence the need to conduct a review of the current learning monitoring/evaluation system to assess (i) its level of adequacy to inform in a relevant, valid, and reliable manner on the degree of achievement of the Sahrawi education system’ s established learning objectives, and (ii) the effectiveness of the mechanisms in place to remedy the shortcomings observed.

The Sahrawi education authorities have a learning assessment system comprising summative assessments (end-of-cycle exams administered to all students in the five camps according to the same standards and end-of-year and end-of-quarter exams administered under the same conditions for the pupils of each camp) and formative evaluations (continuous checks specific to each teacher in each class). The end-of-cycle and end-of-year examinations determine the passage to the next academic level.

Main objective

Carry out an analysis of the learning monitoring/evaluation system at the level of primary education in the Sahrawi camps in order to (i) identify its strengths and weaknesses on the basis of international good practices in the contexts of community resilience/protractive humanitarian crises, and (ii) propose recommendations likely to make this system more effective in terms of improving the quality of teaching and learning levels. In this context, the contextualization of international good practices is sought.

Activities/tasks to be carried out

Carry out the analysis of the situation of the Sahrawi monitoring/evaluation system of learning by seeking to assess the adequacy between the objectives pursued and the activities implemented, on the one hand, and the theory of change which underlies them , on the other hand. In this context, the consultant will assess (i) the relevance of the objectives pursued, (ii) the quality of the outputs produced, (iii) the functionality/effectiveness of the support mechanisms for students and teachers to improve their performance.

• Present the conclusions of the analysis of the situation and the resulting recommendations for the renovation of the monitoring/evaluation system in a workshop bringing together inspectors and teachers. At the end of this workshop, the participants will have to validate the analysis and the recommendations.
• Complete a preliminary report, integrating participants' comments and suggestions and including an operationalization plan, and share it with UNICEF for comments and suggestions.
• Write a final report incorporating UNICEF's comments and suggestions.

Duration of technical support

The duration of the technical support is estimated at 30 working days covering the period from March to August 2023. The consultant will have to conduct:

• A field visit to learn about the existing evaluation system and the proposed methodological approaches and present the conclusions and validate them by the Sahrawi authorities.
• Remote work with exchanges by Teams/Zoom with the national team, mainly for the analysis of the evaluation system and proposals for improvement.

Deliverables

Deadlines, deliverables, and terms of payment

Two weeks after contract’s signature

A methodological note describing the implementation process + timeline

10%

Two month later

Presentation of the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the analysis of the situation

30%

At least two months before the end of the consultancy’s duration

Preliminary report

30%

Two weeks before the end of the consultancy’s duration

Final report incorporating comments and suggestions from UNICEF

30%

Consultant’s profile

The consultant must have extensive experience in the field of education in general and the evaluation of teachers in particular, preferably in areas of humanitarian crisis. He must also meet the following conditions:

- Have a post-graduate level in the field of educational sciences; and in the humanitarian context

- Have at least ten years' experience in education, including at least five years as an inspector/school head directly involved in the assessment of student learning.

- Have led/participated in research/action projects aimed at improving teaching and learning;

- Have experience in facilitating training workshops for the benefit of education evaluators;

- Fluency in Arabic is essential as well as in French or English.

- Experience working with the United Nations system would be an asset

UNICEF responsibilities

UNICEF will be responsible for the technical follow-up with the consultant and will facilitate administrative formalities. With the support of the Sahrawi education authorities, the UNICEF office in Tindouf will facilitate contacts and displacement within the camps. The consultant will work under the supervision of the program manager and in collaboration with the education specialist and the consultant specialist in education in emergency.

Fees

The consultant's fees will be negotiated and agreed on the basis of the financial offer presented. Visa and travel costs are the responsibility of the consultant.

Payments will be staggered and made after receipt and acceptance of the deliverables by UNICEF and the Sahrawi education authorities.

Documents to be provided when submitting

The candidate must include in the application file:

- A technical offer including

(i) An introduction to the understanding of the Terms of Reference including any comments

(ii) The methodology recommended for carrying out the work

(iii) A timetable for carrying out the various tasks

(iv) A letter presenting the assets which the expert considers to be able to rely on to carry out this work satisfactorily (academic training, professional experience, similar research work).

- A financial offer proposing

(i) The desired rate of remuneration specifying and taking into account the days worked in Algeria and/or remotely

(ii) International travel expenses based on anticipated missions

(iii) All other costs including visa and travel costs

- Detailed and up-to-date CV(s) of the person(s) contributing to the study,

- References of people who can be contacted in connection with similar work carried out by the consultant

It should be noted that the financial offers will only be examined if the technical offers are deemed admissible and of acceptable quality.

Technical criteria

Sous-critères

Points max : 80

General response

Response’s compresevness

5

Adequacy between response and request

10

Critical reading (proposed add and modification)

10

Expertise’ profile

Experience in capacity building and training engineering with educational services

10

Profile of expert(s) in education and specialized educational services

10

Certificates provided by customers

5

Methodology and approach

Detailed explanation of the methodology used and any tools to be used

30

Financial criteria

Appropriateness of skills and services to the ToRs

Points max : 20

The evaluation of the financial offers will be made only for the candidates having obtained at least a score of 50 points at the end of the technical evaluation.

Any incomplete file will be considered inadmissible.

The consultant will be recruited on the basis of an individual contract.

The application file including all the required documents must be posted online.

Additional documents to be provided when submitting

In addition to the technical and financial proposal described above, the tenderer must provide the following documents:

• Detailed and updated CV

• Bidder's references

NB *: UNICEF s’engagé à promouvoir la diversité et l'inclusion au sein de son personnel, et encourage tous les candidats sans distinction de sexe, de religion et d'origine ethnique, y compris les personnes handicapées, à postuler pour faire partie de l'organisation. Les candidatures féminines sont vivement encouragées.*

UNICEF applique la politique de tolérance zéro à l’égard de l’abus et de l’exploitation sexuels, et à toute forme de harcèlement, y compris le harcèlement sexuel et la discrimination. Tous candidats sélectionnés pour un recrutement feront l’objet d’une vérification rigoureuse des références et des antécédents.

Seuls(es) les candidats(es) présélectionnés(es) seront contactés.

*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.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org