International Consultant to Provide Technical Support in developing multi-lingual inclusive program/guidance for preschool education with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

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, protect!

Background: Surkhandarya, the south-east region of Uzbekistan bordering Afghanistan is one of the least developed regions in the country. With a gross domestic (regional) product (GRP) per capita of 11 million Uzbek soums in 2021, it is the poorest region in the country (national average GRP is 21 million Uzbek soums). Surkhandarya also has the second highest proportion of population in low-income levels (14.5 per cent in 2021).

Some 64 per cent of the Surkhandarya region’s population is estimated to be impacted by effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and potentially by the international sanctions to Russia that will affect remittances sent to families in rural areas, resulting in limited access to resources, public services and livelihoods. The Surkhandarya region has the lowest pre-school enrollment rate in the country – only 45.1 per cent of the 3-6 years old were attending a pre-school by the end of 2021. The available space in existing pre-schools is adequate to enroll only 30 per cent of children in the 3-6 years age group; and given the enrollment, there is an overcrowding of pre-schools by 1.4 times. The Surkhandarya region also has the highest proportion of schools working in double shifts (87 per cent), secondary school gross enrollment rates (96 per cent) lower than national average (98 per cent) with the largest ratio of teachers without a graduate/ bachelor’s degree (22 per cent).

All these and other challenges faced by the local population are exacerbated by the arrival of Afghans after the upsurge of violence across the country in 2021. While the border to Afghanistan was closed in August 2021, many of those Afghan citizens, including families with children, who arrived in Uzbekistan before, do not want to return to Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has been proactively promoting the importance of providing support to Afghanistan to address immediate and humanitarian needs and invited the international community to utilize Termez as a humanitarian logistical hub for that purpose.

UNICEF has the mandate and capacity to work with and for children, youth, women, civil society, and local government to enhance access to basic social services, including education, child protection, and youth skills development.

As preschool education provides the foundation and readiness for schooling and learning as well as for bridging any barriers existing due to linguistic and other diversities, enhancing preschool education for boys and girls is important. Inclusive preschool programmes are important for enhancing access to basic services of early childhood education (ECE) to all children despite their economic, cultural, ethnical and educational background.

To contribute to strengthened resilience of the population in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan through enhanced access to inclusive education for all children, social and legal aid services and promotion of skills and competency among youth UNICEF will be implementing EU supported project on “Ensuring enhanced access to inclusive education, social services, and legal aid in the Surkhandarya region”.

Specific Objectives of the project are: • To strengthen the capacities of protection and education systems in providing equitable access to quality social services and legal aid. • To enhance resilience and bring coherence by addressing needs and fulfilling the rights of the most vulnerable and at-risk groups. • To provide required skills to young women and men for employability, social inclusion and social cohesion.

One of the Outputs of the project is devoted to Inclusive formal and non-formal education, including early childhood education interventions and youth skill development in the Surkhandarya Region.

Specific project activities related to early childhood education will include establishment of innovative inclusive multi-lingual pre-school education facilities in communities that are not covered by pre-school education. These alternative facilities entail provision of venues by local authorities and salaries covered by the central budget. Support is expected with some refurbishment, furnishing and equipping costs along with UNICEF’s capacity development and methodological support. The main activities under this sub-component include the following: • 2.1.1. Upgrading / refurbishing the premises and facilities selected for establishing the innovative preschool programmes for creating an enabling learning environment. • 2.1.2. Development and provision of innovative multi-lingual Teaching-Learning Materials (TLM) and play materials to support multi-lingual programme in alternative preschools. • 2.1.3. Training and capacity building of preschool teachers and staff of alternative preschools in implementing alternative pedagogic practices and multi-lingual programmes. • 2.1.4. Community mobilization and engagement in preschool management of those makhallas where alternative models will be opened and functioning. • 2.1.5. Capacity development of preschool staff and administration in quality assurance, Education Management Information System (EMIS) and supportive supervision of the programme.

Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical support to UNICEF with the implementation of the project focused on multi-lingual inclusive education opportunities for most vulnerable children in the communities with ethnical minorities (Afghans). International Consultant initially hired for the project has completed several assignments as follows:

1. Reviewed and analyzed the best practices in introduction of inclusive multi-lingual programmes in preschool education and early learning, provision of the recommendations for the project specific needs.

2. Provided technical support in development of multi-lingual bridging programme/guideline and relevant TLM based on preschool curriculum.

The expected results of the current assignment will be based on developed Inception Report, Teacher Training Manual to: 1 Develop baseline and end line tools to capture practices, capacities, and attitudes around first and second language use. 2 Train teachers on introduction of the practices on multi-lingual inclusive preschool classes and bridging programmes. 3 Train teachers on practices in multi-age preschool programme.

Description of the Assignment and Tasks: The assignment is expected to start in August 2023 and end in December 2023. The Consultant is expected to implement the following activities and provide following deliverables:

1. Develop baseline and end line tools to capture practices, capacities, and attitudes around first and second language use. a. Develop indicator and tools for baseline and end-line assessment b. Pre-test tools a. Analise data for pilot monitoring and assessment of the work of alternative ECEs and prepare report.

2. Train teachers on practices on inclusive multi-lingual preschool classes and bridging programmes. a. Review and adapt, if necessary, developed Manual for Teachers on Multi-lingual Education in Preschools. b. Develop training package to train teachers on new multi-lingual education c. Develop materials and handouts for the training d. Train teachers on the course

3. Train teachers (second training) on practices for multi-age preschool education for teachers of alternative models of ECE. a. Review existing teacher Manual for Alternative ECEs with multi-age approaches and adapt if necessary; b. Develop training materials for multi-age preschool education. c. Train teachers on the multi-age approach in preschool education.

4. Provide Final report on documenting the process and findings/results of the project.

Management: International Consultant will work under direct supervision of ECD Officer. The International Consultant will be working in consultation with national partners and government officials.

Resource requirements: According to UNICEF policy, the final fees will be set up based on the “best value for money” principle. Total thirty five (35) working days are allocated for accomplishment of all tasks and deliverables within the period of August to December 2023.

Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of the assignment and provision of reports of accomplished tasks and deliverables approved by the supervisor.

The candidates are requested to submit their financial offer consisting of fee for the services to be provided and calculation of estimated travel expenses based on the UNICEF rules and regulations.

The Consultant will receive direct payment to his/her indicated bank account.

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

1. Advanced University degree in education, or in any other relevant Social Sciences with a focus on ECD/E (validated by qualifications);
2. At least 10 years of professional and relevant experience in education, preferably in ECD/E in curriculum development, multi-lingual education, and teacher training systems, preferably in CEE/CIS countries. Work experience in Uzbekistan would be an asset (validated by CV and interview);
3. Good analytical and writing skills, with a specific focus on development of teacher guidebooks and guidelines, programmes, teaching-learning materials for preschool education (verified by examination of evidence from previous assignment deliverables).
4. Good written and spoken skills in English, knowledge of Russian will be an asset.

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.

Procedures and Working Conditions:

UNICEF will reserve copy right of all developed materials and own primary data collected through this assignment. The materials cannot be published or disseminated without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify materials produced at any time.

The consultant must clearly identify any potential ethical issues arising from the fulfilment of her/his tasks and duties in the framework of this assignment and ensure that s/he performs the assignment in a manner that does not expose UNICEF to any such risks. This last sentence contains a very important point.

The Consultant is expected to work independently and respond to feedback from the supervisor in a timely and professional manner, to be results driven, and to have the ability to work under pressure and meet required deadlines. You again used parallelism (to work/to be/to have) to connect your ideas.

UNICEF undertakes no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant on payments made under this contract Reservations.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if the performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) are incomplete, not finalized or for failure to meet deadlines. UNICEF will reserve copyright of all developed materials and own primary data collected through this assignment. The materials cannot be published or disseminated without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. The contractor must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

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.