International individual consultancy to support implementation of Teacher professional standards

Contract

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Title:

International individual consultancy to support activities on: (a) implementation of Teacher professional standards by preschool and schoolteachers; and (b) revising teacher appraisal criteria and mechanisms for the preschool and general secondary education levels.

Background:

A growing number of empirical literatures in different education systems indicates that teacher effectiveness is the single most important school-based predictor for students’ learning achievements and that education quality improves when teachers are prepared and supported. A key component in establishing a sustained and strategic approach to teacher quality can be seen in the efforts of countries to develop national teacher professional standards that could be used to support teacher professional development and teacher appraisal. These standards typically represent the characteristics of high-quality teaching for the twenty-first century, including subject knowledge, pedagogical expertise, ethical values and wider understanding of the systemic issues in education and teacher professionalism.

In Uzbekistan, ongoing reform agenda in education sector focuses on improving education quality as evident from several targeted legislative documents and programmes adopted in recent times to support and regulate various aspects of education quality. The Decree of the President No. UP-5538 “On additional measures to improve the system of public education management”3 and the Resolution of the President No. PP-3931 “On measures to introduce the new principles of management in the public education system” emphasize the importance of improving the quality of teaching workforce, especially reforming the system of teacher professional development as well as the criteria of monitoring and evaluation of teachers’ qualifications.

In the past couple of years, Government of Uzbekistan has implemented several important steps to reform teacher related policies. Ministry of Public Education (MOPE), Ministry of Preschool Education (MOPSE) and State Inspectorate for Supervision of Education Quality (SISEQ) with technical support from UNICEF have drafted a new Qualification Framework and Teacher Professional Standards. As a next step, Ministries of education are planning to pilot the standards prior its final approval and conduct activities on its smooth implementation at the school level as well as revise the teacher appraisal criteria and mechanisms in line with new teacher standards.

The purpose of this assignment is to support the MOPE, the MOPSE, and SISEQ to finalize a teacher professional standard for different categories of teachers and support its implementation as well as revise teacher appraisal mechanisms in line with new teacher professional standards.

Objectives of the assignment:

1. Provide technical support in piloting of teacher standards, developing manuals and train teachers on using teacher standards;

3. Provide technical support in reviewing and revising mechanisms and developing of tools and guidelines for implementing teacher appraisal at preschool and school levels.

Timeline & Deliverables & Estimated timeframe:

1. Provide technical support in piloting of teacher standards at preschool and school levels

1. Review teacher standards for preschool and schoolteachers and 2. Develop tools and instructions for piloting of teacher standards in selected regions - Tools and instructions are developed - By the end of April 2021, 5 working days; 3. Train experts at the preschool and school levels to conduct piloting of teacher standards - Training materials and presentations, training is conducted - By the end of April 2021, 6 working days* 4. Conduct workshops to discuss the findings of the piloting and agree on the changes in teacher standards - Workshop is conducted - Early May 2021, 2 working days* 5. Support working groups in revision and finalization of teacher standards based on the result of piloting - Teacher standards are finalized - By the end of May 2021, 5 working days

2. Provide technical support in implementation of teacher professional standards at preschool and school levels

6. Technically lead the process of development manuals (will include description and good practices for each standard and indicators etc.) for preschool and schoolteachers on implementation of teacher standards - Manuals for preschool and schoolteachers on implementation of teacher professional standards are developed - By the end of June 2021, 20 working days; 7. Conduct training for capacity building of preschool and schoolteachers and school managers on how to use teacher standards - Training materials are developed, and training is conducted - August 2021, 10 working days*

3. Provide technical support in reviewing and revising mechanisms of teacher appraisal at the preschool and school levels

8. Review legislative and programme documents on existing mechanisms of teacher appraisal at preschool and general school level and 9. Conduct workshop with government officials and other stockholders to: a) present international best practices on teacher appraisal; b) discuss gaps in national system of teacher attestation; c) agree on the structure and mechanisms of teacher appraisal - Presentation materials for the workshop - June 2021, 2 working days*

10. Technically lead the process of revision of mechanisms and criteria for preschool and schoolteacher appraisal - Policy report on new mechanisms of teacher appraisal at school and preschool levels - June-July 2021, 10 working days

4. Provide technical support in developing of tools and guidelines for teacher appraisal at preschool and school levels

11. Technically lead the process of drafting tools and guidelines for teacher appraisal at preschool and school levels - Tools and guidelines for teacher appraisal are developed - August 2021, 10 working days 12. Train experts at the preschool and school levels to conduct piloting of tools and use guidelines - Training is conducted - September 2021, 6 working days* 13. Facilitate piloting of the tools and guidelines at selected schools and preschools (visit to Tashkent if restrictions are lifted) - Report on piloting is prepared - October 2021, 6 working days 14. Conduct workshops to discuss the findings of the piloting and agree on the changes in teacher standards - Workshop is conducted - October 2021, 4 working days* 15. Revise tools and guidelines based on the results of piloting and 16. Finalize teacher appraisal mechanisms, tools and guidelines - Final framework, indicators, tools and guidelines - November 2020, 5 working days 17. Prepare a process report on the assignment - Process report on the assignment - December 2020, 4 working days.

*In case of on-line format - 1 day (3 hours) of training or workshop is considered as 0,5 working day.

Management:

The International Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Chief of Education Section and in consultation with Education Officer, as well as with identified national partners and government officials.

Resource requirements and payments:

According to UNICEF policy, the final fees will be set up based on the “best value for money” principle. 100 working days are allocated for accomplishment of all tasks and deliverables within the period of April 2021 – December 2021.

Payment will be paid by deliverable upon successful completion of assignment and acceptance of deliverables by the supervisor. Payments might be partially or fully withheld in case of unsatisfactory performance of duties or failure to provide the deliverables by the agreed deadlines. Travel costs (including airfare, terminal expenses, and daily subsistence allowance) will be calculated and paid according to UNICEF rules and regulations, as applicable. All direct payments will be made by bank transfer to the indicated bank account by Consultant.

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

1. Advanced university degree (Masters or PhD) in social sciences, public policy, education policy and/or international development policy or any other related field 2. Experience in research, analysis or development of policy. Understanding of, and experience in development of teacher professional standards and teacher appraisal system, including at international level. 3. Experience in organizing and conducting trainings and workshops. 4. Good understanding of the national education context

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.

Consultant is expected to work independently and respond to feedback from supervisor in a timely and professional manner, to be result driven, and to have the ability to work under pressure and meet required deadlines.

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 performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) 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.

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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.