National Consultant - External study: Analysis on Out of School Children (OOSC) in Nepal (Nepalese Nationals Only)

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, education.

Nepal has made a substantial progress in terms of access to education with high Net Enrolment Rate (almost 97 percent) in basic education, with free and compulsory education up to Grade 8. Despite the progress made, there are inequities which lead to learning poverty and high dropout rates. The most vulnerable groups of children face multiple barriers which hinder them to access quality of education opportunities.

The flash report 2020-21 shows that higher the grade, the number of OOSC are increasing (e.g., OOSC in grade 5-8 is 7 percent followed by 22 percent in grade 9-10, and 62 percent in grade 11-12). This indicates that most children and adolescents are dropping out of school without completing 12 years of education. As OOSC is multi-faceted issues which requires contextualized interventions, it is important to have the right set of data to design effective OOSC interventions based on the needs of children. This analysis will inform the OOSC programme and strengthen equity perspectives by providing evidence for the local governments to make informed policy decisions

How can you make a difference?

The main objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive desk review and data analysis of Out of School Children (OOSC) in Nepal, based on the existing resources including the Flash reports1, Nepal Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (NMICS) 2019 and Population Census data. Based on the desk review and data analysis, the consultant will conduct a series of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) in selected provinces. This analysis will support UNICEF and the government of Nepal in implementing targeted interventions for OOSC and children at risk of dropping out, as well as strengthening the equity focus and relevance of inclusive education system under the School Education Sector Plan (SESP).

Scope of Work

This consultancy seeks to understand the situation of OOSC in Nepal. The assignment will cover the followings:

1. Analyze methodologies to calculate OOSC using the difference resources including the Global Out-of-School-Initiatives: Operational Manual (2023 updates) and other relevant resources at https://www.allinschool.org/about-oosc.
2. Undertake comprehensive and analytical desk review of OOSC data of 5 to 18 years age from existing resources including 2021 Population Census, NMICS 2019 and the Flash reports available as per the country context.
3. Analyze OOOSC data by geographic locations (Seven Provinces, 77 districts and Palika to the extent possible), gender, age, disability-status, caste/ethnicity, learning outcome and income group, depending on the data availability.
4. Develop tools for FGDs and KII and undertake field visits in three Provinces (preferably Madesh Pradesh, Lumbini and Karnali) to conduct in-depth analysis of OOSC situation.
5. Share the findings with the relevant stakeholders at the Ministry of Education (MoEST) Center for Education Human Resource Development (CEHRD), other relevant development partners and research agencies.
6. Draft and finalize the report reflecting the inputs from key stakeholders.
7. Submit final report.

TASK

• Discussion and review of the deliverables with UNICEF.
• Submission of inception report and activity plan with timelines
• Meetings with the Coordination Committee and share the detailed timeline, expected outcomes, and proposed methodology.
• Desk review and data analysis based on the key categories including:
• Location (Federal /National level, Sub National/Provincial & Palika)
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Disability status
• Household income
• Learning level
• Development of tools for FGDs and KII and undertake field visits in three Province
• Discussion and sharing of the initial findings with the committee members
• Draft report incorporating the inputs from Committee members
• Power point presentation shared with the Committee members
• Finalization and submission of the report

Deliverables

First Deliverable

• Submission of activity plan and inception report
• Submission of meeting minutes with action points

Second Deliverable

• Submission of report on data analysis

Third Deliverable

• Submission of FGD/KII tools
• Submission of draft report

Final Deliverable

• Submission of final report

Contract Duration

The duration of this consultancy is approximately five months tentatively starting from 01 June 2023

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

Minimum Qualifications/Knowledge/Expertise required

• Masters’ degree in education, sociology, research, evaluation, and other related fields.
• A minimum of five years of demonstrated capacity and experience in Monitoring and Evaluation and data analysis especially in education programmes, preferably those funded by UN agencies
• Good understanding of data in the education system and the data interpretation
• Good written and oral communication skills, openness, and willingness to interact with different stakeholders.
• Experience working with the government ministries including the Ministry of Education in developing countries

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 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:

Candidates are requested to submit their financial proposal as per the deliverables.

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 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.

NOTE: Qualified females, candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.