National Consultant (School Environment), Education; Dhaka; Only for Bangladeshi

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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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.

Background

The Government is taking steps to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease and has imposed restrictions on movement and access to some services in order to ensure social distancing. The education system has not been spared. As one of its first preventative steps, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) suspended all education activities in the formal and non-formal spaces, including the closure of more than 3,000 Learning Centres (LCs) in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps and 4,000 early learning centers in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) promoting school readiness. In total, over 42 million children (including those who were already out-of-school), about 920,000 teachers in the Bangladesh education system and over 400,000 refugee children are missing out on structured learning opportunities. This will further compound the existing learning crisis in Bangladesh where 57 per cent of primary school age children experience learning poverty[1] i.e. unable to read and understand age-appropriate text.

The Fourth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP4) is being implemented over a five-year period (2018-2023). It was designed by the GoB in collaboration with Development Partners, taking a program-based approach. The PEDP4 was designed to address access, quality and governance needs of the education system but progress on most targets have been affected by the pandemic.

After two years of implementation, the PEDP4 is now embarking on a Mid Term Review (MTR). The MTR is a joint stocktaking by the GoB and development partners to assess achievements of the program as well as progress more broadly in the primary education sub-sector. The review is expected to identify challenges, gaps and concerns, and agree on priorities and any necessary revisions in the Program Document[2] and Development Project Proforma (DPP) for the remaining period. The MTR will also provide an opportunity to review operational aspects, such as the implementation arrangements and progress of activities, management structures, fiduciary and safeguard compliance, monitoring and reporting arrangements, as well as capacity at different levels of implementation.

In this MTR, special consideration will be given to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has impacted all sectors in Bangladesh including education, and adjustments need to be made in the PEDP4 program to minimize the longer-term risks of COVID-19 to children in the education system. A critical aspect of the COVID considerations, is the extent to which schools and the system more broadly, are supporting children to maintain appropriate sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and health practices.

In addition to the ongoing efforts to build a healthier school environment, GoB’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan also includes several actions in relation to the improvement of the school health and hygiene situation, such as ensuring practices for health safety, hygiene and cleanliness as regular measures of schools, establishing Health Tracking System and standard procedures when students fall sick etc. Initiatives focusing on nutrition for the school going children are also ongoing, however with much to be done further. A comprehensive review of the existing school health (including mental health and psychosocial support - MHPSS), hygiene and nutrition situation and activities and recommended next steps towards comprehensive school health system will thus inform the MTR discussion on possible steps for building more resilient schools with healthier children.

Purpose of consultancy

This consultancy aims to undertake a comprehensive review of evidence, practices (programmes and mechanisms), and services (including coverage and quality) of the status of WASH, health and nutrition in schools. Based on this review, the consultancy will propose an integrated model for strengthening access and quality of WASH, nutrition and health (including MHPSS) services in schools. In order to achieve this objective, the study should be guided by the following questions:

• What are the key interventions, models, and/or strategies that are implemented to improve WASH, health and nutrition in primary education in Bangladesh?
• What is the coverage of the interventions, models, and/or strategies? What are the prospects for implementing the interventions at scale, and their sustainability over time?
• What strategies (including policy provisions) are in place to ensure equity, support quality and sustainability, ensure coordination among service providers, monitor progress and measure effectiveness (including effect on learning)?
• Where feasible to ascertain, what are the key factors that contributed to the success of interventions, models, and/or strategies that were deemed effective?
• What are some key programmatic, strategic, operational, or policy related corrective shifts or actions, that are necessary to improve access and quality of services?
• What are some important lessons and recommendations for scale up and sustainability in the context of COVID?

Key considerations

While learning environment refers to a broad range of physical, contextual, social and cultural factors that contribute to the learning experience, it is narrowly focused in this study on the following:

1. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH): Including the availability of the services, their use, attitudes towards them and factors that shape these.
2. Nutrition: Including meals and other foods provided at school as well as related practices and the overall nutrition status of children. The various ways schools, through the formal, nonformal and informal curriculum, support or hamper children’s nutritional knowledge and practices.
3. Health: Relating to the holistic state of wellness of the child. It should include review of existing health service at schools, such as the resources (play spaces, health personnel, disability and mental health supports, availability of Health education component for students and training programmes for teachers etc.) and practices (disciplinary practices, safety of schools, gender-based violence, health and physical check (i.e. height, weight measurement, vision test), first aid services etc.) to support desired health outcomes by school-based personnel and schools’ ability to provide access to outside medical services (referral services).

In reviewing these aspects of the learning environment, it is important to ensure the effect of COVID is considered given its potential to directly impact the learning environment.

Specific tasks of the assignment

In order to answer the guiding questions and achieve the purpose of the consultancy, the following tasks should be completed as part of a broader methodology for the study:

• Design a methodology for completing the review which includes a model for categorizing and benchmarking interventions and analyzing their effectiveness and participation of stakeholders at each stage;
• Review global and national research and other documentation including national policies and programmes relevant to the three components of learning environments and benchmark accordingly;
• Complete a detailed mapping of current interventions in WASH, nutrition and health (including MHPSS) in education system including those targeting children and teachers at national and sub-national levels;
• Complete a review of studies on the interventions which are mapped, where available, to document the reported effectiveness;
• Identify ongoing PEDP4 activities where any of the three aspects of the learning environment addressed by this study are incorporated and review the status and make recommendations to fill gaps and strengthen delivery of services;
• Review APSC, MICS and other data to understand the extent to which sufficient and relevant data is collected and reported, and identify areas of modification for tools and systems;
• Develop detailed documentation of one case from each area i.e. WASH, health and nutrition (at national or sub-national level) which provide useful lessons for the system including success stories and challenges in service delivery, system strengthening, partnerships, parental involvement, among other; and,
• Identify lessons and make recommendations for improving practice and strategic direction. This should take the form of a comprehensive model based on the review findings and the needs of the context including consideration of COVID.

The entire review should be informed by and help to strengthen the systems and process to respond and build resilience to COVID.

A small technical group will be established to provide periodic inputs to the study. Members will be agreed in consultation with DPE.

[1] World Bank (2019) Learning Poverty Brief – Bangladesh retrieved from http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/260091571223515547/SAS-SACBB-BGD-LPBRIEF.pdf (10/11/2020)

[2] Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education: Program Document: Fourth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP4). February 2018, Directorate of Primary Education.

How can you make a difference?

Major Tasks:

• Inception report detailing major strategies to achieve the deliverables, timebound activity plan, and additional support required to achieve the results. The report should also include:
  • a review of the literature on learning environments in relation to WASH, nutrition and health
  • preliminary mapping of the interventions being implemented in Bangladesh
  • A proposed framework for the analysis
• Preliminary report on the review inclusive of all findings and draft recommendations
• Draft report incorporating feedback to the preliminary report
• Final documentation report, a PowerPoint presentation of the findings and policy note of 2-3 pages.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Inception Report- Due within two weeks of contract**; pay 15%** upon acceptance of deliverable.

Deliverable 2: Preliminary report- Due within four weeks of contract**; pay 25%** upon acceptance of deliverable

Deliverable 3: draft report- Due within six weeks of contract**; pay 20%** upon acceptance of deliverable

Deliverable 4: Final report, PPT, and policy brief- Due within eight weeks of contract**; pay 40%** upon acceptance of deliverable

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: education, psychology, sociology, public health or another relevant technical field.
• At least 10 years’ experience working in education and/or development field in varied roles;
• Experience in qualitative research and data management;
• Knowledge of the Bangladesh education system;
• Experience researching and documenting education/development interventions;
• Experience working on varied aspects of learning environment especially WASH in schools;
• Knowledgeable of nutrition, health and other areas of child development;
• Experience in planning and implementing activities which necessitate high levels of coordination and liaison with government authorities, NGOs and UN agencies, and;
• Evidence of strong writing and speaking skills in English.

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.

The functional competencies required for this post are...

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.