National Consultant to Provide Technical Support in Review/ Revision and Development of Pre- and in-Service Teachers’ Training Curricula for Preschool Education with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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.

Background:

Early Childhood Development and Education is one of the priority areas of the UNICEF Uzbekistan Country Programme. UNICEF has been providing technical assistance to the Government of Uzbekistan in its efforts to improve access to quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) services. One of the key achievements of the Ministry of Preschool Education (MOPSE) and UNICEF joint efforts in the last Country Programme (2015-2020) was the revision of the Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) of Uzbekistan and the development of a new curriculum for preschool education in line with the ELDS, using a competency-based approach. To ensure efficient and effective introduction and implementation of the newly developed ELDS and Curriculum, UNICEF provided technical support to the Ministry of Preschool Education (MOPSE) in capacity development activities of preschool teachers by training the Master Trainers at the National and Regional levels as specialists for expanding the training to cover all teachers through cascade mode. To support the training for curriculum implementation UNICEF supported development of six Teacher Guidebooks to enhance quality teaching and learning and support preschool teachers with methodological guidelines in different areas.

Several policy measures have been taken to support the quality expansion and reforms in preschool education in the past few years. A number of these reforms were developed with UNICEF’s technical support – the “Law on Preschool Education” (adopted by GOU in December 2019), the development of public -private- partnership (PPP) modalities, alternative models of preschool provision, the revision of Early Learning Development Standards (ELDS), the development of new preschool curriculum “Ilk Kadam” (both in 2018), and further reforming of curriculum in 2021, the establishment of preschool EMIS in 2018 and continuous improvement, the designing of the Education Quality Assurance Framework (EQAF) including quality standards and performance indicators, etc. are a few to name which has changed the preschool education landscape in the country.

One of the areas for further enhancement is the quality of preschool education, particularly teaching-learning and play processes and activities. At present, there are around 1.6 million children attending preschools in the country, who are supported by 134,641 staff. With almost another 1 million more children to be reached out through preschool provision in the next few years, the system requires another 50,000 teachers in the system in the next few years. Two-thirds of the preschool teachers at present do not possess higher education qualifications. In order to ensure that the future preschool teachers enter the job with adequate and appropriate qualifications, it is important to revise the pre- and in-service training programmes for preschool teachers in line with the revised Teacher Qualification Framework and Teacher professional standards (both developed with UNICEF’s technical support in 2019) Teacher professional standards 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. The revision of pre-service training programmes and in-service professional development and for teacher appraisal is envisaged to be based on the TQF and TPS..

Responding to MOPSE’s request to UNICEF for technical assistance for supporting the review and recommendations for revisions of the pre and in- service teacher’s training curricula, UNICEF has decided to engage an international consultant, who is expected to bring the best international experiences for the purpose. To support the international expert as well as to coordinate the work of the MOPSE all related matters, UNICEF is seeking the services of a national consultant.

Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is to provide support to the International Expert in reviewing and revising/developing the pre-and in-service teacher’s training curriculum; as well as to provide support to the MOPSE Learning Passport (LP) team in monitoring and evaluation.

1. Provide feedback to International Expert regarding appropriateness of the best international practices for Uzbekistan.
2. Support review and gap analysis of the existing pre- and in-service teacher’s training curricula.
3. Support in revision and development of new curricula for pre- and in-service teacher training programs.
4. Support introduction of in-service training courses for preschool teachers into the LP Platform.
5. Support revision and development of LP M&E system, including TOC and indicators, and conducting monitoring of LP implementation.

Description of the Assignment and Tasks:

The assignment is expected to start in April 2022 and be finalized by December 2022.

The Consultant is expected to implement the following activities and provide the following deliverables:

1. Support International Consultant in conducting desk review of best practices of pre- and in-service teacher’s training for preschool teachers:

1. Provide feedback for initial desk review of international best practices;
2. Provide feedback for the most appropriate and relevant practices from the countries with developed system of teacher training and retraining in the world with close context to Uzbekistan;
3. Provide feedback on appropriateness of case studies.

2. Provide support in review of existing both pre- and in- service teacher training curricula by key subjects:

1. Facilitate the establishment and coordinate work of the national working group, consisting of the relevant experts from MOPSE, Pre- and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes, including experts from LP working group;
2. Organize collection and translation of latest policies and regulations in the field of ECD/E;
3. Facilitate needs assessment of the preschool education system in consultation with MOPSE and the working group;
4. Organize and facilitate meetings with key national partners from MOPSE and Pre- and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes;

3. Support International Consultant in developing recommendations and follow up strategy for the revision of both pre-and in-service teachers’ training system for preschool education:

1. Provide support/feedback for the set of recommendation both for pre- and in-service teachers’ training curricula;
2. Provide support/feedback to the strategy and action plan for revision with clear milestones.

4. Support revision of pre-and in-service teachers’ training curricula based on the results of the review and recommendations:

1. 1. In consultation with government counterparts provide support to International Consultant on finalization of recommendation for revision of both for pre- and in-service teachers’ training curricula;
   2. In consultation with government counterparts provide support on finalization of the strategy and action plan for curricula revision;
   3. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to revise pre-service curricula for teacher training;
   4. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to revise/develop in-service teacher’s training curricula;
   5. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to develop alternative forms of in-service teacher’s training system (on-line courses, module system, cluster centres etc.);
   6. In collaboration with LP working group to integrate the developed In-Service Teacher Training Courses into the LP Platform.

5. Support LP team in monitoring LP implementation:

• Contribute to revision and development of LP M&E system, including TOC and indicators;
• In consultation with LP team develop M&E questionnaires, surveys and quizzes to be embedded into the LP platform as part of the training modules and training courses;
• Monitor LP use and prepare monitoring reports for UNICEF;
• Participate in all LP working group meetings;
• Fulfill any other duties as required.

Activities and deliverables

1. Support to International Consultant in conducting desk review of best practices of pre- and in-service teacher’s training for preschool teachers - Feedback to Inception Report, Monthly report - 10 days, By the end of June 2022

a. Provide feedback for initial desk review of international best practices; b. Provide feedback for the most appropriate and relevant practices from the countries with developed system of teacher training and retraining in the world with close context to Uzbekistan; c. Provide feedback on appropriateness of case studies

2. Provide support in review of existing both pre- and in- service teacher training curricula by key subjects - Meeting minutes, Monthly report - 20 days - By 15 July 2022

a. Facilitate the establishment and coordinate work of the national working group, consisting of the relevant experts from MOPSE, Pre- and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes, including experts from LP working group; b. Organize collection and translation of latest policies and regulations in the field of ECD/E; c. Facilitate needs assessment of the preschool education system in consultation with MOPSE and the working group; d. Organize and facilitate meetings with key national partners from MOPSE and Pre- and In-Service Teacher Training Institutes;

3. Support International Consultant in developing recommendations and follow up strategy for the revision of both pre-and in-service teachers’ training system for preschool education - Written feedback, Monthly report - 10 days

a. Provide support/feedback to International Consultant on recommendation for revision of both for pre- and in-service teachers’ training curricula - By the end of August 2022 b. Provide support/feedback on the strategy and action plan for curricula revision - By the end of September 2022

4. Support revision of pre-and in-service teachers’ training curricula based on the results of the review and recommendations - Minutes of the meetings, Monthly report, In-Service course integrated into LP platform - 50 days - By the end of December 2022

a. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to revise pre-service curricula for teacher training; b. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to revise/develop in-service teacher’s training curricula; c. Coordinate national working group in consultations with the International Consultant to develop alternative forms of in-service teacher’s training system (on-line courses, module system, cluster centres etc.); d. In collaboration with LP working group to integrate the developed In-Service Teacher Training Courses into the LP Platform

5. Support LP team in monitoring of LP implementation - Revised TOC and indicators list, Questionnaires, surveys, Monitoring reports -30 days - By the end of December 2022

a. Contribute to revision and development of LP M&E system, including TOC and indicators; b. In consultation with LP team develop M&E questionnaires, surveys and quizzes to be embedded into the LP platform as part of the training modules and training courses; c. Monitor LP use and prepare monitoring reports ; d. Participate in all LP working group meetings; e. Fulfill any other duties as required.

6. Provide support in preparing process documenting report - Process documenting report - 5 days - By the end of December 2022

Total: 125 days

Management:

The National Consultant will work under direct supervision of ECD Officer. The Consultant will be working in consultation with International Consultant, national partners and government officials as well as with the LP Working group.

Resource requirements:

According to UNICEF policy, the final fees will be set up based on the “best value for money” principle. Total 125 working days are allocated for accomplishment of all tasks and deliverables within the period of April – December 2022. 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. In case of travel within Uzbekistan all travel arrangements will be done 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…

• Advanced University degree in education, or in any other relevant Social Sciences (validated by qualifications).
• At least 10 years of professional and relevant experience in education, with good knowledge of ECD/E, curriculum development and teacher training systems (validated by CV and interview);
• Excellent written and spoken skills in English and Russian, with preferable working Uzbek. (verified by examination of previous written work and interview) (Verified by examination of evidence from previous assignment deliverables)
• Work experience in UN agencies

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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.

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:

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.