National Early Childhood Education Consultant to the Parliament of Georgia for Conducting Thematic Inquiry in Tbilisi, Georgia

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

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Support the Education and Science Committee of Parliament of Georgia in conducting thematic inquiry Human Resources and Infrastructure for the provision of quality and inclusive Early and Preschool Education.

Scope of Work:

In December 2018, the Parliament of Georgia introduced the new Rules of Procedure that expanded oversight mechanisms of Parliament. As a part of these new regulations, the Parliament of Georgia established a supervisory mechanism known as the thematic inquiry. This mechanism serves as a vital tool for studying the existing situation in various areas and providing essential recommendations to the government. Thematic inquiry allows Parliament to collect information from a wide range of stakeholders through instruments specifically developed for this purpose. After receiving responses from target groups, the submitted evidence is analyzed and Parliamentary committees conduct public hearings, where they engage in constructive dialogue with the affected population and receive additional information on the issues of public concern.

In 2023, the Education and Science Committee of the Parliament of Georgia plans to conduct a thematic inquiry and explore the importance of human resources and infrastructure for provision of quality and inclusive early childhood education (ECE) service. The aim of the thematic inquiry is to identify gaps related to the infrastructure and human capital and develop strategies to enhance the quality of early and preschool education in Georgia.

The Parliament requested support from UNICEF to contract technical support to conduct the thematic inquiry. UNICEF is thus seeking a national consultant to work on this thematic inquiry, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Committee, UNICEF, a working group and other stakeholders.

OVERALL GOAL OF CONSULTANCY SERVICE

Support the Parliament of Georgia to conduct a thematic inquiry on “Human Resources and Infrastructure for the provision of quality and inclusive Early and Preschool Education”.

METHODOLOGY OF WORK

• In the course of the entire service, the selected national consultant will work closely with the Education and Science Committee of the Parliament, attend the committee meetings and answer queries remotely and in person.
• National consultant will work closely with committee staff while reviewing and analyzing the collected information and evidence.
• National consultant will prepare evidence-based final report and hold presentations of the findings if requested
• National consultant will keep UNICEF and Parliament focal points regularly informed through communications and sharing of deliverables.

APPLICATION REQUIRMENTS

Interested candidates are requested to provide the following documents in their applications to UNICEF:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Copies of education research and/or policy reports developed by applicant
• Detailed action and time plan for fulfilling consultancy service tasks and deliverable given in these Terms of ReferenceDetailed financial proposal in Georgian Lari.

PAYMENT TERMS

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverables are incomplete or not submitted at all, or for failure to meet deadlines.

Work Assignments Overview

Deliverables/Outputs

Delivery deadline

Task 1. Desk review of literature, evidence, study findings on the impact the infrastructure and human resources has on the quality of ECE and preschool education service and situation in Georgian preschool education institutions.

Desk review report demonstrating findings relevant for the Georgia context

August (5 Days)

Task 2. Detailed review and analysis of collected information including received evidence and information collected through public hearings

A first draft of the Committee thematic inquiry report outlining main findings and recommendations

September (10 Days)

Task 3. Present the main findings and recommendations for discussion to the stakeholders identified by committee

Presentation of findings of thematic inquiry

October (1 Day)

Task 4. Revise the draft report based on the feedback from stakeholders

The final report of the thematic inquiry outlining main findings and recommendations and reflecting feedback from stakeholders

November (4 Days)

Location: Home-based

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

Minimum Qualifications required:

Education/ Early Childhood Education

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in the field of Early Childhood Education/Preschool Education
• Experience in research/data collection and reporting on ECE and Preschool Education
• Experience working on early childhood education/preschool education policy development is considered as a strong asset.
• In-depth knowledge of ECE field

• Excellent knowledge of English and Georgian

  Specific Technical Knowledge Required:

Professional technical knowledge/expertise in EPEC system in Georgia, knowledge of existing challenges and gaps in policy, legislation, governance, and practice

DEADLINE- August 17, 6 PM Georgian time

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.

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.