National Expert Consultants for conducting Assessments in Elementary and Secondary including TVET Education (4 consultants), UNICEF Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May-July 2021 (30 workin

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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

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Through 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, UNICEF’s work in education prioritizes equity – supporting all children regardless of their circumstances to have equal opportunities in education and learning – helping children secure basic skills such as literacy and numeracy and a wider range of skills. This includes paying particular attention to early learning, girls’ education, education for children with disabilities as well as education in emergencies and post-crisis context. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNICEF’s education programme is focused on the area of inclusive early learning, quality primary and secondary education and intercultural and inclusive education. In the area of inclusive early learning, the programme supports the continued expansion of preschool education programmes. In realization of children’s right to inclusive quality primary and secondary education, the education programme supports inclusion of all children, particularly children from minority groups and children with disabilities; and strengthen capacities of teachers and other professionals on inclusive and intercultural education, social cohesion and equity. UNICEF also fosters a dialogue on the quality of education with a focus on assessment of learning outcomes (e.g. PISA study) and equity gaps.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity:

The COVID-19 pandemic confronted education authorities in BiH with a unique set of challenges in ensuring the continuity and quality of learning with ‘Leave no one behind’ principle. The United Nations Joint Project “Reimagining Education for marginalized girls and boys during and post COVID-19, implemented by UNICEF, UNESCO, ILO and UNV in Bosnia and Herzegovina proposes to modernize education and learning in BiH for the following areas to increase resilience of the education systems and to further contribute to the education sector reforms:

i. Access

ii. Delivery modality

iii. Didactic approach and

iv. An overall quality of education

The focus of the response strategy is to improve public sector education in three selected education administrative units (Entities and Cantons), strengthening the system which can prevent, mitigate impacts and respond quickly to emergencies, particularly when addressing the needs of the vulnerable population ensuring the principle of leaving no one behind. Additionally, these interventions aim to improve the blended learning approaches to ensure required resilience of education systems and the overall improvement of the quality of learning. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a significant objective of this project (Gender Marker- GEM2). Key activities of the joint programme are focused on mitigating and overcoming the educational disparities, learning and teaching outcomes for girls and boys as well as capacity building and empowerment of female teachers who constitute close to 70% of the workforce in the education sector.

The programme supports women and girl’s empowerment, participation and leadership. Key activities are focused on overcoming gender data gaps, and long-term investments and education policy change that promotes gender equality in teaching workforce as well as equitable access to quality and inclusive education systems and learning outcomes thereby the implementation of the SDGs 5 on Gender Equality.

Focusing on dropout prevention and enhancing early education with a focus on disadvantaged children and strengthening teacher training will lead to improvements of education quality and equity in the long-term. The Project’s outputs will create an opportunity to build an education system that is more resilient, adaptable to student needs, equitable, and inclusive, with a strong emphasis on the role of technology in teacher’s training at scale and ensuring learning continuity between the school and the home.

Within the framework of the Joint Project “Reimagining Education for marginalized girls and boys during and post COVID-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and the UNICEF Regional Project to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of children and families in the Western Balkans and Turkey, under direct supervision of the Education Specialist, the consultants will:

Conduct two assessments at elementary and secondary education level including TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as requested by the ministries of education, as follows:

1) Assessment on Quality of E-learning and Blended Learning in Elementary and Secondary (and TVET) Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Conduct a participatory review of the existing e-learning and blended learning approaches, methodologies and practices at elementary, secondary and TVET education level in relation to modern didactic and e-learning approaches and identify opportunities and gaps that can be translated into specific measures;

Review the existing e-learning and blended learning approaches methodologies and practices in use/used during and after the country-wide school closure period at elementary and secondary education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (public and private ones). This will be performed through collection of quantitative and qualitative data, desk reviews, conduction of surveys, and organisation of interviews with representatives of education institutions (management personnel, teachers/trainers, students, etc.) to capture their perspective and solicit ideas. Based on the assessment, identify strategic gaps and/or opportunities that can be addressed, and provide achievable and sustainable policy recommendations for authorities.

2) Assessment on Needs of Teachers/Educators in E-learning and Blended Learning in Elementary and Secondary (and TVET) Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Conduct a participatory review of major teachers/trainers’ needs at elementary and secondary education level in the context of e-learning delivery, in order to identify opportunities and gaps that can result in sustainable policy recommendations for the development of tailored, training packages on E-learning and blended learning for teaching professionals. The reference to be used against preparation of assessment questionnaire should lean on the reference document on assessing teacher’s needs: : The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators and UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT-CFT).

The Assessments need to include all administrative units in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Assessments are to be written in English and BHS languages.

For this Consultancy 4 (four) expert consultants will be hired to deliver the tasks within the proposed timeline. Consultants are expected to work as a team and produce two Assessments in parallel. The Assessments should be cross-checked for policy recommendations ensuring mutual reinforcement and minimalizing overlaps. Strong collaboration with the team of experts working on Assessments in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commissioned by UNESCO under this project is expected and will be coordinated via focal points in UNICEF and UNESCO.

The work under this Consultancy will be captured in two sharp and thorough Analytical Reports, reflecting the findings of the above two assessments.

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

• PhD degree with 3 years of relevant research and analytical reporting experience or Masters’ degree combined with at least 10 years of relevant research and analytical reporting experience in Social Sciences, Statistics or related fields
• Excellent knowledge and demonstrated experience in educational sector strategies and policies, international and/or those in use in BiH is required;
• Excellent knowledge in application of distance and e-learning methodologies at primary, secondary (including TVET) and education institutions is considered as asset;
• Excellent knowledge of international standards and/or UN legal, policy and operational standards in the field of education is required;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrated negotiation and inter-cultural communication skills;
• Excellent knowledge of English; Fluency in local languages.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

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

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
• Works Collaboratively with others
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships
• Innovates and Embraces Change
• Thinks and Acts Strategically
• Drives to achieve impactful results
• Manages ambiguity and complexity

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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:

Please submit your application along with lump sum financial offer stated in BAM or USD.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For further details please contact Human Resources at UNICEF Office in Sarajevo, Ms. Marina Kadic mkadic@unicef.org

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.