National, Individual Consultant to support COVID-19 Learning Passport Early Childhood Education Digital Content development

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

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1. Background & Rationale

The Learning Passport, a partnership between UNICEF, Microsoft, Cambridge, and supported by the Boston Consulting Group, has been established to, 1) provide local, contextualized content with a supplementary library of global content, mapped together via research by Cambridge; 2) provide a platform to serve this content to children and youth online or offline, via a platform being developed by Microsoft, and 3) with an individualized record of learning for a user, that is portable across physical and digital borders.

The Learning passport, as an emergency response, will create country-level sites available on request, to UNICEF Country Offices (CO) that would like to make access to curriculum and learning materials available for students with connectivity at home. While the platform has primarily been used to date for older students (primary to adolescence), the platform will be adapted in Europe and Central Asia region to support preschool age children, their caregivers, and their teachers to ensure age appropriate and quality early learning.

The envisioned digital platform aims to enhance continued engagement with families and parents on learning at home by providing practical resources and materials that can be applied in home settings. Its second aim is to strengthen professional development opportunities and facilitate collaboration between preschool educators and other staff on sharing ideas, best practices and activities that can be implemented in kindergartens. Ultimately, the digital preschool platforms should support building and strengthening of a national community of practice between parents, teachers and children, with shared principles around early learning and development.

UNICEF’s work on early childhood development (ECD) in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) recognizes that every growing child need nurturing care, good health, optimal nutrition and a stimulating and safe environment that offers plenty of support for early learning. With the current COVID-19 crisis, solutions are needed to ensure continuity in early childhood education services and to support the youngest learners, their caregivers and educators, during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the potential of digital solutions, UNICEF’s has rapidly developed practical resources and materials to support early learning.

To sum up, while the key focus of this initiative is learning, quality and portability of education for children whose education has been disrupted by emergencies, including children from most vulnerable groups, such as children with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian children, children on the move, etc., the medium and long-term goal is to help establish a quality system of online education, collaboration and support to children and parents, as well as to improve the overall quality and resilience of the education system.

2. Scope of work and objectives

Under the overall supervision of the UNICEF Education Officer and in close cooperation with Head of the Ministry of Education IT Department, the National Consultant will be responsible for supporting development of the ECE Digital Content.

Main tasks and specific activities related to the Job:

Under the direct supervision of UNICEF Education Officer, the National consultant will be required to undertake the following tasks:

1. Content development and management
   • Develop guidance on early childhood education (ECE) content quality in line with UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and UNICEF Headquarters in New York recommendations.
   • Work with the Learning Passport program team to design and develop LP compliant e-learning content with focus on ECE, such as videos, games, ppts, quizzes, etc. Helps develop instructor guides, parents’ guides, and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. ​
   • Map needs and requirements of different user groups, including parents and teachers, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian children and children on the move.
   • Map available sources of quality content available nationally, regionally and globally, enabling its utilization and sharing.
   • Review open source content for ECE available through Learning Passport as well as other relevant sources.
   • Support establishing of the process for content adaptation and translation.
   • Conduct pilot with support of larger Learning Passport team, track and record feedback, and integrate changes into revised content and design.
   • Integrate changes into revised content and design.
2. Support coordination with national and international stakeholders
   • Maintain regular communication with UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF Headquarters in New York, as well as other country offices
   • Maintain regular communication with all relevant national counterparts, including civils society, academia, and institutions add support creation of communication briefs, presentations, etc.
   • Share best practices between Learning Passport participating countries and other countries in the region with similar efforts.

Other activities may be needed to support the purpose of this contract.

3. Deliverables

The local consultant will deliver the following outputs and products within the timeline indicated.

Activity

Deliverables

Timeline*

1. Content development and management

• A guidance on ECE quality drafted
• A mapping of quality content conducted, including for (children with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian children, children on the move, etc) and information shared with all key actors and stakeholders
• Instructors’ and parents’ guides developed and adapted to local context
• Upload available and approved digital resources on the Learning Passport portal
• Provide technical support to procuring digital content services (e.g. curation, digitization, localization, production) and quality assure their deliverables from a digital perspective.

Throughout the engagement period

2. Support coordination with national and international stakeholders

• Regular communication maintained with ECARO, HQ, and other CO conducting relevant programs
• Regular communication maintained with all relevant counterparts at the national level

Throughout the engagement period

3. Other activities needed to support the purpose of this contract.

• Logistics support provided for meetings/interviews/focus groups with actors and stakeholders
• Contribute and manage knowledge resources and support general knowledge sharing by producing knowledge management resources, organizing activities to ensure sharing, exchange and collaboration and documenting lessons learned, challenges, and good practices.
• Basic translation services provided when needed
• Monthly progress report and the final report;
• Other relevant support provided as per need

Throughout the engagement period

4. Management and Organization

Management: The Consultant will report directly to the UNICEF Education Officer.

Organization: A national consultant will be required for this consultancy.

Schedule: The duration of consultancy should cover a minimum of 11.5 months, i.e. from 15 December 2020 until 1 December 2021. No travel is expected during this assignment.

5. Qualifications and Competencies

Education:

• University degree in education, educational technology, child development, social sciences or another relevant field.
• Advanced degree is considered as an asset.

Experience:

• At least three (3) years of professional work experience in the area of preschool education/early learning, with manifested capacity to manage programmes involving many stakeholders.

• Familiarity with the latest developments in digital education solutions and platforms.

• Experience in digital learning design will be considered an asset.

• Good technical understanding and familiarity with information management systems.

• A good understanding of UNICEF’s work on ECD and in Supporting Families for Nurturing Care.

• Work with UN/UNICEF or other international organization would be considered as an asset;

• Knowledge of at least Office 365 tools.

Language:

• Excellent oral and written communications in English and Montenegrin language required. Consultant should be at ease in presentations and meetings with different high-level stakeholders and officials.

Other competencies:

• Excellent communication abilities in both written and oral forms and interpersonal skills.

• Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination, and ability to work under pressure is required.

• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organisation, more specifically with Ministry of Education and other education institutions.

• Knowledge of the situation of young children in the ECA region and Montenegro.

6. Office Arrangements and Travel Requirements

The consultancy is expected to be based at the Ministry of Education. However, in light of the COVID19 situation, it is likely that the national consultant will work pre-dominantly from home. The consultant is expected to use their own computer. Consultant will have access to the UNICEF e-mail account.

7. Budget and Remuneration

• Consultancy fee

Financial proposals, including consultancy fee (monthly) are invited based on these Terms of Reference and should be submitted as a separate document.

• Payment schedule

The payments will be made on monthly basis upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of monthly report and signed invoices.

• Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

8. Application procedure:

Selection Method:

All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

1. Technical Criteria - Interview – 70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points

• Education: 20 points

• Previous experience: 25 points

• Technical questions at the interview: 25 point

• Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation.

2. Financial Criteria - 30 % of total evaluation – max. 30 points.

• Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].

• As part of the selection process, the office will select the individual who quoted the lowest fee from the list of individuals who are deemed suitable for achieving all tasks in time, and as per the criteria and deliverables stipulated in the Terms of Reference.

REMARK:

Mandatory learning: Upon concluding the recruitment process and prior to signing the contract, all Consultants and Individual Contractors, including those working from home, must complete the following three online courses:

• Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF

• Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority

• Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)

•

In addition, Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.

• BSAFE security training

Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract.

• UN Human Rights and Responsibilities;

• UNICEF information security awareness course

  The courses can be found on the following link: UNICEF Mandatory Training/Learning Courses .

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply.

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.

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

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Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org