National Reports Consultant on Inclusive Education

Contract

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF’s office is accessible to a certain extent, and employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations that are needed for ensuring equitable working conditions.

Although considerable progress has been achieved in the implementation of inclusive education (IE) in Serbia since the introduction of legal reforms in 2009, there are many challenges in making the Serbia’s national education system fully inclusive. One of the key challenges is to provide continuous monitoring of the implementation of IE as the basis for evidence-based policy making related to IE.

The purpose of this assignment is to support the development of national reports on IE implementation. In 2014, The Inclusive Education Monitoring Framework (IEMF) was developed as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MoESTD), UNICEF, Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit, the Open Society Foundation and the Institute for Psychology. The purpose of the FMIE is to support the MoESTD and the Institute for Evaluation of Education Quality (IEEDQ) in objective monitoring of the progress of IE at the school, municipal and national level. It has been used for all major reports and analyses concerning IE in the country.

Work Assignment Overview:

Under the general guidance of UNICEF Education Officer, and in cooperation with the MoESTD, the consultant will develop three National Reports on Inclusive Education:

1. 2021 National Report on Inclusive Education, encompassing the period of 2019 – 2020;
2. 2022 National Report on Inclusive Education, encompassing the year of 2021; and
3. 2023 National Report on Inclusive Education, referring to the year of 2022.

The consultant will collect data using an existing set of instruments and other sources, review and analyse relevant literature and studies on IE in Serbia, prepare qualitative and quantitative analyses, and prepare the reports with the adequate and meaningful level of disaggregation. Based on the detected strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and gaps, the consultant will articulate the recommendations. The consultant will also develop additional material (summary/brief and fact sheets) and participate in the promotion and presentation of the National Reports on IE.

The consultant is expected to closely coordinate with UNICEF, MoESTD and implementing partners to ensure that Inclusive Education Monitoring Framework is incorporated in every next national report.

Duration of the assignment: August 2021 – December 2023

Detailed task description:

Task 1:

Conduct the desk review, collect data and prepare the following three National Reports on Inclusive Education: (a) 2021 National Report on IE, (b) 2022 National Report on IE and (c) 2023 National Report on IE, through the following steps/phases:

• Develop outlines of the reports in consultation with UNICEF and MoESTD.
• Map and collect current and updated relevant studies, analyses and data related to IE in the country.
• Conduct a desk review of the current relevant literature and reports, and data analyses.
• Develop draft and final versions of the National Reports on Inclusive Education (the reports should be written in Serbian language, maximum 60 pages per report, with an executive summary in English).
• Facilitate a joint meeting/focus group with key partners/stakeholders to present the draft reports, gather feedback and prepare the final versions accordingly.
• Cooperate with the MoESTD and implementing partners on the improvements and implementation of the Inclusive Education Monitoring Framework.

Deliverables:

• Agreed report structure.
• Lists of relevant studies and data on IE.
• Draft and final reports on the inclusive education implementation (in Serbian language) with an executive summary (in Serbian and English language).
• PPTs on main findings prepared and presented.

Timeframe:

Up to 105 workdays in total, with various milestone deadlines by (a) December 30th, 2021; (b) October 31st, 2022, and (c) October 31st, 2023.

Task 2:

Prepare the texts for key policy and communication materials, including a selection of most relevant data for infographics used for public communication and awareness-raising activities (based on the final versions of the Reports on Inclusive Education in Serbia), and inputs for the Communication for Development (C4D) materials.

Deliverables:

• Texts and data for the Fact Sheets prepared (8.000 characters per Fact Sheet maximum) in English and Serbian.
• Inputs for the C4D materials as required.

Timeframe:

Up to 15 workdays in total, with various milestone deadlines by (a) December 30th, 2021, (b) November 15th, 2022; and (c) November 15th, 2023.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• University degree in Psychology, Pedagogy, Education or other fields of Social Studied and Humanities. Advanced degree would be an asset.
• At least 5 years of experience in education policy and practice in Serbia.
• Excellent knowledge of legal framework in education, preferably in inclusive education.
• Experience in research, analysis and monitoring of education policies is required, preferably in IE.
• Strong analytical and conceptual thinking, ability to synthesize complex information, statistical knowledge.
• Sound judgement is required in follow-up on requests.
• High degree of accuracy is important.
• Good knowledge of oral and written Serbian and English.
• Work experience with UNICEF and/or other international organizations would be considered as an advantage.

How to apply:

The application must include a financial proposal in RSD as a separate document, providing the following information:

• Daily rate (all costs included, e.g. health insurance, pension, usage of mobile phone),

Important notes:

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

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

For every child, you must demonstrate UNICEF's core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.