Re-advertisement- Previous Applicants Need Not Apply - Consultancy: Data Analysis Consultant Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), Manila, Philippines

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, a fair chance

UNICEF has been an active partner of the Government of the Philippines and civil society in realizing the rights of every Filipino child, in line with priorities to achieve the SDGs. UNICEF efforts have been focused on the most vulnerable regions identified by the Government of the Philippines Development Plan, particularly in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. To ensure that interventions are sustainable and scaled up, UNICEF will support both the national and local government units (LGUs) as the main instruments of delivering services and building systems. The level of engagement with government institutions will consider capacities, economies of scale and sector issues.

UNICEF Philippines has two offices. One office is based in Manila and a field office in Cotabato City, the second largest city in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, with some 300,000 population. The city is the regional administrative centre of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and over 80 percent of the population is Muslim. Mindanao is both conflict-affected and prone to frequent earthquakes and typhoons.

Visit this link for more information on Philippine Country Office: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Education Officer, the Consultant will analyze the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) data of the Philippines and write draft policy briefs that present evidence-based recommendations for education policy that will contribute to the Department of Education (DepEd) Rolling Work Plan (RWP) 2019-2021, Activity 2.2.6, Task 1: Capacity building of DepEd for participation in regional learning assessment and analysis of national and international assessment results for promoting quality learning.

Scope of Work:

The SEA-PLM was launched by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) as a new regional large-scale assessment to measuring learning outcomes of Grade 5 students in Southeast Asia. The Philippines participated in the first cycle of SEA-PLM in 2019, along with five other countries in the region, and assessed performance of 6,083 Grade 5 students in the domains of reading, writing, mathematics, and global citizenship. The main regional results of the SEA-PLM 2019 were released by the SEA-PLM Secretariat in December 2020, which presented the overview of children’s learning outcomes in the six participating countries. Subsequently, in March 2021, DepEd and UNICEF Philippines launched the SEA-PLM 2019 National Report of the Philippines. The report highlights the alarming trends of low-quality learning and inequality in the country. Further analysis that supplements the findings of the national report will be completed and disseminated in 2021.

Despite the initial progress, research using the SEA-PLM data is still few and far between. As the SEA-PLM has a potential for generating evidence of the barriers that hinder quality learning as well as success factors of children’s academic performance, there is a need for more research and data analysis that can promote evidence-based decision and policy-making towards inclusive quality learning for all children. Based on this background, UNICEF Philippines will publish a series of policy briefs that address the in-depth situation of learning using the SEA-PLM data and present recommendations for education reforms. The analysis focuses on equity, which will lead to crafting policy recommendations to mitigate the learning gaps among low-performing students. The policy briefs will be disseminated to a wider audience including education policy makers, researchers, potential donors, and ground-level stakeholders.

The Consultant shall analyze the SEA-PLM data of the Philippines and write draft policy briefs on five topics: (1) early childhood education, (2) language, (3) parental engagement, (4) teachers, and (5) global citizenship in close collaboration with UNICEF staff.

To achieve the assignment, the Consultant will undertake the following activities:

1. Data analysis of the SEA-PLM which shall include:

2. Identify three analysis per topic with key variables and data analysis techniques and methodologies that can be used on the SEA-PLM data of the Philippines

3. For each analysis, generate graphs or charts that best illustrate the key message and are properly labelled. Create the graphs or charts in Excel.
4. Create a technical note which contains the description of how pre-analysis preparation is conducted (e.g., missing data, outliers, multicollinearity, residual analysis) and analytical approach with equations.

5. Create a Stata dofile and logfile and paste in a Word document, formatted in 8 pt. Courier New font (single-spaced).

6. Using the SEA-PLM data analyzed, identify education policy implications and recommendations and write the draft policy briefs. The length of each policy brief should be about four pages including data visualization and endnotes. The main text should be about 1,500 words excluding data visualization and endnotes and should be written in 11 pt. Calibri font (single-spaced). All the references and notes should be in endnotes. The outline of the policy briefs is below:

   1. Context (100 words)

• Discuss the significance of the topic and provide its brief context in the Philippines (e.g., key policy and basic statistics).

2. Analysis and the Key Findings (900 words excluding 3 visualizations)

• • Conduct three major analysis that is accompanied by key message, narrative, and graph or table. Each description should begin with a clear key message.
  • The analysis should focus on equity and serve as evidence for policy recommendations to mitigate the learning gaps among low-performing students. Some of the key dimensions of equity includes gender, socio-economic status, and location (rural/urban).
  • At least one of the three analysis should be multivariate analysis.
  3. Issues and Challenges (200 words)
• • Articulate key issues and challenges that are derived from the analysis. Where necessary, use external data and information to supplement the argument.
  4. Recommendations (300 words)
• • Based on the analytical findings, present three to four key policy recommendations on how the situation surrounding the topic could be improved for better learning outcome. Begin each recommendation with a clear key message.

Deliverables: The Consultant is required to produce and submit the following deliverables:

1. Analysis plan
2. First draft policy briefs on (1) early childhood education, (2) language, (3) parental engagement, (4) teachers, and (5) global citizenship
3. Second revised draft policy briefs with all comments reflected
4. Final revised draft policy briefs with all comments reflected; data visualization in Excel files; technical notes; and Stata dofiles and logfiles

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

• Advanced degree in a related field such as Education, Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, and Social Science.
• At least three (3) years of relevant professional experience in the field of education programme and policy analysis experience.
• Knowledge of education system and policy issues in the Philippines is desired.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to analyze data with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Relevant experience in analyzing international large-scale assessments; Demonstrated knowledge and skills in using Stata.

• Strong English writing skills to ensure quality of final products.

  How to apply

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an online candidate profile in http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ by 09 August 2021. Only applications sent through the e-recruitment portal will be considered.

By applying through our Talent Management System (TMS) you agree to our privacy statement which is in line with the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act. You are strongly advised to read carefully through the privacy statement before submitting your application.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Builds and maintains partnerships (Level 1)
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (Level 1)
• Drive to achieve results for impact (Level 1)
• Innovates and embraces change (Level 1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (Level 1)
• Thinks and acts strategically (Level 1)
• Works collaboratively with others (Level 1)

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:

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.