School Community Consultation and Planning Consultant based in Apia, Samoa

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, quality education

Around the world, countries have spent the last 12 months responding to the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the lives and livelihoods of their citizens. Due to Samoa’s very recent measles outbreak, in October 2019, which killed 83 people (almost all children under the age of two) and infected more than 5,700, the country responded more promptly to the COVID threat than most nations. Schools were closed in early March and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture rapidly implemented a range of home-based learning packages to support young people’s ongoing access to education. The government closed international borders and, with the exception of a small number of strictly monitored repatriation flights, borders remaining closed, schools were reopened and day to day has resumed a level of “normalcy”

The MESC developed a COVID 19 response plan to ensure health and safety of all sector stakeholders and systems for continuity of learning. Having had the epidemic and pandemic in such quick succession, learning from these experiences and building resiliency in the system became a priority. The Ministry has used several reviews and surveys to already learn from initial responses.

One of the lessons learned was to ensure good communication with stakeholders and the need for school-based planning taking into account the specific contexts and characteristics of school communities, to better meet the needs of students, families and wider school stakeholder groups. Although this learning relates to emergency situations, it is acknowledged that ensuring school-based planning better reflects the school community is relevant across all contexts. This work will support MESC to respond to this learning.

MESC successfully applied to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for financial support to implement the sector contingency plan. This work is part of that intended implementation.

The purpose of this assignment is to work with MESC divisional staff to support school communities to develop emergency and contingency plans for their schools. The plans will be based on the sector plans and give full cognizance to the goals of: 1. Schools and ECCEs remain safe both from a physical and psychosocial point of view 2. All students have access to continuing educational opportunities 3. The education system is more resilient to future disruptions

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work: The work will include but is not limited to the following: • Conduct desk review of current COVID response documents for the education sector in Samoa and other relevant literature. Draft a work plan to include activities, time frame and due dates for consultations; discuss and secure endorsement for the way forward. • In consultation with MESC staff develop a template for school communities to use in the development of their own plans (the template should be trialed with one or two schools to check ensure suitability and any required revisions made) It is recognized that specific contexts of schools may been there are minor variations to the templates in different setting • Organise school community workshops to draft plans utilizing district clusters and co-facilitate these with the relevant MESC divisional staff. Draft and present a report to the MESC Core Executive Management, of a summary of the plans, identifying any area for discussion and feedback in order to finalise plans and any decisions required on emerging issues that may need a broader MESC response. • Finalize and present a final report to the Ministry including a summary of the plans and recommendations for future work (methodology or output) to be undertaken by MESC to ensure ongoing ownership by School Committees and currency of their plans.

Supervisor: The consultant will be supervised on a day to day basis by the Education Specialist UNICEF Pacific in collaboration with the Deputy CEO of MESC. All deliverables will need the approval of MESC and Chief of Education UNICEF Pacific

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

• A first University Degree in degree in social sector and/or planning and administration.
• At least 10 years government, regional body or equivalent relevant experience with increasing responsibility
• Experience in planning
• Demonstrated understanding of emergency disaster response
• Wide range of experience in designing and facilitating community consultations
• Excellent written and verbal communication and diplomacy skills (Samoan and English)
• Fluency in English is required.

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.

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.