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Individual Contractor on Education Quality to support implementation of the UNICEF Education Programme

Belgrade

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Belgrade
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Education, Learning and Training
    • Project and Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF in Serbia is seeking an Individual Contractor on Education Quality to support implementation of the UNICEF Education Programme. This assignment is expected to contribute to advancing capacities of stakeholders to further develop policies and mechanisms aimed at education quality and to use data and analyses for their education policy work. The duration of the assignment is 11.5 months, from mid December 2017 to end November 2018.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: Providing quality education for all is one of the top priorities for UNICEF in Serbia. Our goal is to support the most vulnerable children to realize their full potential through participation in quality and inclusive primary and secondary education.

While legislation is in place for the promotion of inclusive education in Serbia since 2009, large gaps still persist between general population and children from vulnerable group. As per the MICS 2014  data, patterns of inequality manifest at primary and secondary school levels with 97% of children from general population entering primary school timely compared with 69% of Roma children. The completion rate for the general population is 93 percent, compared to only 64% for children from Roma settlements. Among the general population, 89% of the secondary-school aged adolescents attend secondary school, while this is the case for only 22% of adolescents from Roma settlements (only 15% of girls).

 

The child’s right to education is not only a matter of access, but also of quality. Despite the significant efforts towards improving the quality, education system in Serbia still fails to equip students with the competencies necessary for active participation in society and lifelong learning (PISA study shows that one third of 15 years old students are functionally illiterate). Moreover, additional support for education inclusion needed by children from vulnerable groups, particularly children with disabilities, is scarcely available, while allocation of resources, inter-ministerial cooperation and coordination to support inclusion and prevent drop-out is inadequate. Majority of population (52%) believes that it is better for children with physical or sensory disability to attend special schools while it grows to 68% when asked about children with intellectual disabilities.

 

Through different initiatives including all levels of governance, UNICEF has been advocating for the every child’s right to quality education. At the policy level UNICEF supported development of relevant legal framework supporting equal educational opportunities, establishment of the Unit for Coordination of Inclusive Education, as well as development of comprehensive framework for monitoring and evaluation of inclusive education in Serbia. UNICEF has provided coherent technical assistance and policy advice to secure inclusive policy development and to improve education quality, through introduction of new mechanisms for school improvement and demonstrating mechanisms and implementation modalities at national, local and school levels. UNICEF also supported initiatives which aimed at improving quality of education system through bottom-up approach.

Thus, inclusive practice in schools has been supported through identifying and promoting good quality schools, sharing of good practices, strengthening support mechanisms for schools, parents and students, homeroom teachers, inter-sectoral commissions. Number of research initiative and analytical work is under way aimed to inform policy development especially in the area of pre-school and inclusive education.

 

In the next period UNICEF will continue to support efforts of different stakeholders toward building more inclusive quality education.

This assignment is expected to contribute to advancing capacities of stakeholders to further develop policies and mechanisms aimed at education quality and to use data and analyses for their education policy work.

 

 

Work Assignment Overview

The work will be delivered in accordance with the yearly and subsequent monthly work plans agreed between Individual Contractor and Supervisor.

Monthly Reports will be prepared at the end of each Month. Each monthly report will include:

-              Overview of activities realized / progress, and

-              Outputs/draft documents as per the more detailed time-line agreed and as included under ‘deliverables’ for each specific task described below.

Task 1:   Support design, implementation and promotion of analysis on the implementation of IE at local and national level

Activities:

a)            Coordinate and contribute to the development of the Monitoring report on implementation of IE at the local level

b)            Coordinate and contribute to the development of the First National Report on IE

c)            Support dissemination process/ presentation to relevant stakeholders

Deliverables:

a)            b) Inputs provided to designing research methodologies, coordination and implementation

c)            Dissemination of deliverables through relevant channels and networks

Timeframe:  December 2017 – May 2018

 

Task 2:  Support programming, implementation, monitoring of main UNICEF projects in the area of education quality

(knowledge sharing platform development, SHARE cont, , cooperation of education institutions with parents)

Activities:

a)            Support monitoring programme and project implementation

b)            Maintain monitoring check-list data base.

Deliverables:  

-              Project monitoring reports

-              Monthly Reports at the end of each Month

Timeframe:   Throughout the assignment

 

Task 3:   Support implementation, finalization, dissemination of knowledge generation in education (pre-school education quality, analysis of initial pre-school teacher training, monitoring and evaluation of the gender-based violence programme, feasibility study on compulsory secondary education, review of education quality etc). Ensure compliance with UNICEF ethical standards in research, evaluation, data collection and analysis.

Activities:

a)            Coordinate implementation and support finalisation and dissemination of the study on pre-school education quality

b)            Coordinate implementation and support finalisation and dissemination of the study on initial pre-school teacher training

c)            Coordinate implementation and support finalisation and dissemination of the analysis of Roma children in schools for adults

d)            Coordinate implementation and support finalisation and dissemination of the feasibility study on introduction of compulsory secondary education

e)            Contribution to editing and finalisation of research studies

f)             Support provided for organisation of dissemination events to relevant stakeholders

g)            Support kick-off of the UNICEF - OECD review of the education quality

Deliverables:

•             Monthly Reports at the end of each Month (for all activities)

        a)b)c)d)e)f) Listed studies finalised and disseminated

         g) OECD-UNICEF review initiated

 

Timeframe:  

a)            End of December 2017

b)            End of February 2018

c)            End of March 2018

d)            Jun 2018

e)            November – December 2017

f)g) h) Throughout the assignment

 

Task 4: Support promotion and advocacy on main flagship and research projects on education quality

Activities:

a)            Develop and monitor implementation of advocacy and visibility plans for related projects in education quality

b)            Documenting good practices and draft summaries of interventions for further dissemination through UNICEF communication channels

c)            Dissemination of digital and print materials and resource packs through relevant channels and networks

d)            Organising conferences, peer-reviews and other learning events

Deliverables:

a)            Monthly reports

b)            At least 1 human interest story/case study identified and production coordinated

c)            Relevant publications, news and messages developed for FB and web articles as well as contribution to development of leaflets, brochures.

d)            At least 2 conferences organised, at least one stakeholder consultative meeting per study organised

 

Timeframe: Throughout the assignment

 

Task 5:  Support strengthening and leveraging of governmental and non-governmental partnerships and platforms to ensure commitment and engagement.

Activities:

a)            Supporting development of new initiatives and projects related to education quality in UNICEF:

b)            Support to preparation of 1 draft donor proposal in the area of education quality and drop-out prevention

c)            Coordinate inputs and update Edu-book – short description of the education programme in Serbia

Deliverables:   

a)            At least 2 PCA/partnership projects developed in partnership with partners in the area education quality

b)            At least 1 draft donor proposal developed

c)            Edu- book updated 2 times per year

 

Timeframe: December 2017 - November 2018

 

 Task 6:  Contribute to donor reporting

Activities: 

a)            Preparing contribution for donor reports capturing impact on children (based on the M&E plans of respective projects)

Deliverables:   

a)            Contribution prepared for 3 donor reports capturing impact on children (based on the M&E plans of respective projects)

Timeframe:  December 2017 -  June 2018

 

Task 7: Mapping global, regional or local innovation that could be relevant to Serbia in the area of education quality and school improvement

Activities:

a)            Mapp global, regional or local innovation that could be relevant to Serbia in the area of education quality and school improvement

Deliverables:    

a)            Report/Mapping produced and presented

Timeframe:   End of February 2018

 

Minimum Qualifications required:           

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Pre-school Education, Pedagogy, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics or other fields of Social Studies. Advanced degree will be an asset.

 

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

-              At least 5 years of experience in education policy in Serbia in the area of education quality/inclusive education;

-              Experience in large scale monitoring/research projects in education;

-              Experience in education research and surveys (design of qualitative and quantitative methodology, design of protocols, design of tools, sampling methods, statistical analysis, data processing);

-              Excellent knowledge of policies for improvement of education quality and major global and national initiatives in this area;

-              Established network of partners in the area of education;

-              Knowledge of all regulations in the field of education;

-              Managerial abilities and skills;

-              Result oriented;

-              Communication skills;

-              Computer skills;

-              Excellent English and Serbian skills, spoken and written.

-              Knowledge of the UN/UNICEF mandate and UN rules/procedures is an asset.

 

The application must include the following:

1.            Daily rate in RSD (all costs to be included e.g. health insurance, pension, usage of mobile phone)

2.            Daily allowance cost for travel within Serbia in RSD (for overnight)

3.            Daily allowance cost for travel within Serbia in RSD (without overnight, for more than 8 hours trip)

 

Important note: Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 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.

This vacancy is now closed.
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