Local consultant to support the Inclusive preschool and Basic education interventions with UNICEF Albania

UNICEF Albania is hiring an Individual local consultant to support the Inclusive Preschool and Basic Education interventions with UNICEF Albania

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Background and Context

UNICEF under the country program document signed with the Albanian Government, is engaged in supporting the Ministry of Education Sports and Youth (MoESY) in Albania towards ensuring an equitable and quality system of education for all Albanian children with a focus on the most vulnerable ones. UNICEF has engaged with MoESY in the development of the education sector strategy and its implementation as the main policy document which is paving the way to the future development of education in Albania.

Supporting the main principles of this policy document, UNICEF is putting in place strategies such as advocacy for a qualitative and equitable system of education, reinforcement of the inclusive capacities of teacher work force and school management, strengthening of data systems to inform national decision making, influencing parents, teachers and public at large behaviors on issues of vulnerable groups inclusion in education.

Identified bottlenecks hampering the equitable access for the most vulnerable children to education are being tackled through policy level and targeted interventions considering that the needs of children are holistic and require an integrated response. Availability of inputs such as transportation costs, text books, availability of budgets are being addresses by UNICEF through targeted interventions and advocacy with the MoESY especially for one of the most vulnerable groups like Roma and children with disability where global initiatives as e.g. Out- of- School- children are being implemented by MOESY in Albania with UNICEF support. Availability of qualified teacher force to ensure education outcomes for children is also being addressed by assisting MOESY to set up a qualification system that will provide Albanian children with 21-st century skills improving their academic achievements and life skills. Policy framework such as the strategy of Pre-university education, Revised Education Management Information system have been supported through the technical assistance of UNICEF by ensuring the equity angle of these documents with a focus on early years, considering the social equalizing effect of early childhood development interventions. Improved children outcomes, is being targeted through the completion of Early Learning and Development Standards and Preschool curriculum, piloting of the competency based curriculum, as well as reviewing the education monitoring and assessment systems.

To support this ambitious joint work plan of UNICEF and MOESY in Albania, a national consultant will be hired to support Early Learning and Education team of UNICEF in the process of implementation of this work plan.

Purpose & Objectives, Expected Results

Under the general guidance of the Early Learning and Education Specialist, the selected consultant will be accountable for different professional and technical contributions. The main objective of this consultancy will be to assist UNICEF to implement the joint work plan with MOESY, focusing on the issue of Out of School Children and Reducing of Drop out, Inclusive education programme, the development of monitoring frameworks for preschools, the professional development programme for preschool teachers along with with a focus of the assignment on monitoring and documentation in all above aspects. 

Description of the assignment (statement of work)

The assignment will be conducted by one national consultant in a collaborative effort with UNICEF team, MoESY and the Institute of Development of Education (IDE). The consultant will be required to work part time on a daily basis in UNICEF office. The main tasks and deliverables for the consultant as part of this assignment will be:

Activities include, but are not necessarily limited to the following tasks:

• Regularly meet with relevant project partners: state and non-state counterparts, CSOs, contractors (individual and institutional), education groups, to provide technical assistance, expert advice, feedback to different aspects of Education and Early Learning Programme, as well as around particular activities implemented by different actors;
• Regularly follow up on ongoing activities, conduct project related field missions and monitoring visits, document and report on specific components of the implementation and quality of outputs produced;
• Production of monthly progress reports shall be ensured to maintain solid track record and update on the implementation of all planned and ad-hoc activities, including status update on deliverables, challenges and barriers and how they were/supposed to be addressed;
• Closely follow up on major developments around Early Learning and Education in the country and globally;
• Perform other duties as required within the above topic.

 Key deliverables and Timeframe

Deliverable 1 - Support provided to UNICEF in Out-of-School Children (OOSC) and reducing of drop- out initiative

Tasks:

-Writing of reports for the cross-sectoral meetings on OOSC and documenting the initiative;

-Preparation of reports and documentation of good practices along with inputs required for donor reports;

-Follow up and logistical support in joint activities with the MOeSY for OOSC;

-Extraction, translation (from Albanian into English); assistance in data search and consolidation of data for OOSC;

-Develop a concept note for OOSC;

Duration: monthly

Actor: contractor with the support

Completion Date: based on the monthly work plan agreed with the Supervisor

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Deliverable 2 - Support for the implementation of the professional teacher training program for preschool and the development of the Monitoring framework for preschool education

Tasks:

1. Ensure regular communication with IDE, international consultant and UNICEF for the development of the Monitoring framework for preschool education;
2. Follow up and provide technical assistance in the teacher professional development program using the WANDA methodology;
3. Provide logistical support to meetings of IDE and external consultant;
4. Conduct monitoring visits and field visits as required.

Duration: monthly

Actor: contractor with the support of UNICEF Early Learning and Education Specialist

Completion Date: based on the monthly work plan agreed with the Supervisor

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Deliverable 3- Assists in coordination of the violence in schools efforts and inclusive education.

Tasks:

1. Provide coordination among different governmental and non-governmental actors part of the initiatives;
2. Facilitate regular meetings among all partners to track progress;
3. Monitor and provide regular feedback on the training, curricula development on violence and school activities;
4. Prepare inputs and human stories for the preparation of the donor reports as requested

Duration: throughout the contract duration

Actor: contractor with the support of UNICEF Early Learning and Education Specialist

Completion Date: based on the monthly work plan agreed with the Supervisor

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Deliverable 4 - Support provided to the Early Learning and Education Section in generating evidence based knowledge (briefings, concept notes, ToRs) and visibility of the programme.

Tasks:

1. Prepare documents (briefings, concept notes, notes for record), and provide inputs to relevant documents;
2. Prepare ToRs and provide inputs to advertisement and selection process;
3. Develop project related presentations and project briefs;

Duration: throughout the contract duration

Actor: contractor with the guidance of the Early Learning and Education Specialist

Completion Date: based on the monthly work plan agreed with the Supervisor

Reporting Requirements

The contractor will report on monthly basis to the Early Learning and Education Specialist. The report will be prepared in English and shall include clear information about the activities performed and results achieved against the initially planned deliverables. The report in hard copy, accompanied by the payroll table, is contingent to the approval by the Specialist. A final report will be prepared and duly submitted upon the finalization of the consultancy.

Location and Duration

The contractor will work part time and will use the premises of UNICEF Albania CO located in Tirana. The initial contract is planned for 9 months with a possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability. The exact dates for starting and ending the contract will be negotiated upon awarding the contract. The contractor will develop activities as per the Section 6 above, under the supervision of the Early Learning and Education Specialist.

Qualification Requirements

This assignment requires strong technical skills, as well as good knowledge of the national education and early learning environment including policies, strategies, legal and institutional framework. It also requires strong communication, coordination and managerial skills.

• Higher education degree/s in Education, Social Sciences or other relevant discipline;
• Demonstrated extensive experience of conducting work on Education and Preschool education (minimum five years);
• Excellent facilitation skills and demonstrated experience of leading joined group efforts;
• Excellent writing skills in English and Albanian and ability to synthetize complex information.
• Knowledge and experience of UNICEF priorities in preschool and education would be an advantage

Work related requirements:

• Availability to work part-time with UNICEF as indicated in the current ToR;
• Flexibility in responding to office needs.

What to submit

• Curriculum Vitae or United Nations Personal History Form (P11);
• Letter of Interest specifying the relevant experience with similar type of assignments (max 300 words);
• Links to previous written work or samples of written work related to the scope of the TORs;
• Financial proposal - The financial proposal shall specify the monthly fee requested for the tasks described in the current ToR and based on a part time based work schedule envisaged. The financial proposal shall be submitted in local currency (ALL). The stated amount must be all-inclusive by including taxes, communication costs and all other individual expenses.

Submission of applications

Please consult UNICEF Albania website at www.unicef.org/albania/jobs.html or UN Albania website at www.un.org.al/employment-and-procurement, to download the detailed TOR and other documents or requirements related to this announcement. There is also a link that will direct you at UNICEF e-Recruitment System to submit your application.

Only applications submitted online will be considered.