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Consultancy: Research and Development of Global Pathways to Certification for Children uprooted, Education Section, PD - NYHQ, Requisition #514379

New York City

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Logistics
    • Education, Learning and Training
    • Children's rights (health and protection)
    • Supply Chain
    • Scientist and Researcher
  • Closing Date: Closed

Under the supervision of the Senior Education Adviser, Education in Emergencies (EiE) the Consultant will provide research and technical support towards recommendations for a way forward to develop a global pathway to certification for children uprooted, including the development of a partnership cooperation agreement with Cambridge University and an investment case targeting donors and foundation. The consultant will work closely with the UNICEF education teams in New York, Regional Offices and Country Offices as well as with the UK UNICEF National Committee, the University of Cambridge and the Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) to ensure inclusive consultation and quality assurance of deliverables.

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.

Background & Rationale

Migration – both forced and voluntary – is bringing the world ever closer together. Around the world, an estimated 50 million children migrated across borders or were forcibly displaced in 2015. More than half – 28 million children – fled the horrors of conflict, violence and insecurity. By 2030, an estimated two thirds of the world’s poor will be living in emergency contexts. These numbers represent just a portion of the children whose education is disrupted by displacement – internally displaced children far outnumber those officially registered as refugees and are not accounted for in these totals.

In countries ravaged by war and disaster, safety getting to and from school, lack of teaching staff, destroyed facilities, lack of educational materials and distance to school impede children’s learning potential. In some instances, learning opportunities are not available in languages children and families understand or at a level of quality that makes attending worth the effort. About two thirds of refugees live in areas where none of the official languages is the official language in their country of origin. In addition, school qualification certificates are not acknowledged across borders and school systems. In many countries, placing children in the correct grade can also be difficult because of different national standards are not always international and qualifications are not always transferable.

The obstacles presented at each phase in the migration journey – origin, transit and destination – are not inherent. They are barriers created by policies, practices, behaviors and attitudes that put children in danger. Yet when pathways to better opportunities are safe and destinations are welcoming, migration can be a positive force: expanding opportunity, and strengthening, not tearing, the social fabric of societies.

In 2018, United Nations Member States and their partners will finalize two global compacts – the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – which will set international standards for how governments and communities deal with the refugees and migrants who arrive at their borders. UNICEF’s Agenda for Action for Children Uprooted calls upon governments to keep refugee and migrant children learning and healthy.  These agendas provide a unique opportunity to bring partners together and collaborate towards a much needed solution for millions of children around the world – that of continuing to learn regardless of context or background, and of rendering education opportunities portable and valuable across borders.

UNICEF is teaming up with the University of Cambridge to explore and test the feasibility of developing an internationally recognized ‘portable’ curricula framework, associated learning materials and certification model – a pathway to certification – for children whose education has been disrupted due to an emergency. Such a model would facilitate the portability and transferability of a child’s learning journey across borders (full concept note attached), leading to and ultimately including certification.

Purpose

Under the supervision of the Senior Education Adviser, Education in Emergencies (EiE)  the Consultant will provide research and technical support towards recommendations for a way forward to develop a global pathway to certification for children uprooted, including the development of a partnership cooperation agreement with Cambridge University and an investment case targeting donors and foundation. The consultant will work closely with the UNICEF education teams in New York, Regional Offices and Country Offices as well as with the UK UNICEF National Committee, the University of Cambridge and the Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) to ensure inclusive consultation and quality assurance of deliverables.

Building on the initial findings from a feasibility mission with the University of Cambridge to Cox’s Bazar, the consultant will be responsible for:

  • Evidence and strategic analysis: Collect, compile and analyze key resources on the issue of educational recognition, validation and certification for children uprooted.  This includes drawing upon existing research, the preliminary literature review undertaken by the University of Cambridge etc. and other core sources to be shared.  Data review will include current practices related to language of instruction, curricula choices, and other issues most relevant to the set up and delivery of education in emergency contexts.
  • Investment Case: Informed by the above research, identify key challenges, gaps and opportunities towards the development of a global pathway to certification for children uprooted and produce recommendations and principles for a way forward.  This will include a succinct and compelling investment case for public and private support to the research and development for a global pathway to certification.
  • Partnership Cooperation Agreement: Building on the recommendations, support the development of a phased Partnership Cooperation Agreement with Cambridge University, inclusive of the identification of priority countries for this partnership; the development and trial run of a ‘blueprint’ EiE curriculum/learning framework and associated assessments; guidance for contextualization; the development of a platform (online and offline) for curating, contextualizing, and quality assuring learning and teaching resources.
  • Partner engagement and Consultation: All of the above must be informed by an inclusive and comprehensive consultation that is documented and facilitated in collaboration with a wide range of relevant stakeholders and practitioners working at global, regional and especially, country level. 

Expected results: (measurable results)

The following results are expected by the end of the consultancy:

  • Inclusive and comprehensive consultation undertaken, documented and facilitated in collaboration with a wide range of relevant stakeholders. 
  • Edited and consolidated report including: 1. Evidence and strategic analysis of gaps, challenges and opportunities towards the development of a global pathway to certification for children uprooted; 2. Recommendations of way forward to develop a global pathway to certification.
  • Investment Case developed for donors and foundations providing the rational for investment in a global pathway to certification for children uprooted.
  • Partnership Cooperation Agreement and associated annexes finalised in collaboration with UNICEF Education NYHQ team and the University of Cambridge.  

Duty Station: Location of assignment: Remote-based or New York based. If remote, some travel to UNICEF HQNY is foreseen.

Timeframe

Start date:  30th July, 2018                   
End date:  16th October, 2018

Deliverables

(See the last page for guidance on formulating deliverables)

Duration

(Estimated # of Days)

Deadline

  • Develop a knowledge library: Collect and compile key resources on the issue of educational recognition, validation and certification for children uprooted
  • Draft concise and strategic analysis paper of opportunities, achievements, gaps, challenges and recommendations of way forward for the development of a global pathway to certification for children uprooted
  • Coordinate consultation and feedback on the strategic analysis with a wide range of relevant stakeholders and practitioners

15 days

17th August, 2018

  • Finalize strategic analysis paper
  • Draft investment case towards the development of a global pathway for certification

10 days

4th September, 2018

  • Coordinate consultation and feedback on the investment case with relevant stakeholders and practitioners
  • Finalize investment case
  • Draft the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between UNICEF and Cambridge University, including the identification of pilot priority countries and the sequencing/phasing of the PCA

25 days

2nd October, 2018

  • Support the Senior Education Advisor, Education in Emergencies, in the submission of the PCA to the Contract Review Committee (CRC)
  • Amend and finalize the PCA following review and inputs from the CRC

5 days

16th October, 2018

total

55 days

 

Key competences, technical background, and experience required:

  • An Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in education, international development, or relevant social sciences.
  • Minimum eight years of relevant work experience in international development, education, emergencies, and both qualitative and quantitative research.
  • Knowledge and experience with education programming in fragile and crisis-affected contexts is an asset.
  • Strong ability to write and edit academic as well as public outreach materials, ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
  • Ability to quickly and easily liaise with multiple stakeholders.
  • Ability to work independently and to meet tight deadlines.
  • Strong interpersonal communication skills, good understanding of UNICEF and/or UN system, and of current events as they relate to international development issues.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

Remarks

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

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

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.

This vacancy is now closed.
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