Consultancy: Development of Guidelines for Adapting the Foundational Learning Module to Non-MICS Household Surveys, D & A Section, DRP - NYHQ, Requisition #516071

The consultant will develop guidelines that countries may use to (1) judge if their current survey methodology can adopt the FL module, (2) determine if sufficient support exists to develop and implement the FL module, and (3) re-design the standard FL module and associated tools in such a way that it can be easily adapted by other relevant surveys, if needed.

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

UNICEF plays a critical role in monitoring the status of the world’s women and children, and reporting on progress toward international objectives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the World Fit for Children (WFFC) goals, and UNICEF’s Strategic Plan (SP) targets. To support this global monitoring, UNICEF maintains a series of databases on key indicators, assists countries in collecting necessary data through the use of UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and conducts statistical analyses of the data for global reporting purposes.

MICS reaches not only children in school but also those who are unschooled, and provides nationally-representative indicators that can be disaggregated by sex, location (urban-rural), Socio-Economic Status (SES), sub-national geographical unit (e.g., province), and disability. Hence it is a great resource for sector analysis and monitoring equity in education, and will be implemented in more than 50 countries during 2017-2019. 

Implementation of the sixth round of MICS (MICS6) began in 2017, which introduced several new modules including two newly developed education modules that assess early learning outcomes: the Parental Involvement (PR) module, and the Functional Learning Skills (FL) module. Prior to implementing MICS6, the FL module was tested in four countries, namely Kenya, Ghana, Costa Rica, and Belize. The first set of MICS6 national data will be available from Sierra Leone and Togo in summer 2018. 

The standard MICS comprises six questionnaires, including the one contains the FL module, guidance on how to build a relevant story for a reading assessment and set of questions for a customised questionnaire, training and fieldwork tools, data collection programmes in CSPro, data analysis tools in SPSS, and dissemination tools such as a standard template for reporting findings. If other surveys intend to adopt the FL module, these may need to be customised depending on the content and the methodology of the data collection approach. 

The FL module adopts a direct assessment method for early learning in reading and math at a Grade 2 and/or 3 level among children 7-14 years old, and identifies the most marginalized children in terms of learning outcomes.  Its data collection instruments are developed for use with the MICS survey for the purpose of providing additional SDG monitoring. It offers a set of questions that, under the right methodological circumstances, can be added to household surveys to go beyond the basic MICS. It is designed to monitor SDG4.1.1.(a), and the results are comparable internationally.

Purpose

The consultant will develop guidelines that countries may use to (1) judge if their current survey methodology can adopt the FL module, (2) determine if sufficient support exists to develop and implement the FL module, and (3) re-design the standard FL module and associated tools in such a way that it can be easily adapted by other relevant surveys, if needed.

Duty Station : Remote

Travel : Not required

Copyright

UNICEF will retain all copyrights of any materials produced by the consultant under this assignment. If the paper is submitted for possible publication in an academic journal, the consultant’s contribution will be acknowledged as part of the authorship.

Remuneration

Payment will be made upon the satisfactory and timely submission and approval of the deliverables and not actual number of days worked. The final output must reflect all comments provided during the review process. Failure to finalize the report by the deadline indicated below will result in cancellation of this agreement. The consultant is not entitled to payment of overtime.  All remuneration must be within the specifications of this agreement.

Timeframe

Start date:  1 October 2018                 
End date:  30 October 2018 

Expected results: (measurable results)

Key competences, technical background, and experience required

• Advanced degree (masters or higher) in statistics, education, economics, or other social sciences.
• At least 8 years of experience in survey design, survey administration training, data processing, and management of household surveys.
• Advanced competency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, is required. 
• Ability to work under tight deadlines
• Other skills and attributes: Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks; strong written and interpersonal communication skills.

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.