Institutional Consultancy for Evaluation of the Government of Turkmenistan’s Policy on Early Childhood Development (ECD) and UNICEF’s contribution to its design, implementation and monitoring

Institutional Consultancy for Evaluation of the Government of Turkmenistan’s Policy on Early Childhood Development (ECD) and UNICEF’s contribution to its design, implementation and monitoring Duration: 15 August 2019 – 30 June 2020 (54 days) Location: Out-of-country with two visits to Turkmenistan (Ashgabat city with potential visits to velayats)

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The early childhood period encompasses several quite distinct phases: from ‘conception to birth’ and from ‘birth to 3 years’, with emphasis on the first 1,000 days (from conception to 24 months), followed by the pre-primary years (3 years to 5 or 6 years, or the age of school entry).

Evaluation Rationale and Purpose

The main purpose of the evaluation is to take stock of the progress towards improved outcomes for young children, particularly for the most disadvantaged, to inform the Government policy formulation and implementation and help shape UNICEF’s further support in achieving ECD-related SDG targets and other international and national commitments.

The Object of the Evaluation

Objects of the evaluation are:

• Government’s ECD policy.
•  UNICEF’s contribution to the design, implementation and monitoring, particularly during the current country programme.

ECD Policy: Whilst early childhood development has been an integral focus of Turkmenistan’s policy landscape prior to and since independence in 1991, its current trajectory can be traced to a focused resolve by UNICEF East and Central Asia Regional Office in 2007 to capitalise on ECD regionally. This opened the way for a more robust dialogue between UNICEF Turkmenistan and the government, resulting in the rapid expansion of the enabling policy environment for ECD. This includes policy and legislation which is both specific to and informs ECD, and includes the 2011-2015 Turkmenistan National Programme for Early Childhood Development and School Preparedness, the Law on the Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Child Food Requirements (2013, amended), the Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2019, the present Conceptual Framework for Implementation of Developmental Pediatrics and Early Intervention in Turkmenistan 2016-2020 and the draft Turkmenistan Early Childhood Development Strategy 2019-2024.  

The ECD programme in Turkmenistan has been evolving since 2007, building on success to design a current country programme which reflects the key components of the 2018 Nurturing Care Framework - adequate nutrition, good health, opportunities for early learning, safety and security and responsive care-giving; and which demonstrates that this has emerged from action on the four key components of the enabling environment - enabling policies, supportive services, empowered communities and caregiver capabilities.

Turkmenistan has just adopted a National Plan of Action on Children 2018-2022 and drafted a new generation of an Early Childhood Development Strategy with UNICEF support, which aims to improve the quality of health and education services for children aged 0-8, promote supportive parenting, increase the readiness of girls and boys for schooling, and strengthen the monitoring of progress towards these objectives.

UNICEF’s Contribution:  UNICEF Turkmenistan Country Office (CO) supported the development of all policy documents mentioned above and has provided extensive support to the implementation of the National ECD Policy. UNICEF continues modelling innovative and replicable forms of quality and inclusive pre-school and pre-primary education and learning. This includes updating pre-primary curricula, developing school readiness standards, establishing teacher qualification requirements, designing child-friendly guidelines for comprehensive assessments of early learning achievements and school readiness and strengthening the capacities of parents to ensure early learning opportunities for children at home.

The Ministries of Education (MoE) and Health and Medical Industry (MoHMI) are establishing a system for early childhood intervention (ECI) and multi-disciplinary support services for young Children with disabilities and their families, with support from the St. Petersburg Institute of Early Interventions and Ankara University, respectively.  A determinant analysis with partners revealed that several bottlenecks had to be overcome for successful implementation of this programme.

The Theory of Change has to be reconstructed retrospectively considering that the ECD policy comprises of different elements, defined in the Country Programme Plan of Action and across the main programme components, there has not been a long-term planning and TOC construction, given the current political economy context, except probably when CPDs were developed.  The ongoing “models” do not fully meet the 10 sine qua non conditions expected from models while efforts to establish proper M&E frameworks to assess their effectiveness and efficiency are underway. In addition, Turkmenistan’s plans and strategies usually do not have M&E frameworks.  No ToC was prepared, but there is a logical model developed across the main programme components.  There is also a Resources and Results Framework (RRF), which has had to be revised for multiple reasons.

In 2018, a documentation exercise for the cross sectoral activities implemented in support of the ECD policy implementation was carried out under ECD.  This exercise could well be a starting point and good base for the retrospective ToC construction.

Exact scope/object in terms of policy will be revisited/defined during the inception phase, on the basis of the recommended conceptual framework.

Rationale, objectives and intended use:

The timing of the evaluation is critical as the country is getting ready to adopt the next generation of an ECD Strategy as well as develop the next country programme of cooperation with the UN and UNICEF. Thus, the evaluation can help shape the programming and policymaking in ECD, including main elements of cooperation with UNICEF. The evaluation will also inform the reporting of the country to CRC in 2020 and UNCRPD in 2022.  

• Conduct a comprehensive and independent evaluation of Turkmenistan’s ECD policy and UNICEF’s contribution, taking stock of Turkmenistan’s progress towards its ECD-related policy objectives, including assessment of whether the policies have led to improved, intended or unintended, outcomes for young girls and boys, including for the most disadvantaged.
• Review and assess UNICEF’s support to ECD policy development, implementation and monitoring, particularly in terms of relevance and effectiveness
• Draw lessons learned, positive or negative, particularly in relation to cross-sectoral coordination, synergies and a whole-of-the-government approach in the area of ECD to inform the action to accelerate progress towards ECD-related SDG targets
• Provide concrete recommendations to the Government of Turkmenistan, particularly the Ministries of Education and Health and Medical Industry, for future directions and further improvement of its policymaking and programming in the area of ECD and further institutional changes, if any, required for successful achievement of ECD related SDG targets and other international and national commitments.
• Provide concrete recommendations to UNICEF and broader UN for organizing and implementing its ECD related support, particularly during the next Country programme for the period of 2021-2025.
• Provide recommendations on how to improve the evaluability of the object of the evaluation on the experience of retrospective ToC reconstruction process
• Promote result-based management and evaluation culture among ECD Stakeholders.

The use of the evaluation can include all or some of the below:

• Learning and improved decision-making (including through identification of lessons learned and good practices) to support ECD policy, with UNICEF and another actors’ support;
• Accountability for UNICEF interventions in terms of contribution to ECD policy and its implementation;
• Capacity development of government and other stakeholders in ECD.

Primary audiences: Ministries of Education, Health and Medical Industry, local governments, line ministries who are anticipated to use the results of the Evaluation as the main developers, implementers and monitors of the national programmes.  The primary users need the Evaluation results to introduce corrective actions if needed, to use the best available practices, to bridge the inequality gaps and to allocate sufficient funds. UNICEF as one of the main knowledge brokers in ECD practices providing technical assistance for effective implementation of ECD interventions worldwide.

Secondary audiences: MPs need to be informed in order to introduce necessary legislative changes. International, academic, private and civil society organisations including UN agencies and educators should use the results of the Evaluation to gain more knowledge and to improve their advocacy and practical actions in introduction and implementation of the ECD programmes.

Advocacy and dissemination plan

Although the results of the evaluation will not be known until its completion UNICEF together with the team of evaluators will work together to prepare an initial dissemination plan to help focus the project and identify key audiences.

To provide an overview of the critical considerations, following is a preliminary list of some of the key elements that will be included in the dissemination and advocacy plan.

• Project overview
• Dissemination goals
• Target audiences
• Key messages
• Sources/messengers
• Dissemination activities, tools, timing, and responsibilities

Scope

Period to be covered: 2012-2018 (or earlier if evaluators will need to have a retrospective analysis). 

The population group(s) covered:  boys and girls (3 years to 5 or 6 years old), or the age of school entry; their caregivers, where possible, disaggregated by sex, age, socio-economic characteristics, etc. The evaluation will also involve duty bearers and other stakeholders in all stages, in accordance with highly participatory approach.  This will further be discussed with selected institution as UNICEF programming in this area covered the age group of 0-8.

Geographical coverage: The evaluation’s geographic focus will be national. Focused assessment may be needed in selected areas to assess UNICEF contribution considering Lebap, Mary and Ahal velayats, which have moved ahead with the reforms and introduction of new services more actively and have been used as positive deviance examples.

The specific tasks for the consultancy:

1. Review background information on the Child Wellbeing, School readiness and Learning, including, health, growth monitoring, development outcomes of Turkmenistan, National Statistics, ongoing healthcare, education & social programmes and policy documents, etc. for 2012-2018 period including an analysis of gender-responsiveness of the state programmes and policies.
2. Reconstruct the Theory of Change (ToC) based on the regional ToC.
3. Evaluate the relevance and appropriateness of the national strategies and activities implemented in the health, social and education sectors in ECD;
4. Assess the national ECD policies for coherence to internationally recognized norms and practices;
5. Assess the level of inter-sectoral coordination (health, education and social) in terms of planning, resource management and implementation of the child care in family and preschool education
6. Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and most importantly scalability and sustainability of existing focused work (models) with UNICEF support in some regions
7. Evaluate the efficiency and challenges in the coverage of the most vulnerable groups of children by health, education and social systems;
8. Review all UNICEF programmatic contribution during the period of 2012-18;
9. Prepare a stakeholder mapping, identifying the roles and relevance of different stakeholders
10. Conduct country mission(s), interview various stakeholders to document important lessons learned and best practices of the ECD national policies and activities; 
11. Suggest strategic and operational recommendations that can be used by Government of Turkmenistan and UNICEF in the ongoing and future activities to improve ECD systems and achieve expected outcomes.
12. Validate the results of the Evaluation through consultations with stakeholders

The suggested evaluation questions will be clustered around service delivery, coverage (demand and supply), and enabling environment (quality, workforce profiles, pre- and in-service training, information management systems, tools and equipment) components. Then based on the findings, the evaluators will document lessons learned and best practices, and draw strategic and operational recommendations.

Suggested Evaluation Questions, please see the ToR fo rdetails

Workplan and deliverables 

The anticipated duration of the consultancy is approximately 54 working days, covering the period of 15 August 2019 – 30 June 2020. The distribution of days by tasks and corresponding deliverables is suggested below. The consultant(s) is expected to work home-based most of the time undertaking two country visits (15 net working days) during the consultancy period. The below timeline is a decent attempt of deadlines, considering the period that will be needed for translation, sharing of document and receipt of feedback. Depending on the progress and details, more than 2 reviews of some documents may be required, which may affect the timelines.

The evaluator will be responsible for implementation of the tasks identified in an agreed “Methodology” Section and will follow the timeline for deliverables as follows:  

Reporting requirements

All the reports and documents will be developed in English and translated by UNICEF, as needed.

The structure of the Evaluation report (formatted) for UNICEF (60 pages without annexes) must be compliant with the UNICEF-Adapted UNEG Evaluation Reports Standards, 2010 http://intranet.unicef.org/epp/evalsite.nsf/0/2BDF97BB3F789849852577E500680BF6/$FILE/UNEG_UNICEF%20Eval%20Report%20Standards.pdf and the GEROS Quality Assessment System and include:

1. The title page and opening pages
2. Executive Summary (6 pages)
3. Annexes
4. Object of Evaluation
5. Evaluation Purpose, Objective(s) and Scope
6. Evaluation Methodology
7. Findings
8. Conclusions and Lessons Learned
9. Recommendations
10. Gender and Human Rights, including child rights

UNICEF will keep the right to share the adapted version of the report with the Government and make it public

Payment schedule

The payment will be made in instalments, according to the schedule outlined in the ToR.

Work arrangements

The group of consultants (at the minimum the team should consist of a Team Leader/Technical Expert and a National Consultant) will be supervised and report to UNICEF M&E/Child Rights Monitoring Specialist in Turkmenistan with a regular de-briefing on the progress of the assignment to the Evaluation Reference Group which will consist of UNICEF CRM Specialist, Health Officer and Education Specialist and national and stakeholders/partners.

UNICEF will regularly communicate with the selected organization and provide formats for reports, feedback and guidance on performance and all other necessary support so as to achieve objectives of the exercise, as well as remain aware of any upcoming issues related to expert’s performance and quality of work.  UNICEF will provide logistical support for the in-country trips, such as provision of office space, vehicle for site visits and official meetings, organisation and coordination of meetings, interpretation and translation and support with obtaining visa and registration, once in-country.

The selected institution will make own arrangements for the travel. Travel costs for two trips in this consultancy should be estimated and included into the proposal (lump sum and break down by budget lines) along with the requested daily fee.[1]

Travel costs not actually incurred due to travel mission cancellation, delays, contract termination or modification are subject to deduction from final contract amount.

Before you leave for Turkmenistan, you need to obtain a valid visa and/or the Letter of Invitation (LoI) - official visa support letter (VSL) approved by the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan to enter the country. Before visiting Turkmenistan, ensure that your UNLP or national passport is valid for at least six (6) months at the time of applying for a LoI.

The request for the LoI should be sent at least three (3) weeks before planned arrival. It should contain a copy of valid passport with the following details: full name, passport No., citizenship, date of birth (DOB), date of passport issue, date of expiration (DOE), purpose of visit, occupation, and the period of the stay.

The conditions for the registration depend on the type of passport.

General Terms and Conditions

UNICEF’s general terms and conditions will apply to the contract awarded to the vendor.  Please note that, in the evaluation of the technical merits of each proposal, UNICEF will take into consideration any proposed amendments to the UNICEF General Terms and Conditions. Proposed amendments to the UNICEF general terms and conditions may negatively affect the evaluation of the technical merits of the proposal.  

UNICEF retains the right to patent and intellectual rights, as well as copyright and other similar intellectual property rights for any discoveries, inventions, products or works arising specifically from the implementation of the project in cooperation with UNICEF. The right to reproduce or use materials shall be transferred with a written approval of UNICEF based on the consideration of each separate case. Consultants should always refer to UNICEF Turkmenistan support in developing the materials when publishing the results of the research conducted while in Turkmenistan in academic journals, books and websites.

In the event of unsatisfactory performance, UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the Agreement. In case of partially satisfactory performance, such as serious delays causing the negative impact on meeting the programme objectives, low quality or insufficient depth and/or scope of the assignment completion, UNICEF is entitled to decrease the payment by the range from 30% to 50% of the contract value as decided jointly by the Contract Supervisor and Operations Manager.

Qualifications and Skills Required:  The Evaluation is expected to be undertaken by team a of evaluators (at a minimum the team should consist of a Team Leader/Technical Expert and a National Consultant), collaborating to produce the expected results. Experts undertaking this Evaluation should either individually or as a team have the following qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in child health, development and education and/or social sciences
• Extensive working experience in early childhood development and/or early childhood education and Education with knowledge of technical aspects of ECD services/programmes
• Strong and proven level of expertise on gender equality and child/human rights,
• Demonstrated expertise in data collection, analysis and reporting of quantitative and qualitative data
• Work experience and/or technical knowledge of ECD programmes in an international context, and of the ECARO region.
• Good training skills for assessment of child development and programme evaluation
• Demonstrated capacity and partnership building skills with local partners
• Good communication and advocacy skills
• Knowledge and experience of research on socio-economic issues in ECARO region. Field experience in ECORO countries is an asset.
• Record of research experience and/or written publications at the regional level.
• Experience in designing and implementing evaluation and surveys.
• Excellent written English language skills, demonstrable with samples of publications. Knowledge of Russian is a very strong asset.
• Excellent drafting skills and ability to synthesize complex information and issues.
• Strong analytical and conceptual thinking.
• Ability to organize and plan complex work following the established timeframes.

Submission of Proposal and evaluation criteria

The proposal for this consultancy should consist of technical and financial parts.  While evaluating, 70% will be the share of technical rigor while 30% will be given for budget proposal.  

PLEASE SEE THE TOR FOR DETAILS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE.