Consultancy for Kuwait Education Situation Analysis (Covid-19), for 50 Days, Gulf Area Office.

The UNICEF Gulf Area Office (UNICEF GAO) is unique in its mandate. It is accountable for providing programmatic support to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. In addition, it identifies, cultivates and sustains partnerships with Gulf-based partners to generate resources for the organization globally. UNICEF has a role to play in ensuring rapid development in the Gulf is child sensitive and child focused and that children remain at the heart of the national development dialogue.

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Proposed by UNESCO and UNICEF, the Education Situation Analysis is a research activity proposed within the framework of Kuwait’s Risk Mitigation and Recovery Plan under Covid-19 (RMRP). The RMRP is a joint effort by the UN Country Team to support Kuwaiti stakeholders to respond to the socio-economic consequences of Covid-19, and constitutes the UNCT workplan as per the requirement of the UN-Kuwait Strategic Cooperation Framework 2020-2025 (UNSCF). The RMRP is designed to streamline UN efforts to accelerate and/or scale up urgent interventions that will mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and support Kuwait’s ongoing efforts over a six to 18 month duration.

The priority areas of the RMRP are derived from the UNSCF 2020-2025, which is aligned with the five themes and seven pillars of the New Kuwait Vision 2035 and the country’s development plan 2020-2025. The RMRP is guided by the five priorities of the UN Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to Covid-19.

How can you make a difference?

The objectives of the research are to: (1) map K-12 education system and functionality pre-Covid-19 to establish a baseline; (2) assess and analyse the pandemic’s effects and impacts on the sector; and (3) develop recommendations for the sector’s recovery and resilience and identify priority intervention areas relevant to UNESCO and UNICEF’s mandates and fields of expertise.

Description of Deliverables:

The situation analysis (Deliverable 1) will be made up of three components: mapping, analysis, and recommendations for recovery and resilience. Its scope is limited to the formal K-12 education system, including both public and private educational institutions in Kuwait. The framework for the situation analysis presented below is adapted from the UN’s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Guidelines Volume B for Education (hereafter PDNA),[1] and focuses on four key domains: (i) access, quality and equity (ii) teaching and learning; (iii) teachers and other educational personnel and overall learning environment; and (iv) remote/online learning. Background and context, policies, and programs should be embedded within each of these three domains. The consultant will also produce a short PowerPoint presentation (Deliverable 2) of no more than 20 slides summarizing the results of the research.

This section of the situation analysis should be aligned with national laws and existing sector development policies and strategies, and current best practices should be adopted. The core components of this section should be: (1) an outline of recovery and resilience needs for Kuwait’s K-12 education sector, based on the foregoing assessment and analysis of trends, crisis impacts and effects; (2) an outline of the most significant vulnerabilities and risks to education sector recovery going forward; and (3) a set of no more than 10 key strategic recommendations to achieve sector recovery and resilience, tailored to the mandates and fields of expertise of UNISCO and UNICEF.

Methodology:

The situation analysis will adopt different methodologies and techniques. It will require a mixed-methods approach using both qualitative and quantitative assessment tools. Secondary data analysis will be through a thorough desk review of existing literature, data, evidence, and research on the education sector including international data sources (UNESCO, UIS, GEM, UNICEF, and World Bank datasets). Primary data collection will be undertaken, where applicable, to fill in data gaps identified during desk review. In Kuwait, where there is a significant portion of the system that is highly privatized, it will be necessary to collect data from organisations and associations that manage private and community school

In-depth interviews and group discussions and consultations with experts, representative groups of heads of educational institutions in the public and private sectors, affected population cohorts, opinion leaders, religious groups, partners, CSOs, Government, UNICEF staff, UN agencies, government and non-government organisations may be conducted to get their views on gaps and factors impacting on the education system including COVID-19.

Data Collection:

Develop the tools, checklist, questionnaire, and guidelines for data collection. These instruments will be reviewed and cleared by the Steering Committee prior to data collection. Largely the Situation Analysis will entail desk review and will be complemented with data from interviews and consultations with selected representative groups. The following data modalities should be employed to provide additional data to explain context, gaps and corresponding impact of the pandemic that may exist.

• Desk review and conceptual analytical research on selected topics published from existing studies, research and household survey reports
• Baseline data taken from before the pandemic and school closures is essential to enable the process of understanding the changes that have taken place as a result
• Comparative analysis of available legislative and policy frameworks
• Mapping of risks considering hazards, exposure, vulnerabilities and capacities 
• In-depth interviews, focus group discussions and consultations with key informants
• Socio-demographic trend analysis using micro-data for the present and future forecasting situation of the education system for children.
• Gender analysis on key issues contributing to gender inequalities including areas of recommendation for further analysis.

Proposed timeline:

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

• Advanced university degree (Masters) in the field of Education, Statistics, Sociology, Economics or similar discipline
• At least ten years of relevant professional experience in the field of education, for which five years should be in conducting socio-economic analysis.
• Relevant work experience in the Middle East and North Africa region is an added advantage.
• Previous working experience with UNESCO and UNICEF in a similar capacity is an asset.
• Advanced University degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) preferably in the field of Education, Statistics, Sociology, Economics or similar discipline would be an asset.

Skills/Competencies:

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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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.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.