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For every child, Education
How can you make a difference?
Background :
Over the past five years, Rwanda has accelerated implementation of Vision 2020, which aimed at achieving middle-income status by 2020 and the country is now set to achieve a high-income status (HIC) by 2050. The country has continued to own and lead its development process in a particularly innovative and committed way and has registered very positive development results reflected in the high levels of inclusive economic growth, notable gains in poverty reduction and gender empowerment.
Rwanda has made significant achievements in the areas of human development and is one of only a few African countries to achieve most of the MDGs. The transition from the MDGs to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was realised through the domestication process of the SDGs. In addition, the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS, 2014/15) and Integrated National Household Survey (EICV 4, 2013/2014, EICV 5, 2017/2018) data show that the country has successfully narrowed equity gaps in a number of social indicators and made great progress in delivering essential services to the most vulnerable.
In terms of Education, Rwanda has achieved significant success in education pertaining to the Millennium Development Goals, achieving universal primary education with a net enrolment rate of 98.3 per cent (98 per cent for boys; 98.5 per cent for girls) (MINEDUC, 2018). However, these gains at the primary level need to be matched with improvements in quality throughout the system. Results from the Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS, 2018) indicate that there are significant issues in numeracy and literacy for most students in Rwanda.
Rwanda has a young population. In 2012, almost half of the roughly 10.4 million population were under the age of 18. Most children are under the age of 10, with 30% aged 0-4 years and 29% aged 5-9. The number of children as a percentage of the total population declined by 6% between 1991 and 2012, even though the actual number of all children almost doubled between 1978 and 2012.
A solid enabling environment for children’s rights and sustainable development has been established, and the Government of Rwanda (GoR) has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other human rights instruments. Under Vision 2020, and successive economic growth and poverty reduction strategies, the GoR has developed a comprehensive legal system and policy environment which are supportive of children and families and lay the foundations for sustainable development.
However, several challenges remain and Rwanda is still one of the poorest countries in the world – ranked 163 out of 182 countries (Human Development Report, 2015) and 19 per cent of its population still vulnerable to multiple deprivations (HDI, 2015). The prevalence of stunting among under-five children remains high at 38 per cent. Food insecurity and chronic malnutrition are closely linked with poverty.
Rwanda’s education system boasts the highest participation rates in East Africa as well as gender parity in net and gross enrolment at the pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels. In fact, girls’ enrolment surpasses boys’ enrolment at all levels. Despite these achievements, gender disparities exist, namely in learning outcomes for girls and negative social norms that impact both boys and girls, which have been informed by a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Study on Gender in Education.
Data indicates significant dropout and repetition rates, resulting in a significant proportion of out-of-school children, especially at the upper primary and secondary levels. The Dropout and Repetition Study findings indicate that gender and location remain equity issues, while quality of education contributes to these issues. Young people in Rwanda have limited opportunities to continue education outside of formal school system and to acquire information on possible carrier/educational pathways, especially in rural communities. A third of young people (16–24 years) are not in employment, education or training (NEET). Especially, 38% of young women (14–24 years) are unemployed compared to 26% of young men of the same age.
Context of School to Work Transition :
School to work transition is not linear, as young people may be studying while holding jobs, may go back to school after work, start off in irregular employment and then transition to regular employment etc. School to work transition should rather be seen as a process which enables young people to move from education to productive and decent work. This process includes preparing young people for transition whereby young people have access to and can develop the skills (i.e. knowledge, competencies, attitudes and qualifications) required by the labour market to secure, retain and thrive in productive and decent employment, and adapt to the evolving economy.
Rwanda needs young labor market entrants who are equipped with practical and employable skills in line with the needs of employers and the market, and who are flexible and adaptive to spearhead the economic and technological transformation that will carry Rwanda to middle income country status.
An analysis was undertaken to determine the employability of students after each level of education (primary, secondary, and tertiary) by the National Institute for Statistics Rwanda (NISR), through the annual Labour Force Survey Report (2018). The majority of those employed have completed secondary-level education, followed by tertiary-level and then primary-level education. Moreover, there is significant disparity between the unemployment levels of adolescents and adults, where adolescents are more than twice as likely to be unemployed.
The National Tracer Survey for TVET and Higher Education Graduates and Employer Satisfaction of March 2019 found that concerning the employment status of TVET graduates, the employment rate within 6 months after graduation was 64.9% in TVET schools and 75.2% in polytechnics. As for the underemployment rate, 40.6% of TVET graduates and 38.4% of polytechnics graduates were underemployed. The employment rate of higher education graduates within 6 months after graduation was 76%. The underemployment rate of higher education graduates was 18.5%.
Similar to the employment, unemployment and underemployment rate, the longer time gap between graduation and employment was due to lack of job opportunities. However, it was important to note that the weaker the industries in the specific business sectors were, the longer the graduates of relevant fields of study took to secure their first jobs. On the other hand, the higher degree the graduates achieved, the shorter time the graduates took to secure their first jobs, because employers are likely to prefer high degree holders regardless of their business sectors.
To better support students after each level of education, there is a need to map all pathways that would orient them based on labor market skill set need and required practical knowledge.
Justification :
To provide appropriate support to students, Career Guidance and Counseling Unit was introduced in REB in March 2018 for Rwandan schools with a mandate to conceptualize, develop and ensure the implementation of strategies aiming at addressing social and professional needs for teachers. Additionally, to ensure follow-up on guidance and counseling activities in schools; organize teachers’ trainings in the field of Career Guidance and Counseling. Career Guidance and Counseling Unit has to keep the liaison between districts levels especially District Education Officers and other stakeholders involved in Career Guidance and Counseling; develop, produce, distribute and experiment guides for officers in charge of Guidance and Counseling.
One of the aims of the Rwandan curriculum is to ensure that young people’s skills are better matched to the needs of the Rwandan, regional, and global labor market, and this is reflected through the emphasis on developing entrepreneurship skills. There is also a specification for teachers to be trained to provide career guidance and counselling, and to raise awareness among young learners of the influence of social factors, behavior and personal attitudes on their futures.
Students need appropriate guidance for them to make a better choice after each level of education because many of them are uninformed of their options to progress throughout the education system or to work programmes.
It is against this background that UNICEF and MINEDUC/REB are hiring an individual consultant to support MINEDUC and REB to develop career pathways from P6 to tertiary level. The mapping of pathway and the development of career options would enable Rwandan children and youth to take options that are suitable and would save the country from wastage in education and lead to employment.
Objectives :
Specifically, the objectives of the ToR are for support to MINEDUC/REB to :
- Assess how learners form their opinions around career choice including when and who and what influences these choices ;
- Map all pathways that learners would go for and recommend options that learners would take from Primary, Secondary, TVET, and Higher Education ;
- Identify all opportunities (internships, on-job training, apprenticeship, etc.) that are available to learners and match them to mapped pathways ;
- Identify platforms where learners can get career guidance information and the challenges faced by adolescent to access these information or available options. Analyze challenges of different options and provide recommendations thereof.
Work Assignment :
This consultancy has the following specific tasks :
- Map pathways from Primary, Secondary, TVET, and Higher Education ;
- Produce a report which details (a) how learners form their choices, (b) possible pathways at each level and different options for students; (c) platforms for adolescents to get career information and challenges they face as well as (d) an analysis of challenges on different options and (e) recommendations ;
- Develop a brochure that summarizes pathways and possible options to choose from.
Deliverables :
The successful completion of this consultancy will meet the following deliverables :
- An inception report detailing the understanding of the scope of work and the methodology to use on this assignment ;
- Mapping of pathways from Primary, Secondary, TVET, and Higher Education ;
- Concise report detailing how learners form their choices, possible pathways at each level and different options for students; platforms for adolescents to get career information and challenges they face as well as an analysis of challenges on different options and recommendations ;
- A brochure summarizing all pathways and possible options to choose from.
Note : This work will be multi-sectoral and involve different Government Ministries and development partners to be expansive and inclusive as possible, from national-level programmes, to rural-level opportunities. The consultant will use human-centered design and adolescent-centered approach, encouraging active and meaningful participation throughout the consultation process.
Evaluation Criteria :
All applications will be evaluated according to the following standard procedure :
- Review of qualifications, CV, and past work ;
- Candidates that are successful on technical review will be requested to submit financial proposal ;
- Review of financial proposal; and
- Final decision.
The technical review will represent 70% weighting. The financial criteria will represent 30% of the weighting.
The criteria for evaluation will be as follows :
Technical criteria :
- A brief explanation indicating the understanding of the scope of work/ terms of reference. 20 points ;
- 5 + years of professional experience in education sector and/or experience in career guidance and familiarity with pedagogy; curriculum design; and/or education policy and frameworks. 20 points ;
- Education background (Master’s in appropriate subject) of consultant. 10points ;
- The consultant should have experience and technical specialties in youth employment issues. 10 points ;
- Language skills of individual consultant. 10 points ;
- Financial criteria Overall cost of the proposal and clarity of budget. 30 points.
Please note that the final remuneration will be negotiated by HR :
Payment Schedule :
The individual consultant will be required to deliver the following :
- An inception report detailing the understanding of the scope of work and the methodology to use on this assignment. To be completed in 2 weeks after signing. Payment of 20% ;
- Draft document detailing how learners form their choices, possible pathways at each level and different options for students as well as an analysis of challenges on different options and recommendations. To be completed in 2 months after signing.
Payment of 20% ;
- A brochure summarizing all pathways and possible options available for children. To be completed in 3 months after signing. Payment of 20% ;
- Final report on pathways, analysis of options and challenges& recommendation. To be completed in 4 months after signing.. Payment of 40%.
All the deliverables need to meet UNICEF requirement and quality standards. Payment will only be made for work satisfactorily completed and accepted by UNICEF and MINEDUC/REB. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.
Payment is linked to agreed deliverables upon satisfactory completion of the work.
General Conditions : Procedures & Logistics :
For all contractual issues, the individual consultant will report to UNICEF, Chief of Education. For technical issues, the individual consultant will work directly with UNICEF and MINEDUC/REB. All deliverables must be approved by MINEDUC/REB and UNICEF in order to be considered complete.
The following modalities will be applied during the contract :
- Consultation meetings will be held regularly between key focal persons at MINEDUC/REB and UNICEF, either in person or remotely ;
- The individual consultant shall not make use of any unpublished or confidential information made known to her/him in the course of performing her/his duties under the terms of this agreement, without written authorization from MINEDUC, REB, and UNICEF. The individual consultant shall respect the habits and customs of the local population and abstain from interfering in the country’s political affairs ;
- The corporate UNICEF ICT Policy on intellectual property right will be applicable, where necessary.
Policies both parties should be aware of :
- Under the consultancy agreements, a month is defined as 22 working days ;
- Consultants are not entitled to payment of overtime. All remuneration must be within the contract agreement ;
- No work may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant or Contractor ;
- The individual consultant will arrange for their own travel and travel expenses, however tickets should be based on “most economical and direct route” and should be clearly estimated in the budget.
The assignment will be supervised by UNICEF Chief of Education, in cooperation with MINEDUC/REB.
The individual consultant is expected to use their own hired vehicles, equipment, including computers. UNICEF will be under no operational obligation to pay for operational costs related to this assignment. All costs required to operationalize this assignment shall be borne by the hired individual consultant and should be included into the proposed financial proposal.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- The individual consultant should, at a minimum, have a master’s degree in any of the following areas: Education, Social Sciences, youth employment, career development and/or guidance ;
- The consultant should have at least 5 years of proven experience in Education and/or this field and proven understanding of Rwanda Education ;
- The consultant should be familiar with education systems; pedagogy; curriculum design; and/or education policy and frameworks; options that students undertake and vision of Rwanda education ;
- The consultant should have the ability to meet the deadlines ;
- The consultant should have strong communication and facilitation skills ;
- Proficiency in written and spoken English is required, French and/or Kinyarwanda would be an advantage ;
- Skills and experience of conducting and facilitating innovative participatory consultation with adolescent and young people.
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.
How to Apply :
Interested candidates should send their complete Personal History (P11) form, which can be downloaded form (http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc). or a CV/resume, as well as a cover letter explaining what makes them suitable for this consultancy. The application package should be submitted to UNICEF’s online recruitment system.
Qualified and experienced candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest including a Technical Proposal outlining a road map for review and implementation timeline. In their letter of interest, candidates should highlight their previous work experience relevant to the assignment, the attributes that make them suitable, their proposed approach to the assignment.
Only successful candidates from the technical evaluation exercise will be contacted and requested to submit their most competitive Financial Proposal.
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 :
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.