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.
For every child, access to education!
BACKGROUND :
Sustainable investment in secondary education would offer several critical elements to Malawi’s socio-economic transformation. Expansion of post-primary education enhances people’s productivity, promotes technological advances, secures socio-economic progress for countries, fosters social cohesion, evens income distribution and jump-starts fertility transition. Private returns to an additional year of schooling range between 8 to 11 percent in Malawi, at par with average global levels; returns to secondary education are higher (67 percent compared to only 15 percent at the primary level) – and yields far higher returns for females than males (85 percent versus 58 percent) .
Household heads with secondary education have significantly lower multidimensional poverty than those with primary or no education . Mothers with secondary education not only have fewer children (3.3 for those with secondary education against 4.7 for mothers with primary education) but also have them later (the median age at first birth is 20.7 for girls with secondary education compared to 18.6 for those with primary education).
The current draft education sector plan (2020-2030) underlines the need to expand equitable access to quality secondary education in Malawi, so as to contribute to human capital development in the country. To improve on the secondary education subsector, the government also intends to recruit additional teachers and increase contact hours, build additional classrooms, where possible implement the two-shift system especially in community day secondary schools (CDSS) and implement free secondary education affordable to all families considering the urban/rural divide. Other priorities proposed include improving education governance, accountability and financing, human resource management, school management and supervision.
JUSTIFICATION :
UNICEF seeks to recruit a consultant to collaboratively work with key education stakeholders and partners such as the MoEST and other relevant Ministries and government and nongovernmental entities to provide technical expertise to help design the free secondary education programme, and implementation, including costing and resource mobilization strategies.
The Education consultant will provide technical guidance and direction to design and development of the free secondary education programme including strategic planning, analytical frameworks, strategic dialogue with the government through the task force on free and affordable secondary, coordination and formulation of the programme, costing, and its implementation strategies including alternative strategies to increase access . This will be done through conducting necessary projections, simulations and financial costing for classrooms, teachers, learning materials and other material requirements.
This will also involves addressing other cross sectoral areas like safety, nutrition, school environment in order to respond to the commitment of the MoEST to deliver free secondary quality education for secondary age children. This contributes to achieving globally agreed targets of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) related to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all children in Malawi.
PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT :
UNICEF Malawi is recruiting an Education consultant to support the government of Malawi particularly, department of secondary and distance education(DSDE) in Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) to design and develop a comprehensive strategy, including costing for implementing a free secondary education aimed to ensure that all secondary age children have access to, and complete quality secondary education in order to develop into educated, empowered and prosperous citizens. The consultant will also provide suggestions for innovative strategies to increase access such as double shifting, open and distance electronic learning (ODeL) centres.
How can you make a difference?
The consultant will perform the following tasks :
- Provide technical support in conceptualizing free secondary education programme, articulating and developing the strategies for implementing the programme, through supporting necessary assessments, financial costing, providing technical inputs into discussions with other donor partners, stakeholders and line ministries in the process of elaborating the programme or its implementation plan, and proposing suggesting innovative strategies to increasing access ;
- Conduct a comprehensive desk review on the education sector policy landscape in Malawi, review the education sector plan 2020-2030 and its implementation plan. Propose areas of alignment, strategic focus areas in planning for free secondary education programme, mapping the available data on enrolments, numbers of available schools and classrooms, teacher numbers and develop projections for new teacher demands and supply and necessary costing at junior secondary and Senior secondary, as well as similar projections for new school infrastructures particularly classrooms at all levels ;
- Analyze and review literature, documenting cases of best practices in implementing free secondary education programmes particularly from Sub Saharan Africa, and draw lessons learnt to inform design of the free secondary education programme as well as the implementation strategies in Malawi ;
- The assignment will involve preparing different analytical papers that feed into the anticipated discussions and consolidating analytical work and develop report to inform on-going discussions in close collaboration with the Task Force/existing framework on Free and affordable secondary education. Propose scenarios of the programme and strategies for discussion with UNICEF and other donor partners. Refine the scenarios of the programme and implementation strategies for discussion and consultations with line ministries, other partners, NGOs/CSOs and other key stakeholders ;
- Lead consultative discussions and meetings, share the various scenarios guiding the design of free secondary education programme and facilitate a national forum. Guide the discussions highlighting which scenarios would work best for Malawi. Propose implementation strategies highlighting which actions should be taken in the short, medium and long run. Provide technical leadership in key thematic discussions through capturing necessary input from the discussions to inform necessary write ups. Consolidate validated write ups from the discussion with key stakeholders and partners at national and district levels.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Academic qualification : Advanced Degree in education, social sciences, economics with relevant experience in International education development focusing on general and or basic education.
Work experience :
- Previous experience in design and formulation of general and or free secondary education strategies including ability to make relevant projections, simulations and financial costing ;
- More than 10 years of multi-country experience in general and or basic education and familiarity with the educational systems preferably in Sub Saharan Africa ;
- Experience and knowledge of education, human rights, and participatory approaches in development programme.
Technical skills and knowledge :
- Strong conceptualization, analytical and writing skills ;
- Experience in developing and supporting based baseline studies, impact assessment and surveys.
Competencies : Strong and high-level experience in leading teams and supporting participatory discussions.
Languages : A comprehensive mastery of English is essential
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
View our competency framework and full ToR at :
http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf
Design of Free Secondary Education programme – Final.pdf
Free Secondary Education programme – Financial proposal template.xlsx
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.
Applications close : 23 Jul 2020 05:00 PM South Africa Standard Time.