UNICEF recrut un Consultant pour la révision et développement du programme d’éducation aux compétences de vie, Mbabane, Eswatini

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to review the Eswatini school-based Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) / life skills education (LSE) teaching and learning content based on local, regional and international evidence and good practice.

Background

In 2011, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) through the Educational Testing, Guidance and Psychological Services Unit appointed a Guidance and Counselling Life Skills Education subject panel. The subject panel developed the secondary school curriculum in 2011 and was approved by the Ministry of Education and Training Curriculum Coordinating Committee (CCC) in 2012. Thereafter, Teachers’ Handbooks for the five (5) secondary levels were developed and implemented in 2015. Prior the implementation a mass training of teachers was conducted to orient teachers on the handbooks. The LSE program was officially launched by the Minister of Education & Training in July 2015 and rolled out to all secondary schools in 2016. The structure of the curriculum is in three thematic areas, which are namely, Career Guidance, Health Promotion, and HIV and AIDS. The curriculum is supported by the LSE teachers’ handbooks, in each of the secondary school levels, which are from level 1 to level 5. The handbooks are age-appropriate and progressively span from 12 years to 18 years of age across the levels. Some of the topics within each thematic area spiral from the lower to the upper levels. In this case, each concept is built up from one level to another. At each form or level, the concept becomes progressively complex in response to the learners’ needs, developmental stages, and abilities at each level.

According to the National Education Sector policy (2018) all curriculum materials must be revised every 5 years. The LSE curriculum was due for revision in 2017 after the five years of its implementation. The syllabus is now due for review as the five-year period for reviewing has since elapsed. Reviewing the syllabus, will update the content and respond to the emerging issues and changing needs of learners. An evaluation of the syllabus has been undertaken. However, there is still a need to identify the extent to which it covers CSE concepts as enshrined in the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (2018). Hence, as the program intensifies, scaling up of good quality LSE is necessary. To achieve this there is a need to conduct an analysis of the current LSE curriculum using the Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT). This will generate evidence to help in identifying gaps and better inform the curriculum review process and programming on LSE initiatives in the Secondary school settings.

The review of the curriculum will be supported by UNICEF through the Global Fund Partnership as part of the Adolescent Girls and Young Women Strategic Initiative (AGYW-SI). As a trusted UN organization with long-standing experience working on adolescent HIV and SRHR, girls’ empowerment, policy, data, and HIV programming, UNICEF has been identified as the technical assistance partner for this initiative. With support from this new partnership, UNICEF aims to strengthen the Global Fund AGYW grant implementation through timely, targeted and long- and short-term technical assistance to the MoH, NERCHA and CANGO.

Scope of Work:

• To facilitate the assessment and analysis of the school-based LSE curriculum content strengths and gaps, and inform necessary reforms using the SERAT tool. The assessment with educators/teachers should also probe the limitations/challenges in delivering CSE/LSE and what support or tools they need to be able to effectively implement. Similarly, from the recipients/learner side the assessment should include the current shortcomings and suggestions on how these can be addressed.
•  To conduct a desk review of all the local, regional and international comprehensive sexuality education material available as well as review the current evaluation report (2021) of the LSE as well identify good practices for adoption.
• To facilitate discussions with the subject panel task team to gather guidance on the development of the syllabus.
• To facilitate discussions with advisory teams from the three pillars of LSE; Career Guidance; Health Promotion and HIV & AIDS to gather recommendations on contents and structure of the syllabus
• To present and validate the draft syllabus with subject panel to gather in-depth understanding of the LSE/CSE local context.
• To develop a final revised CSE/LSE syllabus for secondary schools with an implementation and monitoring plan.

Work Assignment Overview:

1.  Attend an internal kick-off call/ meeting with UNICEF, GF AGYW advisor and RO to introduce and orient the partnership as well as UNICEF expectations
2.  Attend an inception meeting with MOET, LSE Subject panel, UNICEF, GF, CANGO, NERCHA, MOH, UNESCO, UNFPA, and key national partners (SAVE the Children) , and the GF AGYW advisor
3.  Develop Inception report outlining the proposed methodology, workplan and tools to be used for school- based LSE curriculum review
4. Undertake a desk review of other LSE/CSE teachers’ handbooks and other LSE/CSE syllabi in the ESA and WCA region to inform the review of the Guidance and Counselling Life Skills Education Syllabus in addition to the Evaluation Report of 2021.
5.  Undertake focus group discussions with learners and teachers and convene a workshop for Ministry of Education and Training representatives, to complete SERAT tool
6. Undertake consultative meetings with key informants from Career Guidance; Health Promotion and HIV/AIDS
7. Conduct and analysis of the LSE school-based curriculum using SERAT tool and the evaluation report (2021) and other related policies. (National Education Sector policy, National development program, demographic dividend, youth policy, SRH policy, gender policy to name a few)
8. Review the secondary schools G&C LSE curriculum utilizing the SERAT through a participatory process with key stakeholders from the Ministry of Education and Training.
9. Develop a report + PowerPoint presentation (PPT) of recommendations for the development of the new LSE school-based curriculum
10. Conduct a validation meeting with all stakeholders to approve the recommended changes to the LSE curriculum, based on the SERAT tool and other;
11. Develop a new LSE school-based curriculum informed by key findings from the desk review, consultations and SERAT tool assessment and LSE evaluation report.
12. Develop an implementation and monitoring plan for the LSE school-based curriculum and share with partners for feedback at a partners meeting
13. Conduct a validation meeting of the new LSE curriculum with all key agencies and stakeholders for buy in to the revised national curriculum.

Outputs / Deliverables

1.  Inception report with details on the following proposed methodology for achieving deliverables of this consultancy, these will include
   – A detailed workplan with timelines
   – data gathering and reporting instruments
   – list of key stakeholders to be interviewed.
2. Desk Review and report
3. Draft report + PPT of recommendations on the on the reviewed curriculum that have been informed by the desk and programme review, and consultations for partner feedback
4. Final report presented to LSE TWG and stakeholders
5. Final updated LSE Curriculum including the excel based SERAT results with feedback incorporated.
6. Implementation and monitoring plan to guide way forward and execution focus.
7. Develop a Learning report of the TA experience and lessons

Working relationships: The consultant will report to the UNICEF Chief of adolescent and youth development in close collaboration with the MOET Director of ETGPS and Curriculum Evaluator

The consultant will ensure timely monthly reporting in addition to the following deliverables:

Deliverables Duration (Estimated # of days) Inception Report 10 Desk Review and FGD Report 5 10% Draft analysis report using the SERAT reporting template and presentation the draft report to stakeholders for validation 15   50% Final Draft  report to LSE TWG and stakeholders 10 Final  LSE syllabus and report which includes an implementation and monitoring plan 8 30% Develop the final report to include   learning report of the TA experience and lessons and PowerPoint presentation summarizing contents 12 10% TOTAL 60 100%

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

An Advanced degree in the following disciplines

Curriculum design, teaching, health, social sciences, development studies, or any relevant area.

Work experience

•  Experience in curriculum development and analysis, supported by a minimum of 1example of work done within the past five (5) years
• 10 years of experience in the education sector or the area of LSE curriculum design.

Language
Siswati / English

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in curriculum development or other relevant experience
•  Knowledge of curriculum development for formal education
•  Knowledge of the international technical guidelines on sexuality education and gender
•  Prior experience working on development of comprehensive sexuality education curricula and based in Eswatini
• Excellent interpersonal and general communication skills
• Fluent in spoken and written English
• Proven ability to plan, develop, coordinate and monitor programs and various activities from content (research, writing, and presentation) to administrative aspects (budgets etc.).

Skills

•  Analytic research skills, Monitoring and evaluation, MS office intermediate, report writing, people’s skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English

2. How to Apply:

Interested candidates from the RO roster should submit an online application through the Talent Management System (TMS) that consists as a minimum of the following:
-TMS Profile/ Curriculum Vitae
-Financial proposal must be ‘all inclusive’ of all expenses related to the assignment

Incomplete applications will not be considered.
If you have not been contacted within 2 months of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/contacted candidates from the Roster list .

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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: 

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.