Consultant for Teacher Training and Support

The quality of student learning is worryingly low in Afghanistan. 65 per cent of Afghan students, after four years in primary school, fail to fully master the grade one language curriculum, and less than half only the grade one mathematics curriculum. 93 per cent of primary-aged children are not proficient in reading, whereas 87 per cent of children cannot achieve the Minimum Proficiency Level. The situation, therefore, merits serious attention.

One of the major reasons for the low learning gains is the education system lacking critical school inputs that determine learning i.e., skilled, motivated, and supported teachers and prepared learners, and effective school management, directly affecting teaching and learning. Teacher training and support that lacks practical applications and effective mechanisms to mentor and motivate teachers in their place of work is a challenge. Research suggests that teacher training is most effective if combined with adequate coaching, supervision, and complementary resources at the school level, to convert the competencies introduced during training into more effective pedagogical practice and learning-focused performance in the classroom.  Teacher preparation and continued support will be paramount to enabling all children to return to stay and learn in school. Given the extraordinarily unsettling situation over the last three years, first due to COVID-19 that led to prolonged school closures between June 2020 and August 2021, followed by the change in governance with a direct negative impact on financial support to public schools, many of the teachers have been without support to improve their teaching and learning practices.  These teachers, therefore, are in desperate need of robust and continuous professional development and support.

The de facto Ministry of Education is working towards the development of a nationwide integrated program for in-service teacher training and support to be rolled out throughout the country. UNICEF has received funding to support the roll-out of the TDS program and has identified the need to provide technical support to operationalize the concept, review and adjust contents, and training manuals, develop and improve tools to support to facilitate a large-scale roll-out.

For this assignment, the consultants will be expected to do the following:

• Provide technical support to the UNICEF Afghanistan Education team and de facto MOE’s Teacher Education and Professional Development Directorate (TE-PDD) in the roll-out of the school-based program for teacher training and support.
• Enhance the quality of the existing training material by meticulously editing for accuracy and clarity and incorporating high quality illustrations and leveraging best practices from similar contexts to maximize learner engagement.
• Create high-quality reading materials for teachers, headteachers teacher educators, in Dari and Pashto by translating and adapting relevant English resources.
• Foster collaboration between international technical service providers and teacher educators to build their capacity and co-create and implement effective training programs for teachers and headteachers

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Education, teacher education, ECD, Social studies, development studies, language, or related fields. 
• Minimum of 10-12 years of work experience with INGO and government organization in delivering education intervention such as training workshops, training material development, and curriculum development.
• Experience in translating instructional materials from English to Dari and Pashto or vice versa.
• Experience in developing and refining teacher training materials.
• Familiarity with UNICEF’s program and implementation approach will be an asset.
• Excellent writing skills in English, Dari, or Pashto are required.
• Fluency in English and Farsi/Dari or Pashto is required.

Source:  https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/571240