Individual international consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023, support the Joint Sector Review and production of the Aide Memoire

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an enthusiastic Individual international consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023, support the Joint Sector Review and production of the Aide Memoire.

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, a voice  

UNICEF has been operating in Zimbabwe since 1982. We are a team of passionate professionals committed to the protection and fulfillment of children’s rights. 

Supporting the Government’s vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society, the 2022 to 2026  UNICEF Zimbabwe country programme is aimed at contributing to sustainable socioeconomic development that provides all children, including adolescents, with opportunities to fulfil their potential, lead a healthy life, access quality learning and protection and meaningfully participate in society.

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UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an enthusiastic Individual international consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023, support the Joint Sector Review and production of the Aide Memoire.

BACKGROUND

Since 2014, MoPSE and partners have conducted annual Joint Sector Reviews (JSR) to assess progress made against the indicator targets set in Education Strategic Sector Plan (ESSP) and annual National Operation Plans (NOPs). Each JSR is preceded by an annual Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) that consolidates, analyzes, and presents progress made against the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2021-2025 key performance indicators (KPIs).

The main sources of such data will be Education Management Information System (EMIS) and Teacher Development Information System (TDIS) but also data, information from any research studies, evaluation or assessments made, information generated by MoPSE and its partners through routine and special monitoring, supervision and inspection visits (including joint monitoring visits), meetings and workshops held on specific issues relating to the sector, District Operational Plan and Provincial Operational Plan reviews and other credible documentation generated by independent players in the sector.

Concurrently, district and provincial education offices are supposed to conduct annual review, which contribute to national level Joint Sector Review (JSR) where MoPSE and partners will discuss both ESPR report as well as review results from districts and provinces. The JSR will produce a JSR meeting report and concrete Aide-memoire with key recommendations for actions to be taken in the subsequent year. The recommendations of the Aide Memoire will be followed through the Education coordination Group (ECG) meetings which are held quarterly and chaired by the Minister.

On the backdrop of recovering from the effects of Covid 19 for 2020 to early 2022, the JSR was successfully held in 25-27 July 2023. There was representation from numerous education partners and all MoPSE structures from the national to the subnational levels. However, key Ministries like the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion (MoFEDIP) and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Innovation, Science and Technology Development (MoHTEISTD) were absent and this would be addressed for this year.

MoPSE therefore requires technical support in producing a 2023 Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) and planning and organizing annual Joint Sector Review (JSR). The 2023 EMIS has been delayed as it was expected to be available by end of the year 2023. However, data has now been collected, cleaned and are being analyzed, Therefore, data should be available to support the sector performance review.

It is for this reason, a capable consultant is being recruited to provide the support on the Education Sector Performance Review. This consultancy will involve working closely with MoPSE Head Office (directly with Strategic Policy Planning , Research and Statistics Departments) the Global Partnership for Education Coordinating Agency (FCDO) and UNICEF. The consultant will have to engage, with key stakeholders, development partners, relevant sector ministries, departments, and parastatals, selected Provincial Education Directors and District Education Officers (DSI’s) and their staff members who are a part of the implementation process of the ESSP 2021-2025. Support for workshop planning and preparation will mainly be led by the JSR Facilitator to be recruited, however some limited inputs may also be required through this consultancy. This international consultant will act as rapporteur during the JSR.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

To support MoPSE in preparing the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023 to be used to prepare for the Joint Sector Review

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Review and understand the ESSP 2021-2025, the MoPSE Strategic Plan and the previous ESPRs and any other previous ESPR reports, other documents focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) and identifying relevant documents to review and stakeholders to interview.
2. Consult important and relevant education stakeholders including MoFEDIP, MoHTEISTD, members of the ECG and the GPE-TEACH Steering committee and education partners.
3. Draft and finalize the ESPR 2023 based on EMIS and on the review of the other documents and the consultation.
4. Attend and act as the main rapporteur during the 2.5 day Joint sector review workshop, with support from MoPSE (SPPRS) staff and the facilitator.
5. Lead in the drafting and development of the aide memoire for the JSR

Major tasks and deliverables:

Tasks/Milestone:	Deliverables/Outputs:	Timeline
Inception Provide an inception report with a plan of action and methodology on how to conduct the ESPR including the review of documents and consultation, along with a draft table of contents for 2023 ESPR	Inception report	10 days 10%
Review, consultation, and draft of ESPR Review and understand the ESSP 2021-2025, the MoPSE Strategic Plan and the previous ESPRs and any other previous ESPR reports, other documents focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) and identifying relevant documents to review and stakeholders to interview. Use the 2023 EMIS to establish the performance of the sector in the ESSP 2021-2025 Indicators Consult important and relevant education stakeholders including MoFEDIP, MoHTEISTD, members of the ECG and the GPE-TEACH Steering committee and education development partners and some education stakeholders at school level. Draft ESPR shared with the ECG and the GPE TEACH Steering Committee members which sets out the progress against the key performance indicators in the ESSP and the main programmes Use PowerPoint presentation to share the draft ESPR highlighting sector performance in all the ESSP indicators.	Consultation and review report Draft ESPR	30 days 40%
JSR workshop active preparation and participation Woking with the MoPSE Strategic Policy Planning Research and Statistic to provide technical support to the MoPSE in preparation of the Joint sector review presentation for the PS and all key departments (Finance , Learner Welfare, Primary Secondary and Non-Formal, Curriculum Development and Technical Services) Provide technical support to selected (2) two districts and 2 Provinces to make their review presentations. Attend physically the 2.5 days of the JSR workshop and support on its reporting	Joint Sector Review Presentations	5 days 10%
Finalize the ESPR report, considering all the inputs from the participants to the workshop and from ECG  and GPE TEACH Steering Committee members and finalize the document	Final ESPR report	10 days 15%
The joint sector review report and the Aide memoire Produce a JSR report and support in the development  and finalization of the recommendations, timelines and accountabilities of the Aide Memoire.	JSR report Aide Memoire	10 days 25%

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

Education:

A Masters Degree in Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences, and/ or any related social science.

Experience:

A minimum of five (5) years of experience working in a development context

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Sound knowledge of the planning and policy making processes in the public sector or government
• Ability to engage and work with a variety of stakeholders. (Government, development partners, civil society)
• Good communication and facilitation skills, with fluency in spoken and written English.
• Analytical, with good computer and data analysis skills
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to support multi-disciplinary teams in a multicultural environment

Desirable:

• Familiarity with the Zimbabwean education context
• Experience working with a UN organization

 If interested and available to undertake the individual consultancy, please submit your application online and attach the required documents including the technical proposal and an all-inclusive financial proposal incorporating an approximate number of travel days for field (local) travel. 

Technical proposal: The Technical Proposal should articulate an understanding of the TOR and include the proposed Tasks/Milestones, Deliverables/Outputs, Timeline and level of effort by deliverable. The similar table provided in the TOR is indicative. Applicants may use the indicative table as a guide or deviate as per the proposed approach. The proposal should also cost-effectively propose the local travel proposed by the applicant to undertake the assignment.

Financial proposal: The Financial Proposal should include the costs (providing a daily rate as justification) for each task, including consultant fee, proposed travel costs and perdiem, communications costs and any other proposed cost.

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. 

  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.