UNICEF is a UN organization mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In Lao PDR, UNICEF is working with its partners to support the Government to realize children’s rights on survival, development, protection and participation.

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, support

UNICEF in Vientiane, Lao PDR is looking for an International Consultant to support MoES to develop its Digital Education Action Plan. The duration of this assignment is 11.5 months, starting as soon as possible. The consultant is expected be based primarily in Laos and work primarily at the MoES ICT Centre in Lao PDR for the duration of the assignment.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

The consultant will provide direct support to the MoES ICT Centre and the MoES Department of Planning to establish a costed five-year action plan (2026-2030) to accompany the recently endorsed MoES 10-year Digital Strategy for Education (2025-2035). The Digital Education Action Plan should extend across the nine education sub-sectors identified in the Education and Sports Sector Development Plan (2021-2025).[1] This will require working within the ICT Centre of MoES for the duration of the assignment (i.e. primarily based in Laos) with the support of a national consultant and in coordination with the MoES Digital Transformation Committee.[2] Exact tasks include:

Stage 1: Kick-off Meetings and Inception Report

• The consultant will start with a kick-off meeting with the MoES ICT Centre, the Department of Planning, the MoES Digital Transformation Committee and UNICEF to set expectations and outline the approach. Insights from this meeting will be used to shape the inception report.
• To further develop the inception report, the consultant should examine key legislation, strategy and policy documents as well as the Digital Strategy for Education and its accompanying situation analysis.
• Preliminary meeting with the nine sub-sectors supported by the Digital Transformation Committee.
• The inception report will detail the consultant’s strategy for creating a five-year Digital Education Action Plan for Laos. It will outline the methodology for each task, the data sources, a list of recommended stakeholders and documents to review, and a comprehensive work plan with a clear timeline. The report should not exceed 20 pages, excluding annexes. It will be distributed to the MoES Digital Transformation Committee and UNICEF for review.

Stage 2: Situational analysis on ICT in Education in Laos

• Based on the ICT in Education Strategy, the consultant will develop a tailored situation analysis[3] which looks at the four priority areas identified within the strategy (on Digital Access, Digital Skills, Digital Information and Digital Learning) for each of the nine sub-sectors. This will involve interview with key stakeholders from the MoES, the Ministry of Technology and Communications, development partners, the private sector, particularly Internet Service Providers, and other relevant organizations as well as assessment of key reports and research to develop an updated, more tailored assessment of the current state of ICT in Education in Laos. In addition, the consultant will interview teachers, parents/caregivers, and students. This requires travel to the provinces outside of Vientiane capital.
• A situation analysis of the four priority areas should highlight opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for the costed five-year Digital Education Action Plan and should be presented to UNICEF and the MoES Digital Transformation Committee. It should not exceed 30 pages, excluding annexes.

Stage 3: Consultation Workshops

• The consultant will work closely with MoES and UNICEF to organize a series of 2-3 workshops[4] with the MoES Digital Transformation Committee and other key actors from across sub-sectors and at the national and sub-national levels (e.g., teacher training institutes, related ministries, private sector representatives). Based on the situation analysis, the workshops will serve to gather inputs from across the education sub-sectors to the four priority areas which form the basis of the Digital Education Action Plan.
• Prior to the workshops, the consultant should prepare a set of slides covering the workshop agenda and a high-level outline for the five-year Action Plan. These slides will guide workshop discussion and should be shared with and reviewed by UNICEF and MoES in advance of the workshop. Incorporating interactive elements (e.g. discussion prompts, polls, or real time surveys) in the slides is strongly recommended.

Stage 4: Develop First Draft of the Digital Education Action Plan

• Building on the situational analysis and workshops, the consultant will create a draft five-year Digital Education Action Plan. This draft should focus on the four priority areas of the strategy (digital access, digital skills, digital information and digital learning) and should include (rough) cost estimates for implementation across the sub-sectors.
• The draft Action Plan should be submitted and presented to the MoES Digital Transformation Committee, UNICEF and the Education Sector Working Group and/or its relevant Focal Groups as well as private sector representatives and relevant line ministries for feedback. The Action Plan may also be circulated for comments.
• Feedback from this stage will be used to refine and enhance the draft in preparation for a second draft.

Stage 5: Presentation of a Second Draft of the Digital Education Action Plan

• Feedback collected during Stage 4 should be used to inform the development of a refined second draft of the ICT in Education Strategy Action Plan.
• The revised second draft should be resubmitted to MoES and UNICEF together with a set of slides summarizing the content of the five-year Digital Education Action Plan for presentation to MoES, relevant line ministries, development partners, the private sector and other relevant organizations as well as to a representation of sub-national authorities, principals, teachers and school communities.
• The presentation of the second draft of the Action Plan may be carried out across 2-3 separate meetings and/or require circulation to accommodate the engagement of different stakeholder groups.

Stage 6: Finalization of the Digital Education Action Plan

• Feedback from the second round of consultations should be used to develop a penultimate draft of the Digital Education Action Plan for submission to MoES and UNICEF.
• This penultimate draft should undergo an additional, final review process, involving circulation and engagement of key stakeholders across 2-3 meetings.
• This will involve the incorporation of final feedback received to produce the final costed Digital Education Action Plan which will be submitted for official endorsement by MoES.

This work will require at least at least 120 days in country working closely with the MoES ICT Centre in the development of the Action Plan. At least 20 days of field visits/travel outside of Vientiane but within Laos should also be anticipated.

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

Knowledge and skills:

• Advanced degree in education, public policy, information technology, statistics, or other relevant field. In lieu of a specific academic degree, relevant experience may be considered to meet this requirement.
• At least 10 years of professional work experience in ICT in Education such as ICT in education policy development, digital infrastructure development, digital learning and digital learning platforms, ICT in teacher education, learning and information management systems, preferably in Southeast Asia.
• Excellent communication abilities, in both written and oral forms. Consultant should be at ease in presentations and meetings with D-level (UN) or C-level (private sector) executives.
• Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination, and able to work under pressure is required.
• Fluency in English is a requirement.

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents:

• Letter of Interest (cover letter)
• CV or Resume
• Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available)
• Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost, including travel, accommodation cost and insurance with Medevac for this assignment as per work assignment

Assessment Criteria:

a) Technical Qualification (70 points)

• Advanced degree in education, public policy, information technology, statistics, or other relevant field. In lieu of a specific academic degree, relevant experience may be considered to meet this requirement (20 points)
• At least 10 years of professional work experience in ICT in Education such as ICT in Education policy development, digital learning infrastructure, digital learning and digital learning platforms, ICT in teacher education, learning and information management systems, preferably in Southeast Asia (30 points)
• Excellent communication abilities, in both written and oral forms. Consultant should be at ease in presentations and meetings with D-level (UN) or C-level (private sector) executives
• Demonstrated ability and experience in coordination, and able to work under pressure is required (10 points)
• Fluency in English is a requirement (10 points)

b) Financial Proposal (30 points)

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened /evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 50 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview, if required.

Please find the TOR here:  TOR_Digital Education Action Plan for VA.pdf

Please complete the financial proposal for this assignment by using this template:  Financial Proposal Template-updated Oct 2024.doc

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 at here

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: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.