National Individual Consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an innovative and self-motivated individual consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023

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, education 

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 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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How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Zimbabwe is seeking to hire an innovative and self-motivated individual consultant to provide technical assistance to MoPSE in the Development of the Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) for the year 2023.

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.

BACKGROUND:

Since 2014, MoPSE and partners have conducted annual Joint Sector Reviews (JSR) to assess progress made against the indicator targets set in the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) and annual national operational plans (NOPs). Each JSR is preceded by an annual Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) that consolidates, analyzes, and presents progress made against the 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) 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 the Joint Sector Review (JSR) meeting where MoPSE and partners will discuss both the 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 ECG meetings which are held quarterly and chaired by the Minister. The JSR will have both a facilitator and rapporteur to ensure smooth running and documentation.

On the backdrop of recovering from the effects of Covid 19 for 2020 to early 2022, the last 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.

MoPSE therefore requires technical support in producing a 2023 Education Sector Performance Report (ESPR) and planning and organizing the 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 this support. This consultancy will involve working with MoPSE Head Office and UNICEF, and engaging 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, however some limited inputs may also be required through this consultancy. This consultant will act as rapporteur during the JSR.

Assignments:

1. Reviews 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. Consults important and relevant education stakeholders including MoFEDIP, MoHTEISTD, members of the ECG and the GPE-TEACH Steering committee and education partners.
3. Drafts and finalises the ESPR 2023 based on the review of the documents and the consultation.
4. Attends and act as rapporteur during the 2.5-day Joint Sector Review
5. Supports in the production of the Aide Memoire for the JSR

Major tasks and deliverables: 

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

Education: 

Advanced University Degree in Social Science, Education, Development Studies or any other related field 

Experience:

A minimum of five (5) years’ 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 stakeholder (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

Languages:

English and Ndebele, Desirable: Venda and Kalanga

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

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. 

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.