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For every child, Education…

The war in Ukraine has had a devastating humanitarian impact on children and families from Ukraine. According to data received from the Border Police, which is updated weekly, as of 12 November 2023, there were 113,183 Ukrainian refugees residing in Moldova, of whom 50,059 are children under the age of 18 (25,898 boys, and 24,161 girls).These statistics capture only border crossings, so would also include Ukrainians who are in Moldova for a short visit

In response to this crisis, several sector coordination working groups were established under the Inter Agency Refugee Coordination team including for the Education sector. An Education Refugee Sector Working Group, under the leadership of MER, was established to enhance and strengthen the coordination of partners’ education interventions devoted to support the Government of Moldova in providing access to quality and inclusive education in safe and protective learning environments for refugee children living in Moldova.

The Government of the Republic of Moldova adopted the temporary protection measures in January 2023, almost on year after the war on Ukraine, as an exceptional measure to provide protection, including access to services, to displaced persons from Ukraine who meet the eligibility criteria. Beneficiaries of temporary protection have access to employment, accommodation, education for children, emergency and primary healthcare as well as social assistance services.  The application to acquire temporary protection status started in early March 2023 and the deadline was extended till the 13^th of August 2023. Under the leadership of MER, UNICEF co-chairs the Education Refugee Working Group Working which provides the appropriate evidence-based, professional expertise in support to the MER in Education in Emergencies planning and policy making. One of the key roles of the Education Refugee Working Group is to support the MER in integrating emergency planning and response capacity into a standardized Ministry function.

Despite all collaborative efforts, Moldovan schools are still witnessing a low enrolment rate of Ukrainian children. As of 23 October 2023, only 2,143 Ukrainian children (1,069 girls and 1,074 boys) were enrolled in Moldovan schools and preschools, out of an estimated school-age population of 37,000 children, with the remainder believed to be either studying on-line using Ukrainian learning platforms, connecting with their Ukrainian schools, or not studying at all. Consequently, UNICEF MCO plans to support the MER  through a consultant to be based at the MER in Chisinau to strengthen the MER’s capacity to manage the Education in Emergencies and ensure inclusion of refugee children in the Moldovan education system; this support is especially relevant given that MER and partners need to respond to the refugee crisis particularly on access to quality education and enrolment in schools, as well as to protect the gains towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It is envisaged that such efforts will ensure a continuum of action between the emergency response and a mechanism for longer term preparedness planning that will help bridge the humanitarian-development nexus and ensure the implementation of the temporary protection measures to facilitate the access of refugee children in the Moldovan educational system.

How can you make a difference?

1. Purpose of the individual consultancy:

This consultancy aims to support the coordination and management of emergencies at the MER including the ongoing process of capacity strengthening and institutionalizing emergency response within the ministry. The consultancy aims to extend the technical assistant (TA) that will be placed within the MER as a team member.

2. Specific purpose of the individual consultancy: 

 The specific purposes of the consultancy a to:

(i) work closely with the MER management, relevant Heads of Directorates, Education Refugee Working Group and partners to support the MER in planning and responding to Education in Emergencies (EiE), and act as a focal point for emergency at the MER. The consultant is also expected to work with the Ministry of Education and Research to strengthen the EiE functioning and liaising with the of Education Refugee Working Group.

(ii) Strengthen capacity of MER staff managing emergency response and coordination at national and district level including monitoring activities, data collection, assessments roll-out and information sharing.

3. Details of how the work should be delivered 

Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Education Specialist the consultant will be embedded within the MER and will collaborate with the State Secretary at MER and will work closely with the Education Refugee Working Group co-chairs (UNICEF and UNHCR) as well as partners and all relevant Heads of Directorates (HDs) at the MER.

4. Deliverables and delivery dates

* Exact deadlines will be mutually agreed upon contract signature.

5. Reporting requirements:

The consultant will report to UNICEF Education Specialist who will regularly communicate with the consultant and provide feedback and guidance on his/her performance and all other necessary support to achieve objectives of the consultancy, as well as remain aware of any upcoming issues related to consultant’s performance and quality of work.

All activities and deliverables undertaken by the consultant shall be discussed and planned in consultation with UNICEF Moldova Country Office. The consultant is expected to deliver each component of the workplan electronically (in Word format) in Romanian and English. At each stage, the deliverable shall be sent to UNICEF Education Specialist by email, with the Deputy Representative and Emergency Coordinator in copy.

6. Performance indicators for evaluation of results:

The performance of work will be evaluated based on the following indicators:

• • Completion of tasks specified in the ToR.
  • Compliance with the established deadlines for submission of deliverables.
  • Quality of work.
  • Demonstration of high standards of cooperation and communication with UNICEF and with counterparts

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

• Advanced University Degree in Education, Social Sciences or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in education policy development.
• Proven experience in leading cross-sectoral education teams or another social field.
• Proven experience of displaying very good analytical skills (copies of previous strategic, analytical works involving multidisciplinary teams to be provided).
• Demonstrated strong knowledge of the education system in Moldova.
• Familiarity with international, EU and European Commission policies and benchmarks in education and best European practices in the field of education.
• Demonstrated experience of work with the Government of the Republic of Moldova in developing education strategies or another social field.
• Fluency in Romanian, good command of English, both oral and written.

Content of the Technical Proposal

• Relevant experience with similar type of assignments (max 300 words)
• Proposed approach and methodology (max 1500 words), including:

o Timeline and milestones o Risk and mitigation measures

Ethical considerations and how the consultant will address them Annex: Short Sample or links to related work previously conducted by the consultant.

In addition, please provide your Curriculum Vitae.

Content of the Financial Proposal

 Financial Offer_EIE.xlsx

The applicant should fill in the Financial Offer Template and specify the consultancy fee in MDL per deliverables. The payment will be done upon the completion of each deliverable as detailed in the above matrix. The fee must be all-inclusive, reflecting also all associated administrative and transport/travel costs.

The final selection will be based on the principle of “best value for money” i.e. achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.

If not provided by ToR, UNICEF will not reimburse costs not directly related to the assignment.

UNICEF will not pay further fees not detailed and included in the financial offer.

The contract will not allow payment of off-hours, medical insurance, taxes, and sick leave.

7. Evaluation criteria for selection

The candidate is expected to reflect in the submission the qualifications, knowledge and experience related to the requirements listed above. Technical evaluation will be performed through a desk review of applications, evaluation of technical proposals, and if necessary, may be supplemented by an interview.

 The total amount of points to be allocated for the price component is 30. The maximum number of points (30) will be allotted to the lowest price proposal of a technically qualified offer. Points for other offers will be calculated as Points (x) = (lowest offer/ offer x) * 30.

The selection process is aimed at selecting the applicant who obtains the highest cumulative score (technical evaluation + financial offer evaluation points) following “best value for money” principle.

The payment will be made in 5 instalments, upon submission and acceptance of the deliverables stipulated in the deliverables table above.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines

8. Definition of supervision arrangements

The selected consultant will work under direct supervision and in close consultation with UNICEF Education specialist. Fees will be rendered upon written approval by the UNICEF Supervisor, and contingent upon the quality and achievement of deliverables.

UNICEF will regularly communicate with the selected consultant and provide formats for reports, feedback and guidance on performance and all other necessary support to achieve objectives of the document, as well as remain aware of any upcoming issues related to expert’s performance and quality of work.

9. Work location and official travel involved

The consultant will be able to work within MER premises in Chisinau. MER will secure an office and other office furniture.

The work might require local travels to conduct meeting, assessments, in-person visits and interviews with the different government authorities and partners.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, UNICEF will facilitate the contact with the MER and other relevant stakeholders and will provide timely feedback to all deliverables to be presented by the consultant. If need be, UNICEF will provide support in contacting other relevant stakeholders during the assessment process.

for more info please find the TOR attached below: TOR_individual_EiE Consultant_FINAL_14 December 2023xx.docx

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 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.