Tenders Are Invited For Consultancy Elaboration Of A Strategic Framework For The Development Improvement And Implementation Of Effective Alternative Education Programmes

Tenders Are Invited For Panama Consultancy Elaboration Of A Strategic Framework For The Development Improvement And Implementation Of Effective Alternative Education Programmes Within The Framework Of The Northern Triangle And Mexico Education Initiative Lacro Panama Organization Un Childrens FundCountry PanamaClosing Date 03 Jun 2019Unicef Works In Some Of The WorldS Toughest Places To Reach The WorldS 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 DedicationBackground Latin America Is Considered The Worlds Most Unequal Region And El Salvador Guatemala And Honduras Are Among The Three Poorest Countries In The Western Hemisphere Poverty And Deep Rooted Inequalities Linked To Gender Ethnicity And Geographical Location Have Direct Consequences For Children And Adolescents Severely Limiting Their Access To Adequate Nutrition Health Care Sanitation Which Are Also Key Factors That Hinder Their Right To Education Moreover El Salvador Guatemala And Honduras Are Known To Be Among The Most Violent Countries In The World With Widespread Gang Violence Organized Crime Extortion And Forced Recruitment Sexual Violence Against Girls And High Child Homicide And Femicide Rates In Recent Years Poverty The Lack Of Educational And Livelihood Opportunities Chronic Violence Has Driven Alarming Numbers Of Children And Young People To Migrate Irregularly Whilst Countless Others Suffered Internal Displacement For Those Who Stay In Their Communities Exposure To Extreme Violence Including In And Around Schools Have Limited Limits Their Opportunities To Learn Education Is One Of The Core Rights Of Children And Adolescents However This Right Is Still Denied To Millions Of Children And Adolescents In The Central American Sub Region And Currently Across The Lac Region There Are 14 Million Children And Adolescents Out Of The Educational System The Situation Of Educational Exclusion Is Most Critical At The Secondary Education Level Where 10 4 Million Adolescents Are Excluded From Their Right To Education 2 8 Million Of Lower Secondary School Age And 7 6 Million From Upper Secondary Age In Guatemala Honduras And El Salvador There Are Close To 1 5 Million Secondary School Age Adolescents Out Of School Many Of These Adolescents Live In Vulnerable Areas With Poor Educational Infrastructure With Little To No Access To Secondary Education Or Skills Training That Is Attuned To The Context Where They Live These Groups Typically Have Low Levels Of Basic Literacy And Numeracy Skills Poor Vocational Digital And Life Skills And No Qualification To Pursue Their Education Nor Training To Acquire Decent Jobs Moreover Almost 28 Of Youth 1 8 Million Across The Three Countries Are Neither In School Training Nor Employed With Females Accounting For Almost 80 This Situation Not Only Limits The Possibility Of Reaching Their Potential But Also Impacts The Broader Social And Economic Development Of The Sub Region And Is One Of The Causes For Migration And Violence Given The Above Urgent Action Is Required To Offer Educational Alternatives For These Adolescents And Youth So That Their Right To Education Is Ensured And They Acquire Relevant Knowledge Skills And Competencies For Life And Decent Work This Requires Engagement At The Systems Level As Well As An Increase In Offer And Quality Of Alternative Education Opportunities Which Are Recognized And Certified The Creation Of Flexible Learning Pathways And Educational Bridges Taking A Lifelong Learning Approach As Well As The Strengthening The Capacity Of Providers And Facilitators And The Creation Of Supporting And Safe Learning Environments In This View Unicef Plans To Assist Governments And Education Providers To Improve Strengthen Or Develop And Implement Alternative Educational Programmes For Neet Older Adolescents That Can Provide Pathways Back Into The Formal Education System Or Prepare Them To Enter The Labor Market This Will Be Developed In Several Steps Taking An Action Research Approach 1 Development Of A Strategic Framework Which Outlines The Principles And Factors That Are Critical To Develop Effective Programmes And Key Building Blocks And Components Of Alternative Education Programmes As Well As Strategies To Enable Out Of School Adolescents And Neets To Obtain The Skills They Need Taking Into Account The Need For Flexibility And Contextualization 2 Drawing On The Strategic Framework Development Of Recommendations To Strengthen Improve Or Develop Effective Alternative Education Programmes 3 Undertaking Policy Dialogue To Strengthen Alternative Education Within National Educational Plans And Strategies The Development Of The Strategic Framework Should Include An Active Engagement Of The Adolescents Concerned As Well As In Collaboration With Education And Labour Market Stakeholders E G Local Enterprises And Include A Survey Of The Target Communities To Analyze Societal And Labour Market Needs And Contexts Including Of The Informal Economy And Rural Development Purpose The Individual Consultant Or Research Center Will Cover The First Of The Above Listed Steps And Develop A Strategic Framework On Alternative Education Programmes For Out Of School Adolescents That Are Not In Education Employment Or Training Neet Including Migrants Returning Migrants And Adolescents Living In Situations Of Violence To Be Used In A Flexible Manner In The Target Countries Of The Northern Triangle Of Central America El Salvador Guatemala Honduras And Mexico By Programme Providers The Strategic Framework Should Serve To Improve Strengthen Or Develop Contextualized Alternative Education Programmes In Each Of The 4 Countries And Beyond DescriptionThe Objectives Of Alternative Education Programmes Are To Provide Learners With The Knowledge Skills And Competencies To Either Reintegrate Into The Education System And Or To Be Prepared For Life Decent Work And Entrepreneurship 1 The Programmes Should Be Competency Based And Equivalent Comparable To Basic Education Outcome Based And Leading To Recognized Certificates And Include Foundational Skills Vocational Skills And Transferable 21St Century Skills They Should Take Into Consideration The Different Starting Points Learning Needs And Requirements Of The Learners As Well As Their Socio Cultural Context And Languages The Strategic Framework Should Also Suggest Mechanisms For The Recognition And Certification Of Alternative Non Formal Education Learning Outcomes That Are Equivalent Comparable To Those Acquired Through Formal Education Based On Procedures And Methods Of Learning Assessment Defined By National Standards And National Qualifications Frameworks Further It Should Suggest And Describe Possible Flexible Learning Pathways And The Establishment Of Educational Bridges To Re Integrate Into Formal Education And Or Training Taking A Lifelong Learning Approach The Strategic Framework Should Outline The Principles And Factors That Are Critical To Develop Effective Programmes And Key Building Blocks And Components Of Alternative Education Programmes As Well As Strategies To Enable Out Of School Adolescents And Neets To Obtain The Skills They Needs And Cover 1 Rationale And Background 2 Key Criteria Factors To Be Taken Into Consideration For Effectiveness Of Alternative Education Programme In Terms Of Process Scope And Reach Learning Outcomes And Impact 3 Key Content Components Of Alternative Education Programmes Which Could Be Implemented In A Modular Way Depending On The Levels And Requirements Of The Learner And The Socio Economic And Cultural Requirements Of The Context 4 Assessment Of Learners And Recognition Validation And Certification Of Learning Outcomes 5 Strategies To Attract Oos Adolescents And Neets To Such Programmes 6 Key Components Of The Programme Development Process Context And Needs Assessment Curriculum And Material Development Assessment Of Learning Achievements Teacher Training Programme Structure And Management Use Of Icts And Innovative Approaches For Outreach And Retention Etc 7 Monitoring And Evaluation Of Programme Performance And 8 Requirements To Make Such Programmes Sustainable Policies Plans And Strategies Financing Etc Depending On The Context The Need Of The Learner And The Age Group Alternative Education Programmes Have Different Objectives Take Different Forms Provide Different Content And Lead To Different Learning Outcomes The Strategic Framework Should Reflect These Differences And Should Make A Clear Distinction Between These Different Types Of Alternative Education Programmes Such As For Example Those Which Aim At Mainstreaming Oosc And Adolescents Back Into School Accelerated Education Programmes Which Involve Working Closely With The Formal System And Those Which Aim At Providing Oos Adolescents And Neets With The Necessary Knowledge And Skills For Life And Decent Work With A Strong Vocational Component Focus Of The Strategic Framework Should Be On The Latter Type Of Programmes While The Initial Target Countries Are Honduras Guatemala El Salvador And Mexico And Therefore Should Take Into Consideration The Sub National Specificities And Needs Of The Sub Region The Programme Should Also Be Adaptable To Other Countries Given The Sub Regional Focus On The Norther Triangle Countries The Specific Needs Of Migrants Or Returning Migrants As Well As Adolescents Living In Situations Of Extreme Violence Need To Be Taken Into Consideration 1 It Should Be Noted That While In A Number Of Countries The Provision Of Alternative Education Is Considered Non Formal In Other Contexts It Is Considered Formal If It Is Equivalent To Formal Schooling And Leads To A Certificate Expected Results Measurable Results Under The Overall Supervision Of The Regional Education Advisor And In Coordination With The Education Specialist In Charge Of The Portfolio Of Education For The Second Decade The Consultant Is Expected To Identification Of Existing Alternative Education Programmes And Practices From Latin America And Other Regions As Well As Relevant Literature On The Topic And Development Of A List With A Short Description Of Existing Initiatives And Programmes Analysis Of These Alternative Education Programmes And Identification Of Criteria Factors To Be Taken Into Consideration For Effectiveness Of Alternative Education Programme Also Drawing On Relevant Literature Gaps Needs For Improvement And Up Dating Lll Perspective Undertake A Survey Of The Context In Selected Communities In Four Countries To A Identify The Needs And Aspirations Of The Target Groups B Undertake A Rapid Assessment Of Existing Programmes And Their Facilitators And Identify Strength Weaknesses And Gaps C Undertake An Analysis On Socio Economic Needs Development Of A First Draft Of The Strategic Framework Based On The Findings From The Above Activities That Describes Criteria Factors Of Effectiveness Of Alternative Education Programmes In Terms Of Process Scope And Reach Learning Outcomes And Impact Organisation Of A Technical Expert Group Meeting Meeting Facilitated By Unicef Lacro Including Education Stakeholders From The 4 Countries As Well As Young People From The Communities And Local Enterprises During Which The Consultant Will Present The Draft Strategic Framework And Guide To The Previously Selected Key Partner Institutions And Organizations From Each Of The Target Countries In Order Discuss The First Draft Obtain Feedback And Enrich Its Content And To Ensure That It Can Be Applied In National And Local Contexts And Used As A Framework To Develop Contextualized Programmes Finalization Of The Strategic Framework And Submission For Approval By Unicef Lacro Deliverables Deliverable DescriptionDuration Estimated Of Days Target DeadlineList With A Short Description Of A Selection Of Existing Initiatives And Programmes Of Accelerated And Or Alternative Education In English30TbdTechnical Paper That Describes Criteria Factors Of Effectiveness Of Alternative Education Programmes In Terms Of Process Scope And Reach Learning Outcomes And Impact Based On The Analysis Of Existing Initiatives In English15TbdReport On The Results Of A Survey On The Context In Selected Communities In Four Countries In English10TbdFirst Draft Of The Strategic Framework In English And Spanish60TbdSecond And Final Draft Of The Strategic Framework In Spanish And English20TbdTotal135 Working Days QualificationsTo Qualify As An Advocate For Every Child You Will HaveAdvanced University Degree In Education Social Sciences International Development Or A Related Field At Least Ten Years Of Professional Work Experience At The National And International Levels And Or Research In Education Learning And Skills Development Prior Experience Working In Unicef And In Central America Is An Asset Demonstrated Experience In The Preparation Strategies Guidelines Technical Reports Surveys Papers And Materials On Topics Related To Education Learning Skills Development Adolescent Development Alternative Education International Learning Standards And Education Systems Fluency In Spanish And Or English Excellent Writing Skills Are Required Management Arrangements This Consultancy Will Be Supervised By The Regional Education Adviser And Coordinated By The Secondary Education And Learning Specialist Consultants Workplace The Individual Contractor Consultant Will Work Independently Using Their Own Personal Premises Materials And Equipments In Regular Communication With The Supervisors And Country Offices Through Telephone And E Mail And Other Means The Individual Contractor Consultant May Be Asked To Travel To Panama City And Work On Deliverables 3 And 4 From The Premises Of Unicef Lacro Travel It Is Expected That The Consultant Travels To Panama And The Four Countries Payment Of Travel Costs Including Tickets Lodging And Terminal Expenses Should Be Agreed Upon Between Unicef And Individual Consultant Ic Prior To Travel And Will Be Reimbursed In General Uncef Should Not Accept Travel Costs Exceeding Those Of An Economy Class Ticket Should The Ic Wish To Travel On A Higher Class He She Should Do So Using Their Own Resources Fees Qualified Candidates Are Requested To Submit A Financial Proposal Proven Past Experience And Financial Proposal Will Be Taken Into Consideration During Selection Process Travel Will Be Covered By Unicef As Per Policy Costs Of Known Trips Should Be Included In The Financial Proposal Technical Proposal The Technical Proposal Should Include Cover Letter Referring To The Required Qualifications Timeline Workplan Proposed Methodology And 3 Contact References From Previous Work Experience Please Note Only Short Listed Candidates Will Be Contacted Unicef Reserves The Right To Make Additional Assessment Of The Pre Selected Candidates If NeededUnicef 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 Therefore Undergo Rigorous Reference And Background Checks And Will Be Expected To Adhere To These Standards And Principles

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