Tenders Are Invited For Consultancy Technical Assistance To Review The Early Childhood Development Ecd Centres Registration And Assessment System

Tenders Are Invited For Namibia Consultancy Technical Assistance To Review The Early Childhood Development Ecd Centres Registration And Assessment System Of The Ministry Of Gender Equality And Child Welfare Namibia And For Capacity Development Of Relevant Ministrys Officials Unicef 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 How Can You Make A Difference Part ITitle Of AssignmentIndividual Technical Assistance To Review The Early Childhood Development Ecd Centres Registration And Assessment System Of The The Ministry Of Gender Equality And Child Welfare Namibia And For Capacity Development Of Relevant Ministrys OfficialsSectionCsdLocationNamibiaDuration4 Months 80 Days Start DateFrom 15 08 2019To 31 12 2019Background And Justification1 Background Every Child Deserves The Best Start In Life There Is Strong Evidence That The Early Years From Conception Up To The Age Of 8 Years Are Very Critical In Terms Of Building A Strong Foundation For Healthy Development Lifelong Learning And Well Being Successful Communities Economic Productivity And Harmonious Civil Societies With Quality Implementation Integrated Early Childhood Development Is A Highly Effective And Cost Efficient Approach To Ensure That All Children Develop Their Full Potential In 2010 Who Indicated That There Is Strong Evidence That Quality Service Provision Including Robust Parenting Programmes Are Effective In Preparing The Child For Lifelong Learning And Development The First 1000 Days Which Cover The Period From Conception To A Childs Second Birthday Is Known As The Critical Window Of Opportunity Because It Is Within This Time Frame That Learning Challenges And The Negative Effects Of Malnutrition Can Be Prevented Or Reversed And Is A Period When The Childs Critical Skills Are Developed The 2017 Lancet Series On Ecd Stressed That The Human Brain Develops Faster Between Conception And The Ages Of 2 3 Than At Any Other Time In Life It Further Points Out That It Is During The First 1000 Days That A Childs Development Responds Most Readily To Nurturing Care In Terms Of Health Nutrition Responsive Care Giving Safety And Security And Early Learning The Agenda For Sustainable Development Goals Sdgs Calls For Nations To Ensure That Children Survive And Thrive In Particular Sdg Goals 4 2 Education 3 2 Health 2 2 Nutrition And 16 2 Protection Address Key Outcomes To Realise Young Childrens Developmental Potential 1 1 Unicef Programme Guidance For Early Childhood Development 2017 Although Namibia Has Made Commendable Progress Since Independence In 1990 And Has Attained Upper Middle Income Status Poverty Remains Very High In Namibia With A Big Disconnect Between Economic Development And Social Development Creating Inequities Among Regions Ethnic Groups And Wealth Quintiles Disparities Continue To Persist In The Provision Of Quality Early Childhood Development Ecd Services Especially Amongst The Rural And Poor Communities 14 Of Namibias Population Are Under 5 Years Old And 87 Of Children Between 0 4 Years Old Do Not Attend Any Early Childhood Development Centres While 60 Of Children Of Pre Primary Age Do Not Access Pre Primary Education But Namibias Fifth National Development Plan Ndp5 2017 18 2021 22 Has Identified Ecd As One Of The Contributing Factors To Harnessing The Demographic Dividends And Contribute To Human Capital Development In Namibia Ecd Service Provision Falls Under The Responsibility Of Individuals Parents Educarers Caregivers Communities Churches And The Private Sector The Ministry Of Gender Equality And Child Welfare Mgecw Has The Mandate To Register And Supervise Ecd Centres Notably Their Level Of Compliance With Established Minimum Standards For Ecd Centres Namibian Standards For Ecd Centres 2012 The Ministry Also Provides Subsidies To Educarers Working In Registered Centres And Having Qualifications In Ecd There Are 2 373 Ecd Centres Operating In All The 14 Regions Of The Country With 4 452 Ecd Educarers Providing Services To 74 061 Children From 6 Months To 4 Years Old More Than 70 Of Ecd Caregivers Do Not Have The Necessary Qualifications And Expertise In Ecd Which Has A Negative Impact In Terms Of The Early Identification Of Special Needs And Early Interventions Negative Experiences And Lack Of Early Interventions Increases The Risk For Poor Social And Health Outcomes Low Educational Attainment Economic Dependency Etc In Addition Ecd Centres Are Faced With Challenges Of Obtaining Relevant Child Stimulation And Play Materials To Enhance Holistic Child Development Support From Mgecw To Ecd Centres Is Limited Due To Insufficient Human And Financial Resources Which Has Also Resulted In Lack Of Adequate Monitoring Of Ecd Service Provision At Centre And Community Level The European Union Through The 11Th Edf Education Sector Reform Contract In Collaboration With Unicef Namibia Is Supporting The Government In Particular The Mgecw And The Ministry Of Education Arts And Culture Moeac To Strengthen Integrated Ecd Service Delivery And Pre Primary Education Outcomes In Particular Support Is Provided To The Mgecw To Enhance The Implementation Of The Integrated Early Childhood Development Iecd Framework The Main Aim Is To Strengthen Multi Sectoral And Inter Ministerial Coordination In Ecd Service Delivery At All Levels One Of The Key Outcomes Of The Iecd Framework Is To Ensure Quality Ecd Service Provision And Improved Quality Of Data The Ministry Has Therefore Started With The Process Of Revitalizing The Ecd Management Information System Ecd Mis Including Developing A Decentralized Web Based Database This Database Will House A Component For Inputing The Registration Status And The Assessment Scores Of Ecd Centres 2 JustificationAs Stipulated In The National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy Of 2007 Ecd Centres Should Be Registered With The Mgecw For Regulatory And Oversight Purposes The Namibian Standards For Early Childhood Development Centres Were Developed In 2012 Through A Consultative Process They Provide Guidelines On How To Establish An Ecd Centre Before They Can Be Registered With The Ministry While Providing A Certain Standard Of Service And Protecting The Rights Of The Children In The Centre In 2017 An On Line Survey Concluded That These Ecd Standards Are Still Very Relevant But That They Needed To Be Made More User Friendly Especially For Those Living In Remote And Low Literacy Communities And While The Intention Of Opening Ecd Centres May Be Good Lack Of Adhering To The Ecd Standards Poses A Risk To The Safety And Well Being Of The Children The Standards Were Developed For The Use By Ecd Centre Manager And Educarers For Self Review To Identify Strengths And Weaknesses And To Make Plans For Improvements They Are Also The Basis For The Needed Assessment Done By The Mgecws Officials Before Registration Of The Centres The Current Ecd Registration And Assessment System Is A Paper Based One That Attempts To Regulate The Adoption Of Minimum Standards For Quality Service Provision In All Ecd Centres In 2017 A Revised Ecd Centre Assessment Tool Was Designed And Developed For Use By The Community Liaison Officers Clos Or Selected Assessors At Regional Level It Was Modelled On An International Ecd Environment Rating Scale Which Is Recognised As A Highly Robust And Reliable Assessment Instrument For Ecd Centres And Is Used Widely In A Number Of Countries In Addition The Ecd Centre Assessment Tool Is Accompanied By A Step By Step Training Manual For Using The Ecd Centre Assessment Tool The Training Manual Is Designed To Be Self Explanatory For Use By Individual Clos Or It Can Be Used To Train Groups Of Assessors This New Assessment Tool Adds Further Value By Providing Educarers With An Improvement Plan Which Is Shared And Discussed With Them Immediately After The Assessment Has Been Conducted By The Assessor However This Developed Tool Still Needs To Go Through A Process Of Validation Testing Training And Printing Before Being Endorsed And Disseminated For Usage In Namibia Validation Should Be Done By A Focused Working Group Of Ecd Stakeholders Under The Iecd National Committee The Tool Should Then Be Vigourously Tested In A Diverse Range Of Locations As Part Of An Iterative Process That Increases The Tools Reliability And Ease Of Use To Roll Out The New Ecd Centre Assessment Tool A Cascade Training Model To Induct At Least One Clo From Each Region As A Master Trainer Of Assessors Using The Tool Is To Be Adopted The Master Training Should Take Place At National Level And It Needs To Liase With The New Ecd Management Information System Ecd Mis So That There Is An Understading On How To Enter The Rating Scores Into The Ecd Database And To See How Registration Status Is Allocated And To Observe The Printing Of The Ecd Centre Certificates This Will Enable Trainees To Fully Understand The Current Registration And Assessment Cycle The Ministry Of Gender Equality And Child Welfare With The Support Of The Eu And Unicef Is Seeking For An Individual Consultant To Conduct The Process Of Validation Testing And Training Of The Ecd Centre Assessment Tool As Part Of This Activity The Consultant Will Also Be Expected To Work Closely With The Developpers Of The New Ecd Management Information System Ecd Mis On The E Component Of Registration And Assessment Of Ecd Centres And Developing A Fit For Purpose Work Flow For Registering Assessing Monitoring Reporting And If Necessary De Registering Centres Based On Their Adherence To The Standards Scope Of WorkThe Consultant Will Be Responsible For The Process Of Validation Testing And Training Of The Ecd Centre Assessment Tool In Particular The Consultant Will Be Responsible For The Following Produce An Inception Report With Detailed Information On The Process Of Validation Testing And Training Of The Ecd Centre Assessment Tool Including A Plan On How The Tool Is Going To Be Tested To Ensure Reliability And Ease Of Use And How The Trainings Are To Be Conducted Conduct Interviews With Selected Mgecw Officials At National And Regional Level And With Selected Educarers In Five Regions To Obtain Information On How The New Tool Should Be Implemented Based On The Information Obtained Review And Revise If Needed The Tool And The Training Manual As Well As The Improvement Plan Advise On The Development Of The Associated Database Module And Work With The Software Developers Of The New Ecd Management Information System Ecd Mis To Make Sure That Processes Are Decentralised Web Based And User Friendly In Coordination With The Software Developers Develop The Following A Work Flow For Registration And Assessment Of Centres A Process For Centre De Registration With Clear Justifications Train National And Regional Mgecw Staff On The Use Of The Ecd Assessment Tool And Other Documents And Work Flow For Registration And Assessment Of Centres Develop A Simple Monitoring And Evaluation Tool To Oversee Progress In Monitoring And Assessment This Can Be Based On Reports Developed Through The Database As Some Preliminary Work Has Already Taken Place In The Area Of Registration And Assessment And Database Development It Is Essential That The Consultant Ensures That All Activities Build On Existing Mechanisms Wherever Possible Especially Centre Numbers Developed In The Process Of Ecd Mis Revitalisation DeliverableNumber Of DaysDue By1 Inception Report With Detailed Steps To Be Followed320 August 20192 Testing And Validation Of Ecd Assessment Tool15 With Consultations 10 September 20193 Review Of Assessement Tool And Related Documents Training Manual Improvement Plan 518 September 20194 Development Of Work Flow For Registration And Assessment Of Centre And The Process For Centre De Registration With Clear Justifications101 October 20196 Advising On Database Module Development1520 September 20197 Training On The Use Of The Ecd Assessment Tool And Other Documents And Work Flow For Registration And Assessment Of Centres 3030 November 20198 Brief End Of Consultancy Report210 December 2019Total80 DaysDesired ProfileUnicef Is Seeking The Services Of An Individual Expert With The Following Qualifications And Skills Advanced Degree Masters Degree In Ecd Education Social Policy Public Administration Or Related Field Minimum 5 Years Of Experience Working In Development Field In Namibia Or Sub Saharan Country With Similar Dynamic Including With Communities Government Officials And High Level Decision Makers Demonstrated Knowledge In Working On Stakeholder Consultation And Social Behaviour Communication Change Strategy DevelopmentExperience Working In Particular In Ecd Education Child Health Or Other Relevant Sector In Namibia Solid Knowledge Of Planning And Operational Management Demonstrated Ability To Develop Organise And Implement Effective Workplans Strong Analytical Ability And Capacity To Prepare Strategies And Proposals Dynamic Interpersonal And Communication Skills Energetic Creative And Pragmatic Excellent Writing Skills Well Organised Competent With Digital Technology Fluency In English The Candidate Selected Will Be Governed By And Subject To Unicefs General Terms And Conditions For Individual Contracts Administrative IssuesThe Consultant Will Be Contracted By Unicef Through A Competitive Bidding Process The Consultant Should Be Home Based With At Least Two In Country Visits For Initial Consultations And For The Purpose Of Conducting Trainings The Consultant Will Be Contracted By Unicef But Will Work Closely With The Directorate Of Community Empowerment And The Eu Unicef Grn Project Steering Committee The Consultant Will Be Supervised By The Unicef Ecd Officer And He She Will Also Report To The Chief Of Child Survival And Development At Unicef Conditions The Contractor Will Work On Its Own Computer S And Will Be Home Based Other Than The Minimum Of 2 X In Country Visits The Contractor Must Be Eligible To Work In Namibia And Are Responsible For Making Their Own Visa Arrangements Unicef Shall Be Entitled To All Property Rights Including But Not Limited To Patents Copyrights And Trademarks With Regard To Material Which Bears A Direct Relation To Or Is Made In Consequence Of The Services Provided To The Organization By The Consultant In Certain Cases Unicef Would Be Prepared To Share Intellectual Property Rights Requiring At A Minimum That Unicef Must Be Acknowledged In All Use And Publications Of The Data Generated Under The Present Consultancy And Retains The Right To Use The Data For Further Analysis And Publication With Acknowledgement Of The Research Institution Concerned Financial Proposals Must Be Inclusive Of All Costs Including To Country And In Country Travel Please Also See Unicefs Standard Terms And Conditions Attached As Per Unicef Dfam Policy Payment Is Made Against Approved Deliverables No Advance Payment Is Allowed Unless In Exceptional Circumstances Against Bank Guarantee Subject To Amaximum Of 30 Per Cent Of The Total Contract Value In Cases Where Advance Purchases For Example For Supplies Or Travel May Be Necessary Proposals Should Be Submitted By Close Of Business 17H00 On 18 July 2019 Proposals Should Include Interpretation Of The Tor And Deliverable Identify Relevance Or Possible Gaps Brief Proposal Outlining Approach To Undertaking Activities Detailed Including Travel Plan And Proposed Training Plan Consultancy Profile And Summary Of Similar Work Completed Examples Of Previous Work To Be Included Detailed Budget Including Travel Tax To Be Included As Separate Line Item Applications Submitted Without Financial Proposals Will Not Be Considered 4 Evaluation Weighting70 Technical30 Financial100 Total5 ConditionsThe Contractor Will Work On Its Own Computer S And Use Its Own Office Resources And Materials In The Execution Of This Assignment The Contractors Fee Shall Be Inclusive Of All Office Administrative And Travel Costs Including Any Visas Required The Contractor Must Be Eligible To Work In Namibia And Will Be Responsible For Making Their Own Visa Arrangements Unicef Shall Be Entitled To All Property Rights Including But Not Limited To Patents Copyrights And Trademarks With Regard To Material Which Bears A Direct Relation To Or Is Made In Consequence Of The Services Provided To The Organization By The Consultant In Certain Cases Unicef Would Be Prepared To Share Intellectual Property Rights Requiring At A Minimum That Unicef Must Be Acknowledged In All Use And Publications Of The Data Generated Under The Present Consultancy And Retains The Right To Use The Data For Further Analysis And Publication With Acknowledgement Of The Research Institution Concerned For Every Child You DemonstrateUnicefS Core Values Of Commitment Diversity And Integrity And Core Competencies In Communication Working With People And Drive For Results View Our Competency Framework At Http Www Unicef Org About Employ Files Unicef Competencies PdfUnicef 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 Remarks Only Shortlisted Candidates Will Be Contacted And Advance To The Next Stage Of The Selection Process How To Apply Unicef Is Committed To Diversity And Inclusion Within Its Workforce And Encourages Qualified Female And Male Candidates From All National Religious And Ethnic Backgrounds Including Persons Living With Disabilities To Apply To Become A Part Of Our Organization To Apply Click On The Following Link Http Www Unicef Org About Employ Job 523663

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