Tenders Are Invited For Consultancy Development Of School Grant Policy With A Focus On Learner Targeted Funding

Tenders Are Invited For Consultancy Development Of The School Grant Policy With A Focus On Learner Targeted Funding Windhoek Namibia For Namibia Nationals Only Background And JustificationSince Gaining Independence In 1990 Namibia Has Made Progress Towards Achieving Education For All And Has Set National Development Priorities That Impact The Education Sector Through Vision 2030 And The National Development Plans Over The Past Two Decades The Country Has Embarked Upon Various Reforms In The Education Sector To Redress Inequalities Resulting From Past Discriminatory Policies And To Fulfil Its Constitutional Obligation Of Ensuring The Right To Education For All Citizens To Address These Past Imbalances The Ministries Responsible For Education Have Continued To Receive The Largest Portion Of The National Budget Translating To More Than 25 Of The National Budget Education Is Provided Within A Conducive Legislative And Policy Environment The Moeac Has Developed And Is Implementing Several Policies And Strategies To Ensure That All Namibian Children Have Access To A Quality Equitable Inclusive Education Despite The Implementation Of These Progressive Legislative And Policy Documents Many Children Especially From Remote Rural And Poor Communities Including Children With Disabilities Do Not Benefit From Access Quality Education Services To Allow Access To Education For All Children In Namibia Universal Primary Education Upe Was Introduced In 2013 With Universal Secondary Education Use Following In 2016 However Despite These Significant Reforms And High Level Commitments To Education Both Upe And Use Are Not Yet Fully Achieved In The Country With Significant And Concerning Gender Disparities With Boys Disadvantaged In Terms Of Both Primary And Lower Secondary Completion Moeac With Assistance From Unicef Conducted A Public Expenditure Review Per Exercise In 2017 To Streamline Resource Allocation And Optimize Utilization In An Efficient And Equitable Manner So That All Children Can Benefit From An Inclusive Quality Education Following The Per Recommendations And In The Absence Of A School Grant Policy The Moeac Would Like To Develop A Policy With A Related Monitoring And Evaluation M E Framework Focusing On The Utilization Of School Grants And Related Learner Targeted Funding The Policy And Its M E Framework Should Focus On Basic Education From Pre Primary Through Secondary Education Unicef Has Been Providing Technical Assistance And Supporting The Moeac To Facilitate Dialogue On The Importance Of Equitable Resource Allocation To Ensure That All Children Benefit From Access To Quality Education Unicef Will Support The Recruitment Of A Consultant To Develop The School Grant Policy In Addition Unicef Will Continue To Advocate For The Utilization Of Schools Grant Formulas To Be Applied In Ways That Are More Beneficial To Individual Learners To Improve The Quality Of Education Scope Of WorkGoal And Objective Under The Overall Supervision Of The Education Specialist Unicef With Guidance From The Consultancy Steering Committee Develop A Comprehensive School Grant Policy For The Moeac With A Specific Focus On Learner Targeted Funding To Ensure Access To Inclusive Equitable Quality Education The Specific Purpose And Objective Of The Assignment The Purpose Of This Consultancy Is To Provide Technical Assistance To The Ministry Of Education Arts And Culture Namibia To Develop A Comprehensive School Grant Policy And An M E Framework With A Focus On Learner Targeted Funding To Ensure Access And Retention To Education Especially For The Most Vulnerable And Marginalised Children The Consultancy Will Involve Focus Group Discussions And Meetings Workshops With Critical Personnel In The Moeac Private Schools And Stakeholders With An Interest In Education Activities And Tasks To Obtain Critical Information From Education Stakeholders Especially Within The Moeac And To Fulfil The Consultancy Within The Allocated Period The Consultant Will Have To Undertake Extensive In Depth Consultations With Senior Moeac Officials Stakeholders In Education And Private Schools At Both National And Regional Level In Selected Regions To Be Jointly Agreed By The Consultancy Steering Committee To Be Established The Committee Will Consist Of Directors From The Following Directorates In The Moeac Finance Planning Pad Programme Quality Assurance Pqa And Unicef Drafting Of School Grant PolicyA Based On Information Gathered From The Review Of The Relevant National And International Documents And The Stakeholder Consultations Draft A School Grant Policy And A Related Monitoring And Evaluation M E Framework With Agreed Upon Indicators With A Focus On Learner Targeted Funding The Policy Document Should Be In Line With International Human Rights Standards And Guidelines With Regards To Inclusive Equitable Quality Education And Should Pay Particular Attention To The Issues Below 1 Orphans And Other Vulnerable Children 2 Children With Disabilities Including Inclusive Qualified Teachers 3 School Feeding To Benefit All Children In Need 4 Allocation Of Textbooks And Assistive Technology And Devices For Children With Disabilities 5 Transportation And Infrastructure Development 6 Boarding Facilities 7 Funding And Subsidies To Private Schools B Based On The Public Expenditure Review Report And Education Policy Briefs Detail How Resources Should Be Allocated To For A Learner Regarding Teaching And Learning In Terms Of 1 Support To The Curriculum Implementation 2 Textbooks And Other Learning Support Material Including For Pre Vocational Subjects Practical Skills Development 3 School Sports Arts And Culture Development 4 School Safety And Relevant School Health Aspects Cleaning And Sanitation5 Boarding And Lodging In Terms Of Community Hostel Subsidy As Well As Mainstream Government Hostels And Overall Maintenance And Utilities C Propose A Capacity Building Plan With Resource Implications For Staff Members Finance Pad And Pqa To Institutionalize Accountability For Resource Allocations Through Monitoring And Evaluation Outputs Deliverables The Total Duration Of The Consultancy Is 70 Working Days Spread Within A Period Of 3 5 Months Starting From 16 September 2019 To 20 December 2019 Some Of The Work Will Be Completed With Ongoing Communication Between The Consultant And The Education Specialist The Work Includes Drafting The Inception Report Drafting The Policy And M E Framework Completion Of Reports And Documents The Consultant Is Expected To Hold Consultations With Relevant Stakeholders And Towards The End Of The Consultancy To Conduct A Validation Workshop And Provide Technical And Administrative Assistance Through A Training Workshop To The Finance Planning And Programme Quality Assurance Directorates To Support The Implementation And Monitoring Of The School Grant Policy At Regional And School Level A Rough Timeline And Deliverables Are Outlined Below Although The Schedule And Workplan Are To Be Finalized At The Inception Meeting And Will Be Reflected In The Inception Report Some Activities May Be Delayed Due To Other Priorities In The Moeac Therefore An Effort Will Be Made To Adhere To The Timelines As Per The Deliverables However Should Additional Time Be Required A No Cost Extension Will Have To Be Requested For The Contract To Be Amended With Prior Approval To Qualify As An Advocate For Every Child You Will HaveEducation The Consultant Must Have At Least An Advanced University Degree Masters In Education Financing Economics Or Related Field Experience Minimum Of 5 Years Of Relevant Experience In Public Service Administration And Management Or Policy Development Preferably In The Education Sector Proven Experience In Policy Development A Must Good Understanding Of The Right To Inclusive Quality Education Good Understanding Of Gender Issues And Human Rights Based Approach Experience In Public Expenditure Reviews Data Analysis And Systems Strengthening Are A Strong Asset Proven Track Record As A Team Member Or And A Team Leader Experience In Working With Unicef And Government Ministries Considered As Advantage Demonstrable Skills Critical Analytical Skills And Creativity And Innovation Excellent Team Working And Interpersonal Communication Skills Ability To Work Under Pressure Handle Multiple Tasks With Short Deadlines And The Ability To Work Across Unit Boundaries Ability To Convene Different Sectors And Stakeholders To Achieve Multi Sectoral Coordination Ability To Work Collaboratively And Respectively In Cross Culturally Settings Working With A Range Of Local And International Stakeholders And Others Ability To Provide Mentoring And Capacity Building Excellent Written And Oral Communication Skills Language And It Skills Excellent Knowledge Of Spoken And Written English With Advanced Computer Skills In Ms Office ProgrammesCompetencies Good Analytical Negotiating Communication And Advocacy Skills Demonstrated Ability To Work In A Multi Cultural Environment And Establish Harmonious And Effective Working Relationships Both Within And Outside The Work Place Versatility Judgment And Maturity Administrative IssuesThe Consultant Will Be Contracted By Unicef Through A Competitive Bidding Process He She Will Be Supervised By The Education Specialist And Report To The Chief Adolescent Development Education And Protection The Consultant Will Have An Inception Meeting Interviews With Moeac Officials At National And Regional Level And Education Stakeholders Including Private Schools

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