UNICEF Serbia
Terms of Reference
POLICY IMPACT ANALYSIS –
PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO STUDENTS FROM VULNERABLE GROUPS IN PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Summary:
The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit together with UNICEF Serbia has launched a policy impact analysis initiative which aims to provide insight into the current mechanisms supporting education and the retention of disadvantaged students, namely in pre-university education. The analysis will include the identification of factors affecting early school leaving, as well as the mechanisms affecting the elimination of these factors.
The initiative aims to analyze the measures contributing to the promotion of education, identify practices relating to the implementation of existing measures and put forward proposals to advance the existing measures, enable their linking and introduce new programs and measures to this effect.
1. Introduction
The Republic of Serbia lags behind EU member states in relation to the overall goals and indicators in education. Main educational concerns in Serbia relate to a low quality of education, a lack of acquired functional knowledge, a high share of adults who have completed only primary education and a small percentage of adult population involved in some aspect of further education and training.
In its latest report, the European Commission noted that certain progress has been made in the sector of education. The 2011 European Commission Analytical Report on the Republic of Serbia states that certain progress has been achieved in the attainment of European standards in education and that reforms are being implemented at all levels of education.
The EU headline target, on the basis of which Member States are to set their national targets, is to reduce the dropout rate to 10% till the end of secondary education, whilst increasing the share of the population aged 30-34 having completed tertiary or equivalent education to at least 40% in 2020.
In view of the EU Platform against Poverty, the EU emphasized that in the long run the reduction of early school leavers and the reduction of drop-out rate to under 10% by 2020, as agreed by the headline target in the Europe 2020 Strategy, would represent a strong contribution to poverty reduction, having in mind that a sufficient level of skills and competencies (including computer literacy) is necessary for the employability of youth in the current labor market. More than one half of the working population aged 15+ has finished secondary education (Labor Force Survey, April 2010). About 30% of people aged 18-24 left school prematurely and do not attend any form of training.
The highest dropout rates are still among the poor population, rural population and the Roma. Low educational attainment is a key barrier to increasing employability and reducing inactivity (OECD 2010b; World Bank 2010a).
The poorest children in Serbia are less educated than general population and are less likely to complete secondary and tertiary education, which would considerably contribute to a faster inclusion in the labor market.
Table 1: Coverage of the poorest children by education
Early growth and development programs / Coverage by PPP / Primary schoolnet enrollment ratio / Net primary school attendance rate / Percentage of children enrolled in 1st grade who reach 8th grade
General population / 97% / 95% / 99% / 99%
Poorest children / 49% / 95% / 84% / 96% / 93%
Roma children in Roma settlements / 78% / 91% / 88% / 86%
Source: MICS, 2010, RSO, UNICEF
The percentage of 50-60% functionally illiterate 15-year-olds from the poorest families (the latest PISA 2009 survey) leaves little hope for breaking “the so-called vicious circle of poverty“, and puts forward the challenges of how to provide “a second chance” for these children in the conditions of a poorly developed system of life-long learning.
The relevance of support measures targeting vulnerable students is obvious from the viewpoint of a high number of Roma children attending special schools able to provide them with the aspects of support not provided by a regular system of education.
The latest PISA data indicate that highly successful students in Serbia from the poorest groups of population tend to enroll secondary vocational schools, although they have potentials to continue education and attain the highest level of education. The most probable reason is the fact that, due to poverty, these students are unable to afford to continue education wherefore they are unable to develop their potentials fully. This problem, however, is not just an individual problem of these students, but also the problem of entire society, since the potentials of new generations fail to be developed to their fullest.
2. Background
The Law on the Foundations of the Education System sets the preconditions for the non-segregated inclusion of children into education and continued schooling (extending the mandatory and free-of-charge Preparatory Preschool Program (PPP) from six to nine months, facilitating the enrollment of children from socially vulnerable groups, legally regulating an inclusive approach and ensuring support mechanisms for children and teaching staff). The Law also introduced general and specific outcomes and standards of education, stipulated higher competencies for teaching staff and school management structures and established a system for quality insurance in institutions.
The mechanism of inter-sector cooperation and coordination at the local level towards supporting children and pupils from vulnerable groups has been set up with a view to full social inclusion and progress. The Rulebook for Additional Educational, Health Care and Social Support to Children and Pupils was adopted for children who require additional support in education, health care or social protection due to social deprivation, developmental disorders, disabilities, learning disorders and other reasons. Additional support refers to the rights and services allowing a child to overcome physical and social barriers towards the unimpeded performance of everyday activities relevant for inclusion into the educational process, community life and successful advancement.
An important aspect of inclusive education is the increase in accessibility of services. The inclusion of poor children and children from vulnerable groups is legally regulated. The Road Map for the Implementation of Inclusive Education was developed on the basis of a functional inclusive education model. An implementation team for inclusive education involving all decision-making structures has also been established at the Ministry of Education. The Rulebook on Detailed Instructions in Defining the Rights to Individual Education Plans, their Implementation and Evaluation was adopted. The plan is now to secure provision of additional support for children from poor families in order to facilitate their social inclusion through education and to reduce dropout rates characteristic for this target group.
At the moment, the Serbian Government implements a number of policies to support poor and vulnerable students, for example: scholarships and loans for high school and university students, affirmative action for Roma students relating to enrollment in secondary schools and colleges, free textbooks for students in lower grades of elementary education, child allowances and family support programs etc.
Previous analyses of pro-poor education measures indicated the following challenges (Educational Policies Aimed at Vulnerable Population – Vukasović, Jarić 2009): there are measures/policies envisaged in strategic documents which are not supported by budget funds; there are no data on the types of support provided by local self-governments and the number of beneficiaries; there is an overlap of measures/policies – some policies/measures in some communities are funded both from the republic and the local level; there is a lack of inter-sectoral collaboration in planning, implementation and monitoring of these measures.
3. Purpose of the Initiative
The purpose of this initiative is development of recommendations and measures to support students from vulnerable groups at all pre–university education levels.
The support will include the development of functional model of pro-poor education policies based on an analysis of good and bad practices regarding similar initiatives in other countries in Europe and/or globally.
The model will include recommendations relating to the aspects of:
· Organization/functioning of the proposed model for provision (including sustainability),
· Financial mechanisms and
· Status in relation to other relevant national and local administrative and specialized bodies (line ministries, local authorities, inter-sector commissions, social work centers, schools etc).
The initiative will be supported jointly by Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit (SIPRU) of the Government of Serbia and UNICEF within the wider framework of cooperation in the areas of inclusive education and evidence based policy making, envisioned by the Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both parties.
4. Objectives of the Assignment
The final result of this analysis will be a report putting forward a set of policy measures whose aim is to support students from vulnerable groups at all pre–university education levels. The report will answer on the issue of how the existing measures in the education system stimulate the retention or completion of education among underprivileged children. The report will include:
· A situation analysis of pro-poor education measures for students from vulnerable groups (school based measures, pre-school education provision, child allowance, school meals, text-books, transport etc) including identification of bottlenecks in current provision of measures,
· A defined set of measures/policies to support education of vulnerable students and their implementation. Measures will be developed in packages for the following age groups: 3 – 5.5 y/o, 5.5 – 15 y/o, 15-18 y/o,
· A calculation of financial effects of the proposed packages for different age groups (3 – 5.5 y/o, 5.5 – 15 y/o, 15-18 y/o) , taking into account the existing allocations for policies aimed at supporting students from vulnerable populations and a need for a better utilization thereof,
· A proposal on the institutionalization of the proposed measures/policies and mechanisms and institutional arrangements, from the point of view of: legal background, types of provisions of support, financing mechanisms, communication with stakeholders and beneficiaries, as well as other relevant information.
· A proposal of roadmap for implementation of proposed measures.
· A program summary (3 to 4 pages maximum) intended for decision-makers.
5. Specific Scope of Activities
Due to its complex nature the objectives of the assignment will be reached through a phased approach and by team of consultants, led by the Lead Expert.
This ToR is the basis for the recruitment of the Expert for comparative analysis of EU/international good practice. He/she will be required to:
· Undertake review of EU/international practice and pro-poor education mechanisms through a desk research
· Produce an overview of examples and impact of effective support measures/policies for vulnerable groups in education (the poor, Roma) in EU and beyond
6. Consultant Requirements
Qualifications:
· University degree in social sciences
· Understanding and knowledge of EU/international pro-poor education policies and measures
· Previous experience in development of analytical reports and policy documents
· Excellent writing skills in English
· Previous experience in Serbia and familiarity with the context would be an advantage
· Computer literacy;
Specific tasks and deliverables:
· Select 4-5 EU/international good practice countries (from Scandinavia, South Europe, Central Europe, new EU countries)
· Create the overview design/structure of the report (in cooperation with lead consultant)
· Write the comparative analysis / report
· Give written feedback to the Serbian situation analysis from the perspective of EU/international good practice
· Recommend packages of pro-poor education support deriving from EU/international good practice most fitting to the Serbian education, social, and economic context
The analysis should particularly focus on best practice countries and examples, highlight both social assistance and education measures, and describe procedural aspects as well.
7. Definition of supervision arrangements
As this assignment is a part of the joint initiative with SIPRU, a joint management team consisting of SIPRU and UNICEF representatives will be established to oversee and manage different phases.
The Contractor will be directly supervised by the UNICEF Social Policy Specialist in close consultation with Education Specialist for the elements of work supported by UNICEF. The UNICEF specialists will be responsible for daily communication with the contractor and oversight over the progress of the assignment.
8. Estimated duration of the assignment
Assignment will last 10 days, in the period from December 2012 to February 2013.
9. Payment schedule
- 50% upon delivering overview design/structure of the report
- 50% upon delivering final report
10. UNICEF resource in the case of unsatisfactory performance
The Consultant’s fee may be reduced if the assignments / deliverables are not fulfilled to the required standard. In case of serious dissatisfaction with the consultant’s performance the contract may be terminated in line with UNICEF procedure in such matters and as spelled out in Agreement.
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