TERMS OF REFERENCE
for a CFS National Consultant
6 months: 1 July – 31 December 2013
1. Background
Child-friendly schools (CFS) are a means of transporting the concept of Child Rights into classroom practice and school management. The CFS framework has been evolving since it was first developed in 1997 in Thailand. It is now firmly established as a framework that is made up of the following five dimensions:
1. Proactively inclusive, seeking out and enabling participation of all children and especially those who are different ethnically, culturally, linguistically, socio-economically, and in terms of ability;
2. Academically effective and relevant to children’s needs for life and livelihood knowledge and skills;
3. Healthy and safe for, and protective of, children’s emotional, psychological, and physical well-being;
4. Gender-responsive in creating environment and capacities fostering equality; and
5. Actively engaged with, and enabling of, student, family, and community participation in all aspects of school policy, management and support to children.
A national policy on promoting Child Friendly Schools highlighting the above five main principles - equity (inclusion of drop-out children, children from poor and vulnerable families, and disabled children), good quality (child-centered curriculum and teaching methodology), protection of children (free from violence and abuse), gender sensitivity, and the participation of community, parents, and children themselves - was approved by the Education Minister back in 2004 following the joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and UNICEF which was commenced in 1999. Since then several national level interventions have been implemented including development of 9 CFS modules[1] that were used in national level cascade trainings, inclusion of child rights issues in various policy documents and dissemination of CFS principles and innovations through different media channels. However, our efforts in the past revealed that the practical application of CFS principles cannot be exercised by all schools without on-site trainings at individual schools and provision of practical methodological support by experts who have accumulated a wealth of experience in developing CFSs.
As UNICEF is shifting its programme from the national level to local levels, Khovsgol province and Nalaikh district of Ulaabaatar have been selected as the target areas for UNICEF’s Country Programme 2012-2016. The first series of CFS module trainings on school self-assessment, school improvement plan and school education management system, were organized in the first half of 2013 for 23 schools (60%) in the two target areas and CFS team has planned to provide technical support for the finalization and implementation of their school improvement plans. In addition to the schools in the two target areas, the schools in three Gobi provinces[2] and three western provinces[3] and four districts of Ulaanbaatar supported within UNJP on WATSAN and Swiss NatCom funds also need technical support.
2. Objectives / purpose of the contract
The objectives of this consultancy are:
(i) to lead the revision of the three CFS modules on school self-assessment, school improvement plan and school information management system, which were developed in 2007 and need revision in relation to changing education environments;
(ii) to prepare inputs and suggestions for the content development of the new CFS module on education in emergencies;
(iii) to prepare inputs and suggestions for the development of revised CFS assessment criteria; and
(iv) to provide on-site practical methodological support for schools in the target areas of Khovsgol province, Nalaikh district of Ulaanbaatar, three Gobi provinces, three western provinces and at least two districts of Ulaanbaatar.
3. Specific activities to be completed to achieve the objectives
1.1. Work assignments
· Review the existing CFS module 1 on school self-assessment and lead the technical experts group comprised of experts from the Ministry of Education, Mongolian State University of Education and schools in the development of the revised updated version
· Review the existing CFS module 2 on school improvement plan and lead the technical experts group in the development of the revised updated version
· Review the existing CFS module 3 on school information management system and lead the technical experts group in the development of the revised updated version
· Prepare inputs and suggestions for the content development of the new CFS module on education in emergencies
· Prepare inputs and suggestions for the development of revised CFS assessment criteria
· Conduct frequent field visits to the target areas to provide on-site practical methodological support for the finalization of the school improvement plan and its implementation in collaboration with the members of the technical experts’ group.
1.2. Specific outputs of the assignment
· Revised version of CFS module on school-self assessment to be completed by August 2013
· Revised version of CFS module on school improvement plan to be completed by September 2013
· Revised version of CFS module on school information management system to be completed by October 2013
· Inputs and suggestions for the content development of the new CFS module on education in emergencies by mid-December 2013
· Inputs and suggestions for the development of CFS assessment criteria by November 2013
· Provision of on-site methodological support to six schools in three Gobi-provinces within the UNJP on WATSAN in September - October 2013
· Provision of on-site methodological support to at least six schools in Khovsgol province and all five schools and NFE Center in Nalaikh district in September – December 2013
· Provision of on-site methodological support for at least two schools in Ulaanbaatar which were supported in the past within the Swiss NatCom funds and Gandantegchilen and Sain Nomun Buddhist monasteries in Ulaanbaatar and Nalaikh district where about 80 monk boys are attending NFE EP trainings between July – December 2013.
4. Qualifications/or specialized knowledge/experience required
· Master’s degree in education and/or social science
· At least five years of extensive practical experience in CFS development
· Excellent knowledge of the contents of the CFS policy, nine CFS modules and other documents and publications on promoting CFS in Mongolia and similar developments in other countries
· Excellent knowledge about reforms taking place at schools and in the overall education system of Mongolia
· Excellent writing skills in Mongolian
· Basic knowledge of English is an asset.
5. Realistic delivery dates and details as to how the work must be delivered
· Revised version of CFS module on school-self assessment - 1 August
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to Gandantegchilen and Sain Nomun Buddhist monasteries in Ulaanbaatar and Nalaikh district -1 August
· Revised version of CFS module on school improvement plan - 2 September
· Revised version of CFS module on school information management system - 1 October
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to 6 schools in 3 Gobi-provinces within the UNJP on WATSAN - 15 October [tentative dates of travel: 9 Sept – 4 Oct]
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to at least 2 schools in Ulaanbaatar - 1 November
· Inputs and suggestions for the development of CFS assessment criteria - 1 November 2013
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to at least 5 schools in Nalaikh district and other schools in Ulaanbaatar – 15 November [tentative dates of travel: 7-11 Oct]
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to at least 6 schools in 3 western provinces [tentative dates of travel: 4-22 Nov ] – 10 December
· A short report on on-site methodological support provided to at least 6 schools in Khovsgol province [tentative dates of travel: 25 Nov – 10 Dec] – 16 December
· Prepare inputs and suggestions for the development of revised CFS assessment criteria
· Inputs and suggestions for the content development of the new CFS module on education in emergencies by 27 December 2013.
6. Support to be provided by UNICEF
Support from UNICEF CFS team will be mainly in the following areas:
- Provision of all CFS related documents and materials
- Collaboration in during the field visits
- Coordination and organization of technical experts’ group meetings
- Coordination with the Education Departments of the target areas.
7. Definition of supervision arrangements
a. Direct supervisor
The Consultant will be directly supervised by Bolorchimeg Bor, Education Specialist, UNICEF.
b. Frequency of performance review
By-weekly and as required.
Formal performance output shall be conducted at the end of the 7 months contracting period.
c. Official travel involved
Yes. Frequent travels to project sites in September –December 2013.
a. Terms of payment/link of payments to deliverables:
- In the beginning of every month upon the submission of the required deliverables.
b. Budget code: SC109901 WBS: IR 410-05:Participatory school management
Approved date: 10 June 2013
[1] Module 1: School self-assessment tools; Module 2: Designing a school improvement plan; Module 3: CFS management information system; Module 4: Promoting positive psycho-social school environment; Module 5: Child-centered teaching methods; Module 6: Partnership development among school, parents, and community
Module 7: Livelihood knowledge and life skills; Module 8: Inclusive education; Module 9: Violence free school.
[2] Gobi-Altai province - Bayan-Uul and Togrog soums; Bayankhongor province - Bayangobi and Shinejinst soums; Umnugobi province – Bulgan and Tsogt-Ovoo soums.
[3] Bayan-Ulgii province - Deluun and Tolbo soums, School No.2 in Ulgii soum; Uvs province - Tes and Naranbulag soums, “Erdem-Orgil” complex school in Ulaangom soum; Khovd province – Chandmani and Dorgon soums, School 2 in Jargalant soum.