Technical Consultant for Inclusive Education System Strengthening in the Pacific Island Countries, 18 Months

UNICEF Pacific is hiring a qualified and suitable consultant to provide technical advice to UNICEF and to Pacific Island countries in inclusive education, including in the development and review of policies, plans and programmes, capacity building and technical review.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s 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, education.

We operate in the Pacific, specifically in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. These 14 Pacific Island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth. They inhabit more than 660 islands and atolls that stretch across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. This area is comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, only a third are on track with reporting obligations. You can explore the different areas of our work at the link provided here: www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background of Assignment: 

The Pacific region is one of the largest and most diverse regions of the world covering an area equivalent to 15% of the globe’s surface. Many Pacific Island countries and territories share similar challenges and opportunities as small and remote island economies, with limited natural resources, narrowly-based economies, large distances from major markets, and vulnerability to external shocks; all of which can affect growth and have often led to a high degree of economic volatility. Pacific Island countries are also some of the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of climate change and natural disasters.

UNICEF Pacific Education Programme has committed to continue to support programming in inclusive education in Pacific Island countries, including any regional follow-on to the Pacific Regional IE Review, as well as country-specific work. UNICEF’s specific commitments under PacREF that relate to inclusive education are: Regional review of inclusive education policies and programmes and regional forum (PacRef LP 2.1.1); Development of Inclusive Education Policy, Strategies and implementation plans drawing on Pacific IE Review (PacRef LP 2.1.2). In addition, UNICEF is committed to integrating inclusion across our programme, including in other PacREF activities, working toward the aim that all regional efforts for education should hold inclusion at the core.

In this context, UNICEF needs to be able to provide high quality technical support on inclusive education that is well-grounded in Pacific contexts and systems, and fully integrated across the UNICEF programme, including in early childhood education, teaching & learning, policy & planning, and disaster risk reduction and emergency response.

How can you make a difference? 

The objective of this consultancy is to advance quality inclusive education programming in the Pacific.

The consultant is expected to provide technical advice to UNICEF and to Pacific Island countries in inclusive education, including in the development and review of policies, plans and programmes, including capacity building, focused specifically on inclusive education, as well as in the technical review from an inclusion perspective in other education policies, plans and programmes, and integration of inclusion in the same.

The consultant is expected to work with of the Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Taskforce for Pacific regional initiatives and to work closely with country focal points from each Ministry of Education in each country, and – in both cases – to make every effort to coordinate and align with the work of other partners in the sector, and particularly to guide on partnerships and engagement with Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs).

The expected work covers these broad technical areas, which guides the required deliverables and indicative activities as presented in the table below:

The expected work covers these broad technical areas, which guides the required deliverables and indicative activities as presented in the table below:

• Policy and planning / Inclusive education: This work includes the technical support to Ministries of Education in situational analysis of inclusive education systems; development, review and finalization of inclusive education policies and plans; and the preparation for any consultations, events and stakeholder engagement as required in these processes.
• Teaching and learning / Inclusive education: This work includes the technical support to Ministries of Education to the development, implementation and review of inclusive education teacher training, teaching & learning materials, and parent/community engagement materials and approaches.
• Cross-sectoral support to inclusion in parent engagement / ECD: This work includes technical support to Ministries of Education in collaboration with other relevant Ministries and departments to strengthen cross-sectoral support to families, parents and children.
• Technical review and inputs to other Education policies, plans and programmes: This work includes the technical review of other policies, plans and programmes that are not specifically focused on inclusive education, but that need to integrate adequate attention and strategies on inclusion. This may benefit from occasional participation in UNICEF Education team meetings.

The consultant will be supervised on a day-to-day basis by the nominated official in each national education department or ministry, with oversight by UNICEF field office teams, and technical guidance and supervision, including contract management, provided by the Education Specialist and the UNICEF Pacific Chief of Education.

The consultant is expected to travel to countries for in-person work: Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and others as expected by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education (estimated days of 50 days during 18 months of the contract, for the work described in the Scope of Work section), including in-person engagement in key meetings and consultations, and may work remotely the remainder of the time.

Please refer to the ToR (  TOR – Pacific IE System Strengthening 2024.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Qualifcation:  

• Minimum 10 years of proven experience and expertise in inclusive education, policy and practice is required.
• Substantial experience in research and analysis will be an asset.
• Demonstrated experience working with Ministries of Education and development partners.
• Knowledge of Pacific cultures and education systems, including Pacific regional institutions, partners, frameworks and partnerships.
• Pacific experience, knowledge and culture are added advantages.
• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to exclusion on the basis of gender, disability, poverty, etc.
• Proven ability to produce high quality, user-friendly analyses and presentations that are accessible and engaging to a wide variety of audiences.

Competencies:  

• High level interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with persons of various cultures and disciplines.
• Ability to identify risks and to develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Ability to determine and review priorities and meet deadlines.
• Management & leadership skills including coaching and mentoring.
• Diplomatic skills to liaise with counterparts and different stakeholders.
• Good analytical, negotiating, and advocacy skills.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:

This vacancy is for an individual consultant only. Candidates are requested to submit a brief technical proposal and CV, with any indication of sub-contracted expertise (which would remain the responsibility of the contracted consultant).

Candidates are asked to submit a separate financial offer along with your application. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above.
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel.
• Living allowance: where travel is required.
• Miscellaneous: to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs

Remarks:  

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process for a consultancy.