Re-advertisement TERMS OF REFERENCE

DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL NFE FRAMEWORK AND STANDARDIZATION OF NFE MONITORING PROTOCOLS

ADOLESCENT GIRLS’ EDUCATION IN SOMALIA PROJECT

Title

Development of a National NFE Curriculum Framework and Standardized NFE Monitoring Protocols

Purpose

The purpose of the consultancy is to:

1. Support the development of a national NFE curriculum framework and standardized NFE monitoring protocols and repository of resources for the MOECHE.
2. Conduct National and State-wide consultations and validation workshops

Locations

Somalia

Duration

60 days

Start Date

TBC

Reporting to

Director of NFE at MOECHE and NFE Technical Advisor

1. Identification and Description of Services

An individual consultant to work with the MOECHE, State MOEs and the AGES Project to develop and validate the national NFE curriculum framework, standardized NFE monitoring protocols, and repository of resources.

1. Background and Context

Adolescents and youth between the ages of 15 and 29 comprise 23 percent of household members in Somalia, with a higher proportion of young women among them. Despite substantial progress made during the past decade, access to education remains limited in Somalia, presenting a major barrier for adolescents’ and youth participation in the country’s economy. Adolescent Girls in Somalia (AGES) Baseline Evaluation 2022 showed that the national gross primary enrolment rate is only 27 percent (29 percent for boys, 25 percent for girls). Most of today’s Somali youth have never attended school or have had limited access to education, with boys more likely to be attending school at all levels. While 75 percent of adolescent girls and women ages 15-49 have never attended school, this proportion is likely much higher among marginalized ethnic groups, minority clans, displaced pastoralists, and girls with disabilities. Key challenges faced by older learners is the stigma of attending school while being older, attending classes with younger girls, and not having sufficient school supplies. Recent baseline and midline findings from the FCDO- and USAID-funded AGES Project showed that age was negatively correlatedwith learning outcomes: the older a girl is, the more likely she is to enroll late resulting in poor learning outcomes and increased risk of dropout over time. Additionally, the baseline and midline study noted particular difficulties faced by girls with physical disabilities, including lower enrolment rates. Barriers to enrolment of girls with disabilities (GWDs) in Somalia are the physical challenges of attending school without assistive devices or schools not being outfitted with the necessary equipment to support easy access to and mobility within learning spaces. The surveys also highlighted that the transition to tertiary and TVET institutions, the provision of sanitary pads, separate toilets for girls and boys, and an adequate supply of textbooks are key needs among older learners.

In Somalia, the proportion of women without formal education is also likely much higher in rural areas, reflecting limited service provision and barriers affecting pastoralist communities. Specific challenges that impact pastoralist communities include consecutive droughts, negative cultural beliefs/myths about education specifically girls, frequent migrations in search of greener pastures and water resources, and environmental degradation caused by climate change and charcoal production. Among all of the marginalized sub-groups of adolescents and youth in Somalia without access to education, those from pastoralist communities face barriers that hinder access to education opportunities, warranting the need for alternative education pathways to be made more available to them, Non Formal Education pathway being one of them. Recent baseline and midline surveys conducted in Somalia by the AGES Project indicated the two primary dialects of the Somali language are Af-Mahatiri which is generally the language associated with pastoralist clans, and Af-Maay, which is associated with sedentary agricultural groups. The former is the codified version of Somali and the language in which instructional materials and textbooks, as part of the newly established federal curriculum, are written. The baseline/midline also showed that when comparing pastoralist clans with agro-pastoralist clans (Rahanweyn), Somali Bantu, and ethnic minorities, girls from pastoralist clans had a small increase in numeracy scores and a sizable increase in literacy scores. Access to education for girls from pastoralist families is disrupted due to seasonal or more permanent migration, responsibilities to attend to animals, and distance to more centrally located schools from the settlements located near pastures in the towns’ peripheries.

Older adolescents and youth who have never attended school are less likely to enroll in formal classes or to attend longer accelerated education courses requiring two to four years for completion. This is particularly true in the case of young women who are either married or divorced and have children, or among those engaged in small businesses. Adolescent Girls in Somalia (AGES) Baseline Evaluation 2022 showed that among young women ages 15-19 in Somalia, 8 percent have ever been married. This proportion is likely much higher among extremely marginalized groups: the AGES baseline study found that 18 percent of the girls ages 17-19 had ever been married (9 percent currently married), compared to 1 percent of those ages 13-16. Among those between ages 17-19, 14 percent had at least one child. Nonetheless, the demand for literacy, numeracy, and financial literacy skills remains high: Non-Formal Education (NFE) classes provided by the AGES project for adolescents ages 17-19 were consistently oversubscribed by young women who lacked access to other education opportunities but recognized the need for basic numeracy and literacy skills to operate small businesses and to use mobile phones, enabling them to be able to support themselves and their families. While the provision of NFE courses (other than accelerated basic education) is only partially tracked by the EMIS, an overview of development partners’ initiatives in the area shows that the NFE options remain extremely limited in relation to the overwhelming numbers of adolescents and youth who have never attended school. Among those, few initiatives cater to the specific needs of adolescent girls and young women, particularly those from excluded groups, or acknowledge the need for them to develop life skills and the capacity for girl-led action, in addition to basic relevant literacy and numeracy skills that will equip them for active participation in community and economic life.

1. NFE Context in SC Somalia

Since 2007, access to non-formal education has been taking place in Somalia in temporary classes, in community centers (IDP camps and villages), and in formal schools using informal curriculum. More recently, the AGES Project’s NFE draft curriculum has been widely used in Banadir Regional Administration as well as in Hirshabelle, South West and Jubaland states to improve education access. NFE sessions in the communities are led by Ministries of Education, NGOs, and CECs with community support but with few teaching and learning materials available that are tailored to the specific needs of out-of-school and other at-risk learners. NFE teachers are supported by NGOs, CECs, and the communities with monthly incentives. The age bracket of NFE learners in the communities generally ranges from 16 to 25 years. Perceptions of children’s ability to access NFE varies across among different subgroups, with IDPs and host communities’ older children at times perceived as the groups most able to access NFE with support from NGOs. People living with different disabilities in the communities are perceived as least able to access NFE mainly due to a lack of disability-friendly facilities and limited resources. The most commonly taught subjects in NFE courses are Somali literacy, numeracy, life skills, reproductive health, financial literacy, English, Arabic, and social studies with different curricula and books used. Lack of a centralized NFE policy/curriculum, inadequate resources, poverty, lack of awareness/sensitization within communities, and unsafe learning spaces are cited as key barriers to accessing non-formal education by learners. Moreover, most NFE learning spaces within communities do not have adequate toilets, water resources, and sanitation facilities and the few that have do not have sex-segregated toilets. The development process of the NFE national curriculum framework is expected to review and adapt existing MOECHE Formal Education monitoring protocols. According to ESSP 2022-2026, MOECHE focuses on strengthening primary school examination and assessment with the following key interventions/activities.

• Revising national examination standardized grading system for grade 8
• Establishing a national examination bank
• Training examination staff on management and administration of exams
• Providing appropriate facilities and equipment to exam departments
• Conducting examination for primary school candidates
• Conducting MLA (Modern Language Assessment) through EGMA and EGRA assessment in grades 1-3

1. Overall Objectives of the TOR

One of the key strategies of the Somalia Federal Government is to establish and expand adult literacy and non-formal education options and to provide quality learning opportunities to the large number of youth and adults who missed out on formal education during the civil war. In line with this objective, the MOECHE will develop a national NFE curriculum framework that offers opportunities for establishing and enlarging adult literacy and other learning options via the non-formal education pathway for out-of-school adolescents in Somalia. The Ministry of Education Culture and Higher Education’s interventions include providing flexible learning opportunities through Non-Formal Education (NFE) programs for older children between 15-25 years who have dropped out in the early grades (grade 1 or 2) or who have never attended school. The Ministry seeks a qualified individual consultant to support the development of a national NFE curriculum framework, standardized NFE monitoring protocols, and a repository of resources.

1. Target Group

The national NFE curriculum framework will target adolescents between 15 to 25 years of age who missed out on formal education during the civil war as part of the provision of quality learning opportunities for the large number of youths, older adolescents, and young adults who have had limited or no education options. The national NFE curriculum framework will guide the development and assessment of the effectiveness of alternative learning opportunities for older adolescents, youth, and young adults who have dropped out in the early grades or only had access to short-term courses, without sufficient time and support to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills. This age group has been selected due to the lack of opportunities for formal education and training for older adolescents and youth in Somalia during the civil war. The MOECHE prioritizes adolescent boys/girls and young men/women including those from occupational minorities; individuals with disabilities; minority language speakers; and displaced pastoralists from the subgroups of the population most likely to be out of school or that have no/limited access to educational opportunities.

1. Scope of Work

The consultant will be expected to undertake the following assignments:

• To develop a national NFE curriculum framework and standardized NFE monitoring protocols to contextualize the content for the non-formal education curriculum to address gaps in content and skills coverage, using age-appropriate and easy-to-understand Somali language, and to align with priorities for non-formal education laid out in relevant education policies and strategic plans. Specific tasks to be completed under this assignment include:
• Review and harmonize existing non-formal education curricula
• Review the ministry’s goal and objective about the implementation, arrangement, monitoring, and evaluation around NFE using relevant documents such as the ESSP.
• Develop an NFE accreditation and certification framework
• Create a publicly accessible repository for approved and validated NFE teaching and learning materials for future use
• Assess the training needs of NFE facilitators to implement and monitor NFE curricula/instructional delivery approaches effectively
• Review and adapt existing MOECHE Formal Education monitoring protocols
• Analyze M&E data/evaluation reports from NFE implementing partners around the effectiveness of NFE curricula and instructional delivery to identify areas for monitoring and adaptation in the national NFE program.
• Using the existing NFE monitoring tools, review and develop a uniform and standardized NFE monitoring tools for piloting and adaptation.
• Set up a plan to develop learning outcomes to enhance literacy skills (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) across all NFE subjects.
• Align the NFE curriculum framework with the National Education Plan (2011), National Curriculum Framework (2017), Education Sector Strategic Plan (2022-2026), National Education Policy (2020) to ensure students can successfully transition to tertiary/TVET institutions and obtain recognized education qualifications.
• Identify instructional strategies relevant for adult learners
• Link instructional strategies appropriate for adult learners with adult learning principles
• Develop assessment techniques to measure the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, and progress toward learning outcomes outlined in the national NFE curriculum framework.

1. Task and responsibilities

The Scope of Work focuses on the development of a national NFE curriculum framework, standardized NFE monitoring protocols, and a repository of resources for the MOECHE; the bringing together of key stakeholders such as State MOEs and development partners working on NFE initiatives through a series of state-wide consultation meetings, national and state level workshops; and a final validation workshop at the national level to shape the regulatory framework for NFE in Somalia. The process for the development of a national NFE curriculum framework, a separate standardized NFE monitoring protocols using the existing formal education monitoring protocols for review/adaptation, and resources repository is a joint effort among relevant staff within the MOECHE, State MOEs, CARE Somalia (AGES Project) and the consultant. The roles and responsibilities of each of the above entities include:

1. Ministry of Education Culture and Higher Education and State MOEs

The Federal Government of Somalia’s MOECHE and State MOEs will be responsible for:

• Provision of key NFE documents and tools such as the national curriculum framework for primary education and the national ABE curriculum framework for review by the consultant.
• In coordination with CARE Somalia, participation in the selection of the consultant.
• Provision of relevant information and data on NFE policy, curricula, and guidelines.
• Sharing of the existing MoE formal education monitoring protocol with the consultant to reflect the monitoring needs of the NFE program.
• Support in contacting and arranging workshops and meetings.
• Review and approval of the final draft of the national NFE curriculum framework and standardized monitoring protocols.

1. CARE Somalia (AGES Project)

CARE Somalia (AGES Project) will be responsible for:

• Provision of key NFE documents, relevant monitoring, and evaluation results from NFE projects (current and past), and relevant tools for desk review.
• Joint recruitment of the consultant together with the MOECHE.
• Support in facilitating and arranging consultation meetings and workshops.
• In coordination with the MOECHE, final sign off on key deliverables.

1. The Consultant

The consultant will be required to undertake the following tasks:

• Review and harmonize existing NFE documents and tools such as the NFE policy and NFE curricula.
• Liaise and conduct consultations (by phone, text/teleconferencing tools, email, meetings, and workshops) with the MOECHE and State MOEs (NFE, Curriculum and Quality Assurance Directorates), CARE Somalia (AGES Project) and other key development partners working on NFE initiatives to gather relevant information to address gaps identified in the existing NFE curricula and other key NFE documents/tools.
• In coordination with relevant departments of the MOECHE and State MOEs, identify appropriate NFE age entry level, NFE subjects, course outline, and instructional hours per subject.
• Adapt the existing MoE formal education monitoring protocol to reflect the monitoring needs of the NFE program.
• Develop guidelines/tools to address the gaps, especially for systems strengthening to capture key NFE data from NFE schools/learning centers to feed into the MOECHE’s central NFE EMIS.
• Draft the national NFE curriculum framework and standardized NFE monitoring protocols for review by relevant MOECHE departments (NFE, Curriculum and Quality Assurance) in collaboration with CARE SOM and CARE USA.
• Organize and facilitate validation national level workshop for the national NFE curriculum framework and NFE monitoring protocol with key NFE program stakeholders in Mogadishu.
• Prepare final versions (in both English and Somali) of the national NFE curriculum framework and standardized NFE monitoring protocol including editing, agreed upon inputs, fact checking, and proofreading based on the national level validation workshop discussions.
• Share final and clean draft with the MOECHE and CARE Somalia.

1. Expected deliverables and timelines

#

Deliverables (specify final outputs)

Duration (est. # of days)

1

Review and harmonize existing NFE documents and tools such as the NFE policy and NFE curriculum

8 days

2

Review and adapt existing MOECHE Formal Education monitoring protocols

Review M&E data/reports from NFE implementing partners around the effectiveness of NFE curricula and instructional delivery to reflect the monitoring needs for the national NFE program

5 days

3

Draft the national NFE curriculum framework

5 days

4

Draft standardized NFE monitoring protocols and repository of resources

5 days

5

Organize and facilitate 4 State level consultation meetings in Baidoa (South West), Dhusamareb (Galmudug), Jowhar (Hirshabelle), and Kismayu (Jubaland)

18 days (8 days of organizing and facilitating meetings with 2 days in each state including 10 travel days)

6

Consolidate findings and recommendations from consultation meetings in a consultation report

2 days

7

Update the draft national NFE curriculum framework in consultation with the MOECHE and CARE Somalia (AGES Expansion Project)

5 days

8

Conduct a national validation workshop centrally in Banadir with full participation of relevant departments of MOECHE and State MOEs highlighting main challenges and successes.

2 days

9

Provide a final validation workshop outcome report with the recommendations integrated into the final national NFE curriculum framework

2 days

10

Finalize and submit the NFE national curriculum framework and NFE monitoring protocols and resources repository

8 days

Total

60 days

1. Reporting

The consultant will directly report to the Director of NFE and the Technical Advisor in the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. The consultant is required to ensure deliverables are shared as drafts prior to the final submission.

1. Required skills and qualifications

• Master’s degree in education or other related field, preferably with some specialized trainings in development studies, planning, sociology, or psychology
• 5+ years of experience in development of training modules, curricula, and teaching/learning materials
• Robust understanding and application of policy frameworks/concepts, methodologies, and tools
• Strong knowledge in education aid programming and in relevant fields (curriculum, frameworks, and policy analysis)
• High level proficiency in standard computer software, in particular MS Word and Excel
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Somali and English language
• Excellent analytical and conceptual skills to think and plan strategically
• Familiarity with working with government, donors, and international organizations programming
• Robust understanding of Non-Formal Education approaches targeting older adolescents and youth
• Ability to manage a demanding workload and strict adherence to timelines provided.
• Evidence of similar assignment in the form of contracts/Pos
• CVs of key subject experts
• Company profile
• Valid registration from Ministry of Commerce or any other government institution
• Proof of tax clearance

1. How to apply

Interested candidates should send the following documents to the email address to the email address som.consultant@care.org not late 07/08-2022

• Detailed technical and financial proposal
• Proposed methodology and workplan responding to the ToR
• Evidence of similar assignment in the form of contracts/Pos
• CVs of key subject experts
• Company profile
• Valid registration from Ministry of Commerce or any other government institution
• Proof of tax clearance

How to apply

1. How to apply

Interested candidates should send the following documents to the email address to the email address som.consultant@care.org not late 07/08-2022

• Detailed technical and financial proposal
• Proposed methodology and workplan responding to the ToR
• Evidence of similar assignment in the form of contracts/Pos
• CVs of key subject experts
• Company profile
• Valid registration from Ministry of Commerce or any other government institution
• Proof of tax clearance