The Puntland State of Somalia has made significant strides in political, social, and economic development since its leaders declared the territory an autonomous region in 1998. The region has managed to maintain relative peace and security in recent years, which has enabled it to establish political and administrative institutions, basic social services, an active civil society, and a growing private sector. Progress has been made in the education sector especially in expanding public education opportunities with significant donor support.
Despite notable improvements in recent years, educational provision, participation, and completion in Puntland are among the lowest in the world. In terms of access, the Gross Enrolment Rates for primary and secondary are extremely low at 32.1% (boys, 35.26%; girls, 28.8%) and 12.2% (boys,16.1%; girls, 9.1%) respectively, an indicator that many children, especially marginalized children from pastoralist communities and girls, are unable to enroll in school. Gender inequalities persist, with the Gender Parity Index standing at 0.82 for primary school and 0.56 for secondary education. The youth employment rate is 67%, meaning many youths are still unemployed due to limited job opportunities and reduced access to skills training aligned to labor market needs. The major challenges experienced in the education sector in Puntland are related to the weak institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE); lack of sufficient funding to the sector; limited-service provision; inequalities resulting from gender and social norms and historic marginalization processes; and poor quality of education.
The previous Puntland Education Sector Analysis 2012 -2016 expired on 31 December 2020 whilst the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2017-2021 expired on 31 December 2021. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the Education Sector Plan Development Grant (ESPDG) supported the Puntland Government to take steps toward building a stronger, more equitable education system through the development of a new Education Sector Strategic Plan, informed by a comprehensive Education Sector Analysis and annual progress reviews. Through the ESPDG, the MoEHE has developed a new Education Sector Analysis (ESA) 2021 and a new five-year Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP 2022-2026). The ESSP 2022-2026 is scheduled to be validated on or before 31st August 2022.
As part of its development process, the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026 must be independently appraised prior to its finalization and endorsement. The purpose of the consultancy is to work with and provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), by carrying out an independent appraisal and critical analysis of the draft Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026. This assignment will be informed by international guidelines for the appraisal of Education Sector Plans and their development; and by the findings of the 2021 Education Sector Analysis. The appraisal process should also take into consideration the specific contextual circumstances and needs of Somalia and the State of Puntland in particular.
The independent appraisal of an Education Sector Strategic Plan is a GPE requirement, ensuring its robustness and credibility. As such, an individual consultant is required to carry out the independent appraisal of the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026 based on the characteristics defined in the GPE/IIEP Guidelines for Education Sector Plan Appraisal, which are designed to assess both the process of developing the Education Sector Plan and its contents in respect to the five criteria: 1) leadership and participation; 2) soundness and relevance, 3) equity, efficiency, and learning; 4) coherence; and 5) feasibility, implementability, and monitorability. The key stakeholders of the assignment are the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), the GPE Secretariat, and national and international educational development partners. The findings of the appraisal exercise will be used by the MoEHE to revise the Education Sector Strategic Plan as applicable.
The specific objectives under this assignment include:
The independent appraisal of the education sector strategic plan should cover (in a coherent manner) the general questions and sub-questions outlined under the five key criteria of the GPE/IIEP Guidelines for Education Sector Plan Appraisal presented below. These guidelines are meant to be adapted to the national context and needs by the hired consultant in consultation with CARE. The stakeholders should discuss the methodology to be used for the appraisal and develop a common vision of the whole process. The appraisal process should be participatory and grounded in the policy and technical dialogue for Education Sector Strategic Plan development. It should involve consultations and interviews with key stakeholders who participated in Education Sector Strategic Plan preparation, in addition to a desk review of the Education Sector Strategic Plan, Education Sector Analysis, and any other relevant documents. A validation workshop of the appraisal report’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations should be organized to feed into the Education Sector Strategic Plan finalization. The individual consultant is expected to perform this assignment remotely (home-based).
An overview of the appraisal criteria is as follows:
No
Key Task
Deliverable
Days
1. Initial meetings with CARE/ MoEHE
Undertake a desk review of key documents
5 days
2. Based on the GPE/IIEP Guidelines for Education Sector Plan Appraisal, prepare the appraisal methodology outline, the criteria matrix, and tools
3 days.
3. Organize online meetings and consultations with key partners
3 days
4. Preparation of the draft appraisal report
5 days
5. Preparation of the final appraisal report based on received comments from MoEHE and partners
4 days
Total No. of Days: 20
The Consultant(s) selected who have not undertaken the GPE/IIEP training on the Fundamentals of Independent Appraisal of Education Sector Plans will need to complete the training successfully prior to undertaking the appraisal. Link: http://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/gpeiiep-training-fundamentals-independent-appraisal-education-sector-plans-13281. The training takes approximately 15 hours to complete.
The deadline for the submission of applications is July 28th, 2022. Applications should include a cover letter, technical proposal, financial proposal, updated CV for the key concerned individuals or profile of applying firm, referees with contact addresses, a copy of the ESSP appraisal report, and other analytical documents relevant to the TOR. All interested consultants/firms are requested to submit the application by email to: SOM.Consultant@care.org indicating the subject line “TOR for Independent Appraisal of the ESSP 2022-2026″