National Consultant to support the development of an Initial Teacher Competency Framework

  • Location:
  • Salary:
    negotiable / YEAR
  • Job type:
    CONTRACTOR
  • Posted:
    2 months ago
  • Category:
    Education
  • Deadline:
    01/09/2024

JOB DESCRIPTION

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, Support

Find out how UNICEF programmes drives change for children in Timor-Leste by visiting https://www.unicef.org/timorleste.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of Chief Education, work closely with an international consultant to support the development of an Initial Teacher Competency Framework in Timor-Leste.

WORK ASSIGNMENT:

Phase 1: 

1. In consultation with the Grant Agent, MoE and coordinating consultant, develop an inception report setting out the agreed methodology for the work.

2. Assist international expert in reviewing and summarizing existing components of teacher legislation and policy in Timor-Leste related to teacher competency (e.g. Pre-School professional standards; Teachers Law domains for professional competence; ALMA classroom observation tool) building on the situational analysis that has been initiated by the national technical working group (TWG) for the development and operationalization of national teacher competencies and teaching standards framework supported by UNESCO.

3.  Support the review and summarizing best practices and successful models from similar contexts both in-country and internationally, such as the South-East Asia Teachers Competency Framework (SEA-TCF).

4.  Using the inputs from 1 and 2, together with an outline of the Basic Education curriculum standards, assist international expert in the drafting of a preliminary skeleton teaching competency framework to be used in basic education tailored to the national context of Timor-Leste.

5.  Liaise with the TWG throughout the development process of the preliminary skeleton teaching competency framework and other outputs for this ToR to encourage ownership of relevant stakeholders and relevance of the framework to the Timor-Leste context.

6.  Meetings, presentations, and workshops with key ministry officials, including key individuals from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, and INFORDEPE, and small groups of educators to develop the key building blocks of an overall framework Career Stages, in conjunction with/following item 3 (in-country)

7.  Facilitate and support the conduct of refinement workshops and a deeper meaning of aspects of the framework involving educators, educational institutions, and key education stakeholders to gather feedback and refine the framework (in-country)

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8. Assist International Expert in the preparation of a first major draft of the teacher competency framework with career stages, competency domains, and indicators based on the teacher legislation and policy, best practices and models, and consultations and workshops with key ministries, groups, and individuals for validation in Phase 2 (in-country)

Phase 2: 

9.  Support the development of the methodology for Phase 2 for Piloting of framework, including the selection of a small sample (number to be agreed in consultation with Grant Agent and MoE) of schools and educators for an initial review by in-school personnel of the draft framework. The schools selected must have a variety of characteristics to reflect the different contexts of schools in Timor-Leste. Conduct surveys, focus groups, and interviews with parents and students of these schools to understand their perspectives on effective teachers.

10.  Create a feedback mechanism for teachers and educational institutions to report challenges, share ideas and suggestions, and suggest improvements/amendments and understandings related to the framework.

11.  Analyze feedback and make necessary adjustments to enhance the framework’s ability to encompass current and future practices in Timor-Leste.

12.  Final validation workshop with relevant MoE officials and stakeholders for review and evaluation of the framework, in terms of its feasibility, contextualization, and quality.

13.  Finalization of a robust, psychometrically sound and contextually relevant final set of national professional competencies built in collaboration with and the cooperation of ministry officials and relevant education stakeholders. (Remote and in-country)

14.  Provide technical advice to the ministry to embed the professional competency teacher framework in professional development programs that help teachers attain the described competencies, as well as to integrate the framework into teacher performance evaluation systems with clear guidelines for assessment based on the competency descriptions (Remote and in-country)

Deliverables: 

1.  Short inception report setting out the agreed methodology for the work

2.  Short, succinct summary document detailing 1 and 2 developed

3.  Short report summarizing best practices and successful models resulting from task 3

4.   Preliminary skeleton teaching competency framework developed

5.  A set of draft descriptions for career stages, competency domains and indicators, providing clear descriptions that outline the expected behaviors, skills, and knowledge at different levels.

6.  Skeleton teaching competency framework with descriptions for career stages, competency domains and indicators revised according to inputs from the meetings, presentations and workshops with key ministry officials, individuals and educators.

7.  Workshop report

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8.  Initial teaching competency framework to be used in basic education tailored to the national context of Timor-Leste agreed through consultation in-country

9.1. Agreed methodology for Phase 2, including tools used to collect data

9.2. Sample number of school decided

10.1. Feedback mechanism established. (Same for deliverable No. 11)

10.2 Data collection report (Same for deliverable No. 11)

12.   Workshop report

13.   Final set of professional competencies presented

14. 1. Final report with recommendations for the sustainable institutionalization and implementation of the teacher competency framework in Timor-Leste

14.2. Minutes of meetings providing technical advice to the ministry for processes to be established for the Professional Competency Teacher Framework to be embedded in national education policies of MoE.

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

  • A master’s or higher level degree in education, planning and policy development, M&E, or other relevant discipline is essential.
  • Extensive proven experience in facilitating consultations, surveys and focus groups in Timor-Leste.
  • Demonstrated ability to liaise and work with Government and UN officials
  • Strong monitoring and evaluation capacity an advantage.
  • Knowledge of quality education standards an asset.
  • Ability to work as a team and produce high quality work in a timely manner.
  • Proficient in spoken and written English. Excellent command of Tetum. Knowledge of Portuguese an advantage.

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.

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.

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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.

Remarks: 

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

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 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.

This job has expired.