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.

Inclusive education is core to the national and regional education goals of UNICEF’s 14 partner countries in the Pacific. All children have a right to access to quality education opportunities within a safe and protective learning environment. However, for children with disabilities access is often inequitable due to compounded barriers such as stigma and discrimination, inaccessible services, and invisibility in data.

In line with SDG4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education” and the initiative ‘Leave No One Behind’ “and to tackle the challenge of exclusion in the education sector in across the Pacific Island countries (PICs), stakeholders have come together to develop the Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Framework (PRIEF). PRIEF was developed at the request of Ministers of Education and in recognition of the need to address the educational needs of learners at most risk of exclusion. One group of learners frequently excluded are those with a disability or special  needs. The PRIEF focuses on five key priorities: (i) Enabling policies & legislation for inclusive education; (ii) Raising awareness about inclusive education in schools and the wider community; (iii) Providing appropriate training and professional learning to enable leaders and teachers to implement effective inclusive practices; (iv) Strengthening partnerships between schools, parents, and community members; and (v) Developing best practice pedagogy and curriculum for inclusive practices and accessibility. The Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) 2018-2030 was agreed to be the core framework guiding Pacific regional action in education, and the Pacific Heads of Education System (PHES) confirmed that the implementation of PRIEF should be done through PacREF. The 2023 Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (renamed from the previous FEdMM) Statement of Commitment made Inclusiveness a key priority for the region mandating their officials to ensure that education is available to all learners irrespective of their challenges.

Vanuatu is on a journey towards delivering equitable and inclusive education. With a population of approximately 300,000 living across 80 islands, the country’s geography, linguistic diversity, and vulnerability to natural disasters present obstacles to ensuring all children have access to quality education. The Government of Vanuatu, supported by UNICEF, is dedicated to overcoming these challenges by promoting inclusive education that caters to the needs of all children, including those with disabilities and other marginalized groups.

According to the latest WHO data, globally, around 10-15% of children experience some form of disability. In Vanuatu, many children with disabilities are out of school, with significant gaps in access to quality learning environments, trained teachers, and adaptive learning materials. Moreover, around 36.5% of the population lives below the national poverty line, further exacerbating inequalities in access to education, particularly for rural and remote communities. Despite substantial progress in the education sector, large numbers of children remain outside of education systems, with children with disabilities disproportionately represented It is estimated that less than 10% of children with disabilities in the Pacific region have access to any form of education.

Vanuatu’s MoET has already made significant strides in promoting inclusive education, including the design and construction of the first-ever Inclusive Education Resource Centre (IERC) scheduled to be open mid-November 2014. This initiative aligns with the development of the Bachelor in Inclusive Education program at the School of Education, which is expected to be delivered in 2024. Additionally, MoET has developed several key tools to support inclusive education, including the Vanuatu Students Behaviour Support Plan, Literacy Skills and Access Barriers guide, Parents Facts Sheet on Disability, Medical Conditions, and Giftedness, Quick Reference Disability Identification Tool, Quick Reference Disability Inclusive Teaching Guide, and the Individual Education Plan.

UNICEF, seeks to engage an inclusive education consultant who will provide technical expertise in planning, management, training, coordination and monitoring, including providing strategic guidance and support to the MOET in collaboration with the UNICEF Pacific Education team. The consultancy aims to support MoET in advancing inclusive education in Vanuatu by providing strategic guidance, improving coordination of education activities, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and monitoring progress to meet goals. Additionally, the consultant will be involved in providing technical expertise on inclusive education to regional activities and to those in other countries in the region. The consultant will work collaboratively with the UNICEF Education team and with counterparts, partners and experts.

How can you make a difference?

The objective of this consultancy is to enhance inclusive education in Vanuatu by providing technical guidance and support to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), with a second objective being to strengthen Pacific leadership and technical support on inclusive education through regional- and national-level activities.

Vanuatu

The consultant is expected to provide technical advice to MoET and UNICEF Vanuatu in inclusive education, 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 for other countries in the region, and integration of inclusion in the same.

The expected work covers setting up a coordinated mechanism for managing inclusive education activities across partners. The required deliverables and indicative activities as presented below:

• Strategic guidance: Provide strategic guidance to MoET in implementing inclusive education initiatives.
• Policy Integration and Cross-Sectoral Alignment: This involves conducting technical reviews and providing inputs to education policies, plans, and programs that are not primarily focused on inclusive education. The goal is to ensure these documents integrate appropriate attention and strategies for inclusion, aligning them with inclusive education principles and objectives.
• Teaching and Learning / Inclusive Education: This work involves providing technical support to Ministries of Education in developing, implementing, and reviewing inclusive education teacher training, teaching materials, and parent/community engagement strategies. It includes collecting feedback and incorporating revisions to ensure effectiveness and alignment with inclusive education goals, materials, and approaches. Additionally, provide technical support to the MoET IE team to work on IE teacher Placement Guide which will be used to integrate the IE teachers on the TSC payroll.
• Capacity development: Supporting the management of Inclusive Education Coordinators to optimize their impact. Develop further the competencies of the inclusive Education Coordinators, principals and teachers who already received training on: Screening students, writing, reviewing Individual Education Plans (IEPs), referring students for specialist services and assistive devices, communicating with parents, adapting classrooms for children with disabilities, adapting teaching methods for children with disabilities, collecting data via KOBO. To ensure the effective implementation of inclusive activities in schools, the consultant will focus on sustainable capacity training and the development of supporting materials. Adapting teaching methods for children with disabilities.
• Collaboration: Establishment of strong stakeholder partnerships to foster a more inclusive educational environment. Network and collaborate with other IE stakeholders who support the MoET in the area of inclusive education, to provide best practices in schools.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Create a comprehensive system to track and assess the progress of initiatives, ensuring alignment with set goals and objectives. This needs to be integrated into existing monitoring and evaluation systems and tools within the MoET.

Pacific Regional Activities

Beyond Vanuatu, the consultant is expected to provide technical support on inclusive education in the Pacific, including a Pacific regional analysis on inclusive education, the Pacific regional inclusive education taskforce meetings, and other similar activities.

Overall Approach

Because of the evolving nature of the Education Programme in its responsiveness to changes in national and regional contexts and priorities, technical support on inclusive education must be provided on an ongoing and as-needed basis. An initial workplan will be established in agreement between UNICEF and the consultant, outlining expected process, milestones and timeframe. This will be reviewed and updated on at least a quarterly basis.

The consultant will work with other experts and TAs, including those contracted by UNICEF and other partners, and is expected to coordinate support effectively to ensure seamless support to MoET and other Ministries of Education to ensure efficiency, relevance and maximum impact.

Please refer to the  TOR Education Consultancy Strengthening Inclusive Education in Vanuatu and the Pacific.pdf for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS:  

This consultancy is for individual consultants only. Candidates are requested to submit a brief technical proposal and CV.

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

• Monthly / Daily fees: based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above
• Travel: economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and 6 field missions travel
• Living allowance: where travel is required
• Miscellaneous: to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), travel insurance, communications, and other costs

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

Education:

• A Master’s degree in social sciences, inclusive education, psychology or other relevant field.

Experience & Skills:

• At least 7 years of demonstrated experience in inclusive education policies, training, tools and methodologies as well as planning and data analysis.
• Strong writing synthesis and analytical skills and report writing experience.
• Proven experience in developing HR/teacher development strategies and interventions in inclusive education.
• Proven ability to work with a team, including government and non-government bodies, and facilitate consultations with high stakeholder participation.
• Previous relevant work experience in Pacific contexts will be required.
• Experience in working with UNICEF, other UN agency or regional organization preferred.

Language:

• Excellent spoken and written English

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.

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 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.