Terms of reference for the Fifth Joint Annual Review of the Education Sector (JRES) in Puntland 54 views1 applications

Terms of reference for the Fifth Joint Annual Review of the Education Sector (JRES) in Puntland

1. Background Introduction

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 enterprise community. Progress has been made in the education sector especially in expanding public education opportunities with the significant donor support.

Despite notable improvements in recent years, educational provision, participation and completion in Puntland are among the lowest in the world. The GER for primary and secondary education is estimated to be about 58.2% and 16.3 respectively[1]. The major challenges experienced in the education sector in Puntland are related to weak institutional and technical capacity of the Ministry of Education, low participation of children from marginalized groups such as those from pastoralist communities, concerns on quality of education and TVET provision which does not address the needs of the target groups.

The Ministry of Education with the help of development partners finalized an Education Sector Analysis (ESA) in 2016 culminating into the development of new ESSP 2017-2021 and an accompanying 3 year Action Plan for the period 2017-2019. The ESSP focuses on access to education, quality of education, equity in education and strengthening the capacity of the education sector.

The MOEHE continued engaging with the stakeholders during the implementation of the ESSP and this ensured that strides were being made in the direction that would make possible the achievement of set targets. This is also linked to the need for concerted efforts by all partners to maximize utilization of resources and for the purpose of greater impact for equitable education access and quality assurance. JRES is set against the costed Education Sector Plan and its action plan and thus targets to review performance of the sector at large including government-funded initiatives and activities. The JRES will also cover all sources of funding in the sector (i.e. other donors and the private sector), in order to review progress against set benchmarks, but also so as to identify synergies, complementarities and overlaps.

2. Objectives and Purpose of JRES

The Consortium lead will hire an external consultant to facilitate the JRES exercise. The consultant will work with the MoEHE and education partners, to assess performance of the sector in the past one year. The JRES exercise will culminate in a JRES workshop which will provide an opportunity to the MoEHE and partners to convene and jointly analyze the sector, drawing upon the assessments and the results.

The key objective of JRES exercise is to review performance of the sector for the year 2018, against the ESSP targets and government policy documents. Specific objectives include:

· To assess the overall implementation of sector targets set for 2018 and verify achievements against established ESSP indicators.

· Identify unmet targets/variances, lessons learned and recommendations that could be integrated in the action plan for the coming year.

· To examine budget execution of the sector for the relevant fiscal years and to engage in discussions on sector investment needs.;

· To review level of coordination of various actors in the education sector

· To follow up on recommendations of the previous JRES

· To develop an Aide Memoire that captures sector review preparations – including field visits -, discussions, key findings and recommendations.

· Discuss any issues related to the wider policy context in the Puntland State of Somalia (for example: presence of humanitarian actors, macro reforms taking place etc

· This consultancy of which this contract will be a part, is to contribute to the enhancement of the capacity education sector by supporting the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) in Puntland in leading and coordinating a high-quality fifth Joint Review of the Education Sector (JRES), leading to the institutionalization of annual Joint Reviews of the Education Sector

1. Methodology

JRES will principally be a consultative process involving major stakeholders and the members of the Education Coordination Committee, MOEHE The main focus will be to assess the progress on key areas of ESSP sub sectors. The key areas of focus based on the ESSP would be:

1. Primary Education Sector (including Early Child Education)
2. Secondary Education
3. Teacher Education and Training
4. Technical and Vocational Education and Training
5. Special Needs Education
6. Non formal Education
7. Alternative Basic Education (ABE)
8. Education in Emergency (EiE)

Additional cross cutting areas to explore will be progress made on: Enhancement of the organizational capacity of the MOEHE to manage/regulate the education sector, Development of learning materials based on approved national curriculum framework; Attainment of equity and parity in educational system for girls, Strengthening of in-service teacher training systems for all subsectors, Establishment of a system-wide monitoring and supervision system, establishment of system-wide use of EMIS data, Supporting of decentralization of education service delivery, and Higher Education, and Financial Plan and Domestic Financing; the Monitoring Plan, and the Risks and Mitigation Measures.

4. Description of the assignment

The MoEHE in Puntland and its partners with the support of the consultant will assess performance of the education sector and ESSP. The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical input to the JRES in Puntland, to facilitate discussions on key issues that have arisen in the education sector within the last year, and, subsequently, update Education Action Plan 2019 based on the ESSP. The consultant is expected to draft an Aide Memoire that identifies priority actions and milestones to address performance issues in the coming year. reflections from the implementation of the ESSP, lessons learned, recommendations and way forward for the future.

5. Geographical area to be covered

Puntland State of Somalia (all 9 regions)

6. Target groups

The JRES process will involve the MoEHE, including its decentralized structures, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and International cooperation, Ministry of Religious Affairs, development partners, civil society organizations, the private sector and school communities. The process should be consultative involving all major stakeholders of the education sector in Puntland. The Review will be coordinated by the MoEHE in collaboration with the Education Sector Committee.

7, Specific work

The consultant in close coordination with the MOEHJE will be responsible for the design and facilitation of the JRES as well as the development/updating of the Education Action Plan 2018 (including the financial and costing plan as well as the monitoring and evaluation framework), and an Aide Memoire. The consultant will oversee the whole process while working in close partnership with the MoEHE of Puntland, the Education Sector Committee and development partners.

Specific tasks to be implemented include:

a) Desk Review

The consultant will support the MOEHE to undertake a technical and financial review of the ESSP to gauge the level of implementation for the past year while also identifying gaps, priority actions and milestones for the coming year. In addition, all existing relevant project documents, reports, studies, evaluations and legislation will be reviewed in cooperation with the target MoEHE and development partners.

b) Consultative Meetings

The MOEHE is on the driving seat. The consultant will meet and discuss with officials from the MoEHE, the education partners, and other relevant stakeholders to gain further insight into the education sector, in general, and critical issues, in particular.

.

c) Synthesis Report

The consultant will provide a synthesis report and a PowerPoint presentation covering an overview of the current state of the education sector in Puntland in relation to the Education Sector Strategic Plan, based on data and statistics, documents, field visits and meetings. The synthesis report will include data analysis, graphs and charts, as well as a narrative portion. The synthesis report will be circulated a few days prior to the JRES and provide the basis for discussions during the JRES workshop. A Power Point of the report will be presented at the JRES workshop.

d) Joint Sector Review Workshops

The consultant will assist the MoEHE preparing for and conducting a two day JRES workshop with wide stakeholder participation in Garowe, Puntland. The JRES will be an analytical, collaborative process, calling upon the MoEHE and education stakeholders to review the education sector, as well as the implementation of the ESSP, including forward planning.

e) Education Action Plan 2018

In cooperation and partnership with the MoEHE and other stakeholders, the consultant will review and update the existing ESSP action Plan for 2018, which is part of the newly developed ESSP. This is to ensure that the action plan remains current, realistic and incorporates carryover from the previous year. The consultants will work alongside the MoEHE and partners to also review the costing and financial plan as well as a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Education Action Plan 2018.

f)Aide Memoire

The consultant will provide a report on all stages of the Joint Review of the Education Sector, on issues raised, key findings and recommendations.

Work plan and Time schedule

The consultancy timetable is given below:

No

Deliverables

No. Of Days

1

Desk Review

7

3

Consultation Meetings

7

4

Synthesis Report

5

5

Joint Sector Review Workshop

2

6

Aide Memoire

2

7

Review of the Annual Education Action Plan 2018

5

8

Final JRES Report

4

Total No. of Days

32

8. Requirements

One consultant with the following qualifications, skills and professional experience is sought:

Qualifications and skills

Advanced degree in relevant field, preferably public education, social sciences, or policy and research;

General professional experience

· Advanced degree in social sciences preferably in public education or economics;

· 10 years of relevant experience, of which at least 3 years of supporting the Education Sector of developing and/or transition countries; and experience in education sector planning is a distinctive asset;

Specific professional experience

· Have hands-on experience with designing, implementing and monitoring Sector-Wide Approaches;

· Strong

· background in data analysis, planning and policy development at the national level;

· Excellent command of the English language and Somali with demonstrated analytical and report writing skills, presentation and facilitation skills;

· Ability to work in difficult international environments; previous experience of working in fragile contexts or transition countries is an asset;

· Specific knowledge of the education sector in Somalia/Puntland;

· Availability and commitment to complete the assignment within strict deadlines;

· Computer literacy and familiarity with Microsoft Office;

· Ability to read, speak and understand Somali language; and

9. Reporting requirements

The consultant will submit the following reports in English in one original and one copy, as well as one electronic copy.

· Draft Synthesis Report covering an overview of the current state of the education sector in Puntland in relation to the Education Sector Strategic Plan, based on data and statistics, documents, field visits and meetings. The synthesis report will include data analysis, graphs and charts, as well as a narrative portion. The synthesis report will be circulated a few days prior to the JRES and provide the basis for discussions during the JRES workshop. A Power Point of the report will be presented during the JRES itself.

· PowerPoint presentations on field visits as well as covering synthesis report

· Draft Aide Memoire summarizing all stages of the Joint Review of the Education Sector, on issues raised, key findings and recommendations.

· Update Education Action Plan 2019 including costing, monitoring aspects, and ensure the activities proposed in the plan incorporate priorities and key strategies.

Final report on the JRES exercise, incorporating any comments received from the concerned parties on the draft reports above. The final report shall be submitted latest ten (10) days after receipt of comments on the draft reports highlighted above. The detailed analyses which underline the mission’s recommendations as well as the final versions of the Synthesis Report, Aide Memoire and the Education Action Plan 2019 will be presented in annexes to the main report. The report shall contain a sufficiently detailed description of the different options to permit an informed decision by the target Ministry of Education and the EU Delegation.

An evaluation of the consultant´s work will be done by the MOEHE and the ESC based on the timely submission of deliverables, a clear format of the comments, final report provided, accuracy and quality of the products delivered, and approval by the beneficiary Ministry of Education. Technical inputs will also be provided by the Ministry of Education and the partners.

[1] EMIS MOEHE, Puntland, 2016-2017