Afghanistan: International Expert (P5) for a diagnostic assessment of Afghanistan’s system for TVET educational statistics

1. The Objective

The overall objective of this consultancy is to conduct an assessment of the recently developed management information system (MIS) for the Deputy Ministry for Technical and Vocational Education’s (DMTVET) of Afghanistan, leading to actionable recommendations for further improvement of the system. Working closely with members of the TVET MIS team at DMTVET, and under the overall guidance of the UNESCO Office in Kabul and with inputs from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) Office in New Delhi, the consultancy will produce a diagnostic report to be validated by the DMTVET leadership. Based on the assessment and validated recommendations an action plan or ‘road map’ will be developed for continued expansion and improvement of the Deputy Ministry’s MIS capacity.

The provision of educational statistical data, responding to various quality dimensions (accuracy, relevance, timeliness, etc.), is a multidimensional affair, requiring a great number of conditions to be in place. For example, an effective institutional framework, adequate human resources, and a functional software system are all necessary, but not sufficient, requirements for an effective educational statistics system.

Within the context of TVET sector of Afghanistan, such a system has only recently been instituted with the Deputy Ministry TVET. With the support of UNESCO, initial data collection tools and a database have been prepared and are being deployed in 2015 to gather and store relevant data from the Deputy Ministry’s network of 294 schools and institutes. The further expansion and refinement of this system is the overall aim this consultancy will contribute towards.

2. The Recipient

The main recipient of these consultancy services will be the Deputy Ministry of TVET of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the UNESCO Office in Afghanistan, and other relevant partners of the TVET sector in Afghanistan.

3. The Scope

The diagnostic assessment / situation analysis will be realised according to the Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF) methodology, originating from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and further developed by UIS and the World Bank to fit to an education and training context. The DQAF methodology provides a framework for assessing the integral ‘system’ producing, and using, statistical education data, taking into account the wide range of elements or pre-requisites (technical, technological, organisational, etc.) that need to be in place for a well-functioning education statistics system. Thus, data will be collected at the different levels of the statistical system (The Education Management Information System of the Ministry of Education (EMIS), EMIS, DMTVET, TVET schools and institutes, etc…). It is anticipated that two provinces will be visited, in each of which at least one TVET School and one TVET institute will be assessed.

4. Methodology

The consultancy will assess the quality of data produced by the TVET MIS system to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system. This assessment will be realised according to the DQAF methodology. This methodology is based on the consecutive phases of data collection, analysis and reporting (although some overlap is likely to occur), according to its six dimensions, as follows:

• Pre-requisites of quality
• Integrity
• Methodological soundness
• Accuracy and reliability
• Serviceability
• Accessibility

Any and each of these dimensions consist of sub-dimensions, which are, in their own turn, constituted of a number of ‘items’. These items are the basic building blocks of the DQAF matrix (or grid), and the fact-finding phase of the project aims at answering each of these items, with ‘means of verification’, or evidence, wherever possible. Scores are attributed along the lines of these items, leading to scores on each dimension, and sub-dimension, as well as an overall score.

The consultant will be involved in all phases of the project, including data collection (i.e. interviewing, document gathering, and database examination), analysis and report-writing. More specifically, as part of her/his activities, the consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

During the fact-finding period:

i. Conduct interviews with key staff at DMTVET, at the central level and, if necessary, at the provincial level

ii. Conduct interviews with key staff at TVET school(s) and institute(s)

iii. Assist with the implementation of further designated research procedures including document and data bases analysis.

During the analysis period:

i. Complete the evaluation grid consisting of the six dimensions of the generic DQAF.

ii. Draft the initial DQAF report and submit to the UNESCO team in Kabul for collaborative review and discussion.

iii. Make the necessary changes and adjustments in the report following the comments made by key officials of various ministries and structures consulted prior to final endorsement of the report.

iv. Prepare a two-year work plan for the implementations of the consultant’s recommendations and the further development of the TVET MIS system at the Deputy Ministry TVET. Submit this initial draft to UNESCO Kabul for collaborative review and discussion.

v. Make the necessary changes and adjustments in the report following the comments made by key officials of various ministries and structures consulted prior to final endorsement of the report

5. Reporting

The primary outputs of this consultancy assignment will be the DQAF report and work plan for capacity development of the TVET MIS capacity. The report and workplan will be drafted after completion of the fact-finding mission. The structure of the report is standardised: each piece of evidence gathered from the fact-finding phase is presented according to the different dimensions, sub-dimensions and items (as earlier described) and recommendations are issued within each of these dimensions. The structure of the workplan will clearly identify improvement objectives and specific actions to be taken.

6.Timeframe

The consultancy will require up to 40 days in total. The timeframe for completion is anticipated to be November10- January 10.

7. Deliverables

• Detailed Assessment Plan for conducting the assessment.
• Completed evaluation grid consisting of the six dimensions of the generic DQAF.
• Mission report of the field visit to two provinces.
• First draft of DQAF-report.
• Two-year work plan for the implementations of the proposed recommendations.
• Materials developed for the workshop introducing the report and the work plan
• Final draft of the report.

Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in education, TVET, statistics, or a related discipline
• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in TVET or educational management information systems (EMIS), with a component of this experience preferably acquired at the international level;
• Excellent understanding of EMIS, with a strong grasp of TVET systems, policies, planning and capacity development preferred;
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills
• Advanced cross-cultural communication skills
• High-level drafting and communication capacity in English
• Experience working in Afghanistan is an asset

Application Procedure:

Candidates are requested to send their application, including a CV (one in free format and one in the UNESCO format, available at https://en.unesco.org/careers/media/3705 ) and cover letter (in English) briefly outlining the methodology and activity plan proposed for completing the defined deliverable within the designated time period to the UNESCO Kabul email: e.procurement@unesco.org before midnight (Afghanistan time), 31 December 2015.

All applications must be submitted by email, including the position title in the email subject line.