Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 26 Sep 2018
Introduction and Background
The focus of these Terms of Reference (ToR) is intended to assess the status of the Education Management Information System (EMIS) and feasibility of the Labour Management Information System (LMIS) (and potentially streamlining with EMIS) within the TVET sector in South Sudan and provide necessary recommendations based on the findings.
Background
South Sudan faces many challenges that threaten its sustainable and peaceful development including but not limited to on-going internal conflict, political instability, overreliance on aid and oil production, high levels of poverty, lack of infrastructure, underdeveloped non-oil industries, 80% living in rural areas and more. Urban poverty has increased from 49% in 2015 to 70% in 2016; 6 million people are food insecure; and the rate of inflation peaked at 550% in September 2016 and the rate is now 102% as of September 2017.[1] The country also suffers from a severe lack of private sector investment. The country faces high rates of child labour and a 19% youth unemployment rate.[2] The challenges are further heightened at the state level and by gender. Youth employment in the state of Jonglei was 31.6% in 2011 and 6.5% in Eastern Equatoria, while 23.6% of female youth were classified as inactive in employment.[3] As this data is outdated and given the context of conflict, there is strong indication that the rates are even more dire. The involvement and focus on ex-combatants is also needed to address South Sudan’s challenges. There is now an estimated four (4) million displaced individuals and refugees in South Sudan due to the conflict.[4]
Given that South Sudan is one of the youngest countries in the world, governmental and public infrastructure is severely limited, and the government capacity and delivery has nearly been halted due to the conflict. The economy has crippled as a result.
Although the education sector has already been facing low levels of investment (2.6% of public expenditures as of 2015), the current crisis further exacerbates the situation, and the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sub-sector within education is the lowest funded education sub-sector. Thus, to address the current conflict and socio-economic situation in the context of fragile states; support Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 8; align with the recommendations of the Global Out of School Children Initiative: South Sudan Country Study (2018); and foster UNESCO Recommendations Concerning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), UNESCO through the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) programme will utilize TVET as a peacebuilding intervention as many partners within the country see TVET as being able to bring about peaceful development towards a shared and common economic goal and providing a foundation for strong national development.
As part of CapED programme, UNESCO conducted a rapid assessment of the TVET sector in early 2018, in which one of the key findings was the need to strengthen data collection for decision-making in TVET. The report has documented EMIS indicators mainly in seven categories that includes access to education, participation, internal efficiency, facilities, quality, gender parity and others. The management of EMIS is under the direction of the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI), while the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development (MoLPSHRD) has proposed a LMIS in its policies. The assessment on EMIS and feasibility of LMIS within the context of TVET builds on the rapid assessment’s recommendations by assessing the context and status of MIS for TVET as well as providing recommendations on how to improve MIS for TVET and data collection and decision-making. The ultimate objective of this assignment is to provide a framework for stakeholders on how to utilize/improve data collection and usage to contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of human resource development in South Sudan via TVET.
Scope of the Assignment
For South Sudan, very little is known regarding the status of data/information on TVET (demand and supply). This is because there is a lack of a central coordination mechanism with the mandate to pull together the different ministries and agencies responsible for TVET in the country. This assignment is part of a larger process in building a coherent TVET system, and the system will need data/information to support its development overtime. In this context, the overarching objective of the assignment is to develop an evidence-base of research, knowledge and information on the demand and supply for TVET for an integrated and sustainable information system for the transformation of TVET in South Sudan. This includes TVET in formal, non-formal and informal settings including work-based learning opportunities.
This assignment also leads to assess the diversified needs of MIS for the MoGEI, MoLPSHRD and other relevant government stakeholders in the context of TVET and skills development provision. The assessment aims to build up on existing data and information sources related to TVET and recommend establishing and/or reforming the MIS system.
At the time of this writing, LMIS has not yet been established as mentioned above, and as there are multiple government agencies executing TVET in the country, there will be a need for analysis, discussion and potential streamlining of LMIS to other systems such as EMIS. The work under this assignment will feed into other work and projects for the education sector including an EMIS review that will be conducted later in 2018. The purpose of the work is to feed TVET-specific challenges and recommendations into the greater EMIS review.
UNESCO Expertise and Methodology in the Field of TVET-MIS
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is mandated to develop and implement evaluation methodologies that assess the quality of data produced by national statistical systems within the UNESCO domain of competencies. UIS has been active in using such standards and tools for assessing education data quality produced by member states. UIS together with the World Bank has developed an instrument called “Education Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF)” aiming to provide a flexible structure for the qualitative assessment of education statistics. Although the DQAF methodology is not specifically focused on TVET, but on the education sector as a whole, it has three (3) assets for this assignment:
a) The assessment in of itself encompasses a strong capacity building dimension because it involves the set-up of a national team and, conducting the process, involves building of the team’s technical capacities
b) The analytical framework is a basis to assess the environment in which the data and information are produced and the data sources themselves
c) Applying and adapting this methodology to the South Sudanese context contributes to “in-house” knowledge building as it starts from a common analytical basis while developing specific features for the definition of TVET and skills development
Thus, for this assignment, the first task should be to develop a methodology based on (and referring to) international best practices including UNESCO’s DQAF, ILO, World Bank’s SABER, OECD, EU TVET framework, etc.
Activities and Deliverables
Activities
(1) Develop assessment methodology based on international best practices adjusted for the South Sudanese context
(2) Map stakeholders and their needs as they relate to TVET data (example: TVET providers, TVET data producers, TVET data users)
(3) Support the establishment and provide technical guidance/capacity building to a TVET MIS committee that will contribute to the assessment as well as the implementation of its recommendations
(4) Develop a semi-structured questionnaire or checklist for consultation with key stakeholders from government/non-government agencies and private institutes including employers of TVET graduates and workers
(5) Draft an assessment of existing data sources and gaps on supply and demand for TVET (including labour workforce) and skills development in South Sudan, that builds on previous research findings, ongoing work and other consultations with national and/or international stakeholders including but not limited to Ministry of General Education and Instruction; Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resources Development; Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, National Bureau of Statistics, UNESCO, UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS), UNICEF, European Union (EU), World Bank, UNHCR, WFP, USAID, DFID, UNIDO, Norwegian Refugee Council, private sector partners and TVET working group members in South Sudan taking into account both national and subnational needs and context by answering the following but not limited to:
a. What TVET data is collected and at what intervals is it collected including but not limited to data on learners, teachers/facilitators, labour workforce data (including work permits), skill offerings, status/condition of intuitions and other relevant data at a disaggregate level (e.g., gender, location, age, etc.)?
b. Who are the main TVET data producers and users at subnational and national levels?
c. How has the data been collected, stored, processed and organized?
d. How is the data monitored and evaluated? What mechanisms, practices and standards are used to ensure the quality of the data?
e. How and to whom is the data distributed?
f. What and where are the gaps in the data? What indicators are missing and/or recommended?
g. What lessons and practices can be learned and potentially be applied from other countries and internationally (including UIS) in terms of TVET data collection and reporting?
h. What lessons can we learn from the TVET sector that can align and inform national EMIS and labour workforce policy/frameworks as a whole including other education and labour sub-sectors?
i. How can data collection and reporting streamline with UIS questionnaires for secondary-level programmes as well as for post-secondary and other types of TVET that are not covered by UIS questionnaires but other reporting mechanisms?
j. What is the current software platform that manages the collection and storage of TVET data? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this software?
The assessment should also provide a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis on the existing Management Information Systems (MIS) in the TVET sub-sector in South Sudan and provide recommendations to improve and standardize E/LMIS for TVET sector including but not limited to developing an E/LMIS framework, data collection forms/surveys and indicators.
Deliverables
(1) Produced methodology and tools required for the assessment on MIS for TVET including limitations of the assessment
(2) 1st draft of assessment and presentation of initial findings to UNESCO and the TVET working group
(3) Final draft of assessment taking into account comments from all stakeholders including UNESCO and TVET working group members
Timeframe
1 October – 9 November 2018: 30 working days
Deliverable
Deadline
Methodology: 3 October 2018
Draft – Assessment: 24 October 2018
Final Draft: 9 November 2018
For the complete terms of reference, visit http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/juba/pdf/ToR_MIS_TVET2.pdf
Requirements
Advance degree in education, economics, social sciences or any related field (doctorate degree preferred)
5+ years of experience in education sector analysis, statistics, research and reform specifically in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) including but not limited to MIS development
Extensive experience in education in emergencies and understanding of conflict settings
Very good level of oral and written English
Capacity to work in multicultural teams, engage in group work and produce high quality work within tight deadlines
Ability to make high-quality presentations to an audience attended by high-level stakeholders
[1] World Bank (2017). South Sudan Economic Update: Taming the Tides of High Inflation. Available at http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/806291508505062484/pdf/120563-WP-SSEUUpdatefinal-PUBLIC.pdf
[2] Understanding Children’s Work – ILO, UNICEF and World Bank (2011). Labour Market in South Sudan. Available at http://www.ucw-project.org/attachment/Labour_market_in_South_Sudan_childlabour_youthemployment20120131_173344.pdf
[3]*Ibid.*
[4] UN-OCHA (2017). South Sudan. Available at http://www.unocha.org/south-sudan and UNHCR (2017). South Sudan Situation. Available at http://data.unhcr.org/SouthSudan/regional.php
How to apply:
Interested applicants are invited to submit the following (in English) and referencing “Consultant – Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) MIS” by 26 September 2018.
· Up-to-date curriculum vitae
· Statement indicating how their qualifications/experience make them suitable for the assignment
· Indication of the methodology he/she would adopt to carry out the assignment
By e-mail:
E-mail to: j.recruitment@unesco.org
By post to:
UNESCO Juba Office
P. O. Box 649
Juba
Republic of South Sudan
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted