Consultancy: Out of School Children Study in Yemen

Background

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world. Five years of conflict and severe economic decline have left 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. An estimated 2 million children are out of school[1]. Yemen Education in Emergency: A Bridge to Development and Resilience is a three-year (2018-2021) project, supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) which aims to bridge humanitarian and development contexts by working through the Ministry of Education (MoE) to strengthen and institutionalize Non-Formal Education (NFE) programs as a viable pathway for out of school children (OOSC), allowing them to resume their education. To ensure that OOSC are able to access learning opportunities, it is imperative to understand context-specific barriers to accessing education, as well as how to leverage local resources to increase enrollment and retention.

Description of Services

This Terms of Reference details the requirements for a Consultant to collect primary data, in partnership with Save the Children and USAID/Yemen, to examine the main reasons why children are out of school in Yemen and what works best to reintegrate them in education. Specifically, the consultant will collect primary qualitative and quantitative data in Aden and Lahj governorates, and produce a report outlining:

• The number of OOSC in Aden and Lahj governorates identified at district level;
• The main barriers to accessing both formal and NFE, triangulating with past and ongoing data collection;
• (Re)-Enrollment best practices identified from Save the Children and USAID/Yemen implementing partners; and
• Teacher, children, and community members’ perspectives on the types of support needed, alternative program types/modalities, aiming to increase enrollment and retention in formal and NFE opportunities to better inform humanitarian education programming.

Using a finalized set of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools including, focus group discussion guides, interview guides, and a classroom observation rubric, the consultant will collect data through field visits and coordination with the project team, and produce a report with clear analysis and recommendations. After developing the first draft of the report, the Consultant will convene MoE, humanitarian and development education implementers, and other stakeholders in a workshop to validate findings, recommendations, and finalize report.

Findings from the study will help fill gaps in the data on OOSC and barriers to accessing education identified in a Save the Children desk review and the Yemen Transitional Education Plan (2019-2021). The consultant will pay particular attention to filling gaps in data along equity lines such as disability status, education level, displacement status (IDP, returnee, and refugee), time spent out of school, and geographic location, among others. Findings from the study will inform recommendations for the MoE in Yemen on how to increase equitable access and enrollment in formal and NFE opportunities and alternative learning (self-study, ALP, etc.) at the district level. The study will also contribute to the evidence base around access and retention inequities in Yemen, and can be used to inform policy creation, reform, and future programming.

Summary of Key Deliverables and Timeline

1 Finalize data collection tools to collect qualitative and quantitative data Q4, 2020

2 Collect primary data and conduct field visits Q1, 2021

3 Analyse the data Q1, 2021

4 Share first draft of the report with Save the Children and in validation workshop with MoE and stakeholders Q2, 2021

5 Write final report Q2, 2021

Location

The Consultant will be based in Save the Children’s office in Aden, Yemen.

Reporting

The consultant will report directly to Chiara Moroni, Save the Children Education Technical Advisor and Dr. Allyson Krupar, Senior Specialist Learning Research.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in education or related field
• Familiarity with the Yemen context and previous experience working in Yemen
• Fluency in both Arabic and English
• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in education, including extensive experience in emergency and conflict-affected settings
• Quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis skills
• Previous experience in primary qualitative and quantitative data collection in education settings in emergency environments

[1] Humanitarian Needs Overview (2019). Yemen. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2019_Yemen_HNO…