Education Consultant, Luanda, Angola, 6 months (Remote/Work from home)

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, a champion.

In Angola, the right to education is enshrined in several legal instruments. Article 21(g), Article 35(6) and (7), and Articles 79 and 80 of the Republic of Angola Constitution from 2010 guarantee the rights of children to access quality education, and Article 9 in Law n.^o 17/16 Lei de bases do sistema de educação e ensino (Basic Law of the Education and Teaching System) ensures the right to education, free of any form of discrimination.

However, despite this legal framework, many children remain unable to access safe, quality education. Even for children who attend primary and secondary school, at times the right to quality and comprehensive learning free physical or emotional violence is not guaranteed.  In addition to their right to education, children have the right to be respected and to live free from the suffering and pain caused by violence. The Concluding Observations on the Combined fifth to seventh Periodic Reports of Angola from the United Nation Secretariat’s Committee on the Rights of the Child reported in 2018 that Angola lacked clear legislation and policies specifically prohibiting corporal punishment in schools.  Physical, verbal, and emotional humiliating punishment is not effective and harms students, teachers, families and society as a whole. Furthermore, children in schools may not be benefitting from quality learning opportunities. The 2020 UNICEF report “Time to Teach” on teacher attendance and time on task in Eastern and Southern Africa found that 15.5% of teachers in the Eastern and Southern African region were absent at least once a week, 17% of teachers arrived late or left school early, and 15.7% of teachers missed classes while they were at school at last once a week. Evidence suggests that unfavorable learning environments and weak oversight may be negatively affecting learning outcomes. The World Bank’s 2018 Human Capital Index report ranks Angola 147 out of 157 countries on the index, below the regional average of 0.40 for Sub-Saharan Africa, and well below the expected level given Angola’s GDP per capita. While the average student in Angola will study for 7.9 years, when adjusted for the quality of learning, this is the equivalent to 4.1 years, a learning gap of 3.8 years.

To help address these issues and strengthen the regulatory framework guiding the daily management and oversight of schools, the Ministry of Education plans to revise and develop a set of comprehensive school regulations to strengthen school management, increase accountability, and strengthen parental and community oversight and involvement in school management.  It is hoped that a strengthened, clear regulatory framework will improve the school environment and make it safer, more inclusive, non-discriminatory, and contribute to improved and more equitable learning outcomes. To achieve this, clear norms, roles, rules, and actions will be established in the regulatory frameworks.

These proposed regulatory instruments for school management include:

1. Regulations that establish administrative processes and minimum requirements for the management of all general education schools (Ensino Geral) in Angola;    
2. Updated regulations and administrative guidance for the functioning of school parent committees (Comissões de Pais e Encarregados de Educação, or CPEEs);    
3. Proposed regulations and guidance for the establishment and functioning of school management councils (Conselhos de Escola).    

The proposed regulations for the management of general education (Ensino Geral) schools will identify and clarify the roles, rights, and responsibilities of different members of the school community to ensure that all Angolan children exercise their right to quality education and learning. They will provide daily guidance to directors, teachers, parents, and students relating to the administrative, financial, logistical, and pedagogical management of schools. In addition, the proposed regulations will provide guidance on how to ensure safe, equitable learning environments for all children, including the most vulnerable. This will help ensure that schools are free of gender-based violence and corporal punishment, have policies in place to ensure access for vulnerable groups (such as pregnant adolescents and young mothers, children with disabilities, etc.), and have clean and appropriate sanitation facilities.  Regulations regarding the prohibition of corporal punishment will help to change attitudes to promote alternative, positive, and non-violent ways to address children’s disciplinary issues.

The proposal for revised regulations to guide parents’ committees (Comissões de Pais e Encarregados de Educação, or CPEEs) will recognize the role that families and caregivers play in school management and will be closely aligned with school regulations to ensure participatory an effective school management. 

Finally, the proposed regulations for school management councils (Conselhos de Escola) will establish guidelines for the creation of a consultative structure to function as the highest decision-making body at school level. The council will be open to all members of the school community and include the school director, as well as representatives from teachers, parents, students, and other community members such as community leaders and representatives from civil society. This body will help to provide transparent administrative and financial oversight of schools, with the goal of improving access, strengthening the school environment, and enhancing learning outcomes. 

Rationale

The proposed general education school regulations, parent committee regulations, and school council regulations will establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for primary and secondary schools in Angola that allow for education with respect and equity. These guidelines will help ensure that Angolan schools are guided by policies and practices in line with international best practices, such as the establishment of clear codes of conduct for teachers and the creation of transparent community oversight structures to ensure democratic management and social accountability.

The final products of this consultancy will be used to:

• Highlight children’s fundamental right to safe, quality, comprehensive learning environments free of physical, verbal, or emotional violence and discrimination;
• Ensure the rights of the most vulnerable students are protected, such as pregnant girls, children with disabilities, children from minority groups, etc;
• Standardize and systematize school governance at all primary and secondary schools in Angola;
• Clarify and communicate the roles, rights, and obligations of all stakeholders in the school community and school governance bodies (students, teachers, directors, other education staff, parents, community leaders);
• Strengthen and clarify the role of parents in the oversight and management school administrations, increasing transparency and accountability;
• Strengthen and role that school improvement plans (Projectos Educativos Escolares, or PEEs in Portuguese) play in school planning, implementation, and monitoring, and in particular how directores and parents use data to inform decision making and increase accountability;
• Strengthen parental involvement in school management and oversight, as well as their role in actively supporting their children’s learning throughout their academic career;
• Create a school-level management and oversight structure at the primary school level that would allow them to become budget units in the future.

How can you make a difference?

The main objective of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for basic education primary and secondary schools in Angola that complements and complies with existing legislation, in light of the child rights approach, to ensure safe, inclusive and equitable learning environments for all children, focusing on the protection of the most vulnerable. This includes: (a) school regulations that establish administrative processes and minimum requirements to be adhered to by all schools in Angola (public, public-private and private), including essential areas and services to ensure the comprehensive rights of the child at the school level; (b) updated regulations and administrative guidance for the functioning of school parent committees; and (c) proposed regulations and guidance for the establishment and functioning of school management councils.

Main tasks:

The main specific objectives of this process are:

1. Identification of best practices regarding school regulatory frameworks, parents’ committees, and school management councils with a child rights approach, from similar contexts in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as globally;
2. Development of a comprehensive school regulatory framework to guide schools in their day-to-day operations, including measures around child protection such as the prohibition of corporal punishment, the prevention of violence against children and the promotion of positive relationships, among others.
3. Development of updated and revised guidance and regulations for the effective functioning of parents’ committees in all general education primary and secondary schools (public, public-private, and private);
4. Development of a proposed regulatory framework for the establishment of school management councils in general education primary and secondary schools (public, public-private, and private);

Alignment of all proposed school management regulations with existing legal, administrative, and regulatory statutes and measures, as well as to the United Nations conventions related to the protection of children’s rights, gender equality and social inclusion.

Methodology

The development of the legal framework for the governance and regulation of primary schools, parent committee regulations, and school management council guidelines will be based on the principle of participation and inclusion of key stakeholders. In particular, the Ministry of Education will be involved throughout the process, as will partners at the decentralized level.

To ensure the participation of key Government of Angola partners, a technical working group under the leadership of the Ministry of Education will be created to oversee the consultancy and provide technical guidance, when necessary. This technical group will include representatives from directorates or institutions of the Ministry of Education working in Basic Education, such as the National Directorate of Preschool and Primary Education and the National Directorate of Secondary Education, as well as representatives from other key areas involved in policy making, such as the Ministry’ Legal Office, the Human Resources office, and the National Institute of Special Education. This will ensure that the proposed documents are aligned with existing legal frameworks and guidelines. In addition, other key stakeholders are also expected to participate in the consultation process of the school regulations, namely: provincial and municipal directorates, representatives from teachers’ unions, and umbrella groups representing school directors, parents, and students. Finally, representatives from other relevant ministries will also be invited to participate in the process, including Ministry of Social Action, Family, and Gender (MASFAMU,) the Ministry of Territory and Administration (MAT), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, and others.

Literature review (global and regional): review of international literature on school regulations and legal frameworks, school parent committees, and school management councils through a children’s rights and equality lens. This should include related international conventions and frameworks, including but not limited to: the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

• Literature review (national): all relevant documents developed by the Government of Angola, the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and other implementing partners will be catalogued and analyzed by the consultant (with the support of the intersectoral technical working group), including existing education sector laws and policy, guidance documents, manuals and guidance developed for CPEEs, draft school regulation documents, and any other documents related directly or indirectly to school governance;
• Interviews with key informants: for a better context and understanding of the results of the analysis of the information collected from the document review, free or semi-structured interviews  (including focus group interviews, if necessary) with key groups of informants identified in partnership the technical working group will be carried out;
• Interactive review process with stakeholders: a review process is needed to share the results of the findings and to get feedback from key partners and stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Education, MASFAMU, provincial and municipal governments, teachers, parents, directors, CSOs, and others. This process should be as participatory as possible – the consultant should propose a methodology for conducting the review process that facilitate discussion and provides space and time for substantive comments and feedback. Due to the epidemiological situation and geographic dispersion of stakeholders, in-person events or workshops may not be possible. The review process should be well-documented to ensure that feedback is incorporated into the final documents, and the final documents are validated.

Operational implementation

1. Introductory meeting and development of the detailed chronogram/workplan.
2. Establishment of the technical working group (to be jointly led by the Directorate for Preschool and Primary Education from the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, with members from MED) ; and the other key stakeholders who will be involved in the process of designing and consulting on the school regulations (public institutions, decentralized education authorities, representatives from teachers and parents’ associations, CSOs, etc.)
3. Development of the inception report for the project, including:
   1. Desk review of national and international literature related to school governance and school regulatory frameworks, including parent committees and school management councils;
   2. Proposed research plan (including research methodology, draft interview protocols and other data collection tools, if needed).
4. Key informant interviews of key stakeholders undertaken.
5. Meeting with technical working group to discuss the main findings propose the outlines of the three documents.
6. Elaboration of the first drafts of the three documents:
   1. Comprehensive school regulatory framework (Regulamento do Ensino Geral;
   2. Regulations and guidance for parent committees (Comissões de Pais e Encarregados de Educação);
   3. Regulations and guidance for school management committees (Conselhos de Escola).
7. First round of revision on the three documents after feedback from members of the technical working group.
8. Facilitation of an interactive review process with stakeholders to present the three sets of school regulatory frameworks and solicit constructive reactions and feedback, as well as their validation.
9. Update and finalize the comprehensive school regulatory framework, regulations and guidance for parent committees, and regulations and guidance for school management committees based in feedback received during the workshop.

The technical working group is established, and the inception report is submitted and approved.	The inception report should include: Finalized workplan, including the database of technical working group members and key stakeholders who will be involved in the process of designing and consultation of the school regulations. Desk review of international and national literature; Proposed research plan (including draft interview protocols, if needed);	10 working days   (Week 3)
The first draft of the comprehensive school regulatory framework, the regulations and guidance for parent committees, and the regulations and guidance for school management committees are completed and submitted to the technical working group for review.	The three draft documents are completed and submitted.	20 working days   (Week 10)
The draft documents are updated following the working group comments and interactive review process;	The plan for the interactive review process is submitted and approved (agenda, process, presentations, or other materials, etc) Report documenting the interactive review process (participants, main comments and inputs, discussion themes, etc.) is submitted and approved.	10 working days   (Week 15)
Final versions of the comprehensive school regulatory framework, the regulations and guidance for parent committees, and the regulations and guidance for school management committees are submitted (in Portuguese) and approved by UNICEF and the technical working group.	Final versions of the following documents are completed: comprehensive school regulatory framework;  regulations and guidance for parent committees; regulations and guidance for school management committees.	10 working days   (Week 19)

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

• Education background in Education, Law; Public Administration; Social Sciences.  
• A minimum of five years of relevant and proven experience in the education sector, preferably in the areas of access and governance
• Experience developing policy and regulatory frameworks in education and/or other fields strongly preferred;
• Good knowledge of the national and international education agenda in terms of access, equity, quality, and children rights approach;   
• Strong knowledge of the Angolan education system and the social, economic, political, and cultural context of Angola is strongly preferred;     
• Experience working in a development context, ideally Africa/Angola, is required;
• Experience working with the UN or similar development agencies is strongly preferred;
• Experience facilitating technical working groups and leading workshops with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Strong writing skills;
• Professional proficiency in Portuguese; proficiency in English is also strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint)

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Geographic Scope : The consultancy will be home-based, with travel to Luanda needed on two separate occasions:

1) To meet with the technical working group and other key stakeholders to develop and finalize the inception report, and to undertake interviews with key stakeholders (10 working days); 

2) To undertake the interactive review process to incorporate feedback on the first draft of the school regulations, including a validation workshop with key partners (10 working days).

Outside of these trips, meetings with the technical working group will take place in online, whatever is deemed most appropriate by the participants.

Terms of Payment: The consultant will be paid an all-inclusive fee (transportation costs, stationary, communication and other miscellaneous expenses) as per the stipulated deliverable and payment schedule.

How to apply: 

Interested individuals must submit an expression of interest (5-10 pages) that includes

1. A 1-2 page summary of how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements outlined in this Terms of Reference;
2. A brief technical proposal (2-6 pages) describing how the work will be carried out;
3. A financial proposal that includes all associated costs and expenses to carry out the consultancy (including travel, accommodation and local transport) (1-2 pages)

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.