Unofficial notes:

Level: L-3*Duration of Contract:4 -5 months *Closing Date: 06/24/2011

*Applications should go directly to : pllopis@unicef.org and should include CV, recent P11 form and cover letter There is no fixed (physical)location for this consultancy though onsite work in UNICEF NYHQ or UNICEF Copenhagen is preferred.

Terms of Reference: Mission to Qadarif

1. Background The UNICEF Education Programme is at a critical juncture in the global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. In many cases the focus on meeting the MDGs is at the national level in developing countries, leaving out the millions of most needy children; the poorest, the most vulnerable, the isolated, marginalized, exploited, and the abused, many of whom are currently beyond the reach of laws, programmes, research and budgets. It is believed that the most possible way to meet the obligations to this group of children is to approach the challenge head -on using robust and innovative ideas, and the commitment to follow through. Appropriate technology interventions can be one way to bridge the digital divide and ensure that there is fair and standard access to information and opportunity, as well as being an important means for the preservation and dissemination of local cultures and contexts. The aim of any intervention is to increase access to quality and relevant basic education for children in North Sudan. Country offices in all UNICEF regions (including the Soloman Islands, Suriname, Uganda, Liberia, Kosovo, Nigeria, Mongolia and China, as well as others) are exploring how appropriate technology can help strengthen flexible alternative pathways to realize the right to education for the difficult to reach and children out of school. There is clearly a need to bring together private sector, academia and development professionals to help accelerate healthy adoptions of systems and innovations. The starting point for this will be to review the existing e- pilot undertaken with the e-learning desk of local partner Ahfad University for Women (AUW) and other partners, which is presently concluding its first phase.

In addition, the consultancy will review the exis ting e-learning pilot project undertaken from 2009 in collaboration with the e -learning department of Ahfad University for Women (AUW) and with involvement of INGO War Child Holland as well as a range of (non) State actors. This project, which aims to crea te a non-formal alternative to primary education, is presently concluding its first phase and is planning for the second phase. The second phase aims to upscale the pilot to 100,000 children in 230 communities in all States of northern Sudan. The third ph ase plans to extend it to 1 million children. War Child Holland, may, at its own cost, add one or two members to the consultancy team. UNICEF would like to hire a consultant to explore issues related to technology for education and help prepare a plan fo r piloting and monitoring the use of innovative technologies for education in North Sudan. 2. Objectives of this Consultancy We are proposing to look at a pilot population in North Sudan and assess how innovative programming and use of technology for development purposes can provide better access to information, reduced drop -outs and higher quality of outputs from the education process. The expected start date for the consultant is Q3 with a mission to North Sudan accompanying a UNICEF team in early to mid-Q3. Please Note: Because of a rapidly changing political situation, there is a chance that it will be logistically difficult to complete this precise consultancy in which case the focus of the project would shift to another, similar, e -learning initiative in East Africa and the Terms of Reference below would be revised though the essential deliverables would remain the same. 3. Scope of Work Several weeks of sensitization to the work UNICEF is doing around innovative technology for education wou ld lead into a preliminary mission (2 -3 weeks), with outputs being:
y

further articulation to a budget package for types of innovative technology interventions and techniques into the existing education system; a project plan with detailed budget for inno vative delivery of services to the population identified ; a user-driven set of needs in education (what needs can students and teachers identify that we can help them adapt); documentation of proper monitoring and evaluation especially taking into account the need in a design-thinking based exploration to expect and highlight fast failures in a project so as to better learn and adjust for conditions -; and

a further draft of UNICEF s Child Friendly Technology (CFT) framework based on the field work.

4. Methodology This assessment would entail a mission to North Sudan (3 UNICEF staff + Consultant(s)) to:
y

Identify which population(s) would be the most immediate points of intervention (to be identified in close collaboration with the Country Office and based on already priorities as established by the Federal Ministry of Education); Work with children, teachers, caregivers and local leaders to establish what the needs of children are to ensure that this approach is user -centric and solutions are adapted to local needs, rather than bringing them a set of pre -defined solutions; Create a document identifying needs for moving forward (i.e. a project plan) including assessment of the current e -learning pilot study underway in Sudan, with recommendations whether to continue, how to continue, or whether to change; Prepare redraft of / extension of Child Friendly Technology framework in collaboration with UNICEF Education team (more information can be found: http://unicefstories.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/cftinput/ ); Review existing partnerships and identify other partners f or further work in Sudan key contact points and modes for engagement, as well as local partners who would be main drivers for the Country Office to take the project forward; Ensure that the most vulnerable children are reached, and that methods for engaging the bottom quintile of the population are at the forefront of this discussion; and Identify key external partners with experience in similar settings who can help drive the project forward.

5. Expected Output and Reporting At the end of the assignment, the consultant is expected to present a report that captures the issues identified in the scope of the consultancy. The report will be made up of smaller reports, to be delivered during the consultancy, and to include but not be limited to the following: Pre Mission ($3,750) y It is expected that the pre-mission portion of the contract will be spent getting up to speed on the details of the project and working closely with the Country Office and Supply Division to plan the details of the mission. Output f or this phase of work will

be a finalized mission Terms of Reference (TOR) and a framework for examining the end users and their role in the system : y Further Refined Terms of Reference for Mission and onboarding; and
y

Framework for End Users: This would be a pre-trip anthropological/ethnographic framework for how the team will work with and assess the needs of the Country Office it can include things such as description of target population and their environment. Qualitative and quantitative depiction of t he target children and their needs, design methodologies proposed (F rog or IDEO type investigations, etc.).

During Mission ($2,500) y It is expected that the consultant will be an active communicator of process while on mission these can be relatively informal, but should be regular and of high quality and of interest to the general public : y Blog entries:At least one blog entry per two days, while on trip; one per week while not on trip: following the format of http://prablog.posterous.com or http://projectmwana.posterous.com. Supporting photographs, blog pieces or other experiential narrative to support the report. Post Mission ($23,750) -Payment will be broken down 40% on first draft, balance on delivery of final report y The final and main deliverable is a collection of smaller pieces presumably work on the individual pieces would be ongoing, but each one is listed separately as they are all expected to contribute to the main plan . y Project Plan: A project plan developed after the mission in close collaboration with Programme Division and Supply Division based on the needs of the Sudan Country Office; and -addressing, along with the CFT, the questions in Annex 1 below, as well as an assessment of the current e learning pilot study underway in Sudan, with recommendations whether to continue, how to continue, or whether to change;
y

Cataloging of specific system interventions: Population's particular probl ems (i.e. the problem is not "high dropout" but "high dropout" is a function of nomadism, child labour, no electricity, etc.) - this is needed because we are looking at what type of solutions can alleviate certain stresses in the system. The output for this would be mapping of systems and identification of failure points; Solution space: A range of solutions and delivery technologies and systems: a layered, open-source connection of hardware and software such as radio, television, SMS, low-cost computers, virtual learning, mobile libraries, etc.; Approach-Specific approaches to moving forward: Description of how the Country Office can move forward with this project. For example: the focus on the user and their needs, the ability to use whatever is mos t appropriate in "layers" (i.e. some places radio only, some places radio+computer, etc.);

Budget: Budget needs for this project - phased and based on population numbers; and Updated CFT framework: with 6 additional worksheets and refining of the base categories based on input from the field and further harmonization of top- and mid-level sections. Particularly answering the questions in Annex 1 below. This should be a visual / graphic support of the project plan .

The consultant(s) would report to: Supply Division. 6. Qualifications The proposed consultant(s) would have experience with: y Education, particularly child-centric learning y Working with children-focused projects y Sub-Saharan Africa y Education and technology y Open source technology y Project planning and documentation y Monitoring and evaluation 7. Proposer s Profile y Expertise and Experience (company and/or individual(s)) -The proposer shall provide a minimum of three (3) references to clients for whom the proposer has carried out similar scope of project. UNICEF may contact references for feedback on consultants/services provided by the proposer to support similar projects. y Name and description of client company/organization y Name of senior individuals in the client comp anies who were involved in the project (referred to) who are knowledgeable y Scope and scale of projects

8. Evaluation Criteria y y y Expertise and experience of the consultant Interviews with shortlisted applicants Technical (written) assessment

9. Cost Proposal y This position will be at a L3 pay grade with exact pay based on experience. It is expected to take approximately 4-5 months of work to complete (p ayment is based on deliverables calculated against that rate). Note: Travel will be via economy ticket at UNICEF DSA.

Annex 1 These are examples of specific questions that have been raised by stakeholders this is not the complete set of needs of the project, but it can serve to give some idea of what will be involved, what types of discussions will need to happen and what elements will need to be built into the Child Friendly Tech nology framework as well as the supporting documents for this consultancy in order to ensure its success. 1. How can this project leverage limited staff and resources to help enhance access to schools and information rather than simply being an injection of technology into a system? 2. How can work being done in other country offices and contexts demonstrate increase in access and achievement through similar interventions? 3. How can elements of psycho-social development and social skills be integrated into this project? 4. How will the costs of this project compare to traditional education interventions? What are metrics that are used to justify new technology interventions in education, and how can we build a case for or against this project in terms of cost efficiencies. 5. How can this project work with existing alternative learning programmes to reach out of school learners? 6. How can we leverage / integrate the use of solar and alternati ve energy most effectively? 7. What is needed to take this project to scale (1 million youth )? 8. What instruments are needed to involve ministries? What lessons can be learned from other post-conflict countries engagements with Information and Communication Technology(ICT)? 9. What are the details of training plans for supervisors, teachers, parents? Who would need to be involved and trained, and how? 10. How can nomadic communities be engaged and involved in this and benefit from it? 11. How can specific issues of embargo be managed in a context like Sudan?