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Contract Duration: 8 Months

Working arrangement: Homebased

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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Education

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Education Specialist (Safe Schools), the consultant will review, revise, and adapt existing learning frameworks and diagnostic assessment tools to ensure they are fit for use in emergency and post-emergency contexts, while maintaining alignment with the national curriculum, foundational learning priorities, and inclusive education principles.

The consultant will:

• Review existing learning frameworks, competency progressions, and diagnostic assessment tools.

• Identify adaptations required for use in emergency and post-emergency contexts.

• Integrate considerations for learning recovery and accelerated learning.

• Strengthen inclusion of children with disabilities and multilingual learners.

• Develop practical guidance for implementation in resource-constrained and emergency settings.

• Build stakeholder capacity to understand and utilize the revised frameworks and tools.

Scope of Work:

Nepal is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including floods, landslides, earthquakes, and other climate-related emergencies that frequently disrupt children's access to education. Recent emergency events have highlighted the need for education systems to rapidly identify learning needs, support learning recovery, and ensure continuity of learning for all children.

While existing learning frameworks and diagnostic assessment tools provide valuable guidance for assessing foundational learning, these were primarily developed for stable learning environments. Their application in emergency settings requires adaptation to account for interrupted schooling, psychosocial stress, multi-grade teaching arrangements, learning loss, student displacement, and challenges related to inclusive education.

Particular attention is required to ensure assessment approaches are appropriate for children with disabilities, children from diverse linguistic backgrounds, and those experiencing prolonged learning disruption.

Strengthening emergency responsive learning frameworks and diagnostic tools will support evidence-based planning, targeted learning support, and improved learning recovery efforts at national and subnational levels.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks -

1. Desk Review and Situational Analysis

• Review relevant policies, frameworks, assessment tools, and guidance documents.

• Review national curriculum requirements and foundational learning priorities.

• Review global Education in Emergencies, learning recovery, and formative assessment guidance.

• Analyze challenges in assessing learning during and after emergencies in Nepal.

2. Review Existing Learning Frameworks

• Review current learning assessment frameworks and competency descriptors.

• Assess suitability for interrupted learning and learning recovery contexts.

• Identify areas requiring simplification, prioritization, or adaptation.

3. Revise Learning Frameworks for Emergency Contexts

• Develop guidance on essential and prioritized learning competencies.

• Adapt frameworks to support learning continuity, learning recovery, multi-grade, multi-level and temporary learning environments and accelerated learning approaches

4. Review and Adapt Diagnostic Assessment Tools

• Review existing numeracy and literacy diagnostic tools and assess technical quality, usability, and appropriateness for emergency contexts.

• Revise tools to identify learning loss, diagnose foundational learning gaps, support instructional decision-making and facilitate rapid administration in emergency settings

5. Strengthen Inclusion

• Ensure revised frameworks and tools are responsive to children with disabilities, children from linguistic minority groups, displaced and marginalized learners, gender-related barriers to learning

• Provide recommendations on accommodations, accessibility features, and multilingual adaptation considerations.

6. Field Testing and Validation

• Facilitate stakeholder review processes.

• Support piloting of tools where feasible.

• Analyze feedback and refine products.

7. Capacity Building

• Develop orientation materials and user guidance.

• Train roster trainers on the tool

• Conduct workshops with government, development partners, and implementing agencies.

• Support validation and endorsement processes.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Terms of Reference TMC0006794.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master's level or higher) in one or more of the following:

Education

Educational Assessment and Measurement

Curriculum and Instruction

Education in Emergencies

Inclusive Education

International Development

Work Experience:

Minimum 15 years of experience in education sector programming, with focus on assessments and education in emergencies.

Demonstrated expertise in learning assessment and foundational learning.

Experience developing or adapting diagnostic assessments.

Experience in Education in Emergencies and learning recovery programming.

Experience integrating disability-inclusive and multilingual approaches into assessments.

Proven experience working with government education systems.

Experience in Nepal or South Asia is highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

Excellent spoken and written skills in both Nepali and English

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in -

Strong knowledge of foundational literacy and numeracy assessment.

Understanding of competency-based curricula and learning progressions.

Experience in assessment and learning systems strengthening.

Familiarity with EiE Minimum Standards and learning recovery approaches.

Knowledge of accommodations for children with disabilities.

Strong analytical and report-writing skills.

Excellent facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.

Desirables:

Experience supporting Education Review Office and similar institutions

Knowledge of Comprehensive School Safety Minimum Package and its implementation

Experience in inclusive education, disability-inclusive programming, multilingual education, gender responsive education, and education in emergencies.

Previous experience working with UNICEF, development partners, or government institutions in Nepal.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0006794.docx
A detailed technical proposal

Details on the approach used, timelines and expected objectives should be clearly mentioned.

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Assessment in Emergencies - Consultant, Kathmandu, Nepal. 8 Months, Remotely. (Open for Nationals of Nepal Only) Req#596013