Early Childhood Education Specialist

Description of assignment title: Early Childhood Education Specialist (Assessment)

Assignment country: Nepal
Expected start date: 01/01/2024
Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education
Volunteer category: National UN Volunteer Expert
Host entity: UNICEF
Type: Onsite
Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension)
Number of assignments: 1
Duty stations: Kathmandu

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

In all of its work, UNICEF takes a life-cycle based approach, recognizing the particular importance of early childhood development and adolescence. UNICEF programmes focus on the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental degradation.

UNICEF was created with a distinct purpose in mind: to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.

We promote girls’ education – ensuring that they complete primary education as a minimum – because it benefits all children, both girls and boys. Girls who are educated grow up to become better thinkers, better citizens, and better parents to their own children. We act so that all children are immunized against common childhood diseases, and are well nourished: no child should suffer or die from a preventable illness. We work to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people because it is right to keep them from harm and enable them to protect others. We help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS to live their lives with dignity.

We are UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Context

UNICEF began operations in Nepal from its New Delhi office in 1964 and established the Nepal Country Office (NCO) in 1972. Over five decades of partnership, UNICEF in Nepal has contributed towards many strides the country has taken. The focus of programmes has continuously changed over the years to meet the changing needs of children, adolescents and women in Nepal. UNICEF has been a key partner for Government of Nepal in meeting its commitments towards women and children against global agendas and goals. The NCO supports the country in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation, nutrition, child protection and social policy. Besides this, the NCO also provides cross sectoral expertise on early childhood development, communications for development and planning, monitoring and evaluation. The NCO education section works closely with the Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and its line agencies, as well with International/ Non-Governmental Organizations (I/NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). NCO is closely working with Education Review Office (ERO), Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) to develop national assessment of children based on Early Learning Development Standards (ELDS) (48-60 month) For this placement, the volunteer will be stationed in ERO in Kathmandu, with the expectation that s/he will support the ELDS based assessment to be more rigorous and results to be informative for planning and implementation of programme and policies. S/he will be also responsible to closely work with ECD sections in Ministry and Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) for better implementation of ELDS. Also, the volunteer is expected to work with various Universities and research agencies to build capacity around the ELDS based assessment. Furthermore, the volunteer is expected to support the data management of Early Childhood Education and Development sector. The details of the assessment can be assessed through ERO website: https://www.ero.gov.np/category/14

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the education section, Early Childhood Development Specialist and close coordination with the ERO, Research and Development unit, Section officer with approval from the Director General, the UNV [Early Childhood Education Specialist (Assessment)] will:

• Support the ERO to analyze and improve the ELDS assessment tool, especially for its psychometric properties, to validly and reliably capture children’s holistic development and its different domains
• Assist the ERO in tasks related to the selection, training, evaluation, and monitoring of enumerators for high quality data collection work
• Support the ERO for developing and implementing transparent data management system: e.g., documentation of processes for data collection (sample size calculation, sampling methods), data cleaning, data analysis and report writing.
• Prepare training packages on sampling, enumerator training, data cleaning, data analysis and reporting.
• Support the ERO to generate empirical evidence, using the ELDS assessment data, to inform policy makers for effective and sustainable ECED policies and program quality improvement Coordinate with other experts for technical assistances for assessment analyses and large scale research/assessment work when necessary.
• In coordination with CEHRD, support ERO to develop professional development activities for school leaders (i.e., school principals and administrators) to develop their capacity to support ECE facilitators and school teachers so that children can be instructed in developmentally appropriate learning environment
• Engage and train young researchers to be able to support technical work required for ELDS assessment.
• Assist parent engagement activities with a special attention to align the understanding of developmentally appropriate practice between ECD workforce and parents so that any ECD interventions will be more comprehensive and sustainable
• Manage ECED related data from EMIS and other relevant sources for broader analysis
• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
• As an active ERO & UNICEF team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high quality support rendered to ERO & UNICEF and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

–  Increased capacity of the ERO to conduct and present the ELDS assessment for better ECED policies;
– Increased capacity of ERO and CEHRD to support related stakeholders in development appropriate practice;
– Increased institutional capacity and knowledge management within the ERO and CEHRD;

• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Eligibility criteria
Age: 35 – 80
Nationality: Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.

Requirements

Required experience

15 years of experience in similar types of learning and development assessment related area

• Have skills and experience to analyze developmental and/or leaning assessments, at least at basic level of psychometrics (eg. Item analysis, reliability analysis)
• Have skills and experience to conduct large scale quantitative research (survey development, sampling design, data analysis and report writing)
• Working knowledge of data analysis applications like SPSS, Stata, R. (All current data are in R)
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
• Respect for diversity and adaptability to other cultures, environments and living conditions;
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and mail/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
• Have affinity with or interest in Early Childhood Education and Development, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System

Area(s) of expertise: Education
Driving license: –

Languages:
English, Level: Fluent, Required
Nepalese, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in Statistics, Psychology, Early Childhood Education or any related field

Competencies and values

Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;

Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;

Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;

Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.

Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;

Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary;

Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Other information

Living conditions and remarks

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. As this assignment is based on Education Review Officer, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, s/he will require to commute at least 3 or 4 times a week to Sanothimi and once/ twice a week to UNICEF office, Pulchowk, Lalitpur. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.

Advertisement end date: 10/10/2023

Tagged as: Education Specialist, Kathmandu, NGO INGO, UNICEF