Location: Terms of reference for International consultancy services on educational decentralization policy development Primary Category: Type of Contract: Post Level: Chisinau, Republic of Moldova Educational Decentralization Individual contract Starting Date : July 1, 2012 (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) International consultant P4 Expected Duration of Assignment: 4 months A. BACKGROUND UNDP and UN Women in partnership with the Government of Moldova (State Chancellery) are implementing the Joint Integrated Local Development Programme (JILDP) funded by the Government of Sweden. UNICEF is supporting the line ministry and local public authorities in the promotion of decentralisation in the education sector, ensuring that all children have access to quality education. UN interventions in the field of decentralization are designed to improve the policy framework, as well as to support the administrative system and procedures focused on efficient transfer of competencies to Local Public Administrations (LPAs), further decentralization and promotion of LPAs role in decision making. JILDP also helps building the capacity of LPAs to plan, implement and monitor their strategic plans and improve local public service delivery, involving civil society and community efforts and participation. By applying human rights based approach and gender mainstreaming, the programme seeks to secure positive change in areas of human rights, tackling social exclusion and ensuring gender equality. The main results achieved by the Moldovan authorities in the field of decentralisation are: The Parity Commission on Decentralization (PCD) was established to coordinate the Decentralization reform Ten sectoral Working Groups of the PCD comprised of representatives of the Central Government, LPAs and civil society were created. These groups design and oversee the implementation of the decentralisation policy in the respective fields. The National Decentralisation Strategy (NDS) was designed through a participatory process and was approved by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova on April 5, 2012. The recently developed NDS is the main policy document in the field of local public administration which provides the general strategic framework and overarching principles, as well as the national mechanisms for decentralisation and ensuring genuine local autonomy in Moldova. As outcomes, besides other objectives, decentralization process in the Republic of Moldova seeks gender equality and human rights promotion for women, men and communities, social inclusion for vulnerable or
marginalized groups, and aims to ensure in development processes, equality of opportunities and dignity for all. At the same time, for a comprehensive and successful implementation of the decentralisation policy, the NDS envisions the development of sectoral policy documents that will design and guide the decentralisation reform in various fields. In this context, a working group on educational decentralization was created under the auspices of the Parity Commission. This working group is hosted by the Ministry of Education which provides the secretariat and facilitates the activity of the group, as well as ensures the consistency of the educational decentralization policy with the government priorities and the specificity of this field. UNICEF, UNDP and UN Women are seeking an International consultant who will support the working group on educational decentralization in its reflection on decentralisation in education and the modalities to delegate the competencies related to education to local actors, for the best interest of all children. B. Overall Goal of the assignment The international consultant will assist the working group on educational decentralisation and the State Chancellery in designing the decentralisation policy document in the field of education. C. Organizational setting The international consultant will work under direct supervision of the UNICEF Chief of social Policy Programme, in strong collaboration, with UNICEF education officer and the representatives of the working group on educational decentralization, State Chancellery and the JILDP Program Manager. The international consultant will be assisted by the national consultant on educational decentralization to perform the required tasks. At the same time, the consultant will work in cooperation with the international consultant supporting the working group in the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and the JILDP human rights policy advisor on integrating the human rights based approach and gender equality mainstreaming into the sectorial policy document on educational decentralization; as well as with the Congress of Local Public Authorities from Moldova (CALM) who is currently setting up a consultation mechanism with the local public authorities and Ministry of Education. D. Scope of the assignment The International Consultant will be responsible for supporting the working group created at the Ministry of Education in developing the sectorial policy document on decentralising education in the Republic of Moldova based on the principles of gender equality and human rights based approach (accountability, non-discrimination, transparency and participation). The overall goal of the policy document on educational decentralisation is to identify and justify the strategic options and provide guidance for decentralising education services in the Republic of Moldova.
In developing the educational decentralisation policy document, the international consultant will perform the following: 1. Identify in a participatory manner, describe and analyse the main problems related to the following aspects of education service provision in the Republic of Moldova, but not limited to: a) Issues that prevent local and central authorities in ensuring the quality of education services, equity and access to education services, inclusion and adaptability to special needs, community participation and transparency in the educational management at the local level b) Local and central government competences and responsibilities in providing educational services, including with respect to education service provision by the private sector at the local level c) Resources: financial resources and current and planned financial flows, property management and maintenance, registration at the local level, human resources and institutional capacity of local and central governments for providing education services d) Management: education services management at local level, the relations between different layers of governments in ensuring education service provision, 2) Define the overall goal and objectives of the educational decentralisation policy document 3) Provide policy options for addressing issues identified in the inception phase 4) Perform the impact analysis of the proposed policy options, covering also the administrative and financial cost implications and the cost-benefit analysis, as well as implications for the children and their families, representing the most vulnerable groups of Moldova. 5) Identify and recommend to the working group on educational decentralisation the most optimal policy option, as well as an Action Plan for its implementation 6) Elaborate and propose the institutional framework, monitoring and evaluation indicators, applicable in the Moldovan context, for the policy option chosen by the working group E. Tasks and estimated workload Tasks and Activities 1. Provide assistance to the working group on educational decentralisation in developing the educational decentralisation policy document based on the human rights based approach and gender equality principles 1.1 Design the framework of the policy document adapted to the requirements of the NDS, the national requirements for elaborating the strategic planning documents and the specifics of the educational sector (4 WDs) 1.2 Conduct a desk review, including on inclusive education, human rights based approach and gender equality dimensions, for the elaboration of the educational decentralisation policy document development (4 WDs) 1.3 Develop the policy document on educational decentralisation (12 WDS) Estimated workload (WD) 30 days 1.4 Elaborate policy briefs based on the research conducted and the developed policy document (4 WDs) 1.5 Develop a presentation on the international experience in decentralising education relevant for the issues identified and the Moldovan context (3WDs) 1.6 Ensure the compliance of the educational decentralisation policy document with the national requirements for elaborating the strategic planning documents, the National Decentralisation Strategy, and the specifics of the education sector (3WDs)
2. Participate in the meetings of the working group on educational decentralisation 2.1 Participate in the debates of the working group on educational decentralisation 2.2 Make presentations for the working group on educational decentralization on the following subjects: a) the designed concept framework of the policy document, the main findings of the problem identification and analysis, international experience on decentralizing education services b) the policy options c) the final version of the educational decentralization policy document d) other issues as it might be needed. 2.3 Make the necessary adjustments to the policy documents on educational decentralisation based on the findings/decisions of the working group on educational decentralisation 10 days The international consultant will spend at least 10 working days in Moldova. F. Responsibilities For achieving the goals and performing the tasks mentioned above, the international consultant will be responsible for the following, but not limited to them: Lead and carry out the research activities, and identify the main stakeholders to be interviewed /consulted, lead the discussions/interviews with the main stakeholders, identify the main data needed for carrying out the analysis, as well as contribute to their collection Lead the process of elaborating the policy document on educational decentralisation based on human rights and gender equality principles Identify additional comprehensive data, if necessary, as well as specify the terms of references for potential studies in support of the educational decentralisation policy in the Republic of Moldova Ensure the quality of all deliverables as per these terms of reference, as well as their timely submission G. Deliverables and Timeframe: The assignment should be carried out within a period of four months. Deliverables 1. Inception Report compiling the methodology to be applied for this task submitted, including the adapted framework for the policy document 2. Intermediary Report compiling: 1.The results of the data collection and research conducted for problem identification and analysis 2. International experience on decentralizing education services 3. Presentations on the conceptual framework, problems identified and analyzed, international experience Estimated timeframe 10 July, 2012 August 24, 2012
3. Intermediary Report compiling: September 28, 2012 1. The educational decentralization policy document, including the Action Plan 2. Policy briefs on the educational decentralization policy document 3. Presentations on the policy option analysis and the final version of the educational decentralization policy document, including the Action Plan 4. Terms of references for additional studies, if applicable 4. Final Activity report submitted October 31, 2012 All deliverables shall be endorsed by UNICEF, the working group on educational decentralization, the State Chancellery and the JILPD senior management. H. Minimum qualification criteria: Corporate Values and Competencies: Adheres to the core values of the United Nations; in particular, is respectful of differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status, as well as displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN/UNICEF/UNDP/UN Women. Competencies: Good understanding of decentralization reforms, particularly in the area of education in the CEE countries Understanding of Moldovan development context, specifically with regard to Central Public Administration and Local Public Administration sectors reforms Knowledge of public sector reforms currently undertaken at local level by the Moldovan Government will be an asset Knowledge of gender equality and human rights concerns, particularly children s rights, and best practices related to education, public administration, local public administration and local development Functional: Robust analytical and writing skills Ability to produce deliverables in due time and within cost and quality standards Fluency in English (written & oral), Romanian or Russian will be an asset Proficiency in computer applications (Windows, MS Office, IE, Outlook) Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills Demonstrated capacity of team-orientation work. Required Skills and Experience
Education: MA and/or PhD in Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Law or other relevant fields Experience At least 5 years of proven experience of research and analysis in the field of public policies, education policies, public administration and multi-disciplinary studies, decentralization and intergovernmental relations The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply. Description of the official travel involved The international consultant is expected to take maximum three trips to the country where he/she will be accompanied by the local consultant during his/her meetings and field visits. All travel arrangements will be made by the International consultant with the support of local consultant in consultation with UNICEF. Performance indicators Consultancy s performance will be evaluated against the following criteria: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, and quality of the products delivered.