National Consultant for the Development of OOSC Policy, Strategy and implementation Plan Education section, 5.5 months, Abuja, Nigeria, (Nationals only), Home based

Contract Duration- Home based

Working arrangement: 5.5 months

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.

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                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

Nigeria is in the depths of a twin crisis in education, a high number of Out of School Children on one hand and a learning crisis on the other hand. Approximately, 3 out of 4 children in Nigeria cannot read with meaning or solve simple math problems.¹ Fewer than 1 in 20 of the poorest children & 1 in 7 children in rural areas have foundational skills.²​ The lack of foundational literacy and numeracy skills affects children’s ability to learn high order skills and increases their risk of repeating classes or dropping out, thereby fuelling the out of school phenomenon. This is further reflected in national literacy rates where the average national literacy rate for Nigeria is 62% - nearly half of women (47%) and nearly one-quarter (29%) of men cannot read or write.

The learning crisis is stalling significant gains that Nigeria has made in getting more children to attend school. Multiple challenges affect the quality of education in Nigeria. If we don’t confront these, we risk stalling progress and losing gains already made for children. Key challenges include low and inequitable participation in early learning with just 63 per cent of five-year-olds engage in organized learning.⁴ At Basic education level, poor teaching and lack of teaching and learnings materials contributes to low learning achievement. At least 1 in 3 primary teachers are unqualified.⁵ Ineffective cascade training has done little to remedy these gaps. Many classrooms lack the teaching and learning materials needed to meet children’s needs. 

These challenges are not insurmountable. There is evidence globally and in Nigeria on what works in improving foundational learning and numeracy. UNICEF and partners have developed effective models to overcome these challenges. From 2012 to 2021, UNICEF, with generous support from the United Kingdom government, managed the Girls Education Project Phase III (GEP3) through which 1.5 million girls were enrolled in school in northern Nigeria.

As part of its efforts to reduce the number of OOSC children, the Federal Ministry of Education through the Director of Basic Education has requested UNICEF to support the development of the OOSC policy and strategy for Nigeria. This will be built on the OOSC Framework that was developed in 2022 while incorporating emerging evidence and the changing context since 2022.

To support this request from FME, UNICEF seeks a consultant to undertake the work which will contribute to UNICEF’s country programme for 2026 – 2027.  

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  External ToR TMC0004580.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:  Master's degree in education development, Sustainable development, Education Policy, out of school phenomenon, Teacher Training, International Relations, or related field 

Work Experience:

• Demonstrated strong working knowledge and experiences in current global issues and best practices in Education.

• Proven experience supporting government led education reforms in any Sub-Saharan Africa region or similar context of Nigeria.

• A minimum of 8 years of experience in education sector planning, developing education plans and education policy documents in Nigeria or similar context.

• Demonstrable experience supporting the development, implementation of initiatives tackling drop-out, enrolment, retention, completion and transition for school-aged children.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in education sector planning and strategy development, particularly on out-of-school programming in Nigeria or similar context.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience translating evidence for and communicating with a broad range of actors (including government) on sensitive issues. 

• Proven experience of the education landscape ideally in Sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria specifically.

• Familiarity with competency-based education standards and instructional design in low-resource or multilingual settings

Desirables:

• Knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape and recent developments in education.

• Familiarity with the Nigerian education context will be considered an asset.

• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies.

• A good understanding of UNICEF’s programmatic areas.

• Ability to work to tight timeframes and flexibility to adjust to needs of government and UNICEF

• Ability to present ideas concisely for diverse audiences and to give practical, actionable advice grounded in evidence.

• Strong writing skills 

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 TMC0004580.xlsx

Remarks:  

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.