National consultant on conducting analysis of existing materials on health and gender and revision of the teachers manual

  Every young person will one day have life-changing decisions to make about their sexual and reproductive health. However, the majority of adolescents lack the necessary knowledge to make these decisions responsibly, leaving them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. Comprehensive health and gender education enables young people to protect their health, well-being, and dignity, while advancing human rights and gender equality.

  In the context of Turkmenistan, young people, especially in remote areas remain unaware of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. This lack of awareness is largely attributed to the specific social and cultural characteristics of a muslim country, where topics related to SRHR are often considered sensitive, leading to limited open discussion in family and community. Furthermore, the current level of comprehensive sexual education in the national school system remains low and often fails to provide scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, and non-judgmental information.

   While reproductive health education exists in Turkmenistan, it tends to be limited and often reflects cultural biases rather than international human rights standards. UNFPA supports the Government of Turkmenistan in bridging these gaps by developing curricula that meet international standards while ensuring the content is relevant to the national context and respectful of local cultural sensitivities.

  The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of current issues in education materials related to health & gender topics and develop evidence-based, culturally and age sensitive educational modules and teaching materials on health and gender equality, including men engagement and education of boys and young men in secondary schools.

     The National Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Head of Office and direct supervision of the UNFPA Reproductive Health Programme Analyst and Gender Programme Analyst. The consultant will perform the following tasks:

1. Identification of gaps - 4 working days

• Conduct a thorough analysis of existing Basics of Life Skills. A Methodological Guide for Teachers. Identify gaps between current national content and international standards, specifically addressing how to navigate sensitive SRHR, gender equality and gender-based violence  topics within the Turkmen cultural and religious framework.

Revision and update - 10 working days

• Develop comprehensive, age-appropriate educational modules on health and gender equality for secondary schools. Focus on reproductive health biology, STI/HIV prevention, family planning/responsible parenthood, gender equality, stereotypes, men engagement and men education and prevention of gender-based violence.
• Develop accompanying teaching materials, including teacher guides, and interactive student materials that apply gender-sensitive methodology and promote active learning and critical thinking.
• Develop a "Train-the-Trainer" Tool Kit, including customizable presentation slides, talking points, and workshop agendas. 

Facilitate the  Approval Process Phase - 5 working days

• Prepare and package the first draft for review by key stakeholders.
• Format and adapt the manuscript to comply with the exact formatting, citation, and submission guidelines required by the Ministry of Education.

Capacity Building & Implementation Phase - 6 working days

• Conduct a 6 days onboarding workshops for regional teachers.   

Reporting phase - 2 working days

• Compile all materials in a ready-to-deliver format
• Develop a final consultancy report.

The timeline below shows the final dates of delivery and can be performed earlier than that 

Deliverable 1: Report on the analysis of current issues and gaps in secondary school health and gender education developed by August 10th

Deliverable 2: Draft Basics of Life Skills. A Methodological Guide for Teachers and ToT Toolkit developed by August 25th.

Deliverable 3: Final package of teaching materials developed by September 21st

Deliverable 4: 6-days workshop (including training agenda, presentations) conducted by October 20th.

Deliverable 5. Final consultancy report developed by  November 20th.

Dates of deliverables can be shifted based on internal approval process & counterparts availability.

The UNFPA Programme Analyst on Reproductive Health will monitor the National Consultant’s work through reviewing submitted materials. The consultant will provide an update on a weekly basis on progress, challenges encountered, and support requirements. 

Ethical Considerations

UNFPA requires its consultants to adhere to ethical principles and standards when doing research. The selected consultant should clearly identify any potential ethical issues and approaches, as well as the processes for ethical review in the inception report.

National Ownership

The involvement of appropriate national partners will be a critical condition for the development of all the mission outcome materials in ensuring stakeholder ownership and its subsequent utilisation.

• Advanced degree in Education, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field or first level degree with additional 2 years of experience.
• At least 7 years of experience in curriculum development or pedagogy. 
• Deep understanding of issues related to SRHR,gender equality and gender-based violence.
• Experience in development of similar teaching modules for educational institutions
• Experience in adapting sensitive health & gender related topics to the cultural and social context of Turkmenistan or Central Asia is an asset.
• Fluency in Turkmen or Russian is required.

The consultancy fee will be calculated based on the NO-D level of the of the UN Salary Scale for National Officers categories effective 1 November 2020 and will be paid in a lump sum upon successful completion of deliverables.