Task
School Safety and Contingency Planning
Purpose
Advocate and Support Schools with Education Sector Risk Assessments, Contingency and Response Plans
Target
Community Education Committees, Teachers and Parents
Locations
Banadir and Galmudug State (Somalia)
Duration
35 days
Background Information
Vulnerability of primary education to disasters in Somalia is multi-pronged and multifaceted. This calls for responses at various levels of administration and engagement of various stakeholders at different levels including changes in policies, institutions and mindset of the stakeholders. The Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Project is cognisant of the complexities around school vulnerabilities and is intentional on designing mitigation strategies, approaches and actions accordingly. The drive is to create a shift from reactive approaches and actions of the education community towards disasters to a more risk reduction approaches and actions that requires a certain depth and time of engagement with stakeholders. While the Ministry of Education in different States strive to ensure learning continues with minimal interruptions, a major barrier to this aspiration is the perpetual disaster occurrences in schools. Flooding, protracted droughts, disease outbreaks including the global novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) that has disrupted people’s livelihoods and learning. During crisis, the health, safety and wellbeing of learners, teachers and education personnel is a priority since a slight disruption of the education system may lead to loss of education gains.
Schools are hubs of social activity and human interaction and therefore, schooling provides essential learning. When schools close, children and youth do not only miss out of on social contact that is essential to learning but are also deprived opportunities for growth and development. Disruption of learning carry high social and economic costs and affect everyone across the communities. The impact is however severe for disadvantaged boys and girls and their families. The disadvantages are disproportionate for children living with disabilities who tend to have fewer educational opportunities beyond school. When schools close parents are often asked to facilitate the learning of children at home and can struggle to perform this task because both the children and parents/guardians are unprepared for distance and home schooling This is especially true for parents with limited education and resources. There is also a bigger challenge to ensure that children and youth return and stay in school when schools reopen after protracted closures.
Purpose and Objective of the Consultancy
Emergency situations create circumstances in which threat and loss are common. However, people and communities often have capacities to cope with the distress caused by emergencies. What is always needed is assistance to reinforce such existing capacities as protective factors and promote resilience. The planned psychosocial support intervention aims to strengthen individuals’ protective factors, minimize risks, and promote psychosocial well-being of learners.
The following objectives are to be achieved:
i. Develop context-appropriate strategies for a safe learning environment both at school and remotely;
ii. Institute measures for quality, age-appropriate acquisition of lifesaving and disaster preparedness skills and psychosocial support for wellbeing and resilience of children and their communities;
iii. Support schools to implement the safe school operations guidance with government and local partners;
iv. Enhance coordinated and informed actions of national level platform for reducing disaster risks in schools;
Rationale for School Contingency Planning
Schooling provides essential learning and when schools close, children and youth are deprived opportunities for growth and development in growing their competencies. The disadvantages are disproportionate for under-privileged learners who tend to have less access to educational opportunities beyond school. Insecure schools lead to high dropout rates since is a challenge to ensure children and youth return and stay in school when schools reopen after protracted closures due to early marriages, child labour, drug and substance abuse occasioned by frustration. Young and adolescent girls face greater vulnerabilities such as domestic/gender-based violence when not in school. In difficult economic times, boys are more likely to drop out of school to support family economic activity or take employment outside of the home thereby increasing child labour. Children and youth with disabilities, along with other marginalized populations; including children from minority groups, are neglected in the best of times and face heightened learning risks during prolonged school closures. Schools and learning centres are places for communities to address health related issues, including mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), which the most vulnerable students rely on for their wellbeing and development to learn. Against this, young people stand to be affected by trauma or mental health issues. It is therefore imperative that seamless learning is sustained to ensure that children do not lose out on essential learning times that could have an impact on their developmental milestones.
In view of this, there is need for strategies and plans for prevention of risks, hazards, disasters including infectious diseases and preparedness of learners, teachers and school communities including mechanisms to offer effective supportive case management in and out of school. The rationale for this response plan is therefore, to guide basic education in the overall readiness and response for emergency including COVID-19 to enable learning to continue and the education system to recover and transit smoothly post any disaster or pandemic.
Scope of Work
This contingency plan targets learners and teachers in basic education institutions with a focus to most vulnerable and poor learners including learners with special needs and disabilities. The assignment should be a highly participatory process to ensure that the tools to be developed are rooted in best practices and there is buy-in from the key partners including Education Sector stakeholders. Minimum research, analysis, extensive consultation and synthesis of existing policies and legislation.
The scope of work will specifically entail the following:
- Assessment of the physical location and infrastructural stability of the schools and constructions to withstand disasters;
- Institutional preparedness of schools in protecting education from disasters;
- Strengthen capacity of stakeholders on sustainable preparedness measures to reduce disaster risks in schools and stimulate organised actions for emergency response and recovery;
- Analyze existing guidelines, policies and legislation on school disaster risk management (DRM) and in-build the provisions into the school contingency plans;
- Full community engagement with clear communication and information channels;
- Develop a framework for school contingency plans for disaster preparedness, risk reduction response;
- Measures with regards to gender differences including for children with disabilities for continued learning;
- Sustained engagement of teachers with their classes and students to monitor progress, assign new lessons and to provide psychosocial support services as may be appropriate;
- Referral mechanisms for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) as may be appropriate;
Methodology
The ToT Training Guide will be required for facilitate simple and understandable training techniques that can easily be understood by the participants. Participatory training will be critical to stimulate learning and facilitate discussion. Relevant case analysis, lectures and presentations will be the main training methodologies. In overall, least cost but most effective approaches for delivering the assignment shall be employed. The viability of the proposed approaches and methodologies will be discussed by the project team prior to commencement of the assignment.
Expected Deliverables
All deliverables will be completed with guidance, input and feedback from the Project Manager or designate. The following outputs are expected:
i. Inception Report and detailed work plan for undertaking the assignment
ii. Debrief with MOEs/ADRA and Implementing Partners on the findings
iii. Draft and Final Training Report including the training manual
iv. Framework for school contingency plans
Further Information
- Logistics: travel logistics for the assignment shall be inclusive of the facilitated funds.
- Fees: shall be payable to the extent of the jointly agreed and costed workplan for the assignment to be delivered.
- Tax and insurance: shall be the responsibility of the contracted party as appropriate during the assignment period.
- Code of conduct: the engaged party shall be bound by the principles and conditions of ADRA’s Code of Conduct.
A contract will be signed by the engaged party prior to commencement of the assignment. The contract may detail additional terms and conditions of service, aspects on inputs and deliverables.
Qualifications and Experience
- At least Bachelor’s degree in Disaster Management/Education or relevant field;
- Demonstrated experience/knowledge in School Safely Planning/Contingency Planning/Vulnerability Capacity Assessment;
- Experience in Policy Analysis/Development;
Knowledge and Skills
₋ Demonstrated knowledge and skills in stakeholder participation techniques;
₋ Demonstrated knowledge and skills in facilitation of workshops;
₋ Demonstrated research and analytical and research skills in the field of policy development;
₋ Strong communication, documentation and presentation skills.
₋ Excellent command of written and spoken English and Somali languages;
Application Requirements:
All expressions of interest should include:
- Cover letter, maximum three pages.
- Detailed curriculum vitae.
- Technical Proposal: maximum 5 pages interpreting the understanding of the TOR, detailed methodology of executing the task, as well as draft work plan.
- Financial Proposal: should provide cost estimates for services rendered including daily consultancy fees but to exclude accommodation and living costs; transport cost; stationeries, and supplies needed for the training as well as costs to be incurred by trainees.
How to apply
For full Terms of Reference (TOR) please visit ADRA Somalia website www.adrasom.org. Applications for this consultancy should be emailed to the Human Resource Manager using the email hr@adrasom.org not later than 28th May 2021, with “Expression of Interest for Contingency Training” in the subject line.
‘’ADRA Somalia is committed to upholding the rights of all children and vulnerable adults that we serve and those we interact with in the course of our work. We endevour to protect all from all forms of abuse and exploitation as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) six core principles on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). ADRA Somalia has zero tolerance to abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries and staff.’’