REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULA FOR PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOMALIA

REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS 

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a global humanitarian organization with a mission to work with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive change. ADRA Somalia belongs to the world wide network, comprised of more than 130 supporting and implementing country offices. ADRA Somalia is seeking to recruit FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULA FOR PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOMALIA.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultancy falls under the SETS Expanded Action project funded by the European Union, implemented by ADRA and Alight, in partnership with the Ministry for Education, Culture and Higher Education in Mogadishu, and Federal Member States of Jubbaland, Southwest, Hirshabelle and Galmudug. The consultancy will provide technical support and coordinate the participation of selected national and state level technical education stakeholders and industry in developing the curricula for technical secondary schools, curricula which is responsive and relevant to individual and community skill set requirement and labour market demands as identified by the feasibility assessment.

Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Conduct review of the professional technical secondary education curriculum (pre-1990);
2. Conduct a comprehensive review of the results and recommendations made by the feasibility assessment.
3. Prepare a work plan according to the reviewed recommendations of feasibility assessment and the required deliverables.
4. Review relevant/similar programs in Federal Government of Somalia/Puntland/Somaliland and other regions to identify best practices and benchmark in technical courses teaching, training and practice and then compare it with the current program and suggest concrete modifications.
5. Review the methodological guidelines for professional technical secondary schools’ curriculum development;
6. Review and update the curriculum, teaching methods and resources (reference books, electronic tools, etc.), in addition to the Syllabus for each of the subjects including outcomes, teaching strategy, evaluation method, references and contents.
7. Prepare appropriate theoretical and practical training material both in English and Somali for each course
8. Facilitate participatory sessions leading to the development of professional technical schools’ curriculum and evaluation framework;
9. Development of appropriate students’ performance evaluation tools including theoretical and practical exercises at the end of each module to ensure successful delivery of the required skills as determined by labour market surveys and feasibility assessment

More specifically the assignment should cover the following aspects:

1. The curriculum approach piloted will be endorsed by the government and raised from pilot to system level;
2. Consequent approaches to assessment (of individual students, schools and institutions); certification and qualification will be reviewed and advised.
3. Place of workplace learning (for apprenticeship, internship) in the system as a whole is well-defined and organized.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of four main components for each of the three schools: Fisheries, Agriculture, and Veterinary. These are: General Studies courses; Foundation Courses; Professional Courses; and

Supervised Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).

1. General Studies Component: Shall include courses in Technical Maths (Quantitative Skills), general Science and Technology related subjects, English Language and Communication, Computer/ICT, Entrepreneurship Education; Citizenship Education (The Somalia Constitution), Environmental Management and Sustainability, and Social Cultural Studies (History & Religion), The General Studies component shall account for not more than 10-15% of total contact hours for the programme;
2. Foundation Component: Include introductory professional technical education subjects per value chain (theoretical and practical elements-handwork). The number of hours will account for about 10-15% of the total contact hours.
3. Professional Courses are the core for specific value chain areas of Vocational Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine, and Animal Health and Veterinary Courses which give the student the theoretical and practical skills needed to practice in the industry. These may account for between 70-80% of the contact hours.
4. The Supervised Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) shall be for a minimum of three months-maximum 6 months in the relevant Industry. The other three months will be spent on internal attachment with the school facilities to develop some of the designed projects depending on teacher guideline. Upon reaching stage then they will be certified and accredited.

The structure of the curriculum will consist of 4 academic years, where 3 years and six months will be spent in the learning institution. Each school semester shall be of 17 weeks’ duration made up as follows: 15 contact weeks of teaching (Lecture and Practical Exercises), and 2 weeks for Tests, Quizzes, and Examinations, and Registration.

Deliverables:

1. A detailed work plan including the main activities of the process of developing the required curricula, to be submitted within one week after signing the contract.
2. Syllabus for 3 courses that includes, outcomes, evaluation method, teaching strategy, references, and contents.
3. Curriculum mapping and upgraded curriculum for the three identified courses.
4. Eight hours training targeting departments’ faculty members to use the modified curriculum (including the practical training program, syllabus forms, course assignments, define competencies, etc.)
5. An appropriate theoretical and practical training material both in English and Somali for each course (such as: lecture handouts, lecturing slides, practical activities manual).
6. Professionally developed student evaluation tools that must accurately measure the level of student understanding of the material. These tools must include theoretical and practical exercises at the end of each chapter.
7. Detailed conclusions and recommendations related to the necessary teaching methodologies and tools needed for the successful delivery of the objectives of each course.
8. Final Comprehensive Report documenting the whole conducted activities including progress, issues of the curriculum development process results and recommendations.

Administrative Issues

The Consultant will be contracted by the consortium through a competitive hiring process. The consultant should be able work within their location and able to commit to travel to Somalia (Mogadishu and other project target sites) as and when required to engage the team of technical persons from MoECHE and State MoEs. The consultant will be contracted by ADRA Somalia but will work closely with Alight, the Directorate of Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) in the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education (MOECHE). The consultant will be supervised by the ADRA Somalia Project Management Team and he/she will also report to the Director of Technical and Vocational Training at MOECHE Somalia.

The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to ADRA Somalia’s General Terms and Conditions for individual consultants and contractors.

Qualifications of the Consultant

1. Post-graduate degree qualification in relevant field, including Education Planning, Education Economics, Education Pedagogy, Technical Education, Education Public Policy, and International Development or other fields;
2. Five years of experience leading research working, training, and development of curriculum in education and technical vocational training preferably in a developing context;
3. Experience working with EU institutions, UKAID/DFID, USAID, OECD-DAC, and/or other European donors;
4. Experience and a successful track-record leading capture process within complex subject, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal supervision;
5. Subject-matter expertise and experience in a sector relevant to ADRA Somalia, ARC, and Ministry of Education, Culture and High Education (MOECHE) is a plus (e.g., Education in Emergency (EIE), Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), Education for Sustainable Development, Gender in Education, Professional Technical Schooling System; Education Planning, Education Economics, and Non-Formal Education (NFE), Vocational Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine, and Veterinary Training.
6. Strong statistical and analytical, quantitative and qualitative research skills is core to this assignment.
7. Excellent written and oral communication in English; able to convey complex concepts clearly and concisely in writing and orally.
8. Demonstrated ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in ‘remote’ and diverse teams, including as team leader for community dialogue and engagement; outstanding interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment;
9. The ability to work productively and accurately while under pressure in a fast-paced, demanding environment;
10. Flexible work attitude: the ability to work in a team environment and independently and ability to meet unexpected demands, prioritize and multi-task;
11. Ability to travel to different locations within Somalia (up to 50% of time)

How to Apply

For the full Terms of Reference (TOR) please visit ADRA Somalia website www.adrasom.org.

Applications with non-returnable copies of CVs or consultant profiles, testimonials and 2 samples of previous work related to this assignment (curriculum development) should be submitted on or before 5^th March 2021 via email to hr@adrasom.org

All applications should include the following:

• Cover letter (maximum 2 pages) specifying how the consultant(s) is/(are) qualified to conduct the proposed tasks
• Technical proposal (maximum 10 pages). The technical proposal should include (i) brief explanation about the consultant with particular emphasis on previous experience in conducting similar assignment (s) (ii) understanding of TOR and the task to be accomplished (iii) proposed methodology, and (iv) draft work/implementation plan (defining the processes and timelines for the detailed tasks, working days)
• Financial Proposal (maximum 1 page) – a budget proposition for a consultancy fee (excluding travel and logistical costs)

‘’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.’’