Save the Children Alliance
Save the Children fights for children's rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children's lives worldwide. Save the Children secures and protects children's rights - to food, shelter, health care, education and freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation.
Closing date: 25 Nov 2009 -- (CLOSED)
Location: Somalia
Hargeisa, Somaliland
Save the Children Denmark is seeking an International Consultant to technically lead and facilitate the process of developing an accelerated comprehensive life skills based (LSBE) education package that meets the needs of present day out-of-school Somali youth.
Together with the MoE of Somaliland the International Consultant will develop the syllabus, students’ textbooks and teachers’ guides for Math, Health & Sciences, Social Studies and English Language. The International Consultant shall make six visits to Hargeisa each for a duration of 15 days in the 10 months of the project period.
Background
The absence of a viable education system continues to hinder Somalia’s progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education “For All (EFA)” goals. The persistent conflict and lack of a central governance system over the past 18 years, has left the majority of young people of ages 10 to 19 without educational opportunities. An entire generation has witnessed the violence and the rapid destruction of key socio-economic and service delivery infrastructures and systems, resulting into sustained economic decline, deprivation and deepening levels of poverty. The impact of the current situation on the principally uneducated but highly impressionable youth is a major global concern. Not only are young people vulnerable to sexual and gender based violence in the current climate of mass displacement and insecurity, but the recruitment of children and young people into various militias has been on the rise in the past years. In addition, the chaotic situation has allowed for escalating levels of criminality throughout the country.
The lack of flexible and appropriate curriculum and education opportunities denies many out of school youth their right to basic education. Youth face significant knowledge gaps and competencies to deal with the many challenges that they face. Youth lack basic education skills, employment and opportunities for participation in good governance initiatives. They are exposed to violence, the risk of HIV-AIDS and drug abuse. A huge number of the out of school children are over-aged, therefore not socially and emotionally able to participate in formal schooling with their young siblings. Many of these young people are engaged in livelihood activities that are incompatible with the formal school calendar and time-table. Thus, they are in danger of remaining illiterate or semi illiterate. Adequate knowledge and concrete life skills including civics and good governance are a critical factor in giving meaning to the lives of the disenfranchised youth.
Overall Objective:
Improved access to and quality of basic education with an emphasis on systematic building of personal and social competencies and developing coping mechanisms for youth to overcome the challenges.
Project Purpose
Increase access and retention to quality basic education. Through a systematic life skills based education approach, young people will gain the necessary skills to identify, cope, avoid or deal with potentially varying situations. The Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) curriculum for youth will be designed to equip young people with appropriate competencies to enable them participate in civics and peace building, prevention of violence and HIV infection, avoidance of drug abuse including khat and support the campaign against retrogressive cultural practices such as FGM and early marriage. The curriculum will be adapted and adopted from the current Alternative Basic Education (ABE) curricula while integrating appropriate life skills to ensure the outcome is an accelerated comprehensive life skills based (LSBE) education package that meets the needs of present day out-of-school Somalia youth.
Target Group
The target group is 10 to 16 years old young people who have totally missed out on education or dropped out due to various reasons. Specifically, the LSBE is expected to meet basic educational needs of vulnerable young people in internally displaced settings (IDPs) and returnees, from poor families hosting IDPs, living in the streets, who are illiterate/semi literate, young adults of coastal fishing communities and from nomadic and hard to reach communities, demobilized youth and reformed pirates
Activities
- The Package development
- The package development will take place by adapting and adopting from the ABE curriculum levels 3, 4, and 5 and using the formal education upper primary curriculum to fill identified gaps.
The Consultants and Somali experts will ensure life skills are well integrated into the curriculum. Use will be made of the UNICEF/CHEP life skills materials.
The adapting/ adopting of level 5 modules (Math, Health & Science and Social Studies) will take place first, followed by their teacher guides. The development of level 6 will then follow. The review, adapting and adopting of English Language module and teacher guides will take place concurrent with the other texts.
The end result of the adapting, adopting and filling gaps will be two modules for levels 5 and 6 of an accelerated LSBE (NFE) curriculum for youth in the four subjects: Math, Health & Science and Social Studies and a full course of English Language (as used by ABE students). The ABE English Language package will be reviewed and adapted for youth in its present arrangement.
The procedure of module development will be as follows:
Stage One: Text analysis of ABE curricula
- Analysis of ABE curriculum levels 3, 4 and 5
- Identification of gaps and text to be omitted
- Identification of contents (from PFE curriculum) to fill up acknowledged gaps
- Development of a syllabus for levels 5 and 6 modules
- Designing a flow chart for the development of the modules
- Creating a work schedule/ plan
Stage Two: Drafting level 5 modules and its teacher guide
- Compiling the appropriate text for the module
- Choosing and adding illustrations to the text
- Editing the draft text
- Review of the text by other/an expert followed by revision
- Review by the Steering committee followed by revision
- Writing/adapting a teacher guide for level 5 module
Stage Three: Drafting level 6 modules and teacher guides
- This will involve a similar process as level 5 module drafting
Outputs / Outcomes
An upper primary LSBE curriculum (syllabus, modules and teacher guides) for Math, Health & Science, Social Studies and English Language (Somali and English copies) as follows:
- Level 5 and 6 Math syllabus
- Level 5 and 6 Health & Science syllabus
- Levels 4, 5 and 6 Social Studies syllabus
- English Language Syllabus
- Level 5 and 6 Math learner Modules (2 textbooks)
- Level 5 and 6 Health & Science learner Modules (2 textbooks)
- Level 4, 5 and 6 Social Studies learner Modules
- A course of English Language modules for youth (2 textbooks)
- Four teacher guides, one per subject (Math, Health & Science and Social Studies English Language)
The Consultants will write the modules in English Language
Key Responsibilities of the International Consultant
- Primarily be responsible for quality assurance and maintenance of appropriate standards. They will advise the MoE aptly.
- Plan the curriculum drafting schedules in consultation with MoE and SCD and will share the agreed plan for the project with the steering Committee for review and endorsement.
- Provide technical leadership to the Steering Committee in developing progress tracking tools for the initiative and quality assurance mechanisms.
- Work with the writers and editors, providing training and technical leadership in the development of a flow chart, the syllabus and in reviewing the draft curriculum (syllabus, textbooks and teacher guides) to ensure it is in line with the prepared checklist.
- All package developers are obliged to present each piece of work to the consultants upon completion on the basis of an agreed time schedule, before initiating the next piece of work.
- Facilitate regular meetings of the technical and writing teams to exchange information, share experiences, influence best practices in order to attain expected standards.
- Interested stakeholders will also maintain consultations and information sharing/exchanges (verbal and/or written) on the performance of the activities.
Qualifications
- At least M.A degree in Curriculum development and a minimum of 10 years of experience in curriculum development and related work
- Concrete experience in leading and managing curriculum development in developing countries
- Specific experience in NFE curriculum development
- Good facilitation and coordinating skills
- Experience in similar work in Somalia/ Somaliland and knowledge of the Somali language is an advantage
Reference Code: RW_7XWCC3-88
