Local Evaluation – Individual Consultant

Ministry of Education

Improving Early Childhood Development in the West Bank and Gaza (ECD Project)

Vacancy Announcement 

Consultants Services- 04/2021

Introduction:

The Ministry of Education has received a grant from the World Bank, International Development Association (IDA) towards the cost of the Improving Early Childhood Development in the West Bank and Gaza - ECD. The project aims at improving the coverage and quality of targeted early childhood development services for children from gestation until age 5 in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) intends to apply part of the project proceeds for the following individual consultant service:

Position: Local Evaluation – Individual Consultant

Main Tasks, Responsibilities and Scope of Work:

The local evaluation consultant will work under the supervision of the Ministry of Education for an estimated duration of 4 months to collect information on teaching practices and challenges in KG service delivery of both public and private KGs in West Bank and Gaza, and do a mapping of existing KG teacher training materials and other relevant policy documents.

The local evaluation consultant will work on four tasks.

• Conducting interviews and focus group discussions with KG teachers, principals, supervisors, and local ECE faculty

The consultant will conduct individual interviews with KG teachers and principals from both public and private KGs. In addition, the consultant will organize focus group discussions with KG teachers, KG principals, KG supervisors, and ECE faculty from each of the local universities that will be involved in the delivery of the KG Teacher Professional Diploma. The interviews and focus group discussions will follow detailed guidelines, a specific sample, and questionnaires to be provided by the joint MOE-WB KG Quality Task Force.

• Compiling and mapping information on existing KG teacher training materials, policies, and practices

For this task, the local consultant will:

• collect all KG teacher training curricula and materials (including, for example, presentations, handouts, lesson plans, and supporting materials such as video/audio recordings) currently used by the Palestinian Ministry of Education, local universities, and relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in both West Bank and Gaza. Collected materials should be digitized by the consultant and compiled in a way such that they can be easily accessed by the MOE-WB KG Quality Task Force.
• observe and record at least five pre-service KG teacher training classes delivered by local universities that will support the KG Teacher Professional Diploma rollout.
• review the Palestinian KG curriculum, the Palestinian Teacher Professional Development Index (PTPDI), and Palestinian KG quality standards with a view to how these documents can inform the design of the KG Teacher Professional Diploma.
• map existing KG teacher training resources and practices in Palestine based on a template to be provided by the MOE-WB KG Quality Task Force.
• Conducting KG classroom observations and collecting video recordings

The local consultant will conduct KG classroom observations that are fully aligned with international best practice to gather information on strengths and weaknesses of Palestinian KG teachers. During classroom observations, the local consultant will (1) collect video recordings in line with the technical instructions outlined in Annex A of these Terms of Reference, and (2) administer the BEQI classroom observation tool[1] using a mobile app. The World Bank team will provide training to the local consultant on the use of the tool. The classroom observations will be conducted in public and private KGs of different quality levels across all regions of West Bank, as per sampling guidelines to be provided by the MOE-WB KG Quality Task Force. 

• Summarizing all findings in a technical report

The findings from tasks (1)-(3) will be summarized in a concise technical report (to be provided in both English and Arabic), with a focus on how this data can inform the design of the KG Teacher Professional Diploma and the Palestinian Quality Assurance System.

In this report the consultant should present effective recommendations to inform both the development of the KG Teacher Professional Diploma and potential support measures for KG teachers to embed in the Palestinian KG quality assurance system.

[1] For more information on the tool, see https://www.ecdmeasure.org/beqi/. Note that the English version of the tool will be administered.

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Minimum Required Qualifications:

• MA in Early Childhood Education / Education.

• More than 7 years of demonstrated expertise in early childhood education (child pedagogy, early literacy, early numeracy, learning through play, etc.); e.g. teaching of courses in pre-service and/or in-service training programs for KG teachers.
• Extensive knowledge of evidence-based international best practices relating to teacher professional development programs at kindergarten and/or basic education level.
• Demonstrated experience conducting classroom observations and transcribing focus group discussions.
• Demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of evaluation for pre-service and/or in-service professional development programs targeting kindergarten and/or basic education teachers.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Arabic; fluency in English.

Timeline and expected level of effort:

The consultant is expected to work during the period August 15th – November 30th, 2021, with an expected level of effort of 50 staff days. The consultant will be required to travel to kindergartens in different geographic areas in West Bank.

Interested consultants may refer to the detailed Terms of Reference from www.palpcu.ps

Applications must include (cover letter, CV describing similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc. and three references) must be delivered by email to [email protected] titled as follows: (Local Evaluation Consultancy _Applicant Name) no later than August 4th, 2021 by 3:00 p.m. Emails with wrong titles or missing information will immediately  disregarded.

       Prof. Marwan Awartani

Minister of Education