Job Description

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Consultancy for review and finalization of the Education in Emergencies (EiE) Policy and Development of Gender and Social Inclusion Guidelines for Education in Emergencies (EiE) Implementers in Somalia.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Somalia has faced protracted humanitarian crises, including conflicts, natural disasters, and the ongoing effects of climate change, which have severely disrupted the education system and affected the ability of some children living in these crisis contexts to access quality education and to advance, succeed, and remain in education. In response, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MOECHE), Federal Member States and BRA Ministries of Education and its partners have made efforts to establish and strengthen the country's Education in Emergencies (EiE) provision mechanisms. Recognizing the urgent need for structured education responses during emergencies, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE), with support from partners, developed a draft Education in Emergencies (EiE) Policy in 2021 under ECW‑funded project. While this draft was shared with key stakeholders, it was not officially endorsed, translated, disseminated, or implemented. Additionally, no accompanying implementation guidelines or monitoring framework were developed.

However, in the context of ongoing crises, there is need to finalize the draft EiE policy and develop accompanying guidelines that address the unique challenges marginalized and vulnerable groups face, ensuring that education delivery is equitable and inclusive. 

Strengthening gender responsiveness and social inclusion in EiE service provision is critical for achieving sustainable education outcomes in Somalia, ensuring the continuity of learning, and safeguarding the rights of children, especially in conflict-affected areas. Ongoing humanitarian crises that affect the provision of quality, equitable, and inclusive education in Somalia necessitating the review and finalization of the EiE policy and development of the accompanying guidelines that promote gender responsiveness and social inclusion principles within educational programs.

1.1. About the Girls’ Education Accelerator (GEA) Program

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding platform that galvanizes global and national support for education in developing countries, focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable children and youth. The partnership aims to accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable, inclusive, and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. 

The Girls’ Education Accelerator (GEA) is a three-year (2024-2027) partnership between the Federal Ministry of Education (MOECHE) and GPE. The programme intends to enhance equitable access to quality and inclusive education in rural and urban areas by addressing supply and demand barriers, particularly those related to gender and social inclusion. The GEA’s design is aligned with the Somalia Partnership Compact, which is, in turn, informed by the 2022 Education Sector Analysis and 2022 Enabling Factors Analysis. The GEA is designed to address the barriers hindering improvements in girls’ education outcomes, identified by prior research conducted in-country. It also seeks to scale up effective practices boosting girls’ access, learning, and retention previously identified by rigorous studies conducted in Somalia. 

Under the leadership of the MOECHE, the GEA program will contribute to reducing the gender gap in primary education by improving girls’ education outcomes, with a specific focus on those facing multiple barriers related to displacement, conflict, disability, and social vulnerability. To accomplish this, the GEA will strengthen institutional capacity and mechanisms – policies, supervision, reporting, monitoring – incorporating gender transformative and socially inclusive practices in education management in Somalia. The program will be implemented across all Federal Member States and Banaadir Regional Administration (BRA).

1.2. Program Objective and Components

The overall objective of the program is to enhance equitable access to quality and inclusive education in rural and urban areas. This will be achieved through three outcomes: 

1. Outcome 1: Equitably increased primary gross enrolment rate. 
2. Outcome 2: Equitably improved literacy, numeracy outcomes, and completion rates. 
3. Outcome 3: Strong regulatory and financing framework.

The Department of Inclusive Education in MOECHE, with the support of the GEA program, will conduct a review and finalization of the draft EiE policy and develop guidelines for EiE implementers to strengthen gender responsiveness and social inclusion in EiE service provision in Somalia. The aim is to contribute to improved education outcomes for all learners.

2.0 Purpose

The purpose of this Terms of Reference (TOR) is to outline the process for reviewing and finalizing the draft EiE policy and accompanying comprehensive guideline for EiE  implementers focusing on integrating gender and social inclusion into EiE initiatives in Somalia and aligned with Education Acts and Policies as well as the Inter-Agency for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Minimum Standards and the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reeducation and Alliance in the Education Sector (GADRESS).

The MOECHE aims to review and finalize the draft EiE Policy and develop Gender-Responsive and Social Inclusion Guidelines to ensure uninterrupted access to safe, inclusive, and high-quality education for children and youth during and after crises such as conflicts, natural disasters, and pandemics. These will be used to plan and mitigate long-term consequences like school dropouts, child labour, and early marriage while fostering protective learning environments that integrate psychosocial support and referral services. It is expected that through strengthening emergency preparedness and response efforts, promoting collaboration among education stakeholders, and addressing gender-specific and inclusion barriers, the two documents will enhance resilience, stability, and equitable access to education, particularly for marginalized groups such as children with disabilities and internally displaced people (IDPs). The Ministry, through the GEA project, seeks to identify a qualified candidate to support the review and finalization of the draft national EiE policy and develop guidelines and to ensure their alignment with National Education Acts and Policies as well as the INEE Minimum Standards and the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reeducation and Alliance in the Education Sector (GADRRRES).

2.1 Objectives

The primary objective of this TOR is to engage a qualified consultant to review and finalize the draft   Education in Emergencies (EiE) Policy and a develop Gender-Responsive and Social Inclusion Guideline to support the strengthening of education during emergencies in Somalia and promote gender responsiveness and social inclusion in education in emergencies in Somalia.

2.1.2 The specific objective of the TOR includes:

1. Review and finalize the draft education in emergencies policy, enhancing quality and inclusiveness for vulnerable and marginalized groups 
2. Development of guidelines that outline minimum requirements for gender responsiveness and social inclusion components/approaches tailored to the Somali context to enhance the effective delivery of of EiE programming and the timely provision of relevant information on available resources and support mechanisms within the country (training materials, toolkits, service mapping, etc.).
3. Alignment to Somali National Acts and Laws, especially acts and policies existing within the education sector.
4. Alignment to INEE Minimum Standards and the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES).

3.0 Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Education in Emergencies (EiE) Policy Review

• Review the 2021 draft EiE policy and analyze its alignment with current education, gender, and inclusion priorities.
• Conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of existing policies, frameworks, and best practices in education in emergencies with a focus on gender and social inclusion.
• Facilitate consultations with key stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, and community leaders, to gather relevant insights and feedback on EIE.
• Analyze the current educational landscape, identifying areas of strength, gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in gender responsiveness and social inclusion in EiE in Somalia.
• Refine and finalize the policy document incorporating gender responsiveness and social inclusion principles, outlining strategies, guidelines, and implementation mechanisms.
• Develop a framework for monitoring and evaluating the progress and effectiveness of the policy.
• Organise a consultation workshop for MOECHE, FMS, partners and other stakeholders’ review and input.
• Incorporate feedback in the framework document
• Conduct validation of the EIE policy.

1. Gender responsive and social inclusion guidelines for the EiE implementers.

• Draft guidelines that include minimum requirements for gender responsiveness and inclusion in EiE, Context-specific recommendations, practical tips for implementation, mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation and information on relevant resources (training materials, toolkits, etc.) available in Somalia that support implementers on gender and social inclusion in EiE.
• Align the guideline with National Education Acts and Policies as well as INEE minimum standards and the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF).

4.0 Deliverables

1. Inception report outlining the methodology, work plan, and timeline for the assignments.

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2. Review report summarizing key findings on the 2021 draft EiE policy

3. A revised and translated final policy and guidelines for gender responsive and social inclusion document incorporating feedback from stakeholders.

4. A resource list detailing information on available resources and support mechanisms within the country (training materials, toolkits, service mapping, etc.) for EiE implementers.

5. A detailed monitoring and evaluation framework for the policy and guidelines.

6. Stakeholder validation workshop 

7. Final consultancy report.

Experiences and Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Peace and Conflict studies, or related fields.

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in education and emergency contexts.

• Demonstrated expertise in policy development, gender analysis, and stakeholder engagement with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education (MOECHE).

• Proven experience in similar assignments or direct collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education.

• Strong gender analysis and understanding of girl’s participation in education.

• Proficient in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

• In-depth knowledge of education in emergencies and best practices.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, proficiency in English and Somali is a must.

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

7.0 Timeline

The consultancy is expected to be completed within 45 working days from the date of contract signing.

 12. Payment Schedule

Payment will be done upon 100% completion of the assignment and submission of consultancy final product such as approved EIE policy, Gender Responsive guideline and final consultancy report.

13. Application Requirements

Interested firms/Companies are requested to submit a comprehensive proposal including:

• Technical Proposal: Understanding of the TOR and proposed methodology, detailed work plan and timeline and firm/company capacity statement, including relevant experience.
• Financial Proposal: proposed detailed budget should include a detailed breakdown, covering all aspects of the proposed activities, including personnel costs/fees, travel, logistical expenses for stakeholders’ engagement meetings. The budget should be presented in USD
• Supporting Documents: Legal registration proof/references from previous clients for similar assignment done.

10. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical quality and responsiveness to the TOR (40%)
• Updated CVs for Technical assigned to this activity including relevant work experience and qualifications (20%)
• Proof of two Similar contracts undertaken by the Consulting Firm (10%)
• 2 client references with complete contact information. The reference should be updated and linked to the reports/contracts provided (10%)
• Financial proposal (cost-effectiveness and reasonableness) (20%)
• Valid certificate of Registration from the Federal Ministry of Commerce – Essential, Fail/Pass
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate – Essential Fail/Pass

Note: A Company must score 50% and above in the technical evaluations so as to be considered for the next evaluation process**.**

Skills Required

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