Terms of Reference

for

Development of Education Sector Committee Learning Hub

1.    Background

The Education Sector Committee (ESC) is a coordination forum that unites diverse organizations working in the field of education including the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MOECHE), Federal Member States Ministries of Education (FMS MOEs), Implementing Partners, UN agencies, donors, local education academic and research institutions. Its primary aim is to prioritize and coordinate interventions, advocate for funding, and enhance performance and capacity to improve children's education. 

The General Education Act Law, introduced in 2017 and adopted in 2021, established education as a fundamental human right and outlined the government’s strategy for free, inclusive and equitable education. While the law covered both non-formal and formal education from pre-primary to tertiary, only public primary and intermediate education levels were mandated to be free of charge. These new provisions followed on from the previously fragmented education system that existed during the civil war, which saw the destruction of more than 75% of existing schools, and the responsibility for the provision of education taken over by communities, NGOs and private entities in the absence of a central government. Today, education in Somalia is provided by a multitude of actors: government schools, private providers, community-run organizations, local NGOs, and umbrella organizations and INGOs. These actors make varying contributions to schools and are distributed unevenly across the FMS and regions.

In 2018, the European Union commissioned a review of the education sector coordination mechanisms in Somalia and provided recommendations to streamline them into more effective, coherent, and productive structures contributing to improve their effectiveness. The report confirmed that the ESC is generally a good coordination structure, but its functions require review and further clarification. The report highlights the need to find out what, when, where, and how development partners are doing in Somalia and to align development programs so that synergies are harnessed and sustained. Additionally, the report notes the need to make the office of the ESC Coordinator an information repository for all programs funded by all development partners and the government. In 2020, per the EU-funded report, a new Education Sector Coordinator was appointed. The Coordinator has been working under the overall guidance and leadership of the Ministries of Education, taking note of their different priorities, and coordinating with other education technical advisors. The Coordinator has provided support and technical assistance to the ministries including the FMS, on coordination, strategic planning, education sector planning frameworks, resource mobilization strategies, communications, monitoring and evaluation, and inter-governmental coordination.

2.    Rationale for the Development of Education Sector Coordination Learning Hub

The Somalia Education Sector Committee (ESC) plays a crucial role in promoting education development in the country. To enhance its effectiveness, it is essential to strengthen its capacity as a learning hub. This entails developing repository for managing and sharing learning assets and resources and implementing strategies to facilitate learning transfer, exchange, and uptake to adopt and implement knowledge, skills and best practices that are shared and learned through the ESC’s learning hub, particularly at the Federal Member State (FMS) FMS level.

Currently, there are still gaps in education sector coordination, such as fragmented communication and inconsistent access to up-to-date resources. These gaps impede the

efficient implementation of educational initiatives and policies, resulting in disparities in educational quality and outcomes. The creation of a learning hub aims to address these issues by providing a centralized, easily accessible platform for resource sharing, continuous learning, and collaborative problem solving. The learning hub will ensure that stakeholders have up-to-date knowledge by providing regular updates and disseminating evidence-based resources focusing on education programming best practices. Furthermore, it will improve stakeholder engagement and coordination, resulting in more unified and effective approaches needed to strengthen the education sector.

1.    Objectives

To strengthen the ESC as learning hub, the primary objective of this assignment is to develop a comprehensive plan for the ESC to become a robust learning hub. The objectives are informed by the enabling factor analysis that was conducted in November 2021 by the local education group with support from the Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP). The primary objectives of this assignment include:

• Establishing repository for management and sharing of learning assets based on existing knowledge management platforms in Somalia

• Developing strategies to enhance learning transfer and exchange

• Increasing learning uptake, particularly at the FMS level

• Improving the ESC’s ability to facilitate knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaborative practices among Somali education stakeholders

• Fostering partnerships with international organizations and leveraging additional expertise and resources.

• Developing robust and efficient Education Sector Coordination mechanisms that align with the existing MOECHE FMS MOE EMIS system/structure and adhere to relevant policy guidelines.

2.    Scope of Work

The consultancy is centered on the establishment of a learning hub to improve the coordination in the Somalia education sector. This learning hub will serve as a centralized platform for sharing project data, knowledge, best practices, and resources among education stakeholders, including state and national education ministries, donors, NGOs, INGOs and community organizations. Parameters of activity will include review of existing knowledge management platforms in Somalia, the design and creation of a consolidated online digital platform where users can find program data, materials, lessons and policies. Further, there will be learning hub components for collection and analysis of education program data that can help in the formulation of policies and decisions.

Additionally, the consultancy will entail the development of technical and managerial capacity of the education sector coordinator to support the learning hub once it has been set up. These will entail providing orientation sessions on use of the digital platform, content upload, and data analysis. Moreover, the project will engage educational institutions and international organizations to update and expand the learning hub’s content regularly. The target system should be an interactive, real-time, and simple-to-use system for improving the coordination process and information sharing, hence strengthening partnerships across Somalia’s education sector.

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-Be2EotEH4EoaqbiXz8KlUNA_qw9GpY/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115533651511802987104&rtpof=true&sd=true

 Specific tasks include:

·         Conduct a needs assessment of the ESC's current capacity in knowledge management, learning transfer, and exchange.

·         Design a system for organizing, storing, and managing learning assets/resources (toolkits, manuals, learning briefs, evaluations, etc.) produced within the Somalia education sector.

·         Create user-friendly repository for managing and sharing learning assets, including a centralized digital platform to organize and easily access educational resources like toolkits, manuals, briefs, and evaluations.

·         Identify strategies to increase the uptake of learning assets and knowledge sharing at the FMS MOEs level.

·         Train the ESC staff on knowledge management, learning transfer, and exchange practices.

·         The consultant will be required to present the report to the ESC wider members in the ESC monthly coordination meeting for feedback purposes and incorporate ESC member’s feedback.

1.    Special Terms and Conditions

All data and information obtained from the Education Sector Committee (ESC) and stakeholders for this assignment are confidential and will be used solely for the purposes of executing this Terms of Reference (TOR). The ESC learning hub and its materials will be the intellectual property of the MOECHE and must be protected from unauthorised third-party access, misuse of information, misrepresentation, disclosure to third parties etc through copyright and branding guidelines. These materials will not be transferred to any third party in any form (hard copy or soft copy). Those utilizing the ESC learning hub will be expected to respect and adhere to the ESC learning hub branding guidelines, to ensure consistent use of imagery, accurate use of ESC brand names, logos, promotional materials, and introductory information. In addition, products generated as a result of this consultancy must comply with GPE’s protocol for communication related to GPE grants available via https://www.globalpartnership.org/content/protocol-communications-gpe-grants

2.    Supervision and Guidance

At all times, the consultant will work under the direct supervision and overall guidance of the Education Sector Coordinator. The Coordinator will collaborate with the consultant to ensure the quality implementation of deliverables in accordance with established standards. The ESC Coordinator, the MOECHE, and CARE’s Technical Team led by the Chief of Party are responsible for providing general instructions and guidelines as well as for conducting regular reviews of the consultant's work to ensure it aligns with CARE’s program quality standards.

3.    Eligibility Criteria

·         Advanced degree in Education, Educational Management, Educational Technology, or related field.

·         At least 7-10 years of experience in the education sector, focusing on capacity building, and knowledge management. Experience from working in Somalia is an added advantage.

·         Proven track record in designing and implementing learning programs, workshops, and training sessions for educators and administrators.

·         Experience in policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement within the education sector.

·         Strong knowledge of educational technologies and digital learning platforms.

·         Expertise in developing and maintaining online repositories for educational resources.

·         Proficiency in conducting needs assessments, designing curriculum, and evaluating educational programs.

·         Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively.

·         Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, educators, and community members.

·         Familiarity with Learning Management Systems (LMS), online collaboration tools, and other relevant educational technologies.

·         Ability to provide technical support and training for the effective use of digital tools and resources.

4.    Timeframe

The duration of the assignment is 30 working days effective from when the contract is signed. The work is expected to start about mid-December 2024 and should allow adequate time for the provision of review comments, consultations, and approval.

5.    Submission of proposals

The MOECHE invites technical and financial proposals from a qualified consultant. The proposal should include at least three professional references from previous clients in the education sector. Qualified consultants will be awarded an agreement as per CARE International policies and procedures

How to apply:

Submission Information

·         The TOR deadline for submission is 02-03-2025

·         The submission should be emailed to:  [email protected]

·         Questions about TOR should be sent to [email protected]