Consultancy - Institutional Brokerage - Addressing Education Data Gaps Tender, Canada - 29980285

Procurement Summary

Country : Canada

Summary : Consultancy - Institutional Brokerage - Addressing Education Data Gaps

Deadline : 06 Feb 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 29980285

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
150 Elgin Street P.O. Box 1047 Ottawa, ON, K1P 5V8 Tel: (+ 1.613) 566 44 14 (ext. 4551) Fax (+ 1.613) 566 44 05
Canada
Email :uis.procurement@unesco.org
URL :http://www.unesco.org/

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Consultancy - Institutional Brokerage - Addressing Education Data Gaps.

1. Background:

The quality and quantity of UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) educational data, despite the progress, is still heterogeneous in terms of coverage and quality. This suggests several issues at work: (i) many countries produce scant data because they do not have the resources or internal, national incentives to support enough trained personnel to produce good quality data on a regular basis for many key indicators; (ii) other countries produce data that they do not use for education policy decisions, but do so because of external funding obligations, and/or to comply with specific agendas of external agencies, and this is a weak incentive; (iii) some countries fail to produce data they could use for policy decisions because their limited resources (especially human resources) are being crowded out by the production of data that disproportionally benefits the global commons, such as international tests or large education surveys.

Data production needs a clear purpose and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda has given that purpose. The situations just noted have developed over time, reaching a point where development agencies and catalogues disseminate massive amounts of data, but without a clear idea about their purpose, their use, and their impact on education policy decisions.

There is a clear need of both funding and coordination. In that sense, the Second UN Data Forum has ended with a call for both. The Dubai Declaration aims to establish a funding mechanism - under the mandate of the United Nations Statistics Commission - to raise resources to address the data needs for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and support national statistical systems.

SDG 4 is not the exception. Funding gaps for SDG 4 monitoring require about 280 USD million per year, and an extra 60 USD million in financial aid for low and middle-income countries for data production. The issue is not only how much support is provided, but the way it is provided. The current set-up resembles a fairly disorganized ecosystem where actors do not have full information on needs, capabilities, and so on. Therefore, a first need is to bring order to the ecosystem for data, using information sharing, networking, and coordination of support by both donors and recipients of aid for education statistics, to better mobilize existing funds.

Ensuring and maximizing the effectiveness of financing for capacity development is essential for the success of implementing the SDG 4 agenda. Support to statistical capacity building has been supply-driven and piecemeal, with little emphasis placed on partner countries' demand for data, which in many cases is more focused on external stakeholder needs. Resources are a problem, but also the approach is somewhat flawed. In many cases, external Consultants carry out the work of statistical agencies, an approach described by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as “fix a broken piece in the data machine” without laying out the ability of the system to self-repair in the future (PARIS21).

This situation has changed since 2015, with the United Nations (UN) Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data (CTGAP) (UNSC, 2017) that defines the role of development co-operation providers with a demand driven approach supporting better coordination. The CTGAP proposes action in six strategic areas, each associated with several objectives: 1) co-ordination and strategic leadership on data for sustainable development; 2) innovation and modernisation of national statistical systems; 3) strengthening of basic statistical activities and programmes; 4) dissemination and use of sustainable development data; 5) multi-stakeholder partnerships; and 6) mobilisation of resources and co-ordination of efforts for statistical capacity development.

2. Overall Objective:

The UIS wishes to understand in depth education data gaps. Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the Consultant will report on the issues that could prevent countries to report the SDG 4 indicators in a consistent and sustainable way through conducting research, fieldwork, and data analysis. This will allow UIS to direct its capacity development efforts in the right direction, as well as act as an effective coordinator between donors and recipients.

3. Deliverables:

The Consultant will produce:

1. A framework that outlines the issues behind data reporting

2. The design and implementation of quick tools that allow for the identification of issues behind the market and non-market failures that could be utilized on a global basis

4. Expected duration of the assignment: March 2019 to July 2019.

5. Qualifications and experience required:

Education: Master's degree in a related field (preferably in Economics).

Work Experience:

It is required that the Consultant have a minimum of 20 years experience in programme and project coordination with countries as part of a global initiative and experience with at least 7 projects in survey design and implementation in the field of education and/or learning assessments.

The Consultant should provide at least 3 references related to survey administration and capacity building at the national level.

Previous work experience within the U.N. is desirable; please provide 2-3 references.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your application, in English, electronically by 06 February 2019 to the email address:

uis.procurement@unesco.org

Include the following:

· Curriculum vitae

· A statement indicating how your qualifications and experience make you suitable for this assignment

· Examples of past experience in this area of work and references

Please indicate your name and “Consultancy - Institutional Brokerage” in the subject line.

Please note that this is a re-advertisement and candidates who previously applied need not reapply

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