National Consultant: Costing Specialist – Education Sector Analysis (ESA), Education Sector Plan (ESP)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Education!

School Education Sector Plan and Roadmap for Sindh (SESP&R) 2019-2024 was developed in 2019 through collaborative efforts by Reform Support Unit (RSU), School Education and Literacy Department (SELD), Local Education Group (LEG), Finance Department, Planning & Development Department, Development Partners/ Donors, other stakeholders and UNICEF. The development process was grounded in a comprehensive Education Sector Analysis (ESA) that examined status of the basic education in Sindh – identifying key achievements, gaps, challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of the Education Sector Plan (2014-2018). Findings of the ESA led to develop a robust Education Sector Plan and Roadmap for Sindh 2019-2024 (SESP&R) which also reflected educational vision and priorities of the Government and towards the achievement of the educational targets of SDG-4 in the province of Sindh.

As SESP&R has been concluded on 31^st December 2024; SELD, UNICEF and partners intend to develop the new School Education Sector Plan for Sindh 2025-2030 (Sindh ESP 2025-30) as a more robust provincial educational instrument designed to provide sound strategic directions towards the achievement of the targets of the SDG-4. Sindh ESP 2025-30 will outline coherent set of programmatic priorities, outcomes, outputs, KPIs, costing plan, implementation strategies and arrangements that are aimed to addressing the educational challenges in Sindh including out-of-school children – also building on the past successes and the recommendations of the joint review of the 2019-2024 SESP&R, outlines mitigation for the persistent challenges and caters to the needs of emerging developments in the education sector in Sindh.   

Sindh ESP 2025-2030 will be guided by a high-quality ESA and will be developed in accordance with the Guidelines for Education Sector Plan Preparations by International Institute of Educational Planning – UNESCO (IIEP- UNESCO).

Key elements of ESA will include the following.

• Examination of the context of the development of the education sector in Sindh
• Status of access ad participation in education by children of Sindh as per Right to Free and Compulsory Education and interlinkages with other sub-sectors of the education sector (TVET/others) and related multi-sectors (e.g., WASH, Child Protection, Health, Nutrition/others)
• Status of the quality of teaching and learning
• Governance and management
• Equitable educational financing
• External efficiency

Sindh ESP 2025-30 will be guided by an overall vision which is strategic, holistic, evidenced-based, achievable, context-sensitive, gender-responsive and is equity-focused. Sindh ESP 2025-30 will exhibit the following.

• Human, technical, political and financial considerations in line with the findings of ESA
• Alignment with Global/National Commitments and National/Provincial Educational Policy Framework
• Challenges and emerging needs
• Goals and Objectives of the Sindh ESP 2025-30
• Strategic Directions, Priority Program Areas, and strategies (including gender and inclusion strategy)
• Costing and financing plan
• Implementation plan including main/sub-activities, units, baselines, year-wise targets role of the Govt/ Partners and inter-linkages the indicators of SDG-4/others SDGs
• Monitoring plan (results framework, outcomes, outputs, results, KPIs, MOVs, reporting mechanism)
• Implementation arrangements including organizational structure and capacities
• Evaluation arrangements including review/monitoring/reporting mechanism, annual review and Joint Education Sector Reviews

In consideration of the Education Emergency in Pakistan, a Multi-Sector Strategic Roadmap for OOSC/A was recently developed. ESP will take stock of strategic aims of the Roadmap and reflect in the ESP. 

Key considerations for costing of ESA and ESP (as per ESP Preparation Guidelines by IIEP-UNESCO):

 

• Estimated costs of the ESP will be examined at regular intervals during ESP preparation, using projections and a financial simulation model to eventually establish a reference scenario (of ESP targets and corresponding inputs) that is financially sustainable.
• Simulation model will be used to automate calculations and for ensuring the consistency of the projections made. Cost estimates and financial trade-offs will lead to the simulation of various scenarios (and corresponding policy choices).
• Above considerations will lead to rethinking and adapting the programs and policy targets until an optimum scenario is found and there is a reasonable consensus among the stakeholders.

• ESP to be developed based on the quantitative reference scenario projecting the development of the education system needs and resources requirements according to policy assumptions and targets.
• Enrolments are projected at every level, gender-disaggregated when relevant, using access and student flow indicators.
• Human and physical resources requirements. Using target indicators and norms on the conditions of schooling (e.g. assumptions on resource use: textbooks per student ratios, class size, student/teacher ratios); ESP will simulate human resources, equipment, and infrastructure requirements.
• Necessary consultation/dialogue within SELD and external partners to be organized to identify estimation of annual plan/budgets and on-budget and off-budget amounts.

How can you make a difference? 

1. Work Assignment: Scope of Work:

ESA, ESP Costing Specialist Consultant will collaborate with SELD/Departments, Partners, UNICEF/other related stakeholders as well as other consultants to collect authentic unit costs, carry out cost analysis, produce related projections/ simulation model and provide disaggregated costs related to all cost elements of ESA and ESP.

ESA, ESP Costing Specialist Consultant will perform following specific tasks:

Taks-1: Collect authentic unit costs, carry out cost analysis, produce related projections/ simulation models and provide disaggregated costs related to all cost elements of ESA and ESP. 

Details of the deliverables are attached:  Consultant Costing Specialist – Education Sector Analysis (ESA), Education Sector Plan (ESP) Final Clean 21st March.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A first University Degree (Bachelors) in accounting and finance.
• Minimum 2 years’ of relevant and professional experience related to dealing with educational financing.
• Excellent understanding of cost elements of educational finance, budget preparation, analysis and reporting.
• Experience working with financial modeling tools (e.g., Excel-based simulations, Education Simulation Models like EFW (Education Finance Watch), or GPE’s financial projection tools).
• Experience in evaluating spending efficiency and recommending cost-optimization strategies (Desirable)
• Experience in cost-benefit analysis of education programs and analyzing efficiency of current education expenditures (Desirable).
• Proven experience in organizing and facilitating higher-level technical consultation sessions on educational financing/budgets with government/ non-government stakeholders.
• Knowledge of cross-sectoral budgeting to allocate costs efficiently across interlinked areas.
• Ability to undertake field missions, especially in diverse and challenging contexts.
• Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines and willingness to accept the assignment at short notice.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written); proven experience for effectively and efficiently working with public officials at all levels.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.