World Learning - QITABI-2: Rapid Education and Risk Analysis (RERA) and Social Inclusion Analysis Consultant

Background

World Learning/Lebanon is seeking a local consultant/s to conduct a thorough education situation analysis incorporating components of rapid education and risk analysis (RERA) and social inclusion analysis.
A RERA is a “good enough” situation analysis of educational institutions, learners, and their communities as a dynamic system of relationships involving assets and multiple contextual risks. It integrates key methodological elements of a rapid education needs assessment and contextual risk analyses, such as conflict analysis, disaster risk assessment, and resilience analysis. A RERA investigates how risks impact the school community, how education influences risks, and how contextual risks influence each other.
A social inclusion analysis is part of the gender and social inclusion framework , developed by World Learning and partners, further elaborated in Phase 2 of the Transforming Access, Agency and Power (TAAP) Toolkit. Through a social inclusion analysis, we can analyze and understand the causes and factors of marginalization and exclusion in basic education and build on existing resilience factors and coping strategies of those included and excluded to promote social inclusion and sustained education outcomes.
With this comprehensive situation analysis World Learning/Lebanon hopes to better understand: (1) the wider contextual risks to education, (2) groups affected by those risks, (3) the current resilience and coping strategies that various groups practice, that can provide opportunities to build community resilience; (4) the potential opportunities of addressing risks, building self-reliance and promoting collective and sustainable solutions leveraging local culture and norms.

World Learning Lebanon aims to build on the pre-existing efforts of analyzing and understanding the complex situation in Lebanon, its impact on our program and other education programs in country. The consultancy will conclude with a detailed analysis report to support the country’s journey to self-reliance by strengthening its education system and social factors affecting basic education outcomes, by reducing programmatic, fiduciary, and institutional risks. The study will commence with a systematic desk review, and, if possible, include primary data collection from relevant stakeholders.

Introduction
Quality Instruction Towards Access and Basic Education Improvement (QITABI) 2 program aims to improve the reading, writing, and social and emotional learning skills for more than 300,000 students at public primary schools in Lebanon. QITABI 2 has the following program goals:
• Improve student performance in reading, math, and writing
• Improve students’ social and emotional learning
• Improve Lebanon’s national-level service delivery of education

Purpose

The purpose of conducting a RERA in World Learning’s Lebanon program is to:
• Analyze and understand the context and the major risks affecting basic education interventions and systems around it;
• Analyze and understand the ways basic education is affected by those risks;
• Analyze and understand how the risks and context are affecting various groups, their marginalization and vulnerability;
• Analyze and understand resilience and coping strategies of various identity groups, communities that basic education programs can affect and be affected by;
• Identify findings and gaps the program’s interventions and Learning Agenda can respond to.
The consultant will carry out a RERA in accordance with the USAID RERA Toolkit and World Learning’s TAAP Toolkit, in consultation and partnership with World Learning Lebanon and Home Office staff, who will provide technical support and review the deliverables.

Total Level of Effort:

Location: Work in Lebanon
Timing: 20 days Between February 2020 – April 2020. The consultancy will have three phases: (a) situational analysis of the education sector, outlining the conflicts, risks and factors affecting basic education outcomes, (b) narrowing down the specific risks, resilience factors affecting World Learning’s QITABI2 program, and (c) desk review of the identified literature on the areas narrowed down following the context analysis.
Reporting: The consultant/s will report to World Learning/Lebanon’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Director.
Qualifications required:
- Strong knowledge of USAID programs;
- Minimum of three years’ experience in leading and conducting a study;
- Established relationships with networks, research/academic institutions, and implementing organizations in the field of research, conflict analysis, gender equality and social inclusion;
- Experience and expertise in basic education with a strong understanding of education in conflict and crisis environments, gender equality and social inclusion;
- Knowledge of risk assessment, context analysis, situation analysis and gender and social inclusion analysis methodologies;
Skills required:
- Ability to write high-quality technical documents in Arabic and English;
- Ability to conduct literature search and desk reviews involving academic and grey literature;
- Ability and experience in conducting primary data collection (should this be needed).
- Skilled in working under pressure in high-risk situations within fragile states in MENA;
- Skilled in working in a collaborative, multicultural environment involving multiple stakeholders;
- Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English; master’s degree in a related field.

Interested candidates should submit the following:
- CV and cover letter covering the intention and the interest of the applicant, and the skills, expertise the applicant offers to ensure the success of the study.
- A written proposal outlining clear methodology and workplan for the situation analysis using RERA and TAAP toolkits;
- A clear budget and budget narrative explaining the expected costs;
- A writing sample demonstrating the applicant’s prior experience in similar work.