International Consultancy for State Education Policy and Sector-wide Strategic Planning, Sudan

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF
Closing date: 26 Jun 2009
Location: Sudan (the)

North Sudan

Introduction

Sudan is a signatory to the EFA and Millennium Declarations. The President of the Republic of Sudan in December 1991, issued a political statement confirming Sudan’s commitment to the EFA Goals urging all sectors of the Sudanese society to work towards the achievement of EFA goals. In August 2009, the Federal Ministry of Education agreed with a number of key partners supporting the education sector to launch a sector reform agenda in order to accelerate progress towards the attainment of the EFA and MDGs. Furthermore in 2009, the Sudan Government of National Unity (GoNU) expressed interest in joining the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) to assist them in developing a harmonized and coherent approach to rebuilding the education sector and accelerating progress toward the goal of universal completion of primary education. GoNU also understands that in order to prepare an Education Sector Strategy and join the EFA-FTI it is important to embark on a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the sector.

According to the Joint Assessment Mission which took place in 2005, the whole of Sudan ranked 139th out 177 countries on UNDPs Human Development Index. In education in the north of Sudan, gross enrolment has increased from 51.2% in 2000/2001 to 71.7% (77.7% boys, 65.7% girls) in 2007 (FMOGE 2007 Baseline Survey in Basic Education). However, wide regional disparities persist, ranging from a GER of 88.7% (94.1% male, 83.4% female) in River Nile to 49.9 (58.9% male, 40.6% female) in Kassala State. From the Sudan Household Health Survey, the net primary completion rate was 19.4% in 2006 nationally. The annual rate of increase of enrolment in basic education for the period 2000/2001 to 2007/2008 is 6.2%. Without an intensive effort to re-invigorate sector policy and strategies, Sudan will not achieve the MDG and EFA goals in education.

This concept paper outlines the necessary framework and analytical activities necessary for the review of the current 2007-2011 Education Sector Strategic Plan and Policy and the preparation of the Northern Sudan Education Sector Status Report which will be used to develop a successor 2012-2015 Education Sector Strategic Plan.

Background

Sudan is made up of 25 states, 15 in the north and 10 in the south. There has been a 21 year civil war between the north and south from 1983 to 2005 devastating infrastructure and government systems in the southern states of Sudan. The Nairobi Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between northern and southern Sudan in January 9, 2005. The CPA describes a complex but detailed arrangement and set of actions for the interim period. The power sharing agreement in the CPA establishes, for a period of six years, an autonomous government with a separate constitution for the south with a share in GoNU. The CPA offers an environment for both sides to concentrate their efforts on rebuilding the country.

With the establishment of Sudan as a federal state in 1992, a decentralized system of government comprising of federal, state, and local communities was introduced. Directorates of Education in the Localities are responsible for pre-school and basic education including school infrastructure, teacher recruitment and management. State Governments are responsible for secondary education. Higher education is under the purview of the national government. While the responsibility for policy oversight and quality assurance rests with the Federal Ministry, the State MOEs and Localities develop, implement and finance their own initiatives. Sector-wide coherence and coordination between the Federal, State and Locality education authorities remain to be major challenges.

This federal and decentralized structure of education makes the financing of education in Sudan complex involving national, state and local governments. A recent study undertaken by the Ministry of General Education and supported by the European Union suggests that northern Sudan spends less than 8 percent of the budget on education, which is less than 2 percent of GDP. The lack of capacity at locality level for wealth generation makes it difficult for them to play their role in education financing. From 2005 to date, investments of the donor community into the education sector has been substantial, at an average of USD80million per annum. There is an education program under the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF-S) in place for the south (US$25.5 million). In 2008, MDTF funding targeting the transitional areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan was xxxx. More MDTF support is being explored for the north. In 2008, UNICEF’s funding for basic education reached USD20 million.

Justification

In August 2008, the GONU through the Federal Ministry of General Education and the Ministry of International Cooperation agreed with key partners in the education sector (UNICEF, UNESCO, UNIDO, WFP, EC, World Bank, Italian Cooperation, Save USA, and other partners) to launch a sector policy reform programme. The consensus building meeting agreed to conduct in 2009, a mid-term review of the 2007-2011 Education Sector Strategic Plan followed by support for joint sector policy reform given that there are already several opportunities (UNDAF, FTI, Sudan Consortium Commitments, MDTF in Education etc.) that could aid sector-wide reform.

Three major factors underlie the decision to launch a sector policy reform agenda. Firstly, there is a strong and urgent need to link the national Strategic Plan to the Federal and State Sector Plans and to align all existing plans like UNDAF and sub-sector strategies (girls’ education, nomadic education, the Child Friendly Schools Initiative, Lifeskills Curriculum, alternative learning) to a single sector development framework. The signing of the CPA in 2005 created a major opportunity for the education sector to contribute to nation building. Following the signing of the CPA in 2005 and as a bid to accelerate peace and socio-economic development in Sudan, the GONU in 2005/2006, developed a twenty-five year National Strategic Plan which serves as an over-arching framework for development of all sectors. This strategic plan is quite comprehensive in nature, covering almost all sectors and serves as the basis for financing and monitoring of sector performance.

However while it pledges a policy to “allow equal opportunities to an excellent education”, the national strategic plan excludes public education as a cluster in its plan and focuses mainly on higher education. At the same time, the five year (2007-2011) Education Sector Strategic Plan based on the 2001 Education Act of the GoNU directs activities in the sector. The Plan expresses the country’s commitment to the EFA goals and efforts to meet the MDG targets by 2015 and supports an EFA Plan developed for EFA implementation, which is not harmonized with the 2007-2011 Plan. It has a listing of policies and strategies for implementation between 2007 and 2011. Each of the 15 States has either developed a Plan of its own, or is in the process of developing one. At sub-sector level, the lack of a clear strategic direction led to the development of sub-sector strategies for girls’ education, nomadic education, and alternative learning for children out of school. Studies on special needs, school health, ECD, and secondary education are planned for 2009.

Secondly, there is an urgent need to have a system of developing and implementing evidence-based policies. There is a list of policy statements in the 2007-2011 Education Sector Strategic Plan. However, it is unclear how these policies were adopted given the absence of a systematic approach to evidence-based policy-making through analysis, systematic results-based planning, strategic planning, and performance monitoring, reporting and sector coordination. Traditionally, the government has used a mix of national conferences, annual commemorative activities around global movements on EFA and MDG goals, project appraisals, and donor-supported situation analyses to influence and support policy decision-making.

Evidence-based policy analysis and policy decision-making has been limited, largely because of the lack of reliable data, especially population and other data needed for social development and the capacity for policy analysis. It is only in the recent past that accessibility to and the quality of data is gradually improving with improvements on the Annual Education Statistics, the launch of the EMIS project and the conduct of the Sudan Household Health Survey in 2006. Demand for data has also increased due to the introduction of results-based strategic planning by the National Council for Strategic Planning and the results-based programming requirements of partners like the UN agencies, the EC, the World Bank and a cross-section of NGOs and donor community. But the capacity for effective results-based programming is inadequate in the Federal and State Ministries of Education.

Thirdly, the financing and resource-tracking framework for the education sector is unclear to many stakeholders and partners active in the education sector. It is unclear how the education financing policy, if there is one, links the Federal to the State and Locality finance ministries and how it can be developed to more systematically guide policy makers and external actors on decisions related to equitable allocation of resources as well as deal with system’s efficiency factors. It is also difficult to see how existing strategic plans are linked to sectoral budgets. In both the National Strategic Plan and sector plan, the promotion of public-private partnerships in the financing of education is mentioned. However, the plans do not go further to outline financing responsibilities and how these partnerships can be effectively forged. Non-government financing of education has been substantial over the years. However, there is no performance-based mechanism to track resource in-flows on a sector-wide scale and to assess the effectiveness and impact of the various initiatives, or to work towards scaling up high impact projects and programmes supported by both government and its partners.

Financing policies do not seem to respond to the growing demand for education across the States, nor do they take cognizance of existing inequities and local realities, such as the inability of communities, (especially those in conflict and transitional areas), to generate wealth that they can plough back into their children’s education. While higher resource allocations to the sector may be fundamental to the attainment of the MDGs in Sudan, improving system’s efficiency, closing socio-economic (including gender) disparities and improving the system’s organization, can be key conditions for ensuring that resource investments yield optimal benefits.

Current Status of Sector Analyses, Programme Development Activities

Several papers, reports and programme documents have been produced in the past two years that can support the review of the education sector policy and strategies.

The Sudan Consortium (JAM and CPA 2005 documents) and related papers used to outline the commitment of the GONU to accelerate the peace process provide information on the situation.

Federal Ministry of General Education/UNESCO (2003) National EFA Plan and 2005 mid-term report of the EFA Plan.

FMOGE/UNESCO/UNDP(2005) Master Program for reconstruction and development of Basic Education in Sudan, The Master Program grew out of efforts from the Government of Sudan, UNESCO and UNDP to study and improve the system of basic education system in Sudan dating back to the mid 1990s

FMOGE/EC/UNICEF (2007/2008) conducted a baseline survey on Basic Education in North Sudan. This survey was a sample survey and was treated as such. The survey report was approved and has been widely used in various official documents. The data from it is to be used to initiate the EMIS at Federal and State levels. A UNICEF situation analysis report and UN-wide Common Country Assessment Report on the situation of children and women in Sudan were also produced in 2008.

FMOGE/EC (2007/2008) The Cost and Financing of Education. This survey indicated that the GONU of national unity was investing less than 1% of its GDP per annum on education. As a result, its recommendations are yet to be cleared by the Council of Ministers.

FMOGE/UNICEF/EAI (2008) Teacher Training Assessment for Northern States of Sudan was done. This assessment led to the production of a policy paper titled: Teacher Education and Training: Policy Options For the Northern States of Sudan. The recommendations of the assessment and policy paper are also yet to be cleared by the Council of Ministers and to be accepted for implementation by Higher Education institutions. The major barrier is in the recommendation for a 2-year teaching Diploma for the majority of practicing and would-be teachers who will not have access to higher education in order to earn a degree. The assessment and policy paper contest the efficacy of the policy, which calls for an all-graduate teaching force.

Ahfad University (2007) Report on the Education Conference, organized by Civil Society Organizations.

Federal Ministry of General Education 2008/2009 Conference papers prepared for the upcoming regional and national education policy conferences.

MENA Regional Guiding Framework of Performance Standards for Arab Teachers (2009)

Three sub-sector strategies have been developed in 2008 to focus partner (UNICEF) resources in key areas deserving accelerated educational action towards the MDGs. These sub-sector strategies are: the Girls’ Education Strategic Plan; the Nomadic Education Strategy and the Alternative Learning Programme for Children and Young People out of School. Although these strategies are to be launched for implementation in 2009, they need to be integrated into the sector-wide ESSP and a multi-year and multi-partner financing framework.

The European Commission is also supporting the implementation of the EMIS in all 15 States as a contribution to improve the evidence base for sector analyses and policy making.

Apart from the 2007-2011 Strategic Plan developed at Federal level, each of the 15 States has a State Strategic Plan for 2007-2011. Each of the plans is at various stages of development and implementation. Given the lack of a coherent policy framework, it is unclear what is being done and with what resources at State level. The plans need to be integrated into one coherent sector-wide framework of action, guided by an agreed sector-wide education policy.

More than fifty partners (donors, UN agencies and NGOs) support various initiatives in the education sector. While the strategic results of these initiatives complement those of the official ESSP, the strategies and activities are not aligned to it. The UN for example has a multi-year UN Development Assistance Framework (2009-2012) that outlines the support of the UN to the Education sector, among other sectors. There is also the UN and partners Work Plan developed and implemented annually with the participation of NGOs and CBOs for humanitarian response in conflict and post-conflict/transitions regions of Sudan. However, neither the programmes in the UNDAF, nor the annual plans for humanitarian action are aligned to the ESSP.

Within the spirit of the Paris Declaration, donors supporting the education sector are engaged in dialogue through the MDTF as the main financing and donor coordination mechanism in response to the dictates of the CPA. However, since much remains to be done at the level of the education policy, aid effectiveness cannot be fully realized through the MDTF alone since its focus has largely been limited to early recovery and recovery. An expanded vision and partnership framework that enables the education sector to make the important transition from early recovery/recovery to a development mode of programming is needed. This will not only ensure that children enjoy their fair share of the peace dividends, but will also create the necessary political commitment to sustain the gains made in the education sector from 2005 to date.

The planning and performance monitoring activities of the National Council for Strategic Planning (NCSP) hold much promise in confidence building to indicate the readiness of the sector to engage on education policy, despite the apparent capacity gaps in some quarters. The NCSP is in the process of reviewing and updating the national strategic plan with a view to aligning it to the MDGs. It has also introduced a performance monitoring and reporting system that is being gradually institutionalized to strengthen the systems’ accountabilities. Strengthened capacity of the NCSP to provide the necessary leadership and direction to the social sector reform agenda will add impetus to the process of acceleration of MDG implementation.

The Federal and State Ministries of Education are also currently engaged in various sectoral consultations to prepare for regional and national education policy conferences in 2009. Papers have been commissioned and written to feed into the planned policy conferences.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the situation in the sector to facilitate coordinated support to the comprehensive sector reform process.

Objectives of the Northern Sudan Education Sector Reform

The reform will seek to
a) Provide data and information to help policy decision-makers and partners to understand the following:
othe performance on key educational outcomes including enrollment, dropout, repetition and learning;
othe level of inequity and inefficiency in the system;
othe status and effectiveness of various policies and interventions;
odirections for organizational and institutional reform;
othe financing requirements for improving the sector.

b) Develop an education sector policy, strategic plan, financing and coordination frameworks that will serve as instruments for the progressive development of the sector as a whole.

c) Ensure improved capacity of the sector leadership at Federal and State levels in sector wide approach, results based programming, budgeting and performance monitoring to steer the implementation of the sector reform agenda.

Sector Reform Strategy

It is evident that a number of joint government and donor-funded plans, projects and programmes are already being developed and/or implemented at Federal and State Levels. These include the 2009-2012 UNDAF, the 2009-2010 MDTF, the 2009-2010 EMIS, the annual UN and Partners Work Plans for humanitarian assistance etc). Each State has a State Sector Plan which is being implemented without much articulation with the Federal sector strategic plan. Government is preparing to host several regional and a national policy conference in 2009. It is imperative that a coherent agenda is developed and signed off by all parties concerned to minimize the fragmentation and eliminate the wastage of resources.

Several critical milestones are envisaged. The first milestone of this reform agenda is to conduct a Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) training/reflection workshop at federal ministry level targeting senior and middle management and attended by representatives of supportive development partner agencies. The second milestone is to undertake a review of existing education policies and develop a comprehensive Education Sector Policy and Financing Framework. The third milestone is to review the current Education Sector Strategic Plan to facilitate the process of alignment and harmonization with other plans and ensure that it fully covers the sector. The forth task is to develop a realistic, prioritized and costed (2-3 year rolling) Education Sector Operational Plan with an initial priority focus on basic education. The fifth task is to repeat these operations in the 15 SMoEs. Thereafter the sixth milestone will (in 2010) be to launch a comprehensive sector analysis (CSR) that will provide sector status information, which will influence the expansion of the Education Sector Operational Plan into other sub-sectors for 2012-2016.

This reform has to be done with the participation of all government and partners who are active in the education sector through a Steering Committee already formed by government and the Education Thematic Group for which Terms of Reference have been developed, ready for government approval. These two committees will support and facilitate the regional and national conferences. They will also manage the implementation of the key milestones stated in the paragraph above and convene the national policy conference at the end of the year.

Scope of Work

The reform process will cover the entire education system, including basic, secondary, higher, technical/vocational education sub-sectors and will address the major dimensions and cross-cutting issues across the different sub-sectors: Policy, Strategy, Curriculum, capacity development including teacher education and training and management, textbooks/learning materials, gender in education, support services (research, monitoring/assessments/standards/quality assurance).

For this component, an international consultant will be hired to train 5 national consultants and 30 State sector representatives in the sector-wide approach, policy, strategic and operational planning, budgeting and performance monitoring. The consultant will also facilitate the development of the State sector plans, review existing coordination mechanisms at federal and State levels and propose a structure for sector-wide coordination.

Specific Tasks

The consultant will:

1. Assess the current knowledge and skills of the state representatives (planning and finance) on the sector-wide approach, policy frameworks, strategic, operational planning budgeting and performance monitoring.
2. Supported by the five national consultants who will simultaneously be trained as trainers organize and train 30 State representatives (two from planning and finance) from each SMoE on the development of policy frameworks, strategic, operational planning, budgeting and performance monitoring.
3. Provide technical inputs and comments on the revised National Policy Framework, FMoE Education Sector Strategic Plan, FMoE Education Sector Operational Plan and Financing framework. Outline a methodology for using it as a resource for the development of similar plans at state level
4. Ensure that the state training teams are fully briefed on the preparations necessary for the state sector planning/development workshops
5. Co-Facilitate with the federal consultant, SWAp/strategic planning process at State level to update/develop State Sector Plans based on the outcomes of the regional workshops, which will be led by the 5 national consultants and 30 trained state representatives as resource persons and SWAp coordinators.
6. Provide back-up technical support to the review and update of the 15 State Sector Plans based on the outcomes of the five regional consultations planned at federal level. Ensure that the Plan has clear measurable results, strategies, projects and budgets. Ensure that cross-sectoral issues (gender issues, peace, environment, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, hygiene and sanitation) affecting the nation are clearly covered in the education policy and strategies). Ensure that the plans have a seamless partnership framework for aid effectiveness through strengthened capacity for sector leadership and joint programming.
7. Review the coordination structures being used at federal and State levels, identify their strengths and weaknesses and propose a coherent sector-wide coordination structure with clear terms of reference for the various levels.

Methodology

The training will be residential and will use a mix of participatory methods (short presentations, case studies, group work, etc). The duration will be two weeks.

The update of the State Education Sector Plans will be done using the outputs of the 5 regional consultations as well as a desk analysis of existing documents (see attached list of key documents to be reviewed). The alignment of existing and pipeline projects being implemented at State levels will be done gradually on the basis of adjustments to the needs of the finalized and approved State Sector Plans. The consultants will work closely with other consultants who will be responsible for the policy framework, the federal ESSP and the financing framework.

Expected Deliverables

Deliverables - Expected date of submission
1. Knowledge and skills assessment completed30 July 2009
2. 30 sector planners and financial officers and 5 national consultants trained on the sector-wide approach and policy, strategic and operational planning budgeting and performance monitoring30 August 2009
3. 15 State Sector Plans updated and costed and a sector-wide coordination structure defined5 October 2009

Expected background and Experience

Qualifications:
- A Masters degree in Education policy, Education systems development/strategic planning or Economics of Education.
- Extensive knowledge and experience in sector-wide approaches and aid coordination;
- Excellent personal and communication skills in working with the government counterparts, different actors, communities and children

Work Experience:
- International Consultants: Eight to ten years of relevant experience in supporting sector-wide reform or capacity development in sector-wide approaches/aid effectiveness/new aid modalities
- Examples of policy papers and plans developed in Africa or Arab countries.
- Experience in training and mentoring sector leaders in sector-wide approaches

Language skills required:
- Fluency in English with Arabic as an asset.
- Strong analytic skills required

Other skills and attributes required:
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
- Ability to relate well to people and to work in a multi-cultural environment.

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

- The fees for the consultancy shall be USD 7,184 per month for the international consultant (details in budget, regional consultation and national consultancy costs will be managed separately)
- Cost of travel and DSA shall be provided separately.
- Vehicles for field travel will be provided by UNICEF and FMOGE
- Regional consultation and national conference costs shall be provided separately to the Federal Ministry of General education.
- The consultants shall be required to sign the Health statement prior to taking up the assignment, and to confirm that he/she has appropriate health insurance.
- The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary' must be completed by the consultant.
- The consultants will use their own computers and will set up/hire secretarial, printing and other support services

How to apply
Applications including comprehensive curriculum vitae, duly completed United Nations Personal History form (which can be downloaded from www.unicef.org/employ) stating telephone number, email address and detailed contact address to be sent to : sudanhrvacancies@unicef.org or hand deliver to HR Manager, UNICEF Office, House 74, Street 47 Khartoum 2 not later than 10 days from the date of this publication