Terms of Reference (TOR)

Education Consultant for NRC Syria Response Office pool

Norwegian Refugee Council – Syria Response Office is looking for experts to establish a pool of Education Consultants.

1. Background

1.1 NRC in Syria

In the middle East NRC has over 3000 staff dedicated to assisting people affected by conflict in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine. Its humanitarian interventions are based upon its programming expertise in the Core Competencies of Shelter, Education, Water and Sanitation Hygiene, Food security along with information Counselling and legal Assistance (ICLA) to forcibly displaced people.

The NRC Syria Response is operating since 2013 and currently employs 49 international and 335 national staff.

With regard to education, we ensure education for children and youth is prioritised, even in the most difficult circumstances. We work alongside communities to:

• create opportunities for children to reconnect with learning through formal education pathways and self-learning initiatives
• offer emergency education recreation and psycho- social activities
• support the professional development of teachers
• provide skills training for Syrian youth

1.2 The Syrian Crisis

As the Syria crisis enters its tenth year, the scale, severity and complexity of humanitarian needs remain extensive. This is the result of continued hostilities in localized areas, new and protracted displacement, spontaneous returns and the sustained erosion of communities’ resilience during more than nine years of crisis. Syria is still one of the biggest and most complex crises globally, and it is far from over.

Across Syria, an estimated 11.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Since 1 December 2019, escalating hostilities north-west Syria have displaced more than 950,000 people. That part of Syria had seen intense hostilities in April-August 2019 that had already left 2.7 million people dependent on humanitarian assistance. The impact of present and past hostilities on civilians remains the principal driver of humanitarian needs in Syria. The Syrian crisis created more than five and a half million refugees and displaced a further 6 million Syrians inside their own country.

In the north-east, increased conflict since October 2019 has also resulted widespread displacement.

The destruction of civilian infrastructure, depleted savings and limited economic opportunities have forced many to resort to harmful coping strategies. The result is extreme vulnerability. Those particularly at risk are children, pregnant and lactating women, people with disabilities, the elderly and other groups or individuals with specific needs or diminished coping mechanisms. Eight in 10 people in Syria live below poverty line. Many people’s coping mechanisms are depleted, and families face hard choices to put food on the table, a roof over their heads, keeping their children warm or sending them to school.

The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated economic challenges in Syria, with further weakening of the SYP, shortages of basic goods, and higher fuel prices, resulting in increased food insecurity and harmful coping mechanisms.

1.3 The Syrian crisis – impact on education

Around 2.45 million children (aged five to 17 years) are out of school and 1.3 million are at risk of dropping out.[1] More than one in three schools are damaged or destroyed, while others are used for purposes not related to education such as shelter for displaced persons. Schools in IDP/returnee receiving communities have limited absorption capacity for newly arriving students, causing overcrowding, while costs, psychological stress and shortage of personnel are further drivers of out of school rates. Early marriage, particularly of adolescent girls, frequently leads to withdrawal from education and increased isolation.  Boys often drop out of school to become breadwinners and face exploitative child labour, as well as recruitment into parties to the conflict.

Teaching capacity remains overstretched. Over 140,000 teachers and education personnel are no longer in their teaching posts. The remaining are overwhelmed, resulting in an overall poor quality of education. Quality of teaching is key to students’ performance, and teachers’ capacity is fundamental to children’s experience of a quality education. Reliance on unskilled and unspecialized teachers with limited financial remuneration is impeding learning outcomes of students in public schools, with important disparities among regions and between IDPs and host communities.

Distances travelled to access learning are increasing. Many communities do not have functioning transportation services and most families do not have the resources to access the services that are available. Children face multiple risks whilst walking to school, including gender-based violence and recruitment. Barriers to accessing quality education have led young Syrians to lack foundational learning and vocational, life and employability skills required for transition to livelihoods. The learning gap of children and youth, if not addressed, is expected to have a long-term impact on their income potential, exacerbating a cycle of poverty for households and communities. Protection risks faced by children and youth in Syria include family-based violence, conscription and recruitment into armed groups, early marriage, abuse and neglect. Disruption of social networks, combined with lack of dedicated youth services, has left young people without opportunities to build relations with their peers, express themselves, or access psychosocial support services.  In a system that is stretched and under resourced, the most vulnerable children are those with disabilities. Previously available specialised education opportunities and personnel have dramatically or even disappeared in some areas, resulting in increased isolation and discrimination. 

Access to certified learning is often reliant on the availability of civil documentation, placing children especially unaccompanied children, children of foreign fighters or undocumented parents and guardians, at risk of exclusion. Learning that is available is not always certified and access to accredited exam centres can only be found in government controlled areas, resulting in a lack of motivation to complete schooling when access to exams and to tertiary education is not available or not accessible. IDPs and refugees often have even fewer educational choices, in circumstances where their freedom to move is restricted to a camp environment where limited or no educational services are provided. 

2. Objectives

The consultant will be part of a pool of experts engaged on a case by case basis by the NRC Syria Response Office (SRO) for specific and time-bound tasks related to NRC SRO Education programming, in line with the Office multi-year strategy. These tasks include but are not limited to:

• Curriculum development;
• Curriculum review and adaptation;
• Education-related assessments and analysis;

3. Deliverables

Deliverables will be identified on a case by case basis, depending on needs and programmatic priorities.

4. Timeline

Timeline will be identified on a case by case basis, depending on needs and programmatic priorities.

5. Criteria

• Master Degree in Education and/or social science background
• Demonstrated writing skills
• Experience in curriculum design
• Experience in education related research, including assessments
• Knowledge of and experience working with NRC Education programs in the Middle East
• Experience working with teams in complex, volatile and remotely managed contexts
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal or fluency in English and Arabic written and verbal
• Knowledge of the Syrian context
• Experience with Education related advocacy work
• Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision
• Experience using Microsoft programs and other software applications

6. Application

The candidates for the consultancy pool are required to submit:

1. CV and motivational letter
2. Two samples of education related products (i.e. reports/curriculum/tools) previously authored
3. Certificate of Registration / Incorporation.
4. Tax Registration Certificate.
5. Recommendation letters previous organizations served.
6. Proven Experience
7. Signed Call of interest form

Suppliers interested in being added to our list of Pre-qualified suppliers, in participating in future restricted tenders and/or in signing framework contracts with us should submit their request by Thursday 13^th of August at 14:00 hours at the address below:

Address: sy.procurement@nrc.no

Norwegian Refugee Council reserves the Right to Accept or reject any tender application and is not bound to give reasons for this decision thereof.

Enquiries can be sent to email: sy.procurement@nrc.no