Curriculum Popularization and Social and Behaviour Change Communication for Back to Learning (BtL)

Job Description

Location: Addis Ababa, with frequent travel to all Regions 

Duration:11.5 months 

Start Date: November 2022

Reporting to: Communication Desk, Ministry of Education (MoE) 

1. Background

Over the last decade, the education sector has been a central part of Ethiopia’s reform agenda. The country’s education reforms have contributed to improved access at all levels of the educational system. Today, Ethiopia has over 37 million school age population of which 8 million are pre-primary (age 4 to 6 years), 23 million primary and 4.3 million secondary school age. Data from the Ministry of Education shows that a total of 26.5 million (3.5 million pre-school, 19.2 million primary school and 3.8 million secondary school) children were enrolled in the last academic year (2021/2022)[1]. 

Recently, Ethiopia also embarked on a Reform of the General Education Curriculum for kindergarten to secondary school levels (KG – Grade 12) to “ensure that the Ethiopian education system equips its learners with the knowledge and skills as well as the attitude and values to participate and contribute to society and (the) economy’. 

The education sector has also been severely affected by the multifaceted effects of the COVID-19 disruption, as well as the devastating impacts of the ongoing conflicts and climate change.  Over 1 million learners did not show up when schools reopened in November 2020 after seven months of closure owning to covid-19 pandemic. Due to the conflict in Northern Ethiopia and other regions, 1336  schools were destroyed while 4,158 schools partially damaged in, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia and Konso zone of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) regions. The conflict directly affected more than 4.2 million learners and close to 200,000 teachers and education staff– the impact ranging from displacement to lost instructional time, learning loss psychological trauma, physical injury, and death. 

Getting out-of-school children back to school will not only require significant interventions in education but will also require effective communication measures to ensure that key stakeholders, especially children and parents, are informed about school re-opening plans. Credible and consistent communication is key to ensure a clear understanding of key messages about the safe reopening of schools. Targeted Back to Learning Campaigns that highlight the safe reopening of schools as well as the crucial role of education, provide a unique and important opportunity to bring back to school and learning, the thousands of school children and adolescents who are currently out of school. Similarly, an effective communication strategy on the ongoing curriculum reform process, that highlights both key activities and products associated with the reform process has the potential to facilitate the active involvement of key internal and external stakeholders, including students, teachers, families and education partners. It is within this context that the Ministry of Education, with support from UNICEF, is seeking Curriculum Popularization and Back to Learning (BtL) Advocacy Communications Consultant. This consultant will help to develop a strategy for a national Back-to-School campaign to prepare children, parents, teachers and other school personnel as well as communities for the safe return or enrolment of students in schools. The consultants will develop the most appropriate messages for relevant forms of media and make special efforts to reach vulnerable children from poor families, refugees, internally displaced persons, children with special needs, and marginalized communities where children have limited or no access to education. Although the ongoing curriculum reform for basic education in Ethiopia represents a major shift in educational policy, the war in Ukraine and Ethiopia’ humanitarian crisis- by far the largest in the world today, have captured both the media and public's attention, and shifted the spotlight away from education sector reforms. As such, the consultant will also help develop a strategy to target both internal and external audiences with tailored messages and communication tools, offering a cross-cutting perspective on the importance and objectives of the curriculum reform process, expected learning outcomes, key changes expected as part of the new curriculum, key achievements to date as well as expectations of key stakeholders, such as children, parents, teachers and other school personnel to ensure a successful roll out of the new curriculum. 

1. Purpose and Objectives of Consultancy.

There are two communication objectives: namely, communication for back to learning campaign to promote behaviour and norms change for preference of learners and families return to and enroll in school, and for effective communication to build awareness, educate audiences, generate interest and facilitate the successful and coordinated implementation of the revised national General Education Curriculum. 

The specific objectives for curriculum are:

• Make the curriculum reform a case for the immediate need of improving quality of education. 
• Increase awareness of the various stakeholders on their respective roles
• Support resource mobilization/investment in relation to the implementation of the new curriculum 

The back-to-learning communication objectives include:

• Support development and dissemination of multi-media social and behavior change products, 
• Advocate with major actors on the education of children; and 
• Social and Behavior Change (SBC) interventions seek the support of all partners and actors, including associations, societies, and faith-based organizations. 

Based on these objectives, the consultant will have the responsibility of supporting the Ministry of Education and Regional Education Bureaus with the production of social mobilization strategies and the development and broadcasting of communication messages. 

Thus, the purpose of the consultancy service is to support and strengthen the MoE’s social and behavior change communication efforts for back-to-school learning and support popularization to education stakeholders of the revised curriculum. The communication support will target: 

• Children of different categories (never been to school, never come back in the current academic year, in the humanitarian situations- Internally Displaced People, refugees, returnees, girls, disabilities).
• Families, guardians, communities, CSOs, FBOs and local government structures.
• Curriculum stakeholders (education leadership at different levels, teachers, religious institutions, community influencers, political actors, parents, and guardians), to popularize and create awareness of the revised curriculum. 

The consultants emphatically work in the preparation of contextually segmented audience SBC strategies and activities that can promote and support the MoE’s and regions’ SBC interventions for BtL and awareness on the revised curriculum.

1. Ownership of the Consultancy 

The ownership of this consultancy service is the Ministry of Education

1. Scope of the Work Assignment 

Under the leadership and guidance of MoE, Communication Desk and oversight by UNICEF Education Section, Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Unit and Communication and Advocacy (CAP) Sections, the consultant coordinates with the different desks in the MoE and with Regional Education Bureaus. The key responsibilities include:

• Prepare advocacy brief on the new Ethiopian School Curriculum (pre-primary, primary, and secondary), to be communicated with the different education stakeholders/partners for resource mobilization.
• Provide technical assistance/guidance/direction to MoE Communications Desk for producing communication materials on BtL and revised curriculum.  
• Set virtual/face-to-face coordination meetings with regional BtL and curriculum communication technical working groups, and education sector actors, related to curriculum communication and BtL strategies, guidelines and plans, and implementation.
• Develop MoE’s SBC strategy with Regional Education Bureaus (REBs)
• Support adaptation by regions of the national SBC strategy to targeted regions
• Develop public and resource mobilization strategy and support its implementation to rebuild damaged schools.
• Provide training to the communication staff of the REBs and MoE on BtL campaign 
• Develop human interest stories and share on MoE and other media platforms.
• Produce spots for back-to-learning campaigns and resource mobilization for damaged schools and broadcast on mainstream media and other platforms.
• Review and consolidate feedback on communication products from stakeholders 
• Based on timely reports that Regional Education Bureaus provide for evidence, the consultant produces and submits gender-responsive quality and standardized SBC messages, and facilitates for dissemination in different formats, are adapted in the relevant local languages as necessary. 
• Document the lessons learned from the BtL and curriculum popularization.
• Support multi-sectoral coordination for a concerted effort to have a smooth implementation of the revised curriculum.

1. Deliverables, Timelines and Payment Schedule

1. Hiring Process and Modality of payment.

The hiring of the consultant will be facilitated through third-party HR service provider. Payments for the consultant are expedited by the third-party HR service provider on monthly basis upon completion of deliverables against each month and written communication by the Ministry of Education, Communications Desk. UNICEF retains the right to review and endorse each monthly payment. Monthly payment to the consultant is guided by the following deliverables.

• 1st Payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 3, 9, 10 and 12): 
  • PSA on curriculum dissemination/ popularization.

• BtL data captured, analyzed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up actions.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, and course correction submitted.

• 2nd payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 1, 2, 9, 10 and 12):

• Costed comprehensive advocacy and awareness creation strategy for curriculum developed and endorsed by MoE (Curriculum and communication CEOs, and UNICEF).
• One round of high-level events with increased media presence to promote the new curriculum planned and organized with the support of the Ministry’s Communication and Curriculum CEOs.
• BtL data captured, analysed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 3rd payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 9, 10,11 and 12):

• Human-interest Story, and lessons learned documented and shared to the concerned for print and publication.
• BtL data captured, analysed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 4th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 9, 10 and 12):

• BtL data captured, analysed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 5th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 9, 10, 11 and 12):

• Human-interest Story, and lessons learned documented and shared to the concerned for print and publication.
• BtL data captured, analysed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 6th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 2,9, 10 and 12):

• High-level event with increased media presence to promote the new curriculum planned and organized with the support of Ministry’s Communication and Curriculum CEOs.
• BtL data captured, analyzed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms.
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 7th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 4,9, 10 and 12):

• Open discussion forum and/ symposium on curriculum popularization facilitated and undertaken. 
• BtL data captured, analyzed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course correction submitted.

• 8th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 6,7, 10 and 12):

• Comprehensive revised BtL Advocacy & SBC strategy produced and endorsed by the MoE, Communication Desk. 
• BtL data captured, analyzed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s.
• BtL training manual for REB Communication experts developed and rolled out to regions.
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms.
• Monthly written reports on the progress of implementation, challenges faced, course corrections submitted.

• 9th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 8 and 12):
•  Evidence-based quality and standardized BtL SBC materials and messages were developed and broadcasted.
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, course corrections submitted.

• 10th payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 8 and 12):

• Evidence-based quality and standardized BtL SBC materials and messages were developed and broadcast.
• Monthly written reports on progress of implementation, challenges faced, and course correction submitted.

• Last payment (upon accomplishment of deliverables 5,9,10, 11 and 13):

• Good practices of the curriculum popularization documented and submitted
• Human-interest Story, and lessons learned are documented and shared to the concerned for print and publication.
• BtL data captured, analyzed, synthesized and reports shared for the Communication Desk and SBC working group for the necessary follow-up action/s
• Relevant communication materials uploaded on digital/social media platforms
• Final report submitted with recommendations to operationalize the strategic documents, and endorsed by MoE and UNICEF.

Job Requirement

1. Key Competencies, Technical Background and Experience Required 

• Degree-level qualification in Journalism and Communication, or relevant social sciences.
• Minimum of 6 years of working experience in SBC and Advocacy or strategy development
• Demonstrated experience in using digital/social media for communication
• Demonstrated experience in the field of communication and media, preferably in the education sector.
• Demonstrated knowledge and familiarity with the decentralized system of education and of the whole governance in Ethiopia. 
• Excellent ability to collaborate with management to develop and implement an effective SBC strategy
• Excellent communication (written and oral), negotiation, and other relations skills.
• Advanced computer literacy is expected in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 
• Excellent interpersonal and team working skills
• Excellent spoken and written Amharic and English language; other Ethiopian languages is an added value