Senior Programme Assistant (for NFE Planning)

About UNESCO Kabul

Since 2008, UNESCO Office in Kabul has been supporting the Deputy Ministry of Education for Literacy (DMoEL) in improving access to literacy well as building capacity within DMoEL. In June 2018, the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) approved a USD 20 million project proposal titled “Better Education Systems for Afghanistan’s Future (BESAF)” submitted by UNESCO Office in Kabul. The objective of the project is to provide technical support to the Ministries of Education (MoE) and Higher Education (MoHE) in line with the on-going education reform processes such as the National Strategic Education Plan III (NESP III). This project is organized around the three pillars of the NESP III, (i) efficient and transparent management; (ii) quality and relevance; and (iii) equitable access. Through this project, UNESCO will support MoE and MoHE to strengthen capacity and develop, implement and monitor robust education sector plans integrating a gender perspective and underpinned by accurate and reliable education sector data. The project will also support the revision of curricula and learning resources for formal general education (grades 1-12), non-formal adult education (levels 1-3), and higher education and research (Bachelor’s and Master’s), and increase access to general literacy and skills-based literacy programmes, with a particular focus on women.

This project integrates a system-wide capacity development approach intended to provide comprehensive and seamless UNESCO support to the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) to respond to key challenges facing the education sector in Afghanistan. The following UNESCO entities are associated in this project under the overall leadership and coordination of UNESCO Office in Kabul: The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), the International Bureau for Education (IBE), the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, and UNESCO Headquarters. The incumbent will maintain strong liaison with UNESCO-UIL, and UNESCO-IIEP in particular, given UIL’s role in supporting key activities within adult literacy and non-formal education in the context of lifelong learning.

Job Summary

Under the overall authority of Director and Representative of UNESCO to Afghanistan, under the direct supervision of the Chief of Education Unit, the incumbent will contribute to the field coordination and operation by liaising with government counterparts and other partners for literacy at the field level. The incumbent will also be involved in the coordination of projects within and across the education sector as well as under inter-sectoral platforms. Within this context, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Duties & Responsibilities

1.    Analysis

-         Assist in conducting needs assessment, analysis and researches related to the literacy component of the programme.

-         Contribute to the process of identifying the training needs of the MoE counterparts

-         Contribute to identifying, capturing, synthesizing and sharing lessons learned for knowledge development and capacity development of stakeholders.

-         Carry out research and report on best and cutting edge practices in development planning of knowledge products and systems.

2.    Planning and Programme Development

-         Assist the programme management team in preparing and developing plans and programmes

-         Assist in developing logical frameworks and programme design.

-         Contribute to the development and implementation of capacity building programmes for the MoE.

-         Contribute to the development of the National Literacy Strategy

-         Contribute to the development of the action plan for national literacy strategy

-         Liaise with MoHE in designing research programmes for Non-Formal Education and assist in conducting the researches

-         Assist the Deputy Ministry Education for Literacy in developing the frameworks, tools and instruments for the Afghan Literacy Assessment Survey (ALAS)

3.    Programme Implementation

-         Liaise with the MoE counterparts in implementation of the National Literacy Strategy

-         Liaise with the MoE counterparts implementation of the action plan for national literacy strategy

-         Assist the DMoEL in the implementation of ALAS

-         Contribute to joint activities with government partners, the UN Country Team and the wider international community, wherever possible in the context educational development;

-         Contributed in implementation of the ALAS in the ministry of education.

4.    M&E and Reporting

-         Assist the programme management team in monitoring and evaluation of programme outcomes and outputs.

-         Assist the literacy programme manager as well as the programme management team in drafting, finalizing the quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports related to the programme.

-         Assist in the collection, compilation, comprehension, analysis and dissemination of data related to the programme.

-         Assist in the process of assessing, developing and implementing the Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFEMIS)

-         Maintain records and exchanges of information related to the programme and programme activities.

5.    Coordination and Communication

-         Liaise with the MoE counterparts in identifying and introducing the qualified candidates for the short-term and long-term trainings

-         Liaise with UNESCO affiliated institutions for identifying capacity-building opportunities for the MoE counterparts.

-         Assist in the organization of national and international events related to the programme such as the International Literacy Day.

-         Provide administrative and operational support to the activities and events related to the programme as directed by the supervisor.

-         Assist in coordination, liaison and communication with the ministries of education and higher education, UNESCO affiliated institutions as well as other International Development Partners

Job Requirements

Education

• University degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in Education, Business administration, social sciences, development studies or related area.

Work experience

At least four years of relevant work experience, with at least two years acquired with an international 

Accountability

Communication

Teamwork

Innovation

Results focus

Planning and organizing

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

For detailed information please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework

• Significant sensitivity and adaptability (cultural, gender, religion, race and nationality);
• Highly competent computer.
• Excellent independent working skills with a desire for life-long learning.

Languages

·        Good command of English, both written and spoken.

·        Fluency (written and spoken) in Dari and Pashto would be desirable.

Submission Guideline

Candidates are requested to send their applications to k.human-resource@unesco.org before midnight on 15 September 2019 (Afghanistan time). 

All applications must be submitted by email, indicating the Job Title in the email subject line. And the applications should include the followings:

-         Updated Resume

-         Cover Letter

Functional Area

Education/ Training

Social Science

Business Administration

Countries

Submission Email

k.human-resource@unesco.org

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