Short-Term Consultant – Tribal Area Development; Technical Assistance Initiative

Scope of Work for Short-Term Consultant – Tribal Area Development; Technical Assistance Initiative, Rajasthan

GIRLS’ EDUCATION PROGRAM, ROOM TO READ India

Location: Udaipur, Sirohi and Baran district of Rajasthan

Contract Duration: 5 months

About Room to Read

Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, our innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools that are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations, and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions.

By focusing on the quality of education provided within the communities and ensuring these outcomes are measured, we have created a model that can be replicated, localized, and sustained by governments. With its global headquarters in San Francisco, Room to Read to date has benefited 32 million children across 21 low-income countries.

Room to Read India was established in 2003 and presently has programs in twelve states – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

By working closely with the government and other partner organizations to create equal and robust education systems that reach the most vulnerable children and improve teaching and learning environments and materials, as of 31st December 2021, Room to Read India’s interventions resulted in: Establishment of 15,553 libraries, 367,844 girls benefitting, Training of 31, 395 teachers in various programs, Tertiary education/job opportunities for 63.8% of scholars within a year after graduation and Publication of 220 Room to Read India titles, and distribution over 9.35 million books.

Project Overview

Room to Read India, in partnership with the Tribal Area Development Department and the Department of Education in Rajasthan, alongside the District Administrations of Udaipur, Sirohi, and Baran, aims to establish a life skills program within the Tribal Departments' school systems. Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, this initiative seeks to empower tribal adolescent girls by nurturing essential life skills and advancing gender equality. Through innovative and evidence-based strategies, the project endeavors to create a supportive learning environment that enables adolescents to cultivate critical life skills, overcome gender biases, and pursue lifelong learning.

Our program's overarching goal is to institutionalize the life skills program within the educational system, beginning at the district level and expanding to the state level, with a focus on marginalized communities through school-based interventions. We envision equipping secondary school-aged tribal girls with the necessary tools and life skills to advocate for themselves, continue their education, and make informed decisions for their futures. Our immediate objective is to implement a contextually tailored, gender-transformative life skills program for girls through a technical assistance approach. This program is designed for eventual institutionalization within the educational system to ensure sustained impact and empowerment for the targeted communities.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly qualified and experienced consultant to join our team for a Technical Support Initiative – Enabling tribal adolescent girls of TAD Hostels while fostering essential life skills and promoting gender equality in Rajasthan.

The Girls’ Education Program (GEP) Consultant spends the majority of his or her time providing support to the TAD school teachers (as per the program design) and assists the Program Officer in carrying out all activities of the GEP. The position will be field-based in the district of the state - Rajasthan and will involve extensive travel to the areas of work, specifically to the TAD Hostels spread across the districts of the state. The work will entail providing direct support to TAD Residential School teachers, supporting and facilitating schoolteachers’ training, working regularly with schoolteachers to ensure they are effective in their roles in working with tribal girls, and modelling effective life skills sessions with girls when needed. The incumbent will also be responsible for working with and orienting the TAD hostel wardens, teachers, and other government officials as required. They will also be responsible for strengthening linkages with like-minded organizations, liaising with block/district level officials, regular program and financial tracking, collecting program data, undertaking monitoring as required, and entering it into Room to Read's database. The Program Consultant, TAD-Technical Initiative, reports to the Girls’ Education Program Officer.

Roles & Responsibilities of Consultant

Program Implementation and Training:

• Provide support to TAD residential schoolteachers as per the program design.
• Set a schedule of visits to the TAD residential schools according to the benchmarking indicated.
• Train teachers on the program content.
• Assist TAD school teachers/wardens in scheduling life skills sessions with girls, observe sessions, and provide support to the teachers/wardens.
• Conduct regular field-based monitoring as per the approved monitoring plan.
• Complete monitoring forms, consolidate them, and report to the state office.
• Support and facilitate the administration of teacher training assessment tools at the district/state levels.
• Facilitate or participate in monthly/quarterly meetings of schoolteachers (at the cluster/block/district level) to discuss and identify solutions to challenges in program implementation and working with the girls.
• Participate in regular trainings and meetings with Room to Read staff.
• Ensure feedback is given to specific TAD residential schools and recorded in writing regularly.
• Participate in donor/government stakeholder visits to program locations and provide information to donors/stakeholders about Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program as needed.

Liaising, Networking, and Building Linkages at the Field, Block, and District Levels

• Plan and organize trainings and meetings for government officials (block and district level) to discuss the program, its updates, and upcoming plans.
• Establish and strengthen monitoring mechanisms at the district/block level in collaboration with governance systems.
• Liaise with the government to enhance the mainstreaming of reporting and monitoring mechanisms related to the program.
• Build linkages with like-minded organizations for referral services for girls, in consultation with the Program Officer.
• Provide support to TAD school teachers/wardens in maintaining program records as decided.
• Assist the Program Officer in creating visibility for the GEP at the district and state levels.

Ensuring Quality Programs at the Field Level

• Conduct discussions on program quality with TAD school teachers during meetings.
• Share learnings from the Program in the INCO-level review meetings.
• Understand and address factors that may impede the quality and fidelity of life skills in the field.
• Track whether quality standards are being met and provide updates to the Program Officer.
• Use life skills observation forms to provide feedback to TAD school teachers/wardens.

Planning, Reporting, and Documentation

• Ensure TAD school teachers are keeping program records as specified in the program design.
• Collect this data and provide it to the PO/PM as needed and according to the agreed-upon data flow mechanisms.
• Collect MIS data, provide it to the PO/PM, and enter it into Room to Read’s database as indicated.
• Document best practices, case studies, photos, and lessons learned, and share them with the GEP Team.
• Flag challenges/issues/timely alerts to the GEP PO to ensure smooth and effective implementation.

Annual Planning and Budgeting

• Participate in the annual planning and budgeting process.
• Ensure budget forecasting for the month and submit bills timely to the state office.

Other Responsibilities

• Provide adequate direction to ensure the smooth functioning of the teachers.

Reporting Relationship

• Reports to the Girls' Education Program Officer / Senior Girls' Education Program Officer.

Other Significant Relationships

• Maintain effective liaison with State finance, Administration, and HR where required.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

-        Master’s degree in education/social work/development/Gender Studies or equivalent.

-        3 - 5 years of relevant work experience in areas of girls' education, gender, and life skills.

-        Prior experience of living and/or working in rural and semi-urban areas.

-        Previous experience working closely with schoolteachers and government.

-        Demonstrate understanding of Rajasthan's educational challenges, including girls' education and gender issues, and knowledge of regional policies and guidelines governing education in the state.

-        This position requires extensive travel to district/block levels.

-        Good interpersonal skills and a team player.

-        Proficient in MS Word and MS Excel for reporting purposes.

-        Strong organizational and planning skills, including the ability to monitor program implementation progress.

-        Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative.

-        Previous experience working closely with diverse groups of people.

-        Experience in facilitation and training.

-        Good knowledge of Hindi and English.

Preferred:

-        English fluency

-        Experience in counselling techniques related to adolescent girls

-        Good knowledge of the local dialect

Room to Read is an equal-opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. Women candidates are encouraged to apply for this position as it involves direct interaction with adolescent girls in a government institutional setting.

Understanding of Scope of Work:

• Assess comprehension of project scope through the proposal and interviews.
• Score out of 5 based on clarity and alignment with project requirements.
• Assign a score out of 5 based on knowledge and skill set.

Candidate Technical Evaluation Criteria:

1. Experience in the education domain.
2. Experience in the gender domain.
3. Training and capacity-building skills.
4. Experience in government liaison.
5. Reporting and documentation skills.
6. Willingness and ability to relocate and travel.
7. Interpersonal and communication skills (including proficiency in English and Hindi, where applicable).

Proposals are invited from the interested agency for the above assignment and the last date for receiving the proposal is 2 Sep 2024 at procurement.india@roomtoread.org [do not copy anyone from RtR]

• Kindly submit email with following subject lines:
  • EMAIL: CV/Resume – Technical Assistance (GEP)
  • Read the SOW thoroughly before applying.
  • Only Shortlisted candidate will be contacted and might be called for a face-to-face interaction with the panel.
  • Any incomplete application or process deviation, the proposals will automatically be rejected.
  • Proposal received after the prescribed deadline will not be considered.
  • The TDS will be applicable on the consultancy fee.
  • Selected Consultant will be required to sign and abide by the Child Protection policy of Room to Read.

For queries, please contact:

Vivek Shrawat

vivek.shrawat@roomtoread.org

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