Yemen Return to Learning (RTL) Curriculum Contextualization Consultant Save the Children  

Contract duration:30 days

Background

The education system in Yemen has suffered multiple shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, natural disasters and poverty, leaving 4.7 million children in need of education assistance, of which 3.7 million are in acute need and approximately 2 million children are out of school entirely (Yemen Education Cluster, 2020). According to recent household level assessments in Southern Yemen, 31% of children reported being out of school for more than two years, and 29.5% of children had never been to school. These trends affect girls more than boys, with 36% of girls out of school compared to 24% of their male peers.

Save the Children (SC) has been in Yemen since 1963 implementing development and humanitarian programs in the following sectors: Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health, Nutrition, WASH and Food Security and Livelihoods. Throughout the Yemen conflict, SCI has been implementing humanitarian projects in 10 Governorates including Taiz, Hodeida, Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Sa’ada, Ibb, Sana’a, Al-Dhale’a and Aden. SC education intervention is aiming at promoting access to quality education for conflict-affected girls and boys. As part of its humanitarian portfolio, SC is establishing an education component under the national Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) in close coordination with the Yemen Education Cluster. This includes installation of tents to be used as temporary learning spaces (TLS), provision of teaching and learning material, training for teachers, and enrollment of children in the Return to Learning (RTL) program. The purpose of RTL is to help children continue to learn while we try to find ways of getting them back into a formal school setting.

• This program will help children continue to learn in a few key areas: reading and writing, math, and social and emotional skills. All of these skills are necessary so that children can return to school as soon as possible.
• Children of all different ages can be enrolled—young children (ages 3-5), primary school-age children (ages 6-11) and adolescents (12-15). In Yemen the focus will be on primary-school age children and adolescents only.
• Facilitators will work with groups of children who are organized by age, but they may have very different skill levels.
• Children may also be struggling due to the emotional trauma of displacement. Because of this, we will need to be extra kind, even if their behavior is sometimes difficult.

The Consultant will support the contextualization of Return to Learning (RTL) curriculum - which is used in non-formal education programs - for the Yemen context to ensure that now and in the future, children affected by sudden displacement, closure of schools, teacher strikes or natural disaster can quickly access learning and ease their return to the formal system. This adaptation will also support the Ministry of Education (MoE’s) capacity to provide more inclusive, equitable learning opportunities that respond to the diverse learning needs of children who has been affected by displacement.

Description of Services

The Consultant will contextualize the RTL curriculum for the Yemeni context, starting from the activity packets developed by Save the Children at global level and already translated in Arabic language. Specifically, the Consultant will be expected to deliver on the RTL contextualized curriculum materials. The contextualization of the BLN curriculum will look at the content for children aged 6-11 and 12-15. Specifically, this entails adapting the training material and the activity packet in both English and Arabic language.

Once the Consultant has drafted all materials, the contextualized content will be reviewed by Save’s Yemen Country Office to ensure the new material is in line with SC policy. The Consultant will be expected to incorporate feedback provided by Save’s Yemen Country Office to revise and finalize the materials. 

Key Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to complete this work with 30 days. The table below provides an overview of the timing for completing key deliverables.

Supervision

The Consultant will report to Save the Children Yemen’s Education Technical Advisor and will work closely with Save the Children Yemen’s Education Specialist. The Consultant will be expected to have weekly check-ins with the Education TA during the period of performance.

Required Qualifications

• Fluent in Arabic and English, both written and spoken
• At least five years of experience in primary education, curriculum development and/or teaching in primary schools
• BA in education or related field
• Ability to participate in calls with colleagues in Yemen, and possibly government officials

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience support Arabic curriculum development
• Prior experience of support to accelerated learning programs or non-formal education programs

Location 

This is a remote location consultancy and can be completed from anywhere.