1) Conducting desk review of UNRWA material on HRCRT and School Parliament, and pre-meetings with UNRWA education staff to identify needs (11 days)
• Preparing the agenda and questions for the online 'pre meetings'.
• Conducting online pre-meetings with students and education staff: 1 group meeting with HRCRT focal points in the Fields, then 3 meetings per Field; one meeting with a group of School Parliamentarians, one meeting with a group of School Parliament Coordinators (teachers), and one meeting with a group of School Principals. Each session is 2-3 hours.
• Preparing a report documenting the main findings and recommendations from the desk review and pre-meetings.
2) Developing the “School Parliament Coordinator Guide” - Draft 1 (11 days)
• Developing the Guide outline based on the pre-meetings report and recommendations
• Addressing UNRWA feedback on the outline,
• Drafting the first version of the Guide.
3) Developing the “School Parliament Coordinator Guide” - Draft 2 (11 days)
• Addressing UNRWA feedback on the first version of the Booklet and submitting the third version of the Booklet to UNRWA.
• Developing the “School Parliament Coordinator Guide” - Final version
• Finalizing the Guide following UNRWA feedback on the second version.
4) Developing related training material to support the HRCRT focal point in the Fields to train new School Parliament Coordinators at the beginning of every year (7 days)
• Preparing the training material and a facilitation guide to enable the HRCRT focal point in the Fields to train new School Parliament Coordinators.
• Addressing UNRWA feedback and finalizing the training material and facilitation guide.
Home-based
4 Months from1 December 2022 to 31 March 2023.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5.6 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
BACKGROUND
UNRWA has been engaged in the teaching of human rights conflict resolution and tolerance (HRCRT) for more than 20 years. In 2012, the HRCRT Policy was adopted to further strengthen the teaching and learning of HRCRT in UNRWA schools, harmonise and improve UNRWA’s approach to HRCRT education in line with global best practices while building on UNRWA’s experience in this area. The Policy aims to provide human rights education that empowers Palestine refugee students to enjoy and exercise their rights, uphold human rights values, be proud of their Palestinian identity, and contribute positively to their society and the global community.
To support the implementation of the HRCRT Policy, the need to develop a user-friendly resource/tool was identified by UNRWA Education staff. In 2013, the HRCRT Toolkit was developed as a practical resource to equip teachers and school management with the tools they need to implement the HRCRT Policy and update their approach to teaching human rights.
School Parliaments were also established in 2001 and supported through the HRCRT Programme to further promote respect for rights, democratic practices, and tolerance. Every year, UNRWA schools hold elections to form the School Parliaments. In previous years School Parliament activities have included: HRCRT awareness raising events, inviting representatives from Human Rights Organisations, inviting experts to train the students on communication skills, conducting awareness raising activities on the needs of children with disabilities, supporting the elderly, etc. School Parliaments have been supported by the HRCRT Programme both technically and financially.
In 2015, the Department of Education in HQ(A) developed the UNRWA School Parliaments: Good Practices Booklet which provides an easy –to-read summary of a range of activities undertaken by School Parliaments and as such provides a small sample of the wealth of experience of UNRWA schools.
During 2019, the Department of Education in HQ(A) conducted several consultative and planning meetings with education staff. One of the most important recommendations resulting from these consultations was the need to build on the School Parliament Good Practices Booklet and develop a new guide that provides a unified and clear framework for the work of School Parliaments in all Fields, especially with regards to the School Parliament elections procedures, and work principles. In response to this need, the Department of Education in HQ(A) developed the School Parliament Reference Guide at the beginning of the 2021/2022 school year.
While School Parliaments, as well as the HRCRT Toolkit activities are supporting peaceful conflict resolution in UNRWA schools, the need for more guidance and structured approach for peer mediation and peaceful conflict resolution has been highlighted by School Parliament members. In response, UNRWA Education developed the School Parliament Guide for Peaceful Conflict Resolution (PCR Guide) in 2018 which includes an eight-weeks Peer Mediation training programme targeting students who would like to become peer mediators.
Teachers coordinating the School Parliament (School Parliament Coordinators), are teachers who volunteered to support the School Parliament activities in their school through managing the School Parliament elections; supporting the School Parliament in developing their action plan; facilitating School Parliament meetings; delivering the Peer Mediation training, and overseeing the performance of the School Parliament throughout the school year.
UNRWA Department of Education at Headquarters (Amman) oversees the successful implementation of HRCRT Policy and Toolkit and supports School Parliaments in all UNRWA schools.
To support the professional development of School Parliament Coordinators, UNRWA is aiming on building the capacities of teachers coordinating the School Parliament through the development of a Guide which would enable those teachers to 1) better understand their roles in supporting the School Parliament, 2) have the skills and tools that would enable them to build the capacities of school parliamentarians on democratic practices, leadership, participation, decision-making, and communication.
To achieve this, UNRWA is looking for an external expert to develop the Guide and accompanying training material that would enable the HRCRT focal points in the Fields to train new School Parliament Coordinators at the beginning of every school year.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Conducting desk review of UNRWA material on HRCRT and School Parliament, and pre-meetings with UNRWA education staff to identify needs.
• Developing the Guide for teachers coordinating the School Parliament.
• Developing related training material to support the HRCRT focal point in the Fields to train new School Parliament Coordinators at the beginning of every year.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (Education, Human Rights, International Development, Law).
• At least 10 years of international experience in the field of education and youth development, including a minimum of 2 continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number.
• Experience in developing user-friendly guides, booklets, and training materials, in a participatory manner.
• Previous experience working directly with children and youth.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
• Knowledge of Palestine refugees and/or humanitarian response and development in the Middle East.
• Experience in the humanitarian or UN sector.
COMPETENCIES
• UN Core Values of Professionalism, Integrity and Respect for Diversity and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default.
• Positive attitude and strong analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to independently plan and prioritize own work, work well under tight deadlines.
• Excellent knowledge of MS-Office.
ORGANISATIONAL SETTING AND REPORTING
This position will be home-based. The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of Chief, Teaching and Learning Division based at the Headquarters of the Education Department in Amman.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Good command of written and spoken Arabic.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
• The Consultant will be expected to work for four months on home-based throughout the period:
1 December 2022 to 31 March 2023.
• The Consultant will work closely with the HRCRT Programme Coordinator and will report to the Chief Teaching and Learning Division based at the Headquarters of the Education Department in Amman.
• The Consultant will be remunerated 14,400 US$ in total, paid gradually following the completion of deliverables as detailed in the results 'Result of Service' section.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.