Senior Consultant for Complementary Analysis on Cost of School Dropout and Repetition in Rwandan Basic Education, Kigali Rwanda, 2months ( Remote/ Work from home) at UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund: (Deadline 25 July 2022)
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, Education
To learn more about UNICEF work in Rwanda, please visit the country website https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/RWA/
How can you make a difference?
With the positive trend of national budget allocations to the education sector over the past five years, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) have strived to achieve the goal set forth in the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2018-2024 that “All learners enter primary school at the correct age and successfully complete 12 years”. Rwanda’s Net Enrollment Rate (NER) at the primary level has reached at the almost universal level as high as 98.9% (Male 98.7%, Female 99.1%) in 2020/21. However, this does not imply that all the children in Rwanda have completed the 12 years basic education. The education statistics issued by MINEDUC since 2016 to 2020 show that the NER for secondary schools stagnate as low as 30.8% which require more concerned efforts to increase the NER rate in Rwanda. During the same period, the repetition rate at primary level shows the gradual decline from 16.4% to 10.9% (12.7% on average). Furthermore, the annual average repetition rate in secondary education level between 2016 and 2020 is estimated at 5.6%, while the annual average drop-out is 7.4% in primary and 7.1% in secondary levels and there is a significant variation within years of schooling at each level of basic education. These phenomena have significant financial implications both at households and government levels and further the children learning ability as well as the productivity potential. As the data indicate, the education system in Rwanda has been affected by high rates of both school dropout and repetition which further affect the ability of achieving the demographic dividend through quality human capital development as well as efficient and effective use of national budget allocated to the education sector.
At household level, the data (NISR: DHS 2019/20) show that among the people aged over 6 years, the ratio of population who completed primary education or above level remains at 34.1% on average with female for 34.6% while male are 33.6% and this number has strong correlation with the wealth level of household with lower rate development outcomes (Income, stunting, immunization, among others) concentrated among those with low level of education.
The Ministry of Education embarked on the development of a dropout and repetition reduction strategy in early 2022. To substantiate the evidence bases, there is a need to undertake an analysis of the cost and fiscal implications of school dropout both at the level of duty bearers (the Government) and the service beneficiaries (households) and children.
Dropout and repetition have negative effect on the school completion rate, education outcomes and productivity, this requires comprehensive plans at different levels of education management and at households’ level to minimize the risk of repetition and school dropout. High rates of school dropout and/or repetition add another burden to the already constrained budget allocations to the education sector, limiting the ability of increasing the quality of education through investment in educational infrastructure improvement, teachers training, among others.
Several cases of repetition of a child affect learning ability, and results into learning fatigue which further affects productivity and future income. However, there is a limited understanding of the cost or fiscal implications of school dropout and repetition in Rwanda, as well as lack of information on the cost implications of bringing back the dropped-out children to the learning path in order to ensure inclusive learning and sustain stronger human capital base in the future.
Objectives of the assignment:
The main objective of this study is to contribute to an improved understanding of the cost of school dropout and repetition in Rwanda’s basic education (Primary and secondary education levels) in terms of fiscal costs, long term effect on the affected individuals, the wider impact on productivity, and limited socio-economic mobility in the path of socio-economic transformation and maximization of demographic dividend in Rwanda through quality education.
Specifically, this analysis will help to:
– Quantify the public budgetary implications (loss and burden) of school dropout and repetition both in primary and secondary education levels borne by the government,
– Estimate the effects of drop out and repetition on productivity loss, and income, both at central level and at district level to monitor the equity implication,
– Model the budgetary implication of school dropout and repetition at household levels,
– Model scenarios of school dropout and repetition reduction along with the fiscal gains by 2030
Scope of Work:
Throughout the period of the assignment the following methodological approach is suggested.
- Preparation and criterion Development and reviewing the current environment: Establish an understanding the dynamics of school dropout and repetition trends in Rwandan basic education systems. Select and validate the key inputs to measure the cost and fiscal implication for these phenomena. Under this stage the consultant will undertake a desk review to have an increased understanding of the current situation both at central and level government levels.
- Setting the analytical costing models and perform quantitative data collection: Under this stage, the consultant, will develop the analytical models building on the inputs identified, and perform financial data collection through a combination of various data sets, ranging from Education Statistical yearbook, administrative financial data from the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Districts, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) and Integrated living condition survey (EICVS).
- Engaging the key stakeholders: In collaboration with Education team, undertake consultations with multiple key stakeholders involved in implementing education policies such as, but not limited to, MINEDUC, MINECOFIN, REB, UNDP, UNICEF among others to share the key insights from the initial data analysis and collect stakeholders’ views on the findings as potential finetuning.
- Write up containing key findings and key recommendation: Develop and recommend the options for reducing the school dropout and repetition along with the medium/long terms financing and productivity gains across different levels of education (primary and secondary levels). The report is expected to include quantitative information substantiated with the succinct interpretation of the figures following the below key metrics:
Key metrics/indicators:
1. Direct costs: Extra government/(households) spending for repetition and sunk cost for drop out for the next five years and beyond (up to 2030):
o As a share (%) of total budget on Primary and Secondary Education,
o As a share (%) Total Education budget,
o As a share of total National/domestic budget,
o As a share (%) of GDP,
o Per child disaggregated by levels.
2. Foregone cost/budget because of drop out
o As share of GDP
3. Foregone lifetime earnings and productivity as a result of both repetition and school drop out
o As a share of GDP
4. Difference of the cost/budget and lifetime earnings of school drop out
o As a share of GDP
5. The net forgone income to total GDP under (i) status quo assumption or (ii) reduced school dropout and repetition rates
6. Overall Unemployment effect
7. Simulate the lad financial cost at households’ level as result of school drop and repetition
Work Assignment Overview
Tasks/Milestone:
• Preparation of a roadmap of activities in consultation with UNICEF, and the Government technical team:
• Design a plan of activities for the project
• Develop a comprehensive methodology
• Submit and present the detailed inception report
• Perform desk review of the current trends of school dropout and repetition in Rwanda,
• Perform data collection from various data set and data source including key informant interviews,
• Develop an understanding of the current school’s financing architecture and funding flows,
• Analyze the data using various financial/cost models,
• Simulate the quantitative figures and make relevant projections building on various inputs put in costing model.
• Organize stakeholder’s engagement sessions to seek the inputs on initial analytics,
• Finetune the model and analytical findings,
• Submission of final report to MINEDUC and UNICEF.
Deliverables/ Outputs:
1. Detailed inception report submitted and validated
2. Data collection, and data analysis and submission of initial draft report ensured
3. Submission of the final analytical report and presentation to the key stakeholders ensured
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in Economics, Finance, Development Finance, Public Finance, or other related areas.
- At least 8 years of proven experience in budget/ financial analysis, development financing, or developing de-risking instruments,
- Demonstrable ability in writing high level analytical reports, including but not limited to financing strategies, business/investment cases, Education sector or sub-sector costing,
- Capacity to research and synthesize complex information from a diverse range of stakeholders and resources,
- Experience in emerging or developing countries (Eastern and Southern Africa is considered as an asset),
- Experience with Rwanda’s financing architecture is considered as an asset,
- Working experience with UN and or other international organizations will be an added advantage,
- Fluency and excellent writing skills in English required,
- Ability to work under tight deadlines.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).
Kindly Note
All Jobs and Opportunities Published on mucuruzi.com are completely free to apply. A candidate should never pay any fee during the recruitment Process. Even if mucuruzi.com does its best to avoid any scam job or opportunity offer, a job seeker or an opportunity seeker is 100% responsible of applying at his own risk.
Check well before applying, if you doubt about the eligibility of any offer do not apply and notifie to mucuruzi.com via this email: [email protected] and remember to never pay any fee to have a job or get any opportunity, if you do so, do it at your own risk.
