CALL FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY Review and Assessment of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the new Zimbabwe Curriculum Framework,

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1 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa CALL FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY Review and Assessment of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the new Zimbabwe Curriculum Framework, TERMS OF REFERENCE Background and Justification Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) plays a central role in the preparation of adolescents and young people for a safe, productive, fulfilling life in a world where HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence (GBV) and gender inequality still pose serious risks to their well-being. Despite clear and compelling evidence for the benefits of high-quality, curriculumbased CSE, few children and young people receive preparation for their lives that empowers them to take control and make informed decisions about their sexuality and relationships freely and responsibly. UNESCO defines comprehensive sexuality education as a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality 1. It aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to: realize their health, well-being and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that of others; and understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives. Comprehensive sexuality education is as an age-appropriate, culturally relevant approach to teaching about sex and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, non-judgmental information. Curricula are the main way countries promote knowledge and skills on health and well-being, sustainable development and global citizenship to students. Most countries report that human rights education is included in their curricula and education standards. Comprehensive sexuality education, however, is not widely included. The 201 Ministerial Commitment on Comprehensive Sexuality Education and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people in Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development in Africa Beyond 2014 both provide an explicit, strong basis for the importance of providing comprehensive sexuality education for young people. In P.O. Box HG45, Highlands 8 Kenilworth Road Newlands,Highlands HARARE, ZIMBABWE Tel: /9; Mobile: /1 Fax : harare@unesco.org 1 UNESCO (2018), International Technical Guidance on sexuality education (revised edition)

2 2015 the African Union and UNAIDS cited comprehensive sexuality education as one of the five key recommendations to fast track the HIV response and end the AIDS epidemic by 200 among young women and girls across Africa. The ESA Commitment was affirmed and endorsed by Ministers of Health and Education from 20 countries in December 201 and one of the targets set in the Commitment was ensuring a good quality CSE curriculum framework is in place by 2015 and being implemented in each of the 20 countries. There is thus need and an opportunity to review the extent to which such integration has actually taken place in the context of Zimbabwe s new Curriculum Framework, so as to inform support for strategic investments in strengthening comprehensive sexuality education and schoolbased interventions. In 1992 the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MOESC) introduced the HIV and AIDS and Life-skills program (also referred to as AIDS Action Program for Schools ) with funding from UNICEF and the Royal Netherlands Embassy. In order to strengthen the HIV and AIDS prevention initiatives, the MOESC issued a circular in 199 (Chief Education Officer Circular Minute No 16 of 199), making it compulsory the teaching of HIV/AIDS in all schools in Zimbabwe from Grade 4 to Form 6. This was followed up by the Permanent Secretary's memorandum of June 1998 reminding all regions to uphold the requirements of circular 16 of 199. In 200, a Director s Circular Minute provided the terms of reference for AIDS Support Organizations wishing to participate in the Ministry s HIV and AIDS and Life Skills Education program. The MOESC also produced a draft work plan on HIV and AIDS for the period 2000 to 2004, and a strategic plan. The goal of Zimbabwe s AIDS Action Program for Schools was to change attitudes and behavior among students to reduce the risk of HIV infection. The program aimed to develop students Life Skills, such as problem solving, informed decision-making, and avoiding risky behavior. Participatory methods and experiential learning processes were used to teach Life Skills. Life skills and HIV education was a standalone subject, with one allocated period a week. Booklets for students and teachers were designed for each grade, addressing four main themes: relationships, growing up, life skills and health. In the classroom, self-esteem and assertiveness were encouraged, as well as role playing and other activities to help students focus on feelings, examine alternatives, think through situations of risk, make decisions, and respond to peer pressure. Zimbabwe's mandatory curriculum provided full coverage among primary & secondary schools and was recognized by UNAIDS as a best practice. The program met three best practice standards on policy, curriculum, and teacher training. The HIV and AIDS Life Skills Strategic Plan for the period 2006 to 2010 developed with support from UNICEF was finalized, but never put to use by the MOESC. Without this strategic plan, the life skills program was running in a vacuum since there was no guiding document and there were no structures in place. Regarding content, the program explicitly avoided the mention of condoms as a key HIV prevention strategy. When teachers were talking of the ABC of HIV prevention, the C referred to Conduct yourself. Other obstacles included lack of teaching materials and lack of training to organize classroom activities on sensitive issues. Some studies have revealed that teachers were finding it very difficult to discuss sex related issues with children and that teachers lacked the knowledge and confidence to teach HIV and AIDS education. National AIDS Council then coordinated a process to come up with the new strategy from 2010 in line with Zimbabwe National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan, and the Life Skills, Sexuality, HIV and AIDS Education Strategic Plan was then drafted, approved and launched. Strategy documents were distributed to all the districts in 201 and orientation on the new strategy was done for MOESAC Senior management, provincial and district level. From , Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) undertook a comprehensive review of the school curriculum in order to enhance the curriculum s pivotal 2

3 role in the country s education reform process. This culminated in the Zimbabwe Curriculum Framework , in which issues like sexuality and HIV/AIDS are identified as crosscutting and to be integrated in the general education and pathway subjects. The new curriculum has been introduced in Zimbabwe s Primary and Secondary Schools following the country s adoption of the new curriculum framework and has so far been implemented for one full year as at January 2017 to date. The updated curriculum is meant to modernize the education system, at the infant, junior and secondary level, so that they are in line with global trends and with modern technologies. The Curriculum Framework prepares graduates of the education system to have the following skills: critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, leadership skills, good communication skills, team building and technological skills. The new curriculum is being implemented in phases starting with the preparatory phase which involves the development and printing of syllabi for all levels. In recent times, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has said it has noted concerns raised by different stakeholders on the education curriculum and will continue doing assessments to ensure effective implementation. It is thus an opportune moment to assess the extent to which Comprehensive Sexuality Education concepts have been integrated in the new curriculum framework. About the Consultancy (Work Assignment) UNESCO hereby invites applications from highly qualified and experienced individual consultants to undertake a systematic review and assessment of the content, quality, and delivering methods of comprehensive sexuality education in the Zimbabwe curriculum framework, The Individual Consultant shall specifically perform the following tasks: 1. Make a compendium of school curricula (primary and secondary) currently being offered. Materials to be collected will include CSE curriculum frameworks, syllabi for sexuality education topics integrated into carrier subjects and supportive educational materials where appropriate, for example, learners manuals, teaching materials, teacher training manuals and other materials, peer education manuals and materials used in schools. 2. Review and analyze the positioning of comprehensive sexuality education within the primary and secondary school curriculum (Is it a standalone subject, integrated into a single carrier subject or infused across different subjects, and is it part of extra-curricular programmes? For each level, what age does delivery start; how is it positioned in the curriculum; time allocation; who delivers? Since when has it been this way?).. Review Comprehensive Sexuality Education topics and learning objectives included in the curricula for each age group or by grade, in terms of knowledge, life skills, and personal attitudes towards sexuality and HIV against the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education. Highlight the extent to which the program is gender-sensitive and based on human rights. 4. Interview education managers, curriculum specialists, teachers and all those who are responsible for, or contribute to the teaching process. Each of them is invited to explain their contributions to the Comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum (in terms of content, quality and delivery). 5. Conduct interviews with learners and other key stakeholders (parents, school heads, teachers, as necessary) to check on all claims and assertions made by the teaching staff on content, quality and delivery of CSE. 6. Organize a two-day workshop where all key stakeholders come together to conduct the Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) exercise. 7. Analyse, based on SERAT, the interviews and materials collected, the education sector needs in terms of Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs, with a special focus on programme components as they relate to critical national public health indicators. Use SERAT report template to describe the main findings. 8. Prepare a draft report and a presentation file, preferably in PowerPoint format and present key findings to key stakeholders at a validation workshop.

4 9. Submit final report. Deliverables The key deliverables for this assignment are as follows: 1. Inception Meeting Report and a Gantt chart. 2. Review and Assessment Protocol comprised of finalized data collection tools.. A Final Report and Power Point Presentation (hard and electronic form). 4. A list of supporting documents including copies of the attendance register at all consultations and records of key meetings. 5. A compendium of school curricula of Comprehensive Sexuality Education related A Brief Description of the Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) The Sexuality Education Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) provides a framework for assessing the scope, content and delivery of comprehensive sexuality education. Used to assess national sexual education programmes in 1 countries of sub-saharan Africa, it showed that less than half met global standards for required content across all age groups. The weakest content was related to the coverage of gender and social norms (Herat et al., 2014; UNFPA, 2015b). SERAT is an excel-based tool that supports the collection of data on HIV prevention and sexuality education programmes. Results are presented immediately on bar charts in the tool for ease of consultation and to enable immediate analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a programme, in addition to the programme s relevance to sexual and reproductive health issues in that country. Its purpose is: To review school-based HIV prevention and sexuality education programmes based on international evidence and good practice; To provide data to inform improvement or reform of programme; To assess programme efficiency by focusing on health data and other social criteria (notably gender) when looking at its strengths and weaknesses; To inform debate and advocacy by making available data on sexuality education that is understandable, easy to analyze and accessible to different audiences. SERAT is based on international evidence and best practice in the development and content of effective curricula. SERAT includes analysis of curriculum content, programme development, teacher training and other key elements that can lead to the success of a sexuality education programme. It includes analysis of health and social components, with a strong gender focus. Timeframe for Review The assignment should start in August and be concluded by end of September Not more than 0 working days. Activity Output Time Frame (man-days) Contracting and Pre-field Activities Contract discussions and Agreement 1 Inception meeting with UNESCO and Ministry of Primary & Secondary Education Inception report including: background, objectives, specific tasks and activities, deliverables, methodology, workplan and timelines, interview guide finalized and endorsed by UNESCO. The inception report should demonstrate consultant s understanding of the Sexuality Education 4

5 Activity Output Time Frame (man-days) Review and Assessment Tool (SERAT) in meeting the objectives of the assignment. Desk review of all relevant materials; Draft report from desktop review 5 Field data Collection Key Informant Interviews & SERAT Exercise 10 Submission of draft report Draft report 5 Facilitate validation & dissemination of findings with key stakeholders Submission of Final Report with recommendations incorporating stakeholders feedbacks Power Point presentation with list of participants Endorsed final report with recommendations and respective annexes Profile of Consultant The successful candidate should possess the following experience and qualifications to be considered for this post: Professional Experience: At least 10 years experience in the education sector in relevant areas such as curriculum development, research, policy and planning, teaching Guidance and Counselling; Extensive knowledge and experience in HIV prevention and sexuality education; Demonstrated experience in systematic reviews, meta-analyses, stakeholder interviewing, analysis and synthesis of findings; Experience of working with government ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education, as well as UN agencies would be an advantage. Excellent analytical, report writing and communication skills; Demonstrated skills and experience in quantitative and qualitative research; Familiarity with the Zimbabwe education system is an added advantage. Educational Qualifications: Advanced degree (Master s Degree or equivalent) in Education and Public Policy (or a related field) from a recognised and reputable institution. Specialization in Guidance and Counselling, sexuality education, curriculum development, and/or curriculum evaluation. Reporting The contract will be managed by the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa under the HIV and Health Education team. Expression of Interest Applicants who meet post criteria will need to submit a detailed CV along with a covering letter including names and contact details of three referees. Applicants should also include a brief Proposal for delivery of the support including an itemized and all-inclusive budget. Interested applicants should submit required documents electronically to Ruvarashe Matambo on r.matambo@unesco.org 2 Closing date for applications 27 July