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For every child, EDUCATION!

Ethiopia is facing an education crisis; significantly, high numbers of children are out of school and those in school are not learning. Recent data from the Education Cluster, as of June 2024, indicates that 8.31 million children were out of school across the country due to various emergencies. Similarly, 90% of 10-years-old children cannot read and understand a simple text, while 56% of second and third-grade students in Ethiopia cannot read any words, according to EAES data from 2023.

Conflict, climate change and regional structural changes - shaped in part by migration and a burgeoning population - continue to have a significant impact on the delivery of quality education particularly in South Ethiopia Regional State (SERS) and Southwest Ethiopia Peoples Region (SWEPR). These new regions, which split off from the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, following a referendum, face multiple administrative, infrastructure, human and non-human resources challenges to deliver the required social services including education. Data from the Federal MoE’s 2022/23 Academic Year Education Statistics Annual Abstract shows that many children in these regions start school late. The prevalence of climate shocks and emergencies, such as recurrent drought, conflict, flood, and disease epidemics, including Cholera, Measles and Malaria, continues to compromise learning for many students in both regions.

In SERS – a region with 2,551 primary and middle schools and 325 secondary schools – about 23.9 per cent of primary and middle school-age children were out of school during the 2022/2023 academic year owing to several factors such as poor quality of education and emergencies. Data from MoE indicates that at 11.3 per cent and 11.4 per cent, the dropout rates for primary and middle school education were high. Of the estimated 1,534,356 children (730,434 girls) enrolled in primary and middle school education, 5.2 per cent and 5.5 per cent repeated grades, respectively. In addition to humanitarian emergencies, internalized negative social norms, which are drivers of the prevalence of child rights violations such as child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and GBV, also constitute serious challenges that threaten the delivery of education services. Consequently, some 23.4 per cent of students dropped out of school in the region during the academic year of 2022/23. Floods have affected a total of 43,027 children (18,253 girls) in the region, while conflict has compromised learning for 7,215 children (3,321 girls), according to Education Cluster data from the SERS REB in June 2024. Similarly, in SWEPR - a region with 1,543 primary and middle schools and 179 secondary schools, about 43.5 per cent of primary and middle school-age children were out of school in the region during the 2022/23 academic year. The repetition rate for primary was 8.8 per cent and middle education was 10.2% during the same period.

In the face of a burgeoning population of children school-going age, Ethiopia’s newly established regions and the country at large must improve learning achievement. Improved learning achievement can contribute to improved access to education, transition, retention, and completion for every child in school. In this context, UNCEF Ethiopia has developed a program to improve Foundational Learning Outcomes in response to the pressing learning crisis in SERS and SWEPR and Ethiopia at large. The programme combines three mutually reinforcing interventions intended to improve and sustain learning outcomes at the school-level and build effective models for scaling in woredas with similar contexts: improving access to education for out-of-school children and adolescents, strengthening the quality and relevance of education, particularly foundational learning and supporting skills development for children and adolescents in these regions. Building on its human rights mandate, UNICEF will ensure that all children and adolescents can fulfil their basic needs and rights, regardless of their background, location, gender, or disability.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of Key Functions and Accountabilities:

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Support the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis for the education programmes to ensure that current and comprehensive data on education issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy, advocacy, intervention, and development efforts on education programmes.
• Participate in strategic programme discussion on the planning of education programmes.
• Provide inputs to the development of region-specific or multi-regional programme proposals for the sector, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plans and Country Programme and coherence/integration with regional priorities, plans, and competencies.
• Establish specific goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation plans for the sector using results-based planning terminology and methodology (RBM).
• Prepare required documentations for programme design, review, and approval.

2. Programme management, monitoring, and delivery of results

• Plan and collaborate with internal colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators to assess/strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results for the assigned sector on education programmes.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with the government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required action/interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses in programme management.
• Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Actively monitor programmes/projects through field visits and surveys, and exchange information with stakeholders to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems, and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Monitor and verify the optimum and appropriate use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative, and other assets) confirming compliance with organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity, ensuring timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
• Prepare regular and mandated programme reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Provide technical guidance and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, and country office partners and donors on understanding of regional context and related issues to support programme design, implementation, management, and delivery of results.
• Participate in education programme meetings including programme development and contingency planning to provide technical and operational information, advice, and support.
• Draft programme briefs and other strategic programme materials for management use.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant government counterparts and regional stakeholders through active networking, advocacy and effective communication to build capacity, exchange knowledge/expertise and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results on education programmes.
• Prepare communication and information materials for programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund raising for education programmes.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in appropriate inter-agency discussions on education and related issues to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on the planning and preparation of programmes/projects ensuring organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, and implement best practices in education management. Assess, institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Organize and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of key stakeholders such as NGOs and REBS, WEOs, PTSAs and communities to promote sustainable results on education and related programmes/projects.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements

Education: 

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Education, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, or another relevant technical field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in the design, management, implementation, monitoring and improvement of education services and programmes is required.
• Experience with Education in emergency response programming and knowledge of the INEE Minimum Standards, CCCs, and Sphere standards, etc. ensuring convergence and multisectoral response with other sector responses such as WASH, Health, Nutrition, and Child Protection is required.
• Experience with out-of-school-children programming is required.
• Ability to work in cross-functional teams and collaborate with diverse stakeholders is required.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing Capacity Building trainings for Regional Education Bureaus, Woreda Education Offices and Education Partners is required.
• Teaching experience is an asset.
• Experience working in South Ethiopia Regional State (SERS) and Southwest Ethiopia Peoples Region (SWEPR) is an asset.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic is required.
• Knowledge of and understanding of any major languages spoken in the southern regions is an asset.

Desirables:

• Teaching experience is an asset.
• Experience working in South Ethiopia Regional State (SERS) and Southwest Ethiopia Peoples Region (SWEPR) is an asset.

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and persons with disability are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.