International consultant on development and piloting of Inclusive Education Programmatic Framework, Standards and Tools
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Job no: 585339
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Tashkent
Level: Consultancy
Location: Uzbekistan
Categories: Education
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to education!
- Review and consolidate the draft IECPF, integrating inputs from government and partners.
- Ensure clear articulation of system–school–classroom linkages, with focus on Access, Participation, and Achievement. Define pathways for schools, inclusive leadership, and accountability mechanisms.
- Co-design, with MoPSE and national experts, standards and operational tools for inclusive education addressing: Access - ensuring that every child can enter and remain in education without barriers: vulnerability mapping, early identification of vulnerable and out-of-school children, inclusive admission, physical accessibility, referral mechanisms to health and social services. Participation - ensuring meaningful engagement, safety, and belonging of every learner: parental and community engagement, anti-bullying and anti-stigma measures, psychosocial well-being, and student voice. Achievement - ensuring that all learners reach their full potential through equitable, inclusive learning: inclusive teaching, differentiated instruction, assessment for learning, and gender-responsive pedagogy.
- Develop and field-test referral and support mechanisms linking schools with social and health services.
- Integrate child protection, gender, and digital inclusion considerations across all tools.
- Conduct baseline assessments to identify capacity gaps and resource requirements in selected 10 pilot schools and develop action plan for implementation of the modeling of inclusive schools in selected regions with clear tasks, deliverables and timeline.
- Establish School Inclusion Working Groups (SIWGs) in each school, defining their functions and roles in implementing inclusion plans.
- Support SIWGs to prepare School Inclusion Improvement/Development Plans aligned with school development plans.
- Oversee pilot implementation of IECPF in 10 model schools.
- Ensure integration of digital and assistive technologies through establishment of Digital Labs and use of rehabilitation and learning support tools.
- Provide regular mentoring and collect monitoring data on inclusive practices, attendance, and learning outcomes.
- Develop training modules and mentoring approaches for teachers, psychologists, special educators, and school leaders. Training topics to include: Universal Design for Learning (UDL); Personalized and authentic learning; Inclusive lesson planning and assessment for learning; Roles and collaboration within SIWGs and multidisciplinary teams; Parental engagement and school-based management for inclusion.
- Deliver capacity-building activities through a blended approach, including in-person modular workshops, classroom-based mentoring and coaching, peer learning through Preschool Inclusion Groups, online learning modules all aligned with the school academic calendar.
- Develop methodological and training materials including handouts, evaluation tools, workshop agendas, lesson planning tools, and guidance for inclusive teaching and learning practices.
- Document lessons learned from pilot schools, identifying successful approaches and implementation challenges.
- Revise and finalize the IECPF, standards, and SOPs based on field evidence.
- Develop a policy brief summarizing key findings and recommendations.
- Facilitate national validation workshops with MoPSE and stakeholders.
- Provide recommendations for integrating IECPF into policy, planning, and teacher development systems.
- Provide technical guidance and ongoing consultation to UNICEF, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, and national institutions to ensure quality, coherence, and sustainability, and to support alignment with broader inclusive education reforms in Uzbekistan.
3) Conduct baseline assessments in 10 pilot schools, support formation of School Inclusion Groups, and development of school inclusive improvement plan - Needs assessment report, Inclusion Group description and members roles and functions
January – February 2026 - 10%
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Advanced university degree in education, psychology or related field.
- Work Experience:
- At least 15 years of relevant international experience in inclusive education policy, systems strengthening, and whole-school reform.
- At least 10 years of professional experience in designing and implementing inclusive education frameworks, standards, and tools at system and school levels.
- Professional experience and expert knowledge in blended teachers’ professional development design, designing teaching and learning materials on inclusive education, personalized learning; Inclusive lesson planning and assessment for learning.
- Excellent analytical and writing skills.
- Language Requirements: Excellent written and spoken skills in English.
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…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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 canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
Advertised: West Asia Standard Time
Deadline: West Asia Standard Time